Latest news with #Roehampton
Telegraph
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Cameron Norrie vs Nicolas Jarry: Score and latest Wimbledon updates
Big-serving world No 143 Jarry is aiming to reach the maiden major quarter-final of his career. After coming through qualifying in Roehampton, he fought back from two sets down to knock out eighth seed Holger Rune in the first round and then dispatched American Learner Tien and Brazilian teenage sensation Joao Fonseca. The 6ft 6in won his only previous tour level meeting with Norrie, a straight-sets success at the 2018 Miami Open. 'It's a great match to play, I'm excited for it,' said Norrie. 'I think he's one of the most dangerous players on the tour when he's confident, and he is confident. He beat Holger in a crazy match. I think he looks like a guy with nothing to lose. He's so dangerous. He's got one of the best serves on tour. I think he likes the grass a lot. I'm going to have to really raise my level from how I played [in round three].'
Times
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Times
Meet Canadian coach who transformed Britain into doubles force
The singles hopes may have been consigned to a sole flag bearer in both draws, but men's doubles remains a remarkable arena of national dominance. Since 2020, at least one Briton has been crowned a grand-slam champion every year, and three of the top six seeds at Wimbledon train out of the LTA headquarters in Roehampton. Henry Patten won the Australian Open in January alongside Finland's Harri Heliovaara, Lloyd Glasspool and Julian Cash are aiming to complete a grass-court hat-trick, having already clinched titles at Eastbourne and the Queen's Club, while Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski are both former world No1s playing their first full season together as partners. The strength in depth is unmatched — seven of the world's top 40 are British. The mastermind behind much of that success is Louis Cayer, a Canadian former Davis Cup coach and captain. In 2006, Judy Murray was so impressed watching one of Cayer's coaching sessions that she hired him to work with her son, Jamie. Such was his immediate impact, Roger Draper, the LTA's chief executive at the time, decided to bring Cayer in-house the following year to transform the national approach to doubles. 'Mr Draper asked me to bring two players into the top 100. I don't think there'd been one since 2000,' Cayer says. 'I said I think I can do better.' Murray was inevitably the face of the programme and eventually won two grand-slam titles in 2016 (the Australian Open and US Open), but the cultural change was far broader. Ross Hutchins, Colin Fleming, James Auckland and Jamie Delgado all broke into the top 100. 'That was the first batch,' Cayer says. 'Then it was, let's break No50, then No20, and then Jamie became the first No1. Then, Neal and Joe became No1s in 2022. Now we have Henry [the world No3 at present] who is knocking on the door. It can go from generation to generation because all of the players use the same system.' Patten, the defending Wimbledon champion, describes the LTA set-up, which includes a dedicated team of physios and analysts, as 'the best in the world'. 'I know lots of players are very envious, including my own doubles partner,' he says. 'I feel very honoured to have been coached by Louis for a few years now. It really is pretty easy for me because I have so many great players around me. When you see them achieving — whether it's Joe's three US Opens or Neal's Wimbledon or Jamie's multiple, multiple titles — it helps you believe you can do it.' Patten credits those accolades to Cayer's coaching. 'If I had to pick one thing out that makes him so good, it's how quickly he sees the tiniest things that make a big difference. Other fantastic coaches can maybe spot them, but it takes them a lot longer,' he says. 'If you do five minutes on the court with Louis, he instantly sees four things. His eye for the game is like nothing I've ever seen.' It was a bold move by the LTA to hire a leading coach to focus on doubles alone, and Cayer admits the dearth of tactical knowledge back in 2007 was striking. 'I don't know how to say it to not look rude, but they didn't know how to play doubles,' he says. 'I asked them, 'What does it take to be a top player?' They said, 'Well, you hold your serve and break once.' Well, in that case, why were they not in the top ten? The serve and return is not the big secret to doubles.' Cayer's philosophy instead centres on the subtleties that would elude the untrained eye, particularly when it comes to the role of the non-serving or returning player. 'The position, the movement, what they should do to create mistakes by forcing people to hit low-percentage shots or to actually intercept,' he continues. 'It's more a culture of making [the opponents] lose. We're going to move a lot and mix up our play to create uncertainty. From uncertainty comes anxiety, which creates muscle tension and players start to lose their focus a bit, they get a bit angry, they play worse. It's not just making aces and hitting return winners. The players had to embrace that mentality.' When Skupski won Wimbledon alongside the Netherlands' Wesley Koolhof in 2023, Cayer actually 'banned' him from attempting aces. 'The game plan is why we can win 52 per cent of the points,' Cayer says. 'I removed the aspect of those who are perfectionist. Roger Federer won 54 per cent of the points in all his career, so it is the marginal things to break equality.' The results have been indisputable and although Britain's doubles players may only get a sliver of the limelight, many are enjoying lucrative careers instead of falling out of the game. Glasspool turned professional in 2015, but never played a match or earned a pound at ATP level. The 31-year-old retired from singles in 2019, but has now made more than £1.6million in doubles. 'As a kid you never really realise there is a path in professional tennis through the doubles route,' he says. 'I think it's all down to the culture that has been created.'
Times
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Times
Lucky losers hit Wimbledon's £99,000 jackpot after late call-ups
It is not all about the winners at Wimbledon. The star names will duly cement reputations and frame victories in a historic gilt, but down among the near-unknowns the lucky losers play out broad-screen supporting dramas. For Solana Sierra, an Argentinian fighting her way up sport's slippery rungs, the £99,000 she guaranteed herself via the win of her life was nice, but the thrill, emotion and hug-with-mum were worth more. The tennis lucky loser is a curious concept that provides a new raft of challenges for any player. Four days earlier Sierra squandered a match point in the final round of Wimbledon qualifying at Roehampton and so did not know if she would be required this week. She could have played elsewhere for guaranteed money but instead rolled the dice and found a new apartment. On Monday morning a group of players who lost in that final round at Roehampton turned up to sign in half an hour before the start of play. A random draw of the highest-ranked players, rather than a simple order by rank, determined who would be first in if somebody withdrew. That has been the system for 20 years since Justin Gimelstob retired after one game of final qualifying, knowing his ranking would get him into Wimbledon. Don't stray too far, though, because men have to be available within five minutes of receiving the call; women get an extra ten minutes. First in over the weekend was Dusan Lajovic, the world No118, who replaced the creaking Pole Hubert Hurkacz, only to bow out quickly to Billy Harris, a Manxman who spent three years cutting costs by travelling around Europe in a Transit van. The perspective is clearly different down here but hopes remain high. Sierra, 21, is a rising star, the world No101, a student at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca and runner-up at the junior French Open in 2022. As it happens, she lost at Roland Garros a year earlier to Robin Montgomery, who was another lucky loser here. So what do you do knowing you may have to hang around all day, even into Tuesday, waiting, hoping, half-wishing ill on others? Sierra said she arrived at 9.30am, signed in and then went to practise. 'We thought it was best to train and not to watch matches or spend too much time sitting,' she said. 'I trained with Victoria Mboko [a lucky loser from Canada] and we were encouraging each other, telling each other that we'd get in. Then at 12pm I got a call and I was really happy, but it's not a nice feeling because someone has had to withdraw.' Professional sportspeople are often slaves to routine and detail, so the idea of getting a call at any time to play an opponent you have not considered is difficult. For Sierra, the opponent was Olivia Gadecki, a Queenslander who made the third round of the Australian Open this year. 'I played her last year in Roland Garros [qualifying] so I knew her game a little bit.' Watched by her mother, Marta, who has been staying with her since she joined the Nadal Academy in March, Sierra started well. She had three match points in the second set before Gadecki responded and took it to a tie-break. And that might have pricked at nerves because she also had a match point to win her final qualifying match and avoid all the angst of waiting. 'I was frustrated and angry when I lost those points,' she said. 'I was emotional at the end because it's the biggest day I've had but also because I was so close in qualis. I love to sleep but I couldn't on Thursday. I was a bit depressed. We've had to change apartment three times. I just wanted one more chance.' Still, she made it, winning 6-2, 7-6. In the women's game lucky losers have made the round of 16 of every women's grand-slam tournament other than Wimbledon. It is a rarity, though, and Eva Lys's feats at this year's Australian Open made her only the second in three decades. 'An insane story,' was how she described taking the call on a physio's table and rebooking her flight. For what it's worth, she made a third of her career earnings that week. However, in terms of 'insane' stories, the tale of Stefan Kozlov takes some beating. Having failed to qualify for the 2022 Mexican Open, the Macedonian-born American went jet-skiing, crashed and spent a nervous half-hour marooned on rocks before being rescued. He then went to hit balls with Nadal, only to get a message telling him to get to the stadium because Maxime Cressy had withdrawn. With his kit in the laundry, he borrowed clothes, dashed to the venue and, despite chronic cramping, beat Grigor Dimitrov in a marathon. His reward was a thrashing from Nadal. Sierra was not the only loser to win on opening day. Chile's Cristian Garín did likewise. He made the last eight in 2022 but was embroiled in controversy at the Davis Cup in February. On that occasion an exuberant Belgian celebration prompted Garín to crash to the floor after receiving a shoulder to the face. He refused to play on and ultimately defaulted the match-winning game. From sore loser to fortunate winner, the rollercoaster of emotions was rattling bolts and bones in the shadow of the show courts on day one. Like the song says, even the losers get lucky sometimes, but as Marta, the mother of Sierra, added: 'It's very stressful.'
The Independent
29-06-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
‘Strong, beautiful, successful women': Heather Watson on inspiring the next generation and life beyond tennis
With only a couple of days to go before the start of Wimbledon, you might expect the 128 main-draw players to be hunkered down at Aorangi Park, getting in some practice and a feel for the grass. Those higher up the pecking order might be breaking in the surface on Centre Court. But for a handful of WTA (Women's Tennis Association) players, their final Friday before Wimbledon is spent a few miles away at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton, introducing some potential stars of the future to the world of tennis. One of those is former world No 38 and British No 1 Heather Watson, while recent Queen's finalists Tatjana Maria and Amanda Anisimova and former US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez add to the star power of the event. The quartet are in Roehampton for the WTA Come Play tennis outreach programme, now in its seventh year, which partners with two UK-based foundations to encourage young girls to get into tennis. Leading the session is coach Judy Murray, one of few people who could corral more than 50 excitable youngsters into something vaguely resembling order. A huge team of volunteers are on hand as the girls – ranging in ages – play with balloons, ribbons, and racquets themselves, practicing a range of skills needed in tennis. Watson has been part of the Come Play initiative, and others like it, for some time. 'I absolutely love getting involved,' she tells The Independent in a quiet corner away from the shrieks of laughter on-court. 'Especially with children from underserved communities, that's my favourite place to give back. 'Growing up, I had Tim Henman visit Guernsey [where Watson is from] once to do an event quite similar to this, and [I know] what an impact it had on me from a young age. I'll remember it forever. So I really hope these girls remember this, have fun, want to stay involved in sport, be with their friends, because I think it can bring them nothing but good later in life.' Students from several different schools have come to the National Tennis Centre, under the auspices of the Elena Baltacha Foundation and Murray Play Foundation, who are partnering with the WTA for the initiative. Tennis is struggling to shift its image as a predominantly white, middle-class sport; the fact that the cost barrier is so high only compounds that. Watson says events like Come Play are 'so important and so valuable, particularly because tennis is an expensive sport, and parents may be dissuaded. Most probably wouldn't have picked up a tennis racquet before. But there are a lot more opportunities coming now, there are a lot more courts being built, and courts for much cheaper prices.' The 33-year-old is aware it's an ongoing problem and believes that with more government intervention, those barriers can be lowered. 'The more you grow the sport the more demand there is, and I would love people from all backgrounds to have the opportunity to play, not just the more privileged. Sport is for everyone, not just a particular type of person.' Watson is also passionate about eradicating barriers for girls in particular to get into tennis. 'It's tougher for girls because as you get older you start to feel pressure, sport becomes this thing that you think is more for boys,' she says. 'You need role models and people to look up to.' That's where Watson, Fernandez, Maria and Anisimova come in, for the girls at Roehampton today. 'Especially because they're all strong, beautiful, successful women, it's brilliant for the young generation to see that you can have that – you can still be a girly girl and play sport.' When Watson was growing up those figures were the Williams sisters. 'One of my mum's friends took me to Wimbledon when I was eight or nine years old,' she recalls, 'to watch the final. It was Venus Williams – I actually don't know who she was playing, I just know she won. She was an idol of mine. I bought her and Serena's posters and had them on my walls for like, five years. 'It's huge when you're growing up. Especially to see women that look like you. That's [why it's] so important to bring diversity into it. Venus and Serena [have] brown skin, I have brown skin, I picked them to be my idols naturally – not to mention they are absolutely incredible superwomen!' Now an elder stateswomen among the current crop of British players, Watson opens her Wimbledon campaign against Clara Tauson of Denmark, the 23rd seed. But she has one eye on a second act, continuing to shape and inspire the stars of the future. She says Judy Murray is another one of her 'idols' – 'an incredible, strong woman, who's so passionate about what she does. 'She teaches me so much all the time – she used to be my coach as well on the tennis court – but I have the same sort of passions as her, so I'd love to get involved more with stuff like this after tennis.' The WTA, alongside global partner Morgan Stanley, brought its community tennis outreach programme WTA Come Play presented by Morgan Stanley to London this week. The initiative, which started in 2018, utilises tennis to positively impact communities and encourages youth, with a focus on girls, of all ages and abilities to lead healthy and productive lives on and off the court. Morgan Stanley and the WTA are teaming up with The Elena Baltacha Foundation as well as the Murray Play Foundation to deliver the immersive tennis clinic.
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hamish Stewart determined to learn from Wimbledon Qualifying defeat
Hamish Stewart is determined to take lessons from his third round Wimbledon Qualifying defeat. The Strathblane star valiantly battled to the last against Leandro Riedi, but went down 6-3 4-6 6-3 6-4 in Roehampton Advertisement It brought down the curtain on an action-packed week for Stewart, who had already come through four matches before his progress was checked by Riedi. But the 25-year-old world No.550, who trains in Stirling, is insistent that he heads home with his head held high. 'It's been tough on the body a little bit but not too bad, said the 25-year-old. 'I'm very proud and if you told me at the start of pre-qualifying, that I'd get to qualifying, I'd have bit your arm off. 'I'm proud. I'm disappointed not to get the last one but it's a huge confidence booster and has given me a lot of drive and belief for the rest of the year. Advertisement 'It's motivated me a lot for the rest of the year getting this close. To think back to this time last year that I would be one match away from getting in is huge and I just want to get back out there. 'I want to be here off my ranking next year. That's achievable and something I'm looking to do.' Stewart wasn't the only Brit taking centre stage in Roehampton, with compatriots Oliver Tarvet and Emily Appleton also in action. Tarvet made history by becoming the first British man to advance to the main draw through qualifying since Alexander Ward in 2017. The world No.719 got the better of Alexander Blockx 6-3 3-6 6-2 6-1 to reach his first-ever Grand Slam main draw, at the same tournament he attended as a child. Advertisement 'It's a great feeling, qualifying for your first Slam,' said Tarvet. 'As a kid, we used to go every year with either my parents or my sister. 'I played tennis growing up and was pretty good, so it was something I'd always looked forward to, coming down to Wimbledon and seeing the professionals. 'It seemed so far away then but it's the reality now and it's a great feeling. I was happy to pull through.' But there was no such happy ending for Appleton, who was defeated by Veronika Erjavec 6-2 2-6 6-0. For the latest action on the British summer grass court season, check out the LTA website
