ATP
Not all right on the night
THE scheduling for the French Open night games is once again under the spotlight – for the lack of a women’s match in the peak viewing slot.
There have been women’s matches, but not top of the bill. Why?
Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo explained that this time slot was reserved for the best match of the day – and the match that gets the bigger audience at Roland Garros is a men’s match.
Take a glance around the stands during the matches – the proof is there.
Some may argue, and rightly so, that there is a need to promote women’s matches.
And one journalist has called it out on social media.
“This year so far, none of the six nights will have had women’s matches scheduled. Tomorrow night [June 3], Zverev vs. Tiafoe. No Swiatek, Jabeur or Gauff vs. Andreeva.”
But let’s look deeper – as this is not a sexist issue.
Swiatek has made it clear that she doesn’t want to play night matches.
Last year Mauresmo apologised for saying women’s tennis did not have the same ‘appeal’.
But she is right – commercial reasons prove that – bums on seats in the arena and lower TV ratings.
And while we are in Paris, what is it with all this booing?
TUNISIAN Ons Jabeur was booed after she beat home star Oceane Dodin in round two at Roland Garros.
She admitted afterwards that the fans at Roland-Garros are “difficult” and didn’t enjoy being booed during the match.
“The French crowd is a bit difficult, I would say,” she said after the match. “I don’t like it when they boo, but that’s part of the game.
“They want French players to win. In the other countries, although I hit a good shot, they appreciate not necessarily here. They prefer me to miss, but it’s part of the game.”
Booing at a Grand Slam? To borrow from another sport … it’s just not tennis.
ANOTHER to be booed was American Taylor Fritz, jeered by fans after he beat Arthur Rinderknech 2-6 6-4 6-3 6-4.
Fritz celebrated his win by placing his finger to his lips as fans booed him.
“The crowd was just so great that I had to let it fire me up. They cheered so well for me, I wanted to make sure I won. Thanks guys,” the American said sarcastically in his on-court interview.
AND…. What was this all about…?
Video footage has emerged of a photographer being dragged out of the arena during Carlos Alcaraz’s match with Denis Shapovalov.
A clip by Eurosport Polska shows the four members of security dragging the journalist out of the arena. The reasons for his rejection are as of now uncertain.
BELARUSIAN World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka opted to skip a press conference after her win over Kamilla Rakhimova during the week, citing safety reasons.
Some have likened the boycott to that of former former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka, who had a history of skipping press conferences, claiming a variety of reasons, including mental health, while simultaneously posting on her social media channels promoting sponsors.
But Sabalenka’s is more likely because of the ongoing issues between her and Ukrainian players.
“For my own mental health and well-being, I decided to take myself out of this situation today, and the tournament has supported me in this. On Wednesday I didn’t feel safe in press conference,“ she said.
Didn’t feel safe from what?
Journalists doing their job and asking her about her homeland’s support of Russia in its invasion of another sovereign country.
WITH Tennis participation in the US apparently surging, the USTA announced last week its marketing campaign for the 2023 US Open will be led by someone called ‘Cookie’.
Who? You may well ask. And GST asked a couple of savvy younger generation – answer: who?
The USTA’s creative agency, Dentsu Creative, wants to connect with younger potential fans.
New Jersey-native Cookie Kawaii (real name Vanice Palmer) has had a couple of Twitter hits with ‘Vibe’ and ‘Violin’ and according to USTA’s marketing guru, Nicole Kankam, “is a unique talent with a distinctive voice that we think can further connect with new fans as the future of tennis shines bright under the spotlight of the US Open.”
‘Violin’ a rap song, has apparently been streamed 40 million times.
The US Open will begin Monday, August 28 and end on Sunday, September 10.
NO great shock that Daniil Medvedev was dumped out of the French Open last week in the first round – although by a rank outsider might have been more of an eye-opener.
No. 172-ranked Thiago Seyboth Wild, a 23-year-old Brazilian virtual unknown, overcame cramps before dominating the back end of the match.
“It definitely was the happiest day of my life,” Seyboth Wild said after the match.
“I knew it was going to be a tough match, but I knew how to play. I have watched him play 1,000 times already. I just had to believe in myself.”
BUT did you know that in 2021, Seyboth Wild faced a lawsuit filed by his ex-girlfriend Thayane Lima and was investigated by police in Rio de Janeiro over allegations of mental and physical abuse.
He denied the allegations, describing them as “fabricated and vengeful claims”.
And Medvedev? He has always struggled on clay and has shown distaste for the surface over a number of years.
BIANCA Andreescu has tapped into a new source to get her back to winning ways on court: her Romanian grandmother.
“I started thinking about my grandmother because she’s getting old, and I’m very close to her. She said – in Romanian, she doesn’t speak English – ‘Bianca, I really want to watch you win another major’,” Andreescu said in Paris on Tuesday, after beating Victoria Azarenka.
And having her grandmother close helps Andreescu realise that success on the tennis court is worth fighting for.
“The last few weeks haven’t been easy for me, just like recovering from my injury and all that stuff,” she said.
“I’m still not 100 per cent. I still get pain here and there. I just have to push through it and not think that it’s bad pain.
“My fighting spirit is back, so that feels nice.”
Photo: Roger Parker International Sports Fotos Ltd
AMERICAN Jessica Pegula has revealed she got food poisoning shortly after arriving in Paris and said she was “a zombie for two days.”
Pegula arrived in the French capital on Tuesday went to a restaurant for a meal.
“I don’t know exactly what did the damage,” she told the BBC.
“I had escargots (snails) – I love escargots – but everyone else in my group had them. I also had salmon so maybe it was a bad piece of fish.
“I was throwing up for the whole night and I couldn’t sleep much. I didn’t practise on Wednesday, I practised on Thursday – but it was not pretty.
“I could barely do anything. I was getting a lot of nausea and acid reflux, I wasn’t eating.
“I was afraid to eat anything. I didn’t have an appetite. It lingered for four or five days but I wasn’t able to just sit in bed, I had a bunch of stuff to do.”
CAM Norrie should think himself lucky there are no video replays in tennis – or he would be playing well into the early hours, if the delays annoying soccer fans are any indication.
Norrie called for replays to be used in tennis after a umpiring controversy in his second-round victory over Lucas Pouille at the French Open.
Umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore failed to spot a double bounce at a key moment in the third set of Norrie’s 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 win.
Both men said afterwards a video replay might have resolved the issue – albeit that soccer overtime now often extends games for lengthy periods while referees still debate a ruling with their VAR system that also still got it wrong.
AND finally … Rafa Nadal pumps his fist after undergoing minor surgery for a psoas muscle injury in a Barcelona hospital.
The what muscle?
The psoas muscle is one of a number of muscles that overlie the vertebral column in your back.
Alexander Zverev on Thursday made a long-sought after return to the Shanghai Masters semi-finals, booking his first final four at the event since 2019, defeating Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-4.
The 2027 year-end No. 1 last got this far as the Covid pandemic began to surface in China in 2019. The event was not played 2020-2022, with the German making modest progress here over the past three editions since resumption.
After winning his 62nd match of the season, the 29-year-old was pleased with his performance.
“I think it was a huge step up. From just being on the court I felt both of us were playing really well.
“I was, a lot of the time, outhitting Alex, which is difficult to do from the baseline because he is so fast and he loves this kind of court speed here.
“I felt good and I’m happy with the step up from the past couple of matches.”
Zverev advanced in 78 minutes, sending over 10 aces as he defeated the Australian for the ninth time in their 13 matches.
Added the reigning Roland Garros and Flushing Meadows Grand Slam champion: “I’ve been handling pressure quite okay this year. In a way you play a bit more relaxed.
“Once Jannik (SInner) unfortunately announced he won’t play for the rest of the year, I’m 4,000 points ahead of everyone else, so I trust myself enough that I’m going to win [enough matches].
Zverev will play for the final to wrap up the Asian swing as he takes on Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who advanced when Arthur Gea quit their quarter-final with injury.
Alexander Zverev marked his new status as sure-thing year-end No. 1 by reaching the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters on Tuesday by posting a fighting 7-6 (6), 4-6, 7-6 (1) victory over Alexander Bublik..
The 29-year-old German whose two Grand Slam titles this season and the absence of injured Jannik Sinner helped him into the top spot for the first time, needed to save four early set points and deal with an ank;e issue on his journey into the last eight.
Zverev moved through in just under two and three-quarter hours to set up a match with last week’s Beijing finalist Alex de Minaur, The Australian booked his spot over Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-4.
Zverev will be playing in his 40th quarter-final in a Masters 1000 and is on the hunt for an eighth trophy this season.
He said his ankle was giving problems – but not enough to affect the match outcome.”It was kind of understandable because I have been playing a lot of tennis, which is kind of a good sign because I have been playing well.
“I’m starting to feel my body more and more but happy to get through. It was a difficult match because he has been playing amazing tennis,” he said after coming from a break down in the deciding set.
De Minaur has bounced back nicely in Shanghai after quitting the Tokyo final against Carlos Alcaraz with an adductor muscle injury.
Stefanos Tsitsipas willed himself to a 401st Tour win on Monday, with the Greek advancing to the Shanghai Masters 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, over world No. 12 Taylor Fritz to reach the fourth round.
The win leaves the Greek with a 5-2 record against the American in a series dating back nine years.
The cerebral Tsitsipas credited the victory to some simple mental gymnastics.
“I was manifesting today’s match and trying to put myself in a victorious situation,” he said.
“I’ve always had big fights against him. Some of my biggest matches were played facing him on the other side of the court. I had to up my level.
“Once I started doing that, a lot of doors were open and I was really able to unleash my biggest potential out there.”
The match ended on an unusual note as the ball twice fell from the pocket of Fritz, causing each of the points in question to be replayed.
Tsitsipas missed on three match points in the mistake-marred game but secured the fightback victory a game later after two and a quarter hours.
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