All Tennis Articles

The unthinkable is about to happen: tennis without the three men who have given us such special memories. John Inverdale looks at who might fill the void from the next generation

This year’s Australian Open is the first official post-Roger, post-Serena Grand Slam event, and the governing bodies of the sport will be hoping that Break Point will help casual sports-watchers realise that there are actually other good players out there you might like to support. 

London will continue to wear its mourning weeds into a third weekend, as the regal entity of Roger Federer prepares for a final procession before his adoring subjects at the O2 Arena.

The titular, contemplative Billy Joel song has always been associated with farewells: it used to be played at the conclusion of New York Mets games at the iconic Flushing Meadows institution, Shea Stadium.

In the summer of 2013 I saw The Rolling Stones perform in Hyde Park.  I was very excited to see them – I was, and remain, a big fan; despite being born many years after their creative peak.  And I also felt, given their respective ages at the time, there was a pretty good chance they would be retiring soon after the concert, so this would represent my last opportunity to see the legends in all their ragged glory.

What’s the point of Wimbledon without any points? The fact that we’re even asking that question after the decision by the ATP and WTA (the players’ unions) to withdraw ranking points from the world’s most prestigious tournament poses an even bigger question about how sport sees itself in the world at large, and perhaps more importantly, how the rest of the world sees sport.

A fascinating aspect of the study of civilisation collapse is how quickly the decline can take place.  As soon as one key block is removed, the whole Jenga tower - which may have stood untroubled for centuries - suddenly begins to wobble ominously.

Novak Djokovic - the player who has done more to ingratiate himself with the fans than any other, the player who has always just wanted to be loved, to be roared-on by all like Roger and Rafa (to the extent that he burst into tears when the usually hostile US Open crowd finally bestowed some affection upon him last year) - has shown that there is a limit to his obsequiousness.

Emma and Andy. Cam and Dan. They could be pairs in Strictly or some Simon Cowell cobbled-together band for a quick 18 months of fame. Instead they’re the quartet that, as 2021 nears its end, have suddenly made Britain a major tennis-playing nation again – two grand slam winners and two other ‘serious’ players in the men’s game.

One of my most time-consuming hobbies over the last 20 years or so – since my following of tennis became markedly devout – was creatively bemoaning the consistently underwhelming state of the British women’s game. 

The doom-mongers who predicted the end of tennis as a sport of global interest when Roger, Serena and Rafa finally leave the stage, have been proved to be wildly over pessimistic given events at the US Open over the past week or so.  It’s been one of the most enthralling, captivating and slightly bewildering Grand Slams for a long while, and we reach the quarter final stage, with perhaps even more surprisingly from a British perspective, the prospect of a new genuine star of the game coming from these shores. 

Another peek into the nebulous post-GOATs ATP universe will be on offer at this year’s US Open in Flushing Meadows. The crowds may be returning to fill the silent, cavernous, concrete voids of 2020, but Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are not – the pair remaining in Europe to recuperate from their respective war wounds. 

Observers will now be keen to see if Osaka can justify her lofty WTA ranking, as well as the enormous exposure. A sought-after and saliva-inducing final between the contrasting characters and top 2 seeds would take place on July 31st.

Is this it? The final curtain? The coda? GOATs: Endgame? I have a feeling it might be. And it brings me absolutely no pleasure at all. What at times may have felt like an infinity war in the marvellous universe of men’s tennis over the last 15-20 years, now looks to be approaching the post-credits sequence.

The key thing is not to get involved in a blame game. There are no winners in the Naomi Osaka at Roland Garros furore.

All tennis nerds know that Roland Garros - who lends his name to the home of the French Open - was a famous WW1 fighter pilot.  Odd name for a tennis facility you might think, but one of America's principal tennis arenas is named after a trumpet player, so it's really not that incongruous. But what many people don't know is that Monsieur Garros' last words were 'I just hope that bally left-handed Majorcan doesn't win it every single year!'

I have played tennis from the age of eight and in the bright Florida sunshine had a whole winter to sharpen up my serve, which was just as well because tennis suddenly became the focus of our gambling lives. The pro tour was coming to town, the players were all staying at the club and would be playing a two-day pro-am with members (entry fee: $1,000 to charity).

Nick Kyrgios has started a remarkable trend, promising to donate $200 to the Australian bushfire crisis for every ace he serves throughout the Australian summer. We are following suit.