John McEnroe has publicly stated that he thinks Bernard Tomic will have opportunities in his career to win a major.
Bernard has got more upside than any young guy I see out there, McEnroe told reporters in Adelaide on Monday, mirroring comments made by world No.11 Juan Martin del Potro.
He’s going to get stronger – that will help him. He is right there with the young guys as one who can make the breakthrough and win some majors.
Now.. if McEnroe says it .. you know it isnt going to happen!
In 2007 Andy Murray nearly produced a triple bagel against Martin in the first round of the Australian Open. This made me wonder if there are going to be any triple bagels in this years Australian Open 2012.
Do you think Nadal, Federer or Djokovic will have an opportunity to join a very small group with a triple bagel in a Grand Slam?
Adidas Barricade tennis shoes have a long tradition of adorning the feet of the top professional tennis players on the world-class courts of the Australian Open.
For eleven years, Adidas has put top notch design and technology into the progression of better and faster hard-court tennis shoes and the New Adidas Barricade 7 is no exception. All of the technology that made the Barricade 6 a top seller and a favorite hard court tennis shoe among women and men is present in the 7 with an added design innovation that adds flexibility, maneuverability and longer lasting stability.
In 2008, Novak Djokovic won his first Grand Slam title in a pair of the Barricade Fives. This year, Andy Murray (who also helped to develop the 7), Viktor Troicki, Andrea Petkovic and many more are sporting the newest member of the technologically advanced Adidas tennis shoe family.
What makes the Barricade 7 surpass other hard court tennis shoes is the introduction of the new, flexible support claws. This innovative answer to the challenging forefoot flex point not only reduces break-in time, but continues to provide forefoot flex support longer and more reliably than traditional flex point reinforcement methods.
The fact that this shoe is 30 grams lighter than its predecessor sure helps its cause. One reviewer said these new Adidas tennis shoes were so light he could almost forget that he had a pair of the Barricade 7s on.
The Adidas Barricade 7 is not a low profile shoe by any means, the five interlocking layers that make up the heel cushioning and the external TPU chassis make sure of that. But the stability, torsional stiffness and impact protection provided in that area makes for one comfortable ride.
The legacy of this high performance hard court tennis shoe comes surprisingly from the research and success of a state-of-the-art Sprint frame soccer shoe. The outsole “seamless welded upper” provides lightweight comfort, superior breathability, unmatched flexibility and extended durability.
The lateral forefoot outrigger provides additional forefoot support that prevents shifting and toe injury. An internal side wall on the outside of the forefoot creates additional lateral stability to a tennis shoe that is already packed with stabilizers.
The highly durable adiWear all-court, herringbone outsole is complimented by two circular grip points and a forefoot flex groove at the point of the Adidas ‘Claws.’ For reliability in movement, shifting and fast soot work, the new Barricade has covered all the bases.
From the Barricade’s not-so-humble beginnings on the feet of Marat Safin as he won the 2000 U.S. Open to Djokovic to Murray slip your foot into the new Adidas Barricade 7 and slip your foot into a tradition of excellence.
Next year’s Australian Open will be the richest tournament in Grand Slam history. It was announced yesterday that the total prizemoney will be $25 million and $2.2 million will go to each singles winner.
Tennis has many tournaments in each season or year, but there are only four tournaments that mean the most to players who desire praise. The four Grand Slam tournaments are the Australian Open, the French Open, the Championships Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open. Let me tell you a little bit about the history of each of these four glorious events of tennis. First up, the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open. It has been played in seven different locations since 1905, when it was first played on grass. In 1988, the surface changed to hard courts, and the location of the Grand Slam stayed permanently in Melbourne, Australia. And here is a twist: the Australian Open was not even a Grand Slam until 1924! Since this tournament is played in the summertime of the southern hemisphere, there is a extreme-heat policy, since the temperatures can reach dangerous levels that could harm players.
Next up is the French Open, also known as Roland Garros, which is played in the city of love: Paris, France. This event has been played in four different venues since it started in 1891, (1897 for the women), and it was not official a Grand Slam tournament until 1925, when it was known as the French Championships. The French Open played on clay, is usually played around the end of May, and carries on for two weeks, just like all of the other Grand Slam tournaments. There was talk in 2010 about the French Open venue, as it was thought as being too small, and there was talk that it would be played in a bigger venue, but the rumors were put to a halt when the French Tennis Federation decided to keep the venue and build bigger stadiums, as well as build a roof on the main stadium.
The third Grand Slam of the year is quite special, as it is played on grass that is mowed down to a length on 8 millimeters! This event is called The Championships Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon, and is played in Wimbledon, London, England. Here are some cool facts about this Grand Slam: it is sometimes called SW19, because that is the post code of the area where Wimbledon’s venue is, which is the All England Club; the event started all the back at 1877; and Wimbledon was not played twice in its history, due to the outbreak of Word War I and Word War II. Wimbledon has had a roof since 2009, when it was decided that at least one court, the main stadium, should have a roof due to the annual rain reports at the tournament.
The last Grand Slam of the year is the U.S. Open, which is held in the Big Apple: New York, USA. Some fun facts about it are that it was first held in 1881 the state of Rhode Island; the U.S. Open has been played on three different surfaces, grass, then clay, then hard, in its history; it is held every year for two weeks, with one week before the Labor Day weekend, and one week after; and the main stadium of the venue is Arthur Ashe Stadium, which is the largest outdoor tennis-only stadium in the world!
The Grand Slams have a great history behind them, and that is why the history of these great tournaments is well worth knowing!
Pauline Betz Addie who was entered into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1965, has won 5 Grand Slam singles titles as well as being the top ranked woman player from the United States in the 1940′s, has died on May 31st, 2011. She had suffered from Parkinson’s disease and died in her sleep at an assisted living facility in Potomac, Maryland.
Some will remember her for touring the country as a pro with Gussie Moran and top male players of the day such as Bobby Riggs and Jack Kramer. After her career, she played the game she loved into her 80′s and was also a teaching professional in the Washington D.C. area.
She is survived by five children, one brother, five grandchildren and a great-grandson.
You will be greatly missed Pauline, and thank you for your contribution to the game. RIP.
Here is a quick look inside the stringers world at a Grand Slam event. At Roland Garros and other Grand Slam events stringers have to do at the very least 38 racquets per day and they all need to be perfect.
A lot happened today in the mens singles. First of all in the key matches with the top players both Nadal, Soderling and Murray advanced quite easily. However, there were a few upsets! Marcos Baghdatis (27) was defeated by Leonardo Mayer in straight sets, Florian Mayer was defeated by Alejandro Falla in four sets, Nikolay Davydenko (28) was defeated by Antonio Veic in a tuogh five set match, and Sam Querrey (24) was defeated by Ivan Ljubicic in straight sets.
The dark horse seems to be Lukasz Kubot who progressed again with a straight sets win over Carlos Berlocq. Kubot has come through some tough matches in qualifying and has already taken out Nicolas Almagro (11) and Carlos Berlocq in the main draw, with both of these players being clay court specialists.
Womens Singles:
Match of the day for me was Maria Sharapova (7) against young French lady Caroline Garcia. Garia was playing some amazing tennis and was making Sharapova look like your average hacker. Garcia was up 6-3 4-1, but then she seemed to remember that she was playing on center court at the French Open against Maria Sharapova. After that she didnt win another game and Sharapova won 3-6 6-4 6-0.
Apart from that all seeds that played today pushed into the next round, apart from Alexandra Dulgheru (27) who lost to Sorana Cirstea 6-2 7-5.
Mens Doubles:
Michael Llodra and Nenad Zimoniic (4) played some great tennis today and defeated Igor Kunitsyn and Ivan Ljubicic. Watch out for these guys in the tournament!
Womens Doubles:
Casey Dellacqua and Rennae Stubbs are an unseeded team to watch in the womens doubles. They just defeated Kimiko Date-Krumm and Shuai Zhang 6-1 7-6.
John McEnroe has told the atpworldtour.com that he believes currently world Number 1 Rafael Nadal could win the US Open this year. I dont really understand why this is big news, because Nadal is the worlds best player at the moment and has just won the French Open and then Wimbledon.
“Nadal wants to win the US Open so badly,” said McEnroe. “It’d be hard not to pick him at this time even though he’s never won it.”
“The guy’s just an animal; he’s mentally and physically incredible and he can definitely do it if he’s in this shape. The conditions in New York don’t suit Nadal so well and he needs to make his body hold up. So I think after Wimbledon he is going to take some time off and get his knees recovered and then maybe not play too many matches before the Open.”
The sound of the World Cup is the vuvuzela, most people arent huge fans of the sound the product and that includes the All England Club chief executive.
The All England Club chief executive Ian Ritchie released a statement today asking people not to bring them to the grounds:
Out of courtesy to the players and their fellow spectators, we make a point of asking spectators not to bring items which could either cause a distraction or interfere with the enjoyment of the occasion.
Rattles, klaxons and vuvuzelas all fall into that category and they will not be allowed into the grounds. Our message is do not bring them in the first place.
Don’t count defending champion Roger Federer and four-time winner Justine Henin among fans of a proposal to hold the French Open outside Paris beginning in 2016.
Gilbert Ysern, general director of the French tennis federation, told a news conference Saturday relocating the clay-court Grand Slam from Roland Garros is being considered because it needs more space to remain competitive with the three other major tournaments.
Three options are being examined, including one next to Versailles castle. Another possible site is near Disneyland Paris.
The French Open has been at Roland Garros since 1928 and the federation has a contract there till 2015. The French federation assembly is expected to make its decision in February.
“I think by the time I finish my career, the tournament will still be at Roland Garros,” Federer said. “I don’t know if the French Open will one day move to Disney, I doubt it. There is more space outside the city, I understand, but come on …”
Henin accepted that space is an issue at Roland Garros, but said its tradition is one of the French Open’s main assets.
“I hope they find a solution to keep the tournament here,” she said. “The tradition is here. This is my favourite tournament. Maybe (a move outside Paris) will happen.
“You need to be realistic. Compared to other Grand Slam tournaments, which are always getting bigger, it has become difficult in terms of space. Everyone knows that.”
Among the Grand Slam tournaments, only the French Open and Wimbledon have never been moved. While Wimbledon has been updated, facilities at Roland Garros have become outdated. The lack of space for 450,000 annual spectators, players, journalists and sponsors is a problem, while the absence of covered courts leaves the tournament vulnerable to the weather.
“We have to create the Roland Garros of 2040,” French federation vice-president Bernard Giudicelli said. “We will do everything to make sure that Roland Garros 2016 will be played in a bigger and modernized stadium.”
The French Open’s facilities are spread over 21 acres (8.5 hectares), while Melbourne Park — the site of the Australian Open — and Wimbledon each have 49 acres (20 hectares). Flushing Meadows, site of the U.S. Open, has 34.5 acres (14 hectares).
“Some players told us they cannot imagine leaving Paris,” Ysern said. “But if we stay, we have to modernize the facilities to aim for excellency. We need more space and a retractable roof over the centre court.”
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga said there is only one Roland Garros.
“I would prefer to stay here and make the tournament bigger here because this site is wonderful,” Tsonga said.
If the tournament stays in Paris, three adjoining areas will be added to Roland Garros at a cost of about US$251 million. Building a new stadium outside Paris would cost an estimated $754 million.
Versailles castle is 20 kilometres from downtown Paris. Disneyland Paris in Marne-La-Vallee is 48 kilometres from the French capital.
Should the tournament be relocated, preliminary designs envision a 74-acre (30 hectares) site with 55 tennis courts — two with a retractable roof — that would be able to receive up to 60,000 people a day.
There is a big concern in the U.S about where their next Grand Slam champion will come from (same in Australia).
With the input of tennis stars and officials like Andy Roddick, Nick Bollettieri, Patrick McEnroe and other players, CNN’s Open Court explores the question of the what’s keeping the US men from winning titles and what’s to come.
“The biggest thing for me I think is that we have so many sports in this country,” said Roddick whose 2003 US Open title remains the last Slam won by an American man. “I think our best athletes probably get spread out across ten of 12 different sports.
“There are so many different options so I feel it might water down the talent pool for a given sport.”
Fresh off his first French Open title, Roger Federer considers himself the man to beat at Wimbledon.
A day after beating Robin Soderling in the final at Roland Garros, Federer says he’s looking forward to trying to claim a sixth championship at the All England Club from June 22-July 5.
“I do think I’m the favorite, actually, with all the success I’ve had,” Federer said Monday.
His run of five consecutive Wimbledon titles ended with a five-set loss to Rafael Nadal in last year’s final.
Nadal pulled out of this week’s grass-court tournament at Queen’s Club, citing knee problems.
Referring to Wimbledon, Nadal said: “I hope I can be ready to compete by then.”
Federer expects to see his nemesis at the All England Club.
“It seems like it’s not 100 percent serious, his knee injury. I only wish him the best and I hope it’s not true that he will miss Wimbledon. I think it’s a lot of speculation at the moment,” Federer said. “He wasn’t taping his knees here in Paris. He seemed fine, [from] what I saw, anyway. I’ve played him so many times, I can tell when he’s in pain and when he’s not.”
Federer said his back feels OK — he took a six-week break this year because it was bothering him — but he also said he was considering withdrawing from the grass-court tournament in Halle, Germany, that began Monday.
As for his game, Federer figures he can keep improving, particularly on grass and hard courts, “when I can go for my shots more.”
He already has won five championships at Wimbledon, five at the U.S. Open and three at the Australian Open. Now — after having lost to Nadal in the three previous French Open finals — Federer looks forward to being the defending champion at Roland Garros for the first time.
“I’m sure I’m going to enjoy Paris even more in the future,” he said, “because the pressure is off.”
Andre Agassi said that Rafael Nadal actually has a shot at winning the Grand Slam this year. The Grand Slam is winning all four majors in one calendar year and it is a feat accomplished by only two men, Don Budge and Rod Laver. Currently Nadal is the 2-7 favourite for the French Open title, while Roger Federer is at 6-1.
“Certainly you have to be good enough to win all four, but then you have to get lucky to win all four. I think this is the first time in a really long time that we’re going to see somebody maybe pull that off.” The Spaniard isn’t counting on it. “Thanks to Andre for his word, my goal now is to practice well to play well in Roland Garros,” he told reporters in Madrid.
The French Tennis Federation has chosen the architect for a new retractable roof over the Roland Garros centre court, which will be ready in 2011 to prevent any rain delays at the French Open.
The new roof at Roland Garros will cover the centre court. The courts in a planned extension not far away from the main stadium are also set to get roofs.
The federation unanimously chose Marc Mimram as the architect for the project in a vote today. Mimram is well known as the designer of the overpass that connects France and Germany across the Rhine River in Strasbourg.
Wimbledon is using a retractable roof on its centre court for the first time this year.
The wildcards for the 2009 French Open have been decided. There are a few suprises and it is great to see that the wildcards are going to up and coming talent as well as some older campaigners.
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Andre Agassi said that Rafael Nadal actually has a shot at winning the Grand Slam this year. The Grand Slam is winning all four majors in one calendar year and it is a feat accomplished by only two men, Don Budge and Rod Laver. Currently Nadal is the 2-7 favourite for the French Open title, while Roger Federer is at 6-1.
The French Tennis Federation has chosen the architect for a new retractable roof over the Roland Garros centre court, which will be ready in 2011 to prevent any rain delays at the French Open.
