WTA Council Member Sloane Stephens Says Wimbledon Points Ban Was The Right Thing To Do - UBITENNIS
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WTA Council Member Sloane Stephens Says Wimbledon Points Ban Was The Right Thing To Do

Following her opening win at the French Open, Stephens suggested that ‘a lot of things happened behind the scenes’ leading up to the decision.

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2 years ago

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image via https://twitter.com/WTA_insider/

On day one of the French Open there was a common theme in the questions players were asked in their press conferences and ironically, it had nothing to do with the Grand Slam.

 

Just two days before the start of the sport’s most prestigious clay court event, three governing bodies of tennis confirmed that they will not award ranking points at Wimbledon this year for the first time in the Open Era. The move was sparked by The All England Club’s decision to ban Russian and Belarussian players from participating due to the devastating Ukrainian war which has killed thousands.

From the viewpoint of Wimbledon, letting those players participate risked fuelling Russia’s propaganda regime and their move was made partly in line with advice from the UK government. On the other hand, critics argue that it is unethical to ban a player from the sport purely due to their nationality. A potential compromise was considered where those players could play if they signed a form condemning the actions of their regimes but it was decided against due to welfare concerns.

Former US Open champion Sloane Stephens has been keeping an eye on these developments. She is a member of the WTA council which acts on behalf of their peers and represents the views of players to the board.

“I think the decision that was taken was the correct one. I think that there is a lot of things that happened behind the scenes that the press are not aware of, and I think there has been a lot of mishandling of how everything was handled,” she said following her first round win over Jule Niemeier at Roland Garros.
“I support our CEO, I support my council, I support the players. The decision that’s been taken obviously wasn’t taken lightly. I think when you are backed into a corner and that’s all you can do, I think that’s why the decision was made, and I support it.”

Stephens’ suggestion that there has been more than meets the eye going on concerning Wimbledon is one full of intrigue. Naturally, she was pressed further about what she meant. However, the American simply replied ‘snitches get stitches’ with a smile.

“I think a lot of players and people around were misinformed about what was happening and what was actually taking place in the weeks prior to a final decision being made,” she continued.
“I think that’s a tad bit unfair, but it’s the world we live in. We live in social media. We live in people talking and tweeting and all this stuff. So it is what it is, but I think the decision that was made was the best one for the tour and for the players.”

Although not everybody is happy with the points ban. Marton Fucsovics, who reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals last year, says he will fall out of the top 100 due to not being able to defend any points. Another player who may suffer is 2021 women’s runner-up Karolina Pliskova.

“I wish she could defend those points, but I think when you look at the principles and what our tour stands for, discrimination will never be tolerated,” Stephens commented on Pliskova’s situation.
“That’s exactly what’s happening. As long as that’s in play, there is no points, there is no points, but we are not going to pick and choose when that works.”
You have to stand behind your principles and what the tour stands for, and we are one, right? Whatever goes, that’s what goes, and I’m sure Kaja will get back those points, she’s a great player, as will other people.”

Stephens will play Romania’s Sorana Cirstea in the second round of the French Open.

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Luca Van Assche rallies from two sets to one down to beat Alex Michelsen

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4 hours ago

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30/11/2023

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Luca Van Assche came back from two sets to one down to defeat Alex Michelsen 4-3 (7-0) 3-4 (4-7) 3-4 (4-7) 4-1 4-3 (8-6) in 2 hours and 36 minutes at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah in the second longest match in the history of this tournament. 

 

Van Assche and Michelsen went on serve in the first three sets. Both players saved all five break points they faced in the first three sets. 

There were three consecutive breaks in the fourth set. Van Assche earned two of them and served out the set at love in the fifth game. 

Both players traded breaks in the fifth and sixth games of the fifth set. Van Assche earned a chance to serve for the match, but Michelsen pulled back on serve to force a tie-break. 

Van Assche built a 3-0 in the tie-break with an early mini-break. Michelsen saved two match points to draw level to 6-6. Van Assche sealed the win with another mini-break on the second match point. 

“He was playing very well the whole match. It was really close. Not a lot of breaks and it was difficult for me but I am very happy”, said Van Assche. 

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Arthur Fils beats Dominic Stricker to end Green Group unbeaten

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7 hours ago

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30/11/2023

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Arthur Fils battled past Dominic Stricker 4-2 3-4 (3-7) 4-2 4-3 (7-5) after 1 hour and 47 minutes in the final round-robin match to end the Green Group unbeaten with a 3-0 record at the Next Gen ATP Finals. 

 

Stricker knew that he would advance to the semifinals if he won just one set. The Swiss player won the set he needed against the already qualified Fils to secure his spot in the semifinal despite the defeat. 

Stricker saved a break point on the deciding point in the third game of the fourth set. Fils earned the break in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead and served out on his second set point. 

Stricker held serve at love in the first game of the fourth set. The Swiss player broke serve on the deciding point to open up a 2-0 lead. Fils broke straight back in the third game and held serve at 15 to draw level to 2-2. Fils earned three mini-breaks, but Stricker pulled back on serve each time. Fils sealed the tie-break 7-5 on his second match point. 

Stricker beat Fils 7-6 7-6 in Gstaad in their only previous head-to-head match last summer. 

Fils saved two break points in the first game to hold serve. Stricker fended off a break point in the fourth game on the deciding point to draw level to 2-2. Fils earned his first break on his third set point with a forehand return winner in the sixth game to clinch the first set 4-2. 

Stricker saved the only break point of the second set in the fourth game. Both players held on their serve en route to the tie-break. Stricker won six consecutive points from 0-1 down with two mini-breaks to win the tie-break 7-3. 

Fils won his first title in Lyon and reached the final in Antwerp

“I knew before the match that I qualified, but I just want to win every match that I am playing. I think I put a little bit more focus out there out there today than the first two days because I know this opponent and he already beat me this year. It was a tough match but I am really happy to win and let’s see who I get in the semifinal”, said Fils in the post- match interview. 

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Luca Nardi beats Flavio Cobolli but it’s not enough to advance to the semifinals at the Next Gen Finals

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9 hours ago

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30/11/2023

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World number 115 Luca Nardi overcame Flavio Cobolli in an Italian match 3-4 (4-7) 4-2 4-3 (7-1) 1-4 4-3 (7-3) in 2 hours and 14 minutes in the final round robin match of Green Group at the Next Gen Finals at King Abdullah Sports Club in Jeddah. 

 

The win was not enough to earn a semifinal spot for Nardi. Arthur Fils is the first player to qualify for the knock-out stage. The top seeded Frenchman will face Dominic Stricker later today. Stricker needs to win just one set to reach the semifinals. 

Both players went on serve in the first set en route to the tie-break. Cobolli earned two mini-breaks to win the tie-break 7-4. 

Nardi saved two break points in the third game of the second set to take a 2-1 lead. The world number 115 broke serve in the sixth game to close out the second set 4-2. 

Cobolli converted his second break point in the first game of the third set. Nardi pulled back on serve in the sixth game to draw level to 3-3. Nardi opened up a 3-0 lead with two mini-breaks. Cobolli pulled one of the two mini-breaks back for 1-3. Nardi won the final four points with two mini-breaks to claim the tie-break 7-1. 

Nardi clutched his groin when he was serving at 0-1 in the fourth set and called a medical time-out at 0-3. Cobolli earned a break in the second game to close out the fourth set 4-1. 

Cobolli saved two break points to hold serve in the second game. Nardi fended off two break points in the fifth game. Both players held on serve en route to the tie-break. Nardi earned his first mini-break with a backhand flick from out wide to take a 2-1 lead. Cobolli pulled the mini-break back to draw level to 2-2. Nardi closed out the match with a return down the line winner.   

Nardi hit 27 winners to 12 unforced errors. 

“I am happy with the win. Even if I did not qualify, I think today was the best match I played out of the three. I am a bit sad I did not qualify, but I did not want to leave Jeddah without a win. I kept fighting today and I am happy”, said Nardi. 

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