Wimbledon 2019: Men’s tennis still finding its titanic trio Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal hard to replace June 30, 2019 Year after year it seems to be the same question: can anyone truly compete with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic at the grand slam events? As they continue to advance into their thirties it becomes increasingly likely that their reign of supremacy will end and their unrelenting grip on the major tournaments wane. [...]
Road to redemption: Dan Evans is Britain’s best bet at Wimbledon after bouncing back from ban June 26, 2019 It took Dan Evans having everything taken away from him to realise what he had put at jeopardy. In the 13 months since returning from a year ban for taking cocaine, he has climbed over 1,000 places in the world rankings to return to the top 100. In the last month he has excelled on [...]
Cameron Norrie interview: British No2 on his form, Olympic dream and Queen’s and Wimbledon hopes June 16, 2019 Andy Murray may have been kept out of picture by injury but recent months have been a pretty positive time for British men’s tennis. Kyle Edmund, Cameron Norrie and Dan Evans have been flying the flag high in Murray’s absence, with all three currently on the up and inside the top 70 of the world [...]
Andy Murray Queen’s comeback: Hip expert warns of ‘very difficult’ road for former British No1 June 12, 2019 After 154 days without competitive tennis – a period which involved a much-discussed operation, extensive rehabilitation, plenty of pain, but also time with his family and friends – Andy Murray will make his long-awaited return at Queen’s Club next week. It may come on the doubles court rather than the singles and may be in [...]
French Open: Rafael Nadal remains King of Clay as he writes yet more records in win against Dominic Thiem June 9, 2019 How many sporting situations are more difficult than facing Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros? On his beloved clay surface Nadal is both the unstoppable force and the immovable object of the classic paradox. And so Dominic Thiem found yesterday in Paris, going down 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 in just over three hours as the Spaniard [...]
Rafa Nadal’s Roland Garros reign shows no signs of letting up ahead of Roger Federer clash June 6, 2019 If Rafa Nadal is to claim a 12th French Open on Sunday he will first have to beat old foe Roger Federer in Friday’s semi-final, as one of sport’s great rivalries gains yet another chapter. What was once a regular occurrence on the ATP Tour has now become a rare occasion, with the two titans [...]
Johanna Konta reaches French Open final four in style with remodelled clay game June 4, 2019 Sloane Stephens said that her two defeats to Johanna Konta earlier this year were “out of mind” ahead of their quarter-final clash at Roland Garros today. But as Konta raced to a 6-1, 6-4 win in just one hour 11 minutes, it appeared as though they were anything but. This is the first year that [...]
Hong Kong Horse Racing Tips: Smart Rocket can show his speed for Moore and Moreira May 28, 2019 FORMER champion jockey Joao Moreira has been living in the shadows of Zac Purton recently. However, it didn’t stop the Brazilian providing another masterclass of jockeyship at Sha Tin last Sunday when booting home four winners, including two by the narrowest of margins. The ‘Magic Man’ is now on a roll with 69 winners, including [...]
Johanna Konta’s long-awaited first French Open win is British No1’s latest cause for optimism May 27, 2019 It took seven visits to Roland Garros but, finally, Johanna Konta is into the second round of the French Open and entitled to feel cautiously optimistic that her campaign in Paris will not end there. The British No1 – beaten in the first round for the last four years and defeated in qualifying in both [...]
Men’s tennis at a crossroads: The ousting of ATP president Chris Kermode has left the sport in a period of flux March 20, 2019 On the face of things, men’s tennis seems much the same as it always has been. The same players are dominating the grand slams. The same youngsters trying to break through. The same tournaments being contested in the same order as always. But turn your attention away from the courts and the men’s game is [...]