Top 10 tennis players send a second letter to the Grand Slam tournaments, asking for a hike in prize money
A collection of top-10 tennis players sent a second letter to the four Grand Slam tournaments to push for a greater share of revenues — aiming to rise from the current 16 per cent to 22 per cent by 2030 — contributions to pension, health and maternity benefits that would go from zero to $12 million annually by that same year, and greater say via a new player council. This letter, signed by stars such as Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Switek, Coco Gauff, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Jack Drapper, but not, unlike the original letter sent by players including Novak Djokovic to the Slam events in March, dated July 30. The second letter, which was seen this week by AP, set out specific benchmarks for ways in which the sport’s four most prestigious and profitable tournaments could offer more money and influence to the athletes. The players are working with Larry Scott as a consultant; he used to be the chairman and CEO of the WTA women’s tennis tour and, later, ran the Pac-12 conference in American college sports. There have been meetings among Scott, some players and the leaders of the All England Club, which runs Wimbledon; the French Tennis Federation, which runs Roland-Garros; Tennis Australia, which runs the Australian Open; and the U.S. Tennis Association, which runs the U.S. Open. All four were asked to reply to the July 30 letter, and all four did. The USTA’s response, dated August 18 and obtained this week by the AP, was signed by Brian Vahaly, the group’s interim co-CEO, and Stacey Allaster, the USTA’s chief executive of professional tennis, who just completed her last U.S. Open as tournament director.
Novak Djokovic acknowledges Virat Kohli’s ‘gladiator’ compliment; says ‘thank you’
Novak Djokovic had a surprise fan, cheering him during his dramatic fourth-round win at Wimbledon—Indian cricket superstar Virat Kohli. Djokovic, fresh off a gutsy comeback against Australia’s Alex de Minaur, took a moment to acknowledge Kohli’s Instagram shoutout in the most Djokovic way possible: with quiet gratitude and laser focus. Kohli, clearly captivated by Djokovic’s resilience on Centre Court, called the Serb a “gladiator” after watching him claw his way back from a one-set deficit, eventually taking the match 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. The Aussie looked dominant early and even led 4-1 in the fourth set, seemingly pushing the match towards a fifth. But in true champion fashion, Djokovic reeled off five straight games to seal his place in the quarterfinals. Djokovic saw the message and responded simply but meaningfully with a four-word post of his own: “Thank you for supporting,” acknowledging Kohli’s tribute on social media.
Djokovic gate-crashes Sabalenka press conference, gives advice ahead of Wimbledon
Novak Djokovic offered some lighthearted advice to top-ranked Aryana Sabalenka at Wimbledon on Saturday after gate-crashing the Belarusian’s news conference. Djokovic and Sabalenka spent some time practicing together at the All England Club this week ahead of the start of the grass-court Grand Slam tournament. Djokovic, a seven-time Wimbledon champion, then playfully interrupted the end of Sabalenka’s news conference on Saturday by telling her to hurry up so he could take over the podium. Sabalenka then took on the role of interviewer as reporters had been asking her about their session on court. “What did you think about hitting with me?” the three-time major winner asked Djokovic. “How do you see my level? Am I good?” Djokovic, who holds a total of 24 Grand Slams, was quick with a quip. “I think you have the potential. You’re like a really talented player,” he said, before offering a criticism of Sabalenka — who is known as one of the biggest hitters on the women’s circuit. “Can I be honest? You’re lacking intensity on the court,” Djokovic said, drawing laughter. “You don’t have enough intensity. It’s too flat. You’ve got to lighten up a little bit and put some power into it.” Djokovic had a similar experience back at the All-England Club in 2011. It was the then-second-ranked Serb at the podium when then-number-one-ranked Caroline Wozniacki crashed his news conference and peppered him with questions. Djokovic went on to win his first Wimbledon title, while Wozniacki lost in the fourth round.
Sinner stuns Djokovic to face Carlos Alcaraz in final
Top-seeded Jannik Sinner entered the final of the highly coveted French Open with a memorable win over the sixth-seeded Novak Djokovic in the semi-final match on Friday. The Italian registered a scoreline of 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 and knocked the 24-time Grand Slam winner out of the title race. With this win, Sinner marched into the final of the French Open and will now face the second-seeded and defending champions Carlos Alcaraz in the summit clash on Sunday. It will be Sinner’s maiden French Open title. Speaking after the match, the world number one said, as quoted by ATP’s official website, “It was such a special occasion for me, playing against Novak in the semi-final of a Grand Slam. It was just amazing, and I had to step up and play the best tennis I could. I am very happy with how I handled the situation, but this shows again what a role model he is for all of us and especially for us young players.” “What he (Djokovic) is doing is incredible, and I wish him only the best for the rest of the season. I think we are all very lucky to see him playing such high-level tennis, it is amazing,” he added. Alcaraz stands one victory away from defending his crown at Paris after Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti retired in the fourth set of their gripping semi-final clash on Friday .The 22-year-old Spaniard led Musetti 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-0, 2-0 when the Italian retired from the match after two hours and 25 minutes.
Novak Djokovic wins 100th ATP title after thrilling comeback in Geneva
Novak Djokovic claimed his 100th tour-level trophy on Saturday at the Gonet Geneva Open, battling past Hubert Hurkacz in a dramatic final. The Serbian star came from behind to win 5-7, 7-6(2), 7-6(2) in what turned out to be the longest match of the tournament, lasting three hours and five minutes, as per the ATP Tour. “I had to work for it, that’s for sure. Hubi was probably closer to victory in the entire match than I was,” Djokovic said, as quoted from ATP Tour. “I had some chances in the first set to break his serve, then had a bad game which ended up with the double fault on set point,” he added. “I was just trying to hang in there, I don’t know how I broke his serve. He probably broke himself in the third, when he was 4-3 up, but this is what happens at the highest level. Very few points decide the winner. Incredible match, 7-6 in the third with a full stadium and, a beautiful atmosphere. I’m just grateful to clinch the 100th here,” he noted. Djokovic trailed 2-4 in the final set but dug deep to turn the match around, showing the resilience he is known for. This win makes him only the third man in the Open Era to reach 100 tour-level trophies, joining legends Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103). His first title came back in 2006 when he beat Hurkacz’s current coach, Nicolas Massu. It’s also Djokovic’s first title since his gold medal win at the Paris Olympics last year. With this win, he becomes the first man in the Open Era to win a title in 20 different seasons. At 38, he is also now the oldest player to win the Geneva tournament.
