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.

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.

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. 

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.

From Wire Reports

Novak Djokovic of Serbia claimed a historic ninth Australian Open championship on Sunday night, beating Daniil Medvedev of Russia, 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 in the final.

It was a surprisingly convincing win for Djokovic who remains unbeaten in all nine of the AO finals he has played at Rod Laver Arena.

Medvedev entered Sunday’s contest on the back of a 20-match winning streak, however on the night was undone by a mixture of Djokovic’s prowess and his own unforced errors which numbered nearly double that of his opponent.

Djokovic overcame an abdominal injury, sustained mid-tournament, to survive the remaining rounds, and eventually dominate the final battle.

“It has been definitely emotionally the most challenging Grand Slam that I ever had with everything that was happening, injury, off-the-court stuff, quarantines,” Djokovic said.

“It has been, least to say, a roller-coaster ride in the last four weeks.”

Djokovic confirmed the injury was a tear of the abdominal oblique muscle and credited his rapid recovery to the work of his medical team and sufficient rest between matches.

“I was quite worried. I did not look realistically that I could actually play,” Djokovic said.

“Of course, I haven’t done it myself. Medical team, my physio, has done tremendous work. With God’s grace, I managed to achieve what I achieved and I’m very thankful,” Djokovic said.

From the start of Sunday’s match, Medvedev was on shaky ground; dropping his first service game and facing a 0-3 deficit within the first 10 minutes.

“He was aggressive. He was making winners when he had to. We’re just coming again to the moment where he was a better tennis player today, without a doubt. Which is disappointing for me, but not much else to say,” Medvedev said.

As the Russian shook off his nerves things improved, winning a break on the back of the first long rally of the match and going on to serve and level the score at 3-3.

However, with a tiebreak in sight, Djokovic struck, snatching a break in the 12th game to win the first set.

The second set began with a break by Medvedev and could have marked a turning point for the Russian. However, Djokovic broke back and went on to win the next four straight games.

Despite pushing Djokovic’s next serve to deuce, Medvedev was broken again giving the Serbian a comfortable two-set lead. The Russian came within a point of claiming the first game in a crucial third set but was held off by Djokovic who came back from 15-40 to win.

Medvedev could only look to his wife and coach in his player’s box and shrug as his errors piled up and the points slipped away.

“In the end, I lost in three sets where I didn’t play bad but I didn’t play my best level. Probably he made his game that good today that I couldn’t stay at my best level,” Medvedev said.

Another lost serve found Medvedev again facing a 0-3 game deficit from which he could not recover, handing Djokovic his 18th Grand Slam.

“Nine years I managed to start with a win in Australia. That in a way sets the tone for the rest of the season for me,” Djokovic said.

“It’s why I love coming to Australia… because I know if I win here, then it just gives me huge wind in my sails for the rest of my year.” 

From Wire Reports

Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka secured the women’s singles championship at the Australian Open beating America’s Jennifer Brady, 6-4, 6-3.

It is the fourth Grand Slam title for Osaka, and her second in Australia after also winning in 2019.

“It feels really incredible for me. I didn’t play my last Grand Slam in front of fans so just to have this energy it really means a lot. Thank you so much for coming,” Osaka said.

The Japanese was lucky to find herself on the finals at all after creeping through a fourth round match with Garbine Muguruza, in which she miraculously saved two match points.

Meanwhile, Brady reached the final despite being one of over 70 players forced to undergo a two-week hard quarantine at the beginning of the tournament.

“They did everything to make it as comfortable as possible,” Brady said. “I was able to do everything I could in the room and I appreciate everything they did for me when I was there.”

Despite being the firm underdog in the match, the American put up an impressive fight. Particularly in the first set where she snatched a break back from Osaka and came within reach of edging ahead.

The American squandered a crucial break point in the ninth game, which would have seen her serving for the set. In the end Osaka clung on, with a lucky forehand in the back corner getting her out of trouble.

From there Osaka lifted, winning a total of six straight games to claim the first set and give her a comfortable 4-0 lead in the second.

Brady gave herself a chance, gaining a break in the fifth game and holding serve to take two games back, however despite holding serve again, Osaka’s dominant arm carried her home to a fourth Grand Slam title.

“She’s such an inspiration to us all and what she’s doing for the game is amazing and getting the sport out there,” Brady said.

“I hope young girls at home are watching and are inspired by what she is doing.”

by Bob Stockton

@BobStockton10

From the late 1980s to the early 2000s, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras dominated tennis. In the sport’s history, few rivalries have captivated global audiences quite like the one involving the two world-class Americans. Between them, the pair have 22 Grand Slams, and this showcases their dominance, particularly during the 1990s. For as entertaining as their rivalry was, it’s worth taking a step back and considering what has left a more lasting impression on tennis and its passionate spectators. On that note, let’s delve into their success and see how they compare. 

How Do They Compare? 

At the time of writing, Sampras has won the fourth-most Grand Slams in tennis history. It speaks volumes about his ability that he’s behind only Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer, respectively. The famous Big Three aside, Sampras is the best of the rest, and there’s no shame in that. In terms of the 49-year-old’s longevity during his playing career, he won his first Grand Slam, the US Open, in 1990, with his last coming in the same competition 12 years later. In total, the California-born right-hander won the US Open on five occasions and is also a seven-time Wimbledon winner and two-time Australian Open Champion. 

By comparison, Agassi won eight Grand Slams during his career. Although fewer than Sampras, he is the joint-sixth most successful player, equal with Ivan Lendl and Jimmy Connors. Even though the five-foot-eleven competitor didn’t win as many as seven titles in one major tournament, he’s a four-time winner of the Australian Open. Fascinatingly, one thing that he does have over Sampras is that he won every Grand Slam at least once. The French Open, which eluded his rival, he won in 1999, defeating Andriy Medvedev. Agassi’s final major triumph came in 2003, but he didn’t win his first until 1992. 

Can Their Achievements Be Viewed as a Collective Triumph? 

Over the years, the pair often came to blows on the court, with Sampras winning 59 per cent of the games between them. After Agassi went on a five-match winning streak against his rival in the late 90s and early 2000s, the 14-time Grand Slam winner won the final three meetings, including the 2002 US Open final. While the rivalry brought the best out of each other, it also helped bring more attention to the sport. 

Because of their combined success on home soil, both Agassi and Sampras played a pivotal role in expanding tennis’ US audience. In the years after their retirements, the sport’s local participation figures peaked, with 18.91 million people in the US participating in tennis, as per Statista. 

Not only that, but they also contributed to the expansion of tennis-related developments in the gaming industry. Ultimately, this is evident by the fact that Agassi was a cover star on Andre Agassi Tennis, a video game released onto various consoles in 1992. Not only that but since their rivalry, the sport has become a go-to-theme at many casino operators. At some of the bonus-offering platforms in Pennsylvania that offer an actual PA casino bonus, players can enjoy numerous tennis-themed developments. For example, at 888casino, instant-win titles are available, including Virtual Tennis and Rush Tennis go.

A Rivalry That Will Live Long in the Memory 

On paper, it’s easy to say that Sampras was the better player because of his superior Grand Slam record. However, unlike Agassi, he didn’t win every major competition. In turn, deciphering the better of the two is somewhat dependent on the parameters that you use. That said, as a rivalry, few clashes will ever surpass the action-packed competitiveness of Agassi versus Sampras, who fought tirelessly throughout the 1990s and beyond.

by Bob Stockton

@BobStockton10

A new year brings the prospect of another four tennis Grand Slams, and all the biggest names will be battling it out in Melbourne to get their hands on the first Grand Slam title of 2021. After a turbulent year for the sport in 2020, tennis fans will be hoping that this year can be an antidote to the difficult times endured by many over the last 12 months, as the coronavirus pandemic has made such a huge impact on our lives.

Strict quarantine rules have been followed by players ahead of the Australian Open, and safety is paramount in ensuring that this year’s tournament lives up to the fantastic editions that have played out in previous years. All attention will be on the bet exchange as punters try and predict which players will make the final, which takes place on February 21^st. The Melbourne showpiece has thrown up some cracking contests in the men’s singles over the years, so as we build up to the 2021 edition, let’s take a look back at the last five Australian Open finals.

2020: Dominic Thiem v Novak Djokovic

Last year’s final proved to be an entertaining five-set affair, as Novak Djokovic earned his eighth Australian Open title with a hard-fought victory over Dominic Thiem. Although the Serb took the first set, Thiem fought back to win the following two, giving him a 2-1 lead. But the experienced Djokovic capitalised on the Austrian’s failure to handle the pressure, winning the final two sets to win the final 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

2019: Novak Djokovic v Rafael Nadal

Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have met in a plethora of Grand Slam finals over the years, and have played out some true epics in their respective quests for dominance in the sport. The 2019 Australian Open final, however, was not such a classic. In inspired form, Djokovic made life difficult for the Spaniard from the very first game, and Nadal simply couldn’t cope. The Serb took just over two hours to dispatch Nadal 6-3, 6-2, 6-3.

2018: Marin Čilić v Roger Federer

The fact that before his recent injury and surgery, Roger Federer was still going strong and competing at the business end of tournaments, shows just what enduring talent and determination he possesses. In January 2018, he completed a stellar run to the Australian Open title, but he was really made to sweat in the final by Marin Čilić. The pair were tit-for-tat in the opening four sets, leaving a final-set decider to see who would come out on top. In the end, Federer’s class and experience made all the difference, as he dominated the final set to complete a 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory, collecting his 20^th Grand Slam title in the process.

2017: Roger Federer v Rafael Nadal

The 2017 Australian Open pitted two great friends and rivals against each other in the showpiece event. Both Federer and Nadal showed their quality to reach the final, after defending champion Djokovic had suffered a shock second-round defeat at the hands of Denis Istomin. The final lived up to its billing, as Federer and Nadal served up a five-set cracker, and with nothing to split the pair after four sets played, the Swiss legend stepped up and delivered the knockout blow in the fifth set. The final score was 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.

2016: Novak Djokovic v Andy Murray

Djokovic and Andy Murray have met in four Australian Open finals, with the most recent of these occurring in 2016. Unfortunately for the Scot, Djokovic has triumphed on all four occasions, and he produced a fine display to beat Murray in three sets in January 2016. Murray failed to get out of the traps quickly, and Djokovic won the first set with ease. From there, the Scot found some form and was able to push his opponent, but Djokovic simply had too much quality, and emerged the victory 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3).