Tag: Wimbledon

Former LSU tennis star Neal Skupski wins Wimbledon doubles title

Neal Skupski, who played at LSU from 2008-12, becomes the second former Tiger to win a men’s doubles major title.

Former LSU tennis great [autotag]Neal Skupski[/autotag] won the first men’s doubles major title of his career on Saturday at Wimbledon.

Competing in his native Great Britain alongside his doubles partner, Wesley Koolhoof of the Netherlands, Skupski won 6-4, 6-4 as a part of the top-seeded pairing in the doubles draw.

Skupski becomes just the second Englishman to win Wimbledon in its open era, which began in 1969, and he’s the first since 2012.

“I don’t know what to say. This feeling at the moment doesn’t get any better,” Skupski said following the match, according to a release. “Me and Wesley came together and this year it was one of our goals to win a Grand Slam. Now that we’ve done it, it feels very special.”

Skupski also claimed titles in mixed doubles at Wimbledon in 2021 and 2022 alongside Desirae Krawczyk. He’s also the first Englishman to win mixed and men’s titles at Wimbledon since Leslie Godfree in 1926.

A member of the LSU tennis team from 2008-12, Skupski was an ITA Doubles All-American in 2009 and 2011. He becomes the second former Tiger to win a men’s doubles major title.

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Carlos Alcaraz delighted in Novak Djokovic’s classy joke about losing to him at Wimbledon

This was a perfect way to give Alcaraz his flowers.

Sunday saw Novak Djokovic once again break his racquet in frustration during a tough Men’s Wimbledon Final loss. But it’s worth noting that Djokovic only specifically threw another tantrum because world No. 1 and first-time Wimbledon winner Carlos Alcaraz gave him all he could handle in a tense match.

When Djokovic was asked to reflect on his defeat post-match, with the heat of the moment behind them, he made sure to pay tribute to Alcaraz’s performance as a bright 20-year-old. He did it by making a classy joke about how Alcaraz actually surprised him with a sterling performance on Wimbledon’s trademark grass.

And as a growing friendly rival, Alcaraz absolutely loved it:

In case you’re not sure what Djokovic referred to when saying he thought Alcaraz would only give him “trouble” on other surfaces, he’s partly calling back their semifinal match at the 2023 French Open earlier this summer. Alcaraz made some incredible plays at Roland-Garros before eventually fading down the stretch.

That, of course, didn’t happen to Alcaraz at Wimbledon, and Djokovic appropriately applauded his young peer for holding it together for the big win.

Novak Djokovic childishly smashed his racquet in frustration after losing a break in epic Wimbledon Final

Throwing a tantrum in a tough loss is classic Djokovic.

Entering Sunday’s Men’s Wimbledon Final, Novak Djokovic had a chance to break the all-time Open record for Grand Slam titles. But first, he had to overcome the young superstar and current world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz.

While some expected Djokovic to cruise, Alcaraz gave the arguable tennis GOAT all he could handle in an epic five-set match. And when Alcaraz started to pull away in the fifth set, winning a crucial break en route to his first-ever Wimbledon title, Djokovic predictably lost his cool in the worst way.

He does, after all, have a history.

In this case, the Serbian athlete once again smashed and completely destroyed his racquet against the post like a child, showing anything but the grace and composure of a champion.

The least Djokovic can do in a tough loss is not … destroy things. There’s something to be said for discretion and taking a defeat in dignity. This was a terrible look for someone who carries themselves like an all-time great.

Ons Jabeur called her latest Wimbledon loss ‘the most painful loss of my career’ in an extremely emotional moment

Ons Jabeur got so close. Again.

It was nice seeing Markéta Vondroušová make a bit of history by winning her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, but it’s also extremely hard not to feel bad for Ons Jabeur in the loss.

Tennis is one of those sports where it’s easy to root for both sides, but somebody has to lose. It can end up being a pretty brutal loss to stomach. Each match means so much to these players’ individual careers.

This might have been the most meaningful match for Jabeur. She climbed the mountaintop back to the Wimbledon final for the second consecutive year.

She lost to Elena Rybankina in a tough match that ended up being a landmark moment in Wimbledon history.

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Almost the exact same thing happened to Jabeur this go-round. She made it all the way back to the Wimbledon final and lost to Vondroušová in straight sets. That’s just a rough way to go out.

Clearly, she felt every bit of it. After the match when she had the opportunity to speak and she just couldn’t hold back her tears.

Nonetheless, she still showed her resilience.

“I think this is the most painful loss of my career. So. It’s been a tough journey. But that’s tennis. I promise I’ll come back one day and win this tournament.” 

What a moment, man. So many people are rooting for her to finally break the ice. People from all over social media showed their support.

Markéta Vondroušová just shocked the world by becoming the first unseeded woman to win Wimbledon

What an incredible moment for Marketa and the sport of tennis

Markéta Vondroušová wasn’t supposed to be here. Simply put, nobody has been in this spot before.

Not only did the Czech tennis star just win Wimbledon, but she also made a bit of history while accomplishing her greatest career feat at just 24 years old.

RELATED: Marketa Vondrousova stuns Wimbledon with win

Vondroušová became the first unseeded player in the Open era to win Wimbledon. She did so in a dominating fashion, too, defeating Ons Jabeur in straight sets for the first Grand Slam title.

No one could’ve predicted this at the beginning of the tournament. This isn’t something any of us expected to see — especially considering how terrible Vondroušová had been on grass before Wimbledon. Even with 6 wins in the tournament on the surface, she still had a 10-11 record on the surface.

Yet, still, Vondroušová came out on top. Here’s the moment she won the match.

You can tell how elated she is at this moment. As soon as she scores the point, she just falls to the ground in pure joy.

So many people were happy to see Vondroušová make this bit of history. It felt like such a special moment.

What is a hindrance call in tennis?

Novak Djokovic was called for hindrance during his Wimbledon semifinal win Friday.

Novak Djokovic is just one match victory away from his 24th Grand Slam title, which would set the all-time record for men or women in the Open Era and break his tie with Serena Williams at 23.

The No. 2-ranked player in the world won his Wimbledon semifinal match Friday, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4), over No. 8 Jannik Sinner to advance to Sunday’s final, when he’ll face either No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz or No. 3 Daniil Medvedev. But Djokovic’s semifinal win had a super surprising moment.

During the second set against Sinner, Djokovic returned the ball and let out a loud and extended grunt. It was apparently too much for the chair umpire, who called the 36-year-old Serbian player for hindrance.

So what is hindrance? Simply, the ATP Tour’s 2021 rulebook described it as: “A hindrance may result (1) from a corrected call by an official or (2) from an inadvertent event that occurs on-court”.

But the section also notes that a “A distraction occurring on-court may be ruled inadvertent (unintentional) or ruled deliberate.” More via the 2021 ATP Tour rulebook:

Any player who created the hindrance must be advised that the next time play is stopped by the Chair Umpire because of that player’s similar actions; it shall result in a loss of point. …

Any distraction caused by a player may be ruled deliberate and result in the loss of a point (intentional or unintentional). Deliberate is defined as the play- er meant to do what it was that caused the hindrance or distraction.

This grunt from Djokovic certainly seems unintentional, but the rule clearly states the call leads to a loss of a point regardless of intentionality.

Here’s another example, from the 2021 ATP Tour rulebook:

Opponent Makes Noise

Case: During play, a player thinking he has hit a winner, shouts “vamos”, “come on”, “yes”, etc. as his opponent is in the act of hitting the ball.

Decision: If the Chair Umpire rules that a hindrance has occurred then, as the sound or exclamation that caused the hindrance was deliberate, the point shall be awarded.

23 awesome Novak Djokovic photos from his 23 singles Grand Slam victories

Novak Djokovic called by Wimbledon umpire for ‘hindrance’ during point because he… grunted too long?

Too much grunting, apparently.

Novak Djokovic, the No. 2 seed at Wimbledon, was fighting for a point in the second set of the men’s semifinals against No. 8 Jannik Sinner when the chair umpire called out one word that stopped play.

“HINDRANCE.”

For those unfamiliar, hindrance is called when a player or non-player intentionally or unintentionally interferes with another players ability on the court. If intentional, the perpetrator will lose the point. If unintentional — think a bird flying down or a headband coming off mid-play — they will simply replay the point.

Sinner was awarded the point, meaning the chair umpire deemed Djokovic acted intentionally.

So, what did he do? Well, he grunted too long.

He clearly didn’t agree, but the point went to Sinner. What do you think? Did he grunt too long?

23 awesome Novak Djokovic photos from his 23 singles Grand Slam victories

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Johannus Monday concludes first Wimbledon appearance

Tennessee’s Johannus Monday concludes first Wimbledon appearance.

Tennessee rising senior Johannus Monday concluded his first appearance in The Championships, Wimbledon.

Monday and doubles partner Jake Fearnley lost in a second-round match to Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden, 7-5, 6-3.

Monday and Fearnley defeated André Göransson and Ben McLachlan, 1-6, 7-6(2), 6-4, in the first-round.

Fearnley plays collegiately at TCU.

Monday earned 2023 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year honors and was named an ITA All-American in both singles and doubles during the spring.

He enters the 2023-24 season with a 77-22 career singles record and a 68-25 record in doubles competition.

Monday is from Hull, England. He and Fearnley both attended Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh, Scotland.

PHOTOS: Tennessee defeats Belmont in 2023 NCAA Tournament first-round

PHOTOS: Tennessee-South Carolina 2023 NCAA Tournament tennis super regional

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Why Wimbledon players wear all white for London’s Grand Slam event

The story behind the all-white dress code at Wimbledon.

It’s something you may have noticed while watching Wimbledon every year, but only stopped to ask now: Why is it that the men and women tennis players there have to wear all-white?

Great question! It’s something that’s caused controversy in recent years so it’s worth looking back on the history.

The answer? The dress code comes from the 1800s, and as Deseret News noted: “visible perspiration was considered improper, reports The Telegraph. White ensembles apparently hide sweat stains best, so the Wimbledon dress code called for all-white outfits.”

There’s been one change in recent years, from Wimbledon’s site: Exception provided for female players who are allowed to wear solid, mid/dark-coloured undershorts provided they are no longer than their shorts or skirt.

There you have it!