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De Minaur: I’m Absolutely Devastated
“It’s not a match that I thought I lost physically,” Aussie No. 1 said after a four hour, 14-minute AO loss to Andrey Rublev. By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Sunday, January 21, 2024 Elated Aussie fans erupted in a wall of sound as home hero Alex de Minaur squared off against Andrey Rublev for a dramatic…
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Matches Finishing Late: Everyone Agrees Something Needs to Change, But What?
Late finishes down under are part of a larger problem in pro tennis. By Erik Gudris | @atntennis | Sunday, January 21, 2024 Elated Aussie fans erupted in a wall of sound as home hero Alex de Minaur squared off against Andrey Rublev for a dramatic fifth set on Rod Laver Arena A ruthless Rublev battered barriers,…
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Podcast #3 – 2024 Women’s Preview
Ready for 2024? Let’s talk tennis! Here’s my take on everything important in 2024 Women’s tennis. There’s a great story going on. Enjoy!
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Podcast #2 – 2024 Men’s Preview
Ready for 2024? Let’s talk tennis! Here’s my take on everything important in 2024 Men’s tennis. Enjoy!
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Australian Open Draws and Schedule for Day 1: Sunday, January 14, 2024
The 2018 Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark will play 20th-seeded Magda Linette of Poland in her Australian Open return on Sunday in Melbourne. Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images Australian Open Melbourne ParkMelbourne, AustraliaJanuary 14-28, 2024A$86.5 million ($58.91 million U.S. dollars)Hard Court History At Stake at 2024 Australian Open Ten-time AO champion Novak Djokovic…
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Australian Open R1 previews and predictions: Sinner vs. Van de Zandschulp, Tiafoe vs. Coric
The Australian Open gets underway on Sunday and Jannik Sinner will be in action in Rod Laver Arena against Botic van de Zandschulp. Another big-name matchup in round one features Frances Tiafoe and Borna Coric.(4) Jannik Sinner vs. Botic van de ZandschulpSinner pretty much took the tennis world by storm in 2023, especially in the…
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Podcast #1 – Introduction
Well, here it is! You asked. I’ve delivered. This begins First Ball Forehand’s podcast journey. Here is my introduction. Let’s talk tennis!
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18-Year-Old Shang Displaying Grace Under Pressure as 2024 Kicks Off
The Chinese teen has saved match points to win in both of his matches at Hong Kong. By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday January 3, 2024 China’s Juncheng Shang is one of six teenagers inside the ATP’s Top 200 and generally thought of as a rising talent that could be a future top player.…
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United Cup Draws and Schedule of Play for Thursday, January 4, 2024
Caroline Garcia leads France against Team Norway in United Cup action on Thursday. Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images United Cup RAC Arena and Ken Rosewall ArenaPerth and Sydney, AustraliaDecember 29, 2023-January 7, 2024 Surface: Hard Court Eighteen Nations Battle for United Cup The United Cup is back for a second time, with the unique and…
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Valentine’s Bash: Delray Beach Date with Fritz
Taylor Fritz will launch his Delray Beach defense on Valentine’s night. By Alberto Amalfi | @Tennis_Now | Thursday, December 21, 2023 Book your spot for a Valentine’s Delray Beach date with Taylor Fritz. World No. 10 Fritz will launch his Delray Beach title defense on Valentine’s night, Wednesday, February 14th, 2024. Nadal: Ready to…
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Nadal completes Kuwait training with Fils, now back in Mallorca
Rafael Nadal’s training for the 2024 tennis season has been heating up in December. At first he was at home in Mallorca, Spain playing at his academy. He then traveled to Kuwait for a weeklong session with Arthur Fils. The 37-year-old Spaniard is now back in Mallorca training with both Richard Gasquet and Jan-Lennard Struff,…
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Sinner the big winner of 2023 ATP awards
Winners of the 2023 ATP Awards were announced earlier this month. As expected, Jannik Sinner was the big story. Sinner was named the tour’s Most Improved Player after climbing from 15th in the rankings to fourth. The 22-year-old’s season was highlighted by his first Masters 1000 title in Toronto plus three other titles and runner-up…
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Novak Djokovic, GOAT of Boring
Congratulations Novak Djokovic, GOAT of Boring!! “Screeching halt! Really? You’ve got to be kidding?” Before the hate mail comes in, hear me out. Novak’s US Open victory was brilliant, masterful, and a dagger into the hearts of anyone who believes that Nadal or Federer challenge his GOAT status. Here we are about 2 weeks past…
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Coco Gauff – Unstoppable US Open Champion
Congratulations Coco Gauff – Unstoppable US Open Champion!! This was your moment, the first of many more to come. You have arrived! Let’s take a look at the key takeaways: Heart of a Champion Coco Gauff, throughout this tournament, you showed the heart of a champion. You had to win multiple 3-set matches. You had…
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U.S. Open Week One Quick Hits
Well, the 2023 U.S. Open is already at the halfway point. It’s been a great week. Let’s start a new series called “Quick Hits” and go through some of the highlights. There’s so much to talk about. No delay today. Let’s get started with U.S. Open week one quick hits: U.S. Tennis on Fire It’s…
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Coco Gauff’s Breakthrough
Last week, Jessica Pegula had a breakthrough. This week it’s Coco Gauff’s breakthrough in Cincinnati. Together, these two U.S. women have taken the title on the two biggest WTA 1000 crowns of the summer. Add in Coco’s Washington win and that’s a sweep of the last three. What an incredible summer thus far. Add in…
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Jessica Pegula’s Breakthrough
Congratulations Jessica Pegula on your WTA 1000 breakthrough in Montreal. Well-deserved. Well-earned. I’ve been saying for a few months now that this was possible for Jessie. She just had to believe it. The Samsonova match was dominating with obvious circumstances around Samsonova having to play two matches that day. The critical part was Jessie’s fantastic…
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Player Breakdown – Taylor Fritz
Today, we’re going to focus on Taylor Fritz. At still only 25, he’s top 10 in the world and the 2022 champion at Indian Wells. He’s the top-ranked U.S. men’s player as-of this writing at number 9 with Frances Tiafoe (10) and Tommy Paul (14) right on his heels. Over the rest of this breakdown,…
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Coco Gauff – DC Champion!
Congratulations Coco Gauff – DC Champion! Wow, what a fantastic performance and fantastic week for Coco! I’ve been preaching patience for Coco. She has all the tools. She’s doing great. No need to rush. Well, it looks like Coco had other ideas. When she demolished Bencic, I gave her credit, but also felt Bencic was…
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Tennis Summer Hardcourt!
I have to admit this is my favorite time of year! Wimbledon rolling right into summer hardcourt and culminating in the U.S. Open. There’s almost tennis every week, every day! Although I’ll focus on the U.S. hardcourt, there’s enough going on around the world to also provide early morning viewing for all of us in…