Archive for the ‘Tennis News’ Category
The Night Before the Day Before
Tomorrow, my university exams begin. Tomorrow, the players will be waking up with a sensation in the pit of their stomach that tells them that a Grand Slam is starting soon. Of course I would rather be in a position to play some fabulous tennis under the hot French sun instead of sitting an exam, but we all have our lot in life. And over the next two weeks whilst I will be slogging through timed essays, the top tennis players in the world will be taking part in second Grand Slam of the year at Rolland Garros.
The draw came out today, and so now the players know their fate as to how the tournament may play out for them. Two casualties have already altered everyone’s view of what the final may be; Juan Martin del Potro will be out for what looks like all of the Grand Slams this year, with his wrist still recovering from surgery. And the Henin/Clijsters final we have all been waiting will have to be postponed, with Kim Clijsters out with an injury sustained in the Davis Cup.
So what should be affecting your favourites for this year’s French Open?
Some are questioning Roger Federer’s ability to take his next in a long string of Grand Slam titles with other strong players nipping at his heels, and a difficult half of the draw. After all, Rafael Nadal is back on blistering form, having taken a host of titles after his 11 month dry spell. With Nadal’s more »
Clay Season underway
Andy Murray’s year not improving…
Poor Andy Murray’s year is not looking any brighter. Starting with that blaze of form at the Australian Open, the loss in the finals and the following few months seem to have knocked it all out of the Scot. At home he is garnishing criticism for not playing in the GB Davis Cup team, and out on the circuit he is being knocked out of the earliest of the early rounds. His latest disappointment was at the Monte Carlo masters. He had a bye in the first round, but was out in the second, losing 6-2 6-1 to Philip Kohlschreiber. ‘Muzza’ is going to have to pick himself up from this quickly; last year his clay season was an impressive improvement on the surface, and if he gets a bad season under his belt who knows what that’ll do to his confidence come Wimbledon.
…but Rafael Nadal’s year improving significantly
It’s been a bit of the grind the last eighteen months or so for the Majorcan. Fortunately for Rafa fans, he appears to be back to fighting fitness ready for his favourite season of the year. Those vibrant clay courts just wouldn’t be the same without him. His latest title, and first for a while, was taken at the Monte Carlo Masters, beating Fernando Verdasco 6-0 6-1. This is the sixth consecutive time he has won his tournament. Well, some people are just greedy like that. With his form as blistering as it is at the moment, he looks on track to get his old French Open title back from Federer. Finger more »
News Titbits
Navratilova announces breast cancer diagnoses
Martina Navratilova, the former tennis champion with 18 Grand Slam titles, announced that she as recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Fortunately, it was caught at a very early stage and was detected through a routine mammogram. The doctors have given her an excellent prognosis, and she will undergo an operation and six weeks of radiation therapy in May. She gave a stark warning for women with regards to their vigilance over checking for breast cancer; Navratilova pointed out that she has always kept her body in fantastic shape, a good diet and high fitness, and yet this did not make her immune. She had left it four years since her last check-up: ‘…don’t make excuses’.
Serena still injured
Serena Williams is still struggling after her win at the Australian Open, with her knee continuing to play up. She has decided to withdraw from the Family Circle Cup in Charleston. Earlier on in the year she also had to withdraw from the Paris Indoor Open, all important tournaments and weeks she is spending off the court. This means that her preparation for the French Open is coming under some serious trouble.
Roddick wins in Miami
It’s been four years since his last Masters title, but Andy Roddick finally nabbed it in Miami at the Sony Ericsson Open. After making the final in Indian Wells last month, more »
Miami Glamour
Under the gleaming Miami sun, tennis has come to town. Players have been sampling what the place has to offer left right and centre, with sightseeing and even a bit of swimming with dolphins on the cards for the players. Alongside this chance to hear about the players in a more relaxed state of mind, there’s also a round up of the Miami tournament on this blog.
Fernando Verdasco was caught on camera tearing up the waves on a jet ski, looking right at home in the sunshine with the cityscape behind him. Novak Djokovic took a day off from training to do the tourist thing; Universal Studios, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, a sojourn on the beach. With a new relaxed image, he seemed happy to take his early exit at the Indian Open in his stride. You may have heard about his doubles match with partner Mel B from the Spice Girls for the Miami Open’s ‘Kids Day’. Try to catch some video on that if you can.
A group of players even had the chance to swim with dolphins, including Fernando Gonzalez, Robin Soderling and David Ferrer, who squeezed themselves into wetsuits and had a splash with the dolphins at the famous Seaquarium in Miami. Some of the WTA Tour players joined in, including Kristen Flipkens, Julie Coin and Alexandra Dulgheru.
Miami is a second home for Andy Murray; the Scot owns an apartment in the sunny city, and trains there for a substantial part of the year. The last few days he has been taking some flak for not doing enough for his country’s (rather dismal) performan more »
Davis Cup Season
It’s that Davis Cup time of year again, and in the weekend 5th to 7th March teams have been winning or losing the world over.
In the World Group, Spain had a smooth ride into the quarter finals, beating Switzerland 4-1. They didn’t seem to be too bereft without their star man Rafael Nadal. David Ferrer put the final nail in the coffin for Switzerland, beating Stanislas Wawrinka 6-2 6-4 6-0. They’ve set up a quarter-final head-to-head with France, who beat Germany in Toulon.
In Belgrade, the Serbian team took out the United States, with Novak Djokovic beating John Isner in a five-set battle 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), a match which went on for four hours before Djokovic could eventually break Isner. This gave the Serbians a 3-1 lead, which the Americans couldn’t overcome. Serbia comes up against Croatia in the second round in July.
Things weren’t quite as rosy for the Great Britain team. Last year they were relegated to Group 2, and things don’t look to have picked up after a 3-2 loss to Lithuania. There are two different reactions to the loss; the first is calls for heads to roll at the Lawn Tennis Association, and for John Lloyd to be replaced as captain. The second is that it’s going to take time for the team to grow; there’s no use in sacking everyone after each defeat. John Lloyd has been captain of this team for five consecutive defeats now though; surely his number will be up soon.
Russia will join Spain and Serbia in the final eight, after bringing about the more »
