Tag: tennis

Whether Coco Gauff is right or wrong, bad officiating can’t keep derailing her matches

Coco might be right. Maybe tennis does need replays.

This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.

Good morning, Winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thanks for reading today. Here’s your morning medal count as of 9:00 a.m. ET.

— United States: 20 (3 gold, 8 silver, 9 bronze)

— France: 16 (5 gold, 8 silver, 3 bronze)

— Japan: 12 (6 gold, 2 silver, 4 bronze)

— China: 12 (5 gold, 5 silver, 2 bronze)

— Korea: 10 (5 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze)

Coco Gauff deserves better

The story of Coco Gauff’s loss in straight sets (7-6, 6-2) to Donna Vekić won’t be about the loss.

Instead, it’ll be about the argument between Gauff and yet another chair umpire after an erroneous call completely derailed what felt like might be a classic.

READ MORE: Fans rallied behind a teary-eyed Coco Gauff after a bad call ruined her match

With the second set at 2-3 and Vekić playing for a breakpoint, Gauff served the ball into Vekić’s forehand. Gauff prepared to hit a return but the line judge called the ball out as she swung. She seemed to pull up after the call and sent the ball into the net.

The umpire correctly overruled the line judge and ruled the ball in. But the judge also ruled that Gauff lost the point, which gave Vekić the break she needed to push the match to 4-2.

That’s what caused Gauff’s teary-eyed reaction. She felt cheated and it’s hard to blame her.

A call was made and Gauff reacted to it. The call was wrong, yes, but it disrupted play. The obvious solution was to replay the point, but instead, we got a heated argument between Gauff and the chair umpire that looked completely embarrassing for the sport.

This isn’t the first time this has happened to Gauff. Just over a month ago at the French Open essentially the same thing happened in Gauff’s match against Iga Swiatek. Back then, Gauff argued that tennis needs a replay system to prevent things like this from happening. She’s arguing it again here and, honestly, she may be right. For these errors to continue to mar the sport repeatedly isn’t the greatest look.

You know what also isn’t the greatest look? Gauff’s reaction here. Don’t get me wrong. Understandably, she’s upset about what keeps happening to her. Anyone would be.

There’s nothing wrong with being an emotional player. We’ve seen plenty come through the sport and thrive. John McEnroe is the obvious one that comes to mind. Serena Williams got fiery at times on the court, too. But they were able to use that emotion and that fire to thrive.

Today, it seemed, Gauff’s emotions were a bit of a hindrance. That’s Ok. Gauff is young. She’ll learn and get better from this.

Let’s hope Roland Garros learns, too, and doesn’t continuously allow things to go this far.

Katie Ledecky is still better than everyone else

Here’s our daily word from Michelle Martinelli, who has boots on the ground in Paris for the Games. Today’s subject is the unmatched brilliance of Katie Ledecky. The longer she goes, the better she is. 

NANTERRE, France — Bonjour, les gagnants! On Day 4 of swimming at the Paris Olympics, Katie Ledecky is doing Katie Ledecky things, like crushing her 1,500-meter freestyle competition in her typically dominant fashion.

The longer the race, the better Ledecky is, and the 1,500 is her best event — and one that was FINALLY added to the Olympic lineup at the 2021 Tokyo Games. (It took decades, but organizers finally corrected the absurdly antiquated and sexist thinking that limited the longest Olympic women’s event to the 800 when men could swim the 1,500.)

The world record holder, Ledecky was the first women’s 1,500 Olympic champion in Tokyo, setting the Olympic record by default. And after her prelims swim Tuesday, she certainly looks like she’ll have no trouble defending her Olympic gold.

Ledecky qualified first while fellow American Katie Grimes didn’t make the top-8 final, set for Wednesday afternoon Eastern time.

On a personal note, as a kid watching Olympic swimming, I remember being confused about why women couldn’t swim the 1,500 when 10-year-old me could. So to finally see the event in Tokyo on TV and then in person Tuesday in Paris was really something special.

This was my view of Ledecky cruising to the finish in prelims:

The 10-year-old inside me is crying.

— Michelle Martinelli 🇫🇷 

Don’t forget: The MLB trade deadline is today

Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

Olympic buzz has overtaken just about everything. But this might be a pretty important day for your favorite baseball team.

We’ve already seen a bit of movement so far. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is a Yankee. Randy Arozarena is a Mariner. There’s plenty more to come with so many teams thinking they have a legitimate shot at winning down the stretch of the season. So many contending teams still have holes to fill.

If you need to play a little catchup, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered.

— The basics of the MLB trade deadline

— Nine players who could be dealt at the trade deadline

— Three teams that should sell and two teams that should buy at the deadline

Quick hits: Incredible surfing photos … Meet Stephen Nedoroscik

— Our Mary Clarke put together this incredible gallery of surfing photos from day 3 of the Olympics

— Stephen Nedoroscik inspired so many memes after coming through in the clutch for U.S. Gymnastics on Monday. Meg Hall has more.

— Charles Curtis has more on theories that shallow pools are impacting the Olympic swimmers. 

— James McCann somehow remained in the game for the Orioles after taking a fastball to the head. Tyler Netunno has more.

—Prince Grimes says Anthony Richardson’s return to the Colts could disrupt the NFL

— Frederick Richard’s parents are so delightful. Here’s Cory Woodroof with more.

That’s a wrap, folks. Thanks so much for reading. We appreciate you! Enjoy the Games. We out. Peace.

-Sykes ✌️

Ben Shelton knocked out of ATP Atlanta as No. 1 seed

Despite coming into the ATP Atlanta tournament as the No. 1 seed, former Florida tennis star Ben Shelton lost his first match.

After a brilliant run to the Fourth Round at Wimbledon, Florida tennis alum [autotag]Ben Shelton[/autotag] came up short in his first match at the ATP Tour event in Atlanta, Georgia.

Shelton fell to Chinese 19-year-old Juncheng Shang for the second straight year at his hometown event event. Last year’s matchup came in the Round of 32, but Shelton earned a bye to the Round of 16 as the No. 1 seed.

The extra rest didn’t do Shelton much good. He lost in straight sets, 7-6(6), 6-4. Shang was gracious in victory and spoke highly of Shelton, who he is now 3-0 against.

“It was a really tough match,” Shang said. “The conditions are completely different from last year. The courts are much slower. But with this crowd, I really enjoy playing here. I don’t know what I did to play so well against Ben but he’s such an amazing guy, a lot of respect to him.”

Shang’s success against Shelton might be because both are lefties. He told Rough Draft Atlanta that he’s able to return lefties a lot better than righties, which is something Shelton doesn’t deal with often (or that well). It’s a hole in the young American’s game right now, but he’s always working to improve.

Up next for Shelton is the U.S. Open on Aug. 26 in New York City.

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Elim Yan signs with Lady Vols

Elim Yan signs to play tennis for the Lady Vols.

Tennessee women’s tennis team and head coach Alison Ojeda have signed Elim Yan.

Tennessee announced the signing Thursday and Yan, a freshman, will join the Lady Vols for the 2024-25 season.

Yan, a native of Australia, comes to Tennessee after an impressive juniors career. She most recently won the J2 ITF Thailand doubles championship and was the 2022 U18 Australian Nationals singles and doubles finalist.

She also won the J3 ITA Gallipoli Youth Cup.

In 2023, Yan was named the South Australian 18s Player of the Year.

She is one of seven signees officially signed to the 2024 class, which includes fellow Australian Catherine Aulia, Vanessa Suarez, Natalia Perez, Conley Raidt, Saray Yli-Pilpari, Brooklyn Schafer, and Maevue Thornton.

Russell Westbrook meeting Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon had NBA fans making the same Nikola Jokic joke

You got the wrong Serbian star, Russell Westbrook!

Part of the Denver Nuggets’ master plan to win two NBA titles in three seasons reportedly involves eventually signing Russell Westbrook. Unfortunately for three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, Westbrook remains in a holding pattern with the Los Angeles Clippers.

That doesn’t mean the legendary point guard can’t spend his offseason hanging out with other Serbian star athletes for the time being.

As Novak Djokovic awaits a quarterfinal match at Wimbledon 2024, he got a surprise guest — Westbrook, who apparently came to take in some world-class tennis. It’s a little too convenient that Westbrook happened to meet Djokovic, one of Jokic’s best friends, as the Nuggets recruit him in the background.

Isn’t it?

In all seriousness, Westbrook meeting Djokovic right before he might join Jokic’s Nuggets probably isn’t connected at all. It’s just so funny that Westbrook would hang out with another player who has a “Joker” nickname during a time when the Nuggets are waiting for him to become available.

NBA fans made the same Nikola Jokic joke after seeing Novak Djokovic hang out with Russell Westbrook

Jasmine Paolini had a super classy response after Madison Keys lost at Wimbledon due to injury

Jasmine Paolini comforted Madison Keys after a terrible Wimbledon injury.

Madison Keys was ready for a glorious Wimbledon moment on Sunday. But injuries and their unfortunate timing don’t always cooperate.

In a thrilling Round of 16 duel with Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, the American Keys was forced to retire at 5-5 of the third set after an upper-thigh injury she suffered mid-match became too much to overcome. The prospect of losing because of an ill-timed, mid-match injury understandably moved Keys.

She was in tears as she began walking off the Wimbledon court to a standing ovation from the watching crowd. She eventually greeted a remorseful Paolini, who clearly felt absolutely terrible for her opponent:

In her post-match interview, Paolini could’ve focused on boasting about winning her first-ever main draw match on grass. Instead, per Reuters, the Italian classily honored Keys, expressing some sincere sadness and grace in a challenging situation for any athlete:

“I’m so sorry for her [Keys]. To end the match like this it’s sad. We played a really good match. it was really tough, lots of up and downs. I feel a bit happy but also sad for her because it’s not easy to win like that,” Paolini said.

Paolini took things a step further on her Twitter account, where she wished Keys well in her injury recovery:

Good sportsmanship never goes out of style. If anything, it’s built for moments like this, where world-class tennis players understand that injuries can sometimes make any match a roll of the dice.

Ben Shelton set to face World No. 1 Sinner in fourth round of Wimbledon

Ben Shelton has made magic happen on the grass at Wimbledon this year, and now he faces his toughest test — world No. 1 Jannik Sinner.

Ben Shelton’s run at Wimbledon continued on Saturday as he advanced to the fourth round of the main draw with a win over left-handed Canadian Denis Shapovalov.

It took two days to complete the match. Rain forced tournament officials to suspend play on Friday after just five games. Shelton needed just over three hours to complete yet another five-set comeback win, 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.

“We’re back, big dog,” Shelton said after the game, acknowledging the 30th anniversary of his father’s fourth-round run at the tournament. Bryan Shelton, who coached Ben at the University of Florida, is often shown on the broadcasts advising his son from the stands.

Shelton will face world No. 1 Jannik Sinner next. The two have met three times, Sinner winning the two more recent contests. Shelton shrugged off the name when asked about his opponent, drawing a few chuckles from the crowd.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for me, a great challenge and test,” he said. “The biggest challenge in tennis is playing the top-ranked player in the world. But I’m never somebody to be scared of going into a match or feel unprepared. I’m always confident in my abilities no matter who is on the other side of the net.”

Doubles play suspended at Wimbledon

Shelton also began his run in the doubles bracket at Wimbledon with fellow American Mackenzie McDonald on Saturday.

The duo hasn’t played together competitively since last summer, but they nearly pulled off a two-set victory in the first round. However, the Italian pairing of Flavio Cobolli and Lorenzo Sonego won a second-set tiebreak, 6-3, to force a third set.

That deciding set will be played on Sunday after rain left the ground oversaturated and unplayable.

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Wimbledon officials hilariously halted play as England defeated Switzerland on PKs in the Euros

Sometimes you just have to cheer, tennis or no.

The Wimbledon third round match between Novak Djokovic and Alexei Popyrin took a brief pause on Saturday afternoon as the crowd erupted in spontaneous cheers. After a brief moment of confusion, Djokovic realized the reason, and it had nothing to do with the match at hand.

MORE: Spain’s blatant handball allowed it to escape Germany in extra time at Euro 2024 and fans lost it

The English men’s national team played Switzerland to 1-1 tie in the 2024 European Championship quarterfinals before emerging victorious, 5-3, in penalty kicks. As the mostly home crowd learned of the result, excitement ensued.

To the credit of the tennis players, they quickly caught on and Djokovic reacted with a playful fake soccer kick of his own.

Former Gator Ben Shelton’s results through two rounds at Wimbledon

Former Gator and world No. 14 Ben Shelton is headed to the third round at Wimbledon, but it hasn’t been easy by any means.

Ben Shelton has been climbing up the world rankings since he left the University of Florida two years ago to begin his pro career, and he entered the 2024 Wimbledon Championships as the No. 14 seed.

The former Gator advanced to the third round of play after defeating South African Lloyd Harris in five sets on Thursday, with a scoreline of 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (7/5), 6-3, 7-6 (10/7). Shelton defeated 23-year-old Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci in the first round, also needing a final set tiebreaker.

Shelton egged on the Americans in the crowd during the final set tiebreak, earning chants of “USA! USA! USA!” on the fourth of July. Those same fans and Shelton) erupted when Harris sent a backhand wide to close things out.

Shelton didn’t have his best stuff early on. He wasn’t using his power to serve as much as he needed to and relied on a shaky drop shot too frequently. Sticking to his game paid off in the end, as Shelton improved in the final sets.

Ben Shelton’s next Wimbledon opponent

Shelton’s third-round matchup is Canadian Denis Shapovalov, who is currently ranked 120th with a protected ranking of 27th.

Shapovalov made it to the fourth round at Wimbledon last year, but he lost while playing with a hurt knee. He withdrew from his next tournament and spent the rest of the year recovering from the injury. Despite two tournament wins this year, Shapovalov has put together a disappointing 12-15 record in 2024.

Shelton is chasing another deep run on the Grand Slam stage after making the semifinals of the 2023 US Open.

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Maeve Thornton signs with Lady Vols

Tennessee announces the signing of Maeve Thornton.

Tennessee women’s tennis announced the signing of transfer Maeve Thornton.

Thornton is a graduate of Catholic High School in Knoxville, Tennessee, and will have three years of eligibility remaining with the Lady Vols. She played at Furman during the 2023-24 season.

Thornton went 9-11 in singles competition and served as the No. 2 player for Furman. She recorded 11 wins in doubles completion last season.

The Knoxville native is the sixth signee officially announced for the Lady Vols’ 2024 recruiting class, joining Vanesa Suarez, Natalia Perez, Conley Raidt, Brooklyn Schafer and Saray Yli-Piipari.

Tennessee advanced to the NCAA Tournament Final Four in 2024 for the first time in 22 years.

Florida tennis alum McCartney Kessler in Wimbledon Main Draw

After a 3-0 run in qualifies, former Florida tennis star McCartney Kessler is headed to the main draw at Wimbledon.

Former Florida tennis star [autotag]McCartney Kessler[/autotag] is set to appear in her second Major after going 3-0 in qualifiers for the main draw at Wimbledon.

Kessler went to a third set in all three of her qualifying matches, defeating Rebecca Marino of Canada, Maya Joint of Australia and top-100 ranked Renata Zarazua, in that order. Kessler mounted comebacks against Joint and Zarazua after dropping the first set in each match.

Her reward is a match with world No. 9 Marina Sakkari out of Greece. Wimbledon’s Round of 128 takes place from July 1-2. A start time and location have not yet been provided.

Kessler made her WTA Tour debut this year and is already ranked No. 118 nationally. She made her Major debut at the Australian Open as a wildcard earlier this year, losing in the second round.

She spent five seasons with the Florida Gators, leaving in 2022 as a two-time Singles All-American and the SEC Player of the Year. She was also a Doubles All-American in 2020-21.

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