Category: Personality

Andy Murray Surgery

During January at the Australian Open, Murray hit rock bottom, announcing his retirement due to his ongoing battle with a worsening hip injury. The injury was causing him constant pain, and he was content to put down his racket forever in exchange for a pain-free life. Now, after surgery, he is openly discussing his surgery and his reason for return to the court once again.

Murray is back on the court after undergoing hip surgery. He stated that it was, in fact, his surgeon, Sarah Muirhead-Allwood, who urged him to get back to play. Muirhead-Allwood is known as a royal surgeon after operating on the Queen Mother’s hip many years ago. Initially, Murray was content with the fact that his career is over and was only hoping to live a pain-free life. During rehab he was, however, realizing that he is now pain-free and happy again and that is enough. He thought that he didn’t have to play tennis. It was then when Muirhead-Allwood urged him to get back.

She stated that him being able to play once again would give surgeons confidence in the kind of treatment which he received. He is hoping that when people see him play again after the operation, that it would give them hope to recover from the same kind of painful situation too. Murray is however aware of the fact that he would have to go for a complete hip replacement later on in his life and that the surgery which he had of hip resurfacing, will only last up to 20 years. This estimated time frame might be shortened though through playing tennis on his level again. Alternatively, he also has his hopes on the train of thought which indicates that an active and healthy lifestyle like that of a top athlete, might cause the bone to be stronger around the hip area and making the resurfacing last longer.

The Near Future

This past week Murray was in action for two hours and 42 minutes against Alex de Minaur. The positive from this game was that he didn’t experience any pain either during the time on the court or afterwards. Soon he will be in Beijing for the ATP 1000 event which takes place in Shanghai. Murray is stating that in the past he placed his body under a lot of stress and that he is planning on taking a more relaxed approach now. He is allowing more time to relax and rest within his schedule. He stated that he is still not ready to take on players at the level of Nadal or Federer, but he is back on the court and enjoying himself. This is something which he was always very clear about, the fact that he will retire the day when he doesn’t enjoy playing anymore. Hopefully, for fans of this 32-year-old star, this won’t be the case for a long time to come.

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Serena, Federer, and Nadal Questions That Will Assist in Shaping the Clay Season

The season of clay-courts will begin next week and will pick up steam as it travels across Europe in the upcoming weeks, concluding in the French Open towards the end of May, promising to be both unpredictable and intriguing.

This is due to the fact that the landscape in both the WTA and the ATP has changed considerably. For instance, who would have thought that neither Rafael Nadal, Naomi Osaka, Novak Djokovic, or Serena Williams wouldn’t be in the final for both the Miami Open or the Indian Wells in March?

Can Rafael Nadal Still Dominate This Year?

The answer to the question is a definite yes. He is considered the defending champion at the moment and has won the grandest clay event a total of 11 times at the French Open. He also owns the record for the most victories at the Masters 1000 tournaments, with a total of 33, due to the fact that the King of Clay has played consistently at the Master’s events each and every time. If Nadal is able to stay healthy, he will undoubtedly add to his title record, making it an even dozen victories at Roland Garros.

Will a Healthy Serena Williams Contend?

Serena Williams, who is currently 37 years old and still attempting to get traction after she returned from giving birth to her child, has faced illness and injury in all tournaments she participated in. She managed to roll her ankle while playing against Karolina Pliskova in the quarterfinal at the Australian Open which opened the door for a remarkable comeback victory over her rival. At the Indian Wells, she decided to retire during the second match and withdrew at the Miami Open after playing once. However, she’s back to full health at the moment, giving her the perfect opportunity to make a comeback at the French Open.

Will Roger Federer Return To Clay?

In late September, Roger Federer informed reporters that his primary motivation after he skipped the clay circuit in both 2018 and 2017 was his simplistic love of the sport. However, in March, the tennis superstar also informed reporters that skipping clay will not be beneficial over the long-term as he initially expected. He feels that a few baseline battles and hard training on clay might give him greater stead over the long term, that’s if he stays in good health.

Who boasts with the inside edge when it comes to the WTA?

The last week of play in WTA, that took place in North America, this week came equipped with 4 finalists, including Garbine Muguruza vs Victoria Azarenka and Caroline Wozniacki vs Madison Keys. Everyone except for Keys has been number 1 and claimed Grand Slam title victories. However, none of them has won a tournament as of yet in 2019. Muguruza and Keys eventually cracked the code. However, you can expect much of the same in the months yet to come.

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Serena Williams Biography

Serena Williams was born Serena Jameka Williams on the 26th of September, 1981. The tennis player is from the United States of America and is currently unranked after only recently returning to the sport after giving birth to a daughter.

As a player, Serena began at the tender age of three, and as she entered the Women’s Tennis Association, she won her first major championship in 1999 and achieved the first of several Grand Slams in 2003. Williams went on to earn twenty-three Gram Slams to date, with her last coming with her defeat of sister Venus at the Australian Open 2017.

Record of Grand Slams

Serena Williams has won a staggering twenty-three Grand Slams since 1999 and has the most on record after her 2017 surpassed the 22 Steffi Graf had won, putting Williams in the history books once again. September 2012 saw Serena beating Victoria Azarenka at the U.S Open to earn her 15th Grand Slam. This was a final that many thought Williams would not win but as history has shown, Williams is one never to count out, yet the win even surprised Williams due to the level of play she faced.

While Williams has won twenty-three Grand Slams as a single, she also has racked up thirteen in the Women’s Doubles. Her sixteenth Grand Slam came at the French Open after defeating Sharapova in two sets. In 2002, Williams added three more titles to her record with victories at Wimbledon, the U.S Open and French Open.

The following year saw her win the Austria Open for the first time and again won the U.S Open in 2013. Her 20th Grand Slam came once again in 2014 at the U.S Open after she proved victorious against Caroline Wozniacki. The wins continued to accumulate with another victory at the Australia Open in 2015.

Serena Williams Personal Life

Serena Williams is married to husband Alexis Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit. Engaged in 2016, the married in November 2017 in Louisiana. Williams was adorned in a stunning dress designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen dress. The wedding included a long list of celebrities such as Eva Longoria, Kim Kardashian and Beyoncé.

In the spring of 2017, it was announced that Williams was pregnant and expecting her first child after a snapchat picture was posted with a caption that said “20 weeks”. While the picture was soon deleted, the information quickly spread and was confirmed by Williams shortly thereafter.

On the first of September of 2017, Serena gave birth to a healthy baby girl that they named daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. Williams posted a picture of her daughter on her Instagram account and included a video on YouTube and her website to share the news of her daughter’s birth.

Net Worth

Serena Williams has had a lucrative career in the sport of tennis, having earned many million dollar prizes for her multiple Grand Slam victories. To add to her net worth, the star has entered into multiple endorsement deals with the likes of Mike, Gatorade, Beats By Dre, Intel and others. Her estimated net worth is $84million based on earnings and endorsement deals.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Personality

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.

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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.

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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.

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