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Two legends retire: Roger Federer and Serena Williams

September 25, 2022 by tennisbloggers Leave a Comment

I was doing the laundry when the news hit that Roger Federer was going to retire and the Laver Cup was going to be his last dance. The last dance has become such a popular saying after the Netflix series about Michael Jordan that I am casually stealing it from him.

Roger Federer announcing his retirement has had a profound impact on me. Memories of more fun times, when I would discuss tennis with my grandmother, who sadly passed away in 2013. We each had our own preferences in tennis. We were huge fans but had different tastes.

Team Kim vs Team Venus

I remember having a pseudo fight with her over Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters at the Miami finale of 2010. She was team Venus and I was team Kim. She loved Venus because she was a fighter. I loved Kim because of her determination. But we both agreed that Serena was the GOAT. She was more ferocious than Venus we found. Looking at the number of tournaments Serena won in total, we were both right.

The notorious finale that cost me desert

Serena Williams has more talent in her pinkie toe than everyone else

My grandmother and I often wondered how it was possible that Serena was still so incredibly dominant on the WTA Tour. Even after she was less motivated she would still come out on top. Or even after long absences, she would just train and come back on top. It was ridiculous.

So we figured: she either has so much more talent in her pinkie toe than the entire WTA Tour OR the competition was too weak. We like to think that the pinkie toe was the reason for her dominance on the WTA Tour.

Ofcourse things weren’t always that sunny on the WTA Tour for Serena. Like I mentioned before, at times she would just not be there but elsewhere in her mind or physically. And I wasn’t the only one who noticed it. Many fans did. And so did Chris Evert who wrote an open letter to Serena to not let her amazing tennis talent go to waste.

The letter is hard to find but Pro Tennis Fan’s Mike McIntyre has kept a copy on his website protennisfan.com. The letter is a really good read and we see it from Chris’ perspective. But I can understand Serena as well. You have won it all at some point and your hunger is stilled. What do you want out of your career? I am sure many of you can relate to some degree. What do you do when you have reached all your goals?

You evolve away from tennis. And that’s what Serena did when she retired at the US Open in 2022. I wish her a happy retirement and I hope to see her in some capacity talking about her new ventures.

Roger Federer has more talent in his big thumb than everyone else

Remember when I was doing the laundry? I left the laundry room to read up on Federer’s announcement to retire. I watched old videos of him beating his adversaries. I remember being happy when he finally beat Nadal. Or the moment he finally won his career Grand Slam by winning the French Open. Federer didn’t like the Paris clay much and it took him a long time to finally win that tournament. And I remember watching that with my grandmother. We didn’t like Nadal or Djokovic. Our hero was Roger Federer. His tennis was magical.

Or the times that he played in Rotterdam and I always wanted to go but something else got in the way that needed my attention more. I am sad to say that I had plenty of opportunities to watch him play in real life and realize now that I never will see him compete at the highest level. I will maybe see him play on the old man’s tournaments like they have at each Grand Slam tournament or the Champions Series.

When Federer announced his final match was going to be a doubles match and preferably with Nadal, I knew I just had to watch that. Nadal and Federer on the same side of court, that’s just amazing.

The moment came on September 23rd, 2022 and I was about to go watch when I saw pictures popping up online of a crying Federer holding Nadal’s hand. This time it was really over.

I still haven’t watched his final goodbye or his last dance. I just couldn’t do it. I know I will get very emotional. Not just because it’s the tennis player I have been following all these years but also the memories I have of my grandmother.

Thanks for everything Serena and Roger.

Shocker! Rafael Nadal The Favorite To Win Roland Garros

June 9, 2021 by tennisbloggers Leave a Comment

When asked about Roland Garros, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga replied that Rafael Nadal was his top favorite. He also remembered to praise the 13-time champion and his record in Paris. Rafael Nadal debuted in 2005 in Paris, winning the title only a few days after turning 19 and forging his path towards tennis legends.

Of the previous 16 Roland Garros appearances, Nadal bagged 13 titles and dealt with only two losses. The first against Robin Soderling in 2009 and the second against Novak Djokovic in 2015. After disappointing runs in 2015 and 2016, Rafael returned at his best at his Favorite Major, taking home four straight titles and matching Roger Federer’s record of 20 major crowns last October.

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Nadal had to undergo harsh conditions in the French Capital last October with no form or matches in his legs. To top it off, the cold and rainy weather a roof above Court Philippe Chatrier didn’t help. However, Rafael passed all these obstacles and beat all seven rivals in straight sets to create history in the sports world. He dominated the opening four rounds toppling, Diego Schwartzman, Jannik Sinner, and Novak Djokovic, wrapping up the event in style.

Rafael then traveled to Paris with the same momentum, claiming the tenth Rome Open Crown against Novak Djokovic and aiming for another at his beloved Major in the opening weeks of June.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga said, “Rafael is an inevitable favorite at Roland Garros. No one can doubt that at the moment; even those who can beat him on clay have to agree with that. Rafael has won 13 titles in Paris within 15 years; it’s extraordinary. Nadal and Djokovic restored the order in Rome and showed they are still the favorites at Majors. Rafael is five years younger than Roger, and it’s exceptional that he has already matched Roger’s 20 Major titles. If Rafael wins more crowns in the upcoming years, and that’s very likely, the GOAT debate should be over.”

Novak Djokovic Says Rafael Nadal Deserves a Separate Discussion

In 2020, Novak Djokovic went into the French Open with some jaw-dropping form (26-1, W-L) and way more practice than Rafael Nadal. However, the Serb knew well that none of this mattered on clay as long as the Spaniard is fit to contend. With a nearly 98 percent win rate at the Roland Garros, Rafael Nadal proves to be virtually unbeatable on the brick dust of Paris. It makes all the practice and form that Novak Djokovic brings in irrelevant.

Rafael Nadal only had the Rome Masters to get himself prepared for his defense of the French Open title. Nevertheless, Novak Djokovic believed that wouldn’t impact the Spaniard from pushing forward to the finals. The Serb also added at that time that Nadal was every claycourt tournament’s favorite player. What’s more, according to Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal deserves a separate discussion due to his absolute dominance on the turf. Novak also thinks Nadal has the added advantage of having been practicing on the turf for more than a month.

Even amidst his four final appearances, including one title at Roland Garros, Novak Djokovic thinks Rafael will be the favorite for the title. As for the next choice, the two-time finalist at Paris Dominic Thiem is Novak’s best pick for the title.

Novak Djokovic’s Biggest Goal is to Overcome Roger Federer’s Record

It isn’t surprising news that Novak Djokovic greatly admires records and achievements. The star player has always worked hard to be the best, and according to him, his best form can only be reached when he breaks Roger Federer’s all-time Grand Slam record.

Only three titles behind the Swiss, Novak is well-positioned to seize that record in the next few years. Additionally, Roger is nearly in the closing stages of his career. So, it seems highly unlikely that he will be able to build an undefeatable lead at the top.

Daniil Medvedev Needs Strong Wimbledon Performance

May 24, 2021 by Randy Walker Leave a Comment

Lleyton Hewitt was the last man other than Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray to win Wimbledon when the Australian lifted the crown in 2002. The leading four players in the men’s game have held a monopoly on the title at the All England Club, including back-to-back victories for Novak Djokovic. The Serb will aim to join a select company of players to win three successive tournaments this year after the 2020 competition was cancelled.

Federer, Pete Sampras, and Bjorn Borg are among the names to have achieved the feat. Djokovic will be hoping he can join them and etch his name further into the history of the sport, moving one step closer to surpassing Federer as the most successful player of the Grand Slam era. Djokovic is the leading contender in the tennis betting odds for the crown, and he proved that he has lost none of his vigour amid the rise of the next generation.

He put Daniil Medvedev to the sword with ease at the Australian Open, defeating the Russian in three sets. However, Medvedev does have the potential to cause an upset at Wimbledon and his career is trending in the right direction.

The Russian reached his first Grand Slam final in 2019 at the US Open, defeating two-time champion Stanislas Wawrinka in the process. Nadal awaited him in the final, but the Spaniard fended off a brilliant comeback from the right-hander to claim the crown in a thrilling five-set classic.

He returned to Flushing Meadows in 2020 and reached the semi-finals, only to be beaten by the eventual winner Dominic Thiem. Although Medvedev did end his season on a high note with revenge over the Austrian, beating him in the finals of the ATP Tour at the 02 Arena.

A victory in the United Kingdom could suggest that Medvedev could take his exploits to the grass courts, despite one area of concern being his performance on grass. His previous best outing at Wimbledon was the third round, which he reached in 2019 where he was knocked out by David Goffin.

Over the course of his career, Medvedev has a 60% win ratio when playing on grass, winning 18 out of his 30 contests. Therefore, he needs to raise his standards to realise his ambitions of making his Grand Slam breakthrough at the All England Club.

Djokovic is a seasoned campaigner on grass, and although Federer is not the dominant force he was at the peak of his powers, grass remains his most dangerous surface. Nadal is no slouch at Wimbledon either, even if he is perhaps more vulnerable than the other two greats on grass.

Medvedev’s one win over a player in the top-10 of the world rankings on a grass court came at Wimbledon in 2017 when he knocked Wawrinka out of the tournament in the first round. It has been four years since that victory, pressing the need for an improvement.

At the age of 25, Medvedev is not a fledgling player anymore. He needs to start putting his stamp on the game and it can begin by toppling one of the greats on the biggest stage of them all.

World TeamTennis 2021 Season To Be Held In November In Indian Wells

May 20, 2021 by Randy Walker Leave a Comment

World TeamTennis will host its 2021 season at California’s Indian Wells Tennis Garden November 13-28. Five teams will participate in the league’s 46^th season, contesting a total of 31 matches over 16 days in the venue’s Stadium 2.

“We are extremely excited to announce that we are hosting our 2021 season at the greatest tennis destination site in the world,” said WTT chairman and CEO Eric Davidson. “The state-of-the-art facility, world class players, incredible weather and destination location will make the 2021 season one of the most enjoyable yet for our fans.”

The leader in professional team tennis competition, WTT is making the move from its traditional July dates to November to ensure the opportunity to safely host as many spectators as possible. This will be the second straight WTT season held in a single venue after the 2020 campaign took place at West Virginia’s Greenbrier Resort and yielded several broadcast audience records, including a peak viewership of over 1.1 million for last year’s final.

The last four teams to win the World TeamTennis King Trophy will be among the five teams participating in the 2021 season. Defending champions New York Empire will be joined by the Springfield Lasers – winners of back-to-back titles in 2018-19 – as well as a pair of championship teams from Southern California: Orange County Breakers (2017) and San Diego Aviators (2016). Rounding out the field for 2021 is the Chicago Smash, which finished as runner-up in its debut WTT season.

Former World No. 1 and four-time Major champion Kim Clijsters will return for her fourth WTT season to once again lead the Empire while 2017 US Open Champion Sloane Stephens is back for Chicago, looking to avenge the heartbreaking loss that the Smash suffered in the 2020 WTT Finals. John Isner will be playing his ninth WTT season and his first for the Breakers while Southern California native Taylor Fritz, the top-ranked American, returns to the Aviators in 2021.

“I am super excited to be back playing WTT for the Chicago Smash in 2021,” said Stephens. “I really enjoy the team format and it is such a fun block in my schedule every year. We were so close to winning it all last summer and I can’t wait to come back and try to bring that King Trophy back to Chicago.”

Isner is equally excited for the upcoming season. “I have always had such a great time playing WTT and getting the opportunity to play more than just one or two matches this year will be a blast,” he said. “Plus, when I found out the season would take place in Indian Wells, I knew this was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”

The 2021 schedule will be released in the coming weeks and will feature two matches per day. Each team will play 12 total matches during the upcoming campaign, with the top two teams in the standings advancing to play for the King Trophy on Nov. 28.

All-session tickets will go on pre-sale to previous WTT ticket buyers on May 25 and to the general public starting on May 27 at wtt.com. Due to the revised format this year and the inability to host home matches in 2021, the Philadelphia Freedoms, Vegas Rollers, Orlando Storm and Washington Kastles will not be participating in the upcoming WTT season. These franchises remain in good standing with the league and WTT anticipates these teams will be back on the schedule in 2022.

U.S. Davis Cup Captain, Olympic Silver Medalist Mardy Fish May Have A Court Named After Him In Hometown Of Vero Beach, Florida

April 11, 2021 by Randy Walker 1 Comment

There is Arthur Ashe Stadium, Rod Laver Arena, but how about Mardy Fish Court?

It may happen in Vero Beach, Florida, the hometown of the U.S. Davis Cup captain and 2004 Olympic silver medalist Mardy Fish.

The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, the charitable organization founded by Fish in 2007, has been in discussions with the City of Vero Beach and the U.S. Tennis Association about refurbishing the town’s Riverside Tennis Complex in its harbor-side location on its central beach island area into a new state-of-the-art tennis complex that would rival many of the nation’s top tennis facilities. The facility would serve as a hub not only for all the local resident tennis players but also for many Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation funded youth programs, as well as junior and adult tournaments, special population programming such as Special Olympics, Wheelchair Tennis, Love Serving Autism as well a potential professional events on an intimate Mardy Fish Court. The Mardy Fish Court would be a beautifully landscaped natural Amphitheatre that would be located on the exact court where a young Fish first learned to play tennis with his father Tom and first dreamed of one day playing at the U.S. Open and Wimbledon.

“Riverside Park is where it all started for Mardy and him starting to love the game of tennis, hitting balls with me on that court in the northeast corner of the facility,” said Tom Fish, Mardy’s father and the President Emeritus of the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation. “We look forward to hosting many young people in Vero Beach to Riverside Park where they can be inspired by the dreams and successes of Mardy and realize their own hopes and dreams while able to gain important exercise in a safe and healthy environment.”

The USTA worked with the Fish Foundation with a site plan, rendering and business plans for the facility’s operation. It also promised to help fund the project via special grants, but also via special presentation to mega donors during the U.S. Open. However, progress on the project went on a standstill with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the USTA’s finances taking a major hit with a fan-less U.S. Open last year, significantly cutting into its revenue that is used to annually fun tennis in the United States, including projects such as this effort for the Fish Foundation. However, as the country starts to slowly emerge from the pandemic, the Foundation has started to revamp its efforts, including fundraising, to revitalize the facility and increase programming.

“We also see this as being a beatification project,” said Lynn Southerly, executive director of the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation. “Improving the courts and surrounding buildings and land would make it as pleasant to look at as our art museum and the Riverside Theatre. It would enhance the couple block area of our charming sea-side town for all our residents to enjoy. A beautiful-looking tennis facility would be a real feather in the cap for our Vero Beach community. A facility of this stature improves our ability to serve our youth and community at large, gives us a place to hold income generating events that would benefit all our residents and local business owners and honor Mardy Fish, one of our great homegrown heroes and role models.”

The Riverside Tennis Complex is also the hub of the newly-created Treasure Coast Tennis Association, founded by former Baylor University women’s tennis coach Tim Palmer. The TCTA in conjunction with the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation completed a wildly-successful free program for Vero Beach children called “Whack-It Wednesday” in the fall of 2020, introducing kids to the sports of tennis and providing them important recreation and exercise. The holiday surge in COVID-19 cases prevented the program from immediately continuing in early 2021, but the program will return this summer. Palmer also has had deep discussions with the USTA Florida office in Orlando about bringing Love Serving Autism and Wheelchair Tennis programming to Riverside Park starting this summer.

Randy Walker, the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation’s tournament director for its annual USTA pro circuit event, plans to start to hosting competitive tournaments for juniors and pros this summer and believes that a refurbished hard court facility would be able to host pro tournament, exhibitions and practice and training events for top pros, especially since Florida’s two biggest pro events, the ATP Tour’s Delray Beach Open and the ATP and WTA Tour’s Miami Open, are both played on hard courts. Current top pros Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia and Alexander Zverev of Germany have both recently considered hard-court training in Vero Beach.

The annual Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships ITF World Tennis Tour event brings in an estimated $500,000 in economic impact annually into the Vero Beach community.

Vero Beach is regarded as one of the most enthusiastic tennis communities in the country. It is also the home of Hall of Fame legend Ivan Lendl and former French Open runner-up and top 10 star Mikael Pernfors.

Riverside Park is also the home of the boys and girls tennis teams at St. Edwards School. Walker has made inquiries already received initial interest from a few college programs about playing special dual matches at Riverside Park on the six courts on the west side of the footprint.

Riverside Park Tennis Court Refurbishment Plan In Vero Beach, Florida, courtesy of the U.S. Tennis Association

Ash Barty, Hubert Hurkacz Win Miami Open Titles

April 5, 2021 by Randy Walker Leave a Comment

By Bob Stockton

@BobStockton10

World No. 1 Ash Barty successfully defended her title from 2019 at the Miami Open when Bianca Andreescu retired in the second set of the final.

Barty completed the 6-3, 4-0 victory in the first staging of the event after a one-year postponement due to COVID-19 after Andreescu was forced to retire in tears with an injury to her right ankle in the second set on Saturday.

“It’s never the way you ever want to finish a match, particularly in a final,” Barty said. “I really do feel for Bianca. I think she’s had such a rough trot with injuries in the past.”

“I think that’s going to be one of the first of many battles for us. I just hope from now on they are healthy and we can both stay out on the court and fight for everything that we can give. Obviously, I feel for her having to pull out today,” Barty added.

In the men’s final, Hubert Hurkacz of Poland defeated 19-year-old Italian Jannik Sinner xxxxx

Barty completed a tremendous turnaround from the start of the event. In her two-and-a-half-hour opening clash against Kristina Kucova of Slovakia, Barty needed to save a match point before staving off the challenge from the qualifier.

The top seed was able to battle through the draw from there, including three-set wins over Victoria Azarenka and Aryna Sabalenka, before earning her milestone 10th WTA singles title.

“I felt like with each match I have been playing better and better, which is ultimately what we are after,” Barty said. “To be able to have the title at the end is a bonus, and to be able to defend my title the first time in my career I’ve been able to do that is really, really special too.”

With the absence of “the big three” – Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer – from the field, Hurkacz took advantage to win his first Masters 1000 level event to win his third career ATP title.

Hurkacz, who moved from No. 37 to No. 16 in the ATP rankings with the win, is the lowest ranked winner in Miami since Tim Mayotte won the title while ranking No. 45 in the inaugural event in 1985.

What Is Next For Novak Djokovic?

February 26, 2021 by Randy Walker Leave a Comment

by Bob Stockton

@BobStockton10

After winning his ninth Australian Open title and now 18 Grand Slam tournament titles in the bank, Novak Djokovic is intent on making calculated decisions as to what events he participates in going forward. The 33-year-old Serbian superstar is eager to surpass the 20 Grand Slam crowns held by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. However, the latter might have something to say about that because at 34-years-old he has more time left in his career than the 39-year-old Federer and is currently the No. 2 player in the world behind Djokovic.

In only a few weeks Djokovic will break Federer’s record for having the most total weeks as the No. 1 player in the world which will be another milestone in his illustrious career.

“Now, after achieving the historic No.1 ranking for the longest weeks at No.1, it’s going to be a relief for me because I’m going to focus all my attention on Slams, mostly,” he told the press in Melbourne. “When you are going for No.1 rankings, you kind of have to be playing the entire season.”

What made Joker’s Aussie victory even more spectacular is the fact that he played the last four rounds with a torn abdominal oblique muscle. Consider for a moment that he decimated the No. 4 player in the world, Daniil Medvedev, in a straight-set victory to take home the hardware with an injury that would have sidelined most athletes.

But Djokovic will not take any chances on the court until he is convinced the tear has healed properly and won’t inhibit him in any way. Moreover, the opportunity to spend more quality time with his young family is also a factor in the number of tournaments he enters.

“My goals will adapt and will shift a little bit, which means that I will have an opportunity to do that which, as a father and a husband, I’m really looking forward to that. Judging by what we’re seeing around the world, having family on the road with me will be a very difficult task,” said Djokovic.

Regardless of where he plays, and how often, Djokovic will be the overwhelming favorite in any event, except for the French, as he was at the Australian. Those who enjoy backing their opinions with cold, hard, cash should know tennis odds by SBR can be found on virtually all of the ATP tournaments.

Credit: Sportsbookreview.com

The French Open Looms

As exceptional as Novak Djokovic is, there is no player more decorated or celebrated at Roland Garros than Rafael Nadal. His 13 French Open titles are beyond reproach and it is here where the King of Clay reigns supreme. This year’s event is scheduled to run from May 17-June 6, 2021 in Paris, France, and in this one and only tournament, Joker will be the underdog.

But as accomplished as Nadal is at the French, there is one former player who sees a few cracks in his armor and believes that Rafi might not be the surefire lock this year that he has been in so many of his past appearances at Roland Garros. That man is Boris Becker, the three-time French Open champion and owner of nine Grand Slam titles.

Becker points to his loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas in Melbourne as evidence and was concerned that Nadal didn’t have the same killer instinct to put his opponent away that has been his trademark, especially after taking a two-set lead.

“His five-set defeat by Stefanos Tsitsipas will sting for some time, and could even be a factor at the French Open.

“For the first time I can recall Rafael Nadal looked really tired in that fifth set, he was beaten physically, and the others will have seen that.

“The Spaniard’s style is so physical that it is going to take a toll.

“I am actually surprised that he has played to this incredibly high level for so long.

“While it would be foolish to bet against him for Paris when he gets that little step slower he will not be the same player.”

The odds over at SBR reveal that Nadal is the favorite to win the 2021 French Open at +120 while Djokovic is next at +240 followed by Dominic Thiem (+400), Daniil Medvedev (+1600), and Roger Federer (+1600) rounding out the top five.

2021 Champions Series Tennis To Feature Bob Bryan And New Prize Money Structure

February 24, 2021 by Randy Walker Leave a Comment

The 2021 Champions Series Tour, the North American circuit for champion tennis players over the age of 30, will kick off Friday, February 26 in the first of two back-to-back editions of the SoCal Honda Dealers Helpful Cup at the Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California. A total of $120,000 in prize money will be at stake at both events.

The two one-day tournaments will feature the Champions Series debut of Bob Bryan, half of the greatest doubles team of all time alongside twin brother Mike Bryan, who retired from the ATP Tour last year with 16 career major men’s doubles titles as a team. Bryan, the 1998 NCAA singles champion and NCAA “Triple Crown” winner for Stanford, will play in Saturday’s second event and will face off against his former U.S. Davis Cup teammate and captain Mardy Fish in the first one-set semifinal match. James Blake, also a former Davis Cup teammate of Bryan’s, will play 2000 Olympic silver medalist Tommy Haas in the second semifinal. In Friday’s opening event, Blake will play Fish in the first semifinal, followed by Haas facing 2005 U.S. Open semifinalist Robby Ginepri.

New in 2021 is a new prize money structure where the winner of each Champions Series Tennis tournament will earn a first prize of $25,000, while the runner-up will earn $15,000. Losing semifinalists will earn $10,000 each. Additional Champions Series Tennis sites and dates for 2021 will be announced in the near future.

The event is not open to the public and will be limited to sponsors and Sherwood Country Club members, with all attending practicing social distancing and wearing masks. The matches will be televised on Fox Sports Net affiliates and Tennis Channel on tape delay in future weeks. All Champions Series events feature two one-set semifinal matches followed by a one-set championship match.

In 2020, Tommy Haas, the former world No. 2, won the season-long points title for a second straight season, winning four titles – two at the Sherwood Country Club and two titles in Orlando – and finished with a 10-2 series match record.

In 2019, Haas finished with a perfect 10-0 record to win the year-long points championship for the first time. He won titles in Newport Beach, Calif, Maui, Hawaii, New Haven, Connecticut, Los Angeles and Houston to become the first player in the 15-year history of the Champions Series to be an undefeated year-end points champion.

In 2018, Blake 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 over the last 16 years has featured some of the greatest names in men’s tennis, including Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Ivan Lendl, Stefan Edberg, Jim Courier, Michael Chang among others. Courier won the first Champions Series Tennis event held in 2005 in Houston at the Westside Tennis Club.

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.

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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.

Five Ways Playing Tennis Keeps Your Body Healthy

February 24, 2021 by Randy Walker Leave a Comment

Staff report

Tennis is a great way to keep your body in shape and healthy. No matter how young or old you are, the game gets your body moving in some very impactful ways.

Tennis is a game that is played on the elementary school grounds and in the most relaxing assisted living home. There is no age requirement to enjoy the health benefits of this game.

If you’re looking for new ways to be proactive about your body’s health, tennis should definitely be on the list of options. Take a moment now to check out a brief compilation of a few ways playing tennis keeps your body healthy, and pick up your racquet today.

Tennis boosts cardiovascular health

The fast-paced nature of the game of tennis keeps your heart rate up. Jumping, swinging, running to readjust, and serving the ball all get the blood flowing throughout your body.

When you work hard to keep your heart rate up for an extended amount of time, you can strengthen your cardiovascular health. Your heart is a muscle, and it needs a workout from time to time too.

Helps retain range of motion

The broad movement necessary to reach out and hit the tennis ball when it comes your way is helpful for maintaining your body’s range of motion. Stretching and reaching promotes tougher muscles and tendons.

However, you should take the work up slowly, so you don’t injure yourself. You don’t need to try and be a Venus or Serena the first time you’re out on the court.

Tennis helps to improve balance

You’ll need good balance to excel at the sport of tennis. Reaching to hit that last second shot will leave you face first on the ground if you can’t keep your balance.

Maintaining a solid equilibrium will also give you more control over where you hit the ball. Aim is important when you’re working to psyche out the competition.

Helps to reduce risk of osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is when your body can’t create enough new bone to accommodate the deterioration of older bones. Your bones get brittle and hollow out, making it super easy to suffer bone fractures from everyday tasks.

Tennis helps to lower your risk of developing osteoporosis as you age by strengthening your bones. The consistent movement and impact may seem like a bad thing, but in fact, it is quite the opposite.

Improves motor control and agility

Aiming, swinging, balancing, and moving with purpose are all excellent ways to improve your body’s motor control and agility. Make sure you have quality, supportive sport shoes to accommodate the full throttle performance you plan to display on the court, so you don’t subject yourself to any unnecessary injury.

Next Steps For Serena Williams In Her Quest For 24

February 23, 2021 by Randy Walker Leave a Comment

by Bob Stockton

@BobStockton10

Whether she matches or even beats Margaret Court’s all-time record for most women’s singles Grand Slam wins or not, Serena Williams has her place among the greats of tennis.

Nobody can question that she is one of the best to ever pick up a racquet. The hard fact is that Serena has passed the four-year mark since last winning one of her sport’s majors.

Williams missed four Slams (the 2017 French Open through to the 2018 Australian Open) through maternity leave. Since the birth of her daughter, she has reached four major finals – at Wimbledon and the US Open in consecutive years – without further success.

For almost any other athlete, holding the modern Open Era record of 23 Grand Slam singles titles would be enough. For Serena, her return to tennis after becoming a mother has been about the pursuit of one goal.

If she can tie or even better Court’s haul, then in terms of majors won she would be considered the best woman in the sport’s history. Time is not on Williams’s side, however.

They say life begins at 40, but most professional sports careers end before or around that time. A semi-final loss in Melbourne to subsequent 2021 Australian Open winner Naomi Osaka left Serena emotional and departing a post-match press conference in tears after questions about retirement.

Perhaps it is finally dawning on this tennis titan that she has fewer Slams ahead than behind her. Williams doesn’t owe anyone anything after a glittering career that everyone else on the WTA Tour would love to have enjoyed.

That 24th Grand Slam and moving level with Court is proving elusive for her. Serena’s next chance of getting it is the French Open, but the clay courts of Roland Garros have been least kind to her with just three wins in Paris and three early exits since becoming a mother.

If not there, then how about Wimbledon where she has reached more finals (11) than at any other major? According to the outright tennis betting on the women’s singles at SW19, Williams is the 8/1 co-favourite for a wide-open tournament on grass.

Her formidable record on that surface and in this particular major gives her hope of a breakthrough there. Only Martina Navratilova has had more Wimbledon singles success in the Open Era than Serena.

A seventh US Open title at Flushing Meadows would also be pretty special. This is Williams’s home Slam, where she hasn’t failed to make the semis when fit and competing since 2007.

She is a slightly bigger price to reign again in New York come summer’s end and with her 40th birthday looming large in September. When Serena does call time on her career, she can look back with pride and say she has done it all.

This last milestone is important to her, but nobody will say it diminishes her status as one of the best ever in any way if she doesn’t get there. The odds suggest Wimbledon is Williams’s best chance of making history.