Lucy Shuker Us Open: It’s Not Over Until It’s Over!
Locker Room
September 30, 2017
Of all the matches I have played in the last few weeks in North America; there are two stand-out moments for me. I was lucky enough to be scheduled on Arthur Ashe, which was a huge privilege. But, the most satisfying one has to be the doubles final at the US Open Super Series in […]
Borg vs McEnroe Movie Review…Federer vs Nadal Next?
Locker Room
September 25, 2017
‘When he lost that game, I told my friends: “He is going to lose the match. And then he is going to quit tennis.” They didn’t believe me. But I just knew.’ A middle-aged man called Per had played in the same Swedish academy as Bjorn Borg – and he knew how the superstar’s mind […]
Rafael Nadal and Sloane Stephens Are US Open Champions
Locker Room
September 11, 2017
They did it emphatically. Two fine champions who have been on difficult journeys; and returned looking even better than they had ever been before. Rafael Nadal and Sloane Stephens, we salute you. Nadal secured his second Grand Slam of the year and he did it in style, beating Kevin Anderson by a comfortable margin of […]
Defiant Nadal Seeks More Glory
Locker Room
September 9, 2017
Defiant Rafael Nadal was in no mood to take another beating from Juan Martin del Potro after losing their last two encounters. Instead the King of Clay got mad; changed his tactics; stepped into hard-court overdrive; and won nine games in a row. That punishing run ripped the heart out of Del Potro, who couldn’t […]
Stubborn Murray Digs Deep To Make Second Week
Locker Room
July 8, 2017
Andy Murray made it. That’s the main thing. After all, anything can happen from here. As long as you’re in the mix, you’ve given yourself a fighting chance. Murray plays a Frenchman called Benoit Paire next, and if he negotiates that tie, the quarter-finals await him. It wasn’t a perfect display against Fabio Fognini on […]
Federer Steps Up, Monfils Thrills…But Pliskova and Del Potro Fall
Locker Room
July 6, 2017
There was a strange sound when Roger Federer walked on to Centre Court. It wasn’t exactly a hearty cheer because it was mixed with something else – reverence. The sound wasn’t defined by volume, because it conveyed something internal too – awe. Here were thousands of people who couldn’t believe how lucky they were to […]
Monfils and Federer On Centre Court…The Anticipation!
Locker Room
Does it get any better than this? Two of the world’s most charismatic players on Centre Court…on the same day! The enigmatic Gael Monfils will play the improving Brit, Kyle Edmund. Anything could happen there. Later, the greatest of them all, Roger Federer, will take on Dusan Lajovic. Federer, whose remarkable 2017 makes him favourite […]
Record-Breaking Federer Suggests Nadal Is Favourite
Locker Room
July 5, 2017
After Roger Federer notched an historic 85th match win and fired his 10,000th ace at Wimbledon, it was typical of the man to point to a rival’s recent achievements instead. But this time there was more than humility at work. There was a refusal to succumb to the pressure of expectation, especially when a fierce […]
Rafa Means Business…But Wawrinka’s Wimbledon Is Over
Locker Room
July 4, 2017
Look into the eyes. The eyes of a winner. Rafael Nadal is not talking like a man short of confidence on grass, or someone simply here to make up the numbers these days. Rafa is talking like a man who has gone all the way before and intends to do precisely that once more. ‘It’s […]
Murray and Venus March On – But Kyrgios Is Out !
Locker Room
July 3, 2017
Andy Murray and Venus Williams both began their Wimbledon 2017 campaigns confidently, despite significant distractions away from the tennis court. For the world number one, the news that his wife Kim is pregnant with their second child has at least deflected some attention away from his hip injury. Murray seemed fit and focused enough to […]