Category: Tennis Events

WTA Tour Calendar for 2021 Unveiled

Organizers have released schedules for the initial seven weeks of WTA competitions. Diligent efforts were employed to guarantee that tournaments & classic meets are held without concern for Covid-19. Employees of the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) are mandatory for athletic personnel to compete internationally. Accounting for those individual’s well-being was an essential attribute into seasonal scheduling & planning for 2021. Announcements issued by WTA organizers notified that travel restrictions with mandatory quarantine are being considered, with discussions being sustained daily with international governments.

The first venue that’ll be hosted for WTAs 2021 Tour Calendar will be in Abu Dhabi, with competitive levelling listen in the 500th category. Venue matches will begin on January 5th at “Zayed Sports City International Tennis Centre” and will end on January 13th. It’s a prominent announcement for WTA organizers to confirm their opening round will be hosted in Abu Dhabi. This city has become the world’s sporting capital, with international sports like Formula One & the UFC making Abu Dhabi a prominent part of their yearly schedule. That now extends towards the Women’s Tennis Association.

Scheduling Errors

An unfortunate standard since the Covid-19 pandemic caused global implications to sporting franchises, WTA athletes were informed they’d have to decide between the “Abu Dhabi Season Opener” of the Australian Open, with AO2021 hosting qualifying on January 10th to 13th. Some leeway has been given for athletic personnel, as direct flights from Abu Dhabi to Melbourne are being offered between the 10th to 13th.

Individuals risking themselves on flights from Abu Dhabi to Melbourne are required to receive PCR Covid Tests in both cities, with that being the exclusive permission eliminating a two-week quarantine for athletic personnel. Quarantine isn’t possible with the listed timeframes. It meant receiving specialized travel restrictions from the United Emirates Government. After competing in Melbourne, most WTA athletic personnel will remain in Melbourne until February 21st. That’s because the official Australian Open begins on February 8th, with an additional two “WTA 500 Tournaments” being hosted beforehand on January 31st to February 7th.

When questioned about his excitement for the upcoming season, Women’s Tennis Association CEO & Chairman Steve Simon reflected that it’s just the beginning. Simon mentioned that multiple other venues would be announced before February 21st.

Tennis Events

Protocols for 2021 Australian Open

Tennis tournaments during the Covid-19 pandemic have been uniquely scheduled to account for player safety. Most governing associations are implementing social distancing measures to guarantee infection doesn’t spread. There have been instances where ATP protocols were ignored, like when Novak Djokovic held the Adria Tour. Dozens would become infected & the tournament would become known as a super spreader for tennis. The decision drastically lowered the international popularity of Djokovic, which was dropping already after stating himself an Anti-Vaccinator.

The Association of Tennis Professionals wants to avoid another outbreak, prompting discussions for social distancing measures with the “2021 Australian Open” to begin. Covid continued to spread worldwide though, prompting concerns that local governments might ban the tournament for 2021. It’d follow after the 2020 Australian Open was postponed following country-wide bushfires. ATP community members are beginning to question if the historic locations should be eliminated from yearly schedules. Safety is becoming a concern.

Quarantine Required

Negotiations haven’t accounted for the possibility of an eliminated 2020 Australian Open, with organizers working to develop guidelines that stop the spread of infection. Details regarding those guidelines hadn’t been issued to ATP & WTA athletes until November 14th. It was revealed that both associations would enforce two-weeks of quarantine for all players wanting to compete. This would be a similar level of enforcement seen with the “Melbourne Grand Slam” & typical regulation for sporting institutions wishing to compete in Australia during the Covid pandemic. By guarantying for fourteen days, Australian personnel are ensured that competitor is free of Covid symptoms.

Statements were issued by the Association of Tennis Professionals, which clarified they understand & accept the conditional requirements to maintain an Australian Open in 2021. Players are being contacted regularly to determine where they stand on two-weeks of quarantining. Formidable champions like Serena Williams, Roger Goodell, and Nick Krygios are expected to compete at the 2021 Australian Open.

Tennis Events

First ATP Title for John Millman

The Association of Tennis Professionals can add an additional member to their list title-winning players. The Astana Open on November 1st saw John Millman acquire his first ATP title victory. Fierce opposition was showcased by the Australian against his French opponent, Adrian Mannarino. It was anticipated that Mannarino would obtain victory over John Millman. Audiences & commentators were shocked when John Millman sustained 7-5 to 6-1 victory over Mannarino.

It’s a prominent victory for John Millman, which guarantees his sustainability throughout the Association of Tennis Professionals for an additional season. ATP Supporters familiar with John Millman haven’t seen him compete since the 2019 Tokyo Open, where he’d lose for the 2nd time. Third time would mark the charm for Millman & see his victory at the 2020 Astana Open.

John Millman & Adrian Mannarino have met previously on two occasions, previously competing before entering the ATP Tour. Prior matches saw Millman stand victorious, pegging the question why bookies were expecting Mannarino to win. John Millman now stands at 45th in the ATP Standings, with two men slated to meet again in several days during the 2020 Paris Masters.

Adrian Mannarino could retire if he fails

It’s expected that Adrian Mannarino will be forced to retire from the ATP Tour if losing to John Millman for a 4th time during the Paris Masters. It marks his 10th consecutive loss during an ATP Open, with his single moment of success residing during the 2019 S-Hertogenbosch Open in the Netherlands.

When questioned regarding his first victory in the ATP Tour, John Millman mentioned that it feels incredible & relieving to have the satisfaction of winning. The Australian noted that winning a Pro Open is challenging for anyone, which was proven with Novak Djokovic being unable to sustain victory over the Astana Open. John Millman clarified his victory was thanks to the comfortability he felt. Millman said that previously throughout his career, that comfortability was never experienced before & will look to regain that comfort in future matches.

Novak Djokovic lost against Lorenzo Sonego is influential for the #1 ATP Player. Continued losses against lower-ranking members of the ATP Tour will prompt Djokovic to get ranked 2nd or 3rd in the standings. Considering that Novak is looking to acquire #1 for the 6th time in his career, losing against Lorenzo is a notable step backwards.

Tennis Events

Djokovic’s Severe Emotion to Nadal Loss

There’ve been few instances throughout the career of Novak Djokovic that’ve seen the tennis professional evoke emotion. That wasn’t the case when competing against Rafael Nadal & then losing against his formidable rival. Brilliance associated with Djokovic is undeniable, with Novak having acquired 17 Grand Slams. However, his career has been surrounded in controversy after opinionated statements on Anti-Vaxxing. Novak Djokovic has stood firm, never revealing emotion when receiving negative feedback from supporters & critics. When losing against Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic would break-out into unexpected emotion. Tears of disappointment were cried by the ATP #1, prompting supporters to rally for their sport’s greatest athlete.

Novak Djokovic was undoubtedly unmatched against Rafael Nadal during the French Open. Nadal displayed aggression & dedicated pressure after the two men had spoked poorly about one another in the press. Novak Djokovic couldn’t handle the younger ferocity associated with Rafael Nadal, forcing the ATP #1 to make unexpected errors. The 1st set ended with Djokovic scoring zero points & Nadal scoring six.

Rafael Nadal is tied for highest-scoring Grand Slam victor, tying against Roger Federer. Both men have acquired 20 Grand Slams, with Novak Djokovic desperate to sustain similar records. Djokovic might be ranked #1 in the Association of Tennis Professionals, but he hasn’t obtained a prominent reputation similar to Federer or Nadal. It’s suspected that this is the core reason why Djokovic broke-down & cried for the first time in a public setting.

Some believe the emotion displayed by Novak Djokovic was minimal. After crying those few tears, Djokovic went back to his robot-esc behaviour. It didn’t matter that hundreds of fans were cheering for the ATP #1, or that by the third set he was beginning to show improvements. After leaving the French Open, Novak Djokovic was seen speaking to nobody & headlining for his respective vehicle. It’s been a prolonged period since Djokovic has taken a loss so seriously.

The New York Times

Ben Rothenberg, a reporter for the New York Times, stated during their review that Djokovic needs to show more emotion & that it doesn’t need to be saddening exclusively. Ben Rothenberg believes supporters will see more humanity from Novak Djokovic if he’d scream, throw a racquet, or engage in verbal discussions with his opponent. However, these are all actions that Djokovic has actively avoided & that continued when he competed against Rafael Nadal.

Rafael Nadal Obtains 20th Grand Slam Title.

Roger Federer isn’t the “ATP Tour All-Time Grand Slam Winner” any longer, with Rafael Nadal equalling his record during the 13th French Open. Rafael’s victory will be remembered by the tennis community for years to come, with Nadal competing against Novak Djokovic & dominating over the ATP #1. It shows that Rafael has the skillsets to become the best tennis professional in modern-day history. Nadal’s scored points by match end was 6-0, 6-2, 7-5.

An official statement was issued by Rafael Nadal over his victory, expressing that 2020 has been a rough year for himself & billions worldwide. He’d remark that victory of the French Open means everything and that matching Roger Federer’s record doesn’t matter. It’s the concept of taking home the Roland Garros Trophy that matters most for Rafael Nadal. Sentiments concluded by Nadal clarifying his battle with Novak Djokovic were his careers most important & than thanked the entire community for their support. Rafael closed-out his remarks by saying the French Open was unforgettable & pure inspiration for future tournaments.

Challenges for Djokovic

During the match against Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal made fourteen unforced errors. This left Novak Djokovic is a challenging position, with it being known that Djokovic was hoping that penalties would be placed onto Rafael Nadal. It’d be the exclusive way for Novak to recentre himself after the first 6-0 round loss. This loss against Nadal is also notable for Novak Djokovic, who would’ve become the first tennis professional to win every Grand Slam trophy twice. He’ll have to wait another year to try again.

Rafael Nadal’s victory is notable because he defeated Novak Djokovic inside an indoor setting. This setting is Djokovic’s best, with the Siberian once winning 38 back-to-back matches on an indoor court. The stunning form shown by Spain’s Rafael Nadal was more than expected and swept over the skillsets of Djokovic. Nadal landed his hits on an average of 76%, with Novak Djokovic’s average standing at 42%. Pacing between the two athletes was evident in attending viewers. Tennis supports now look forward to the next instance of these two men battling on the court.

Sickened Zverev Competes at French Open

The 4th round of ATPs French Open was lost for Alexander Zverev, which follows after the tennis professional showed notable symptoms associated with COVID-19. It’d become revealed after a four-set loss against Jannik Sinner that speculation was correct, and that Alexander Zverev had contracted some illness. Guarantees of which illness that could be hasn’t been revealed. Luckily, Zverev was wearing his facemask throughout the entirety of October 4th.

When questioned by reporters after his loss on videoconference, Alexander Zverev stated he’s become ill & cannot breathe properly. He’d clarify that his temperature is increasing, with his physical state worsening over the match. Zverev admitted that his illness likely implicated any opportunity of winning the game. All sentiments from Alexander were hard to understand, with his voice nearly eliminated & what words hearable, being raspy. Most have suspected that Alexander Zverev has contracted the COVID-19 virus & hasn’t made an official announcement over his positive test.

Officials working for the 2020 French Open confirmed that on October 4th, Alexander Zverev hadn’t revealed his symptoms to on-site medical personnel & lied when questioned if he’d been feeling sick recently. Alexander has continued refusal to provide details over his illness, which on some level proves his positive test of COVID-19. Admittance of having coronavirus could result in the ATP & French Open issuing fines against Alexander Zverev. The tennis pro won’t be permitted to avoid the issue over the coming days.

Upcoming Fines

Demands were issued to Alexander Zverev from the French Tennis Federation & Association of Tennis Professionals. He’s been informed that a rapid coronavirus test must be completed before October 6th. Refusal will see the tennis pro fined with a multitude of charges from both groups. However, Novak Djokovic wasn’t charged by either the FTA or ATP when his Adria Tour caused dozens of coronavirus infections across Europe. Evident biased is being thrown against Alexander Zverev, which lawyers would argue in court.

It appears that when back threw against the wall, this tennis professional doesn’t have the ferocity & confidence needed to admit when mistakes were made. Alexander would rather fight with his opponent’s two hands tied behind his back.

Eugenie Bouchard Gets French Open Wildcard

After an extended hiatus resultant on the pandemic, the tennis world is against surrounded with buzz as the season gets underway. Recent tournaments have included the U.S. Open, one that saw many top players opting out over concerns for their health.

More recently, the French Open got underway yesterday and that saw fans of the sport celebrating after it was announced that Eugenie Bouchard has bee awarded a wildcard for the French Open. The announcement, which follows an earlier announcement last month awarding wild cards to Tsvetana Pironkova and Andy Murray, was made by organizers of the tournament on Tuesday.

Bouchard, who grew up in Canada but resides in Miami, last made it to the finals at the French Open in 2014. The nod in her direction was a reward for her attention spent playing on clay courts in hopes of earning one of the wildcard spots.

The Canadian has been working on returning to her former level of tennis, one that saw her ranked fifth in the world. At last months Istanbul Open, she advanced to the final before losing in third set tie-breaker, yet it was seen as an achievement as it was her first final since 2016

Her last appearance in the French Open finals saw her facing Maria Sharapova, and later in the year, Bouchard went to the Wimbledon finals as well. At 26, her years following the two final appearances saw her struggling to remain consistent.

The good news for Canadian fans and Bouchard, is getting to the finals in Istanbul saw her rank improve from 167, n substantial increase considering prior she was ranked 272nd. Speaking to the media afterwards, Bouchard stated, “I’m honestly shocked,”. Of course, fans of the Canadian are pleased to once again see her in a Grand Slam competition.

Bouchard working on comeback

Bouchards journey in tennis has been anything but sweet. She is one of the players criticized the most in the sport, both with fans of the game and those that troll her social media accounts. The combination saw her struggle to improve and maintain the same level of play.

The criticism and trolling became such an issue that Bouchard stopped posting images of her in a bikini due to the constant harassment. Speaking on the subject, Bouchard said, “I just don’t value the opinions of people who are out there just judging what I put out there.”

Hot off her performance in Istanbul, fans of the Canadian are hoping to see her have a solid performance in the coming days and hopeful advance beyond the group of 16.

Tennis Events

US Open Loses Women’s Doubles Team

Kristina-Mladenovic

The French Government is governing over their international athletes, with a large percentage crossing borders amid a global pandemic. When the French Government has determined a COVID-19 outbreak is any nation where one of their athletes is competing, that individual is informed to return home immediately. This almost happened to Kristina Mladenovic of France, who is competing at the United States Open.

Kristina Mladenovic was given a “Quarantine Notice” by American public health officials, where she’d be informed that several players have been put into specialized quarantine. This follows after Kristina Mladenovic has contact with Benoit Paire, another female competitor that tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. All several players placed into quarantine had contact with Benoit Paire.

The official statement of Kristina’s lockdown came from the United States Tennis Association on September 5th. It was revealed that Kristina Mladenovic and her teammate (Timea Babos of Hungary) were placed into isolation. USTA clarified these women are obligated to abide by these guidance measures or face notable fines. It should be mentioned that before these women have completed their 14-Day quarantine, the United States Open will have ended. Serena Williams will likely stand victorious.

Lost Matches

Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada & Alison Riske of America was expected to compete against Mladenovic/Babos. Details on who these women will compete against next weren’t issues, with USTA Organizers figuring out what the next step is worth the dozen staff members that have contact with Benoit Paire. It doesn’t include all the additional individuals that engaged with Kristina & Timea. Then when you factor how quickly the virus spreads in a working environment, it’s likely that the United States Open is facing an outbreak of COVID-19. In recent days there have been multiple cancellations with pre-scheduled matches for the US Open.

Details regarding the condition of Benoit Paire hasn’t been revealed by her PR Team, with the US Department of Health refusing to provide any information over privacy laws amongst doctors & patients. All that’s known is Benoit Paire is committing to the 14-Day quarantine in an undesignated hospital in New York state.

Djokovic Angered by Rafael Nadal’s Accusations

Rafael Nadal & Novak Djokovic are continuing their fueling hatred towards one another. The growing animosity between these two men started after the Adria Tour earlier this year, where Novak Djokovic’s decisions resulted in numerous people contracting COVID-19. The lack of empathy shown by Djokovic over the Adria Tour backlash & confirmed infections was disturbing, prompting Rafael Nadal to criticize his fellow ATP competitor. Since then the two have been publicly attacking each other through the media, with the most recent verbal attack launched by Novak Djokovic.

Novak has denied Rafael’s accusations that his entrance into the US Open is exclusive because stronger competitors have left the tournament, giving Djokovic ample opportunity to record of Grand Slam victories. It should be clarified that Rafael Nadal is the standing US Open Champion but withdrew from the tournament after citing concerns for the COVID-19 pandemic. Multiple ATP & WTA competitors followed Rafael’s lead, including Roger Federer. For Novak Djokovic, these absences are suitable for re-contention into the US Open.

Denying accusations made by Rafael Nadal isn’t benefiting Novak Djokovic. This Serbian tennis professional has actively avoided competing against the US Open Champion, with their last contention on the court being in 2013. This battle would see Rafael Nadal become victorious over tennis’s former greatest champion. When asked by reporters how he felt regarding Rafael Nadal’s statements, Novak Djokovic became notable defence & argued that his decision to compete was made months before his official announcement. Novak struggled to clarify why it took so long to confirm his contention in the US Open then, giving weight behind Rafael’s statements.

EU Serbian Government Approval

It’s believed that Novak Djokovic couldn’t make his official announcement until receiving approval from the Serbian government & European Union for exemptions in international travel. Once that approval was granted several days ago, Novak would’ve delegated with his PR Team & released a formal statement. It should be clarified that Djokovic emphasized that entering the US Open wasn’t guaranteed for 2020, that unpredictable travel conditions left him concerned that another Grand Slam victory wouldn’t be possible.

Bianca Andreescu Withdraws from US Open

The United States Open continues to lose an onslaught of competitors, which follows after organizers have refused to implement severe COVID-19 Protocols. This places athletes at substantial jeopardy for their health, with the United States of America having the worst infection standards of COVID-19. It’s been announced that another athlete is leaving the competition, with this being Bianca Andreescu from Canada. She is following the lead of Rafael Nadal & multiple others, who have withdrawn from competing against concerns for the coronavirus.

An official statement was released by the Canadian Tennis Professional, who has become one of the Woman’s Tennis Association’s most popular contenders. Standing at twenty years of age, Bianca Andreescu remarked that after discussions with her family members & training staff, it’d been determined that attending New York City for the United States Open isn’t possible in 2020. She emphasized that this decision was challenging & that going forward, her efforts will be put towards match fitness. Bianca hopes that this will enable her to return under the Woman’s Tennis Association as a stronger & fiercer contender.

Bianca Andreescu evoked that the 2019 US Open marked her career-high, becoming the victory over the WTA Division. She noted that not attending this year is heartbroken but that nobody could’ve anticipated these unforeseen circumstances. Bianca guaranteed her supported that the pandemic hasn’t compromised her capabilities to compete & prepare for difficult challenges, that this decision will also assist with fully healing her recent knee injuries.

The Notability of Bianca’s Decision

Selecting not to attend the United States Open in 2020 shows that Bianca Andreescu is taking a stand against organizing. These individuals aren’t employing strong measures to ensure the curving of infection with COVID-19. Bianca is located in Ontario, which is hours away from New York City & wouldn’t have been hard to attend with government permission. It’s now unknown when Bianca Andreescu will compete against in the Woman’s Tennis Association, with most events postponed or cancelled for 2020. It should be mentioned that Bianca also removed herself from contention in the Credit One Bank Invitational, which would’ve occurred in the hot zone of Charleston, South Carolina.