Imagine Tennis - Blog RSS (Opinion)

2012 - The Year of the Outsider?

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 10:06:02 +0000

In recent weeks, and particularly at the ATP World Tour Finals, we’ve seen some of the world’s best players beaten by those around them, which has made me wonder, could next year be the one where the “big four” becomes slightly broader?

The likes of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and David Ferrer have mixed it with the big guns in...

By Chris White

The Louis Armstrong Stadium

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 09:31:19 +0100

Formerly the main stadium at the US Open before the Arthur Ashe Stadium was opened in 1997, the Louis Armstrong Stadium is now the number two court at the final Grand Slam event of the year.

Named after the famous jazz musician, the stadium was opened in 1964 in time for the New...

By Chris White

The Arthur Ashe Stadium

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:59:45 +0100

Opened back in 1997, and named after the African-American tennis player, the Arthur Ashe Stadium replaced the Louis Armstrong Stadium as the main venue for the US Open at Flushing Meadows.

The stadium was built at a cost of $254million and seats 22,547 spectators. There are also facilities for 90 luxury suites, five restaurants and a two-level players’ lounge making it the largest outdoor venue built specifically for tennis.

Despite its recent creation, the stadium does not featu...

By Chris White

Williams Qualifies In Controversial Decision

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 10:08:49 +0100

13-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams has used an injury-protected ranking to qualify for this year’s US Open, despite being ranked at number 172 in the world.

Williams, who has won the tournament three times, in 1999, 2002 and 2008, spent almost a year off the court suffering from a foot injury picked up after winning Wimbledon in 2010. She made ...

By Chris White

Legends of Wimbledon: Pete Sampras

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 17:09:24 +0100

A seven-time winner, Pete Sampras’ statistics say all you need to say about the American as a player, and the fact that he is a true great at Wimbledon. No other player has won the men’s singles title as many times as Pistol Pete, and only Roger Federer is close at present.

In 1992, Sampras reached the semi final at Wimbledon, but lost to Goran Ivanisevic. This would be the last defeat at the All ...

By Chris White

Legends of Wimbledon - Bjorn Borg

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 15:35:57 +0100

During a relatively short professional career spanning just ten years, Bjorn Borg established himself as one of the greatest players ever to play the sport, winning 11 Grand Slam singles titles, equating to 41% of all the Grand Slam events he entered, and 89.8% of Grand Slam singles matches.

Born in Sweden, Borg began playing after being given a racket that his father won playing table tennis, and turned professional in 1973.

He made his debut at SW19 in the same year and...

By Chris White

Legends of Wimbledon - Boris Becker

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 17:02:37 +0100

The youngest player ever to win Wimbledon, aged just 17, Boris Franz Becker wrote his name into the history books in 1985. The ginger German went on to win six Grand Slam singles titles, an Olympic gold medal, three ATP Masters World Tour Finals and one WCT final.

Becker turned professional in 1984, and began to take the world by storm almost immediately. He won the traditional warm-up to Wimbledon at Queens Club in 1985, before winning Wimbledon a month later, defeating Kevin Curren...

By Chris White

Legends of Wimbledon: John McEnroe

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 17:25:05 +0100

Almost as famous for his short fuse as he was for winning Wimbledon championships, American John McEnroe is our next legend of Wimbledon. Having made five appearances in the men’s singles final, McEnroe was victorious on three occasions at SW19.

The fiery American made his first appearance in the Wimbledon final in 1980, taking on the man looking for his fifth successive victory, Bjorn Borg. Having had one of his famous heated confrontations with officials during his semi final win a...

By Chris White

Legends of Wimbledon - Rod Laver

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 16:55:46 +0100

It's nearly that time of year again, the sun is coming out (honestly), the strawberries are in season and the cream is on special offer at the supermarkets so that can only mean one thing: rain. No, it's nearly time for this year's Wimbledon.

In the build up to this year's competition at SW19, we have a look at ten of the best players to have graced centre court since the Open era began back in 1968. This week, we focus on the first man to win at Wimbledon after it became an Open Championship,...

By Chris White

Wimbledon Way Project Launched

Tue, 24 May 2011 12:46:43 +0100

A project to create a Wembley-style walk from Wimbledon station to the All England Club in time for the 2012 Olympics has been launched this week, in an attempt to leave a legacy for British tennis behind.

With just a year to go until the Olympics, the project aimed at installing “interpretation boards” along the walkway, dubbed Wimbledon Way, featuring classic images, history, and information as spectators make their way through the three zones.

You can’t help but feel tha...

By Chris White

Star of the Future: Nadia Lalami

Mon, 16 May 2011 16:58:20 +0100

21-year old Moroccan Nadia Lalami is definitely one to look out for in the future, as she carries the hopes of not just her country, but also her continent, on her shoulders. Having played in just four WTA competitions, and losing in the first round of all four, Lalami reached the quarter finals of the Grand Prix de SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem competition last month.

By reaching the quarter finals, Lalami rocketed up the world rankings, gaining 170 places to become the world number 330, defeating world number 42 Aravane Rezai on the way.

The attacking Moroccan began playing at the age of 5 with her parents at the Casablanca club, and competed in national tournaments while attending the national academy. Lalami grew up idolizing players such as Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters and Andre Agassi, and has competed in the Australian Open and at Wimbledon.

With very few African players on the world stage, Lalami faces pressure that a lot of her elders don’t have to deal with. Viewed as one of the brightest players from Africa, the whole continent will be watching her performances, but Lalami’s recent performance at the Grand Prix de SAR will give her the confidence that she can make it on the world stage. Watch this space…

What else do we know about Nadia Lalami?

· 21-years old

· Born in Casablanca, Morocco

· Right handed player

· Yet to progress beyond the quarter final of a WTA event

· 2 ITF singles titles

· Favourite surface is clay

· Enjoys acoustical music

· Alternative career choices would have been in fashion, design, or architecture

· Favourite players include Henin, Clijsters, Hingis, Agassi, Sampras and Federer

By Chris White

Star of the Future: Petra Kvitova

Thu, 12 May 2011 16:36:07 +0100

Women’s tennis has another potential star of the future after 21-year old Czech Petra Kvitova claimed the Mutua Madrid Open title at the weekend.

The win, Kvitova’s 4^th career singles title, saw her move into the world’s top ten for the first time and has made some established pro’s stand up and take note.

The Czech was up against 4^th seed Victoria Azarenka in the Madrid final, and came through 7-6, 6-4 in a final all about power. Kvitova had already knocked out...

By Chris White

Can Djokovic Topple Nadal?

Tue, 10 May 2011 17:23:02 +0100

Rafael Nadal's amazing record on clay came crashing to an end in Madrid this weekend as world number two Novak Djokovic claimed his first Madrid title in straight sets, 7-5, 6-4.

The 23-year old Serbian has continued his amazing undefeated run which now stands at 32 victories and includes six titles, and has prompted Nadal to admit to his fears that Djokovic could soon replace him at the top of the world rankings.

So is this a real possibility, or just the Spaniard playing mind games?...

By Chris White

Star of the Future: Milos Raonic

Fri, 06 May 2011 10:24:13 +0100

Tennis has another rising star to watch out for in the coming years, and he's coming up fast. 21-year old Milos Raonic is making a dramatic rise up the world rankings, just three years after turning professional.

Montenegro-born Raonic moved to Canada aged just three and started playing tennis early in the mornings with his Dad using a ball machine in the garden as court fees were too expensive.

Raonic reached the final of the Memphis Open earlier this year, before he was beaten in...

By Chris White

Welcome Back

Wed, 04 May 2011 17:49:07 +0100

Andy Murray is preparing to return from injury at this week’s Madrid open, and has talked up his chances of winning a Grand Slam this year.

Murray has been out since the Monte Carlo Masters semi-final where he lost to eventual winner and world number one Rafael Nadal with an elbow injury, and faces Frenchman Gilles Simon – who he beat in the 2008 Madrid Open Final - in the second round after receiving a bye in the first.

The 23-year old Scot said, "I feel good, I had...

By Chris White

Our review of some best-selling tennis books

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 17:17:17 +0100

Summer seems to have arrived early here in the UK so it seems an appropriate time to review a couple of the top tennis books out there at the moment. Some of these will help brush up your game, others are just great sun-lounger reading.

101 incredible moments of tennis

Reading this took me back to 1989 when Michael Chang, just 17 years old at the time, worked his way through the French Open to the fourth round and beat three-times champion Ivan Lendl.

This...

By Shaun Edwards

Samantha Stosur - WTA world number five

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 17:38:11 +0100

The current WTA world number five was born today in 1984. The 26 year old Australian is currently ranked the highest she has ever been in her singles career to date and given that today is her birthday we thought we’d take the opportunity to learn a bit more about her.

Born in Brisbane in Queensland in 1984, her and her family moved to Adelaide when Sam was just six because the family home and business was destroyed by a flood. After receiving a tennis racquet at Christmas when ...

By Shaun Edwards

Is a fifth title at Queen's simply impossible?

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 13:41:27 +0000

Q: What do Andy Roddick, John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Lleyton Hewitt, Roy Emerson, MJG Ritchie and AF Wilding all have in common?

A: Aside from being tennis royalty, more specifically each of these players has won four Queen’s Club titles. But only one is looking to achieve a fifth.

Former world number one Andy Roddick has set his sights on a record breaking fifth title at The Queen’s Club in this year’s Aegon Championsips. Roddick certainly has some stiff co...

By Shaun Edwards

Murray aiming for second Aussie final

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 18:34:36 +0000

After a fairly uneventful passage into the quarter finals of the Australian Open, Andy Murray is eyeing up his second consecutive Final spot. The 23 year old lost in straight sets last year to World Number 2 Roger Federer, but with a possible clash with Rafael Nadal looming in the Semis, one has to wonder whether the young Scotsman has it in him to make the final.

We will look at Murray's matches so far in the tournament where he has disposed of Karol Beck, Illya Marchenko, Guillermo...

By Shaun Edwards

What are Andy Murray's chances at the Australian Open?

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 15:25:36 +0000

Andy Murray swept past Ukrainian Illya Marchenko to reach the third round of the Australian Open – but does he have what it takes to break the iron grip that Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have on the Grand Slams?
We wrote a piece on Wednesday, saying that we can only see Nadal winning the first major of the year such is his power and domination of tennis at the minute. And whilst that opinion still stands, as a British tennis fan, it is only right to give the time of day to Murray.
B...

By Jeff Dawson

Serena dominates 2010

Wed, 29 Dec 2010 08:54:45 +0000

The ladies’ professional tennis season belonged to two ladies in particular, with one moving up to fourth in the all time list of female Grand Slam champions.
As has become customary in the WTA, Serena Williams was the one to beat as she claimed the Australian Open in Melbourne and Wimbledon in the summer, taking her Grand Slam total to 13 overall, five behind Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova in joint second spot in the listings.
Serena has long been the top player on the ladies’ tour and sh...

By Jeff Dawson

Men's tennis dominated by one man

Tue, 28 Dec 2010 11:11:01 +0000

The 2010 tennis season well and truly belonged to Rafael Nadal but here, we take a look back over the last 12 months and bring you all the winners from the ATP men’s tour, starting in Australia in January with the Brisbane International.
American Andy Roddick was the first winner of the year here beating defending champion Radek Stepanek 7-6 7-6 in the final. At the same time was the Aircel Chennai Open in India and Croatian Marin Cilic beat Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland 7-6 7-6 in th...

By Jeff Dawson

Drug cheat's banned halved

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 11:27:50 +0000

The ATP Tour will see the return of American Wayne Odesnik next season after his two year doping ban was suspended after just 12 months, effectively allowing him to return to action from December 29th.

Odesnik, who has reached number 77 in the world, admitted in March 2010 that he had taken a human growth hormone in Australia. An International Tennis Federation ban followed but this was backdated to December 29th 2009. It has now been halved and the ITF decision followed “substantial assis...

By Jeff Dawson

Tennis under the spotlight

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 09:22:46 +0000

The future of British tennis is constantly being scrutinised as it is one sport where the nation has few top players in the world. And it has recently been under the spotlight further.
But what does the future of tennis in this country hold for its players, coaches and fans alike?
Well currently there is only really Andy Murray who is making any impression on the top tournaments in the world in the singles format whilst his brother, Jamie, is a lynchpin of doubles success with Andy...

By Jeff Dawson

2010 was Nadal's year

Thu, 09 Dec 2010 13:42:35 +0000

If you’ve read these columns before, you will know how much respect I have for Roger Federer and for his achievements in the sport but, with a heavy heart, I have to say that 2010 belonged to another man.
And that man is Rafael Nadal. The Spanish superstar. Federer may have book-ended the season with two big prizes, firstly the Australian Open in January and then the ATP World Tour finals at the O2 Arena at the end of November but his achievements were overshadowed by what happened on the m...

By Jeff Dawson

Davis Cup lacks punch

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 15:52:25 +0000

To me, the best aspect of sport is team play. It’s about bringing people together and getting them to work together as one unit, making the impossible possible by working together.
But there’s one competition in tennis that I can’t get the grips with and that I simply don’t see the point of. And that’s the Davis Cup.
It seems that the best players in the world don’t really care about it and only come out for the glitz and glamour of the final – an event that’s taking place at the momen...

By Jeff Dawson

Sampras - one word legend!

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 17:14:38 +0000

Although Roger Federer is considered by many to be the greatest of all-time, there is one player that gives him a run for his money – Pete Sampras.
The great American, born in 1972 in Washington DC, was a thoroughly brilliant player, and like Federer, loved the grass courts of Wimbledon, winning the greatest championship a total of seven times as part of his 14 majors. He often referred to Centre Court at Wimbledon as his ‘Cathedral’.
Although he is a long way short of Jimmy Connors’...

By Jeff Dawson

Federer takes ATP World Tour final

Sun, 28 Nov 2010 20:31:11 +0000

He’s the greatest tennis player of all time and this evening he underlined his ability and his resurgence to form with a stunning three set victory over world number one Rafael Nadal in the ATP World Tour Finals. And the man in question is Roger Federer.

His tremendous 6-3 3-6 6-1 win over Nadal signalled the great man’s return to the top of his game with a bang and it certainly lays down a marker for the rest of the elite male tennis players for the 2011 season.This was Federer’s fifth victory at ...

By Jeff Dawson

Murray has a long way to go

Sun, 28 Nov 2010 19:34:43 +0000

Rafael Nadal once again highlighted just how much Andy Murray is going to have to improve when beating the Scot in the semi-final of the ATP World Tour finals.

Murray, consistently in the top four in the world, lost out in an epic to the Spaniard, losing 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 7-6 (8-6) in what was a magnificent encounter.Although Murray only lost narrowly, it wasn’t a true reflection of the game. Yes it was close but to be honest, Nadal wasn’t at his best throughout the contest.

He showed glim...

By Jeff Dawson

Elena Dementieva announces retirement

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 14:04:34 +0000

Women’s tennis has lost one of its most well-respected and talented players after Elena Dementieva announced her retirement from the sport recently.
The 29-year-old Russian shocked the crowd in Doha after losing to Francesca Schiavone in the group stages of the season-ending tournament and will leave the WTA immediately.
Tributes have been pouring in as a show of support and gratitude for a splendid career that culminated in Olympic glory and a top ten position in the ladies’ rankings.By Jeff Dawson

Ethics

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 14:38:04 +0100

Some athletes are just blessed with God-given talent: they seem to excel in their profession without even really making that much effort. You know that they train hard, but you get the sense that even if they didn’t they’d just win everything anyway. Andy Roddick, whilst obviously talented, isn’t like that.

The US Open winner in 2003 hasn’t obtained a grand slam since that time, and has openly admitted that he wasn’t sure whether he had any of his best form left.

By Shaun Edwards

Not The Best

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 16:52:27 +0100

I should probably note that I have no problem with Caroline Wozniacki: her movement around a tennis court is superb, and her ground strokes are fantastic. However, there is no getting round the fact that her current world ranking of number one female player in the world is just not a reflection on the ability of Wozniacki or the number two Serena Williams.

The truth is that the young Danish number one would just not be in the position that she is if it wasn’t for the fact th...

By Shaun Edwards

Bigmouth Strikes Again

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 13:06:20 +0100

It’s September 20th, 1973 in Houston, Texas, USA, and the current top level female tennis player is being carried into the Astrodome by a variety of muscular, bare-chested young men. Only minutes before, a 55 year old man had been pulled into the venue on a rickshaw by some scantily clad female bikini models.

If you’re thinking that I’m describing a professional wrestling event, you’re very, very wrong. The event in question was in fact a tennis match.

Bobby Riggs...

By Shaun Edwards

The Mental Strength?

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 17:59:51 +0100

I’m not sure if I’m alone in this one, but is anyone else starting to get truly frustrated with Andy Murray at the moment? Don’t get me wrong, I’m very happy for the Scot that he’s won the Shanghai Masters – and by beating Roger Federer in straight sets, no less – but sooner or later, Murray is going to realise that these victories in the minor tournaments mean nothing, and that he’s going to have to overcome the mental hurdles of the grand slams sooner than later.

It’s become very a...

By Shaun Edwards

Can He Do It?

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 13:22:51 +0100

In a moveof gracious modesty that is truly befitting of his status as the world’s bestplayer, Rafael Nadal has apparently labelled the possibility of him winning ayearly grand slam as ‘completely impossible.’ It’s modest and commendable – not to mention sensible – forNadal to play up his modesty (and having see interviews with his coach, you cansee where he gets it from), but you can be sure that Nadal is well aware of thepotential that he has.

By Shaun Edwards

Gold!

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 09:42:23 +0100

What a real pleasure it was to see the Scottish pair of Colin Fleming and Joss Rae put on a superb performance to take the gold medal in Delhi. They should be hugely proud of their achievements in toppling the Australian top seeds Paul Hanley and Anastasia Rodionova by a battling display of 7-6 (9-7) 6-7 (2-7) 6-2.

With the news that the English pair of Ken Skupski and Sarah Borwell had taken Bronze in the third place play off, it spells a potentially Olympic gold wielding futu...

By Shaun Edwards

The Last British Great

Fri, 08 Oct 2010 17:20:09 +0100

With the huge hype built around modern players such as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, it’s easy to forget the legends of yesteryear. Fred Perry was one such legend: a man who achieved eight grand slam title wins, including three Wimbledon titles and three US Championships. Not only that, but he also launched a clothing line that’s still going today: pretty impressive when you consider the fact that his last Tennis win was in 1936!

It seemed pretty obvious that Perry would end ...

By Shaun Edwards

About Time!

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 01:47:32 +0100

To anyone who’s an enthusiast of British tennis, and is hanging their hopes of one of our players winning a grand slam title, the news that Andy Murray has stated he will appoint a coach by the end of the year will be excellent news.

It’s unlikely that the appointment will be made early enough for the new coach to have a big impact on Murray’s performance at the Australian Open (due to start on 18th January). However, it’ll still be intriguing to see if there are any mino...

By Shaun Edwards

Who's The Man?

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 16:56:10 +0100

With the Spaniard slowly creeping up on the Fed Express’ list of honours, is it too soon to ask who’s really the greatest ever?

In terms of their current ability and form, there isn’t a really a doubt that Nadal has the edge. As the world number one, and a recent winner of the career grand slam, he is undoubtedly the greatest player in the world today. Also, statistics don’t lie, and Nadal holds a 14-7 record against his greatest rival in head-to-head matches.

But does tha...

By Shaun Edwards

Get A Coach

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 00:00:48 +0100

With the latest revelation that Andy Murray feels his inability to so far reach a grand slam stems from physical inferiority rather than any other aspect of his game, it’s hard not to feel that perhaps the problem is in fact in his head, and that he’s making rather a large oversight in not observing just how much of his game is being affected by not having a regular coach.

Yes, I’ll admit watching Murray steaming into the US Open without a coach was exciting: as he de...

By Shaun Edwards

Hard Graf-t

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 17:17:18 +0100

It’s a little strange to think it’s been eleven years since Stefanie Graf retired from Tennis, after widely dominating the female area of the game for over fifteen years, despite various injury problems. It’s very true that statistics don’t always tell the whole story when it comes to sport, but when you look back at Graf’s record of trophies, it’s remarkably hard to argue with. She won a remarkable 22 grand slam trophies, with only Margaret Court’s 24 above her in professional tennis. Not only did...

By Shaun Edwards

Is Roger Done?

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 15:43:11 +0100

With the Swiss machine again eliminated before the final of the US open, it’s very tricky to not ask the question as to whether the undoubted brilliance of the man is beginning to fade away, as the younger Nadal begins to take over as the dominant player... Yes, as it tends to be with English sports fans, it’s very easy to get carried away once someone with a reputation like Federer’s loses a match or two, but at the same time it’s very hard not to notice subtle differences between the man today, and t...

By Shaun Edwards

Murray Cursed

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:50:41 +0100

It’s getting ridiculous now, isn’t it? Once again, the British hope for a grand slam title crashes out early, this time Andy Murray falls in the third round of a tournament he has twice reached the final of, ruining any prospects of a showdown with Roger Federer in the final.

What’s even more unusual is that Murray had been in peak physical condition in the run up to the tournament, but was suddenly overtaken by various problems in both his thigh during the third set, and then hi...

By Shaun Edwards

Murray v Federer

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:04:36 +0100

With top seeds falling left and right in the early rounds, a big confrontation between Andy Murray and Roger Federer seems to be becoming a bigger and bigger possibility. Murray already sowed the tiniest seed of dischord between the two by acknowledging the fact that he though Federer might not be quite the player of two years ago, and with the Swiss fighting to prove that he’s still the same magnificent master, a confrontation between the two may be exactly what everybody wants.

With Marian Cil...

By Shaun Edwards

McEnroe

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:19:40 +0100

Controversial figures always go one way or another, depending on one’s perspective. Just like everyone else, I have my own virilant hatred of some (Michael Schumacher, Ashley Cole), and some others I simply love for being genuinely open about their ambition, fighting instinct and the desire to not hide behind a big mask of blandness. Jose Mourinho is one, Geoffrey Boycott another, and John Patrick McEnroe is another.

As always with legends, McEnroe’s statistics speak for themselves...

By Shaun Edwards