Category Archives: Tennis

Wimbledon to get exemption from ticket resale crackdown for seats that can cost thousands

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Organisers claimed proposed ban on reselling tickets for more than face value would dent investment in facilities

Wimbledon will be given an exemption from the clampdown on ticket resales for its “debenture” tickets, the Guardian understands, in what would be a victory for the organisers of the annual tennis tournament.

The championship organisers, the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), had previously said ministers’ proposed ban on reselling tickets for more than face value would prevent it from being able to reinvest debenture proceeds in maintenance of its facilities.

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Trump jokingly asked Rolex executives if tariffs prompted US Open invite, CEO says

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Rolex CEO stressed US president’s remarks were made ‘in jest’ in letter to Elizabeth Warren, who had raised concerns

Donald Trump asked Rolex executives if he would have been invited to watch this month’s US Open final from the luxury watchmaker’s VIP box had he imposed steep tariffs on Swiss exports weeks earlier.

The US president’s remarks were made “in jest”, stressed Jean-Frederic Dufour, the Rolex CEO, in a letter to Elizabeth Warren, the US senator who had raised questions about the decision to invite Trump – including whether the conglomerate was seeking to “curry favor” with the administration.

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BBC commentator Andrew Castle sorry for getting US footballer’s name wrong

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Trinity Rodman, girlfriend of tennis star Ben Shelton, was repeatedly called ‘Tiffany’ during Wimbledon coverage

The BBC commentator Andrew Castle has apologised after repeatedly getting the name of a top American footballer wrong.

Trinity Rodman, who is the girlfriend of the American tennis player Ben Shelton, criticised the BBC’s Wimbledon coverage in which Castle called her “Tiffany” several times.

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Wimbledon opening day hottest on record as temperatures soar

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Temperatures set to climb to 34C across much of England in one of hottest June days ever

This year’s Wimbledon tennis championships have begun with the hottest opening day on record, according to the Met Office.

Temperatures reached a provisional high of 29.7C (85.5F) at Kew Gardens in west London on Monday afternoon, surpassing the previous record of 29.3C set in June 2001.

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Henman Hill to get shelter under fresh Wimbledon expansion plans

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Multimillion-pound project will also boost capacity by 20% and improve wheelchair accessibility

Different generations of tennis fans may disagree on its name – to traditionalists it will always be Henman Hill, millennials probably plump for Murray Mound and gen Z may know it as Raducanu Rise or even, regrettably, Jack’s Stack – but all ages can agree that bringing a little shelter to Wimbledon’s most famous viewing area can only be a good thing.

Wimbledon’s Hill – which since 1997 has allowed tennis fans with a grounds pass to watch the action on No 1 Court live atop its grassy knoll – is getting a makeover, the All England Lawn and Tennis Club (AELTC) has announced.

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‘Everyone is crazy about tennis’: Sinner’s success inspires Italy to pick up rackets

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Italians are taking to the court with factors including the pandemic and broadcasting also said to be fuelling enthusiasm

At the age of 47, diehard AC Milan fan Ninni Licata has hung up his football boots in exchange for a tennis racket.

Like thousands of Italians in recent years, Licata has been unable to resist the lure of a game that for years had been relegated to the sidelines of the country’s national sports, overshadowed by football and Formula One.

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‘Everyone is crazy about tennis’: Sinner’s success inspires Italy to pick up rackets

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Italians are taking to the court with factors including the pandemic and broadcasting also said to be fuelling enthusiasm

At the age of 47, diehard AC Milan fan Ninni Licata has hung up his football boots in exchange for a tennis racket.

Like thousands of Italians in recent years, Licata has been unable to resist the lure of a game that for years had been relegated to the sidelines of the country’s national sports, overshadowed by football and Formula One.

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Thanasi Kokkinakis and doubles pair inspire Australia to Davis Cup win over USA

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  • Doubles pair Jordan Thompson and Matt Ebden seal victory
  • Italy or Argentina await in semi-final

Inspired captaincy, a nail-biting underdog’s win for Thanasi Kokkinakis and good old-fashioned Australian doubles pedigree has powered Australia into the semi-finals of the Davis Cup in Spain.

Lleyton Hewitt outduelled his USA counterpart Bob Bryan in the key captaincy decisions of their quarter-final tie in Málaga on Thursday as Australia defeated the Americans 2-1 in the battle between the two nations who have won the men’s “World Cup of tennis” more than any other.

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Spanish tennis star Paula Badosa apologises after being accused of racism

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  • Badosa pulled eyes back with chopsticks in photograph
  • ‘I didn’t know this was offensive. I take responsibility’

The Spanish tennis star Paula Badosa has apologised after she was accused of racism over a photo that appeared to show her pulling her eyes back with chopsticks while in China for a series of tournaments.

Following her defeat on Saturday in the semi-finals of the China Open, Badosa’s coach, Pol Toledo, posted the photo on his Instagram, tagging the official China Open account. Comments soon began pouring in, accusing Badosa of racism.

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Heartbreak for Adam Peaty on disappointing day two for Team GB

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Swimmer narrowly misses third successive Olympic gold, as Andy Murray keeps tennis alive in doubles comeback

World record-holding swimmer Adam Peaty was left in tears after being beaten to gold by the smallest of margins on a day of disappointment for Team GB at the Paris Games.

The 29-year-old had been seeking to join American legend Michael Phelps as only the second man to win three successive Olympic golds in the same discipline, but trailed Italy’s Nicolò Martinenghi by just 0.02 of a second in the men’s 100m breaststroke.

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Princess of Wales given standing ovation at Wimbledon’s Centre Court

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Catherine presents trophy to Carlos Alcaraz in second public appearance since cancer diagnosis announcement

The Princess of Wales has made her second public appearance since announcing her cancer diagnosis, attending an occasionally rowdy Wimbledon men’s final where she was welcomed with a standing ovation.

Catherine, who is the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, presented the men’s singles trophy to Carlos Alcaraz, who beat Novak Djokovic in straight sets. The princess attended Sunday’s final with her daughter, Princess Charlotte, and her sister, Pippa Matthews.

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Wimbledon reaches out to esports aces with video game tennis tournament

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World’s oldest grand slam breaks with tradition to host ‘eChamps’ as part of efforts to attract younger audience

From Hawk-Eye to AI, Wimbledon traditionalists have spent 20 years railing against the introduction of computer technology on the hallowed turf.

But now the oldest grand slam in tennis is experimenting with hosting a whole tournament in a virtual world.

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Alex de Minaur lays Wimbledon ghosts to rest to reach last eight for first time

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  • Australian No 1 beats France’s Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
  • Win banishes memory of losing two-set lead in 2022

The “Demon” has slain his Wimbledon demon to reach the last eight of the grass court grand slam for the first time. But Alex de Minaur now has another bad memory to exorcise. Two years after blowing a two-set lead and two match points when on the brink of reaching the quarter-finals, the No 9 seed held his nerve as a horror repeat threatened against Arthur Fils.

De Minaur put his fans on No 1 Court – and late-night television viewers back home – through the wringer as he dropped the third set but showed Aussie grit to take the fourth on his second match point. His 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win, in just shy of three hours, booked a last-eight meeting with Novak Djokovic on Wednesday (late Wednesday or early Thursday AEST).

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Club tennis ‘endangered’ as other racket sports grow, Novak Djokovic warns

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World No 2 calls for creation of foundation to protect tennis at ‘base level’ amid rise in popularity of padel and pickleball

Novak Djokovic has warned that club tennis is “endangered” amid the growing popularity of alternatives such as padel and pickleball.

The seven-time Wimbledon champion said “we are still doing a very poor job” of maintaining tennis at “the base level” and that its future was under threat.

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‘Andy Murray has changed culture of sport’: Wimbledon reflects on legacy

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Billie Jean King praises Murray for bringing ‘credibility and excitement to British tennis’ as Raducanu makes ‘tough decision’ to exit doubles partnership

The day finally came: Andy Murray has played his final match at Wimbledon. The 37-year-old Scot, Britain’s greatest postwar tennis player, had been due to contest the mixed doubles with Emma Raducanu, the shock 2021 US Open champion, yesterday evening. To say there was excitement about the pairing would be a wild understatement: fans have been coming up with portmanteau names (Raducandy, Em&M, Maducanu) ever since the unlikely team was announced on Wednesday. Roger Federer was in the stands, ready to watch.

But Em&M was not to be. “Unfortunately, I woke up with some stiffness in my right wrist,” Raducanu announced on Saturday afternoon, “so I have decided to make the very tough decision to withdraw from the mixed doubles tonight. I’m disappointed as I was really looking forward to playing with Andy, but got to take care.”

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Tennis fans queue to bid adieu to Andy Murray but cheer new British stars

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Murray is due to compete in doubles at his last Wimbledon, yet fans are also ‘pretty excited’ to see younger players

Thursday marks a changing of the guard. While for many this might mean electing a new prime minister, at Wimbledon, tens of thousands queued for a chance to bid adieu to Andy Murray and cheer on the next generation of British tennis stars.

Murray is due to compete alongside his older brother, Jamie, in the men’s doubles this week in his final Wimbledon showing. There had been hope he would play in the tournament’s singles, but he pulled out on Tuesday after being unable to sufficiently recover from the back surgery he underwent 12 days ago.

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Alexander Zverev settles assault case brought by ex-girlfriend

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German tennis player agrees deal after Brenda Patea alleged he pushed and strangled her, which he denied

The German tennis player Alexander Zverev has settled an assault case against him for allegedly pushing and strangling his then girlfriend, a charge he denied.

The deal reached between the world No 4 and his former partner Brenda Patea marks the end of a lengthy legal battle, with the Berlin court hearing the case officially declaring no verdict.

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The 1924 Paris Olympics saved the Games. Can this year’s event repeat that success? | David Goldblatt

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Faced with competition from rival sporting events, the future of the Games hung in the balance. A century on, new hurdles are looming

Paris 1924 was the sixth and last Olympics presided over by Baron de Coubertin, the modern movement’s founder. He had good reason to be pleased with his work. The French government had enthusiastically backed the enterprise, providing a budget of 20m francs and a new stadium. The Olympic rituals – the parade of nations, the rings, the oath, gold, silver and bronze medals – had been established.

Above all, the Games remained the preserve of amateur athletic gentlemen – aristocrats, college kids and military officers – performing what the baron eulogised as “a display of manly virtue”.

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Wimbledon expansion plans rejected by Wandsworth council

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Planning committee votes unanimously against All England Club’s proposals to triple size on to listed park

A London council has rejected plans to build a new 8,000-seat stadium and 38 further tennis courts on a Grade II*-listed park in Wimbledon.

Wandsworth council’s planning committee on Tuesday night voted unanimously to reject the All England Lawn Tennis Club’s plans to almost triple the size of the tennis championship grounds from 17 hectares (42 acres) to 46 hectares.

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New headsets bring Wimbledon to life for visually impaired fans

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Device trialled at tournament captures images with camera and projects them into sight line

Rosie Pybus has been to Wimbledon several times and watched her first tennis match this year, thanks to a headset for visually impaired people. She told of the “exhilarating” moment she tested the innovative device, which allows users to watch live action from the stands.

Visually impaired tennis fans at SW19 have been trialling the headsets, which capture images with a camera and project them into a person’s sight line. Users can adjust the images with a remote control.

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