Focus on physical strength and fitness and choice of new coach should be invaluable in her second WTA Tour seasonAs one of the most unexpected recent breakout seasons came to an end in November, Emma Raducanu seemed to have built a solid base for the new year. After the grand slam success, the first round of new endorsements, the questions over her coaching choices and the predictable dip in form as her life changed for ever, Raducanu closed off her year by hiring an experienced, well-regarded coach, Torben Beltz, to guide her through her next steps of her young career.With the off-season beckoning, Raducanu frequently spoke about her goal of improving her physical strength and fitness in order to address...
Her second Australian Open – and fourth major – will not be the last shiny trophy engraved with Naomi Osaka’s nameAs a coral sun set behind the Melbourne skyline, Naomi Osaka walked to her mark, danced lightly on the balls of her feet, rapped her left thigh with her left fist two times, and crouched, ready to receive Jennifer Brady’s serve. She did this over and over: jig, tap, dip; jig, tap, dip. It was a meditation that secured a second Australian Open title and a fourth grand slam for the dominant force in women’s tennis.Both finalists powered through the draw behind dominant first serves, but an unexpectedly cool and blustery evening proved disruptive. The wind was not strong, but...
The world No 1 has never operated alone and, as she marches towards the Australian Open final, continues to thrive with her support crewWhen Ash Barty talks in first-person pronouns, she does so in plurals. “We” is generally the most utilised option in her lexicon.“I think if you would have told me a few months ago this is the start to the year we’d have, we’d take it with a massive smile on our face,” the world No 1 said after her fourth-round Australian Open win. “We come out, have fun.” Related: Rafael Nadal into Australian Open quarter-finals with win over Fognini Related: Australian Open 2021: Barty wins, Nadal through, Berrettini withdraws – as it happened Continue reading...
The year’s first grand slam will not produce a fair competition with many players forced to compete without a proper warmupNo tennis player across the world attracts drama like Yulia Putintseva. The story goes that at just 16, she lost in the finals of the US Open junior event, stormed off the court and when officials beckoned her to return she dramatically proclaimed: “It’s not safe to be around me.” She once flipped off an Australian Open crowd on her way out after a loss. Her deliciously petty handshakes, so entertaining for onlookers, are detested across the sport. Related: Extra women's tennis tournament scheduled for quarantined Australian Open players Related: Andy Murray 'devastated' as he shelves Australian Open plans Continue...
Delay to Australian Open shows the power the grand slams have – many lesser tournaments are likely to bite the dustIf any normalcy remained in the sporting world this year, this week would have marked the first days of the 2021 tennis season. Until just a few weeks ago, this was to be the period in which players bade goodbyes to their families before flying to Melbourne to begin their fortnight of quarantine before the start of the Australian Open. Instead, most players still do not know where they will be in three weeks’ time, when the season begins.As things stand in these ever-shifting pandemic conditions, there will be an Australian Open. The tournament is scheduled to be moved from...