Laurie's Tennis articles

  We are on the eve of another season in the WTA (in fact already begun).   It is a bit strange the season starts before the turn of the year but tennis chooses to be concertinaed so they shouldn’t turn and complain of too much tennis..  Having said that, 2023 was a very interesting year with the top players showing up and claiming the majority of the big tournaments. Women’s tennis is in a good place despite the obvious disquiet off the court with how the WTA Tour is run administratively. Can the players deliver again in 2024? I think so, let’s look at the players who can make the biggest waves. Iga Swiatek: Swiatek had a very strong finish to 2023 and will be looking to start 2024 in the same fashion. Despite the many criticisms beforehand, Swiatek dominated the WTA championships in Cancun in Mexico, winning every match in straight sets and thrashing Pegula in the final.   However, it’s a new year and a clean slate, and Swiatek will have to start all ov...

    It has proved to be a very interesting year for Iga Swiatek . Swiatek started the year as clear number 1 but suffered a shock straight sets defeat to Elena Rybakina in the 4 th round of the Australian Open.   This immediately got fans and media talking that she would struggle to retain her number 1 position.   Both Ayrna Sabalenka and Rybakina took advantage with each getting to the final; Sabalenka coming from a set down to take her first major title. Fast forward to the clay court season in the spring, Sabalenka defeated Swiatek in the final of Madrid and was now hunting the number 1 ranking.   In Rome, Swiatek succumbed to Rybakina yet again; a player who is becoming a nemesis for her. Swiatek retired in the 3 rd set after losing the 2 nd set on a tiebreak. At the French Open, Swiatek retained her title with a strong run to the final taking out Coco Gauff in the quarterfinal and Beatrice Haddad Maia in the semifinal. However, Swiatek had an al...

  With the 2023 WTA season fast approaching, let’s take a look at the contenders for the big titles. https://lastwordonsports.com/tennis/2023/01/02/previewing-the-2023-wta-season/

  The 2022 season was a bizarre one in many ways. Starting off with the controversy swirling around Novak Djokovic, and ending with a teenager as world #1 in the shape of Carlos Alcaraz. This is something no one would have predicted. All the same, the established old men of Djokovic and Nadal won three of the four majors on offer. So, what will the 2023 ATP season hold? https://lastwordonsports.com/tennis/2023/01/03/preview-2023-atp-season/

2022 was an incredibly volatile year for professional tennis. Here are five crazy moments that stand out. https://lastwordonsports.com/tennis/2023/01/01/five-crazy-tennis-moments-in-2022/  

The 2022 tennis season proved a rather strange one. A season which started in January with Novak Djokovic getting sensationally expelled from the Australian Open . Women’s #1 Ash Barty retired completely out of the blue . Alexander Zverev was disqualified for cursing out an umpire and repeatedly smashing his chair with his racquet in the Mexican Open. And Russian and Belarussian players were banned from Wimbledon for the war in Ukraine, with the ATP and WTA tour awarding no points for the competition in retaliation.   https://lastwordonsports.com/tennis/2022/12/03/stefanos-tsitsipas-delusions-of-grandeur/

The Paris Bercy Masters 1000 is one of the top events on the tennis calendar. The last big event before the World Tour finals in Turin, the big boys tend to turn up and give a show. This was my first visit to Paris Bercy since 2003. Back then I saw the likes of Jonas Bjorkman, Tim Henman, Gustavo Kuerten, Roger Federer and the talented but forgotten Martin Verkerk. Great names indeed but from a totally different era in every sense. That particular event was held on fast indoor carpet. Today, indoor tournaments are primarily played on indoor hardcourt (plexicushion). Having watched live tennis for over 20 years, the big difference between carpet and plexicushion is the speed and the bounce. No doubt plexicushion is relatively slower and higher bouncing; players have to hit harder to penetrate defences.   This in turn has allowed counterpunchers to flourish, particularly counterpunchers with fast twitch fibres. This was my first visit to Bercy since 2003 but not live tennis in ...