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Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

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This Week’s Tournament:
Miami Open – Miami, FL USA

Last Week’s Winner:
BNP Paribas Open – Roger Federer

Introducing the (One-Handed) Backhand Boys
Roger Federer may have won the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells over the weekend, but he also won the internet and the hearts of fangirls around the world with the return of the Backhand Boys.  Federer joined fellow one-handed backhanders Grigor Dimitrov and Tommy Haas for a singalong of Chicago’s “Hard to Say I’m Sorry.”  You might recall the trio singing  together back at the Australian Open, and this new video shows they’ve been working on their moves and their vocals.  Tour soon?

As much as we love the Backhand Boys, we think they could use a couple of extra members to make up the classic 5 member boyband!   We’d love to see Stan Wawrinka, Dominic Thiem, Richard Gasquet or Feliciano Lopez join the lineup.  Auditions in Miami?

The Backhand Boys could use a rival boyband just to keep things fresh.  May we present *NSYDE OUT led by some of the best forehands on the ATP Tour: Juan Martin del Potro, Jack Sock, and Rafael Nadal with Vasek Pospisil (he so needs/wants to be in a boyband) and Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

Denis Shapovalov Wins 1st Challenger Title
#NextGenATP player Denis Shapovalov won his first challenger title over the weekend in his native Canada at the Challenger Banque Nationale Drummondville.  At 17-years-old, Denis is the youngest ATP Challenger winner so far this year and now the youngest player in the top 200.  Denis defeated his friend and countryman Felix Auger-Aliassme in the semi-finals en route to the title.

Gael Monfils Out With Injury
Gael Monfils is one of the most entertaining players in tennis, with an explosive game and incredible athleticism.   Unfortunately, his big game has led to quite a few injuries over the years, and Gael’s latest setback is a tear in his Achilles’ heel and chondropathy Patella.  He is out of the Miami Open and will start rehab.  We hope to see Gael back on court soon!  (so we can see more shots like this)

ATP University Class of 2017 Graduate in Miami
Every year in Miami, the ATP World Tour hosts “ATP University” for the youngest players on tour.  The 3-day program teaches the players about life on tour including player relations, social media, nutrition, and finance.  It also gives the new players a chance to get to know each other and adjust to their hectic new schedule.  This year’s class included young Americans Reilly Opelka, Noah Rubin, Michael Mmoh, and Stefan Kozlov.

Roger Federer Covers GQ‘s April Issue
Things can be rough for a tennis fan in the off-season.  It’s hard to fill the time normally spent with following scores and matches across the globe with some non-tennis related activities.  Which is how back in December, with no brackets to fill out, tennis fans made it their priority to vote Roger Federer as the Best Dressed Man in GQ‘s Most Stylish Man poll.   Federer won the poll in a landslide, taking out Kanye West, Ryan Gosling, and more in the process.  With his new honor, Federer is on the cover of GQ‘s April issue.  Read the story here!

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: Wimbledon

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Wimbledon 101
Where to watch:  ESPN and WatchESPN.com
Main draw play runs daily through the finals on Sunday, July 10th
Social Media: #Wimbledon @Wimbledon

Marcus Willis’ Dream Run
If you’ve been following Wimbledon coverage at all, no doubt you’ve heard about Marcus Willis.  The British tennis instructor, ranked 772 in the world, played his way through pre-qualifying AND qualifying, and won his 1st round main draw match.  Willis had been on the brink of quitting tennis earlier this year, and was once nicknamed “Cartman” for being so out of shape.  With the win, Willis has earned £50,000 in prize money and the right to face Roger Federer in the 2nd round on Centre Court.  Anything is possible!

Seeds Out on Day 1
While there were some dramatic wins, there weren’t too many upsets on day 1.  Of the seeded players: #20 seed Kevin Anderson, lost a tough 5 set match to Denis Istomin.  Gael Monfils, playing his first match since Rome, lost to countryman Jeremy Chardy.    Pierre-Hugues Herbert took out the #21 seed Phillip Kohlschreiber in 4 sets.  Pablo Cuevas lost in 5 sets to the Russian Andrey Kuznetsov.

State of the Union
American men went 3 for 6 on Monday, with Jack Sock, Sam Querrey and Stevie Johnson advancing to the 2nd round.  Taylor Fritz, the youngest player in the men’s draw, takes on Stan Wawrinka today while the top American John Isner faces Marcos Baghdatis.  Donald Young, Dennis Novikov, and Rajeev Ram are also in action.

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😏 #SW19

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Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: ATP News Roundup

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This Week’s Tournaments:
Aegon Open – Nottingham, England
Wimbledon Qualifying – London, England

Lleyton Hewitt Receives Wimbledon Doubles Wildcard
We knew Lleyton couldn’t stay away from tennis for too long!  While he officially retired from singles at this year’s Australian Open, Lleyton has since suited up for Davis Cup doubles and he was just given a wildcard into Wimbledon.  Lleyton is teaming up with fellow Aussie Jordan Thompson in doubles.  Get your “c’mon!” cheers ready.

Dominic Thiem Hot Shots
Thiem has pretty much been a highlight reel lately.  Check out some of his hot shots from Halle.  We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, we are so on board #TeamThiem.

Herbert/Mahut Win Queen’s Club Title
The French duo picked up their 4th title of the season at the Wimbledon warm up.  We’re hoping to see them team up at both Davis Cup in July and the Olympics in August.  ALLEZ!

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One more time🍾🏆

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Andy Murray Wins Record 5th In London
Murray couldn’t have asked for better prep for Wimbledon.  With coach Ivan Lendl back on his team, Murray defeated Milos Raonic in a 3 set final.  He became the first man to win a 5th Queen’s Club Title.

Sascha Zverev Beats Roger Federer In Halle
Thiem isn’t the only young gun to have defeated Federer this season – 19-year-old Sascha Zverev took out Federer in 3 sets in the semi-finals in Halle.  We’re excited to see more from this #NextGen player this season!

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: Roland Garros Preview

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The second slam of the year is already underway, with qualifying action starting yesterday in Paris.  Here’s our list of everything you need to know!

Roland Garros 101
Where to watch:  Tennis Channel and Tennis Channel Plus
Draws will be revealed on Friday, May 20th
Main draw play starts Sunday, May 22nd daily through the finals on Sunday, June 5th.
Social Media: #RG16 @rolandgarros

Novak Djokovic Aiming for Career Slam 
While it seems like Djokovic has won pretty much everything over the last few years, there is 1 title that has eluded him – the French Open.  He beat Rafa in the Quarterfinals last year, then lost to an inspired Stan Wawrinka in the final.  Could this be the year he completes the career slam in Paris?

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#mornings #madrid ☀️😃🌳

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Rafa Going for #10
One man likely standing in Djokovic’s way is Rafael Nadal, the 9 time champion.  While Djokovic currently owns their head-to-head, Rafa has been re-gaining confidence and their last meeting in Madrid was close.

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9 finals. 9 titles. 9 days. #RG16

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 #NextGen Americans To Watch
Taylor Fritz is playing in the main draw of Roland Garros for the 1st time, with his ranking high enough for direct entry.   Several Americans advanced through the first round of qualifying, including Frances Tiafoe, Ryan Harrison, and Jared Donaldson.  Tommy Paul, who defeated Fritz in the 2015 Junior Roland Garros final, also advanced on day 1.   Bjorn Frantangelo, winner of the USTA’s French Open wild card challenge, also received direct entry to the main draw.

Doubles!
It’s been a fun couple of years for doubles, with different teams winning each slam.  We’re sure the hometown team of Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut will get tons of support – they’ve already won 3 Masters titles this year.  The Bryan Brothers just won the title in Rome, defeating Jack Sock and Vasek Pospisil in the final.
Vive Le France!
The last time a Frenchman won Roland Garros was Yannick Noah in 1983.  We’d love to see another French player win the title.  One thing is for sure – the French players are always entertaining to watch!  Gael Monfils, Richard Gasquet, Benoit Paire, Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, Gilles Simon & more.  ALLEZ!
Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: Monte Carlo Roundup

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Tennis players are always chasing the sun and now that the weather is getting nicer in NYC, we can’t wait to play outside this Summer! It’s been a busy week in the tennis world so let’s get right to our Tennis Tuesday round up.

This Week’s Tournaments:
Barcelona Open BancSabadell – Barcelona, Spain
BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy – Bucharest, Romania

Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut Win Monte Carlo
The French duo won their 3rd straight Masters 1000 title of the season, securing themselves the #1 ranking in doubles in the process.  We love watching these two play and are thrilled to see them playing so well.  Also, see below one of the cutest post-match photos ever taken.

Rafael Nadal Reclaims Monte Carlo Title
The King of Monte Carlo won the title for the 9th time, defeating Dominic Thiem, Stan Wawrinka and Andy Murray on the way to the finals.  The final between Rafa and Gael Monfils was one of the best matches of the year so far.  We hope both of them can carry the momentum to Roland Garros!

World Team Tennis Schedule Announced
The WTT schedule was announced last week, including matches with marquee players Andy Roddick, Mardy Fish, and Caroline Wozniacki.  We can’t wait to catch the New York Empires at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, including a match with both Andy and March August 9th!  Check out the full schedule at WTT.com.  Check with your local team as tickets go on sale this week!  And remember…Don’t fall asleep on a plane with Andy Roddick or Mardy Fish.

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: Let The Clay Season Begin

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The clay season is officially underway, with the tennis world shifting to the red dirt until the big finale at Roland Garros in June.

This Week’s Tournaments:
US Men’s Clay Court Championship – Houston, TX USA
Grand Prix Hassan II – Marrakech, Morocco

Americans In Action In Houston
The US Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston is the only ATP clay court event in North America.  Most of the US men are in action this week – John Isner, Jack Sock, Stevie Johnson, Sam Querrey lead the pack along with rising stars Francis Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, and Reilly Opelka.

Indian Wells-Miami Double Winners
Winning the Indian Wells and Miami double is one of the toughest tasks in tennis.  This year,  5 of the 6 champions in Indian Wells also took home titles in Miami.  Novak Djokovic won the double for a record 3rd year in a row.  Victoria Azarenka was the first women’s singles player to pull off the double since Kim Clijsters in 2005.  The French duo Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut continue to impress and added the 2 Masters 1000 titles to their growing list.  American Bethany Mattek-Sands teamed up with Lucie Safarova this time to win Miami.

Davis Cup Venue Announcements
We’ve been (im)patiently waiting for news on where the next Team USA tie will be since they booked their spot in the quarterfinals in March.   Per the Davis Cup Twitter, the venue for the USA vs Croatia tie happening in July will be announced on April 25th! (fingers crossed for an East Coast spot!)

John Isner Splits with Coach Justin Gimelstob
Justin Gimelstob announced in a statement on his website he will no longer be working with top American John Isner for personal reasons.  The pair worked together for just over a year.  We’re looking forward to seeing who John adds to his team.

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: Welcome to Miami

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This week the tour moves to the East Coast, with Miami Open action starting on Wednesday.  Enjoy this last hardcourt tournament in North America before the tour moves to Europe for the clay season!

This Week’s Tournament
Miami Open – Miami, FL USA

Novak Djokovic Wins BNP Paribas Open
Djokovic captured a record 5th title in Indian Wells.  It was one-way traffic in the men’s final, mostly due to opponent Milos Raonic’s recurring injury, but also due to Djokovic’s outstanding play.

 

Pierre-Hugues Herbert & Nicolas Mahut Win Indian Wells Doubles
P2Hugz and Nico had an incredible week, winning their first Masters 1000 title as a team.  (yes team, not squad ahem tennis commentators…)  They defeated “Team North America” in the finals, AKA American Jack Sock and Canadian Vasek Pospisil.  We’re big fans of both these teams and happy to see them continue to do well!

 

World Team Tennis Draw March 25
We already know that Andy Roddick will be leading the New York Empires in WTT this Summer in Forest Hills (best news ever).  The WTT draw on Friday will reveal the rosters for all of the teams in the league.  Stay tuned to WTT.com!

WTT_draftday2016

header photo via the Miami Open

Friday Five, Sports, Tennis

The Friday Five: Australian Open Preview (Fangirl Style)

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The Australian Open kicks off this weekend in Melbourne!  It’s time for our annual bae-watch list. Here are some of the (many) players we’ll be rooting for for the next two weeks.

1. Borna Coric

Coric finished 2015 as the youngest player in the top 100. He is definitely one of the top young guns to watch in 2016 – he already has a win over Rafael Nadal, and played his first ATP World Tour final last week in Chennai. And is it just us or does anyone else get a little Jake Miller vibe from him?

Ice bath after good match!!!!

A photo posted by Borna Coric (@bornacoric) on

2. Jack Sock

The young American has started 2016 with a bang, beating top players Kevin Anderson and David Ferrer en route to the finals in Auckland. Jack has a powerful, aggressive forehand and the game to match. But he’s also known for his great sportsmanship, suggesting his opponent Lleyton Hewitt challenge a call during Hopman Cup last week.

just about sums up the week 🤗😜 #hopmancup

A photo posted by Jack Sock (@jack.sock) on

3. Pierre-Hugues Herbert (AKA P2Hugz)

P2Hugz is p2cute. He teamed up with fellow Frenchman Nicolas Mahut to win the US Open doubles trophy last Fall. The duo also made it to the finals of the 2015 Australian Open, so they will be confident playing on these familiar courts. Pierre-Hugues is also looking to qualify for the singles draw (ALLEZ!!!)

Last round tomorrow against my friend Édouard Roger-Vasselin! #Lacoste #Round3 #Qualifying #Court10 #2ndafter12:30

A photo posted by Pierre Hugues herbert (@pierrehuguesherbert) on

4. Taylor Fritz

Taylor is another young American player on a hot streak. Since winning the US Open Juniors title a few months ago, he has gone on to win 3 ATP Challenger titles and risen to 154 in the rankings. Fritz is also playing qualifying st this years tournament.

5. Benoit Paire

We’re not sure which Benoit will end up at this year’s tournament: the one who beat Nishikori at the US Open or the one who has on court meltdowns. But we can guarantee he’ll be entertaining to watch either way! We also suggest following him on Instagram for heart- eyes worthy photos.

 

😍

A photo posted by Benoit Paire (@benpaire) on

BONUS: Lleyton Hewitt

The Australian Open is sadly Hewitt ‘s last tournament as a professional. We’ll be cheering Aussie Aussie Aussie OY OY OY until the last point. We expect him to go down fighting in some epic 5 set matches.