Tennisnowornever

“Grass is just for cows” that old quote that someone said once and people like me haven’t stopped using in articles since. Who was it again? Certainly wasn’t 8 time Wimbledon winner Roger Federer: that’s for sure! Okay, so I know it was Manuel Santana but one would be forgiven for mistaking the origin on someone like….Rafael Nadal? Now, I’m not saying that Nadal is bad on grass! Partially because I fear the backlash from the millions of Rafans worldwide but mainly because it would be unfair and simply untrue….however….. I think at this stage of his career even Rafa himself would be happy to admit that it is the surface he feels the least comfortable on. I mean, as uncomfortable as someone who has won it twice (one of which required him to beat the great Federer) could ever feel! But we must acknowledge that since that fateful 2012 Nadal on grass has been more woe than whoa. It all started with a Czech player by the name of Lukas Rosol who came from nowhere to upset Nadal i...

Mid-Season Roundup Yes folks, it really is over for another year! The summer festivities we know as Wimbledon reached completion yesterday and with this the tennis season reached its mid-point…..roughly. That’s the perfect excuse to take stock of the stories the two week fiesta brought us and discuss the answers and questions it gave the tennis world. So, in the next few days to wave off the grass courts I will be summarising what I thinks have been most interesting plots and I might even risk a few predictions along the way… As always, Wimbledon has raised as many questions as answers! Garbine Going Up? So we all know that Garbine Muguruza lifted the Wimbledon ladies singles trophy for the first time (and if you don’t then I’m surprised you’re reading this), but it wasn’t the result that most expected. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a shock victory! Especially as most pundits agreed that in the absence of Serena Williams there were around 15 different women that were i...

Lesson #3 No man (or woman) is a machine... This post is perhaps more personal to me than has been the case so far. Actually, I have a confession to make! So make a cup of tea, sit down and brace yourselves for a revelation….I am a Djokovic fan. I know, it’s not the hot thing to be right now but don’t try to save me friends: my appreciation of the Djoker already runs way too deep. Seriously though, it’s not exactly news to any follower of the ATP tour (fan of Djokovic or not) that his form has taken somewhat of a nose dive in the last 12 months. It all started at Wimbledon 2016 when he crashed out of the 3 rd round to the ‘blind squirrel that found a nut’- Sam Querry- in 4 sets (don’t look at me like that! That’s the words of Querry’s own coach, not mine!!). But, realistically, for a man who had just conquered the pinnacles of the sport by holding all 4 slams at once (something not even Federer and Nadal have managed to date) it was not initially that concerning to most. Ho...

Lesson #2 The changing of the guard is coming…..But it’s not here yet!! If you read my last blog post ‘5 things we learned from the French Open: Lesson 1’, then you will know that the French Open 2017 taught us that the next gen are on their way as they gain confidence and slowly chalk up wins against the big 4. In particular, Dominic Thiem looks like a strong charge who could have a fruitful clay career awaiting him. However, it’s easy to fall into a trap of overpraise for younger players when they do succeed when, in reality, they lack the consistency necessary to rule the game. Let us stick with Thiem for a moment: in 2016 at the ATP World Tour finals Dominic was able to take the first set from Novak Djokovic in their round robin match but went on to be relatively easily dispatched in the two sets that followed. Sure Djokovic raised his level, but anyone watching would probably have agreed that Dominic’s reaction to taking the first set resembled one of panic at finding him...

There’s that feeling again: the morning after. You are missing him already… Before you conclude that I must have had a very interesting booze fuelled night out, and am now dealing with the inevitable hangover of the soul that too often accompanies while you painstakingly overanalyse every detail and wonder whether you should call the number he gave to you (I mean, he was soooo dreamy, right?), I will set you straight. I didn’t and I’m not! *guilty face* But seriously, I refer to that feeling that every true tennis fan knows oh so well: it is the morning after effect. Roland Garros 2017 is finished. Mourn all you like people….it’s done… forever! Who are you missing? John Inverdale obviously! Now who is going to greet you excitedly every morning with promise of a whole days’ worth of incredible shot making and drama? (For any non UK readers wondering who John Inverdale is…don’t bother). Okay so considering that the French Open tournament will of course be back next year and that t...