Amelie Mauresmo Fears 2020 Season Is Over, But Becker Disagrees - UBITENNIS
Connect with us

Latest news

Amelie Mauresmo Fears 2020 Season Is Over, But Becker Disagrees

Two former world No.1 disagree on what will happen to the sport this year, but what is the current stance of the governing bodies?

Published

on

Former world No.1 Amelie Mauresmo has said she is doubtful that there will be any more competitive tennis played this year due to the covid-19 pandemic.

Both the ATP and WTA tours are currently suspended until June 8th due to the deadly virus. According to the John Hopkins University there has been an estimated 800,000 cases of Coronavirus globally that has killed over 37,500 people. The disease is particularly dangerous to the elderly and those with pre-existing medical problems.

In light of the epidemic, it is likely that the Wimbledon Championships will be officially cancelled later this week following a series of emergency meetings. Making it the first time the grand slam has been scrapped in peace time. Wimbledon wasn’t played 10 times during the first and second World Wars. It is expected that a decision concerning a potential extension of the tour suspension will be made after the announcement.

Weighing in on the situation, two-time grand slam champion Mauresmo believes officials could be soon forced to cancel the entire season. Echoing similar comments that were previously made by Craig Tiley, who is the chief of Tennis Australia.

“I think that we are going to have to draw a line under the 2020 tennis season.” Said Mauresmo.
“The international circuit = male and female players of all nationalities including their coaching staff, spectators and people from all over the world who bring these events to life.
“No vaccine = no tennis,’ she added.

Due to the unpredictability of the epidemic, it is unclear as to when life around the world will return to normal. However, not everybody is thinking the worst when it comes to tennis this year. German legend Boris Becker has called for an end to what he describes as ‘doom and gloom.’

“We should stop with all this doom and gloom — of course tennis will be played this year,” he tweeted in a reply to an article concerning Mauresmo comments.

Looking beyond Wimbledon, two grand slam tournaments are still hoping to take place this season. The US Open is scheduled to get underway on August 24th in New York. Although the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, which hosts the tournament, has been turned into a 350-bed hospital to help New York cope with the Covid-19 outbreak. Meanwhile, the French Open is optimistically intending to play their event the week after the US Open concludes.

What are the governing bodies saying?

In regards to planning for the future of the tennis season, the women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has shed some light on their potential plans. In a statement sent to Reuters News Agency on Tuesday, they are pondering the possibility of extending the calendar beyond the first week of November. Allowing more tournaments to be played and therefore more players can earn money.

“The WTA is diligently working with our tournaments to maximize earning possibilities when the professional tennis circuit is able to resume and is considering an extension to the current 44-week season to enable more tournaments to take place,” the WTA statement reads.
“It is our sincere hope to return to the court as soon as possible – when the health and safety or our players, fans and staffs can be guaranteed, we will be back competing.”

It is likely the male equivalent, the ATP, is considering similar approaches. Although they have yet to publicly comment on their potential plans. ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi admitted on March 24th that it is unknown as to when the tour will be able to resume.

“This is bigger than any sport. The current situation raises many questions which we empathize with greatly, and we are working hard on evaluating all options.” He said.
“Our ability to address any supportive measures will be best guided once we know the duration of the crisis and when the Tour will resume, which remains unknown at this time.“

Finally, the International Tennis Federation is also pondering what their next move will be. The ITF is responsible for the Olympic tennis event, as well as both the Davis Cup and Fed Cup. Later this year Madrid, which has been severely hit by Covid-19 cases, is set to hold the 18-team Davis Cup Finals. Although ticket sales for the event has been halted with a release date yet to be confirmed.

“Due to the current global situation caused by the impact of Covid-19 it is yet to be determined when tickets for the 2020 Finals will go on sale.” Officials said in a statement obtained by the Guardian.

There are also questions concerning how future decisions will be made. The suspension of play saw a joint-statement from the ATP and WTA. A rare glimmer of unity in a sport split up by various governing bodies with their own interests. Although the head of the WTA, Steve Simon, insists that all the relevant bodies are working together on a regular basis.

“It’s very important right now for our sport to be working together. We are in contact on a daily basis with the ATP, as well as the ITF and grand slams. I think the sport is working very well together. There are obviously, when you go through these things, blips in the script.” Simon told The Tennis Channel.

Both the men’s and women’s rankings have been frozen until play resumes.

Latest news

Danil Medvedev could meet Jannik Sinner in the semifinal at the Miami Open

Published

on

The Miami Open Main Draw ceremony was held on Monday afternoon. 

Danil Medvedev could face Jannik Sinner in the semifinal of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami in a possible re-match of this year’s Australian Open. Both Medvedev and Sinner have been placed in the bottom half of the draw. 

Medvedev is aiming to win the same tournament twice for the first time. The Russian player beat Sinner in the final of last year’s Miami Open. 

Medvedev will start his campaign against either Max Purcell or Marton Fucsovics in the second round. Medvedev could face either Ugo Humbert or Sebastian Baez in a potential fourth round clash. Humbert won two titles in Marseille and Dubai this year. Baez also claimed two trophies in Santiago and Rio de Janeiro this year. 

Medvedev is projected to face either 2022 Miami finalist Casper Ruud or Taylor Fritz in the quarter final. 

Jannik Sinner will take on either Pedro Cachin or a qualifier. The 22-year-old Italian player could face a fourth round match Tommy Paul, who lost to Medvedev in the semifinal of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. 

Sinner is seeded to play against either Hubert Hurkacz or Andrey Rublev. Hurkacz beat Sinner in the Miami Open final in 2021. Stefanos Tsitsipas and Frances Tiafoe are the other players who have been drawn in this quarter. This section of the draw also feature two blockbuster first round matches: Andy Murray vs Matteo Berrettini and Arthur Fils vs Matteo Arnaldi. 

Carlos Alcaraz is aiming to become the first player to complete the “Sunshine Double” since Roger Federer in 2017. Alcaraz beat Sinner in the semifinal and Medvedev in the final at last week’s Indian Wells Masters 1000 tournament. Top seed Alcaraz has been drawn on the opposite side from number 3 Danil Medvedev. 

As both Sinner and Medvedev are in the bottom half and could go head-to-head in the semifinal if they reach this stage, Alcaraz can face only one of those two rivals. 

Alcaraz will face either Alexander Vukic or Roberto Carballes Baena in the second round. The Spaniard could face a blockbuster fourth round match against Ben Shelton, who is the second best US player in the ATP Ranking behind Taylor Fritz. Alcaraz beat Shelton in their only head-to-head match in Toronto last year. Shelton was beaten by Sinner 7-6 6-1 in Indian Wells last week. The US player will face either Los Cabos champion Jordan Thompson or Nino Borges, who beat Matteo Berrettini in the final of the Challenger Tour in Phoenix last week. 

Alcaraz is projected to face a semifinal clash against 2021 Olympic champion Alexander Zverev. 

Zverev, who reached the final in Miami in 2018, will face Felix Auger Aliassime or a qualifier. Zverev’s section of the draw features Holger Rune, two-time Acapulco champion Alex De Minaur, this year’s Doha champion Karen Khachanov, Indian Wells quarter finalist Jiri lehecka, Francisco Cerundolo, who reached the semifinal in 2022 and the quarter final in 2023 in his past two editions of the Miami Open, and unseeded players Kei Nishikori, Lorenzo Sonego and Fabian Maroszan. 

Nishikori, who reached the Miami Open final in 2016, will play his come-back match against Sebastian Ofner. The Japanese player has not played since the Atlanta Open last July due to injury. 

Continue Reading

Latest news

Nuno Borges beats Matteo Berrettini to win his second consecutive title at the Arizona Classic in Phoenix

Published

on

Nuno Borges battled past 2021 Wimbledon champion Matteo Berrettini 7-5 7-6 (7-4) to win his second consecutive title at the Arizona Classic in Phoenix, an ATP Challenger Tour 175 title. 

Borges won 78% of his first serve points in the final and sealed the win on his third match point. 

Berrettini earned an early break to open up a 2-0 lead. Borges broke back at love in the eighth game to draw level to 4-4. Borges saved a break point in the ninth game before breaking serve to 30 in the 12th game to seal the first set 7-5.  

Borges broke serve in the eighth game to take a 5-3 lead in the eighth game with a double fault from Berrettini earning his chance to serve for the match. Berrettini broke straight back for 4-5 and saved a match point in the 11th game. 

Berrettini did not convert two break points in the 11th game. The Italian player saved a match point with a service winner. Berrettini went up a 3-0 lead, but Borges won seven of the next eight points and sealed the win on his third match point, as Berrettini hit his forehand into the net. 

“I could not believe it. I still can’t believe it. It’s an amazing week. I started the week with not the greatest practices. I was not feeling my best. Then I started getting confidence throughout the tournament with the matches and really just impressed myself with how I dealt with all the adversity. One night finishing past midnight. Just stayed really hungry, motivated and pushed myself. I stayed really hungry, motivated and pushed myself. I stayed positive all throughout and all the hard work I put in the week. I am just surprised and happy I am able to celebrate another title here. I am cloud nine”, said Borges. 

Berrettini who was making his come-back following a six-match injury line-off. 

“I thank all fans, who came to support me. It was a crazy week. I did not achieve the result that I would have wanted, but I am happy that I have come back. It was a very tough match. Nuno Borges is playing well. He deserved the win”, said Berrettini. 

Continue Reading

Latest news

Iga Swiatek is aiming to complete the Sunshine Double for the second time in her career

Published

on

The Main Draw of the 2024 Miami Open was unveiled on Sunday. The singles draw features 96 players and the top 32 seeds receive first-round byes. The Miami Open will be held at the Hard Rock Stadium from 19 to 31 March. 

World number 1 Iga Swiatek is aiming to become the second player to complete the Sunshine Double twice after beating Maria Sakkari 6-4 6-0 in the Indian Wells final on Sunday. Swiatek won Indian Wells and Miami back-to-back sweeping the Sunshine Double. Stefanie Graf was the other player, who was able to win the Sunshine Double twice in 1994 and 1996. 

Swiatek won two WTA 1000 titles in Doha and Indian Wells this year and holds a 20-2 record this year. The Polish player won her second Indian Wells trophy without dropping a set in the whole tournament against Danielle Collins in the Round of 64, Linda Noskova in the Round of 32, Yulia Putintseva in the Round of 16, Caroline Wozniacki in the quarter finals, Marta Kostyuk in the semifinal and Maria Sakkari in the final. 

Swiatek will make her debut at the Miami Open against either Magdalena Frech or Camila Giorgi in the second round. The Polish could face Czech rising star Linda Noskova in the third round for the second consecutive Sunshine Double tournament. Noskova beat Swiatek in the third round at the Australian Open. Swiatek avenged his defeat by beating Noskova in Indian Wells. 

Swiatek could meet world number 14 Ekaterina Alexandrova in the fourth round. Alexandrova has been drawn in a tough section which includes Karolina Pliskova, Donna Vekic, Anastasya Pavlyuchenkova and Czech teenager Linda Fruhuvirtova. Pliskova will take on Vekic in the opening round. Pliskova made her successful come-back by winning her first title since 2020 in Cluj Napoca. 

Swiatek is projected to face a potential quarter final match against Jessica Pegula, who won the doubles title with Coco Gauff and reached the semifinal in the singles tournament at last year’s edition of the Miami Open. Pegula started the 2024 season with a win-loss record of 5-3 and is still chasing her first final this year. 

Pegula could meet Leylah Fernandez in the third round and either Jasmine Paolini or Emma Navarro in the fourth round. Paolini won her first WTA 1000 title in Dubai and reached the Round of 16 at last January’s Australian Open. Navarro won in Hobart, reached the semifinals in Auckland and in San Diego and lost to eventual finalist Maria Sakkari in Indian Wells this year.  Navarro will face either Martina Trevisan or a qualifier. 

Coco Gauff leads the second quarter of the draw. The 20-year-old US player will start her campaign against either Ashlyn Krueger or a qualifier and could meet this year’s Indian Wells semifinalist Marta Kostyuk and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in the round of 16. Gauff won her first Grand Slam at the 2023 US Open and reached the semifinal at last year’s Australian Open. Gauff lost to eventual finalist Maria Sakkari in the Indian Wells semifinal last week.

Osaka will open her campaign against Elisabetta Cocciaretto, who won the WTA 125 in Charleston last week. The Japanese player could play against 16th seed Elina Svitolina in the second round and Caroline Garcia in the third round. Osaka leads 2-1 in her career head-to-head matches against Garcia and have drawn 1-1 this year. Garcia beat Osaka 6-4 7-6 (7-2) at the 2024 Australian Open, but the Japanese player avenged this defeat by defeating her French rival at the Qatar Open in Doha.

Sixth seed Ons Jabeur and Daria Kasatkina are the top 10 seeds in the second quarter. 

Jabeur could face either Indian Wells Anastasia Potapova or former Australian Open finalist Danielle Collins, and either 10th seed Daria Kasatkina or Sorana Cirstea. 

This section of the draw features a first round match against former Grand Slam champions 2018 Miami Open champion Sloane Stephens and Angelique Kerber. Stephens leads 5-2 in her seven head-to-head matches against Kerber. 

Elena Rybakina leads the line-up in the third quarter. The 2023 Indian Wells champion was not able to defend her title last week due to illness. The Kazah player will face either Caroline Dolehide or a qualifier in the first round. The 2022 Wimbledon champion could meet Elise Mertens in the third round and Veronika Kudemertova or Madison Keys in the round of 16. Wild card Venus Williams, who won the Miami Open for the first time in 1998, will take on this year’s Thailand Open champion and last week’s Charleston finalist Diana Schnaider in the first round. The winner of this match will face Keys in the second round.  

Maria Sakkari from Greece has been drawn at the other end of this quarter. Sakkari, who lost the Indian Wells final against Swiatek last Sunday, will face Yue Yuan (winner at the Atlanta Open and Indian Wells quarter finalist) or Anna Blinkova, who won the longest tie-break in a Grand Slam tournament against Rybakina at last January’s Australian Open. Sakkari is projected to face this year’s Australian Open semifinalist Dayana Yastremska in the third round and this year’s Dubai WTA 1000 finalist Anna Kalinskaya. 

Emma Raducanu, who won the US Open title in 2021, will take on China’s Xiyu Wang in the first round. The winner of this match will face Kalinskaya. 

Number 2 seed and two-time Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka will face the winner of the first round match between former number 2 Paula Badosa (winner at Indian Wells in 2021) and former world number 1 Simona Halep, who is playing her first tournament since the 2022 US Open. Halep leads 2-0 in her head-to-head matches against Badosa and never dropped more than three games in a set. 

If Sabalenka beats the winner of the match between Halep and Badosa, she could face Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina. The Ukrainian player could meet either Caroline Wozniaki or France’s Clara Burel. 

Sabalenka is projected to face a fourth round match between either Liudmila Samsonova or Barbora Krejcikova and Qinwen Zheng in the quarter final, which could be a re-match of this year’s Australian Open. Zheng could face former world 1 Victoria Azarenka in the third round and Beatriz Haddad Maia and Katie Boulter in the round of 16. 

Petra Kvitova, who beat Rybakina in last year’s final of the Miami Open, will miss this year’s decision because she in a maternity leave. 

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending