The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Wimbledon

  • Unsettled home front affecting Djokovic – McEnroe

    Unsettled home front affecting Djokovic – McEnroe

     

     

    Tennis commentator John McEnroe  has courted controversy by suggesting Novak Djokovic is struggling with family ‘issues’ and comparing him with troubled golfer Tiger Woods.

    When discussing Djokovic’s losing streak, the former Wimbledon champion compared the 30-year-old to Woods, who in the past has had a high-profile divorce, been arrested, and suffered problems with prescription medication.

    Speaking as part of the BBC commentary team for this year’s Wimbledon, McEnroe, 58, said: ‘the person that comes to mind immediately with Novak is not a tennis player, it’s actually a golfer: Tiger Woods.

    Former world number one Djokovic has suffered with his form in the last year – after completing a career Grand Slam last year, he started to lose matches and momentum.

    In 2009, Woods crashed his SUV into a tree and a fire hydrant outside his Florida home. Just months later, he was divorced after reports of extra-marital affairs surfaced.

    On Tuesday, the 14-time major winner Woods revealed he had completed an ‘intensive’ programme to help him manage his sleep loss medication.

    McEnroe added: ‘I think there’s a big difference, one is the age, but two the health. I think this (Djokovic’s form) isn’t a physical thing, this is more a mental thing.’

    It is not the first time the commentator has sparked controversy – last month he said that 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams would be ranked around 700 if she competed in the men’s game.

  • Tennis star Minella reveals pregnancy bump after 1st round exit

    Tennis star Minella reveals pregnancy bump after 1st round exit

     

    It was a case of out with a bump in the first round for Luxembourg tennis player Mandy Minella at Wimbledon Tuesday.

    The 31-year-old crashed out in the Women’s singles to Italian Francesca Schiavone, beaten 6-1, 6-1 in two sets.

    In the post match press conference, the world number 82 revealed to journalists that she is expecting her first child, playing while four-and-a-half-months’ pregnant – and today posted a black-and-white snap of her husband Tim Sommer kissing her bump court-side.

    According to the Luxemburger Wort newspaper, Minella said: ‘Wimbledon is my last tournament this season. I want to compete again at Wimbledon in 2018 – and bring the baby buggy.’

    Minella is also due to compete in the doubles competition at Wimbledon with Latvian Anastasija Sevastova.

    The mum-to-be will apply for a protected ranking while she takes time out from the game, allowing her to return to the tour without her position in the standings being affected.

    According to NHS guidelines, it’s perfectly safe to keep up your normal level of exercise in pregnancy whether that’s yoga, running or dancing.

    The more active and fit you are during pregnancy, the easier it will be for you to adapt to your changing shape and weight gain.

    It will also help you to cope with labour and get back into shape after the birth.

    However, pregnant women are advised against contact sports such as judo, scuba diving, exercise that involves long periods lying on your back and exercising at altitude.

    Many players have returned to tennis after becoming mothers in the past, and new mum Victoria Azarenka, who gave birth to son Leo in December, was among the first-round Wimbledon winners on Monday and is hotly tipped to do well this year.

    Meanwhile, the women’s tour’s other pregnant player – world number one Serena Williams has been offering a glimpse into her pregnancy training regime.

    The US star and current Wimbledon champion, who has vowed to come back to tennis after her first child with Alex Ohanian, posted a video of herself doing a few ‘easy drills’ on the tennis court.

    The expecting tennis star was working on her forehand in the very short clip as she hasn’t appeared to lose her step.

    The 23-time Grand Slam winner captioned the video: ‘Wimbledon got me like: Easy standing drills this morning. Go easy.’

    The world-beating athlete also posted a snap of herself cradling her blossoming baby bump while posing on the clay court.

  • Wimbledon: Laura Robson out in the first round

    Wimbledon: Laura Robson out in the first round

     

    Laura Robson became the first Brit to bite the dust at Wimbledon as the youngster who was once 27th in the world lost in straight sets.

    The 23-year-old, who is now ranked 189, was beaten comprehensively by Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia on Court 18.

    Supported by fellow Brit Katie Boulter, who starts her SW19 on Tuesday, it took one hour and six minutes for Robson to succumb to Haddad Maia in a 6-4, 6-2 loss.

    Robson headed into Wimbledon with only one win on grass after losing in the opening rounds of warm-ups Surbiton and Nottingham, and she could not take her chances here.

    A slow start saw her broken immediately and, despite a chance to break back in the second, Haddad Maia held for 2-0.

    At 5-3 down the Briton was then the victim of a horrendous error by the Hawk-Eye system. With Robson serving to stay in the set, Haddad Maia hit a ground stroke which was initially called long.

    The umpire overruled the call, however, prompting a challenge from the Briton. But the Hawk-Eye system then showed a different shot from earlier in the rally, meaning the 23-year-old’s challenge was deemed unsuccessful and the Brazilian was awarded the point.

    It was deja vu in the second when Robson was broken again. Haddad Maia later broke for 4-1 before holding for 5-1, and she was one game away from the win.

    At 40-0 and serving for the win, Haddad Maia had three match points but Robson saved them all. She failed to take a fourth opportunity too, but the fifth time was the charm.

  • Venus Williams  sued for alleged manslaughter

    Venus Williams  sued for alleged manslaughter

     

    Venus Williams has been sued by the family of an elderly man who died in a car crash allegedly caused by the tennis star which she described as an ‘unfortunate accident’.

    The crash happened on June 9 and a Palm Beach Gardens police report said Miss Williams was ‘at fault for violating the right of way of [the other driver].’

    The Grand Slam champion was trying to get across a junction when she was hit from the side by another car.

    Jerome Barson, 78, was a passenger being driven by his wife Linda and suffered serious head injuries.

    He was taken to hospital but died two weeks later on June 23.

    A spokesman for the Barson family told the Daily Mail: ‘The amount of pain the family is feeling right now is enormous.’

    The family are now seeking unspecified damages for loss of companionship for both Linda and their family, loss of earnings, pain and suffering, and medical and funeral expenses.

    Mr Barson’s wife said Miss Williams’ SUV ‘suddenly darted’ into the intersection and there was no time to stop before she crashed into the side of the tennis star’s vehicle.

    According to the lawsuit, the impact was so severe their car was ‘crushed, the front windshield shattered, the airbags deployed, there was crush damage to the rear on the driver’s side, and the back window was shattered.’

    TMZ said Miss Williams told police she was trying to get across the junction but traffic was backed up and she had to slow down to a crawl, leaving her stranded in the middle of the junction.

    His wife was taken to hospital with injuries including a cracked sternum and multiple broken bones.

    A diagram on the police report shows Miss Williams’ car in the middle of the junction with the Barsons’ vehicle hitting its side.

    Police say there was no evidence Miss Williams was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or that she was distracted by a phone.

    Miss Williams, 37, is due to compete at Wimbledon next week where she is the tenth seed.

    In September 2009 she was stopped in a Mercedes Benz by the Jupiter Police Department and cited for driving with no proof of her insurance.

    She was issued a $116 fine, which was increased to $139 in December due to late payment.

    On July 3, 2013 her Toyota was involved in a crash on I-95 in Palm Beach County, and was cited for driving on a suspended or revoked license.

    Her license was suspended on May 8, 2013, for failure to pay fines. She paid a $163 fine after that incident.

  • Vesnina ousts Venus to reach semi-finals at Indian Wells

    Vesnina ousts Venus to reach semi-finals at Indian Wells

    Elena Vesnina denied Venus Williams another comeback win to reach the semi-finals of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.

    Williams, who this week survived match points against Jelena Jankovic and was down a break in the third against Peng Shuai, fought off three match points in the eighth game.

    She also had six chances to bring it back on serve in the next before the 14th-seeded Russian finally held to finish a gutsy 6-2 4-6 6-3 win.

    The 30-year-old Vesnina, a Wimbledon semi-finalist last year, ripped a forehand putaway off a backhand from 12th seed Williams that clipped the netcord to end the two hour 11 minute battle in the California desert.

    “At the end of the match, I don’t know how I won that game from 0-40,” Vesnina, who had ousted second seed Angelique Kerber to reach the quarters, said in an on-court interview.

    “In the first set she was a little bit slow, missed some easy balls. But then in the second set, Venus was back and I was in trouble.”

    Mladenovic, the 28th seed, continued an impressive run of form beating 13th seed and 2011 winner Wozniacki 3-6 7-6(4) 6-2 to reach her first Premier Mandatory semi-final and guarantee her debut in the Top 20 in next week’s WTA rankings.

    The 23-year-old Frenchwoman improved to 16-5 on the season, a run which includes her first career title in St. Petersburg, and an appearance in the final earlier this month in Acapulco.

    “She’s on fire. So am I,” said Vesnina.

    “One of us can be in the final. We will see tomorrow.”

    Mladenovic wasted a slew of opportunities, squandering nine break points as she fell behind 1-5 in the opening set.

    “I was very frustrated with the beginning of the match. I was hitting a lot of unforced errors,” she said.

    Mladenovic recovered from an early break in the second to move ahead 5-3 before ultimately leveling the match 7-4 in the tiebreak.

    Painting the lines in the third set, Mladenovic broke twice and served out the two hour 33 minute win.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that third seed Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic will meet eighth-seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova in the other women’s semi-final.

     

  • Ex- Wimbledon champion injured in knife attack

    Ex- Wimbledon champion injured in knife attack

    Two-time Wimbledon champion, Petra Kvitova, has been injured in a knife attack at her home.

    Kvitova has been treated for a left-hand injury — which is not life-threatening — after the incident in the eastern Czech town of Prostejov.

    The incident occurred on Tuesday and has been described by her publicist Karel Tejkal as a burglary.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 26-year-old left-hander is ranked 11 in the world and won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014.

    “It was a random crime. Nobody was going to attack or rob her as Petra Kvitova,” Tejkal said.

    NAN reports that Kvitova beat Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard in the 2014 Wimbledon final and Russian Maria Sharapova in 2011 to win her only Grand Slams.

    Earlier on Tuesday, she withdrew from January’s Hopman Cup with a foot injury.

  • WIMBLEDON FINAL… WIMBLEDON FINAL… Serena eager to remain number one

    WIMBLEDON FINAL… WIMBLEDON FINAL… Serena eager to remain number one

    Serena Williams has vowed to cling to the world number one ranking but questions may be asked about her claim to that status if Angelique Kerber takes her scalp in Saturday’s Wimbledon final.

    American Williams was fiercely critical of the Women’s Tennis Association ranking system seven years ago, after landing the Wimbledon title meant she owned three grand slams but still sat at number two, behind the major-less Russian Dinara Safina.

    And if German left-hander Kerber adds Wimbledon’s Venus Rosewater Dish to her Australian Open title, then she will be the owner of two slams yet stand adrift of Williams, who will be the holder of none, on the WTA computer.

    After landing the third of her six Wimbledon titles in 2009, Williams said: “I’d rather definitely be number two and hold three grand slams in the past year than be number one and not have any.”

    She heads into Saturday’s final against Kerber as firm favourite, but that was the case in Australia at the start of the year when Kerber upset her in the final. It was the case in Paris last month as Garbine Muguruza caused a Roland Garros title match shock, and it was emphatically so at the US Open last September when Williams, hunting a calendar grand slam, was ousted by Roberta Vinci in the semi-finals.

  • Djokovic crashes out to Querrey at Wimbledon

    Djokovic crashes out to Querrey at Wimbledon

    Novak Djokovic is out of Wimbledon after a shock defeat on Saturday by American Sam Querrey, thus ending the world number one’s hopes of a calendar-year Grand Slam.

    The number 28-seeded Querrey completed a 7-6 (8-6), 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5) third-round win after rain had suspended play on Saturday evening.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that it was the Serb’s first loss at a major since the 2015 French Open final.

    Djokovic had hoped to win his third straight Wimbledon title and secure the third leg of a calendar Slam.

    The 29-year-old has already won the Australian and French Opens this year, and was also trying to become only the second man to win five successive major titles.

    “It’s incredible, especially to do it here at Wimbledon,” said 28-year-old Querrey after ending one of the most dominant runs in tennis history.

    “I’m so ecstatic, so happy. I played the break points well and every time he had a break point I was able to come up with a big serve.

    “He came out and got the first four games. Fortunately for me we had another rain delay and I got to regroup.

    “I’m just taking it one round at a time, I’m not even sure who I’m playing next.’’

    The 6 feet 6 inches Querrey has a huge serve, and grass-court pedigree as a former Queen’s Club champion.

    But both points did not give any reason to think he might be the man to finally derail Djokovic.

    Even when the world number 41 headed off with a two-set lead on Friday evening, having played superbly, there were few at the All England Club confidently backing him to win.

    Djokovic had looked strangely out of sorts in the first chapter of the contest but he took advantage of an edgy Querrey to build a quick 4-0 lead on Saturday’s resumption.

    The third set was duly taken either side of another rain delay but try as he might, the 12-time Grand Slam champion could not break away in the fourth.

    The pair shared 16 break points before Djokovic finally moved ahead with a forehand for 5-4.

    But he gave the break straight back with a poor attempt at a drop volley.

    When the rain returned just after Querrey had held for a 6-5 lead, it left Djokovic heading for the locker room with one knowledge.

    That he would have to serve to stay in the match on resumption.

    A little over an hour later, the top seed played a nerveless service game to force the tie-break but once again he could not find his usual clinical edge.

    A 3-1 lead disappeared and in spite of Djokovic saving a first match point with an ace, it was Querrey who was leaping in the air in celebration.

    This was after the Serb pulled a forehand wide on the second.

  • “I’m not well” Says Serena after bizarre Wimbledon retirement

    “I’m not well” Says Serena after bizarre Wimbledon retirement

    The bizarre circumstances surrounding Serena Williams’ sluggish and uncoordinated on-court behavior during her doubles match continue to be a major talking point around the All England Club.

    Tennis  Serena Williams struggled to handle the ball and looked out of sorts during her warmup.

    Williams took the court on Tuesday with sister Venus for their doubles match looking physically unwell. She served four straight double-faults, and then the team retired down 0-3. The official reason given for the retirement was a viral illness but many, including Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, have speculated there may have been more to it.

    Andy Roddick saw the incident and sent a text message to Serena out of concern, and she texted back saying she was “unwell.”

    “I grew up with Serena, so the first thing I’m thinking is ‘What is going on?’ It’s just crazy.” Roddick said on the FOX Sports Live Podcast. “She looked really bad to the point where people were like ‘get her off the court.’ It took them three games and in warmups she looked terrible. It was bad.

    “I text Serena’s agent. I’m just like how is she, what’s going on? She’s resting, which is good. I text Serena and thank God she texted me back. I would have felt worse if it was now and I still hadn’t heard from her. I’d be a lot more worried. She said ‘Andy, I’m just not well. We’ve done some tests, the doctors think it’s a viral illness, they can’t say it with any certainty. We did some tests and we’ll know in a couple of days.’ But for her to say ‘I’m just not well’ is a big thing for her to say. Obviously at the end she goes I’ll be OK and this that and the other.

    “She supposed to be tough, that’s what she is, so she doesn’t like to show that vulnerability. Frankly that’s how she comes across in press conferences sometimes as aloof because she doesn’t want to let that guard down. So for her to say “I’m not well right now” is a scary thing.

    “You hope it is an illness and not something worse.”

  • Federer brands Wimbledon dress code ‘too strict’

    Federer brands Wimbledon dress code ‘too strict’

    Tennis star Roger Federer has branded Wimbledon’s all white dress code “too strict” after it was revealed that officials have ordered players to change underwear they consider to be too colourful.

    The seven-time champion called on the All England Club to “loosen up the grip” on a rule that has been strictly enforced this year, leading to accusations of players even having their underwear checked before matches.

    Earlier this week former women’s world number one Caroline Wozniacki criticised potential underwear checks as “pretty creepy”.

    Players have been forcefully reminded of the tournament’s 10-point clothing and equipment policy.The rules call for “suitable tennis attire that is almost entirely white”.

    Speaking after his quarter-final victory over Swiss compatriot Stan Wawrinka last night, Federer commented: “We’re all white. White, white, full-on white. I think it’s very strict.

    “My personal opinion, I think it’s too strict. If you look at the pictures of Edberg, Becker, there was some colours, you know, but it was ‘all white’.”