When my longtime client and friend Ivan Lendl called me to tell me that Pete Sampras wanted to play Roger Federer back in 2007, we laughed and said it would never happen. But I said to him if it is going to happen, it should happen at Madison Square Garden. There hadn't been tennis at…
The ATP World Tour was off this past week as the men prepared for their respective Davis Cup matches this weekend, but the WTA saw two thrilling tournaments take place. Great Britain’s Heather Watson came back from a set down to win the Abierto Monterrey Afirme title in Monterrey, Mexico, while Ukrainian Elina Svitolina held…
Serena Williams, a 21-time Grand Slam champion, will take on close friend and former world number one Caroline Wozniacki, and two-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka will square off with France’s Gael Monfils in the 9th Annual BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden, set for Tuesday, March 8. The ninth edition of the BNP…
Two-time champion Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from next week’s BNP Paribas Open due to a left forearm injury that has limited her to just three tournaments since last year’s Wimbledon. In a statement, Sharapova said: “I am extremely disappointed that I am unable to compete in this year’s BNP Paribas Open,” she said. “I have…
Despite announcing he would retire following the Australian Open, Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt’s career is not over just yet. The 35-year old Adelaide native and captain of the Australian Davis Cup team announced he will be replacing Nick Kyrgios in Australia’s World Group First Round against the United States this weekend. “We took him through his…
Americans Christina McHale and Nicole Gibbs set up an all-American second-round matchup at the Abierto Monterrey Afirme as both picked up victories in their Monterrey openers on Tuesday. McHale took out Mexico’s Victoria Rodriguez 6-0, 6-4, needing less than an hour to do so. McHale won 83 percent of all points in the opening set,…
The BNP Paribas Open is set to begin next week, and for the first time in 15 years, American Venus Williams will be playing the Indian Wells tournament. Venus has not played Indian Wells since 2001, when people accused her and her sister of faking an injury and intentionally withdrawing from her semifinal match against…
The USTA and the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center gave the media an update and a tour on the progress of the complex’s construction, and ensured that the roof over Arthur Ashe will be completed as well as the new 8,000 seat Grandstand. During Monday’s walk-through, the USTA’s Chief Operating Officer Gordon Smith discussed…
Sloane Stephens became the first player in the WTA to win two titles in 2016, knocking off Dominika Cibulkova 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(5) to win the Abierto Mexicano Telcel title in Acapulco. Stephens looked to be on her way to a routine victory, opening up a set and a break lead. But the 2014 champion Cibulkova…
Austria’s Dominic Thiem finished off his fantastic February with a title in Acapulco, knocking off Bernard Tomic 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-3 to win the Abierto Mexicano Telcel championship. The win moved Thiem to 13-1 in the month of February and picked up two titles in Buenos Aires and now Acapulco. “It was unbelievable,” said Thiem. “These…