Category: Tennis

While it wasn’t the most damaging defeat of his career, Novak Djokovic will be slightly frustrated at his early exit from Indian Wells.

The Serbian lost to 20-year-old Luca Nardi in the third round to continue his barren run in 2024. He’s yet to win a tournament this year, which isn’t ideal preparation for the remaining Grand Slams.

The quarter-finals get underway on Thursday and Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner is the favourite to go all the way. He’s yet to drop a seat in the tournament and he comes up against Jiri Lehecka in the final eight.

Should he progress, the likes of Daniil Medvedev will be standing in his way, as will Carlos Alcaraz, who won the tournament a year ago. Andy Murray was also among the stars to take to the court at Indian Wells but the Brit was beaten by Andrey Rublev in round two.

On the women’s side of the draw, world number one Iga Świątek is in good stead to claim her second title. She comes up against Caroline Wozniacki in the quarter-finals.

Świątek could face stiff competition from Coco Gauff, who is strong on home soil having claimed her first Grand Slam at last year’s US Open. Both Indian Wells finals take place on Sunday.

Can Medvedev defend his Miami crown?

There won’t be much time for recovery from Indian Wells as all the big hitters will be flying east for the Miami Open. Djokovic will be in action and the six-time winner is looking to go all the way for the first time since 2016.

Having looked strong at Indian Wells so far, Medvedev will be confident of defending his crown having seen off Sinner in the final a year ago. Sinner, meanwhile, will be desperate to turn his fortunes around. The Italian has lost two of the last three finals in Miami.

Murray is also set to take part and will harbour dreams of adding a third title to his collection, having won in 2009 and 2013. However, Rafael Nadal is unlikely to make it following his decision to pull out of Indian Wells.

Świątek’s only Miami title came two years ago and a strong finish at Indian Wells will put her in a strong position for the competition in Florida. Reigning champion Petra Kvitová is out of action for the foreseeable future as she prepares to have her first child.

Gauff is looking to win the tournament for the first time, while Australian Open winner Aryna Sabalenka is also on the entry list as she looks to continue her strong start to 2024.

Grand Slams are just around the corner

While the tour tournaments are coming thick and fast, all eyes will be on the two Grand Slams on the horizon. The French Open gets underway in May and having missed out in Australia, Djokovic is looking to become the most successful player of all time.

Nadal has made Roland Garros his playground in recent years, winning the French Open an incredible 14 times. He’ll want to play more than anything this year but as he struggles for fitness, there are fears that he’ll call time on his career if he misses out. On the women’s side, Świątek has won three of the last four French Open titles and she’ll be the favourite to go all the way this time.

Up next after the competition in Paris is the warm-up to Wimbledon at Queen’s Club, before one of the most iconic tournaments in world sport returns to SW19. Djokovic is targeting an eighth title having missed out to Alcaraz last year.

Elsewhere, Markéta Vondroušová shocked the world last summer as she became the first unseeded Wimbledon champion when she beat Ons Jabeur in the final.

As the dust is beginning to settle on another fantastic WTA season, we take a look back at some of the best bits in the world of women’s professional tennis singles from 2023.

From maiden Grand Slam victories to three set battles, it was another wonderful and highly entertaining year in the women’s professional tennis season.

Sabalenka Triumphs Down Under

Back in January, the opening Grand Slam of the year took place in Australia and was a fantastic fortnight to kick off the tennis majors in 2023. Ashleigh Barty’s retirement, coupled with Angelique Kerber and Naomi Osaka’s absence due to pregnancy, left the 2023 women’s tennis draw very open, with Victoria Azarenka and Sofia Kenin as the sole former champions. Their paths crossed in the first round, where Azarenka emerged victorious in straight sets.

After two weeks of very highly competitive tennis, the final took place between Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina. In what was a titanic battle, Sabalenka secured her first major singles title with a score of 4–6, 6–3, 6–4. Sabalenka’s impressive performance throughout the tournament included dropping just one set, which happened during her championship match against Rybakina.

Świątek Defends in France

Iga Świątek, the defending champion, secured her third French Open title and fourth major title overall by defeating Karolína Muchová in a thrilling final with a score of 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 at the 2023 French Open. Świątek’s remarkable achievement made her only the third woman in the Open Era, following in the footsteps of Monica Seles and Naomi Osaka, to win her first four major finals. Additionally, she became the youngest woman to achieve this feat since Serena Williams in 2002.

Świątek also etched her name in history as the first player to successfully defend the French Open title since Justine Henin in 2007 and the first woman to defend a major title since Serena Williams at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships. Throughout the tournament, Świątek displayed exceptional form, dropping just one set in her path to the title, which happened during the final against Muchová.

Vondroušová Creates History in SW19

Markéta Vondroušová achieved a historical victory at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships by defeating Ons Jabeur in the final with a score of 6-4, 6-4. This triumph marked her first major singles title and her first title overall in six years. Vondroušová’s remarkable journey to the Wimbledon title included several historic achievements.

Vondroušová became the first unseeded female player to win the Wimbledon title, a feat not seen since Billie Jean King reached the final in 1963. Furthermore, her world ranking of #42 made her the second lowest-ranked finalist since the establishment of the WTA rankings in 1975. Winning the Wimbledon title also propelled Vondroušová into the top ten of the WTA rankings for the first time in her career.

Gauff Causes US Frenzy

Coco Gauff’s impressive victory at the 2023 US Open marked a significant moment in her career. She defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the final with a score of 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, clinching her first major singles title. Gauff’s achievement made her the first American teenager to claim the US Open title since Serena Williams did so in 1999.

Gauff also joined a select group of teenagers who won the US Open in the past five years, following in the footsteps of Bianca Andreescu in 2019 and Emma Raducanu in 2021. Notably, Aryna Sabalenka’s performance to reach the semi-finals meant that she became the first woman since Serena Williams in 2016 to reach at least the semi-finals in all four major tournaments during a single season.

Świątek Ends the Year on Top

The WTA Finals is the season-ending championship of the WTA Tour and took place in Cancun, Mexico this year. The tournament holds a prominent position in the annual tennis calendar, following the four major tournaments. This event showcases the elite eight singles players and the top eight doubles teams, who qualify based on their season-long performance.

In what was a highly competitive week of fantastic tennis, the Polish Iga Świątek came out as the victor, regaining the world ranking of #1 at the same time. Świątek dispatched American Jessica Pegula 6-1 6-0 in just under an hour in what was a flawless performance. In winning the tournament and finishing the week undefeated, Świątek pocketed $3,780,000 as a monetary prize, in addition to 1,500 points towards her WTA ranking.

There is much debate amongst tennis fans about who is the best to ever play the game. There’s plenty of names in contention for the top spot including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Pete Sampras and, a blast from the past, Rod Laver. But probably one of the most prominent figures of tennis in the last ten years and certainly a man who has more than earned his right to be in this conversation, Serbian great Novak Djokovic.

So, who really is the best ever?

There is no doubt that all of these players have treated us to some spectacular tennis over the years, often battling it out against one another for the chance to win a Grand Slam. With only Nadal and Djokovic still playing, are they able to cement their position as greats in the sport, maybe even the greatest?

It’s only right to begin the conversation with Rod Laver, a man whose career started before many of the others were born. The Australian legend was ranked number one in the world for seven straight years between 1964 and 1970 as his career was one full of success. Nicknamed ‘Rocket’ he won a whopping 200 career titles with 11 Grand Slam Singles Titles and 9 Pro Slam Singles Titles, making him easily a contender for the greatest to have ever played tennis.

Next up, another man who retired over 20 years ago, Pete Sampras. The American picked up an incredible $43 million dollars in prize money throughout his career as well as a respectable 14 Grand Slam Singles Titles. Retiring in 2002, he is widely regarded as one of the tennis greats.

His career finished on a high after the US open when he defeated rival Andre Agassi. However, his place in the argument for one of the greats is disputed due to his preference for hard courts and grass. Should he have dominated across all surfaces to be eligible for the conversation?

A rival of Djokovic, Roger Federer’s reign in tennis was a magnificent one to say the least. In a career spanning over 24 years, the Swiss is one of the most well renowned to play the game with 103 career titles and 20 Grand Slam Singles Titles.

Even at the age of 40, he was still playing at the highest level and challenging for titles. His last appearance in a Grand Slam final was in 2019 when he was beaten by Djokovic at Wimbledon. A remarkable career that was played at such a high level for so long.

Rafael Nadal is another man from Djokovic’s era and like Federer he has been around for quite some time. The Spaniard continues into the later stages of his career at the age of 37, however, with 22 Grand Slam Singles Titles it has been an impressive one. Known as the ‘King of the Clay’ in 2022 he won a record 14th French Open title.

During a time that may mark the beginning of a new era for tennis as Nadal, Djokovic and others bring their careers to a close, we can certainly be grateful that Rafael Nadal treated us to some of the best tennis the world has seen.

But can anyone surpass Novak Djokovic? As the Serbian reaches his late thirties, he is still winning Grand Slams for fun. In the final Grand Slam of the 2023 season at the US open, Djokovic secured a record-breaking 24th Grand Slam Singles Title. He also won 3 out of the four Grand Slams in 2023 at the age of 36, only losing out at Wimbledon to Spaniard and possible successor Carlos Alcaraz.

The most Grand Slams ever by a male tennis player and the possibility for even more, it’s very difficult to argue that Djokovic is anything other than the greatest tennis player ever.

So what do you think? Is Novak Djokovic the best to play the game or is there someone else who has proven himself over the Serbian? No matter what your opinion is, Djokovic’s legacy and impact on the sport will live on for years to come even after his career ends.