Dutch dash dream Rafa retirement party
THERE was no room for sentiment from the Dutch at the Davis Cup Finals, with Netherlands sending off 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal by eliminating his Spanish side in the quarter finals. Going down to the deciding doubles tie, the experienced doubles talent of Wesley Koolhof worked well with Botic Van de Zandschulp against […]
2024 Davis Cup Finals preview
EIGHT nations will vie for glory in the 2024 Davis Cup Finals that kicks off overnight in Malaga. Headlined by reigning champions Italy with world number one Jannik Sinner named for his nation, the only element that tops it is the fact that 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal will bid farewell to tennis at […]
No Thiem for sentimentality as Darderi dashes “last dance”
THERE has been no shortage of tennis legends retiring in 2024, and Austrian star Dominic Thiem joined fellow Grand Slam winners Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray on the sidelines after his career came to an end in his home nation overnight. Coming into the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, the Austrian – who had more […]
Rafa rides into sunset with retirement
IT WAS hardly a surprise, but that did not make the news that Spanish champion Rafael Nadal will retire at year’s end any easier. The 38-year-old was recently named in Spain’s Davis Cup Finals side and yesterday the 22-time Grand Slam winner confirmed the Malaga event would be the last of his professional career. In […]
2024 Laver Cup preview
IN its seventh edition, the 2024 Laver Cup will kick off tonight with some of world’s best male tennis players facing off in an exhibition-like event. Six players from Europe will go up against six players from the rest of the world – almost always the Americas and Australia – to decide who will have […]
Djoker completes career Golden Slam
WORLD number two and 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic added an elusive Olympic medal to his CV of accolades overnight, defeating third seed and in-form Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz. The rising Spanish star won at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon – the latter over Djokovic – but at the Paris Olympics it was the Serbian […]
Alcaraz storms past Safiullin into Olympic quarter finals
WORLD number three and reigning Roland Garros champion Carlos Alcaraz is just three wins away from a maiden Olympic gold medal after skipping past Roman Safiullin in a comfortable straight sets victory, 6-4 6-2. Alcaraz needed an hour and 29 minutes to dispatch of the neutral athlete and advance through to the Paris quarter finals. […]
French fancy fails as Argentine advances
ALTHOUGH things went to plan for most of the seeds overnight at the Olympics, everything did not go to plan for all as Ugo Humbert found out the hard way after the 10th seed went down to Argentine Francisco Cerundolo 7-5. 6-7, 7-5. In a match that lasted two hours and 44 minutes, the Argentine […]
Popyrin pushes past Jarry to set up Stan showdown
AUSSIE Alexei Popyrin spiced up the men’s singles draw at the 2024 Olympics after he upset Chilean 16th seed Nicolas Jarry 6-3, 7-6(5) . Popyrin blitzed his more fancied opponent in the first set in 36 minutes, before being made to work for the set win in the second term, taking just under an hour. […]
No Djoke – Novak cruises through to Paris second round
THERE was no mucking about for top seed and world number two Novak Djokovic as his quest for an elusive Olympic gold medal kicked off with a 53-minute rout of doubles specialist Matthew Ebden. It was always tipped to be a heavily one-sided contest given Ebden is not even ranked in singles anymore, and Djokovic […]
