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2021 US Open Series Schedule The Largest Since 2013

July 12, 2021 by TennisGrandstand Leave a Comment

The US Open Series returns for its 18th season in 2021, featuring its largest schedule since 2013. Nine WTA and ATP Tour summer tournaments will be played over six weeks leading up to the 2021 US Open, launching this week with the Hall of Fame Open ATP 250 in Newport, R.I.

A year after every US Open Series tournament but the Western & Southern Open was not held because of the COVID-19 pandemic, every Series event in the United States is returning with fans in attendance – five of which currently are set to feature 100-percent capacity – while the Hall of Fame Open and the new Tennis in the Land WTA 250 in Cleveland will feature as part of the US Open Series for the first time. The full 2021 US Open Series schedule includes:

The Hall of Fame Open ATP 250 in Newport, R.I. (July 11-18), the first year the historic grass-court event will be played as part of the US Open Series.
The Truist Atlanta Open ATP 250 (July 24-August 1), which will feature a women’s exhibition between Kim Clijsters and Sloane Stephens alongside a talented men’s field led by five-time champion John Isner.
The Citi Open ATP 500 in Washington, D.C. (July 31-August 8), headlined by Rafael Nadal and Coco Gauff, who will participate in a women’s invitational.
The Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic WTA 500 in San Jose (August 2-8), the world’s longest-running women’s-only pro tennis event which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
The National Bank Open presented by Rogers ATP Masters 1000 (Toronto) and WTA 1000 (Montreal), held August 7-15, which will be the first edition of the tournament with its new title and presenting partners.
The Western & Southern Open ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 (August 14-22), which returns to its home in Cincinnati, where it’s drawn nearly 200,000 spectators annually.
The Winston-Salem Open ATP 250 in Winston-Salem, N.C. (August 21-28), the first tournament in the United States to announce its return with 100-percent fan capacity.
The Tennis in the Land WTA 250 in Cleveland, Ohio (August 22-28), the first new tournament to join the Series since Winston-Salem in 2011.

Tennis Channel will have exclusive, live coverage of all nine US Open Series tournaments in 2021, both on television and streaming service Tennis Channel Plus. In all, the network will provide 270 live hours of matches during the series, with at least 30 live-match hours at each event. With another 365 hours of encore match re-airs this summer, Tennis Channel will dedicate close to 640 television hours to the US Open Series this year. Tennis Channel Plus will allow fans to follow their favorite stars live and on-demand as the professional tours make their annual North American march to the US Open.

The US Open Series will also continue to serve as an incubator of innovation, as seven of the nine tournaments will utilize Hawk-Eye Live electronic line-calling on all competition courts in 2021: Truist Atlanta Open, Citi Open, National Bank Open, Western & Southern Open, Winston-Salem Open and Tennis in the Land.

The Series is also continuing its recognition of one man and one woman in the beginning stages of their careers that produce an overall signature “Breakout Performance” this summer. Stefanos Tsitsipas and Aryna Sabalenka earned the distinctions in 2018, while Daniil Medvedev and Bianca Andreescu did in 2019, with Andreescu going on to win the US Open singles title and Medvedev reaching the final. As the Series nears its conclusion, a pre-established voting panel will determine which two players had the official Breakout Performances of the 2021 US Open Series based on overall results from all tournaments played.

“It’s incredibly exciting and positive to see the US Open Series returning with such strength after an immensely difficult year,” said Megan Rose, USTA Managing Director, Major Events. “Engaging fans and local communities with world-class tennis events is integral to the USTA’s mission of promoting and growing the game, so the collective hard work and determination of everyone at each tournament and both tours to bring a full summer season of professional tennis back to North America is invaluable.”

About the US Open Series

The US Open Series serves as a true “regular season” of summer tennis in North America, linking nine WTA and ATP Tour tournaments to the US Open. Featuring a cohesive weekly viewing schedule, as well as comprehensive outreach and grassroots engagement initiatives, the Series serves as a vital platform to promote and grow the game of tennis in person and at home. Fans can follow along all summer as today’s top champions go head-to-head with tomorrow’s emerging stars, while each tournament engages its local community with a variety of programs geared toward showcasing and promoting the game to new and existing fans.

About the ATP

As the global governing body of men’s professional tennis, the ATP’s mission is to serve tennis. We entertain a billion global fans, showcase the world’s greatest players at the most prestigious tournaments, and inspire the next generation of fans and players. From the ATP Cup in Australia, to Europe, the Americas and Asia, the stars of the game battle for titles and FedEx ATP Rankings points at ATP Masters 1000, 500 and 250 events, and Grand Slams. All roads lead towards the Nitto ATP Finals, the prestigious season finale held in Turin, Italy. Featuring only the world’s top 8 qualified singles players and doubles teams, the tournament also sees the official crowning of the year-end ATP World No. 1, the ultimate achievement in tennis. For more information, please visit www.ATPTour.com.

About the WTA

Founded by Billie Jean King in 1973 on the principle of equal opportunity, the WTA is the global leader in women’s professional sports. The WTA is one of the world’s most recognizable and high-profile sports organizations, consisting of more than 1650 players representing approximately 85 nations, all competing to earn WTA rankings points and prestigious tournament titles. The WTA Tour comprises of over 50 events and four Grand Slams, spanning six continents and nearly 30 countries and regions with a global audience of over 700 million. The Tour culminates with the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen, honoring the season’s top singles and doubles players based on the final standings of the Porsche Race to Shenzhen leaderboard. Further information on the WTA can be found at wtatennis.com.

Andrew Castle Urges Andy Murray To Keep Going

July 8, 2021 by TennisGrandstand Leave a Comment

BBC broadcaster Andrew Castle has urged Andy Murray to continue playing tennis, despite his early exit from Wimbledon this year.

Hip surgery seemed to have ended Murray’s career, but he has battled back to return to the men’s circuit over the past couple of years.

The 34-year-old is understandably not at the level he once was, although his fighting spirit still allows him to be competitive.

He beat Nikoloz Basilashvili and Oscar Otte in the first two rounds of this year’s men’s singles, before being defeated in straight sets by Denis Shapovalov in his third match.

However, in a recent interview with Betway, Castle implored one of Britain’s greatest ever sportsmen to carry on playing as long as possible.

“He said after his first match that he can’t understand why people keep asking him if this might be the end,” Castle said. “Which is just perfect, really, because there’s no feeling like winning.

“He’s still doing it, he can still compete. Why would you stop? He’s still thrilled that he’s out there, as am I.”

Castle’s emotional attachment to Murray’s career was cemented in July 2013, when he became the first British man to win the singles title in the Open Era.

Although he claimed victory by beating Novak Djokovic in straight sets, the Serbian made Murray sweat for most of the contest.

Castle fondly remembers the moment when Murray finally got the job done and how he set about describing the action in the commentary box.

“Kenneth Wolstenholme used up the greatest winning line ever in 1966,” he added. “So I was under pressure to come up with something!

“Ultimately, you don’t plan a winning line. The great thing about commentary is that you can use silence as a tool, and let the pictures do the work.

“Murray had three championship points at 40-0 up in the final game, lost them all, and was back at 40-40. The director pushed into Murray’s eyes and what you could see was a man trying with all of his heart and soul, feeling every emotion going.

“It was a beautiful shot. All I had to do was give a little line and back off. Throughout that game I kind of knew it was my job to lead viewers through the emotional turmoil.

“Something like 72 percent of UK televisions were watching, so that was quite a responsibility. Hopefully we did it justice.”

With Murray out of this year’s tournament, attention has switched to Djokovic’s bid to equal the record of 20 Grand Slam wins held by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Djokovic faces Shapovalov in the semi-finals and will meet either Hubert Hurkacz or Matteo Berrettini if he progresses to the final.

Castle has backed Djokovic to produce a grandstand finish to draw level with Federer and Nadal, and believes that the aura around the All-England Club will add to the occasion if he achieves the feat.

“It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what makes Wimbledon so special,” he said. “I could say that the tennis and the atmosphere is what brings it to life, but it still gets you even when it’s dormant and sleeping.

“I have goosebumps when I arrive and nobody’s around. It’s just one of the great privileges to call it my place of work.”

Ahead of Naomi Osaka’s Olympic debut, IOC unveils inspiring “Athlete Portrait”

July 8, 2021 by TennisGrandstand Leave a Comment

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today launched the latest story in its “Stronger Together” digital campaign, featuring tennis superstar Naomi Osaka, as she prepares to make her Olympic debut later this month. The video is the fourth amongst a series of five athlete portraits which are intended to build excitement for the upcoming Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Osaka’s video follows Tony Hawk, Usain Bolt, and Yusra Mardini, each echoing the broader message that we are “Stronger Together.”

Ahead of her participation in Tokyo 2020, Osaka says, “People might think I’m quiet. Different. That I don’t fit the box of what an Olympian should be. But I’m proof that the definition is bigger than people think.”

Osaka also delivers a deeply motivating message, “I want to inspire the girls out there watching right now. The ones that some people think are too different. Too quiet. Too something. And if we don’t fit that expectation of what people think we’re supposed to be, good! That just means we’re the ones who get to change it.”

The Naomi Osaka story is part of the IOC’s “Stronger Together” campaign, which celebrates the strength, resilience, and determination of athletes to bring hope, unity and inspiration to people around the world. In addition to Hawk, the initial campaign story featured world renowned athletes, including past, present and future Olympians Usain Bolt, Andre Degrasse, Yusra Mardini and Nyjah Huston; it also included skateboarding icon Tony Hawk before the sport’s Olympic debut. The debut Stronger Together campaign video is also available at #StrongerTogether – YouTube.

IOC Digital Engagement and Marketing Director Christopher Carroll said, “The Stronger Together campaign represents the strength of the human experience, reminding people around the world what we can accomplish when we’re united. The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will celebrate the spirit of the athletes of the world who have shown incredible resilience in their journey to Tokyo 2020.”

Centred around a people-centric message of Stronger Together, the digital campaign emphasizes the IOC’s belief in solidarity that the world only moves forward when it moves together, and the power of the Olympic brand to unite people, communities, and nations across the globe.

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The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit, civil, non-governmental, international organisation made up of volunteers which is committed to building a better world through sport. It redistributes more than 90 per cent of its income to the wider sporting movement, which means that every day the equivalent of USD 3.4 million goes to help athletes and sports organisations at all levels around the world.

Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario Faces Potential Four-Year Prison Term

July 8, 2021 by TennisGrandstand Leave a Comment

Prosecutors in Barcelona have asked for a four-year prison term for former Spanish tennis star Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, writes Xinhua news service out of Madrid.

Sanchez-Vicario, who won 14 major titles in singles and doubles and four Olympic medals, is accused along with her former husband Josep Santacana of hiding assets in order to prevent the Bank of Luxembourg from collecting a debt.

Prosecutors also asked for Sanchez Vicario and Santacana to pay 6.1 million euros in compensation, arguing that the pair “devised a plan” to “frustrate” the collection of the debt to the bank by emptying their current accounts, charging “opaquely” for interviews and getting rid of real estate assets.

However, the indictment highlights that the former tennis star always “acted under the instructions of her husband,” who used his associates to set up front companies to manage the sale of their properties, before then liquidating the companies.

This is not the first time Sanchez-Vicario has had legal problems after found guilty of tax evasion by the Spanish Treasury in 2009, although she claimed her parents had handled all of her economic affairs and in 2012 reached an out of court settlement with her father and elder brother over the mismanagement of her finances.

What Are The Best Tennis Tournaments In The World?

July 8, 2021 by TennisGrandstand Leave a Comment

Tennis is ranked as one of the best sports in the world. there are a lot of tournaments that one can enjoy following in the world of tennis. Here are some of the major ones that some popular names in the sport take part in.

Australian Open

Established in 1905 it’s one of the oldest tournaments still in existence. It’s also known as the grand slam of Asia. Slated for January every year in Melbourne it’s open for both men and women. Not to leave out those who are disabled and casinos en ligne players ,the tournament also has a category for wheelchair players.

Lately, the name Novak Djokovic has been on everyone lips seeing how much he is dominating in the tournament . He made history for having so many spectators in all the tennis tournaments.

US Open

Played on the hardcourt this is also one of the most prestigious tournaments in tennis. When it was established in 1881 it was known as the US national championship and back then only men could compete. Did you know that at online casino you can do so many things besides casinos online canada games, things like betting on best tennis players.

This was later changed with the coming in of the women’s edition in 1887. The tournament has five major events and it takes place each year from August to September. Queens in new york is where the finals are held every year.

Summer Games Tennis Tournament

This was established in 1896 and since then the playground has been changing. the tournament is well known for occasionally changing its courts. It all depends on the Olympic games for each year. sometimes it played on grass and clay courts. This may be an advantage to some players and not to some.

Wimbledon

Established in 1877 this is one of the prestigious tournaments .played on the grass courts in London. It’s played from June to July. All the payers are expected to be dressed in white as they play.

These are some of the amazing tournaments to look out for in tennis.

The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon Picture by:Florian Eisele/AELTC

Who Are The Top Tennis Players In The World?

July 8, 2021 by TennisGrandstand Leave a Comment

Tennis is just an incredible sport loved by many. There are a couple of names that come into mind when you think of tennis. these men and women have achieved a lot in the world of tennis.

Ashleigh Barty

At the age of 25, she is one of the best players in tennis to date. the player started playing at the early age of 5.

Since then she has participated in several tournaments including the grand slam as well as the Australian open among many others. She won the grand slam. Also, she has won other eleven singles titles as well as doubles in her career.

Novak Djokovic

This is one of the greatest players of tennis looking at the men’s edition. born in Serbia he has 19 grand slams to his name to date among many other wins.

He has been the number 1 player for over 328 weeks,and gambling online players like to bet on Novak Djokovic . In his career, Novak has participated in all of the prestigious tournaments. Talk of the Wimbledon tournament currently unde4rway and many others.

Serena Williams

The American professional tennis player is one of the best in the world. To date, she has 23 grand slams to her name.

Together with her sister Venus, they have maintained a world record when it comes to tennis. Currently this year this is the first time that Serena has failed to make it to the third round in the Wimbledon tournament.

Rafael Nadal

The Spanish player is one o the best in tennis. to date, Nadal has 20 grand slams to his name amongst many other titles. He has remained on top of the list of the best players for more than 10 years.Did you know that at you can bet on sports like tennis or play online casino games and stand a chance to win big.

Conclusion

Tennis is one exciting sport with a number o tournaments throughout the year. These tournaments then determine the rankings with so many names coming up each year of the greatest players of tennis.

Olympic and Paralympic Tennis Entries Announced By The ITF

July 1, 2021 by TennisGrandstand Leave a Comment

The ITF has announced the complete entry lists for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Tennis Events. The Olympic Tennis Event will be held at the Ariake Tennis Park from Saturday 24 July until Sunday 1 August, with the Paralympic Tennis Event following at the same venue from Friday 27 August until Saturday 4 September. A total of 46 nations are represented in this year’s Olympic Tennis Event, with 31 nations contesting the Paralympic Tennis Event.

Novak Djokovic (SRB) and Ashleigh Barty (AUS) head the Olympic entries, and Shingo Kunieda (JPN), Diede de Groot (NED) and Dylan Alcott (AUS) top the Paralympic line-up. According to the ITF’s Qualification Systems, entries are based on the ATP and WTA rankings of 14 June, and ITF wheelchair tennis rankings of 7 June. All players must be in good standing with their national association and have made themselves available to represent their country in the ITF’s international team competitions. The entry lists are still subject to change.

There will be strong representation from the host nation across both events, with four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka bidding for women’s singles gold, and two-time Paralympic singles champion Kunieda and Rio 2016 bronze medallist Yui Kamiji in contention for wheelchair tennis gold. Two-time Olympic champion Andy Murray returns to defend his men’s singles title having received an ITF Place as the player with the most Olympic and Grand Slam titles outside the direct entries. A new women’s champion is guaranteed in the absence of defending champion Monica Puig (PUR) through injury. Gordon Reid (GBR) and Alcott will defend their Paralympic singles titles, while there will also be a new women’s wheelchair champion.

Entries for the 16-pair Olympic mixed doubles event will be determined on site during the Olympic Tennis Event on 27 July. Entries for the three doubles events at the Paralympic Tennis Event will be announced at the end of the July.

To read about the history of the Olympics with facts, figures, records, medal scrolls and fun anecdotes, buy “The Olympic Tennis Fact Book” by Randy Walker here https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08DC1ZBDD/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_NHFCMAWSWNWA8CE087G5 via @amazon

Olympic Tennis Entries can be found here: https://event.itftennis.com/media/319254/319254.pdf?utm_campaign=1850479_PRL%20-%20Tokyo%202020%20Entry%20Lists&utm_medium=email&utm_source=emailtwocircles&dm_i=4OYA,13NU7,3HGE3W,50Q2D,1

Paralympic Tennis Entries can be found here: https://event.itftennis.com/media/319255/319255.pdf?utm_campaign=1850479_PRL%20-%20Tokyo%202020%20Entry%20Lists&utm_medium=email&utm_source=emailtwocircles&dm_i=4OYA,13NU7,3HGE3W,50Q2D,1

Introducing The Sipsmith Strawberry Smash Drink For Wimbledon

June 30, 2021 by TennisGrandstand Leave a Comment

Sipsmith London, the Official Gin Partner of The Championships, Wimbledon, has announced the U.S. release of Sipsmith Strawberry Smash, a limited edition gin handcrafted in celebration of partnership between the two British icons and a humorous digital spot released leading up to The Championships.

Capturing the essence of British summer sipping, Sipsmith Strawberry Smash is distilled using real Wimbledon strawberries from the 2020 harvest from Hugh Lowe Farms in Kent, England, the exclusive grower for The Championships. In the absence of the tournament last year, these meticulously grown strawberries were instead used to celebrate the partnership between Sipsmith and Wimbledon, creating a first-of-its-kind gin.

“There is no greater representation of British tradition and excellence than the Championships at Wimbledon, and we are so delighted to share this very special, limited edition gin with U.S. sippers,” said Sam Galsworthy, Founder at Sipsmith. “While some make lemonade out of lemons, when life handed us strawberries, we made gin.”

Jared Brown, Sipsmith Master Distiller, adds: “This year with Sipsmith becoming the Official Gin Partner of Wimbledon, we felt it was quite right to harness the taste of British summertime and use last year’s Championships’ strawberries to make this year’s champion gin. We crafted Sipsmith Strawberry Smash to our standards by layering complementary ruby red strawberries and fresh English mint along with our traditional botanicals used to perfect our London Dry Gin, and we’d like to think we’ve introduced a new gin that is perfectly balanced, yet subtly sweet – perfect for refreshing, summer cocktails.”

To further celebrate its partnership with The Championships, Wimbledon, Sipsmith also proudly releases ‘The Official Tennis of Sipsmith Gin’ – a new creative spot, created in collaboration with Ogilvy UK, featuring the brand’s loveable stop-motion character Mr. Swan. The whimsical video adoringly captures the love match between these two iconic British brands: champions of excellence with unrelenting pursuit of greatness, and how they take what they do seriously, but never themselves. The spot is currently airing across Sipsmith social channels, on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/sipsmith) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sipsmith/), for the month surrounding the tournament and will be spotlighted in U.S. markets Boston, Miami and San Francisco.

“We are delighted to welcome Sipsmith to the family of Official Partners of The Championships. Both Wimbledon and Sipsmith are heritage brands with a commitment to excellence and the ambition to share our stories globally. We are thrilled that Sipsmith has chosen to mark its first year as an Official Partner of The Championships with the launch of this celebratory gin, made with traditional Wimbledon strawberries. The anticipation of our passionate Wimbledon fans is building as we begin a return towards normality and we hope The Championships will have an exciting role to play during this summer,” said Mick Desmond, Commercial & Media Director at The All England Lawn Tennis Club.

After lobbying Parliament to overturn a centuries-old law, Sipsmith’s founders inspired a remarkable change and in 2009 opened London’s first small batch gin distillery in nearly 200 years. Since then, Sipsmith has been credited as the pioneers for the gin revival in the UK – and subsequent global category renaissance. Dedicated to an uncompromising pursuit of quality and craftsmanship in its range of handcrafted gins, Sipsmith comes together in partnership with Wimbledon to bring a taste of their shared commitment to excellence and British tradition to gin and tennis fans alike across the United States and via casino online america where you can try your luck.

Sipsmith is the quintessential expression of a classic London Dry Gin and is essential for perfecting the highest quality cocktail serves. This summery twist on the classic style gin is a perfectly balanced, yet subtly sweet gin – best sipped in a Gin & Tonic or Wimbledon Collins.

Sipsmith Strawberry Smash is available nationwide as a limited time offering with a Suggested Retail Price of $29.99 USD – inviting U.S. sippers to experience this uniquely handcrafted gin to perfect your serve this summer.

Tasting Notes

The Nose: Unmistakably juniper forward with a subtle strawberry aroma, followed by light citrus and hints of mint.
The Palate: A kiss of strawberry and mint balanced with herbaceous notes of classic London Dry Gin.
The Finish: Delicate fruitiness and dry juniper mingles to a smooth mint finish.

Sipsmith Wimbledon Collins

Ingredients:

2 parts Sipsmith Strawberry Smash

1 part lemon juice

½ part simple syrup

Soda water

Strawberries and a lemon twist for garnish

Method: Combine the Strawberry Smash, lemon juice, and simple syrup in an ice-filled highball or collins glass. Top with soda water and garnish with fresh strawberries and a lemon twist. And then visit online casino usa to try your luck.

This year only, Sipsmith is offering U.S. sippers the exclusive chance to win the champion of all sweepstakes. Enter for the chance to win the ultimate 4-day, 3-night Wimbledon experience in London in 2022, along with a host of gincredible prizes, including weekly draws and regional prizes. For more information and official rules, please visit https://sipsmith.com/us/wimbledon-sweepstakes/.

About Sipsmith

Pioneers of the gin revival, Sipsmith was London’s first copper distillery for nearly two hundred years, on a mission to bring back London Dry Gin to the city where it made its name. Sipsmith combines modern technology with traditional recipes and techniques of yesteryear. All Sipsmith spirits are made by hand and in small batches, driven by the belief that this is the only way to craft spirits of such high quality. Sipsmith opened its distillery doors in 2009 and its London Dry Gin has since won over 30 international awards. Follow along on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @sipsmith, #sipsmith. For all things sippable, please visit www.sipsmith.com.

Ash Barty and Alex de Minaur Lead Aussie Olympic Team For Tokyo

June 29, 2021 by TennisGrandstand Leave a Comment

Australia has announced its tennis team for the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games, with world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty and world No. 15 Alex de Minaur included.

Sam Stosur, who will become the first Australian tennis player to play in five Olympic Games, is also a member of the team.

Stosur and Barty are joined by Ajla Tomljanovic in the women’s singles, with Barty teaming up with Storm Sanders and Stosur with Ellen Perez in the women’s doubles.

Rio Olympians John Millman, Nick Kyrgios and James Duckworth will join De Minaur in the men’s singles, with Millman partnering Luke Saville, and John Peers playing alongside with De Minaur in the men’s doubles.

2004 Olympic women’s singles bronze medalist Alicia Molik will captain the women’s team and national men’s coach Jaymon Crabb will lead the men’s team.

Five-time Olympian Stosur said she was proud of achieving this Olympic milestone. “It’s super special being able to represent your country in one Olympics, let alone five,” Stosur said, who is not known as a online casino games player.

“I can’t believe I’m still going at this point in time, but thankfully I was able to keep going and make it between London and Tokyo which I didn’t ever think was going to be on the cards.”

“To be part of a broader Australian team, that’s just another level of representation and there’s so many amazing, fantastic athletes, in the team every single year. You get to meet people that you’d never ever think that you’d be able to meet or talk to and whatever their sport is, they’re the best in the country and some of the best in the world. To be part of that is absolutely incredible,” she said.

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World No. 1 Barty also makes history as Australia’s first Indigenous Olympian in tennis.

Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley said he was looking forward to seeing one of the country’s biggest and strongest tennis teams head to Tokyo.

“Our players are always proud to step up and compete for Australia and it’s fantastic to see our biggest ever Olympic tennis team, and one of our strongest, named for Tokyo next month,” Tiley said.

When most people think of Olympic sports, tennis is not one of the first sports that come to mind. However, it should be as tennis is one of the most historic sports in the modern Olympic movement. For starters, it was one of the original sports that were part of the first modern Olympic Games in Athens, Greece in 1896. When it returned to the Olympic program in 1988 after a 64-year hiatus, it was the first Olympic sport to feature professional players, making way for the pros to compete at the Olympics in basketball, hockey and others sports. In this book, tennis historian and former U.S. Olympic tennis team press officer Randy Walker shares his notes and documentations in a comprehensive and easy-to-read fact book called “The Olympic Tennis Fact Book.”

Bjorn Borg’s Iconic 1980 Wimbledon Victory Now an NFT

June 28, 2021 by TennisGrandstand Leave a Comment

Coinciding with the start of Wimbledon 2021, the moment of Swedish tennis star Björn Borg’s legendary 1980 victory over John McEnroe at the UK tournament has today gone on auction as a Non-Fungible Token (NFT) art piece – the first-ever ‘Emotional NFT’.

Representing the first time a world-renowned public figure has presented emotion as an NFT, the single-edition artwork enshrines an iconic moment in sporting history. The No Time to Think NFT will feature: a 3D digital sculpture (signed by Borg and created by digital artists Ximena) interpreting Borg’s emotions as he won his fifth consecutive Wimbledon title; an exclusive interview with the tennis legend about the July 5th 1980 final; and a signed contract verifying the emotions enshrined within the piece.

Titled ‘No Time to Think’, this will be the first of seven NFT artworks in the Serenity series from the new 7Moments (www.7moments.com) NFT collection to go to auction, each of which is produced in cooperation with the public figure whose key moment is immortalised.

7Moments is produced by the Göteborg- and Kyiv-headquartered platform, Iqonia (co-founded by Patrik Arnesson, one of Sweden’s leading sports tech entrepreneurs, best known for creating Forza Football, the world’s largest live-score and fan engagement platform).

Launched at a time of increased interest in the role of NFTs as an artistic medium – following the Christie’s sale of Beeple’s Everydays in March 2021 for $69 million – and the availability for purchase of moments of internet history, such as Jack Dorsey’s first Twitter tweet, No Time to Think represents a new intersection between technology, art, popular culture, and shared experiences and collective memories.

The auction has gone live on Monday 28th, the first day of Wimbledon at www.7moments.com, with final bids to be received by 10th July (the day prior to the Wimbledon final). If there is a bid in the final 12 hours of the auction, the auction will be extended by a further 12 hours.

Björn Borg comments: “I am proud to be involved with a project which fuses technology and art, to capture and preserve collective memory and emotions. That moment in 1980 was special. Not just to me, but to everyone who was there and the millions around the world who saw it and felt a part of it. To know that the emotional core of that memory is being preserved for posterity in a form that will outlive me and all who remember that incredible day… Well, this is a unique thing.”

The NFT will contain:

The framing of “No Time to Think” is a virtual room that contains all the individual pieces of the moment. The room connects the pieces as a unified work and frames the video file in the beginning and end. The complete room is also included as an object file to enable future-proof integration in Metaverse experiences.
A contract signed by Björn Borg authenticating the content of the NFT and confirming single ownership of his experience in this moment.
The exclusive interview with Björn that evoked his emotions and inspired the art pieces.
The audiovisual piece by Ximena, manifesting Björn’s complete emotional experience.
A historical description of the moment written by “The Tennis Oracle” Björn Hellberg, a distinguished tennis commentator and author.

The auction winner will also receive a physical, metal replica of the sculpture in the virtual room, to commemorate the NFT.

Patrik Arnesson, CEO and Co-Founder of Iqonia, comments: “Throughout history, moments have been memorialised in the physical world through paintings, sculptures and music. At Iqonia, we want to create monuments in our digital worlds. In the Metaverse, these monuments can stand immortal. Never destroyed by decay, fire, or malice. Enjoyed by rich or poor, young and old. Reached from anywhere, at any time. We are honored to launch our 7Moments gallery with the greatest moment of the great Björn Borg, as well as to be able to champion incredible young talent in the artists behind the work.”

7Moments (www.7moments.com) is the first NFT gallery from Göteborg- and Kyiv-headquartered Iqonia. Iqonia is a highly scalable and technical platform for the creation of NFT galleries. The platform is able to release a new gallery in two weeks, and can host auctions, handle smart contracts, and mint NFTs. Iqonia’s team will develop galleries internally, as well as on behalf of third-parties.

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Iqonia is founded on the belief that the Metaverse – the collective virtual shared space including the sum of all virtual worlds, augmented reality, and the Internet – will become as or more significant than the real world as simulations of the real world improve. Art will only grow more important in the Metaverse as a way for people to connect to their history, heritage, and humanity.

Iqonia’s mission, therefore, is to bring moments of great cultural, historical, or other significance from the real world and create monuments in the Metaverse, by building NFT gallery ideas that are as meaningful for people in the real world as in the Metaverse.

7Moments NFT Gallery – Background

7Moments enshrines emotional moments as digital monuments, where talented artists capture the emotions behind some of humanity’s most meaningful stories – in collaboration with the people at the heart of the stories – as evocative 3D sculpture art pieces. Each piece is connected to the series with an emotional theme, and the series can be seen as a heptaptych with seven pieces that complement and reinforce each other.

The 7Moments gallery will release for auction other iconic sporting, cultural, technological, or historical moment, enshrined as a singular NFT artwork that will stand as a monument in the Metaverse (the collective virtual shared space including the sum of all virtual worlds, augmented reality, and the Internet).

Each art piece in the 7Moments gallery will incorporate the recording of an exclusive interview with the key person who experienced the memory, to capture the emotion of existing in that specific, iconic moment.

7Moments is commissioning extraordinarily talented underground artists for the creation of the artworks in the gallery, to support and elevate young digital talent in the art world.

Though Björn Borg was nicknamed the ‘Ice Man’ as a player for his unflappable demeanour, the artwork in the 7Moments gallery demonstrates that, in fact, there was incredible emotion inside the legendary Swede. In a sense, this NFT artwork is like a vault being opened after 40 years.

The Artists: Ximena – Background

The art piece contained within ‘No Time to Think’ was created by Ximena, the artistic partnership of Diana Azzuz and Rina Priduvalova. Ximena’s work reflects critically on digital reality, social responsibility, and the dystopian quality of the ever-changing environment. With roots in audiovisual pieces, Ximena express their artistry in a combination of media.

Ximena’s first collaborative work, Hyperreal, was released in December 2019, followed by an hour-long audiovisual set presented on different platforms.

The latest work is an audiovisual album, Sui Noxa, released on Standard Deviation, an offspring of the Kyrylivska Club in Kyiv. This work also has a physical extension in the form of an installation that was exhibited at Glass Tower.

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