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How Easy Is It to Bet on Tennis?

October 19, 2022 by tennisbloggers Leave a Comment

Tennis is one of the most graceful games ever played by us. If you’re an avid tennis fan, names like Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Martina Navratilova, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal are bound to excite you!

If you love the crux of tennis, and you feel knowledgeable on the subject, you may also be inclined to place a bet for the upcoming tournaments. The relaxation in the sports betting rules makes it more accessible than ever, particularly in the US.

However, all of this may seem like a daunting task when you’re a beginner. That’s why we’re providing a few tips to get you started today. Let’s dive into the tips for Tennis betting without wasting any more time.

Understand Season, Tournaments, Player Form, and Surfaces

Sharpen your understanding of the environment that surrounds tennis games. This skill will help you make sound choices when placing a bet.

Let’s begin with seasons. Half your dilemmas are solved if you know when a season starts and ends. If you’re a bettor, you can pitch in for the long odds based on pre-season player performances. Alternatively, you can develop odds according to the practice matches if you’re a bookie. Knowing the season timings ensures that you don’t miss a single game.

Additionally, knowing the type of surface and tournaments like Wimbledon, US Open, French Open, etc., can help you decide which players will likely come out on top. For instance, Rafa Nadal was the authority at the French Open. Similarly, Serena Williams, before she retired, was an absolute menace to players on Wimbledon’s grass surface!

Tennis Betting Strategies Are Important

When it comes to a complex point-system game like tennis, strategies are necessary for bets with reduced risk. Betting on a match result is often not a great way to bet in this game. Instead, we would like you to consider betting on points. When you’re observing a live match between two players, you can always choose to wager on the next point. The real gains lie here.

Betting on a stronger player in a match of two will not yield high rewards. Thus, we suggest betting on the weak player as the second strategy. Fine-tune your skills in reading the game and placing smart bets. Even if the weaker player loses the game, betting on points gained by the weak player gets you higher winnings!

Betting on the sets in a game is another low-risk strategy with a lot of potential. Instead of betting on a game, bet on individual sets. The probability of winning a set is lower than the entire game. Thus, you can make more significant winnings out of it.

Choose the Right Markets

Understanding your flair for predictions is essential before placing a wager. When choosing a market that suits your strengths, this comes in handy. Do you have a flair for tournament predictions? Or are you better at reading the outcome of the volleys exchanged on the pitch?

Different markets in tennis betting serve different kinds of opportunities. Once you know your strengths, you can easily choose between tournament, match, set, handicap, or the accumulator betting markets. Some other off-beat but lucrative markets include in-play betting, handicap betting, and the standard over and under-betting markets.

We also recommend this for you if you want to become a bookie. As a bookie choosing a market where your knowledge is unimpeachable is essential. It allows you to cook up the best odds and offer exciting offers to your punters!

Bankrolling

Bankrolling is one of the most concerted methods of ensuring responsible gambling. If you’re out to become a bookie, you must assist punters. It adds credibility and a ton of goodwill to your brand name.

Alternatively, if you’re a bettor, we recommend learning the bankrolling tips and tricks. When bankrolling, you learn to budget how much risk you can take. The general recommendation is not more than 20% of your current account balance. Additionally, before betting on tennis, ensure that any money you’ve deposited isn’t required for essentials.

Is Betting on Tennis Easy?

Betting on tennis is easy when you have an intricate idea about the game. If you’re a beginner in sports betting, we recommend you check out a few guides online before diving right in. Additionally, we recommend beginners not invest too much at the start. Spend time, learn the ins and outs, and gain the needed experience before wagering large stakes. The online sports betting industry is rising and is here to stay. Enjoy betting on tennis and play safe!

Carlos Alcaraz Persists To Win 2022 U.S. Open

September 12, 2022 by Randy Walker Leave a Comment

Carlos Alcaraz won his first major singles title beating Casper Ruud 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (1), 6-3 in the final of the U.S. Open, becoming the event’s second youngest men’s singles champion and in the process becoming the youngest man to clinch the world No. 1 ranking.

Alcaraz, at age 19 years, 4 months and 6 days, is only three months older than Pete Sampras, when he won the U.S. men’s title in 1990 at the age of 19 years, 28 days. However, Alcaraz is well over a year younger than Lleyton Hewitt as the youngest world No. 1, Hewitt assuming the top ranking in 2001 at the age of 20 years and 268 days.

The young Spaniard persisted at the end of the tournament in what four-time U.S. Open champion John McEnroe called “one of the all-time great efforts you will ever see to win an event.” He won three straight matches in five sets, including two that finished after 2 am, to reach the final, a feat last achieved by Stefan Edberg in 1992, who famously came back from a service break in the fifth set in the fourth round, quarterfinals and semifinals. Alcaraz trailed by a service break in the firth set against 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic in the fourth round before winnign 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in three hours and 54 minutes in a match that ended at 2:23 am. He then saved a match point in his quarterfinal epic win against Jannik Sinner, which he won 6-3, 6-7 (7), 6-7 (0), 7-5, 6-3 in five hours and 15 minutes, the second longest U.S. Open match of all time, that finished at 2:50 am, the latest finish in U.S. Open history. In the semifinals, he again persisted in his five-set 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-1, 7-6 (5), 6-3, fighting against a roaring U.S. crowd.

Alcaraz spent a total of 23 hours, 40 minutes on court in the tournament.

Novak Djokovic Beats Nick Kyrgios For Seventh Wimbledon Title

July 10, 2022 by Randy Walker Leave a Comment

Novak Djokovic continues to be the King of Wimbledon

The top seed from Serbia beat the mercurial and unseeded Nick Kyrgios 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3) to win his seventh Wimbledon title and his 21^st career major singles title.

The seventh title draws Djokovic even with his idol Pete Sampras, who also won seven titles at the All England Club, and one behind the pro tennis era leader Roger Federer, who won eight titles. It also marked Djokovic’s fourth straight title and his 39^th straight match wins on Centre Court, which celebrated its 100^th anniversary this year.

Djokovic is one major title away from Rafael Nadal’s men’s record of 22 majors and one clear of Roger Federer, who now is in third place with 20 majors.

“I’m at a loss for words for what this tournament and this trophy means to me,” said Djokovic in his post-match trophy ceremony comments. “It always has been and will be the most special one in my heart.”

Entering the final, Djokovic held an 0-2 career record against the No 40-ranked Kyrgios and had not even won a set against the Australian. Kyrgios kept that trend going by taking the first set and appeared to perhaps be poised to post on the great upsets in Wimbledon final history. Djokovic, however, clamped down and continued his aggressive and error-free play, making only 17 unforced errors the entire match.

The win is especially important for Djokovic who encountered much disappointment (by his standards!) in the last 12 months since he last won a major tournament at Wimbledon 12 months earlier. Djokovic won Wimbledon a year ago beating Matteo Berrettini of Italy in the final to give him a third leg of a potential “Golden Grand Slam.” However, Djokovic finished a disappointing fourth at the Olympic Games in Toyko (also finishing fourth in mixed doubles, having to default the bronze medal match), then falling one match short of the Grand Slam, losing to Daniil Medvedev of Russia in the final. He was not able to defend his Australian Open title in January of this year, being deported due to his unvaccinated status against the COVID-19 virus. He was limited to where he can play events due to his unvaccinated status, not being allowed to play in the United States. He lost in the fourth round of the French Open to Nadal and now faces the prospect of not being able to play the U.S. Open and the Australian Open in 2023 due to his vaccine status.

Althea Gibson On Her Wimbledon Meeting With Queen Elizabeth II

June 3, 2022 by Randy Walker Leave a Comment

In this special excerpt from Althea Gibson’s re-released autobiography “I Always Wanted To Be Somebody” ($19.95, New Chapter Press, for sale and download here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1937559971/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_11P3HRQRDE8CTWTKRP28 via Amazon.com)

Gibson writes about getting the opportunity to meet Queen Elizabeth II after winning her first Wimbledon singles title in 1957 over Darlene Hard.

They tell me that I kept saying, “At last! At last!” All I can remember doing is running up to the net and shaking hands with Darlene and saying that she had played very well and that I had been lucky, and I was very happy. Then right away, the officials came up to us and asked us to talk over to the umpire’s chair, where the trophies were spread out on a table. A crew of workmen unrolled a gleaming red carpet from the royal box to the table, and we stood at attention and waited as Queen Elizabeth followed by three attendants walked gracefully out on the court. She wore a pretty print dress, a white hat and white gloves, and she was absolutely immaculate even in all that heat.

One of the officials called me to step forward and accept my award. I walked up to the Queen made a deep curtsy and shook the hand that she held out to me. “My congratulations,” she said, ‘it must have been terribly hot out there.” I said, “Yes, your majesty, but I hope it wasn’t as hot in your box. At least I was able to stir up a breeze.”

The Queen had a wonderful speaking voice and she looked exactly as a queen ought to look, except more beautiful than you would expect any real-life queen to look. She handed the gold salver, on which the names of all the previous Wimbledon champions were engraved, to me, and I curtsied again and backed away from her while Darlene stepped forward to receive her runner-up trophy. (I remembered that backing-away business from the movies, too.) I couldn’t hear what the Queen said to Darlene, but I know Darlene was just as excited as I was. After that, the Queen turned and walked back to the royal box, the red carpet was rolled up, and the newspaper photographers began to bombard us.

Originally published in 1960, “I Always Wanted To Be Somebody” had fallen out of circulation and was only available for exorbitant prices by book resellers. However, New Chapter Press, a leading publisher of tennis books, worked with the Althea Gibson family, estate and the newly formed Althea Gibson Community Tennis Association to republish the book and make it available for the masses at a reasonable $19.95 price ($9.95 via Amazon Kindle) A portion of sales for the book will benefit the Althea Gibson Community Tennis Association.

“I Always Wanted To Be Somebody” is the intimate and candid story of a girl who grew up in the asphalt environs of Harlem, skipping school, drinking hard liquor, stealing and fist-fighting, but went on to break the color barrier in tennis and achieving the pinnacle of the sport by winning Wimbledon and the U.S. Championships and becoming an inspiration for many future champions.

Hall of Fame tennis legend and pioneer Billie Jean King, who said she used to sleep with “I Always Wanted To Be Somebody” under her pillow as a girl, contributed the foreword to the new edition, writing, “Althea was our Jackie Robinson of tennis, and the barriers show broke down and the doors she opened have paved the way for generations of tennis players. Her contributions to our sport and to our world are many. Without Althea, there may not have been an Arthur Ashe, Leslie Allen, Zina Garrison, James Blake, Chanda Rubin, Mal Washington, Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Coco Gauff, Frances Tiafoe or Naomi Osaka.”

Gibson is one of the most iconic and talented female athletes of all time, breaking the color barrier in tennis and becoming the first black player to play and win at Wimbledon and the U.S. Championships. After becoming the first black player to participate in the U.S. Championships (the modern-day U.S. Open) in 1950 (three years after Jackie Robinson integrated baseball), she won the first of her back-to-back titles there in 1957, also winning singles titles at Wimbledon in 1957 and 1958. After her tennis career, she also became the first black person on the LPGA Tour in golf. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1971 and died in 2003. She was an athlete, coach, leader, activist, singer, actor and one of the most illustrious and celebrated tennis players in history.

Founded in 1987, New Chapter Press (www.NewChapterMedia.com) is the publisher of many leading tennis books, including “The Greatest Tennis Matches of All-Time” and “Pete Sampras: Greatness Revisited” by Steve Flink, “The Education of a Tennis Player” by Rod Laver with Bud Collins, “The Bud Collins History of Tennis” by Bud Collins, “The Wimbledon Final That Never Was” by Sidney Wood, “Juan Martin del Potro: The Gentle Giant” by Sebastian Torok, “Titanic: The Tennis Story” by Lindsay Gibbs, among others.

“Althea Gibson: I Always Wanted To Be Somebody” book cover

Historic Tennis Book “The Pros: The Forgotten Era of Tennis” Now For Sale

December 1, 2019 by tennisbloggers

“The Pros: The Forgotten Era of Tennis,” written by Australian doctor, writer and peace activist Peter Underwood, and which chronicles and narrates one of the most misunderstood and little-known eras of world tennis, the Professional or Pro Era, is now available for sale around the world in English, via book publisher New Chapter Press.

“The Pros” (available here via amazon.com https://www.amazon.com/Pros-Forgotten-Era-Tennis/dp/1937559912/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=The+Pros+Peter+Underwood&qid=1574131803&sr=8-1) describes the Era through the stories of eight great tennis champions – Bill Tilden, Ellsworth Vines, Don Budge, Bobby Riggs, Jack Kramer, Pancho Gonzales, Ken Rosewall and Rod Laver – who dominated the pro arenas beginning in 1930 through to the start of the “Open Era” in 1968. Underwood explains why these celebrated champions were forced into what was often called a traveling circus, and where these sporting outcasts played each other during long and rather tatty tours all over the world, far from the cushy confines of what was then the amateur game at Wimbledon, Forest Hills and Roland Garros.

The book was written by Australian doctor, academic, writer and life-long tennis enthusiast Peter Underwood, whose also works as a peace activist with the Medical Association for Prevention of War, and which achieved global fame in 2017 when the organization it had founded, the International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. A native of Perth, Australia, Underwood divides his time between peace work, medical education, growing fine wool, broadcasting and writing. A passionate student of tennis since childhood, The Pros is his first nonfiction book.

Founded in 1987, New Chapter Press (www.NewChapterMedia.com) is also the publisher of “The Greatest Tennis Matches of All-Time” by Steve Flink, “The Education of a Tennis Player” by Rod Laver with Bud Collins, “The Secrets of Spanish Tennis” by Chris Lewit, “The Bud Collins History of Tennis” by Bud Collins, “The Wimbledon Final That Never Was” by Sidney Wood, “Titanic: The Tennis Story” by Lindsay Gibbs, “Macci Magic: Extracting Greatness From Yourself And Others” by Rick Macci with Jim Martz, “Andy Murray, Wimbledon Champion: The Full Extraordinary Story” by Mark Hodgkinson, “Cattle To Courts: A History of Tennis In Texas” by Ken McAllister, “Sport of a Lifetime: Enduring Personal Stories From Tennis” by Judy Aydelott, “Trojan Tennis: A History of the Storied Men’s Tennis Program at the University of Southern California” by S. Mark Young, “Absolute Tennis: The Best And Next Way To Play The Game” by Marty Smith, “How To Permanently Erase Negative Self Talk So You Can Be Extraordinary” by Emily Filloramo, “Acing Depression: A Tennis Champion’s Toughest Match” by Cliff Richey and Hilaire Richey Kallendorf, “Your Playbook For Beating Depression: Essential Strategies For Managing and Living with Depression” by Cliff Richey and Mary Garrison, “Roger Federer: Quest for Perfection” by Rene Stauffer, “The Days of Roger Federer” by Randy Walker, “Jan Kodes: A Journey To Glory From Behind The Iron Curtain” by Jan Kodes with Peter Kolar, “Tennis Made Easy” by Kelly Gunterman, “On This Day In Tennis History” by Randy Walker, “A Player’s Guide To USTA League Tennis” by Tony Serksnis, “Court Confidential: Inside The World Of Tennis” by Neil Harman, “A Backhanded Gift” by Marshall Jon Fisher, “Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games” by Tom Caraccioli and Jerry Caraccioli (www.Boycott1980.com), “Internet Dating 101: It’s Complicated, But It Doesn’t Have To Be” by Laura Schreffler, “How To Sell Your Screenplay” by Carl Sautter, “Bone Appetit: Gourmet Cooking For Your Dog” by Suzan Anson, “The Rules of Neighborhood Poker According to Hoyle” by Stewart Wolpin among others.

Basilashvili Retains Hamburg Crown

July 28, 2019 by tennisbloggers

Nikoloz Basilashvili won his second successive Hamburg European Open title on Sunday, defeating unseeded Russian Andrey Rublev 7-5, 4-6, 6-3. In front of about 6,000 spectators on Centre Court, the tournament’s No. 4 from Georgia overpowered his opponent towards the end of the match and gained the decisive two breaks in the fourth as well as the sixth game of the final set to secure victory in two hours and seven minutes.

“It’s unbelievable to win back-to-back titles here. It looks like that this is my favourite tournament and it is an ATP 500 event, so I am really happy,” Basilashvili said.

With his 12th straight match win at Hamburg, Basilashvili has become the first seeded Rothenbaum titlist since seventh favourite Martin Klizan of Slovakia won in 2016. Unseeded lucky loser Leonardo Mayer of Argentina clinched the trophy in 2017, while the Georgian was an unseeded qualifier when he claimed the title here last year.

“Maybe the clay is different here or something is different on the Centre Court. I can see the ball much better than at other tournaments. It looks like I’m playing my best tennis here,” Basilashvili said. ”I didn’t know that Roger (Federer) and Medvedev won defending titles but just to see my name next to them means a lot to me for sure.”
After lifting his third ATP 500-level trophy in a 12-month span, Basilashvili took away from Northern Germany $354,845 in prize money as well as 500 ATP-Ranking points.

Rublev, who was trying to become the first Russian to the take the Hamburg since Nikolay Davydenko in 2009, collected a prize cheque of $178,220 and 300 ATP-Ranking points.

“It’s always disappointing to lose in a final but that’s the part of the game. We have to deal with it. Congrats to Nikoloz, who did a very good job to defend his title here,” Rublev said during his on-court speech and could also take away some positives from the last seven days in Hamburg: “This has been my best week here so far. I hope that can keep it up and even improve over the next couple of weeks.”

Wimbledon 2019: The Five Things We Would Love To See Happen

July 2, 2019 by tennisbloggers

With Wimbledon underway, tennis fans will be eagerly anticipating the outcome of the most prestigious tournament on the calendar. The All England Club will once again play host to the third tennis major of 2019, where a whole host of players will all ensue in battle to try and take the coveted prize. The thing with Wimbledon, is that it tends to be the same old drill every year.

That’s not to say the tournament isn’t exciting, but wouldn’t it be a breath of fresh air with a bit more controversy and some stand-out talking points. Throughout its glorious history, Wimbledon has served up some of the most magical and iconic moments – but we would love to see the below happen this year. FYI, this is nothing more than light-hearted fun, so please take it with a pinch of salt… or a dollop of strawberries and cream!

John McEnroe to launch an unnecessary tirade at anyone

John McEnroe was perhaps more notorious for his foul-mouthed tirades than his superb tennis ability, and the current BBC commentator could cause quite the stir again this year. How I can hear you ask? Well, imagine a bad call being made and McEnroe revisits yesteryear and storms out of the media section and squares up to the umpire. I mean, it will have nothing to do with him but the humour factor would be brilliant.

Tim Henman make a comeback and wins a semi-final game

Ah, Tiger Tim. The nearly man who never quite made it in his heyday during the late 1990s and early noughties. Henman’s efforts were never in doubt, although he never made it to a Grand Slam final so wouldn’t it be a remedy of sorts if he hijacked the men’s semi-finals and took the match point to warrant a place in the final! Come on Tiger Tim, you can do it! Imagine the scenes!

Andy Murray branches out from his monotone voice

He won’t be featuring in the men’s singles this year, but Andy Murray will be flying the flag for Britain in the men’s doubles at least. The two-time winner is likely to retire after the tournament, which means we’ll be missing Murray’s lethargic and tiring post-match interviews. The seemingly unenthusiastic Murray has often been criticised for his monotone voice, so wouldn’t it be a breath of fresh air if he delivered his thoughts and feelings in a much more positive fashion. Sign off on a high note, eh Mr Murray.

Nick Kyrgios being nice to umpires

He is one of the most controversial players to grace the game and certainly someone who is no stranger to trouble, so imagine a certain Nick Kyrgios actually being nice to people, namely umpires. The hot-headed Australian has been the centre of many misconduct charges in recent years and his charge sheet shows no signs of slowing, so wouldn’t it be a welcome relief to see him actually be pleasant to everybody, for a change.
Federer, Nadal and Djokovic having a big fight

Okay, so this would be a rather peculiar sequence of events and one that would really tarnish the game, but what if the three best players on the men’s circuit all had a huge scrape in the middle of Centre Court? The reasoning behind it is unclear at this stage, but we’d guestimate that Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic would all be trying to settle who is the best of the best. I mean, we could just determine it from the tennis the play and the H2H records but that’s just boring, isn’t it.

All jokes aside, take a look at all the latest prices for this year’s event at Paddy Power, where you can bet on Wimbledon right now.

ROKit Named Official Mobile Handset Provider For Invesco Series Tennis

June 5, 2019 by tennisbloggers

Global mobile phone company ROKiT has been named the Official Mobile handset provider of the Invesco Series QQQ tennis circuit, InsideOut Sports & Entertainment, the owners and operators of the North American tennis tour for champion tennis players over the age of 30, announced today.

Under the exclusive multi-year agreement, ROKiT will receive on-court signage at Invesco Series events, television inventory and title sponsorship of the Virtual Player Challenge System. In addition, Invesco Series co-founder and competitor, Jim Courier will become a Player Ambassador for ROKiT. Courier will wear ROKiT branding on court during Invesco Series tournaments and will represent ROKiT in global marketing campaigns.

The Invesco partnership is part of a wider tennis sponsorship campaign by ROKiT, who recently launched its range of affordable smart phones, packed with glasses-free 3D technology, and exclusive 3D content. The telco brand also announced signing multi-year partnerships with a series of high-profile global tennis stars and will be creating exclusive coaching content and filming behind the scenes footage of players in 3D.

“We are excited to welcome ROKiT to our family of sponsors at Invesco Series tennis,” said Courier, the former world No. 1 and two-time French and Australian Open champion. “We look forward to helping ROKiT tell the story of their cutting edge and affordable smart phone and mobile offerings via our media platforms.”

Commenting, Jonathan Kendrick, Chairman of ROK Brands said: “The Invesco Series enables us to showcase our ROKiT phones to a new audience of tennis fans. Our glasses-free 3D smart phones are the perfect device to watch world class tennis from, the viewing experience is unrivalled.”

About ROKiT
ROKiT is a telecommunications business that offers consumers state of the art mobile handsets and wireless connectivity at an unbeatable price. ROKiT has been founded by business innovator John-Paul DeJoria (John Paul Mitchell Systems, Patron Tequila, John Paul Pet) and Jonathan Kendrick (British entrepreneur). ROKiT’s core innovation is the brand’s unique combination of device and service offerings brought to market at aggressive, attention-getting price points. Additional information can be found at ROKiT.com

In 2018, Blake won his first Invesco Series QQQ 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 Invesco Series QQQ 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 1600 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. Blake finished in third place with 1100 points and tournament titles in Chicago, Portland and Brooklyn.

In 2015, Roddick won the Series points title in his second year of competing on the series with 1,600 points. Roddick won a record eight events Los Angeles, Lincoln, Chicago, Austin, Little Rock, Dallas, Richmond and Minneapolis. Blake finished second in the points rankings with 1,200 points, winning events in Boston and Cincinnati. Philippoussis finished in third with 1,100 points, winning titles in Salt Lake City and Vancouver. The year before in 2014, McEnroe won the points title for the first time in the nine-year history of Invesco Series QQQ tennis by winning events in Kansas City, Indianapolis, Nashville and Charlotte.

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

ABOUT INVESCO
Invesco Ltd. is an independent investment management firm dedicated to delivering an investment experience that helps people get more out of life. NYSE: IVZ; Invesco.com, Invesco Distributors, Inc. is the US distributor for Invesco Ltd. and is a wholly owned, indirect subsidiary of Invesco Ltd.”

Wobbly Nadal, Resurgent Djokovic, Stranger Federer Ready For Intriguing Italian Championships

May 12, 2019 by tennisbloggers

The Internazionali BNL d’Italia, or the Italian Championships in Rome, is the fifth ATP Masters 1000 event of the year and the last big test before the start of the French Open, the second major championship of the year. This year’s tournament is full of intrigue that will provide for many dramatic moments.

Perhaps the biggest surprise and question mark leading into the event is the form of Rafael Nadal. The “King of Clay” and eight-time tournament winner is in the worst clay-court slump of his career, winning only nine matches on his favorite dirt surface so for this season and had not even reached a final in his three previous clay-court events. He lost to Fabio Fognini handily in the semifinals of Monte Carlo, in straight sets again in the semifinals of the Barcelona Open and to Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Is this spurt of mediocre play an indication that the soon-to-be 33-year-old Nadal is finally starting to wear down and perhaps may be closer to retirement than we think or will the Mallorcan channel his frustration and anger at poor results by his lofty standards that will he win for a ninth time in Rome and again later in Paris for a 12th time?
Last year, Nadal also wobbled into Rome, following a quarterfinal loss to Thiem in Madrid, but recovered to win his eighth title in Rome, beating defending champion Alexander Zverev in the final.

This will be his 15th consecutive appearance in Rome and he comes in with a 56-6 career record (8-2 in finals). He has advanced to the quarterfinals or better in 13 of his previous 14 visits to the Italian capital. Nadal will attempt to become the first player on the ATP Tour this year to defend a title from last season.

The Rome field features 17 of the top 20 players including former champions Nadal, an eight-time winner, Novak Djokovic, a four-time champion, and 2017 winner Alexander Zverev. These three account for 13 of the past 14 titles. Djokovic, fresh off his important win in Madrid, is aiming to hoist the Rome trophy for the first time since 2015, after losses in the final in 2016 (to Andy Murray) and 2017 (to Zverev), and a semifinal loss to Nadal last year. Last Monday started the 250th week the Serb was at No. 1 in the ATP Rankings.

The most intriguing entry in the Rome field this year is Roger Federer, who is making his first appearance at the event since 2016. It is one of the very few events in his career that he has not won. His last showing in Rome was a third-round loss to Dominic Thiem on May 12, 2016. That loss to Thiem was the Swiss star’s last clay-court match at any event until he played in Madrid this past week, where he reached the quarterfinals before falling to Thiem once again.

After his win on Monte Carlo, top Italian Fognini is on the verge of cracking the top 10 and is a legitimate contender for his home nation’s title. Fognini, however, is only 10-11 lifetime in Rome, with last year’s quarterfinal as his best result. The last Italian in the ATP Rankings Top 10 was Corrado Barrazzutti on January 22 1979 and Fognini would have to likely better his quarterfinal result to jump into the top 10. The last home country player to win the most prestigious title in Italy was Adriano Panatta in 1976.

Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece comes into Rome as the ATP Tour match wins leader, earning his 27th win of the season with his semifinal victory over Nadal at Madrid. Tsitsipas was ranked No. 43 at Rome in 2018, and had to qualify for last year’s main draw. His win in Portugal on the clay earlier this season and his final-round effort in Madrid make him a tennis betting contender for the title in Rome and later this year in Paris.

New Chapter Press Releases Another Tennis Book: “Cattle To Courts: A History of Tennis In Texas”

April 1, 2019 by tennisbloggers

New Chapter Press announced the release of the book “Cattle to Courts: A History of Tennis In Texas” written by Ken McAllister, long-time Executive Director of the USTA Texas Section.

In this comprehensive volume, anecdotes and personal observations explore how Texas became a leader of America’s “Tennis Boom” through national and international events. In addition to showing how Texas communities and statewide tennis organizations contributed to the sport’s growth, the book highlights the stories of American tennis’ most special characters and personalities. The extremely well versed McAllister shares unique insights from his 50 years in the tennis industry.

“Cattle to Courts” is available for sale and download wherever books are sold, including here on Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1937559904/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_.4wBCbSQH2Q96

Cliff Richey of San Angelo, Texas, the former U.S. Davis Cup star and winner of the first-ever professional Grand Prix points title in 1970, wrote the Foreword to the book. “There is the saying that “Everything is Bigger in Texas!” This is and always has been the case with tennis,” wrote Richey. “Ken is the perfect guy to write a book about the history of tennis in Texas. He has held many leadership positions that have influenced our state’s success in our great game, most notably as the long-time Executive Director of the USTA Texas Section.”

Said famed ESPN television commentator and member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame Cliff Drysdale, “Cattle to Courts is enjoyable trip down memory lane and a nice historical reference on tennis in Texas. Ken endured exhaustive research for this special project, which, no doubt for him was a labor of love.”

Said Houston, Texas native, Olympic gold medalist and former Wimbledon finalist Zina Garrison, “I love the fact that even though Cattle To Courts covers Texas Tennis History, it is not text book reading… It reads like a novel. Ken has produced a must-read for tennis fans.”

Said Michael Hall with Texas Monthly magazine, “”Nobody knows Texas tennis like Ken McAllister, who for six decades has played, coached, and watched the sport all over the state. Cattle to Courts is full of anecdotes, history, and great details from the only guy to both call a foot-fault on Bobby Riggs and beat Warren Beatty.”

McAllister served the tennis industry for more than 50 years, most notably as the Executive Director of the USTA Texas Section for 24 years, more than doubling tennis membership and staff during his tenure. He started his long association with tennis in 1967 when he became an officer for the Texas Tennis Coaches Association and its President from 1971-74. He also served as Director of Tennis at Walden on Lake Conroe, Lakeside Country Club in Houston, and Lakeway World of Tennis in Austin. He also is a long-time member and contributor to the USPTA, serving as a Texas division president from 1977-79. He has been inducted into the Texas Tennis Coaches Hall of Fame (2000), Snyder High School Athletic Hall of Fame (2010), Southwestern University Athletic Hall of Fame (2013), and the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame (2012).

Founded in 1987, New Chapter Press (www.NewChapterMedia.com) is also the publisher of “The Greatest Tennis Matches of All-Time” by Steve Flink, “The Education of a Tennis Player” by Rod Laver with Bud Collins, “The Secrets of Spanish Tennis” by Chris Lewit, “The Bud Collins History of Tennis” by Bud Collins, “The Wimbledon Final That Never Was” by Sidney Wood, “Titanic: The Tennis Story” by Lindsay Gibbs, “Macci Magic: Extracting Greatness From Yourself And Others” by Rick Macci with Jim Martz, “Andy Murray, Wimbledon Champion: The Full Extraordinary Story” by Mark Hodgkinson, “Sport of a Lifetime: Enduring Personal Stories From Tennis” by Judy Aydelott, “Trojan Tennis: A History of the Storied Men’s Tennis Program at the University of Southern California” by S. Mark Young, “Absolute Tennis: The Best And Next Way To Play The Game” by Marty Smith, “How To Permanently Erase Negative Self Talk So You Can Be Extraordinary” by Emily Filloramo, “Acing Depression: A Tennis Champion’s Toughest Match” by Cliff Richey and Hilaire Richey Kallendorf, “Your Playbook For Beating Depression: Essential Strategies For Managing and Living with Depression” by Cliff Richey and Mary Garrison, “Roger Federer: Quest for Perfection” by Rene Stauffer, “The Days of Roger Federer” by Randy Walker, “Jan Kodes: A Journey To Glory From Behind The Iron Curtain” by Jan Kodes with Peter Kolar, “Tennis Made Easy” by Kelly Gunterman, “On This Day In Tennis History” by Randy Walker, “A Player’s Guide To USTA League Tennis” by Tony Serksnis, “Court Confidential: Inside The World Of Tennis” by Neil Harman, “A Backhanded Gift” by Marshall Jon Fisher, “Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games” by Tom Caraccioli and Jerry Caraccioli (www.Boycott1980.com), “Internet Dating 101: It’s Complicated, But It Doesn’t Have To Be” by Laura Schreffler, “How To Sell Your Screenplay” by Carl Sautter, “Bone Appetit: Gourmet Cooking For Your Dog” by Suzan Anson, “The Rules of Neighborhood Poker According to Hoyle” by Stewart Wolpin among others.