The decision to deny Maria Sharapova a wildcard is a bold statement by the new FTF president and one that has embarrassed the Russian all over againMaria Sharapova has had to fight for virtually every point in her tennis career, every break in her curiously combative life, whatever the misguided perception of the Russian as a bird in a gilded cage.Nothing changed for her on Tuesday night. With the unexpected weight of moral probity falling heavily on her neck, the former world No1 was denied a wildcard of any kind – qualifying tournament or main draw – into the French Open at the end of the month. Related: Maria Sharapova denied wildcard for the French Open after returning from ban...
Tennis used to be dominated by players in their twenties but the resurgence of the Spaniard and Swiss shows this is the generation of the thirtysomethingThere was a moment in Rafael Nadal’s semi-final victory against Novak Djokovic at the Madrid Open on Saturday when it appeared as though the Spaniard had stepped into a time machine. After a prolonged and gorgeous thrash‑metal riff of a rally, Nadal suddenly turned the volume down from 11 to one. From the baseline he opened his racket face, chopped down hard, and then skipped and whooped as the ball fizzed over the net, embraced the red clay and died.That drop shot, under extreme pressure, brought up match point. Moments later he had secured his...
Locker-room goodwill played its part in the Russian’s derailment at the Madrid Open while the Serbian is looking for a whole new support staff after 10-yearsUnintentionally, of course, Maria Sharapova and Novak Djokovic have injected the tennis scene with an overload of drama. Related: Eugenie Bouchard edges out Maria Sharapova in thrilling grudge match Related: Novak Djokovic goes for nuclear option in bid to arrest worrying slump | Kevin Mitchell Continue reading...
In dispensing with the close-knit support team that helped him to 12 slam titles, Djokovic looks desperate to end his struggles since last year’s French OpenIt will be surreal in the extreme when Novak Djokovic goes on court in defence of his title in Madrid next week, glances up at his box and the growling, comforting countenances of his fiercely loyal Serbian friends are missing. The troubled world No2 called the nuclear clearout of his support staff on Friday “shock therapy”. And it does have the unmistakeable ring of a psychiatrist’s formula, a decision reached after a deep discussion about life and tennis. It also has the ring of desperation. Related: Novak Djokovic parts company with coaching staff in ‘shock...
There is no denying the wildcard’s box-office appeal but many, including her opponent Roberta Vinci, do not approve of her presence so soon after a drugs banWhen the most marketable player in the history of women’s tennis steps on to a court in Stuttgart on Wednesday to hit competitively for the first time in 15 months – in peak, early-evening viewing time and fully four hours after the world No7 Johanna Konta – women’s tennis will hold its breath.If Maria Sharapova, with neither ranking nor regrets for the actions that led to her absence, can advance to the second round of this tournament by beating the 2015 US Open finalist Roberta Vinci in what is sure to be a packed...