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When Francesca Jones was young, she was told by doctors that she could not play tennis.

Now, the 20-year-old Brit has qualified for the Australian Open in Melbourne next month.

“That was my decision…because you have said that, I am now going to go and prove you wrong,” she said.

In fact, the doctors did have reasons to say so. Jones was born with ectrodactyly ectodermal dysplasia syndrome, which means that she has four fingers on each hand, and seven toes on her feet.

But Jones was determined. At 10, she was accepted to the Sánchez-Casal Academy in Barcelona.

The difficulties she needs to overcome might sound unimaginable to other tennis players.

“Balance is a big thing,” she said in a video from the International Tennis Federation (ITF). “When you do have fewer toes, you don’t have much to put your weight to.”

So she spent a lot of time trying to gain strength to support her muscles. She also used lighter rackets with a smaller grip.

“I think every human being has physical weaknesses unless you’re Cristiano Ronaldo or something. I just try to better mine as I would try to better myself in any other way.”

Jones said that her mental strength was one of her biggest strengths. To her, Wimbledon in her own country is undoubtedly a massive objective.

“I think that just simply wearing all white and that feel the grass under your shoes is pretty phenomenal,” she said.

However, she lost twice in the qualifications for the event, in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

In what was the third Grand Slam qualifying event she has ever contested, Jones finally had luck on her side.

In Dubai earlier this month, with three victories in a row, she managed to edge into her first Grand Slam event in Melbourne. Later, Jones made an emotional phone call to her parents, with whom she separated since joining the Sánchez-Casal academy.

“They didn’t really have much to say,” she recalled. “All I could hear was crying, screams and my dog was barking.”

“We’ve gone through a lot together,” she said. “You miss out on a lot of experiences with your parents and that’s hard on all of us.”

According to a report by the Guardian, she is now guaranteed at least 100,000 Australian dollars (about 77,020 U.S. dollars), which is the biggest earning in her career so far.

But it is nothing compared with the sense of achievement she has.

“To me, it means the world when you hear people chanting your name or feeling supported,” she said.

Jones said she has big goals that she wants to achieve. “I do want to change people’s perspective on not just tennis but sport and how they approach sport.”

Counting down to the Australian Open which will kick off on February 8, she knows that changes are gradually taking place.

by Bob Stockton

@BobStockton10

Women’s tennis is a joy to watch at the minute. The top 10 is jam-packed with fantastic young professionals, in fact the average age of the top ranked females is just 25.3, proving just how exciting the future of the game truly is. However, no one has really taken the WTA Tour by the scruff of the neck in terms of scooping up Grand Slams galore like Serena Williams once did, meaning that the field is wide open when one of the big four major tournaments comes around.

That is once again the case for the upcoming first Grand Slam of the year. There is little separating the big names in women’s tennis in the latest Australian Open odds, and given the fact that nobody at the top of the game has truly been able to put together a run of successive titles, picking a winner really is a stab in the dark.

But, without further ado, let’s take a look at the favourites to lift this year’s Australian Open crown. Read on to find out more!

Naomi Osaka – 7/1

Japanese star Naomi Osaka will be aiming for her fourth Grand Slam title at Melbourne Park next month. The current World No. 3 stunned Serena Williams in straight sets at Flushing Meadows to win the 2018 US Open, and she followed that up with an Australian Open triumph over Petra Kvitová in 2019. In last year’s Down Under-based Grand Slam she was dealt a shock of her own when then 15-year-old Coco Gauff ended her title defence in the third round. But she bounced back later in the year by winning the US Open, and that recent Grand Slam victory gives her the favourite status heading into Melbourne.

Ashleigh Barty – 8/1

Due to concerns for her safety surrounding the global coronavirus pandemic, it has been almost a year since we last saw Aussie Ashleigh Barty take to the court. In fact, her last appearance was at the Australian Open, where she was knocked out in the semi-finals by eventual winner Sofia Kenin. Despite her 11-month hiatus, Barty, who also kept her World No. 1 status, is the second favourite heading into the tournament. With the Grand Slam taking place in her own backyard, there is a lot of pressure on the 24-year-old to win the Australian Open and add to her sole French Open triumph, but could this be the year?

Bianca Andreescu – 17/2

20-year-old Bianca Andreescu had a great year in 2019. She qualified for the Australian, French and US Opens for the first time, even going on to win the latter – beating Williams in straight sets in New York. However, last year her season was plagued with a knee injury that she picked up in the 2019 ATP Finals, and as a result she missed all three of the Grand Slams. The good news is that she has now fully recovered, and it will be great to see the World No. 7 get her career back underway at Melbourne Park, maybe even adding a second Grand Slam to her trophy cabinet.

Serena Williams – 9/1

There’s no doubt that at 39 years of age, Williams is now in the autumn of her career, and the recent upsets, some of which we have mentioned above, could be a good indication that her best days are unfortunately behind her. The 23-time Grand Slam winner didn’t have much to rave about in 2020. She was shown the exit door early in the Australian and French Opens, but her run to the semi-finals of the US Open could be proof that she still has a Grand Slam or two in her locker.

Simona Halep – 9/1

World No. 2 Simona Halep will be hoping to get back into Grand Slam-winning ways in 2021, and what better way to start than with her inaugural Aussie Open. The 29-year-old Romanian won the French Open in 2018 and Wimbledon in 2019, but with the English Grand Slam cancelled due to the pandemic she was unable to defend her title, whilst she opted not to take part in the US Open. That left just the Australian and French Opens. She will have been disappointed to have been knocked out of last year’s Melbourne-based tournament by Garbiñe Muguruza in the semi-finals, but even more so with her performance in the French Open, where she was beaten by 19-year-old Iga Świątek in the fourth round – even if the young Polish professional did go on to win the tournament.

by Bob Stockton

@BobStockton10

Professional athletes are considered to have accomplished high fitness levels. This is because of the tough competition to be the best. It may come as a surprise that there are ways that anybody can achieve the level of fitness that top athletes have. Contrary to what many may believe, it is not only muscles or strength that may be needed and there is so much more that comes into play. It is essential to note that the type of sport an athlete plays will determine the workout out routine he or she does. For anyone to reach the level of top athletes, they need to develop speed, agility, and strength. Below are some of the tips you should consider.

What to Eat

Most people tend to focus on working out when getting fit and forget to focus on the foods they eat. There is a lot of content online on the foods to eat to be fit and healthy. You have to be ready to get out of your comfort zone to reach your goals faster. Many athletes tend to watch what they regularly eat. This may mean that you refrain from ordering fast foods for a while. Most foods that people eat tend to be unhealthy. Watching what you consume does not mean that you go overboard with the menu. Make sure you eat a balanced diet to get the needed nutrients and energy for working out. It is important to note that professional athletes have support staff that help them with their diets. Since you might not have that, it is essential to research and have knowledge of the right food and time to eat. 

Working Out

Some may be amazed by what top athletes go through when exercising. You need to focus on your compound movement when exercising. Do workouts that involve more of your muscles. Exercises like squats and deadlifts will be ideal as they involve the use of multiple joints. The more you do, the more results you will get. You need to have high-intensity workout sessions to improve your fitness level. However, it is essential to start with what your body can comfortably handle. You can then increase the intensity gradually with time as your body gets used to the workouts. Make sure you don’t do the same thing all the time. You should incorporate various workouts into your routine. Supplements have been crucial in helping many athletes improve their fitness levels, visit this weblink for more information.

Mental Condition

It is essential to set a goal when working out. By having goals, you will get the needed motivation to work hard in the gym. Your mental condition is going to determine how you perform. Make sure that you have positive thoughts and believe in yourself. Sometimes, the mental state of an athlete may either make them succeed or fail.

Conclusion

It is essential to create time for recovery after working out. You should ensure you have good periods of sleep. Sleep is crucial in speeding up recovery, thus helping one achieve his or her body goals. It will be wise to seek advice from your doctor before starting an exercise regimen.

by Bob Stockton

@BobStockton10

With the three supremos going higher every day, it is difficult for the new talent to break the dominant footage that the three have over the tennis world. The era of Roger Federer, Rafael  Nadal, and Novak Djokovic to date have proved countless times like that toughest era in the rich history of tennis.

It was the Swiss maestro that broke into the limelight so early, followed by the Spanish wizard before the Serbian genius follows suit in their direction of greatness.

Although, the tennis world is delighted for a slim chance of seeing Roger Federer at the Australian Open come the next February as the tournament was shifted further for three weeks than usual. But the confirmation of the other two supremos is enough to shackle away the chance that the rising stars have in winning the tournament which is spare headed by the Austrian Dominic Thiem, who is touted by the sportsbooks, visit kingjohnnie to win the 2021 Australian Open behind Djokovic and Nadal.

More so, the three monsters have dominated the world of men’s tennis for over fifteen years and still counting while sharing 57 Grand Slam titles themselves. Both the Swiss maestro and Spanish wizard are currently paired at 20 major title after the Spanish phenomenon won Roland Garros for the record of 13th time by demolishing the current world number one and the third of the monstrous three.

Among the three, the last one of them to broke into greatness, Djokovic, on the other hand, still at 17 Grand Slams, can console himself going into the Australian Open in 2021 despite equaling his idol, Pete Sampras sitting at the apex of ATP ranking for his sixth time overall.

More so, despite being the most difficult era of tennis, it is of great advantage to the sport as its popularity has soared the sky and the competitiveness have kept the three in shape for such a long time. But to every prodigy, many good and great talents would inevitably not sparkle and so is the foothold of the best competitive era of men’s tennis.

“I was in the most difficult generation in history,” Fernando Gonzalez articulated. “If Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray had not existed, maybe I would have more prizes and cups, but I feel that it was an experience that enriched me a lot”. He further stressed!

However, with casino games online  that offer a best odd, Dominic Thiem, Kevin Anderson, Kei Nishikori have strung the standard, but it would not be an easy ride to conquest as the three monstrous are looking to spend their dominant energy most especially, the Serbian phenomenon.

The Serbian is currently the world number despite his Roland Garros final loss in the hand of worthy winner, Nadal, in straight set, 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 and his callous attribute that disqualified him in New York to ensure that Dominic Thiem would be a Grand Slam champion in 2020.

As the three are not yet ready to give up the racket and the unprecedented 2020 had to change the flow of the game, the three prodigies would be looking to exert their dominance once again in 2021 but the emergence of Thiem, Nishikori, and Anderson could prove to be nest trios’ of dominance.

 by Bob Stockton

@BobStockton10

Ever since the birth of her child, Serena Williams had hardly reciprocated the tennis prowess that made her the force of the Women Tennis Association (WTA) while winning the highest major honor in the game as dominated the female category for such a long time.

The younger of the infamous Williams sister that won everything in the world tennis will be hoping to have the beginning of her last dance in the Australian Open despite been touted by usa casino behind Ashleigh Barty, Naomi Osaka, Sofia Kenin, and Karolina Pliskova as the fifth seed to win the first major tournament of 2021 which set to begin on February 8, 2021.

The most successful American tennis player of all time will be heading to the first major tournament of the year with the hope of rejuvenating her career right back. Barty, however, is the favorite to conquer Melbourne in February 2021.

Moreover, the most successful woman tennis player in the history of the game behind Margaret Court and the only female player to win twenty-three major titles in the Open era should not the strife for last dance to ascertain her legitimacy as the greatest woman tennis player to ever grace the game because her numbers are there throughout the history to see.

Right from the start, Williams has always been a reference of shining light and despite some shortcoming in her career, the younger sister of Venus Williams was destined for greatness.

While she tied Steffi Graf on staying at the highest rank in WTA ranking for 186 consecutive weeks as she bosses the female category with 319 weeks of staying at the apex of ranking only behind Graf and Martina Navratilova.

Furthermore, her triumph at the world stage beyond the WTA is a major recognition for her uniqueness above the rest with her Olympic record of four gold medals is just another statistic that makes her the greatest female tennis player of all time. Either playing alone or playing with another female athlete or playing with another gender in the game, it is almost certain that honor is on the platter for one of the most decorated tennis players in history.

While she stands in many categories of achievement and award, the 39-year-old stands alone in winning six or more title in one major event in three out of the four majors, while she also has 66 or more wins in all major competitions according to https://www.toponlinecasinos.co.za  she also reaches at least three finals in all major tourney after reaching 30 years, oldest woman finalist at 37, the oldest winner of a major tournament at 35 years, 4 months, the only player to win a major tournament with four-month pregnancy, the only player to win all four major while holding the gold medal of Olympic singles and doubles and many other achievements which can’t be quantified even after her turbulent time.

Although the 39-year-old is relatively old compared to the next generation coming through, with the likes of Sofia Kenin making waves and Ashleigh Barty and Naomi Osaka setting the template, Serena is showing no signs of slowing down as she has managed her career extremely well, picking and choosing her tournaments. She has been given some negative feedback for this habit, but it has the potential to increase the longevity of her career even more.

However, at 39, the American is a relative force in the game and she will be looking to scoop some major in the coming years as will be looking to lay her claim on the podium of the greatest ever! But as it stands, the watchful Serena can’t be stopped and one would make her the favorite for three out of the four Grand Slams with the French Open being the only exception. She has never been entirely comfortable on clay and but has won the title there three times.

But with tribulations and adversaries, the Williams stood firm in her pursuits of greatness and she deservedly sits at the throne with no rival.

by Bob Stockton

@BobStockon10

The nearly a year absence of the diminutive Swiss tennis genius in the world could be a way of preparing for the inevitable retirement of the twenty-time grand slam winner. But invariably, some talent begins to pick up the mantle left by the genius with the likes of Dominic Thiem, Kevin Anderson, and Kei Nishikori are touted to drag the superiority in the world of tennis when the trio supremos of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federal finally leave the court for better.

With the first Grand Slam of the year 2021 calendar shifted by three weeks, Roger Federer will look to beat his absence in the game due to injury, surgery, and Coronavirus pandemic that had to alter the existence of the tennis calendar.

Although the absence of the Swiss international in the world of tennis has ensured that the eternal rival of the Swiss genius catches up to him in the number of major tennis won by an individual at twenty Grand Slams. The Spanish feisty left-handed genius won the Roland Garros for the record of thirteen times while defeating the third supremo that defines the modern tennis era, Novak Djokovic to claim his twentieth major while equaling the record of Federer.

Going to the Australian Open in Melbourne, provided Roger Federer is fit to participate in the tournament, the recently voted greatest sportsman of Switzerland will be looking to advance his claim as the greatest tennis player of all time by winning his twenty-first major honor in Melbourne despite the odds against him according to online casino usa which is guided by the sportsbook review

However, the absence of his family on the stands and the less crowd on the court could prove to be disastrous to the quest of winning the next grand slam for the Swiss international as the 39-year-old champion is yet to adapt himself to the lack of crowd on the court and his absence in the game for nearly a year could be proved decisive as the like of Dominic Thiem and other have caught up to the 39-year-old ingenuity on the court.

More so, the rise and rise of Dominic Thiem not just in form but in play is a statement to the new set of challenges for Switzerland’s supremo. The Austrian would be looking to win another major at the city of Melbourne, after his successful conquest in Flushing Meadows in September despite the presence of Novak Djokovic in the competition.

Although the Austrian fall short in the French Open but his statement in the afterward had been imperious for his opposition and the Australian Open will be a window to take his game higher among the best in the game but the claim of the Serb in this particular major cannot be overly emphasized.

Novak Djokovic will be going into the new season with a new set of determination as the year to be on par with the remaining two supremos at the twenty Grand Slam and the Australian Open will be a perfect way to kick start the agenda as the Serb is three-time short in rank compared with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in major honor.

More Importantly, Federer will be going into the Australian Open  with the best  odds in slot machines , and winning the tournament would even more complicated than usual due to his absence for long and the priority and Intensity of other compatriots Is even deadly fiercer than usual, coupled with the new normal atmosphere that the Swiss are yet to master, however, Roger Federer tenacity and technique for greatly have been displayed for many years and he had always shown the brightest whenever he’s against the odds to triumph. But will the 2021 Australian Open be another book of greatness history for Switzerland’s greatest sportsman, the ending of February will be the judge.

by Bob Stockton

@BobStockton10

The rise and rise of the Spanish phenomenon in tennis court since 2005 cannot be truly well understood, even in his sheer dominance of French Open as he rises to the pinnacle of the tennis world with other two monstrous and prodigy in the game.

Prior to Rafael Nadal’s manifestation of the technical and unbending yield of sheer power play on the central court, Pete Sampras had been the bludgeoning force of reference to greatness as the American tennis legend retired with fourteen Grand Slam titles to his name but the existence of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and the Spanish international, Rafael Nadal has since made people forget how hard it is to keep the consistency on major honor with 17, 20, 20 majors achievement respectively within the three.

However, Nadal is tipped by the high roller casino to win February’s Australian Open behind Novak Djokovic .. But looking at the Spaniard record in major! The thirteen Roland Garros has positioned him to the part of greatness, with 20 grand slams altogether.

Moreover, nothing could have been taken away from the left-handed genius as many greats player and general entertained tennis entertainers had graced the all dusty clay court in Paris but could not have been the boast of the Nadal’s half record on that court.

While winning thirteen of the fourteen Roland Garros he participated in, even defeating his fellow compatriot and arch-rival, Roger Federer on countless occasions in that court and winning his 13th Roland Garros and 20th Grand Slam in fashion and in an unprecedented manner to be precise, while defeating the current world number one, Novak Djokovic in a more daunting manner at 6-0, 6-2 and 7-5 in less than two hours is an attestation to his glory in that court.

With the power play and technical prowess of Serena Williams in the women’s category, the 23 times Grand Slam winner in the Open era had tried on countless occasion to be the Roland Garros force in the women’s category but could not have materialized and while many had tried to outlived the Real Madrid supporter of his French Open throne, but the 34-year-old is getting stronger every day.

It’s more astonishing as the 20 times Grand Slam champion had denied his fellow maestros the chance to lay claim on the beautiful French Open gong, while Roger Federer could only win the tournament once against Robin Söderling in 2009, as Djokovic had his own triumph in 2016.

Although Nadal won the other three Grand Slam with one Australian Open, two Wimbledon, and four US Open to his name.

Like another maestro who won just only one French Open, Nadal too has only Australian Open to his but his prowess on a clay court is astounding to other opponents while he had made name for himself in the field with series of achievements on and off the court.

Nadal remains the fourth in highest-earning rank, with 86 career titles where he stands on the fourth position in the history of the game while new zealand online casino offer the highest odds  in the game coupled with Nadal’s  two Olympic gold medals is an astonishing achievement to claim the greatest of all time status but his presence among the great wouldn’t have been a debate if he only did not have his monopoly on the Roland Garros.

More so, he may not as gifted as Roger Federer and technicality of Novak Djokovic and brittleness of Pete Sampras, but his tenacity and unbending-like attributes on the court is second to none, thus his success had come from sheer will power to win which is enough to sit among the greatest of all time. But without the French Open Nadal is as gods as the average tennis player in history.

by Bob Stockton

@BobStockton10

Tennis has continued its impressive return, since the coronavirus pandemic. That saw Wimbledon cancelled in 2020, in what is one of the marquee events of the tennis season. It was another that was difficult to take for Novak Djokovic, as he was the clear favorite heading into the event. His aim has long been about the Grand Slam titles record and surpassing both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The trio have been the dominant forces of the sport for over a decade and this looks set to continue for years to come, as they have kept picking up the major honors in the sport. Djokovic is still eyeing the record, as he moves ever closer to the records set.

At present, both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have 20 Grand slam title victories each. This puts them three clear of Djokovic on 17 but there is no doubting his chances of over-taking the other pair. He starts as the favorite for three of the four majors, with Nadal remaining the dominant force on clay at the French Open. He looks likely to continue picking up the title at Roland Garros, so Djokovic will need to remain successful at the others to push for the Grand Slam titles record.

Djokovic does have many positives over the others, to think he will surpass them and finish his career as the man with the most Grand Slam titles in history. He is the youngest of the three at 33 years of age and has a clear edge over the other two in performances in recent years. The Australian Open is up next, and he again is going in as the strong favorite for the title, with coral offering 5/4 on the victory.  He picked up victories in both 2019 and 2020, so you would have to expect another victory in 2021, based on his dominant form at the competition over the last few years. As mentioned, the French Open also remains a difficult one for Djokovic, as he has just one victory in his career. With Nadal dominating, this is not one he is likely to be focusing on.

The US Open is another that he has had success at, with three victories to date. His last came back in 2018 and he will again start as the favorite to 2021. This could be an important venue for him breaking the record, so he will be looking to return to winning ways at the event in 2021. The final Grand Slam is Wimbledon and widely regarded as the most important each year on the tour. Djokovic will again start as the overwhelming favorite, having won the last two editions in both 2018 and 2019. He will also be looking to extend on his five titles at the tournament and this could be the key event, looking ahead to him breaking the record come the end of his career. Djokovic overall is the clear best player in the world at present, so he does appear set to break the Grand Slam record, as long as he does not get injured.

By Bob Stockton

@BobStockton10

The 21^st century has been the golden era of tennis, for both male and female competitors as the sport has been dominated by certain individuals including Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic and the Williams sisters. Because of this it has created some of the fiercest rivalries in the history of the game and created some of the most legendary games ever seen and we’ve created a list of our favourite games of the 21^st century.

With the Australian Open just around the corner in January now, many tennis punters are looking for alternative methods to produce a profit from the comfort of their own homes whilst they wait for the tennis tour to start again. Many punters are migrating over to this good resource of online casinos which are offering the best quality when it comes to your favourite casino games. Not only that, but they are also giving sign up bonuses to all new customers who are joining today.

First of all, when Federer met Nadal in the Australian Open back in 2017, many were used to seeing these two getting to the finals, but none expected the game to be played at the standard that it was. The back and forth in this game were incredible and produced one of the rallies of century in which Federer came out victorious in 5 sets – unbelievable.

Again in 2017, but this time at the Miami Open where Federer was pitting a place in the finals against Nick Kyrgios produced another classic. Kyrgios is certainly one of the bigger characters on the tennis tour with his erratic ways and aggressive style were perfect for this classic. Federer came out the victor but Kyrgios would have been gutted to lose this game as he did everything possible to win against the Swiss.

Now over to the women’s classic in the French Open final back in 2010 where Francesca Schiavone took on Samantha Stosur was a battle for their first major title for both of them. Schiavone beat three champions on the way to the finals and was firm favourite to lift the title at Rolland Garros. But against all odds, she lost in straight sets to Stosur who put on one of the best net performances in women’s tennis ever having won 14 out of 15 points at the net.

ORLANDO – Robby Ginepri closed out the 2020 Champions Series Tennis season just as began it – with a tournament victory. The 2005 U.S. Open semifinalist defeated Tommy Haas 6-4 in the one-set championship match at the Bea For Kids Champions Challenge presented by Raymond James at the Heathrow Country Club, the final event for 2020 on the North American tennis circuit for champion tennis players over the age of 30.

In February prior to the start of the global pandemic, Ginepri won his first career Champions Series title by defeating Andy Roddick and James Blake in succession to win the Oracle Champions Cup Presented by RBC Wealth Management in front of a standing room only crowd at the Newport Beach Tennis Club. Ginepri followed that win up by also winning the SoCal Honda Dealers Helpful Cup in Thousand Oaks, California in August, defeating Wayne Ferreira in the final before beating Haas in Orlando for this third career Champions Series Tennis title.

“Starting and finishing the year with wins has a nice ring to it,” said Ginepri. “Now if I can tighten everything up in between, we will be OK.”

Ginepri’s win over Haas was the third of three editions of the event played inside a bubble at the Heathrow Country Club and avenged his loss to the former world No. 2 from Germany in the finals of the previous two events. Haas beat Ginepri 6-2 in the opening final and 6-1 in the final of the second event. 

“I just said to myself that I didn’t have much to lose,” said Ginepri of his win over Haas in Orlando. “He’s got the best of me the last four times we’ve played so I started to swing away and started to free it up a little bit. I started to connect on some shots and hit some good drop shots and won some key points and played a little bit better.”

Despite the loss, Haas repeated as the season-long points champion on the Champions Series Tennis circuit by winning the two of three events in Orlando. In 2019, Haas finished with a perfect 10-0 record to win the year-long points championship. He won titles in Newport Beach, Calif., Maui, Hawaii, New Haven, Conn., Los Angeles, Calif., and Houston, Texas to become the first player in the 15-year history of the Champions Series to be an undefeated year-end points champion. In 2020, Haas won four titles – two at the Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California in August and his two titles in Orlando – and finished with a 10-2 record and 1800 ranking points, 200 better than Ginepri, the season-long rankings runner-up.

In 2018, Blake, the former world No. 4, won his first Champions Series year-long points championship by winning titles in Winston-Salem, New Haven and Houston, while also finishing as runner-up in Los Angeles and Orlando.

In 2017, the year-long points championship was decided in the final match of the season when Andy Roddick defeated James Blake in the Los Angeles final at the Sherwood Country Club. Roddick, the 2003 U.S. Open champion and world No. 1, won four Champions Series titles in all in 2017, winning in Birmingham, Ala., Chicago, Lincoln, Neb., and Los Angeles. Blake, the former world No. 4 and former U.S. Davis Cup star, won series titles in Charleston, S.C., Winston-Salem, N.C. and in Lynchburg, Va.

In 2016, Mark Philippoussis won the Series points title with 1,600 points and tournament titles in Memphis, Tulsa, Newport, Winston-Salem and New Haven. Roddick finished in second place, also earning 1600 points but losing the head-to-head tiebreaker with Philippoussis 5-2, while winning titles in Charleston, St. Louis, Los Angeles and Orlando.

Champions Series tennis began in 2005 and has featured 16 former world No. 1 players including many of the greatest legends in the sport such as Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, Ivan Lendl, Stefan Edberg and Jim Courier.

ABOUT INSIDEOUT SPORTS + ENTERTAINMENT

InsideOut Sports + Entertainment is a Los Angeles based producer of proprietary events and promotions founded in 2004 by former world No. 1 and Hall of Fame tennis player Jim Courier and former SFX and Clear Channel executive Jon Venison. In 2005, InsideOut launched its signature property, the Champions Series, a collection of tournaments featuring the greatest names in tennis over the age of 30. In addition, InsideOut produces many other successful events including “Legendary Night” exhibitions, The World Series of Beach Volleyball and numerous corporate outings. Since inception, InsideOut Sports + Entertainment has raised over $5 million for charity. In 2014, InsideOut Sports + Entertainment merged with Horizon Media, the largest privately held media services agency in the world. For more information, please log on to www.InsideOutSE.com or InvescoSeries.com or follow on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

ABOUT HORIZON MEDIA

Horizon Media, Inc. is the largest and fastest growing privately held media services agency in the world. The company was founded in 1989, is headquartered in New York and has offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Chicago. Horizon Media was chosen as 2011 Independent Media Agency of the Year by Mediapost, 2010 U.S. Media Agency of the Year by Adweek, Brandweek, and Mediaweek as well as by Ad Age and as one of the world’s ten most innovative marketing and advertising companies by Fast Company in 2011. In 2012, Bill Koenigsberg, President, CEO and Founder, was honored by Advertising Age as Industry Executive of the Year. Most recently, in 2014, Bill Koenigsberg was named 4As Chair of the Board and is the first person from a media agency to hold this prestigious position in the 100 year history of the 4As, the marketing industry’s leading trade association. The company’s mission is “To create the most meaningful brand connections within the lives of people everywhere.” By delivering on this mission through a holistic approach to brand marketing, Horizon Media has become one of the largest and fastest-growing media agencies in the industry, with estimated billings of over $5.3 billion and over 1,200 employees. The company is also a founding member of Columbus Media International, a multi-national partnership of independent media agencies. For more information, please visit horizonmedia.com