Tennis

Serena: Enduring appeal

February 15, 2013
Serena

Serena Jameka Williams is not a lady unused to setting records in the world of tennis, and today she took possession of another mark in the overall history of the game, becoming the oldest ever female number one at the grand old age of 31. That this is the record is in itself a testament to the incredible physicality of the game at the top level, and how hard it is to stay at the top level consistently, but it also surely has to be the straw to break the camel’s back when it comes to Serena’s place in history. [...]

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Almost, Andy

January 27, 2013
AndyM

One of the problems for men’s professional tennis right now is that it is just too good at times, and if that sounds a strange thing to say then I apologise, but it is how I feel. This morning Andy Murray lost the Australian Open final over the course of four sets to Novak Djokovic, and once the game was over the overwhelming feeling was one of slight anti-climax rather than anything else. The problem for these guys is that they have already surpassed pretty much anything we’ve ever seen before, so now all we can compare their efforts in [...]

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Australian Open: Men’s final

January 25, 2013
DjokAus

In men’s tennis the last few years have seen a level of play never imagined in the bad old days of stroppy Americans and boring Swedes, and the Australian Open is an arena made for the epic clash. Some surfaces, like the red clay of Roland Garros, give and advantage to one player that means a titanic struggle can be rendered more one-sided than the crowd expect, but the hard courts down under are the favoured playgrounds of two monstrous talents, and they meet on Sunday morning to tear each other apart for our amusement. Novak Djokovic is undoubtedly one [...]

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Australian Open: Women’s final

January 25, 2013
SONY DSC

Tennis has it all, big players, huge money and even stars taking exception to those working around the edges of the court, something unthinkable elsewhere until a curious incident of a Belgian in Wales, and the Women’s Australian Open final is shaping up to be as dramatic and controversial as many in recent memory. Crowd-favourite Li Na will face Victoria Azarenka in the final, and while Na’s presence adds a degree of underdog charm as well as a dollop of the future, with Chinese players growing in number and strength, it is Azarenka who has made all the headlines so [...]

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Australian Open: Time to get your money on Andy?

January 22, 2013
AMurray

It was never a comparison made by anyone who knew much about the game, but ever since Andy Murray won the US Open people have been forced to concede he is not on the same level as the former British number one, Tim Henman. Nevertheless, there are some who believe his win in the States to be something of a one-off, and will continue to deride him, although I suspect that has more to do with perceptions of his personality presented in the media than any actual facet of the man himself. Now, Murray is just three wins away from [...]

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Australian Open: British girls and the women’s draw

January 14, 2013
HeatherW

Heather Watson had a bit of a scare in her opening match at the Australian Open, but was able to come through after a remarkable comeback reminiscent of the current British number one in the men’s game, Andy Murray. Various fitness problems forced the young player from Guernsey to simply hit through the ball and go for her shots, and while it is worrying that she is reportedly under the weather after missing a warm-up tournament to ensure peak fitness the experience could be a watershed for a player still developing her game at the top level. Laura Robson has [...]

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