Author: Mildred Shaw

Jelena Ostapenko – What You Need to Know

Jelena Ostapenko was born in June 8, 1997. At 20 years old, she has reached the biggest stage in her career in tennis. She has played in the 2017 French Open, for the women’s single final, winning her first opportunity to be in the finals for a Grand Slam tournament. She is also considered as among the younger tennis stars who quote Serena Williams as their idol.

One thing about Ostapenko is that sports run in her blood. Her father, Jevgenij Ostapenko served as a professional soccer player. Despite this, it was her mother, Jelena Jakovleva-Ostapenko who boosted her interest in sports. Her mother is a tennis coach, encouraging her to develop a deep love for this sport. It was the ambiance at home that probably sparked her interest in sports.

With this said, there was no doubt that her very first, ‘personal’ coach was her own mother. Her father also served as her personal fitness coach. During her professional career, she is coached by professional Spain player Anabel Medina Garrigues. Even though Garrigues never actually won at a Grand Slam Tournament, she won 11 titles in singles, and 20 titles in doubles. She won Silver Medal at the 2008 Olympics in Doubles.

Aside from tennis, Jelena Ostapenko is also fond of ballroom dancing. In fact, she danced starting when she was five years old, and until 12 years old, she was simultaneously enjoying both dancing and tennis. After that, she decided to focus more on tennis. Jelena also credited her skills in ballroom dancing to her success in becoming a good tennis player. The coordination required in dancing is essential in the sport.

With both parents as sports fanatics, it was quite surprising that both of them did not pressure her to pursue a career in tennis. During an interview in 2014, right after winning in Junior Wimbledon, Jelena Ostapenko stated that her parents never pushed her to playing tennis. It was her personal decision to do so because she loves the sport. In fact, her own mother noticed this desire and her talent even when she was still 3 years old.

When it comes to personal life, Jelena Ostapenko has a half-brother, Maksim Ostapenko. She explained that her brother currently resides in Los Angeles, after graduating from an Academy of Arts. As she turned 20 on June 8, only two days before the finals during the French Open, she became the very first athlete from Latvia to reach the finals for the French Open. She was ranked at 47 prior to January 2017, where she eventually reached rank 33.

This Grand Slam final is also her very first. In 2015, she was able to make it to the second round of Wimbledon. Earlier this year, she also reached the third round. Wherever tennis would take Jelena Ostapenko, fans would be assured that she is there because she loves what she is doing, not because somebody is pushing her to it.

The Biography of Garbine Muguruza

Garbine Muguruza is a Spanish-Venezuelan professional tennis player who was born in the year 1993. She consistently represents Spain for international competition, and she became a pro last 2012. Her first ever WTA title happened last 2014 when she defeated Klara Zokapalova at Hobart International. She claimed her first ever Grand Slam at the 2016 French Open after defeating another legend, Serena Williams. She showed an amazing performance over the years and has improved her foot works. Experts believe that she will continue to become a tennis star in the coming years.

Personal Life of Garbine Muguruza

Muguruza was born in October 8, 1933, in the city of Caracas, Venezuela. Her mother, Scarlet Blanco is from Venezuela while his father, Jose Antonio Muguruza is from Spain. She also has two brothers, Igor and Aser who also holds a dual citizenship. She started playing tennis when she was just 3 years old. Her family then decided to move to Spain when she reached the age of six. She will then train her tennis skills at the Bruguera Tennis Academy which is situated near the Barcelona.

The Professional Career

Muguruza turned pro on March of 2012 she was then given with the wildcard entry to join the 2012 Miami Open Tournament that serves as her first appearance at the WTA. She then managed to defeat the tournament favourite and the rank no. 2 that time, Vera Zvonareva during the 2nd round. At the third round, she also showed an amazing performance and beat Flavia Penneta. After the promising season, she acquired an injury last 2013. In the end, she had to miss a huge part of the 2013 season.

She then returned to the tennis scene in 2014 and started it with a bang by winning her first ever WTA Title. She also managed to advance on the 4th round of the Australian Open 2014. She entered the quarter finals at the French Open after defeating Serena Williams. In 2015, she effectively defended her Title of Hobart International. She also entered the final rounds of Wimbledon, but unfortunately, she lost to Serena Williams. After the event, her ranking jumped to the 9th slot.

In 2016, Muguruza finally managed to win her first ever Grand Slam after defeating Serena Williams at the French Open Tournament. This victory has propelled her ranking to the 2nd slot. In 2017, she entered the US Open where she managed to beat Magdalena Rybarikova that led to her rise at the no.1 rank.

Aside from the single matches, Muguruza is also playing the doubles where she already won a total of 4 WTA Titles. She is a right-handed player, and according to her, her favourite shot would be the two-handed backhand. She has an approximate height of 6 feet. She looks at Serena Williams and Pete Sampras as her idols in tennis. After her consecutive winnings, Muguruza became an effective endorser of various brands. She became the brand ambassador of Babolat, Maui Jim, Addidas, Rolex and Mazda Spain.

Karolina Pliskova Biography

Karolina Pliskova is a female tennis player and a former champion though she is not performing very well lately. However, during her best times, the fans have always had her back and cheered her through several victories playing in singles and doubles. So who is Karolina?

About Karolina Pliskova

She is a twin sister to Kristyna also a tennis player, and they were born on the 21st March 1992 in the Czech Republic. She currently resides in Monte Carlo in Monaco. She started playing tennis when she was four years old, and since then she has always been on the court. Asked how she first started playing tennis, Karolina said that she was introduced in sports by her parents. Her inspiration was her dad who was playing Ice Hockey, and there was none of her family member who was in active sports. She further explained that she used to watch tennis on TV and her best female stars from who she got the inspiration were Martina Hingis and Monica Seles not forgetting the many players who came from her home country. This was the reason why she started playing her favourite sport.

Career

Karolina has had nine singles wins in her tennis career and five doubles on her WTA tours. In her ITF, she has registered 10 singles and six doubles only. Her best achievement has been when she was crowned worlds number one female tennis player in Grand Slam Final which was in 2016 during the 2016 US Open. Her first win was when she was playing as a junior during the 2010 Australia Open playing against Laura Robson. In her professional as a senior, she won her first Grand Slam tournament main draw in the year 2012 at the French Open. However, she lost to then world number 8 Marion Bartoli after losing to her in her first round. Later in 2013 while at the Malaysian Open, she won her maiden title after defeating Bethanie Mattek in the three sets they played.

Breakthrough

After losing on several occasions, the year 2014 she had several major breakthroughs reaching the finals of her second major WTA tour which was played in Pattaya City after beating an American. Unfortunately, she also lost again to Ekaterina Makarova in the finals. In 2015 she showed signs of improvement when she beat the former world champion Victoria Azarenka, but she lost the second round to her. However, the year would not end without her achievement to the top twenty players of 2015. The year 2016 was a bright one for the former world champion since that is when she won several titles. This was the same year when she won the US Title and became a world champion.

Karolina Pliskova is known for her aggressiveness while on the pitch, which is characterised by forceful groundstrokes. In midcourt, she is known for accuracy and power. She is currently ranked worlds number 4. We look forward to seeing more from her in 2018.

Adidas Tennis Sportswear for Players

Adidas is known for its immense support on sports games worldwide. The company has been supporting several sports tournaments including boxing games, football leagues, athletics, tennis, and basketball among many other games. Through sportswear products, the company has managed to enhance the performance of different players on the field. Its support for Tennis games cannot be hidden because most of the things used in playing tennis, from tennis balls to tennis clothing, are all labelled adidas meaning it has the best interests of tennis game and tennis players.

Adidas Tennis Shoes

Adidas has been in the frontline of manufacturing the best tennis shoes that not only provide comfort to the players but also increases player’s performance. The shoes from adidas are of high quality, and they are made with an outstanding robustness to make them serve the players for long. Most of the shoes are made with a maximum gripping feature that enables the players to jump and make wide steps as they are playing the game without them slipping on the ground. The shoes are also made with outstanding fiber or covering to make the players foot comfortable during and after the game.

Tennis Shorts and Pants

Tennis game requires the player to run from one point to another as he is trying to hit the ball. In so doing, there is intense sweating that makes the player to wet his clothes. Adidas has the best clothes that players can wear. When the player sweats, the wetness of the sweat does not stay for long without drying. The pants are always strong and even with wide emergence stretch; they cannot tear easily which makes the player to feel confident when playing. With a tremendous amount of clothes with different sizes, colours and designs from adidas, you cannot miss your tennis sportswear collection.

The Barricade Club Shoes for Tennis

This is a modern shoe that is designed for professional tennis players who would like to get comfort when playing and also improve their field performance. The shoe comes with a very lightweight that enables the player to move from one point to another without any inconvenience. Its covering is made with an abrasion resistant material which means you can turn anyway without you getting bruises or foot injuries. The optimized cushioning and rebounding feature of the shoe makes it one of a kind and fulfilling to players. For long hours of safe tennis action without any discomfort, this is the shoe to buy.

To conclude, adidas has shown its support for tennis through different ways. Even when you look at the world’s legendary player, Serena Williams, she uses adidas shoes more than she uses any other brand. Even head scuff and hand ribbons of players, they are mainly from adidas. The fact that it sponsors tournaments is because it wants its adidas products to be adored by many people but the benefit is to the players themselves because they will enjoy a great performance on the field. Choose a perfect size of tennis sportswear from adidas, and you will have an excellent field performance.

 

Nike and Tennis

Nike has over 40 years’ experience with the tennis court. Consistently, they have come up with on-and off-court styles for sports men and women. Let us go back to 1973 when Nike had its Nike Waffle Racer and Nike Boston, which were created for international runners. The company aim was to venture into other sports besides the tracks.

In 1972 to 1973, Nike sent envoys to the Rainier International Tennis Classic. They encounter an energetic Roman player with clever antics, eccentric styles, and many wins. He was similar to Steve Prefontaine, the company’s American star runner. In 1972, he narrowly missed a medal in Munich, but his name still lives on. The Romanian Player wore the Nike shoes claimed the top rank. Five years later, the Nike collaborated with a rebellious player as it NikeCourt DNA continued to take root.

John McEnroe was a talented rebel who would do the Nike’s footwear and court apparel. The McEnroe collection included a red swoosh and ‘Mc’ emblem for his footwear. The apparel featured black, blue and read. His preferred show was the Nike Air Trainer 1.

Next Nike signed Andre Agassi in 1986 when he was only 16 years. Subsequently, Nike came up with the Agassi collection. The shoes were the Air Tech Challenge II that came in florescent orange and detailed using teal green. With Nike, Agassi become a skilled, disciplined player with many wins. His looks were often described as the “pirate look due to the printed shorts, and bandanas.

Nike’s next player was Pete Sampras who was a California native. He signed in 1993 who would combine the styles of Sampras and Agassi. In 1997, Roger Federer from Switzerland joined the growing entourage of products.  Rafael Nadal, from Mallorca, also joined the Nike’s family. As the number of male tennis players increased, so did the women. The first female athlete to wear the company’s products from head to toe was Mary Joe Fernandez in 1993. However, Nike had started a series of sponsorship for female tennis players in the 80’s. As Nike worked with female athletes, the possibilities, and potential, become apparent. In 2000, they signed the young Russian player Maria Sharapova. The first thing Nike did was reviving the tennis dress.

In 2004, the Serena Williams became a Nike player. She had a Serena dress, which was satin. Most of her court battles have been in Nike’s shoes and apparel. The company has collaborated with her on numerous projects.

To Conclude

From the first time Nike rolled out its first tennis shoes, NikeCourt designs have delivered functionality and form. In addition, the sports apparel and clothing celebrate and enumerate aspects of the athletes’ demeanour. In 2005, they also Nike signed Rafael Nadal who is currently the best player in the world. He became a pro at 15 after an armature career of 12 years. In 2017, he is still the “King of Clay” after 10th career title at the French Open. Looking back, Nike and tennis has been a happy union.

The Biography of Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic is a professional tennis player who won his very first Grand Slam championship last 2008. He finally took the 1st ranking last 2011 at the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals). Djokovic has the history of winning 11 singles titles that include the US Open, Wimbledon, and Australian Open. He is the only professional tennis player who managed to win the Australian Open in 3 years straight.

Overview of His Professional Skills

Djokovic was born in Serbia in the year 1987. He started playing the sports of tennis when he was just 4 years old. He then went to Germany by the age of 13 to start training. After ascending steadily on the ranking ladder, he finally won his Australian Open last 2008. He also led the entire national team of Serbia to its first win of the Davis Cup last 2001. Last 2011, he won ¾ Grand Slams that paved his way to the 1st ranking position. After winning the French Open last 2016, he now shares the same record with another legendary player Rod Laver who holds all major title in a year.

The Early Life of Novak Djokovic

The parents of Novak Djokovic, Srdjan and Dijana, own the Family Sports. This company includes a tennis academy and three restaurants. The father of Djokovic is a professional skier, and he also shows a tremendous performance in soccer. However, Djokovic decided to be a prodigy of tennis.

Last 1933 when Djokovic was only 6 years old, he was spotted by Jelena Gencic, a legend in tennis while he was playing in the sports complex of his parents. Gencic noticed the immense potential in his skills and decided to train him for 6 years. Around this time, the war in Yugoslavia erupted which means that his family will spend their nights under the basement for three months. The hardships that he experienced during these years serve as his driving force to concentrate on his tennis skills. By the age of 13, he went to Munich, Germany to train at the Pilic Academy. When he reached the age of 14, Djokovic started his international tennis career.

The Highlights of His Career

When he was 14 years old, Djokovic became the triple champion in the European team, doubles, and singles competition. He participated in the team competition of World Junior Championship and claimed the silver medal. At the age of 16, he won a total of 5 ITF that placed him on the 40th at the junior ranking position. Last 2007, he entered the semi-finals of the Wimbledon and French Open. In 2008, he participated in the Beijing Olympics, winning the bronze medal for Serbia.

Last 2012, Djokovic became the champion of the Australian singles. During the same year, he entered the semi-finals of the Wimbledon, but he was beaten by his long-time rival Roger Federer. He will then win the Australian Open for three years straight. Last 2014, he finally managed to win his 2nd Wimbledon championship by winning against Roger Federer. It was 2015 when he won the Australian Open against Andy Murray. In 2016, he started the year by winning his sixth Australian Open Championship.

Biography: Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal is a big name to the fans of Tennis as he has 16 Grand Slam titles to his name and has not given up yet. He has also won 10 French Open Single titles, being one of the two champions who have ever won four majors and an Olympic gold medal. So who is he and where does he come from?

Who Is Rafael Nadal?

Rafael Nadal Parera is a 31 years old Spanish tennis male player who was born in the year 1986. While growing up, he showed great interest in tennis when he started playing at the age of 3 years when he was playing with his uncle Toni a former Tennis champion. By the time he was 15, he was already in the books where pros are written. Then, he was nicknamed King of Clay since he was doing well in the clay courts or what we commonly refer to soft surface tennis. His achievements as mentioned above, have booked him a place in the books of tennis history as he has achieved major performances. So what else has the King of clay accomplished in his life? Let`s see.

The Early Years of Rafael Nadal

To begin with, his talent came into limelight when he was only three years. At the age of eight years, he had won the regional tennis championship. This win motivated his uncle to continue training him, and that was when he was noticed to be good at playing with both hands. At the age of 12 years, he was crowned in several Spanish and European tennis titles and was announced a professional player when he turned 15.

He continued training hard in his best sport, and by the time he turned 16, he was already in the semi-finals of the Boys singles tournament that was played in Wimbledon. The biggest accomplishment he achieved at Wimbledon was being named a 3rd time youngest male winner. Nadal was interested in the French open, and when he turned 19, he participated and won the French Open for the first time in 2005. This is what made him achieve the third position in male tennis worldwide. In 2005, he won 11 singles titles and eight of them were on the soft surface, and that is when he was named king of clay. This was the year when he won most of the titles.

Nadal`s Best Performances (Featuring the Best Singles Performances)

In his career, the year that he has won many titles was 2005 followed by 2013. In 2013, he won 13 titles which include US Open, ATP WTM 1000 in Cincinnati, the ATP WTM 1000 Canada, the Roland Garros, ATP WTM 1000 in Rome, the ATP WTM1000 in Madrid, Barcelona, ATP WTM 1000 Indian Wells, the Acapulco and Sao Paulo tournaments. The year when he has won least number of titles is in 2004 when he won just the Sopot tournament. In 2017 he has won six titles including Beijing, US Open, Roland Garros, ATP WTM 1000 Madrid, Barcelona, and ATP WTM 1000 in Monte Carlo.

Nadal has been an inspiration to many Tennis upcoming players in his hometown and around the world.

Personality

Roger Federer

Roger Federer is a professional Tennis player. He was born on August 8, 1981, in Basel, Switzerland. His parents’ were Robert and Lynette Federer. The Swiss tennis player is court smart and is the third top-ranked tennis player in the world. Federer dominated the game in the early twenty-first century. He began to play tennis at an early age of eight years. When he was ten, he became a tennis household name. Rodger has a magical touch with the racket and has a competitive personality.

Rodger left home and went for intensive training at the top-ranked tennis academy in Switzerland at the age of thirteen. He ranked as the number one junior player in the world, by the time the tennis genius was sixteen. In the year 1998, he secured the Wimbledon junior singles championship and the crown of the Orange Bowl junior tournament in Miami. The following year he was the youngest tennis player in the Swiss Davis Cup team. Later in 2001, Federer won his first ATP tournament held in Milan. In 2003, he won six championships, which included his first Grand Slam championship.

Awards and Achievements

Due to his speed, exceptional shots, and fluid play, Roger Federer has held the top in men’s tennis for three hundred and two weeks. The two hundred and thirty-seven weeks stretched from the year 2004-2008. From 2003-2010 he remained in the top two rankings, currently, he is in the top three.  Federer has a distinction as the carer of the Grand Slam being amongst the seven best tennis players in the world. He has had seventeen Grand Slam titles since he started his career.

Roger Federer received an Olympic gold medal for the doubles and silver medal for singles. From the year 2003-2012, he was approved for the Fans’ Favourite Award.  The colleges and competitors voted him for the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award eight times in a row. He is also a recipient of the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award from 2005-2008. If that is not enough, in the year 2006, Federer received the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year Award.

Fun Facts about Roger Federer

The remarkable tennis player speaks three languages fluently including German, English, and French. Rodger is the only expert tennis player who is not a full-time coach. He loves music by Lenny Kravitz. In 2007, he broke a world record and became the first Swiss to be featured on the Swiss Stamp. The photo of the postage is of Federer holding the trophy of Wimbledon.

Roger Federer married the former professional tennis player, Mirka Vavrinec. Before they started dating, they first meet at 2000 Sydney Olympics. The couple has two sets of twin boys and girls. He has a Roger Federer Foundation, which he founded in 2003. The foundation helps disadvantaged children in sports and education. The professional tennis player is famously known as the Fed Express or FedEx. Other people also refer to him as the Swiss Master because of his exceptional tennis skills.

Personality

The Most Popular Tennis Events of 2018

Tennis aficionados can gear up for a busy 2018 since there are several events that are scheduled to take place around the world according to ATP World Tour elites. These events will be held in several different venues across the globe, and therefore you can choose which one to attend depending on interest and location in which you are. Here are the major events we will see in 2018.

2018 Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha

The lovers of tennis will open the year with this big event going down in Doha Qatar. The event has previously been worn by the big names you have heard in 2017 and past years including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, and Novak Djokovic. In 2018, Novak Djokovic will be the defending champion having won back to back in 2016 and also in 2017.  The total financial commitment that has been made for the 2018 Qatar ATP tour is $1,386,665, and the winner will take home $ 1,286,675. All the matches will be on the hard surface. The date to save will be 6th January 2018. Therefore, turn up and cheer your biggest fan as the giants in world tennis face off each other.

ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam Netherlands

Netherlands will for the third time in the history of ABN AMRO WTT host the event. The country has the honour of being the first host of the event when it was first started in 1974. The second time they hosted the event was in 1995, and this 2018 will be the third time they host the faceoffs. This is a trophy that has been worn by Roger Federer, Yevgeny Kafelnikov Andy Murray and Lleyton Hewitt. The main draw has not been held yet and is due to be held on 12-18th of February 2018.

The Miami Open Presented by Itau to be Held in Miami Florida

This will be held on March 21-April 01-2018, and the total financial commitment is $8,909,960 with the winner taking home $7,972,535. It will be hard surface as it has always been and will feature top men and women. This event has always attracted thousands of fans and players from the world, and it has always the place to be. The defending champion is Roger Federer who accomplished the Sunshine Double in Miami in 2017.

Mutua Madrid Open in Spain

This is the biggest clay surface event that will take place on May 6th, 2018. For those who don’t know, this was a hard surface event until 2009 when it was transitioned to a clay surface event staged by Caja Magica. Since the event was unveiled in 2002, the Spaniards have won the event five times with the last time being when Rafael Nadal lifted the trophy in 2014. This is an event that attracts even the real Madrid footballers, and the biggest fan is Cristiano Ronaldo, the striker. The total commitment for the 2018 edition is€7,190,930 and price will be €6,200, 860.

These are some of the big tennis events to look forward to in 2018. Enjoy the matches.

Tennis Events

Grand Slam Events

Every year, there are different tennis events and tournaments happening all over the world. However, the Grand Slam events mean a lot to all players. The most important tournaments include the U.S. Open, French Open, Australian Open, and Championships Wimbledon.

These four events are significant to players who want recognition. Other things that make them attractive include the awarded prize, historical significance, and tour ranking points. Each tennis player gets the chance to evaluate his or her strengths and weaknesses. A player wins the Grand Slam title after winning seven straight matches.

The U.S. Open

The first U.S. Open Grand Slam event was in 1881, in the state of Rhode Island. Currently, it is the second-oldest tournament. In addition, the US Open, held in the Big Apple, Queens or New York, is the final grand slam of the year. In the months of September and August, you can attend the grand slam event for a period of two weeks. In the past, the event has been played on three different surfaces including grass, clay, and hard court.

The main tennis tournaments in the U.S. Open are the singles and doubles games, which are for men and women. Other events include wheelchair tourneys, mixed doubles, senior tourneys, and junior tourneys. During the early days of the tournament, only men were allowed to compete. Furthermore, only men could become members of the U.S. National Lawn Tennis Association.

French Open

Also known as, Roland Garros, the French Open grand slam tournament is one of the most prominent tennis events.  It started in 1981, and the women tournament began in 1987. Paris, the city of love, hosts the event every year. The French Open has been held in four different venues since its establishment.

It was officially recognised as a grand slam event in 1925 when it was known as the French Championship. The French Open happens every year around late May to early June. It runs for two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros. The players play on clay courts, which makes them, slide and glide on the slippery court. The tournament possesses the highest number of broadcast viewership worldwide.

Australian Open

The first Grand Slam event held each year is the Australian Open. In January, it is held in Melbourne, Australia at the Melbourne Park.  Since it started in 1905, the Australian Open has been held in seven different locations. The Australian Open was not a grand slam until the year 1924. The grand slam has a high number of attendance of more than 77,000 people.

Championships Wimbledon

Wimbledon is a unique and special grand slam. It is played on 8 millimeters of mowed grass. The event is held in Wimbledon in London, England. It is the oldest event in tennis history. The Championships Wimbledon is sometimes referred to as SW19. Considered as the most prestigious event in the tennis world, it is held in late June to early July. Its year of inception was 1877, and the first tennis event held was the men’s singles.

Grand Slam events are the most prestigious events and mean a great deal to the players. The events also have a great history, which is worth learning.