How 15-year-old American tennis star Cori Gauff can avoid the pitfalls of being a child prodigy July 21, 2019 A month ago few people knew who 15-year-old Cori Gauff was – and with good reason. Although she had caused a stir on the junior tennis circuit, Gauff was ranked No313 in the world before the offer of a wild card into Wimbledon qualifying, in her own words, “literally changed my life in seconds”. Gauff [...]
Wimbledon 2019: Novak Djokovic outlasts Roger Federer in titanic final and closes in on his tally of grand slam titles July 14, 2019 They came in their thousands to watch the man likely to hold the record for the most grand slam titles for years to come add another to his tally – and they did, although perhaps not the man they had in mind. By outlasting Roger Federer in a colossal, almost five-hour final – the longest [...]
Why Roger Federer’s Laver Cup should be a smash hit with brands keen to engage with a tennis audience July 11, 2019 Late in 2016, tennis legends including Bjorn Borg, Roger Federer and John McEnroe unveiled one of the most innovative concepts in the game’s modern age, the Laver Cup. Created by 20-time grand slam champion Federer, the tournament pits Europe’s top six male tennis players against counterparts from the rest of the world over three days [...]
Pressure tells as Johanna Konta feels the heat of Centre Court to exit Wimbledon in the quarter-finals to Barbora Strycova July 9, 2019 Professional sport is an unforgiving environment. When you’re playing well Centre Court feels like a hospitable stage, the points coming at a steady pace, but when you’re struggling suddenly the crowd feels oppressive and the ball unrelenting. To see a sportsperson wither under the pressure is not an enjoyable sight – yet that’s exactly what [...]
Wimbledon 2019: Believe it or not, tennis is a sport in decline July 1, 2019 Wimbledon is once again nearly upon us. And despite the munificence of the championships and inspirational successes of Andy Murray, it is a staggering indictment that the long-term trend is a declining sport, turning over £1.5bn per annum. Read more: Wimbledon men’s tennis is still finding its titanic trio hard to replace In its latest [...]
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 [...]