Wimbledon targets juniors to make sure future is green
LONDON — Roger Federer would probably make tennis look easy on a court of broken glass so grass definitely holds no fears, as his 18 career titles on the greensward illustrate.
Such is Federer’s ease on the surface that had “lawn tennis” remained loyal to its roots and the sport was still played extensively on grass then it’s likely he would have accumulated more than his 100 titles. Eight-time Wimbledon champion Federer is a one-off though. The vast majority of players on Tour do not possess his sleight of hand or his powers of improvisation and for them grass remains a conundrum, especially when opportunities to master the surface are rare.
Of the 58 ATP Tour events in 2019, a player can play a maximum of four on grass. Since the US Open switched from grass to hard in 1975 and the Australian Open followed suit in 1988, Wimbledon remains the only Grand Slam played on lawns. It is a similar story on the WTA Tour which offers only five grasscourt tournaments in a threeweek block before Wimbledon.
For international juniors opportunities are even more scarce, which is why the All England Club, in collaboration with the Lawn Tennis Association, is acting to protect and promote grasscourt tennis and ensure “the future is green”.
This year, a new ITF junior grass international event will be hosted in Nottingham, the week before a similar event in Roehampton which until now had been the only lead-in tournament for players heading to the Wimbledon junior championships. “It’s a really exciting development for junior tennis,” Leon Smith, Britain’s Davis Cupwinning captain and former coach of twice Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, told Reuters at the All England Club. “It’s a big step forward in giving more players the opportunity to learn the nuances of grasscourt tennis.”
From 2022 a new event for under 14s will be staged at the All England Club during the second week of the Championships. Also, the Road to Wimbledon, a mass-participation grassroots event played since 2002 by thousands of youngsters in parks, schools and local clubs and culminating at the All England Club, has been expanded to Hong Kong, India, China and Japan. It is all about keeping grasscourt skills alive in a world full of baseline bashers, says Smith, and ensuring Wimbledon remains the pinnacle of world tennis, not an anomaly. —Reuters. CAPE TOWN — Roger Federer fans worried about his retirement can rest a bit easier after the Swiss great signed up to play in the 2020 Dubai Championships.
Federer enjoyed a historic week in Dubai as he lifted an eighth trophy in the Middle Eastern country to become only the second player after Jimmy Connors to win 100 ATP Tour singles titles.
However, there is constant speculation about his future as at the age of 37 everyone knows he doesn’t have too many more years left in the sport. Federer himself has in the past said that he doesn’t know yet when he will call it a CAPE TOWN — Arsenal are continuing to show an interest in Roma winger Cengiz Under with a view to making a summer move, reports claim.
The 21-year-old has been a revelation for Roma this season when firing home six goals and providing a further six assists in 24 appearances, and his form has not gone unnoticed.
Europe’s top clubs are starting to show interest and the Giallorossi face a real battle to keep hold of the Turkish starlet when the transfer window opens again in the off-season. day, but it appears that day won’t be in the next 12 months as he has signed up for next year’s event in Dubai.
“We congratulate Roger Federer on his fantastic achievement in winning 100 titles, and winning here in Dubai for the eighth time, more than any other player,” Colm McLoughlin, executive vice-chairperson and CEO of Dubai Duty Free, said.
“It is remarkable that his first title here came as long ago as 2003, and we look forward to welcoming both Federer and our ladies champion Belinda Bencic again in 2020.” — Sport24.
The Gunners will be looking to make changes in the close season and Cenzig is known to be high on Unai Emery’s wanted list.
Cash could again be a problem with Roma set to demand a huge fee for the youngster, who has three years remaining on his current deal, and such a fee could be beyond Arsenal’s limited budget.
However, that is not stopping Arsenal from showing an interest and Emery’s scouts are said to be keeping a very close eye on his performances. — Sport24.