Latest news with #Swiatek
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Jamie Murray voices Wimbledon warning after Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek wins
Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek claimed maiden titles at Wimbledon, less than a year after they both served suspensions for doping breaches, and that is problematic for tennis Tennis has an image problem after Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek triumphed at Wimbledon, according to Jamie Murray. Sinner and Swiatek claimed maiden singles titles at the All England Club less than a year after serving doping suspensions, reigniting a debate about how their cases were handled. Swiatek demolished Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 before Sinner overcame Carlos Alcaraz in a four-set match the following day. It was Swiatek's sixth Grand Slam title and Sinner's fourth and with the duo 24 and 23 years old respectively, they are likely to dominate the sport for years to come. That poses a potential problem for tennis, given their recent misdemeanours. Swiatek served a one-month suspension last year after testing positive for trimetazidine (TMZ), a drug normally used as heart medication for its ability to enhance blood flow, while Sinner failed two drug tests after banned steroid clostebol was found in his system. The International Tennis Integrity Agency accepted Swiatek's explanation that a batch of melatonin, a supplement she uses to manage jet lag, had become contaminated with TMZ. Her short ban was because the ITIA put her at the bottom of their 'no significant fault or negligence' range. Sinner claimed the presence of clostebol, which is a steroid that can be used to build muscle mass, was the result of contamination from his physio, who had been using a spray to treat a cut on his own hand. Nick Kyrgios has been among those to voice their concerns about the process and seven-time doubles Grand Slam champion Murray agrees. 'It's not a great look, right? The two champions of potentially the most prestigious tennis event having served doping bans,' he told Mirror Sport. 'It's more just the fact that it's not announced straight away that this is what's going on, so then of course people think there are cover-ups and conspiracy theories are going all over the place. Maybe I'm naive. I don't want to believe that people are cheating and trying to get an edge. I don't really want to think that about the sport that I'm in. 'I'm sure there will always be people that will try to bend rules and stuff but, the thing with tennis is it's such a skilled sport. If I started taking drugs tomorrow it's not like I'm suddenly going to be number one in the world. Of course, for those guys who are already at the top, like every little gain can make a big difference but I don't know. To be honest, I try not to think about it and to stress myself about it. 'Only they know if they did right or wrong, but I think it's probably not the best look. Stuff happens and if they're innocent then they obviously deserve to be out there competing. They served the suspensions that the relative authorities set for them. That's that. You have to move on and keep competing. 'The tour goes on, the show goes on, but it's not ideal having the number one athletes in men's and women's tennis both getting caught out with doping stuff. It's a shame. But I don't know in the larger picture how much effect that's having on them or on the sport.' Murray is still competing on the doubles circuit at the age of 39 and has no plans to retire, with the love of competing still burning bright. Things didn't go to plan at Wimbledon, where he suffered two first-round exits with Rajeev Ram and Emily Appleton, but the Scot recently earned himself a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. He and fellow Brit Laura Robson managed a rally of 101 shots while strapped to the roof of a car travelling up to 29mph down an airfield runway. 'It was a cool experience and obviously not something I'd ever done before so I didn't really quite know what to expect,' Murray said. 'We had to figure out how best to do it because we're both left-handed, so naturally you would hit forehand to forehand, but that means one of us would have to hit backwards against the direction the car is moving, so we had to figure that out. But I guess we did a decent job.' Jamie Murray and Laura Robson broke a Guinness World record by completing a rally of 101 consecutive shots as the Lexus NX became the latest court for the stars to play on.
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First Post
4 days ago
- Sport
- First Post
Forget the Fab Four: Wimbledon's success shows tennis fans have already moved on
Surging stadium attendances and record Grand Slam viewership make one thing clear that tennis fans are ready to move beyond the Fab Four and embrace the sport's rising stars. read more Wimbledon 2025's viewership success has shown that the tennis fans have already moved on from the Fab Four. Images: Reuters The fading away of tennis' 'Fab Four' is having little impact on viewership for major tournaments, as Wimbledon 2025 proved a massive success for both ESPN and the BBC. The grass-court major concluded on Sunday with Jannik Sinner winning the men's singles title and Iga Swiatek claiming the women's crown. For both Sinner and Swiatek, it was their first Wimbledon title, as the tournament marked yet another edition where the influence of the Fab Four continues to fade. The last man standing from the iconic group, Novak Djokovic, lost in straight sets to Sinner in the semi-finals. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Wimbledon viewership rises despite no Nadal, Federer That, however, had little impact on the viewership numbers for the Gentlemen's final, which also included two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz. The summit clash that ended in four sets averaged 2.9 million viewers on ESPN, a 31% increase compared to 2024. It was also the most viewed final since 2019. It's not just the men's final, but other matches have also broken new ground. As per ESPN, the women's semi-finals, including USA's Amanda Anisimova beating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, had the highest viewership since 2015. In 2015, Serena Williams was still a part of the top four. The men's semi-finals average 1.31 million views, again the highest since 2019. The Ladies' Championship was won by Swiatek in a lopsided contest against Anisimova as she won 6-0, 6-0. She is Wimbledon's eighth consecutive first-time women's champion since Williams won her seventh and final title in 2016. Nonetheless, her final match witnessed a rise of 18% in viewership as compared to 2024. Interestingly, the first day of Wimbledon 2025 set the record for the most viewed Wimbledon Day One on ESPN. Meanwhile, Wimbledon set a new record with 69.3 million online requests on BBC Sport between 30 June and 13 July, the highest digital engagement ever recorded for the tournament. 'This year's record-breaking digital figures for Wimbledon are testament to the huge appeal of the sport amongst audiences and the power of digital innovation to bring both new and existing fans closer to the action than ever before. The way people are following Wimbledon is changing but that is exciting for us as we look to tell the best stories in different ways,' Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport, said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD French and Australia Opens witness similar growth The growing viewership numbers for tennis matches are not just limited to Wimbledon. The French Open final between Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka earlier this year was the most-watched women's final at Roland Garros since 2016. The men's final in which Alcaraz won a marathon five-setter against Sinner attracted 1.8 million viewers, making it the most-watched men's final since Novak Djokovic defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the 2021 finals (1.9 million). The Australian Open 2025 had also registered record-breaking attendance numbers, as 1,218,831 fans attended the tournament, the most in history. If anything, the rapidly growing stadium attendance and record-breaking Grand Slam viewership numbers point to one clear truth: tennis fans are ready to move on from the Fab Four and embrace a new generation of stars. For those who feared the sport would suffer in popularity after the retirements of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and with Novak Djokovic losing his grip, those concerns have proven unfounded.
Irish Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Nick Kyrgios believes Swiatek and Sinner wins are 'Not a good look'
Nick Kyrgios has candidly expressed concerns over Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner's successful runs to the Wimbledon titles following their return from doping bans. Swiatek stormed through the competition, concluding with a victory over Amanda Anisimova in the women's final, while Sinner secured his triumph against Carlos Alcaraz in the men's final a day later. Sinner failed two drug tests yet was cleared of any wrongdoing by the International Tennis Integrity Agency, who accepted his explanation of unintentional contamination. The world No.1 tested positive for low levels of a metabolite of clostebol, which is a banned steroid that can be used to build muscle mass, but Sinner claimed it was the result of contamination from his physio. Swiatek, meanwhile, served a one-month suspension after testing positive for a banned heart medication in August. She tested positive for trimetazidine, a medication that can increase blood flow and improve endurance, which the Polish star said was caused by a contaminated supply of melatonin, which she uses to help with jet lag and sleep issues. Kyrgios, seen on crutches in February. (Image: (Photo by SAEED KHAN / AFP) (Photo by SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty Images)) Kyrgios has been extremely vocal on the subject in the past and spoke out again ahead of the Wimbledon finals. "At the end of the day, the decision has been made, and it's kind of in the past," he told the i. "Do I think it's a good look for the sport that Swiatek and Sinner are in the final at Wimbledon after serving a ban? I don't think it's a good look for the sport. "And I think people could agree. But I'm not going to sit there and talk about that [on commentary] in the final. They've been playing some incredible tennis. "Sinner, he served a ban, which do I agree with? No. But he came back and he's been playing some excellent tennis. He didn't look like he missed a beat, and he looked like he improved during that period of time, which is still incredible, regardless of why he was banned." Writing on X after hearing Sinner's ban, Kyrgios wrote: "Ridiculous... whether it was accidental or planned. You get tested twice with a banned (steroid) substance... you should be gone for two years. Your performance was enhanced. Massage cream... yeah nice." Sinner's explanation was that he tested positive for clostebol because his physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi had been using an over-the-counter spray to treat a cut on his own hand. The case sparked a debate around doping, with some angry that Sinner got off lightly, given his suspension fell between tournaments. But Sinner admitted earlier in Wimbledon that he hadn't experienced any backlash a year on. "I think people kind of have forgotten already a little bit what happened," he said. "Of course, in the beginning it was a bit different. People saw me in different ways. But I think they all saw that I'm a very clean player. I never [had the] intention to do anything bad."
New Indian Express
5 days ago
- Sport
- New Indian Express
Iga Swiatek is at No. 3 after Wimbledon and Amanda Anisimova is in the top 10. Sinner still No. 1
LONDON: Iga Swiatek's Wimbledon championship moved her up to No. 3 in the WTA rankings Monday, and Amanda Anisimova's runner-up finish allowed the American to break into the top 10 for the first time at No. 7. A year ago, Anisimova was ranked 189th and wasn't able to get into the field at the All England Club automatically. So she tried to qualify but lost. This year, Anisimova was seeded at Wimbledon and made it all the way to her first Grand Slam final, beating No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals before losing to Swiatek 6-0, 6-0. 'I look at it, and I'm like, 'Oh, wow.' It's kind of a shock at first, and I can't really process it. Then it's like, 'Oh, yeah, I've played very well so far this year,' so it kind of makes sense. I feel like I kind of look at it from both sides,' Anisimova said. She climbed from No. 12. 'I mean, it's super special and a surreal feeling to be in the top 10,' Anisimova said. 'If I thought to myself last year, if someone told me that I'll be breaking the top 10 by now, I don't know, it would be pretty surprising to me considering where I was last summer.' Swiatek was No. 1 for most of the past three seasons but a year without reaching a tournament final dropped her to No. 8 last month. Making the final at a grass-court tournament before Wimbledon pushed her up to No. 4, and now she's another place higher after collecting her sixth major trophy.
News18
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- News18
'It Was Nice To Share...': Jannik Sinner Makes Fun Reveal About Wimbledon Ball Dance
Last Updated: Wimbledon 2025 champions Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek performed the winners' dance despite the late hour, with Swiatek insisting on the tradition. Wimbledon 2025 champion Jannik Sinner has revealed that although the organisers of the ball had told him and Iga Swiatek that they did not need to perform the traditional dance since it was late, the latter insisted that they follow the custom as the duo ended up pulling off a few fun steps. Wimbledon is one of the most prestigious competitions in the tennis world, and every year, the end of the tournament is marked by the customary winners' ball. Customs at the ball dictate that the men's and women's singles winners pair up for a quick dance. 'Yes, I mean we were there, and in the beginning they told us that because it was quite late, so we didn't have to do it. And then Iga told me 'no, no, let's do it' and I was like 'okay'," Sinner said while speaking to BBC. god bless you iga for convincing this goofball to dance🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 — livv🦊 (@livv_hq) July 14, 2025 'I mean, it's tradition, so it's good to make that happen. And yeah, it was nice to share that moment now with Iga, and it was a beautiful moment," Sinner said. Meanwhile, Swiatek pleaded with the Polish media to 'leave me alone", saying that she knows what she is doing after crushing Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 to win her first Wimbledon title on Saturday, July 12. Swiatek was seeded eighth at the All England Club after a disappointing first half of the season, though she is fourth in the rankings after a run to the Bad Homburg final two weeks ago. 'For sure, the past months, how the media sometimes describe me and I've got to say, unfortunately, Polish media, how they treated me and my team, it wasn't really pleasant," Swiatek said. 'I hope they will just leave me alone and let me do my job because you can see that we know what we are doing and I have the best people around me," Swiatek added. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
