The Grand Slam previews are back!!! The big news leading into Roland Garros is that Rafa Nadal is out with the hip injury that’s plagued him since the Australian Open. Also out for various reasons are Murray, Osaka, Halep, Muguruza, Kyrgios, Venus, Raducanu and Berrenttini.
Carlos Alcaraz has been touted for a few years as the next big thing; now the 19 year old from Spain can prove it. Casper Ruud from Norway is aiming to be the first ever Norwegian to win a Grand Slam title.
French Open champion and world number one Iga Swiatek from Poland will take on the Tunisian shot maker Ons Jabeur. They have split their previous four matches with Swiatek winning their last match in Rome this season in straight sets on the clay. This final on hard court will be different though, as the quick New York courts should suit Jabeur, either way its shaping up as a contrast in styles barn burner. Continue reading US Open Womens Final Preview 2022
What a year in tennis it has been already. Ash Barty won the Australian Open and Rafa did the same, albeit after the Australian Government deported Djokovic considering him “a threat to the nation”, just let that sink in. Rafa also won Roland Garros and was actually looking good at Wimbledon until injury forced him out, Novak would go on to win defeating Kyrgios in the final. Continue reading US Open Preview 2022
Poison were the pure definition of hair metal. It was a kinder, gentler shift away from the grimy 70s and 80s of Ozzy and Lemmy. There was never enough hair spray, makeup, lipstick or pouting. ‘Look what the cat dragged in’ was at the head of the glam food chain, an album right in the hedonistic sweet spot of the mid 80s. Continue reading Poison ‘Look what the cat dragged in’
Ash Barty wins Wimbledon last year, now Nick Kyrgios wins Wimbledon this year, outrageous right? With Barty’s retirement we all thought the chances an Australian would win the Mens or Womens singles the following year were slim to none.
Here we have a Tunisian born 27 year old who is the first woman from the African continent to reach a Slam final up against a 23 year old born in Moscow who lives in Moscow yet is allowed to compete at this years Wimbledon because in 2018 she changed nationality to Kazakhstan as their tennis federation were prepared to give her more funding, talk about a good move. It’s two incredible stories; it’s Ons Jabeur vs Elena Rybakina.
Gauff v Anisimova is essential viewing
Get used to this matchup. I have a feeling in the years to come we’ll be seeing a lot of it, which bodes well for Women’s Tennis. Here we have two young dynamos with the charisma and game to keep fans glued to the TV. They’ve only played once at the pro level but in this Wimbledon 3rd round match up we’ll be seeing two future Grand Slam champions in action. Continue reading Wimbledon thoughts week 1 – 2022
The ‘Big W’ kicks off this week still under the controversy cloud after the ban of Russian/Belarus players and the ATP/WTA decision to retaliate by not awarding any ranking points for the tournament. Apparently the British Government couldn’t bare the thought of a Royal handing the trophy over on the final Sunday to a Russian and that being used for Putin Propaganda. Continue reading Wimbledon Preview 2022
It’s the King of Clay against a 23-year-old uber fit Norwegian. Nadal has been the one to emerge from the Novak-Alcaraz-Rafa brutal section and Casper Ruud came through the “this is anyone’s guess” bottom half of the draw. This is the first Slam final for Ruud, it will be Nadal’s 30th. There’s a 13-year age gap, over the course of 5 sets could it make a difference? Continue reading French Open Mens Final Preview 2022