What is the plan, the protocol, the policy when allegations about athletes are aired? The ATP is one governing body that must do betterSo much for the good times. The show will go on for Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon, starting on Wednesday with a quarter-final against Cristian Garin, the first of three hypothetical steps towards a long-shot first grand slam title win. But for now the party, the bunting, the King Nick buzz, is over.Sport loves to spin these stories. Over the past 10 days Kyrgios had seemed to be turning into one of the English summer’s chief objects of fascination, a brilliant, charismatic tennis player; albeit a brilliant, charismatic tennis player with some obvious deference issues, clothing issues, politeness...
Tennis has failed to provide an environment and culture that allows alleged victims to feel comfortable reporting abuseIn hindsight the silence that accompanied the first allegations of domestic abuse against Alexander Zverev turned out to be the most proactive action tennis took for nearly 10 months. During the first week of the Paris Masters last November, to much criticism, the official tennis social media accounts barely covered Zverev’s run to the final there. As time passed, normalcy predictably resumed. Zverev, one of the most promising young tennis players, has continued to grow as a player and over the past month he has won an Olympic gold medal. All other issues were pushed to the side.But that has been disrupted again...
Tennis has failed to provide an environment and culture that allows alleged victims to feel comfortable reporting abuseIn hindsight the silence that accompanied the first allegations of domestic abuse against Alexander Zverev turned out to be the most proactive action tennis took for nearly 10 months. During the first week of the Paris Masters last November, to much criticism, the official tennis social media accounts barely covered Zverev’s run to the final there. As time passed, normalcy predictably resumed. Zverev, one of the most promising young tennis players, has continued to grow as a player and over the past month he has won an Olympic gold medal. All other issues were pushed to the side.But that has been disrupted again...
The German firmly denies his former girlfriend’s allegations but tennis needs to stop looking the other way and investigateCasual tennis fans around the world would have been forgiven for assuming that Alexander Zverev did not play last week. At the Paris Masters, the penultimate big tournament of the year, Zverev won four matches to reach the final but each time he entered the court many of the bustling official tennis social media accounts fell silent. Although he beat Stan Wawrinka in straight sets, Tennis TV provided only footage of his opponent’s successes. When he faced Rafael Nadal, his presence in the match was noted only when he won. No explanation was offered.It isn’t difficult to suggest a reason for the...
Not every comment made by Becker hits the mark but he is perfectly qualified to judge the progress of his fellow German, who came of age by winning the ATP FinalsOf all the praise heaped on Alexander Zverev after his rare double over Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic to win the ATP Finals, the comments of Boris Becker stand out as the most worthwhile, and not only for the obvious reasons. Related: Alexander Zverev stuns Novak Djokovic to win ATP World Tour Finals title Continue reading...