ATP
Welcome to the Last Eight Club

MAYBE it should be called the Quarters Club, because the Last Eight Club in SW19 is a little known corner of Wimbledon where those who have made it to the quarter-finals at a Wimbledon championship can gather once the dust has settled.
To get membership of this club, situated in a building that was once the All England boardroom, a player needs to have reached the singles quarter-finals or the doubles semi-finals or the mixed doubles final.

And at 6pm every day during Wimbledon fortnight members gather for Happy Hour to reminisce.
American Christopher Eubanks became the latest member last week.
There are currently 603 eligible members – although it is not known how many actually do turn up.
The club has a daily ticket allocation to the main courts, although a ballot runs for the big matches.

Feaver reached the fourth round at Wimbledon as a singles player win 1973, and reached 10 doubles finals around the world in a career that saw him hold the record for serving the most aces in a single Wimbledon match – 42 – against Australian John Newcombe.
And he played Wimbledon for 13 consecutive years.

Another Aussie, 90 year-old Australian Neale Fraser, was the oldest visitor in 2023.
When he won Wimbledon in 1960 he received a £15 voucher to be spent at a London sports store for his efforts.
How times have changed.

WIMBLEDON broadcaster the BBC was widely criticised after the ladies final yesterday for what fans claimed was a bias towards Ons Jabeur.
“How biased to Jabeur is this BBC commentary,” one fan tweeted, and another said: “Once again the BBC are fawning over Jabeur, with virtually no mention of her opponent.”
“The BBC going out of their way to point out all of the bad times Ons has been through this year! Classic BBC Sport, always having a clear favourite,” another wrote.
“Jabeur… the BBC [are] making out she is the only player at the tournament and she deserves to win. They are being disrespectful to the other finalist Marketa Vondrousova, so I will be supporting her to win,” another fan tweeted.

STICKING with the match summary theme … AI commentary at Wimbledon has been roundly condemned by fans and former players.
British player and tennis pundit Annabelle Croft called it ‘an insult’ last week.
Other words she used include ‘stiff and emotionless’.
As we revealed a few weeks back, Wimbledon has trialling AI commentary on its website and app.
Croft didn’t end there. “It’s a race against the robot for your job,’ she said on BBC radio.
“Listening to that, it was very stiff, it was emotionless, no feelings at all. Whoever is taking the decision to put a robot on to commentary and, of course, into the wider context of all jobs in life: this is going to kill humanity.
“I feel like we all need to throw our phones in the river and stop our brains being overtaken by AI.”
She added: “I really hope somebody can stop it.’
So do we.
IT was tough day at the office for Ons Jabeur, suffering another final defeat, this time at the hands of a clinical Vondrousova.
“It will try to speak because this is very tough,” she said on court and in tears after the match.
“I am going to look ugly in the photos so that’s not going to help.
“I think this is the most painful loss of my career.
It’s going to be a tough day for me today but I am not going to give up. I am going to come back stronger and win a Grand Slam one day.”
AS for Vondrousova, well she becomes Wimbledon’s first non-seeded champion.
The 24-year-old is the lowest-ranked woman to win after her 6-4, 6-4 victory over Ons Jabeur.
A big difference from a year ago when she was just a visitor – her left wrist in a cast after injury.
“When we came, I was just like, ‘Try to win a couple of matches.’ Now this happened. It’s crazy,” she said after her win.
Maybe Centre Court’s retractable roof, closed for the final, because of wind and possible rain, helped her?
“I always play good indoors,” Vondrousova said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, maybe that’s going to help me.’”

HE may not be at Wimbledon but Rafa Nadal has been kept busy filming a TV commercial for fast food giants Subway with basketball star Stephen Curry.
“This slice is as good as your tennis slice?” Curry asks in the commercial, as Nadal walks up to the basketball star.
“I can’t say that but yes,” Nadal responds.
Nadal posted a clip of the commercial on his Instagram account, with a humorous comment.
“I can’t believe I admitted that… Swipe for the slices in question,” he wrote.

SHE may be the world No.1, but Iga Swiatek isn’t the best on grass, going out in the quarters to Elina Svitolina.
No disgrace there, as Svitolina has been 9in sparking form this year, but Swiatek admitted this week she had at last found some joy playing on grass.
“I put in a lot of work, learnt a lot and what’s better: I found some joy in playing on grass,” she said.
“We know what to improve, what to work on and focus on and that’s the most important part of this experience for me this year.”
The Pole then told the world through her IG account she was taking time out from tennis for a ‘little trip’.
Swiatek is expected to return to action next month, when the North American hard court swing kicks in.

WHAT a catch… a fan on Court No.1 was enjoying his temps with a Pimms when a wayward return from Jiri Lehecka landed in his glass!
Amusing? Yep. But not perhaps so when a replacement drink was going to cost him £9.70.

THERE was a giant pink dodo outside gate four at Wimbledon last week, another ‘eco-warrior’ protest – this time over Barclays Bank sponsoring the event.
Members of Money Rebellion, an offshoot of Extinction Rebellion, held signs bearing the slogan ‘Shame Set and Match’, claiming the bank has invested billions into fossil fuels.
The irony of this protest is the dodo was manufactured from oil derivatives. As was the plastic protest sign.

IT’S not over for Venus Williams – yet.
The former World No.1 has been given a wildcard to play at the 2023 Canadian Open in Montreal in August.
Coming off a first wound Wimbledon loss to Elina Svitolina, Williams will be returning to Montreal for the first time since 2018.
“@Venuseswilliams earns a bye for the #OBN23 , marking her highly anticipated return to Montreal since 2018. The seven-time Grand Slam champion is ready to wow the crowd once again,” tweeted the official account of the Canadian Open.
“I am walking around doing my thing but most of the time have been off my feet but I’m working on getting back on tour,” Williams said on Friday.

NAOMI Osaka became the latest to join the Mum’s Club last week after giving birth to a baby girl.
The news was disclosed by boyfriend and rapper Cordae during one of his live shows, telling the audience his daughter has been named Shai.
But the hypocrisy continues as Osaka, always claiming privacy and her mental health, sold the story for a lot of money to People magazine, complete with sponsorship from an interior design company.
Osaka will most likely make a comeback in 2024 in Australia – but as we all know with Naomi – that could change.

WILL Novak Djokovic’s white tennis shoes with the green “23” printed on the heel have to be replaced soon?
The seven-time Wimbledon champion has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, and he could add to that total today as faces young Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz.

HE may not be playing, but the polarising effect of Aussie brat Nick Kyrgios emerged again last week.
This time using his girlfriend Costeen Hatzi to defend his desire to take the money on offer from Saudi Arabia.
After buying up several other sports in what has even described as the worst kind of sports washing, tennis is next on the menu.
While ATP Tour chair Andrea Gaudenzi has held talks with the Saudi’s about the possibility of the ATP Finals being moved there, the move has drawn criticism from fans all over the world – as Saudi Arabia has one of the worst human rights records on the planet.
Russian Daria Kasatkina who is gay, has criticised the move.
‘Many issues concerning this country. It’s easier for men bc they feel pretty good there. We don’t feel the same way. As Nick Kyrgios said, he’d be so happy to go there for a big check. For me, money is not #1 priority…’ she posted on social media.
To which Kyrgios then replied: “My girlfriend felt fine there.”
The childish comment, disregarding the fact that Kasatkina is gay, was condemned by many.
‘C’mon, Nick. Don’t be stubborn. You know what’s going on there,’ one replied.
‘So that means all women will [be safe]? Bit of a reach here,’ posted another, with others stating the safety of women in Saudi as a major cause for concern.

AND finally… another whacky Wimbledon story to end our weekly look at the world of tennis.
From the London Sun newspaper a report that despite spending millions on weather radar equipment — SW19s most valuable bit of kit is a £5 water tray guarded by a duck called, wait for it … John QuackEnroe.
A tub filled with water on top of an on-site building, completed with its own rubber duck, is used to see if rain is falling.
ATP
Rune rises to the occasion with defeat of Alcaraz

Holger Rune battled past injured Carlos Alcaraz to spoil the Spanish Easter party at the Barcelona Open, with the Dane lifting the trophy 7-6 (6), 6-2.
The pair of 21-year-olds were familiar foes, having played 20 times in juniors before hitting the Tour; Rune won the first 500 series title of his career and his fifth overall.
Alcaraz was treated three times in the second set after an apparent injury to his upper right thigh/groin after duelling hard in the opening set at the Real Club.
The loss will send Alcaraz back to third in the rankings, with Alexander Zverev moving back to second behind Jannik Sinner as a result of winning the Munich title on Sunday.
Rune, a first-round victim last week in Monte Carlo, reversed his clay momentum in Spain, handing Alcaraz a first loss of a set for the week.
The Spanish top seed’s two final shots both clipped the top of the net and fell back as Rune raised his hands in celebration after 97 minutes on court in the Catalan capital.
“This means the world,” the winner said. “I started the match stressed, he was playing big-time tennis.
“I was able to find my rhythm after he broke me (3-2 in the opening set) and I got more into the match.
“The first set was a big battle with a lot of important points. It was super-important to win the set and gain momentum.
“I’m so proud of myself.”
Rune ended with 18 winners while the ailing Alcaraz produced 33 unforced errors. The Dane claimed his 50th match win on clay and levelled his Tour record in the series to 2-2.
Rune said he channeled Novak Djokovic’s Paris Olympic gold medal win from last summer over Alcaraz as he struggled to turn his game around in Barcelona.
“I asked myself what Novak did to win that final. I (realised) that I didn’t need to hit every ball on the line. I need to make him play and hit a lot of balls.”
Rune, who won the elite Paris Bercy Masters 1000 title in 2022, finally began reversing a 13-match loss streak against top five opponents.with his title victory.
Alcaraz may be racing for fitness with the Madrid Masters starting on Wednesday as the ATP ploughs ahead with an unpopular two-week format for Masters tournaments despite growing protest from exhausted players.
Main photo:- Holger Rune celebrates Barcelona win – by ATPTour.com
ATP
Zverev grabs a birthday gift with third Munich title

Alexander Zverev turned 28 on Sunday and awarded himself a third title on his home Munich clay as he beat Ben Shelton 6-2,6-4 to win the ATP event.
The 2017 and 2018 champion here is now threatening Carlos Alcaraz as the pair duel for the world No. 2 position which the Spaniard took over last week after winning Monte Carlo.
Zverev schooled lefthander Shelton in 70 minutes for a second win in their series. The winner becomes the second to hold three Munich titles after countryman Philipp Kohlschreiber (2007, 2012, 2016).
“I’m enjoying my birthday so far,” Zverev said. “It’s extremely special to win in Germany, the most special thing I can do.
January’s Australian Open finalist added: “It’s definitely a great birthday present, I knew I had to play my best today, conditions were very hot and very fast.They were perfect for me.”
The winner broke three times while never facing a challenge to his serve from Shelton as he claimed a sixth career title at the 500-Tour level.
Main photo:- Alexander Zverev with his “birthday” trophy – by BMW Open/Bitpanda
ATP
Zverev fulfils home fan dreams to line up against Shelton

Alexander Zverev gave fans in Munich what they were after as the top seed rolled into the final of the clay ATP in Bavaria with a 7-6 (3), 6-3 defeat of Fabian Marozsan.
World No. 3 Zverev, who won the titles in 2017 and 2018 needed 91 minutes to advance into a title match with Ben Shelton.
The American earned his spot with a .2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4 defeat of Argentine Francisco Cerundolo.
Zverev advanced with nine aces and broke twice in the tidy win over his Hungarian opposition.
“It’s awesome. The entire week has been great. Everybody is really enjoying the weather as well as the new Center Court,” the winner said. .
“I’m enjoying myself and hopefully I will have another great day tomorrow.”
Shelton reached his fourth career final, becoming the first American man to reach a clay final above ATP 250 level since Andre Agassi won the Rome Masters 23 years ago.
“It’s a big win for me. To get a win on clay against a guy like him gives me a lot of confidence,” Shelton.
“I’m really happy and excited to be in a 500-level final in Europe, my second clay-court tournament this season.
“I’ve been playing well this week and I’m not too stressed right now.”
Main photo:-Alexander Zverev winning in front of his home crowd – by ATPTour.com
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