The Russian invasion of Ukraine is into its 9th week and professional sporting leagues and events around the world have been banning athletes from Russia and Belarus since early March.
Continue reading Wimbledon’s Russian ban is a dangerous game
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is into its 9th week and professional sporting leagues and events around the world have been banning athletes from Russia and Belarus since early March.
Continue reading Wimbledon’s Russian ban is a dangerous game
Rafa Nadal is on the verge of winning his 21st Grand Slam title, but there’s a 25-year-old Russian Danill Medvedev who stands in the way. This is a final that isn’t much of a surprise. In the top half I thought Zverev was really the only player capable of taking Nadal out, but that match never eventuated. Continue reading Australian Open Mens Final Preview 2022
Australia has got what it wanted, so far. A massive Barty Party is about to break out, there’s only one more match go, but there’s a flat hitting American looking to crash this thing, even though the decorations are already up.
Do not count out Danielle Collins, Barty might lead the head to head 3-1, but the way the 28 year old from Florida absolutely demolished former French Open Champion Iga Swiatek in the semis this will not be destiny driven. Continue reading Australian Open Womens Final Preview 2022
You want drama, well you got it. The Djokovic fiasco has overtaken anything that’s happened on a tennis court during the lead up tournaments and whatever happens in the Federal Court hearing tomorrow will overshadow the next two weeks, regardless if the Serbian is in the draw or not. A lot of blame to go around here, but we’ll move on. Continue reading Australian Open Preview 2022
In this era of greatness Novak Djokovic is one match away from accomplishing a feat that his greatest rivals, Federer and Nadal could never do. That’s win all four slams in the same season. In over a hundred years of Grand Slam tennis only two men have done it, the American with the sublime backhand Don Budge in 1938 and remarkably Rod Laver did it twice, in 1962 and 1969. Continue reading US Open mens final preview 2021
This will be the first major final between two teenagers since 17-year-old Serena Williams defeated 18-year-old Martina Hingis way back in 1999 at the US Open. Tomorrow Emma Raducanu, an unseeded 18 year old from Great Britain who won three qualifying matches to get into the main draw will play also unseeded 19 year old Leylah Fernandez from Canada who has taken out Osaka, Kerber, Svitolina and Sabalenka to get this far. Before the tournament Raducanu was 100/1 to win the tournament, Fernandez 200/1, if anybody had those bets I salute your physic ability. Continue reading US Open womens final preview 2021
They should rename this the Novak Djokovic Open as his storyline at this tournament will perhaps be the biggest in tennis in decades, since Steffi Graf won her ‘Golden Slam’ in 1988 and Rod Laver won his second Calendar year Slam in 1969. Only Serena’s chase in 2015 could rival it, but here for the next two weeks, the Serb will get all the headlines, especially without Federer, Rafa or Serena who are all missing due to injuries. Continue reading US Open Preview 2021
Just think about this for a second, it was only two years ago before the 2019 Wimbledon Final between Roger and Novak that the Serbian was still five slams behind the great Swiss, now on Sunday he has a chance to equal him and Rafa Nadal on 20 Grand Slams. Continue reading Wimbledon Mens Final Preview 2021
Ash Barty is one match away from Wimbledon glory, the moment when Australia will rejoice. We haven’t had a Ladies Singles champion since Evonne Goolagong defeated Chris Evert in 1980. Barty has already drunk the Slam champagne by winning the French two years ago; she’ll have to beat Karolina Pliskova to do it again.
The Barty Party is still on
The invitations haven’t actually been sent out yet but the world number one is looking good heading into the second week. The hip has held up and the grass court tennis of slices, big forehands and crisp volleys is flowing nicely. Continue reading Wimbledon Thoughts Week 1 – 2021