Emma Raducanu

Serena Williams ousted in first round at Wimbledon

June 29, 2022 by TennisGrandstand Leave a Comment

Serena Williams has lost in the first round of Wimbledon. After a match that lasted almost three hours, the winner of 23 Grand Slam tournaments, lost versus Frenchwoman Harmony Tan 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (7).

With only one day of preparation, Williams hadn’t played an official match for a year in singles. She was forced to give up last year at Wimbledon with the score set at 3-3 in the first set.

With a wildcard because she dropped to 1204th place on the WTA rankings, Williams decided to go to Wimbledon anyway. So far Serena has won Wimbledon 7 times. The only training she has had so far to get some match rythm was a doubles match with Ons Jabeur.

And the lack of rythm showed as did her fitness. Her fighting spirit was there though so wait until the US Open and we will see the old Serena again. However that didn’t save her against Harmony Tan, 115th on the world ranking, who made her debut at Wimbledon.

Williams looked to make it at 5-4 in the third set when she had matchpoint but Tan’s fighting spirit did not let her down and that cost Serena the match. In a supertiebreak, 10 points, Williams took a 4-0 lead but still couldn’t win.

British crowd favorite Emma Raducanu loses in first round

The British winner of the US Open, Emma Raducanu lost in the second round of Wimbledon. Much to the dismay of the British audience she lost to Caroline Garcia 3-6, 3-6.

The 19 year old Raducanu had her breakthrough at Wimbledon 2021. She was ranked 338 of the world when she reached the 1/8 finales. After that she sensationally won the US Open title as a qualifier. However after that she reached a slump and was plagued by injuries to get consistent good results on the courts.

28 year old Garcia looks to be in bloodform after she won the grass tournament of Bad Homburg. She completely dominated Raducanu in rally’s, broke her serve seven times, hit 24 winners and won her seventh match in a row.

International Tennis Hall of Fame Announces Winners of Iconic Moments in Tennis History

May 4, 2022 by TennisGrandstand Leave a Comment

Following a two-week vote with tens of thousands fans from around the globe weighing in, the International Tennis Hall of Fame has announced the five winning nominees from the Iconic Moments in Tennis History fan voting campaign. The winners in each of the five categories voted upon will be featured in a new exhibition in the ITHF Museum for fans to experience later this month, and online at tennisfame.com/iconic-moments.

The first annual Iconic Moments campaign gave fans the opportunity to revisit, debate and weigh in on some of the sport’s most impactful moments, with individuals from more than 100 nations participating. Fans were able to submit their ballots for their choices among eight nominees in each category.

The Iconic Moments in Tennis History winners are:

Most Epic Rivalry category winner: Rafael Nadal vs. Roger Federer vs. Novak Djokovic

For nearly 20 years, tennis fans have been captivated by the rivalry between the three most successful players in the history of the ATP Tour by Grand Slam title count. In a category that featured some of tennis’ most impactful matchups, the “Big Three” stood apart for fans who participated in the voting campaign. Each of the three has competed against the other two at least 40 times, with the trio combining to win 61 of the past 76 Grand Slams. Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic stood tied at 20 Grand Slam titles apiece until January, when Nadal claimed his 21st major trophy at the 2022 Australian Open.

Best Cinderella Story category winner: Emma Raducanu, 2021 US Open

Despite Emma Raducanu reaching the last 16 at Wimbledon just weeks prior, no tennis fan could have predicted her stunning triumph at the 2021 US Open. Sitting at No. 150 in the world at the beginning of qualifying, she rattled off nine straight victories in Flushing Meadows without dropping a set, advancing to the final. Raducanu’s championship matchup with Leylah Fernandez marked the first all-teen women’s final at the US Open since 1999. With her 6-3, 6-4 victory, Raducanu became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam title in the Open Era, and the first British woman to win a major since 1977.

Best Comeback Within a Match category winner: Rafael Nadal d. Daniil Medvedev, 2022 Australian Open Final

At age 35 and competing at his first Grand Slam in nearly eight months, Rafael Nadal engineered the greatest match comeback of his storied career on the grandest of stages. Having advanced to the final in Melbourne as the No. 6 seed, Nadal found himself down two sets to none to No. 2 seed Daniil Medvedev before turning the match on its heels and prevailing 2-6, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5. The victory marked Nadal’s 21st career Grand Slam title, breaking the three-way tie at 20 he had previously held with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, and his second Australian Open title.

Most Iconic Celebration category winner: Guga Kuerten draws a heart in clay at 2001 Roland-Garros

Known for wearing his heart on his sleeve while on court, Gustavo “Guga” Kuerten left a lasting impression on the clay of Roland-Garros during his run to the title in 2001. Already a two-time champion and the favorite heading into the tournament that year, Kuerten found himself in a bind against qualifier Michael Russell in the fourth round. After surviving match point and prevailing 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, 6-1, Kuerten expressed his love and gratefulness for the fans by drawing a heart in the clay with his racquet.

Best Moment of National Pride category winner: Andy Murray, 2013 Wimbledon

In capturing the 2013 Wimbledon title, Andy Murray ended one of tennis’ longest droughts, becoming the first British man to win his home major since Fred Perry in 1936. He achieved one of the nation’s sport pinnacles in front of a U.K. television audience of 17.3 million and 15,000 elated fans at Centre Court, defeating top seed Novak Djokovic in straight sets. Murray’s victory and final score of 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 would forever be “etched into the national psyche,” according to The Guardian.

Panelists decide the Iconic Moments in History

The nominees in the Iconic Moments in Tennis History campaign were decided upon by a panelists of tennis experts, journalists and historians, and encompassed over seven decades of tennis history. As part of the initiative, thousands of fans around the United States entered to win the 2022 Enshrinement Weekend sweepstakes. Two fans have been selected as winners, and will travel to Newport, R.I. this July 15-17 and receive exclusive access to Lleyton Hewitt’s induction celebrations and the Infosys Hall of Fame Open.

Why Is Tennis So Good?

December 3, 2021 by TennisGrandstand Leave a Comment

Why is tennis so good?

Those who are fans of the sport might be confused by such a question, but it is always important to consider novices who have had zero experience with tennis before. Even this notion is hard to comprehend considering tennis is one of the most famous sports on the planet. It is spoken with the same admiration of football, basketball and other sports that share a fair amount of time on the world stage. However, just watching tennis is not enough to appreciate how good a game it is, and those who have always considered trying it out should be urged to get down to their local courts to pick up a racket.

In terms of watching tennis, it is among the greatest spectator sports that people can enjoy. All one must do is consider how many great players of the game there currently is. With elite sportspeople such as Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Serena Williams and so many more currently active at the same time, tennis fans are simply spoiled as they can consistently watch exciting games at the highest level. Even at lower levels, tennis is exciting to watch. This is because the game has a lot of depth, though it may not seem that way. When two players get into an intense rally, it is always thrilling to see which one will come out on top.

Then there is the matter of actually playing the sport. It might seem daunting for beginners to step onto a court for the first time and they will undoubtedly struggle to return the ball more than a couple of times on their first day. For many though, this is where the love of the game develops. Trying to return the ball over the net becomes an obsession, and players will find that it is satisfying to do so. This feeling is just increased when they hit the perfect shot that the opponent simply cannot return, giving the player points. As a whole, the sport is very suitable for beginners to get into as it is easy to pick up, but hard to master. Players will only need to purchase a cheap racket and tennis balls before they can play too, which is always helpful for those on a budget.

Many might know that the betting scene in tennis is massive considering the popularity of the sport worldwide. It is always exciting to place bets as it is never guaranteed who will win. This is because the sport is typically played with two people, and it is a matter of who turns up on the day. A great example of this is how the young Emma Raducanu won the US open in an unexpected win that shocked many. However, some may have tired of placing bets for them not to come in. Fortunately, playing casino games is a great alternative, and you can find a number of other options by searching for online casino sites.

It should now be clear why tennis is enjoyed by so many, and those who were previously sitting on the fence might now be motivated to finally give one of the best sports in the world a try.

ATP Champions Tour Bids Adieu To Royal Albert Hall

November 29, 2021 by Randy Walker Leave a Comment

The ATP Champions Tour’s Champions Tennis at the Royal Albert Hall came to a close on Sunday night, with team Greg taking home the trophy. Across the four days, tennis fans laughed, cheered – and some even had the chance to play – with some of the world’s greatest players, with 2021 wrapping up 24 years of Champions Tennis at the iconic British venue.

During the evening session, Tommy Haas defeated Tomáš Berdych, 4-1, 4-3(1), Xavier Malisse defeated Marcos Baghdatis 4-2, 4-3(2), and the final match of the evening saw Radek Štěpánek defeat Fernando González 4-2, 4-3(0).

At the end of the four day event, Team Greg lifted the trophy above their heads as the clear victors in this year’s tournament, with Team Mark coming in second and Team Goran in third.

Over the last 24 years, Champions Tennis has seen players through the ages who have held the World No. 1 ranking, reached a Grand Slam singles final or been a singles player in a victorious Davis Cup team, compete in a mixture of team and individual events in both singles and doubles.

Across the four days some of the biggest legends of the game took to the stage in front of a full house, including British star and US Open champion Emma Raducanu who faced Romanian and Hamburg European Open winner Elena-Gabriela Ruse. Other stars included British favourite Greg Rusedski, fan favourite Mansour Bahrami, Chilean Fernando González, Spaniard David Ferrer, 2006 Australian Open runner up Marcos Baghdatis, and former doubles number four player Radek Štěpánek. Other players who competed in the tournament include ‘X-Man’ Xavier Malisse, Australian legend Mark Philippoussis, 2010 Wimbledon finalist Tomáš Berdych, former top-fiver Thomas Enqvist, former Russian number one Mikhail Youzhny, German Tommy Haas, Swede and Canada Masters winner Mikael Pernfors, and Spaniard Nicolás Almagro.

2021 also marked the last time the tournament was held at the historic Royal Albert Hall.

Paul McCann, VP, Tennis Events at IMG said: “For 24 years we’ve given fans the amazing opportunity to watch their favourite tennis superstars play in the iconic Royal Albert Hall, and this year has been like no other. It’s fantastic to see the players compete on the court again, and for a final time, cheered on by the roar of the packed crowd.”

Sponsors of Champions Tennis at Royal Albert Hall include: Original Penguin, Rado, Lacoste Fragrances Dunlop ,Superstars, OneStream Software, Brewin Dolphin, Stella Artois, Harrogate, Vodafone, Jaguar, Nyetimber, onefinestay, Adnams, Lavazza. For more information please visit Champions Tennis on Twitter @ChampionsTennis and on Instagram @champions_tennis. This year’s Champions Tennis tournament was live streamed on ATPChampionsTour and on Facebook at The ATP Champions Tour

Tennis Growing Once Again

November 6, 2021 by TennisGrandstand Leave a Comment

Tennis was a sport that was hit hard during the pandemic with COVID causing the closure of some major tournaments and also banning fans from attending games due to restrictions that were put in place. Now that lockdowns have been lifted and fans are allowed back to tennis matches again the sport is currently back to being it’s popular best with it now having more fans than ever before.

Many are saying that this is not only due to lockdowns being lifted but also due to new stars coming through the ranks like Emma Raducanu who is only 18 and already won a major title at the U.S. Open. When Emma first entered tournaments no one had any idea of how good she would turn out to be with tennis fans not knowing much about her. One industry that did have an idea about Emma were the bookies who had some great odds on Emma to win matches due to them having a rough idea of her tennis background and talent. This led many to putting some bets on her to win matches with bookies like these options at maximumcasinos.com who also offered some great mid break virtual tennis games for punters to play on whilst waiting for the next set to take place.

Tennis is now becoming more popular amongst young children with a lot of them keen to learn the sport instead of taking up other popular sports like football, rugby or netball. Tennis is being taught more at local schools due to the recent rise in the game with tennis now being seen as one of the most popular sports across the world, so you can see why so many young children are now eager to take up the sports after watching Raducanu dominate the U.S. Open. A lot of young tennis fans are wanting to follow in her footsteps after seeing her as a role model from her great success recently. There are more local tennis clubs being built to help produce the next line of world class talent and to also help give younger children the opportunity to learn such a great sport with there not being that many local tennis clubs compared to the likes of football, rugby, netball and other sports tennis has always been seen past compared to these other sports, until now.