AUSTRALIAN OPEN: Feb 8 - 21.
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The ONLY reasonably sound justification (to these two) for getting thumped ruthlessly was that they lost to the GOAT.
Nadal AND Djokovic is about to strip that justification band-aid rudely and painfully - if they haven't done it already, that is.
Posted at 03:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
.............AT LEAST just give me money. Remember I am from Germany too. I can even reduce your height to 6'2" from 6'6" to ensure you fit the 'success' mold. I can also share the broom closet routine. Come on, every man wants that. DO THIS NOW. And Kyrgios is a lunatic".
All rock people, click here.
Posted at 03:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Posted at 03:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Boris Becker and Nick Kyrgios exchanged verbal blows Tuesday on Twitter after the Australian branded fellow tennis star Alexander Zverev "selfish" for partying during the coronavirus pandemic, despite promising to self-isolate.
German legend Becker, a six-time Grand Slam winner, took umbrage with Kyrgios' comment over viral footage of Zverev partying despite pledging to "follow self-isolating guidelines" after playing in Novak Djokovic's coronavirus-hit Adria Tour.
Zverev took part in the exhibition event organised by Djokovic, who last week tested positive for COVID-19 along with Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki.
The 23-year-old Zverev tested negative and vowed to isolate but was purportedly filmed at a busy bar over the weekend, leading an exasperated Kyrgios to slam his behaviour on Instagram on Monday.
Becker, the head of German men's tennis, stood up for his compatriot and fired back at Kyrgios on Tuesday.
"Don't like no #rats! Anybody telling off fellow sportsman/woman is no friend of mine! Look yourself in the mirror and think you're better than us... @NickKyrgios."
Kyrgios quickly responded amid of flurry of back-and-forth tweets.
"For goodness sake Boris, I'm not competing or trying to throw anyone under the bus," he wrote.
"It's a global pandemic and if someone is as idiotic as Alex to do what he has done, I'll call him out for it. Simple."
Kyrgios followed up with: "@TheBorisBecker is a bigger doughnut than I thought. Can hit a volley, obviously not the sharpest tool in the shed though."
Seemingly in an attempt to cool the spat, Becker replied: "You're funny guy ....how is it down under? Respect all the guidelines?"
However Kyrgios, who has never advanced past the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam, dismissed the former world number one, saying: "Haha nah bro I'm good, don't act like you're my friend now because you got sat down."
Becker, a former coach to 17-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic, was unimpressed.
"I really would like to see @NickKyrgios fulfill his potential and win a grand slam! He would be an incredible role model for the youth of the world addressing the issues of equality/race/heritage! Man up buddy and deliver!" wrote Becker.
Kyrgios criticised Becker for defending Zverev, who he says should apologise for breaking his promise.
"Why are you now talking about tennis? It has nothing to do with tennis?" said the Australian.
"How about the dude who you are defending mans up and gives us some sort of explanation? Not another average management apology."
Both world number seven Zverev and Kyrgios, ranked 40th, are due to play at an event in Berlin from July 13-19.
https://sports.yahoo.com/doughnut-rat-becker-kyrgios-trade-insults-over-zverev-110606135--ten.html
Posted at 03:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Rank | Country | No. of players |
No. of weeks |
Players | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
6 | 896 | Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick | |
2 | ![]() |
1 | 310 | Roger Federer | |
3 | ![]() |
1 | 282 | Novak Djokovic ![]() |
|
4 | ![]() |
1 | 270 | Ivan Lendl | |
5 | ![]() |
3 | 219 | Carlos Moyá, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Rafael Nadal | |
6 | ![]() |
3 | 201 | Björn Borg, Mats Wilander, Stefan Edberg | |
7 | ![]() |
3 | 89 | John Newcombe, Patrick Rafter, Lleyton Hewitt | |
8 | ![]() |
1 | 43 | Gustavo Kuerten | |
9 | ![]() |
1 | 41 | Andy Murray | |
10 | ![]() |
1 | 40 | Ilie Năstase | |
11 | ![]() |
2 | 15 | Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Marat Safin | |
12 | ![]() |
1 | 12 | Boris Becker | |
13 | ![]() |
1 | 6 | Thomas Muster | |
![]() |
1 | Marcelo Ríos |
Posted at 07:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Your Antivirus cannot protect you if you do not practice correct internet hygiene.
Downloading ONLY what you cannot live without.
Strong passwords.
Not clicking on your e-mail links..........................
Posted at 06:27 PM in Did you know? | Permalink | Comments (0)
View this post on Instagram“Sheer perfection on a tennis court” 🤩
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View this post on InstagramNarrated by The Duchess of Cambridge #WimbledonRecreated | @KensingtonRoyal
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View this post on InstagramForm an orderly queue, please… 😉 #WimbledonRecreated
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View this post on InstagramRF takes @vogue around @wimbledon in 2019! . (Full version on Vogue YouTube channel)
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View this post on InstagramThis shot 😍 Tag a mate who thinks they hit a backhand like Roger 😝
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View this post on InstagramNot just a champion tennis player 😉 ⚽️
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View this post on InstagramCode violation for snoring 🤣 💤 Never change, Li Na 👏 #AusOpen
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View this post on Instagram@bvahaly @usta #TennisUnited #pridemonth #globalpride 🏳️🌈
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View this post on InstagramThis picture is 75% hair and 25% bad lighting.
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Posted at 06:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
(Original Caption) 6/19/1950-Beckenham, Kent, England: Gertrude "Gorgeous Gussie" Moran proudly holds her cup after winning the Women's Singles of the Kent Championships at Beckenham. She beat fellow American Nancy Morrison, 4-6, 6-1, and 6-2. "Gussie" played in a white split skirt. She's evidently saving her famous "bloomer" suit for Wimbledon.
3rd June 1950: American tennis player Gertrude Moran, or Gorgeous Gussie, waking up in her Paris hotel room. Original Publication: Picture Post - 5051 - A Weekend With Gussy - pub. 1950 (Photo by Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
NEW YORK - 1956: Gertrude "Gorgeous Gussie" Moran, former tennis star and radio personality for WMGM, wears the jersey of the New York Yankees. Ms. Moran is helping WMGM promote it's radio coverage of the Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers. Ms. Moran scandalized the tennis world when she wore decorative lace panties under her tennis dress during the 1949 Wimbledon tournament. (Photo by: Diamond Images/Getty Images)
25th June 1949: Australian tennis player Gertrude Moran, known as Gorgeous Gussie, at a dance in Chelsea. (Photo by Express/Express/Getty Images)
3rd June 1950: American tennis player Gertrude 'Gussie' Moran taking a refreshing bath in her hotel in Paris. She follows the advice of her mother and soaps her face until it shines like a Dutch doll's. Original Publication: Picture Post - 5051 - A Weekend With Gussie - pub.1950 (Photo by Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Portrait of tennis player Gussie Moran. (Photo by Allan Grant/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images)
Evonne Goolagong Cawley of Australia holds the trophy after winning the ladies singles final of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championsips held at the All England Club in London, England during July 1980. She beat Chris Evert Lloyd 6-1, 7-6. (Photo by Bob Thomas Sports Photography via Getty Images).
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 27: Australia Day Honours List recipient Evonne Goolagong Cawley poses for a photo with her Companion in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AC) award on day 13 of the 2018 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 27, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - 1990s: Former Australian tennis champion Evonne Goolagong Cawley, winner of seven women's singles Grand Slam titles, poses in the 1990s in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Peter Carrette Archive/Getty Images)
Sport, Tennis, pic: July 1971, Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships, Ladies Singles Final, Australia's Evonne Goolagong gets a congratulatory kiss from her coach Vic Edwards and his wife Eva, after she had beaten Margaret Court to take the Ladies Singles title, PPP (Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)
British tennis player Roger Cawley kissing his wife, Australian tennis player Evonne Goolagong Cawley, UK, 3rd July 1975. (Photo by Angela Deane-Drummond/Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Billie Jean King, Yvonne Goolagong, and Virginia Wade, seated on a bench at the Wimbledon tennis club. (Photo by © Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
(AUSTRALIA OUT) The Big Picture. Just a little kid from the country: the talent of tennis player Evonne Goolagong, left, with doubles partner Patricia Edwards, was already obvious as a youngster in 1964. Seven years later she won Wimbledon, 15 May 1964. SMH Picture by R L STEWART (Photo by Fairfax Media via Getty Images/Fairfax Media via Getty Images via Getty Images)
Tennis player Christine Truman wearing her wedding dress, with designer Teddy Tinling, who designed the dress, holding a flower arrangement in the shape of a tennis racket, November 30th 1967. (Photo by George Freston/Fox Photos/Getty Images)
Sport, Tennis, London, England, 18th June 1971, English fashion designer Teddy Tinling (left) is pictured with 12 of the Ladies competitors for the forthcoming All England Championships at Wimbledon, who will wear dresses that he has created for them, Among the Ladies are Australia's Evonne Goolagong (third left), and Great Britain's Christine Truman (second right) and Virginia Wade (fifth right) (Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)
English fashion designer Ted Tinling (1910 - 1990, centre), with tennis players wearing his Dacron fashions at the Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington, London, 22nd June 1973. Left to right: Virginia Wade of Britain in a dress with shark's teeth details, Evonne Goolagong of Australia in a dress with a sweetheart neckline and orange and yellow inset panels, Rosemary Casals of the USA in a dress with butterfly motifs, and Billie Jean King of the USA in a dress with a diagonal motif in lilac. (Photo by Michael Webb/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
From left, professional tennis players Martina Navratilova (USA), Billie Jean King (USA), Steffi Graf (GER), Margaret Court (AUS) and Maria Bueno (BRA) pictured together at a special presentation in the Royal Box on Centre Court during the 2006 Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, London on 2nd July 2006. (Photo by Leo Mason/Popperfoto via Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 27: Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski pose with their trophies following their victory in the doubles final on day 5 of Schroders Battle of the Brits at the National Tennis Centre on June 27, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Battle Of The Brits)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 27: Umpire, James Keothavong talks to Dan Evans and Andy Murray ahead of their singles semi final on day 5 of Schroders Battle of the Brits at the National Tennis Centre on June 27, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Battle Of The Brits)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 28: Winner Dan Evans and runner up Kyle Edmund pose with their trophies after the final during day 6 of Schroders Battle of the Brits at National Tennis Centre on June 28, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Battle Of The Brits)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 28: Andy Murray coaches James Ward in his third place play-off match against Cameron Norrie during day 6 of Schroders Battle of the Brits at National Tennis Centre on June 28, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Battle Of The Brits)
WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 29: A detailed view of a sign saying 'Our Lawns are resting this summer' outside The All England Tennis and Croquet Club on June 29, 2020 in Wimbledon, England. The Wimbledon Tennis Championships were due to start today, but were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 29: All England Tennis and Croquet Club members play on an astro court on June 29, 2020 in Wimbledon, England. The Wimbledon Tennis Championships were due to start today, but were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 29: A member of the public walks past a gate at The All England Tennis and Croquet Club on June 29, 2020 in Wimbledon, England. The Wimbledon Tennis Championships were due to start today, but were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 29: Members of the Public exercise in Wimbledon Park which would normally be full of people camping and queuing on June 29, 2020 in Wimbledon, England. The Wimbledon Tennis Championships were due to start today, but were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
(Original Caption) Mlle. Suzanne Lenglen, France's foremost tennis player, shown in unusual action today on the west side tennis courts at Forest Hill, L.I. where tomorrow she makes her official American debut before Miss Eleanor Goss in the 34th Annual Women's National Lawn Tennis Championship tourney. (Photo by George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images)
(Original Caption) Mlle. Suzanne Lenglen, world's woman tennis champion, who has forsaken the amateur ranks and turned professional, and who is the premier member of C.C. Pyle's troupe of professional tennis players, practiced with other members of her "company" at the Van Kelton Stadium courts, Fifty-seventh Street and Eight Avenue, in preparation for the opening matches at Madison Square Garden on October 9. Her opponent will be Miss Mary K. Browne, of California, former national champion. Suzanne Lenglen "behind the scenes." (Photo by George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images)
NEW YORK - CIRCA 1978: Tennis player Martina Navratilova of Czechoslovakia hits a return during the women 1978 U.S. Open Tennis Tournament circa 1978 at the National Tennis Center in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
British tennis player Virginia Wade at London Airport, UK, 31st January 1970. She is leaving for Philadelphia to compete in a tennis tournament. (Photo by Dove/Daily Express/Getty Images)
Steffi Graf of Germany ( 2nd left ) celebrates with the gold medal after winning her Women's Singles Final match against Gabriela Sabatini ( 1st left ) along with bronze medallists Zina Garrison and Manuela Maleeva on 30 September 1988 during the XXIV Olympic Summer Games at the Seoul Olympic Park Tennis Center in Seoul, South Korea.( Photo by Pascal Rondeau/Allsport/Getty Images)
Portrait of American tennis players and sisters Venus Williams (left), 11, and Serena Williams, 9, as they pose beside the fence at the Compton tennis courts, South Central Los Angeles, California, April 20 1991. They had just completed a training session with their father and coach, Richard Williams. (Photo by Paul Harris/Getty Images)
Posted at 05:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Next year’s Wimbledon will not be protected by pandemic insurance, according to outgoing chief executive Richard Lewis.
The All England Club’s imperturbable image has scarcely been dented by the cancellation of this year’s tournament – which would have started on Monday – thanks to the foresight of those who spent a seven-figure sum on an insurance package against communicable disease. This investment should also allow the Lawn Tennis Association – which received £52 million from the All England Club in its last published accounts – to get away without slashing budgets too alarmingly over the coming months.
But Lewis confirmed that the same trick could not be performed next summer.
“That’s impossible in the current climate,” he explained. “What I would say about the future though is that, when I first started in 2012, there were some signs that things were not insurable, because of communicable diseases that had taken place like SARS and swine flu.
“In the immediate aftermath, you can’t get insurance, but fairly soon after that, the market returns. So, there won’t be insurance next year, but I think in the medium term, just because we’ve made one claim it won’t affect us in the long term.”
Wimbledon’s turnover would normally be in excess of £250 million. A long-term agreement with the LTA states that, after operating costs and facility investment, 90 per cent of the annual surplus is forwarded into British tennis.
Asked for more details, Lewis said: “There are over 10 insurance companies involved in the claim, and we’re probably about a third of the way through. It will take two or three months to work through but I’m optimistic that the surplus will be pretty well protected and therefore the impact will be somewhat minimised.”
The All England Club will now be able to watch as the year’s two remaining majors – the US Open and the postponed French Open – attempt to maintain biosecurity.
The recent fiasco of Novak Djokovic’s Adria Tour underlines what can go wrong when young athletes feel invulnerable, but Lewis – who last week said that “the images [from the Balkans] were disappointing” – hopes that responsible behaviour will be the norm by the time next year’s Wimbledon comes around.
“Of course it is a challenge with the young generation, and tennis players are no different,” said Lewis. “But habits have already changed over the last few months, and I am sure by this time next year, people will be much more into the new normal. I think that will be a great strength in 2021 compared to how it unfolded in 2020.”
https://sports.yahoo.com/wimbledon-cannot-protected-pandemic-insurance-152638346.html
Posted at 05:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
There is, in any normal year, a fluttering in the pit of my stomach as I make the left turn off Church Road and meander through the multi-million pound mansions to Car Park 4.
It’s the first morning of Wimbledon and – for the next 13 days – I know I will be standing somewhere near the centre of the national conversation. The word “privilege” doesn’t even cover it.
After a decade of covering this tournament, I have come to know the quirks of the place. The shortest ice-cream queues. The seats with the best views. The poker-faced look of the communications staff, whose brief is to deflect any backstage controversy.
And each year, I am more convinced that this is the masterpiece of world sport. It’s a cliché, but Wimbledon really is the Platonic ideal of tennis, the most perfectly realised expression of a simple concept.
The 1980s club chairman John Curry is sometimes credited with coming up with the slogan “tennis in an English garden”. The garden in question could belong to a stately home – with petunias and ivy draping the walls of the clubhouse, and statues and water features sprinkled liberally between the courts. No other sporting venue – with the possible exception of Augusta National – is such a pleasure to explore.
My favourite moments are not so much the thunderous rallies or the shocking upsets – wonderful though they are – but the chance meetings with friends or contacts from the global tennis family. I think of leaning on the rail opposite Court 14 for a gossipy chat, while the stream of humanity flows smoothly past, or taking tea on the Competitors’ Lawn.
Unless you’re a player or coach, the tennis is the excuse for a party, rather than its primary focus. As the cultural historian Elizabeth Wilson has written, “going to Wimbledon is more like a day at the opera at Glyndebourne than an afternoon of football at the Emirates Stadium”. She could also have cited the Glastonbury music festival, which often takes place on its middle weekend.
As I write these words, I am searching for some negatives to place in the debit column, so as not to seem too soppy or sycophantic. Clearly, a tennis reporter comes out of the fortnight feeling weary. But the biggest pinch point is actually 6pm on the Sunday before play starts, when I press send on the last of countless preview pieces. At that moment, I am ready to be stretchered out of the media centre.
The striking of the first ball – at 11am on the first Monday – is thus an enormous relief, as you are now reacting to events rather than having to do all your own cognitive pedalling. Plus, half-a-dozen eager Telegraph Sport colleagues arrive nice and early, ready for me to boss around and badger for coffee.
So am I missing the first morning of Wimbledon? It’s hard to say. The tournament feels so unreal this summer. A distant memory from a parallel existence.
Tennis folk are used to experiencing the Championships as the emotional high-point of the season, which builds towards this moment with a Bolero-esque rhythm. Melbourne, Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid, Rome, Paris, Queen’s… and then the Big One.
This year, the whole cavalcade was halted in early March, having visited only the first of those cities. So it’s almost as if 2020 isn’t worthy of Wimbledon. We simply haven’t earned our audience with Roger Federer, Serena Williams and the rest.
And so we set our sights on June 28, 2021. Perhaps then the plague will have lifted, and we can return to this luxurious event: the Dom Perignon of the sporting world.
https://sports.yahoo.com/coco-gauff-vs-venus-williams-123432025.html
Posted at 05:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
The upcoming Bett1 Aces exhibition event in Berlin could deliver some spicy moments after one of its star imports – Australian maverick Nick Kyrgios – attacked top seed Alexander Zverev in an angry social-media rant.
After Zverev was pictured socialising in a Riviera beach bar on the weekend, Kyrgios told his Twitter and Instagram followers that "I see more controversial things happening around the world, but one thing that stuck out for me was seeing Sasha Zverev, again man, again.
"If you have the audacity to put out a tweet that you made your management f---ing write on your behalf saying you're going to self-isolate for 14 days, and apologising to the general public for putting their health at risk, at least have the f---ing audacity to stay inside for 14 days. My god. This tennis world's p---ing me off, seriously. How selfish can you all get?"
Zverev’s presence in a busy public space could certainly be seen as hypocritical after he promised to self-isolate a week ago, having been a part of the Adria Tour fiasco alongside Novak Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov and other players who have since tested positive for Covid-19. But then, if Kyrgios does attend the Berlin event from July 13, he will also be accused of contradicting himself.
Two weeks ago, Kyrgios complained that staging the US Open at the end of August is unfair to those coming from countries with strong travel restrictions, adding “I’ll get my hazmat suit ready for when I travel from Australia and then have to quarantine for two weeks on my return.” Now it seems that he is prepared to go to Europe for an exhibition offering 200,000 Euros in prizemoney.
Asked about their bio-security protocols, the organisers of Bett1 Aces said that they would enforce daily temperature checks and require all players to keep a written log of their physical condition. There will be three different event zones, each operated in its own bubble, to limit the possibility of infection.
When asked specifically about Zverev’s conduct, a spokesperson for Bett1 Aces said “It’s deplorable that there are still players with so little sensitivity to the situation. At this stage, the field for the event remains the same. But we stress that all players and support-staff members will have to follow strict hygiene and security protocols, including compulsory Covid-19 tests for everyone directly after their arrival in Berlin."
Posted at 05:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
View this post on InstagramCheck out these values 👏🏻 @rafanadalacademy
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View this post on InstagramMiss You #karlheinz #happyfathersday #becker
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Posted at 02:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
EAST ORANGE, NJ - JUNE 12: ***EXCLUSIVE*** Tennis legend Althea Gibson poses for a portrait at her home surrounded by her trophies June 12, 1987 in East Orange, NJ. (Photo by Yvonne Hemsey/Getty Images)
6th July 1957: American tennis partners Althea Gibson (right) and Darlene Hard with the women's doubles trophy at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships. Gibson is the first black woman to win the women's singles championships at Wimbledon. (Photo by Reg Birkett/Keystone/Getty Images)
Family reunion. Althea Gibson holds glass of milk as she talks with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. David Gibson, in their home at 135 W. 143d St. New York. (Photo By: John Duprey/NY Daily News via Getty Images)
Althea Gibson of the United States, the first black champion in the tournament's 80-year history, is congratulated by HM Queen Elizabeth II after defeating Darlene Hard for the women's singles championship at Wimbledon on 4th July 1957. (Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)
UNITED STATES - JULY 11: Tennis ace Althea Gibson blows kisses to cheering crowd at 1957 Broadway parade in her honor. Born in South Carolina in 1927. Gibson became the first black American to win a Grand Slam tournament, the French Open in 1956. She went on to win Wimbledon and the U.S. Championship at Forest Hills. (Photo by Phil Greitzer/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
Picture taken on July 5, 1958 at Wimbledon showing American tennis player Althea Gibson after winning the Wimbledon lawn tennis championships. (Photo by - / INTERCONTINENTALE / AFP) (Photo by -/INTERCONTINENTALE/AFP via Getty Images)
American tennis player (and golf pro) Althea Gibson (1927 - 2003) (center) plays cards during a break in the on-court action during the French Championships (later renamed the French Open), Paris, France, mid to late May, 1956. She went on to win the tournament. (Photo by Thomas D. McAvoy/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images)
(Original Caption) Forest Hills, New York: The Gibson Girl at Trophy Time. Vice President Richard Nixon presents trophies to joyous Althea Gibson after she became the first Negro woman to win the women's single title of the national tennis games today. No less happy with his trophies is unheralded Australian Malcolm Anderson, who copped the men's singles form his top-seeded Davis Cup teammate Ashley Cooper. After eight tries Althea finally won the title by defeating veteran Louise Brough, 6-3, 6-3. Anderson upset Cooper, 10-8,. 7-5, 6-4.
NEW YORK - CIRCA 1970: All-round athlete Althea Gibson poses for a portrait circa 1970 in New York City, New York. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 25: Dan Evans (L) and Cameron Norrie take a knee alongside the umpire ahead of their singles match on day 3 of Schroders Battle of the Brits at the National Tennis Centre on June 25, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Battle Of The Brits)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 25: Paul Jubb (r) taps rackets with Ryan Peniston after victory in their singles match on day 3 of Schroders Battle of the Brits at the National Tennis Centre on June 25, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Battle Of The Brits)
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ZAGREB, Croatia — Former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic, who now coaches Novak Djokovic and attended the top-ranked player’s exhibition series in Serbia and Croatia, said Friday he has tested positive for the coronavirus.
The Croatian great, who won his only Grand Slam title at the All England Club in 2001, wrote on Instagram that he tested positive after two negative tests in the last 10 days.
“I would like to inform everyone who has been in contact with me that I tested positive and ask them to take extra good care of themselves and their loved ones,” Ivanisevic wrote. “I will continue to self-isolate as I have been doing already.”
Ivanisevic, who said he has no symptoms, attended the Adria Tour exhibition series, a charity event hosted by Djokovic in Belgrade and at the Adriatic resort of Zadar in Croatia.
Four players from those events, including Djokovic and his wife, have said they have the virus. Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki all said they also have it.
Thousands of spectators attended the matches in Belgrade and Zadar, and no social distancing was observed.
Dominic Thiem, who won the opening event in Belgrade on June 14, said Thursday that he has been tested five times but is negative.
The final for the event in Croatia was canceled and subsequent matches in other countries were also called off.
Djokovic, a 17-time Grand Slam champion who has previously said he was against taking a vaccine for the virus even if it became mandatory to travel, said on Tuesday it was “too soon” to host such an event.
The coronavirus outbreak led to the suspension of the ATP and WTA professional tennis tours in March. Plans were announced last week for the sport’s sanctioned events to return in August.
But the infections have raised questions about the full-fledged return of competitive tennis, including the U.S. Open, which is scheduled to begin on Aug. 31 without spectators. Djokovic has called the rules to keep everyone safe at the U.S. Open “extreme.”
https://sports.yahoo.com/ivanisevic-coach-djokovic-tests-positive-164341850.html
Posted at 01:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
View this post on InstagramWhen filters are just too much. But it’s fun
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View this post on InstagramGrand Slam greatness 😍 These men are superstars of our sport 🌟
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View this post on Instagramv e r a n o officially started 💛☀️💦 #summertime #hotinhere #enjoythemoment
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View this post on InstagramExcited to compete again after seven months 💪 @andymurray 🇬🇧 #battleofthebrits
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Posted at 03:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Belgrade (AFP) - Manchester United's Nemanja Matic on Thursday backed his fellow countryman Novak Djokovic, who was widely slammed for hosting a tennis exhibition where he was one of four players to test positive for the coronavirus, and said the world number one was the "cat" who will chase away the "mice".
"Mice came out of the hole and gave themselves the right to criticise the world number one, in tennis but also how he relates to all other people in the world," Matic wrote in an open letter of support to Djokovic published by local media.
"But I don't care. Very soon the cat (Djokovic) will be on the court, and the mice in the hole."
The midfielder stressed that the tournament in Belgrade was organised in line with the Serbian law.
He labelled the event "great" and voiced hope it will become traditional.
"The only thing for which I resent Novak is that he apologises to the mice who criticise him for no reason.
"No, Nole. They will apologise to you - soon."
Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki all tested positive after taking part in the second leg of the charity event last weekend in Croatia.
Players had embraced across the net, played basketball and even danced in a nightclub the week before in Belgrade.
Djokovic on Tuesday issued an unstinting apology for the now-cancelled Adria Tour in the Balkans, where social distancing was minimal and matches were played in front of thousands of fans.
The 33-year-old Serbian said he is "so deeply sorry" that the tournament "caused harm".
His wife Jelena has also tested positive after the couple travelled back from Croatia to Belgrade to be tested.
Croatia's retired NBA player Dino Radja also voiced support to Djokovic.
"An unbelievable amount of shit on Novak these days," Radja wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.
https://sports.yahoo.com/djokovic-cat-put-mice-back-hole-says-man-205853140--sow.html
Posted at 02:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and his longtime business partner Maverick Carter raised $100 million, combined their three media companies to make SpringHill Company and named a board of big names including Serena Williams and Boston Red Sox chairman Tom Werner, Bloomberg reported.
The money was acquired in March, but announced this week.
James and Carter formed the new company on March 11, the day the NBA suspended its season, by putting together SpringHill Entertainment, Uninterrupted LLC and the Robot Company, a marketing agency.
It came after acquiring $100 million in backing from major investors that include financial services companies Guggenheim Investments and UC Investments, Jason Stein’s SC.Holdings and heir Elisabeth Murdoch.
Sister, which produced “Chernobyl” on HBO, is a non-financial backer, per the Hollywood Reporter, and will be a strategic partner for the company.
The board overseeing the new company will feature Serena Williams and Boston Red Sox chairman Tom Werner, per Bloomberg. The rest of the board is Apollo Global Management co-founder Marc Rowan, Live Nation Entertainment Inc. CEO Michael Rapino and Los Angeles investment banker Paul Wachter, who helped put the project together.
“This is ultimately a company that’s about point of view, the community you serve, and empowerment,” Wachter said via Bloomberg. “This is a company designed to move the culture.”
Investors Scott Minerd of Guggenheim and Murdoch, the heir to Rupert Murdoch’s media media empire.
James will be chairman of the board and Carter the CEO.
James and Carter told Bloomberg the business has an “unapologetic agenda: a maker and distributor of all kinds of content that will give a voice to creators and consumers who’ve been pandered to, ignored, or underserved.”
“I’ve always wanted to use the platform of basketball to empower those around me,” James said, via Deadline. “Now I’m incredibly excited about the opportunity to build a company that empowers creators, consumers, and everything it touches.”
Springhill Entertainment is behind the new “Space Jam” sequel starring James and titled “Space Jam: A New Legacy.” It’s also responsible for “The Wall,” a game show on NBC.
Uninterrupted, a production-marketing business, produces “The Shop: Uninterrupted” on HBO and “Kneading Dough,” a partnership with JPMorgan Chase & Co. It also does collaborations with Nike, including a Pride Month hoodie collection designed with Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird.
Posted at 02:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
"I am getting desperate here. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE like me".
Posted at 01:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
There is a certain 'movement' from the opponent that irrefutably constitutes as the BEST compliment for your great shot - FAR FAR FAR more than him just applauding.
What is it?
Hint: Federer vs Del Potro US Open final.
First correct answer = Wall Of Fame listing.
Winner / Correct answer: Wednesday, July 1, 2020.
Posted at 01:34 PM in Wall Of Fame Contest | Permalink | Comments (10)
Federer:
What if there was no Nadal?
What if I had solved Nadal ten years ago?
Nadal:
What if there was no Djokovic?
Djokovic:
What if wife Rustic had not morphed into 'Fredo' and pulled the 'going to divorce you or else' card?
Posted at 01:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Days after a handful of the world's leading tennis players hugged and high-fived on court in front of packed stands and partied together in carefree fashion some - including world number one Novak Djokovic - were struck down by the COVID-19 virus.
As a cautionary tale, it could hardly be more stark.
For while the images from the Adria Tour exhibition tournament in Serbia and Croatia were no doubt a fillip for some fans starved of top-flight tennis action, the organisers also tempted fate with the lack of precautions.
Though the players were not breaking government protocols during the tournament, which was organised by Djokovic, it highlighted the risks of athletes from different countries mingling without adhering to what have become social distancing norms.
Few were, therefore, surprised when Djokovic contracted the virus with Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, Croatia's Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki having already tested positive after playing in his Balkan event.
Hindsight offers clarity, but organisers of the world's biggest tournaments say they will not make the same mistakes as they reopen the sport and seek to keep the players safe.
"There were a fair few learnings that have come out of that (Adria Tour)," Tennis Australia's (TA) Chief Operating Officer Tom Larner told Reuters.
"And whilst, certainly the whole event was actually really well-intentioned in terms of raising money for charity, the execution was clearly not great, as were the processes in place."
Australia had successfully curbed the virus spread but a double-digit increase in new cases recently has triggered fear of another wave due to apparent community transmission.
TA gave a glimpse of the biosecurity protocols that could be in place for next year's Australian Open while announcing measures for the domestic UTR Pro Tennis Series, which will be played at closed stadiums.
Players would have to bring their own towels and will be encouraged to shower off-site. On-court personnel would be limited to an umpire, minimal line judges with no ball-kids.
NO SPECTATORS
First up, though, will be the U.S. Open, scheduled to be held in New York from Aug. 31. Organisers have come under fire, including from Djokovic, who initially called their measures "extreme". They will now feel vindicated.
"This situation is exactly why we have created a comprehensive health and medical plan... that was approved by New York State," USTA spokesman Chris Widmaier told Reuters.
"The creation of a controlled U.S. Open environment, including official hotels, transportation, food, medical and safety protocols, enables us to mitigate potential risk, and appropriately respond to any issues."
The U.S. Open will have no spectators, there will be limitations on players' entourage and everyone must wear masks when onsite unless practising or competing. Testing will be conducted before travelling to the United States and at least once per week along with daily temperature checks.
New York City has witnessed an easing of lockdown restrictions in recent days but residents have been asked to follow social distancing norms and cover faces in public.
Restaurants and bars began offering outdoor service and many retailers started to allow patrons back into their stores.
Serbia introduced a state of emergency soon after the pandemic broke out, including daily curfews for 12 hours, but gradual easing of measures saw 25,000 fans flock to a soccer derby between Belgrade rivals Red Star and Partizan on June 10.
A sellout crowd of 4,000 attended both days of the Belgrade leg of Djokovic's tournament, staged at his tennis centre by the Danube River.
Croatia, where the tournament's second leg was held in Zadar, still had social distancing norms in place and the Visnjik tennis complex, with a capacity of 9,000, hosted half as many spectators.
It did not stop Djokovic and his fellow players from playing basketball there, images of which were jarring to many as the majority of the world continued to battle the virus.
Djokovic, who heads the players council of the men's ATP Tour, said he was wrong and "deeply sorry".
https://sports.yahoo.com/grand-slams-plan-ahead-avoid-160732060.html
Posted at 01:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Warner Bros. is making a movie about Richard Williams’ life, but two media companies say that never should have happened. TW3 Entertainment and Power Move Multi-Media are suing WB, Overbrook Entertainment and Williams, claiming TW3 Entertainment and Power Move Multi-Media owned the rights to Williams’ story first, according to TMZ.
The issue stems from Williams’ book, “Black and White: The Way I See It.” T3 Entertainment and Power Move Multi-Media say they bought the rights to that book and to Williams’ life story in 2017. Williams — who is the father of tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams — then sold the rights to his life story to Warner Bros. so the company could make a movie. TW3 Entertainment and Power Move Multi-Media say they were cut out of that deal. They claim Warner Bros. knew that would be the case.
As part of the lawsuit, T3 Entertainment and Power Move Multi-Media are asked that all the profits from the movie —titled “King Richard” — be placed into a trust for their benefit. They are also seeking other damages, according to TMZ.
“King Richard” is slated for release in November, though it’s unclear if coronavirus-related delays will impact that timeline. Will Smith will play Richard Williams in the film. Smith owns Overbrook Entertainment, one of the companies being sued by TW3 Entertainment and Power Move Multi-Media.
Posted at 01:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Belgrade (AFP) - Novak Djokovic on Tuesday said he was "deeply sorry" after becoming the fourth tennis player to test positive for coronavirus following the exhibition tournament he hosted in the Balkans, admitting he and organisers "were wrong" to go ahead with the event.
World number one Djokovic joined Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki in contracting COVID-19 following the Adria Tour event which saw minimal social distancing.
"I am so deeply sorry our tournament has caused harm," the 33-year-old, who was not showing any symptoms, wrote on Twitter.
"Everything the organisers and I did the past month, we did with a pure heart and sincere intentions.
"We believed the tournament met all health protocols and the health of our region seemed in good condition to finally unite people for philanthropic reasons.
"We were wrong and it was too soon."
Djokovic, whose wife Jelena also tested positive for the virus and whose children returned negative results, urged everyone who attended matches to get tested.
The Adria Tour's first stop had been played out to a daily crowd of 4,000 fans at Djokovic's tennis centre on the banks of the Danube in Belgrade last week, while a similar crowd attended the Zadar event.
"If you attended Adria Tour or were around any attendees please get tested and practice social distancing," the Serbian star added.
"For those in Belgrade and Zadar, we will be sharing health resources in the immediate future.
"The rest of the tournament has been cancelled and we will remain focused on all those who have been affected. I pray for everyone's full recovery."
Players were filmed dancing bare-top in a nightclub and embracing each other over the net during the Adria Tour.
Other players who took part, including Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem, tested negative for coronavirus.
https://sports.yahoo.com/deeply-sorry-djokovic-admits-organisers-were-wrong-host-192807523--ten.html
Posted at 01:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Paris (AFP) - World number one Novak Djokovic was widely condemned for hosting a tennis exhibition where he was one of four players to test positive for the coronavirus, a lapse that sent shudders through a sport struggling to get back on its feet.
The Serbian star said on Tuesday that he was "deeply sorry" in an unstinting apology for the now-cancelled Adria Tour, where social distancing was minimal and matches were played in front of thousands of fans.
In the latest repercussion, Serbian NBA player Nikola Jokic has reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus after being pictured with Djokovic at an exhibition basketball event in Belgrade earlier this month.
Jokic's team, the Denver Nuggets, who are ramping up preparations for a resumption of the NBA season, declined to comment on the report in the Denver Post, citing medical privacy. The player is now in quarantine in Serbia.
In his last tweet before his apology, Djokovic posted a picture of himself playing basketball with a caption challenging Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James. "Am I ready for a 1:1 @KingJames?" it asked.
Djokovic, 33, has said he is "so deeply sorry" that the tournament "caused harm". His wife Jelena has also tested positive.
Among the scathing criticism of Djokovic, there were questions about whether he, or tennis, should be allowed back on any court in the near future.
Many voiced concerns over attempts to restart professional tournaments in August, including the US Open which is scheduled to begin on August 31.
Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki all tested positive after taking part in the Adria Tour, where players embraced across the net, played basketball and even danced in a nightclub.
As the mocking hashtag #Djokovid circulated online, Australia's Nick Kyrgios, so often in the crosshairs for his own on-court indiscretions, said the incident was pure "stupidity".
"Don't @ me for anything I've done that has been 'irresponsible' or classified as 'stupidity' -- this takes the cake," tweeted the world number 40.
Britain's Andy Murray, a three-time Grand Slam winner who has known Djokovic since their junior days, said: "I don't think it has been a great look for tennis."
"In hindsight, it's not something that should have gone ahead," Murray told reporters.
"It's not surprising how many people have tested positive after seeing some of the images of the players' party and the kids' day. There was no social distancing in place.
"Some people have said maybe this has put the US Open in doubt –- which it may well do. But the measures and the protocols they have in place at the USTA (United States Tennis Association) are different to Serbia and Croatia. No fans for a start."
- PR disaster -
COVID-19 has been a public relations disaster for Djokovic.
He was criticised for breaking lockdown rules to train in Spain and raised eyebrows by insisting he wouldn't be prepared to vaccinate against the coronavirus.
Djokovic also described limits on players' entourages at the US Open as "extreme" and "impossible", again putting him at odds with much of public opinion.
His latest misstep has caused some to question his presidency of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals, or men's tour) Player Council, which advises the ATP board.
"I think there's a lot of his peer group who are scratching their heads," veteran coach Paul Annacone told Tennis.com.
Martina Navratilova, who won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, tweeted: "Yikes... this is not good and it's a pattern... What now, US Open? Roland Garros? We have a lot of work to do."
Brazil's Bruno Soares, a doubles player who sits on the Player Council, called the Adria Tour a "horror show".
ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said it was a lesson for other tournaments.
"It's a little bit like when you tell your kids when they try to learn to ride the bike to wear the helmet," Gaudenzi said. "It's 'no, no, no'."
"And they ride the bike, they fall, and then they wear the helmet."
Posted at 01:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Novak Djokovic’s parents defended their son on Wednesday and blamed another tennis player for spreading the coronavirus at a series of exhibition matches hosted by the top-ranked player.
Djokovic and his wife tested positive for the virus on Tuesday. The 17-time Grand Slam champion then apologized online for organizing the Adria Tour events, which brought together professional players from various countries to play matches in Serbia and Croatia.
Thousands of spectators attended the matches and no social distancing was observed.
Djokovic’s outspoken father blamed the cancellation of the tour on Grigor Dimitrov, one of the three other players to test positive in the last few days. There is no evidence to suggest Dimitrov spread the virus to others.
“Why did it happen? Because that man probably came sick, who knows from where,” Srdjan Djokovic told RTL Croatia TV. “He didn’t test here, he tested somewhere else ... I think that’s not fair.
“He inflicted damage to both Croatia and to us as a family in Serbia,” Srdjan Djokovic said. “Nobody is feeling well because of this situation.”
Dimitrov, a three-time Grand Slam semifinalist from Bulgaria, was the first Adria Tour participant to test positive for the virus. He was followed by Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki.
The infections raised questions about the full-fledged return of competitive tennis, including the scheduled U.S. Open in August.
“We were wrong and it was too soon,” wrote Djokovic, who has previously said he was against taking a vaccine for the virus even if it became mandatory to travel.
Dimitrov played in matches in both Belgrade and at the Croatian Adriatic resort of Zadar. He reportedly arrived in Serbia from the United States and his native Bulgaria. He did not immediately respond to The Associated Press' request for comment while recovering from the infection in Monaco.
NBA player Nikola Jokic, a Serb who plays for the Denver Nuggets, has also tested positive for the coronavirus. He was pictured shaking hands with Djokovic at an exhibition basketball event in Belgrade this month.
Jokic is reportedly recovering in his hometown of Sombor.
Djokovic’s mother said both her son and his wife Jelena are feeling fine, but are suffering because of the widespread criticism.
“It is horrible what is being written, but we are used to it,” Dijana Djokovic told the Belgrade Blic daily newspaper.
The coronavirus outbreak led to the suspension of the ATP and WTA professional tennis tours in March. Plans were announced last week for the sport’s sanctioned events to return in August.
The U.S. Open is scheduled to begin Aug. 31 without spectators.
https://sports.yahoo.com/djokovics-parents-defend-son-blame-134458162.html
Posted at 01:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
GARY MOSER
Posted at 01:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) -- Novak Djokovic’s charity tennis exhibition series, combined with an overall softening of coronavirus restrictions in Serbia and Croatia, has been followed by an increase in the number of positive cases among professional athletes.
Two tennis players ranked among the top 40 in the world and five players at Serbia’s biggest soccer club have tested positive for the virus after being involved in sporting events where fans packed into the stands and social distancing was not enforced.
Djokovic, the top-ranked player in the world who previously said he was against taking a vaccine for the virus even if it became mandatory to travel, will now be tested as well, his media team said Monday.
”He is fine, he has no symptoms but nonetheless, he needs to do the test and then we will see what’s going on,” Djokovic's media team said in a statement.
Djokovic was the face behind the Adria Tour, a series of exhibition events that started in Belgrade and moved to Zadar, Croatia, this weekend.
Grigor Dimitrov, a three-time Grand Slam semifinalist from Bulgaria, said Sunday he tested positive for the virus. Borna Coric played Dimitrov on Saturday in Zadar and said Monday he has also tested positive for the virus.
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic was among the spectators at the beach resort and will also be tested.
“I am really sorry for any harm I might have caused,” said Coric,
anyone who had contact with him to be tested.
That could be a lot of people. Coric, Djokovic and other players, including Marin Cilic, played basketball with a local team last week and posed together for photos.
Djokovic was supposed to play in the series final on Sunday, but that event was canceled.
Djokovic and Dimitrov also played in the Adria Tour’s opening exhibition a week earlier in Belgrade. Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev, who both played in the Serbian capital, said they would self-isolate despite negative tests.
“I deeply apologize to anyone that I have potentially put at risk by playing this tour,” Zverev
on Twitter.
The ATP Tour said in a statement it wished for a complete recovery for the players “and members of their staff who tested positive,” adding it has urged strict adherence to social distancing and health and safety guidelines.
Australian player Nick Kyrgios described the decision to go ahead with the exhibitions as “bone headed” in a Twitter post.
“Speedy recovery fellas, but that’s what happens when you disregard all protocols. This IS NOT A JOKE.”
British men's No. 1 Dan Evans told the BBC that staging the event was a “poor example to set.”
“Put it this way, I don’t think you should be having a players’ party and then dancing all over each other,” Evans said. "He should feel some responsibility in his event and how it’s transpired.”
In a separate incident, Serbian soccer club Red Star Belgrade said five of its players had tested positive for the virus.
The Serbian champions said Marko Gobeljic, Njegos Petrovic, Dusan Jovancic, Marko Konatar and Branko Jovicic are feeling fine and remain in isolation.
Four of the players have displayed symptoms of COVID-19 while one has shown no symptoms, Red Star said.
The five players did not attend the team’s last match on Saturday but where there when Red Star played Partizan Belgrade in the Serbian Cup semifinals this month in front of about 20,000 fans. There was no social distancing and few wore face masks.
There has also been an increase in virus cases among soccer players in other countries, notably Russia.
The virus outbreak at the tennis event in Zadar could hurt Croatia’s attempts to restart its lucrative tourist trade, which draws in visitors from around Europe but has slowed sharply during the pandemic. Tourism supplied a quarter of the Croatian government’s revenue last year.
Croatian Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said authorities have taken steps to protect the vulnerable groups in Zadar by stopping nursing home and hospital visits. He added that Croatia “currently has one of the most favorable situations in Europe” despite a spike in new cases that followed easing of lockdown measures. Croatia is scheduled to host a general election on July 5.
Neighboring Serbia held elections on Sunday. They were preceded by a loosening of lockdown measures, paving the way for the governing right-wing populist party to win a majority. It also made it possible for Djokovic to hold his first Adria Tour event in Serbia last week, and for Red Star to hold soccer games with packed, raucous crowds.
Djokovic’s decision to fly home to Serbia before being tested has also attracted scrutiny. Most other players at the Adria Tour stayed in Croatia for testing after Dimitrov’s positive test was announced and Sunday’s final between Djokovic and Andrey Rublev was called off.
The 2020 tennis season, like all sports, has been massively impacted by the pandemic. Wimbledon was originally supposed to start next week but has been canceled outright. The current plan is for Grand Slam tennis to return at the U.S. Open on Aug. 31, with a delayed French Open in September and October.
However, New York’s record as a city hit hard by the virus means some players were already skeptical. Top-ranked Ash Barty told The Associated Press this month she had “concerns” about going to the U.S. Open. Djokovic and Rafael Nadal also questioned restrictions on issues like players’ movements and their entourages.
“In planning for the resumption of the ATP Tour season from (Aug. 14), ATP and other stakeholders have made exhaustive plans to mitigate risks through a variety of precautions and protocols to be implemented at ATP events,” the tennis body said. “We continue to plan and adjust these precautions and protocols according to latest medical information and prioritize safety in assessing every decision.”
https://sports.yahoo.com/virus-cases-djokovics-event-put-sports-under-scrutiny-141320499--ten.html
Posted at 12:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
For weeks, Top Ten players led by Novak Djokovic played tennis matches on the Adria Tour in front of jam-packed crowds, hugged each other after match point, and partied until the early hours in sweaty nightclubs.
All of this would have been fine, pre-Covid-19 pandemic.
In the latest edition of The Tennis Podcast, Catherine Whitaker, David Law and Matt Roberts try to get their heads around those scenes, the positive Covid-19 results of Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and team members that followed, and the role Djokovic played in organising the events.
What were they thinking? Why did they observe no social distancing or preventative measures? Why did Djokovic leave Croatia for Serbia without taking a test, and without comment? And what does it mean for the sport’s intentions to return?
To listen to The Tennis Podcast - https://podfollow.com/the-tennis-podcast
https://sports.yahoo.com/tennis-podcast-just-novak-djokovic-074437516.html
Posted at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
BELGRADE (Reuters) - The debacle of the Adria Tour organised by world number one Novak Djokovic was the worst imaginable outcome as several participants tested positive for COVID-19 during and after the event, his brother Djordje said on Tuesday.
Djokovic, who took the coronavirus test on Monday after returning to Belgrade from the Croatia leg of the event, is expected to announce the result later on Tuesday.
"This was the worst possible scenario," the event's director Djordje Djokovic told Serbia's Prva Television.
"Novak was not obliged to take the test in Croatia as he had no symptoms. He took the test straight after his flight landed in Belgrade.
"Around 100 people were tested and I was hard-hit by news that some of them came back positive, especially my childhood friend Borna Coric. We wish all of them a speedy and painless recovery."
Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov pulled out of the tournament in Croatia's coastal resort of Zadar after feeling unwell following his match with Coric on Saturday.
He informed the organisers ahead of Sunday's final he had tested positive upon his return to his Monte Carlo residence, leading to the cancellation of the showdown between Djokovic and Russian Andrey Rublev.
Croatian Coric tested positive on Monday as did Serb Viktor Troicki, who did not take part in the Zadar leg of the Adria Tour but featured in the first leg staged at Novak Djokovic's tennis centre in Belgrade on June 13 and 14.
Djokovic's fitness coach Marco Panichi and Dimitrov's coach Christian Groh also tested positive.
Djordje Djokovic said he had made the decision to cancel the Zadar final in order to contain the damage.
"We wanted to protect every player and fan after learning that Dimitrov tested positive. It was a charity event and all we wanted was to play tennis and give the fans a good show," he said.
A sellout 4,000 crowd attended both days of the Belgrade event and as many turned up to watch the Zadar event, with its Visnjik tennis complex half-full after Croatia's authorities ordered spectators to implement social distancing.
The third leg which was due in Montenegro on June 27 and 28 was scrapped during the Belgrade event amid coronavirus concerns voiced by the Montenegrin government.
The final leg scheduled for Bosnia's city Banja Luka on July 3 and 4 is likely to be cancelled, although the tour's organisers are yet to confirm its fate.
https://sports.yahoo.com/covid-backlash-worst-scenario-says-101717136.html
Posted at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Statement from No. 1-ranked tennis player Novak Djokovic on Tuesday after he and his wife tested positive for the coronavirus:
___
The moment we arrived in Belgrade we went to be tested. My result is positive, just as Jelena’s, while the results of our children are negative.
Everything we did in the past month, we did with a pure heart and sincere intentions. Our tournament meant to unite and share a message of solidarity and compassion throughout the region.
The Tour has been designed to help both established and up and coming tennis players from South-Eastern Europe to gain access to some competitive tennis while the various tours are on hold due to the COVID-19 situation.
It was all born with a philanthropic idea, to direct all raised funds towards people in need and it warmed my heart to see how everybody strongly responded to this.
We organized the tournament at the moment when the virus has weakened, believing that the conditions for hosting the Tour had been met.
Unfortunately, this virus is still present, and it is a new reality that we are still learning to cope and live with.
I am hoping things will ease with time so we can all resume lives the way they were.
I am extremely sorry for each individual case of infection. I hope that it will not complicate anyone’s health situation and that everyone will be fine.
I will remain in self-isolation for the next 14 days, and repeat the test in five days.
https://sports.yahoo.com/djokovic-statement-testing-positive-coronavirus-124820940.html
Posted at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Paris (AFP) - From growing up with NATO bombs raining down on Serbia to securing his place amongst the Grand Slam greats, Novak Djokovic never fails to both divide and unite.
The 33-year-old world number one has seemingly everything he needs.
Seventeen Grand Slam titles is just three behind the all-time record of Roger Federer who is five years older.
He boasts $143 million in prize money alone.
Despite his achievements, however, Djokovic appears doomed never to be held in the same saintly esteem as Federer or Rafael Nadal, the undisputed 'people's champions' of tennis.
There are those that see something a little more calculating in the Djokovic make-up, an intense, brooding presence prone to affectation and fads and a little too 'new age' for most tastes.
Nick Kyrgios described the Serb's post-victory "cup of love" gesture as "cringeworthy".
Never short of an opinion, the Australian also accused Djokovic of desperately needing to be liked.
Kyrgios drove the knife in further this week when he branded Djokovic's ill-advised Adria Tour, which has seen the Serb test positive for coronavirus, as "bone-headed".
All had seemed set fair for Djokovic this year before the lockdown in March.
He had secured a record eighth Australian Open and was on an 18-0 winning streak.
But in the space of three months, his character and reputation have come crashing down.
First of all, he was criticised for breaking lockdown rules to train in Spain.
He then invited derision for insisting emotions can change the quality of water while almost simultaneously insisting that he would not be prepared to vaccinate against the coronavirus.
When he described limits on players' entourages at the US Open as "extreme" and "impossible", Djokovic found himself in the crosshairs again for being entitled in a world and sport trying to pull together.
His backing of the Adria Tour in Belgrade and then Croatia, which has seen a raft of players as well as his own wife test positive for the virus, is for many the final straw.
As president of the ATP Player Council, it is, for his critics, conduct unbecoming.
However, few can doubt Djokovic's resolve.
Two years ago, his career was in the doldrums.
- 'He has everything' -
Unable to shake off the lingering effects of elbow surgery, he suffered a shock early exit at 2018 Roland Garros.
With his ranking outside the top 20 for the first time in 12 years, Djokovic threatened to skip Wimbledon.
He changed his mind and with his career suddenly rejuvenated, he swept to a fourth title at the All England Club.
That was swiftly followed by more triumphs at the US and Australian Opens.
Only an inspired Dominic Thiem at the French Open in 2019 prevented him becoming just the second man in history to hold all four Slams at the same time on two occasions.
No matter, just weeks later, he captured a fifth Wimbledon in a record five-set final against Federer, saving two championship points in the process.
"Novak has everything to make records in this sport," said fellow player Juan Martin del Potro.
Djokovic captured the first of his 17 majors at the Australian Open in 2008, but it was three years before he added his second.
He dropped gluten from his diet, his lithe physique allowing him to chase down lost causes, transforming him into the rubber man of tennis.
After leading Serbia to a maiden Davis Cup in 2010, he raced through the first half of 2011, building up a 48-1 winning run.
Only a semi-final defeat at the French Open prevented him from becoming just the third man to capture a calendar Grand Slam.
Despite that, he still finished 2011 with a 70-6 win-loss record, a haul of 10 tournament victories and year-end number one for the first time.
Back-to-back Australian Opens followed in 2012 and 2013, although the French Open remained frustratingly out of reach with three heart-breaking losses until his 2016 breakthrough.
In Paris that year, he became the first player to break through the $100 million barrier in prize money.
The year before, he won 11 titles and compiled a win-loss record of 82-6.
Off court, Djokovic married long-time girlfriend and high school sweetheart Jelena Ristic in July 2014.
They have two children, a son Stefan and daughter Tara.
But on the court, his role as pantomime villain seems destined to leave him typecast.
"It doesn't mean that fans hate me and it certainly doesn't mean that I need to turn Serbia against the rest of the world just because fewer people support me in Grand Slam finals," he said.
When the All England Club crowd was noisily willing on Federer in last year's Wimbledon final, Djokovic turned the adversity in his favour.
"When they chanted 'Roger, Roger' I willed myself into believing they were chanting 'Novak, Novak'," he said.
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BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) - Top-ranked tennis player Novak Djokovic announced Tuesday he and his wife have COVID-19 after he played in a series of exhibition matches he organized in Serbia and Croatia with zero social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Raising questions about the full-fledged return of tennis, including the U.S. Open, planned for August, Djokovic - who stands third in the history of men's tennis with 17 Grand Slam titles - is the fourth player to test positive for the illness after participating in the matches held in Belgrade and Zadar, Croatia.
The others were three-time Grand Slam semifinalist Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki.
"Unfortunately, this virus is still present, and it is a new reality that we are still learning to cope and live with. I am hoping things will ease with time so we can all resume lives the way they were," Djokovic said in a statement released Tuesday. "I am extremely sorry for each individual case of infection. I hope that it will not complicate anyone's health situation and that everyone will be fine."
Djokovic has been in the news frequently in connection to the COVID-19 outbreak, which led to the suspension of the ATP and WTA professional tennis tours in March. Plans were announced last week for the sport's sanctioned events to return in August.
In April, he was criticized for saying he would not want to take a vaccine for the virus in order to be able to compete, even if it were mandatory for travel.
In May, when he was staying in Spain, Djokovic broke local lockdown rules by practicing at a tennis club about a week before it was allowed.
More recently, Djokovic complained about the U.S. Tennis Association's plans to try to protect people from the virus during the U.S. Open with such measures as limiting the size of players' entourages, going so far as to say he didn't know whether he would go to the tournament in New York.
The U.S. Open is scheduled to begin Aug. 31 without spectators, and the French Open - postponed from May - is supposed to start Sept. 27.
Djokovic found himself defending the lax arrangements of his Adria Tour exhibitions, which were meant to raise money to help those affected by the pandemic but where the stands were packed and players casually interacted with fans and each other off the court. Djokovic and other players were seen hugging each other and partying in night clubs and restaurants.
After Dimitrov said he tested positive over the weekend, the final of the competition in Croatia - in which Djokovic was supposed to play - was canceled. Next week's tour stop in Bosnia has been called off, too.
Croatia has 2,336 registered cases of the virus, with 107 deaths.
"It was all born with a philanthropic idea, to direct all raised funds towards people in need and it warmed my heart to see how everybody strongly responded to this," Djokovic said. "We organized the tournament at the moment when the virus has weakened, believing that the conditions for hosting the Tour had been met."
Djokovic, who is not showing symptoms of COVID-19, said he will remain in self-isolation for 14 days.
https://sports.yahoo.com/novak-djokovic-wife-test-positive-142536849.html
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Soderling defeating Nadal @ Roland Garros
OR
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When you stop and really think about it [ especially if one uses the sport of boxing as a template ]:
For the biggest pugilistic promotions, PPV dollars have always DWARFED live-gate dollars...for DECADES now.
I'm coming up empty in discerning a downside to tennis, in the near-term, adopting an all-PPV-zero-live financial model...