After a rainy couple of weeks, we made it through the clay court season and a history making Roland Garros. Fittingly, the sun started to shine down on center court just minutes after the final point was played. The tour has already shifted to the grass court season, with Wimbledon just 3 weeks away.
This Week’s Tournaments
Mercedes Cup – Stuttgart, Germany
Ricoh Open – s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
Novak Djokovic Wins 4th Consecutive Major
Djokovic finally won his first Roland Garros title, completing a career grand slam in the process. He also won his 4th consecutive major, and is the first player to win 4 consecutive majors since Rod Laver in 1969. No doubt he has his eyes on completing the calendar slam this year!
Feliciano Lopez & Marc Lopez Win Men’s Doubles
Spain did not have a men’s singles champion this year, especially after the withdrawl of Rafa Nadal. But Spanish players took home both the men’s doubles and women’s singles titles! It was heartwarming to see veterans Lopez/Lopez (no relation) win a slam – the first for Feliciano and the second for Marc. The Spainards are also the 6th different team to win a slam in the last 2 years.
Dominic Thiem Enters Top 10
Thiem continues to build on his impressive season. He advanced to the Semi-Finals in Roland Garros, before losing to eventual champion Novak Djokovic. As a result, Thiem jumped to #7 in the world. We’re sure we’ll be seeing him climb even higher. We love his big game and his attitude and are #TeamThiem all the way.
It’s been an eventful week at Roland Garros since we last checked in … even with play being pretty much canceled 2 days in a row. We’re doing an anti-rain dance so we can watch some tennis tomorrow! (Or at least so the 4th round matches can get finished?)
Rain Rain, Go Away
Monday, May 29th was a complete washout, with all match play canceled for the first time since 2000. Tuesday wasn’t much better, with a stop and go day, players got in just over 2 hours of play. And unfortunately things aren’t looking much better for the rest of this week. Djokovic took the rain in stride, carrying an umbrella sourced from the crowd in 1 hand and his racquet in the other.
Nadal Withdraws With Wrist Injury
We can’t even talk about this still. After looking strong in his first 2 matches, Nadal called a press conference where he announced his withdrawal from the tournament due to a left wrist injury. Not the best way to celebrate his big 30th birthday, on June 3rd! Get well soon Rafa!!
Bottom-Half Quaterfinals Set
Richard Gasquet was impressive in taking out Kei Nishikori in the 4th round, reaching his 1st Roland Garros quarterfinal as the last Frenchman standing in singles. He’ll take on Andy Murray, while defending champ Stan Wawrinka will take on Albert Ramos-Vinolas. The top half will catch up. Some day.
Wawrinka Hits With Ballkid
One of the reasons we love Stan – he stayed warmed up during a medical time out to hit with a ballkid. He totally made this kid’s day/year/life!
Kid's got game! To avoid getting cold during Troicki's medical TO, Wawrinka recruits ballkid to help him stay loose. https://t.co/KgUAZVOwg0
After a rainy start, we made it through the 1st round of Roland Garros! Here’s what you might have missed.
Roland Garros 101
Where to watch: Tennis Channel and Tennis Channel Plus, NBC
Main draw play runs daily through the finals on Sunday, June 5th.
Social Media: #RG16 @rolandgarros
Murray, Wawrinka Survive Scares Both Andy Murray and defending champ Stan Wawrinka were pushed to 5 sets in their opening round matches. Murray’s 37-year-old opponent Radek Stepanek, who made it through qualifying, was impressive but couldn’t cross the finish line. If Wawrinka had lost, it would have been the 1st time the defending champion lost in the 1st round at Roland Garros.
Seeds Out In Round 1
Marin Cilic, Fabio Fognini, Kevin Anderson, Phillip Kohlschreiber, and Stevie Johnson all lost their opening round matches. And while he’s not seeded at this tournament, another disappointing loss from Grigor Dimitrov to Victor Troicki in 5 sets.
Nadal Off To Winning Start
Rafa was impressive in his defeat of Australian Sam Groth 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, in just 80 minutes. And he just casually hit this tweener winner.
#Merica Status Update
Jack Sock, John Isner and Bjorn Frantangelo all advanced to the 2nd round. Stevie Johnson, Sam Querrey, Taylor Fritz, Brian Baker are all out of singles action.
Roof Coming in 2020
With the US Open debuting its completed roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium this year, Roland Garros will be the only slam without a roof. Not for much longer! Tournament directors announced they will have a roof on Court Philippe Chatrier by 2020. While this is great for rain delays, how about some stadium lights so players don’t have to stop when it gets dark? (while rain is frequent, it does get dark every single night…)
Doubles Action Starts Wednesday
There are lots of doubles matches on the schedule for Wednesday, including reigning US Open champs and hometeam Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut. Mahut has a chance of reaching the #1 ranking in doubles during Roland Garros. #ALLEZ Other pairs to watch include the Bryan Brothers, who just won the title in Rome, and Steve Johnson and Sam Querrey, who just won their 1st title as a team in Geneva.
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?
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.
#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!
This Week’s Tournament:
Internazionali BNL d’Italia – Rome, Italy
Portland To Host USA vs Croatia Davis Cup Tie After much anticipation the USTA announced that Portland, Oregon will be the site of the next Davis Cup tie in July. Portland is where USA won the cup in 2007, and we’re hoping for another victory against Croatia in July! Stay tuned to the USTA website for ticket info!
Novak Djokovic Wins Record 29th Masters 1000 Title Djokovic defeated Andy Murray in the Mutua Madrid Open final to capture his 3rd Masters title of 2016, and his 29th overall.
Why We Love Gael Monfils
If you’ve seen a Monfils match, you know that anything is possible. He’s an incredible athlete who will jump, dive and go for every ball. How does he jump so high? In practice, he leaped over Davia Gavrilova.
Qualifying for Roland Garros starts in 2 weeks (!!) and all of the sport’s top stars are in Spain this week grinding it out on the red clay. Here’s our roundup of the tennis news to know this week.
This Week’s Tournaments: Mutua Madrid Open – Madrid, Spain
Juan Martin del Potro Continues Comeback
Del Potro scored the biggest win of his comeback earlier today in Madrid, taking out one of the hottest players on tour right now, Dominic Thiem, in straight sets. The win clearly meant a lot to an emotional Del Po. WE’RE NOT CRYING YOU ARE.
Roger Federer Pulls Out Of Madrid Open
Federer has pulled out of yet another tournament in 2016, this time with a back injury. It’s hard to believe he’s only been able to play in 3 tournaments this season. We hope he’ll be back on tour soon!
Diego Schwartzman Wins 1st ATP World Tour Title The 22-year-old Argentine rallied from behind to take out Grigor Dimitrov in the finals of the TEB BNP Paribas Instanbul Open. His route to the final also included taking out the #1 seed Bernard Tomic.
Grigor Dimitrov’s On Court Meltdown
Speaking of Dimitrov, he had an epic meltdown in that final against Diego Schwartzman. We haven’t seen one this bad in a long time. After frequently breaking his strings throughout the match, he smashed his racquet with the 3rd offense leading to loss of the game and therefore the match. While we certainly can’t support his lack of sportsmanship in this case, haven’t we all had one of those days?
USA-Croatia Davis Cup Tie Announcement Coming Soon!
We’ve been very (im)patiently waiting for the location of the Davis Cup tie between the US & Croatia coming in July. According to the Davis Cup Twitter, an announcement should be coming later this week. Stay tuned! Jack Sock is ready with his #Merica Babolat gear.
We’ve got less than a month to go until Roland Garros! Our clay season started over the weekend as it’s finally Spring here in NYC and the courts are open! Not everyone got the memo – the BMW Open in Munich has been delayed this week because of … snow.
This Week’s Tournaments:
Millinneum Estoril Open – Estoril, Portugal
BMW Open – Munich, Germany
TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open – Istanbul, Turkey
Rafa Ties Guillermo Villas With 49 Clay Titles
Rafa has been having a terrific European clay season so far, starting with winning the Monte Carlo Masters last week. He kept the momentum going in Barcelona, defeating defending champion Kei Nishikori in the final to win his 49th career clay title. The win ties him with Guillermo Villas for the all-time record. We would definitely bet on Rafa surpassing it.
Let It Snow, Let It Snow
Rain delays are frequent on the tennis tour, but this week in Munich has brought on some new challenges: snow delays! The outdoor clay tournament has been hit with below freezing temperatures, and snow, much to the amusement of players who are used to chasing the sun around the globe! (cue The Wanted song) Or, if you’re Canadian like Vasek Pospisil, you just practice in the snow.
Bjorn Frantangelo Wins Savannah Challenger
The young American has had a great couple of months – earlier this year, he pushed Novak Djokovic to 3 sets in Indian Wells in an entertaining match. Bjorn captured the Savannah Challenger title over the weekend, defeating fellow American Jared Donaldson in the final. Because of the win, Bjorn is now first in the USTA Pro Circuit Roland Garros Wildcard Challenge Standings. USA! USA!
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.
Last week marked the official start of the clay season, with Federico Delbonis defeating Borna Corcic in the finals in Marrakech, and Juan Monaco defeating 2015 winner Jack Sock at the Men’s Clay Tournament in Houston. The Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters is underway, which is one of the most beautiful stops on the tour. It’s worth tuning in for the views alone!
This Week’s Tournament:
Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters – Monte Carlo, Monaco
ATP #NextGen
Earlier this season, the ATP World Tour announced their roster of #NextGen players. We thought we’d introduce you to each of the players – Secret Fangirl style. We highly suggest keeping up with your faves on social media.
Taylor Fritz (USA)
Instagram: @taylor_fritz Twitter: @taylor_fritz97 Fritz, a California native, has been on a roll since winning the US Open Juniors title in 2015, rising to #69 in the rankings. He reminds us of a young Pete Sampras, whom Fritz got to practice with on his 18th birthday. #MERICA.
Frances Tiafoe (USA)
Instagram: @bigfoe1998
Twitter: @ftiafoe
Also on the #MERICA squad is Frances Tiafoe, from Maryland. After a big win over fellow American Taylor Fritz in Indian Wells, Tiafoe got to practice with his idol, Juan Martin del Potro. Tiafoe’s inspirational story is definitely worth a read.
Borna Coric (CRO)
Instagram: @bornacoric
Twitter: @borna_coric Coric has made it to 2 finals already in 2016, and is the youngest player in the top 50. Coric has a tattoo on his forearm that says “there is nothing worse in life than being ordinary” and likes to show off his yoga poses on Instagram.
Alexander Zverev (GER)
Instagram: @alexzverev123 Alexander Zverev, AKA Sasha, had a great week in Indian Wells, taking out Grigor Dimitrov and pushing Rafael Nadal to 3 tough sets. He also has an adorable dog, Lovik, who gets his own credentials!
Nick Kyrgios (AUS)
Instagram: @k1ngkyrg1os
Twitter: @NickKyrgios Love him or hate him, Nick keeps things interesting on the court. He’s a talented player and you never know what he’ll do next – even take a mid-match selfie.
Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS)
Instagram: @the_kokk1
Twitter: @TKokkinakis We’ve missed Thanasi out on tour this year, as he’s recovering from shoulder surgery. He was present at the AUS-USA Davis Cup tie in March, and gets an A+ for cheerleading for his squad all weekend (and rocking some frosted tips). We hope he’s back on court soon!
Elias Ymer (SWE)
Instagram: @eliasymer
Twitter: @eliasymer Ymer qualified for all 4 grand slams in 2015. His father is a professional long-distance runner and while he hoped Elias would follow in his footsteps, he found tennis instead.
Andrey Rublev (RUS)
Instagram: @andreyrublev
Twitter: @AndreyRublev97
When he’s not working on his tennis game, Rublev is also in a boyband.
Karen Khachanov (RUS)
Instagram: @karenkhachanov
Twitter: @karenkhachanov Another Russian #NextGen player, who has teamed up with Rublev for doubles. Maybe he can join the band, too?
Yoshihito Nishioka (JAP)
Twitter: @yoshihitotennis Nishioka has been off to a great start in 2016, reaching the Quarterfinals in Memphis and the 4th round in Miami, taking out Feliciano Lopez on the way.
Hyeon Chung (SKR) Instagram: @hyeon519 Chung hails from South Korea and trained at the IMG Academy in Florida. Fun fact: he started tennis because his parents were told it could help his eyesight. While he’s become one of the top teenagers on the tour, he still rocks glasses!
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!)
#USACRO The venue for USA v Croatia World Group QF #DavisCup tie (15-17 Jul) will be announced on 25 April
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.
It's been an amazing experience coaching @JohnIsner the last year & a half. I'm going 2 miss being part of his team. https://t.co/Y1SURgq74v
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