Missed something? Read it again? Find First Ball Forehand posts below. Enjoy!
-
Who is the last player to have beaten Jannik Sinner in straight sets?
Jannik Sinner rules men’s tennis in 2024! The Italian won 73 of 79 matches and collected eight ATP titles and the Davis Cup trophy for his country. Alongside many records, Jannik achieved a special feat mirrored only by Roger Federer. Sinner clinched a set in every of 79 encounters in 2024. The last player who…
-
Novak Djokovic proclaims: ‘My rivals have retired, but I’m motivated to carry on’
Novak Djokovic will enter the 2025 season as the only active player from the famous ‘Big 4’ group. The Serb will turn 38 in May next year, and he is still motivated to compete against the young guns and chase notable titles in the upcoming years. Roger Federer left the Tour after Wimbledon 2021. Rafael…
-
‘Novak Djokovic was sick, and I thought I had him,’ Denis Shapovalov recalls
Denis Shapovalov reached his first Masters 1000 final at the end of 2019. The 20-year-old played well in Paris, advancing to the title clash and facing the four-time champion, Novak Djokovic. The Serb did not play at his best at the start of the event. Denis thought he would have a chance against the legend,…
-
Australian tennis icon Neale Fraser dies at 91, Rod Laver pays tribute
Australian tennis icon Neale Fraser has passed away at the age of 91, Tennis Australia announced on Tuesday. During his astonishing career, the Australian enjoyed massive success across all Grand Slam competitions – having won three titles in singles, 11 in men’s doubles and five in mixed doubles. However, Fraser’s biggest success came in the…
-
Benneteau finds serious problem in Swiatek and Sinner’s doping matters
Billie Jean King Cup France captain Julien Benneteau shared his take on the two controversial doping matters involving Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner, trying to pinpoint the source of the problem. Benneteau said that more clarity is needed to avoid tarnishing the image of tennis. In the latest episode of Les Grandes Gueules du Sport…
-
Andy Murray’s ex-coach dismisses one-Slam wonder narrative about Emma Raducanu
Andy Murray’s former coach Mark Petchey says he “genuinely believes” Emma Raducanu will win multiple Grand Slam titles as the current tennis commentator and analyst highlights she is “too good not to succeed” in the future and backs the former world No. 10 to be a very dangerous player next year. After constantly struggling with injuries…
-
Adrian Otaegui leaves Spain for the Emirates
Surprise. Adrián Otaegui (32 years old) stops representing Spain to carry the flag of the United Arab Emirates, a country where he has lived since he was 19 years old. This was announced by the golfer himself, as well as by the Golf Federation and the Olympic Committee of the nation that he is now…
-
Naomi Osaka candidly answers if she is ‘bothered’ by fans greeting her in practices
Naomi Osaka says she will never be bothered by fans greeting her during practices because it still feels surreal to her to be where she is now. On Instagram, the Japanese tennis star decided to engage a bit with her fans so she staged a Q&A session. And since fans noticed that she was putting…
-
Coach opens up on Andrey Rublev’s dark place in 2024 and turning to professional help
Coach Fernando Vicente confirmed that Andrey Rublev was in depressive state for months after that infamous Dubai incident and that ultimately led to him visiting a psychologist several times a week. Early in the year, the Russian tennis star made a couple of notable results after winning Hong Kong and also reaching the Australian Open…
-
Ayora stays on DP and rejects Lid advances
He refuses a significant financial offer and a two-year contract, choosing to stay on the DP World Tour. Angel Ayora, an emerging talent in Spanish golf, at the age of 20 and after having earned the “card” for the top continental circuit, has rejected the financial advances of the Arab Super League. Liv Golf had…
-
Novak Djokovic could clash Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz in Melbourne even before AO
Novak Djokovic may take on Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in Melbourne even before the Australian Open starts after the three stars confirmed their participation at a charity event at Melbourne Park between 07-10 January. For the next season, the opening Grand Slam of the year is slated to take place between January 14-28. Djokovic,…
-
Taylor Fritz lauds Roger Federer’s 2006 perfection: ‘It’s Just Insane!’
Jannik Sinner completed a brilliant season, winning 73 of 79 matches and lifting eight titles and the Davis Cup trophy. TennisTV compared Jannik’s season with the finest accomplishments by three legends, and Taylor Fritz felt stunned by Roger Federer’s 2006 run. The Swiss maestro produced stellar numbers in his best professional season, winning 92 of 97…
-
Tennis Channel To Televise The Garden Cup on Wednesday, December 4
Photo credit: Rob Stone/@RobStoneTennis Tennis bounces back to Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. Tennis Channel will televise The Garden Cup action live. TC will broadcast The Garden Cup, a one-night only tennis exhibition live from Madison Square Garden, on Wednesday, December 4th with simulcast coverage in the New York tri-state area on MSG Networks. The…
-
Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz Commit to Laver Cup 2025
Photo credit: Laver Cup Indian Wells champions will lead the Laver Cup quest in San Francisco. Reigning Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz and US Open finalist Taylor Fritz are the first two players to commit to Laver Cup 2025 in San Francisco. Laver Cup returns to American soil at the iconic Chase Center in San Francisco, from…
-
The Power of Our Thoughts: The Vehicle That Carries Self-Talk Into the Tennis Courts
Welcome to today’s special interview on “The Power of Our Thoughts: Upon reading this post, one can find “How Our Inner Dialogue Affects Our Tennis Performance.” Players to watch are Bane Bradonic a best PTCA Master Professional, Psychologist and specialist in mental strength who have coached so many players to break their barriers to the…
-
From court to collaboration: Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray’s final rivalry act
After battling worldwide for almost two decades, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray will join forces at the beginning of 2025! Novak picked Andy as his new coach, opening an exciting chapter that intrigues the tennis world and the main protagonists! Novak conquered the Olympic gold medal in Paris in August, fulfilling his dream and completing the…
-
Juan Martin del Potro beats Novak Djokovic and ends his career
Juan Martin del Potro ended his career on Sunday. The 2009 US Open champion played an exhibition match against his great friend Novak Djokovic in Buenos Aires. They enjoyed every minute on the court, and the home favorite prevailed 6-4, 7-5 to terminate his career in style. Juan Martin could not play his best tennis for…
-
Jack Draper makes telling statement about angry bettors in tennis
Jack Draper says a tennis player is “a horrible person” in a bettor’s eye whether he wins or loses as there is always someone unhappy about the outcome of the match. Since tennis has an 11-month season and there matches pretty much 24/7, it became very attractive to gamblers. And since everyone has social media…
-
Andrea Petkovic gets brutally honest on Jannik Sinner team exclusion from ATP awards
Andrea Petkovic thinks there is a very logical and simple explanation to Jannik Sinner not being nominated for the Stefan Sportsmanship Award and his coaches also not being candidates for the ATP Coach of the Year award as the former world No. 9 believes the ATP is “protecting themselves from a potential PR disaster.” This…
-
Ex-Slam finalist details why he doesn’t see Rafael Nadal pulling off an Andy Murray
Former two-time French Open finalist Alex Corretja pretty much thinks there is zero chances of Rafael Nadal pulling off an Andy Murray and becoming a coach shortly after retiring from pro tennis. 10 days ago, Novak Djokovic made a bombshell announcement when he revealed the newly retired Briton as his coach for the start of…
