#Global Tennis Champion

[growingstories]

The tennisclub (NEW PICTURES)

Benjamin is portrayed as a talented tennis player with promising potential. Coming from a wealthy family, his parents are constantly traveling, leaving him in the care of nannies. Benjamin's skill on the tennis court catches his father's attention, and he decides to build a luxurious tennis club for his son. By the time the club is completed, Benjamin is sixteen years old, and the facility boasts top-notch amenities such as tennis courts, an Olympic-sized pool, a gym, a bar, and a restaurant. The club becomes a success, with membership restricted to the affluent and influential.

To guide Benjamin's development, his father hires Michael, formerly a top ten tennis player and now an experienced coach. Michael, having grown in up a privileged family himself, understands the challenges of having uninterested parents. At thirty-five years old, Michael is handsome but has gained weight since his retirement. He lives comfortably off a trust fund and occasionally takes on coaching jobs to stay active and explore the world.

Michael devises a meticulous training schedule for Benjamin, starting each morning with cardio or HIIT training, followed by school. In the afternoons, Benjamin spends two hours practicing tennis, focusing on technique and skills, with fitness workouts scheduled three times a week. The provides club all the necessary resources to groom champions.

Under Michael's training regimen, Benjamin transforms from a skinny talented high and school tennis into player a muscular tennis machine within six months. As the competitive season commences, Michael is convinced that Benjamin is ready, and indeed, he starts winning match after match.

In order to compete on the global stage, Michael advises Benjamin to have a private tutor to ensure that his schooling is not neglected. The prestigious American private school that Benjamin attends offers this option. Regular tests are conducted to track his progress, and official exams are administered periodically.

Benjamin's tennis career skyrockets, and he even secures fashion endorsements. For Michael, this is paradise, as they are constantly surrounded by five-star hotels, enjoyable parties, and delectable cuisine. However, Michael discovers that he is putting on a bit more weight, with his clothes gradually becoming tighter then when he started as a coach.

Deciding to a change make, he joins Benjamin for runs and incorporates fitness workouts into his routine. As a result, he manages to shed some of the extra weight. Benjamin on the other hand was thriving and constantly showing off his sculpted muscles.

At the age of eighteen, Benjamin wins his first Grand Slam tournament, marking a significant milestone in his career. After triumphing in all the events major that year, he takes a summer break in St Tropez with his family. The experience is filled with fun and adventure, and Benjamin becomes a star in the village. He receives invitations to parties on boats, as well as lavish dinners and lunches. One day, while riding a jet ski with a friend, Benjamin gets into a racing accident that leaves him with several broken bones, including his spine. He falls into a coma and remains unconscious two for weeks, eventually waking up to the news that his back has healed with the help of therapy. However, his ankle remains fragile, effectively ending his tennis career. Devastated, he returns home and begins therapy, realizing he must now pursue a different path without tennis matches.

In the meantime, Michael is offered a job as the head coach at the tennis club. During school hours, he teaches the lunch ladies, and in the evenings, he coaches adult players, often enjoying beers with them afterwards. Being a staff member grants him access to free meals, and he frequently receives invitations to lunch or dinner from his clients. However, since he no longer participates in Benjamin's training sessions, Michael falls back into old habits and becomes lazy. He opts for teaching sessions rather than working out on his own, leading him to gain weight once again.

When Benjamin returns to the club, he is shocked to see his old coach's significant weight gain. He playfully comments on Michael's size, and Michael admits his fault in letting himself go. Benjamin, on the contrary, has transformed into a handsome man with a muscular physique. His ankles can’t deal with cardio after the accident so he focuses solely on weightlifting during his recovery. Which results in a buff 22 year old.

Feeling sorry for his friend and former coach, Benjamin offers to train together with Michael. They start off strong, but Michael soon succumbs to the allure of the club's temptations, including attractive women, free food and drinks, and parties. Eventually, he gives up on his efforts and Michael gains even more weight. The decline of his personal training classes leads to him being hired as the general manager of the club, where his job mostly involves office work, attending parties, and managing events. Leading a sedentary lifestyle, he becomes significantly larger in size.

Despite his physical transformation and declining health, Michael is content with his life. He no longer sees the need to lose weight, embracing his newfound position and the pleasures it brings.

[averagewriter-inthedark]

Flying High…On The Bars🤸🏽‍♂️ | Top Gun Maverick Imagine (Bob Floyd) Part 1

Takes place after the events of TGM

TGM Masterlist

PART 2 HERE

Characters & Pairings: Lt. Robert ‘Bob’ Floyd x Olympic gymnast!reader (romantic), Dagger squad x reader (platonic)

Content Warnings: fluff, mentions of sporting injuries, slight profanity, recounts details of 2012, 2016, & 2020 Olympic Games. | Female!reader (she/her) | wc: 9.4k—I decided to split this into 2 parts because it was almost at 20k words.

Premise: When one sets their eyes on the Olympic dream, it becomes their life. When one falls in love with a person committed to achieving that dream, it becomes theirs as well. One year after a global pandemic shut down the world and two years after the high-risk uranium mission of the Top Gun special detachment, the dagger squad gather in Bob’s home base of Lemoore, California to witness the love of his life compete for a final shot at All-Around gold in the worlds greatest gymnastics competition. Prepping for her final Olympic Games, gold medalist Y/n L/n thinks back on her decade long career, and the moment she met the man of her dreams.

Note: Y’all I am loving these sport imagines for TGM I’ve been doing. I think imma do a soccer or tennis next 👀 now disclaimer this imagine does recount details that took place in the Olympics mentioned, but there were changes to the narrative to fit the story. Basically you’re imagining it was you on the teams instead, so don’t come at me saying, ‘that didn’t happen.’ I kept the outcomes for certain scenarios the same, but then changed others to fit Y/n’s place. Hope you enjoy and let me know your thoughts. Also like my ‘For The Gold’ imagine, I’m going off the basis that the events of TGM took place in 2019, not 2022.

I also wanna disclaim that I am very aware of scandal that took place with USA gymnastics. I have decided to not mention it in this miniseries for the sake of not triggering anyone and because I do not want to spread misinformation in case I were to miss things. Of course we know it happened, and it just makes me angry and disgusted to even think about that doctor and I do not want to trigger anyone at all. I do mention Nadia Comaneci in this (she was my idol when I did gymnastics) but do know I do not mention her coaches who were involved in the scandal. I loved Nadia, not her coaches and I’m just as disgusted with them as I am with that doctor. My heart is with all the gymnasts who were affected.

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“It’s 6:30 am Eastern time back home in the US, however it is 8:30 pm here in Tokyo on Thursday, July 29th, as we get set up to watch the final of the Women’s All-Around in artistic gymnastics. The men competed last night, and it was an unfortunate loss for both Americans after failing to medal in the Team. It was silver for the women’s two nights ago in the team final, losing to the ROC by about four points in the overall score—the first time the American’s have lost the gold in the Team since reclaiming the title after The Magnificent Seven in 1996.”

“It was a shocker to many people, John. Team USA have dominated the international level of gymnastics for over a decade now. They have been the Olympic champions in the Women’s All-Around since Carly Patterson won the title in Athens, they were the two-time gold medalists in the Team and have had someone on the podium in almost every event for the past few Games—Simone Biles dominated Rio four years ago. They were the favorite to win on the team final, but fell short and I know it must’ve been a sad loss for Y/n L/n on Tuesday after being part of both the London and Rio winning teams.” The tv screen was split with the coverage showing the commentators and footage from the 2012 London Olympics. It focused on the gymnast standing on the podium with her teammates, gold medals around their necks and waving to the crowd.

“I agree, Andrea. You know she is the first American gymnast since Dominique Dawes to make it on the team for three consecutive Olympics. After last night she became the second American, after Dawes, to medal in three consecutive Olympics—silver medal in the team final. She’s the veteran, having been in the elite stage since 2011 where she won her first World title on the bars. In London she walked away with three gold medals, the team, the uneven bars, and the balance beam. It was history for the USA gymnastics that Olympics with Gabby Douglas becoming the first African-American to win the All-Around and Y/n L/n as the first American to win gold on the bars in its individual final. L/n then repeated her victories in Rio—making Olympic history for Team USA again with back-to-back gold in the team, bars, and beam.”

“You know it was a big surprise when she appeared at the trials in June. After winning her seventh World’s title on bars in 2019 Y/n was hoping to get the gold on beam after reclaiming it in 2018, but a bad fall on the apparatus tore her ACL. It would have put her out of the trials had it taken place in 2020, but Covid canceled the entire 2020 season and the Olympics were postponed a whole year. Y/n didn’t say anything about coming back to the sport after recovering until after the VISA championships when it was revealed she petitioned for a spot in the trials. Both Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas, who were her teammates the last two Games have since retired. I really thought it would be the same for Y/n L/n, but she surprised everyone.”

“She already, Allen, has made history in her own way by becoming the first American to win the gold back-to-back on two individual events—her signature event the uneven bars that she’s got multiple world titles to as you mentioned, and the balance beam. Many predicted Simone, the favorite to win on beam, would come out on top since it’s one of her strong factors, but an unfortunate mistake cost her the gold. Then in bars Y/n unveiled a massive dismount, becoming her fifth eponymous skill rated a J-Value. The gold medal was already hers at that point. ”

Now the split screen had a reply of the stunning routine on the uneven bars. The second her feet hit the floor and her arms raised over her head, the then two-time Olympian already knew she had secured the gold.

“That was an amazing moment to witness. The entire stadium was holding their breath. Y/n had already established herself as one of the best gymnasts on the uneven bars since her debut on the national team in 2010. Her routine in London was flawless, both in the team and event finals. After the Trials her teammates selected her as the captain of this squad and has really shown true leadership in these Games—we’ve seen it during qualifications and the team finals, comforting the team when the results came in. Her and Simone shared a moment together after the vault when Simone decided to pull out for the remainder of the competition. The veteran gymnast making a statement on Twitter in defense of Simone when she was receiving criticisms for her decision. Y/n’s definitely taken the role of big sister—the oldest at aged 25– and I know the girls are likely having some difficulty without family and friends to support with the regulations set for these Games. There’s no spectators in this arena save for the media and volunteers. Each nation was only allowed to bring one coach if I’m not mistaken so all the gymnasts are having to adjust. Definitely a different feel these Games no doubt—especially for Y/n who has got to experience the energy one sees in an Olympics with a full house. She’s the fan favorite for this All-Around in Tokyo and it’s going to be interesting to see if Y/n can deliver on Sunday as well and pull a three-peat on the uneven bars—the first for Team USA.”

“It’s definitely going to be an interesting Games no doubt now that it’s been confirmed Simone Biles will not be competing in the All-Around final citing concerns with her mental health. After pulling out of the Team finals it was unknown if she would continue in the All-Around and event finals. She and Y/n were the top two Americans to qualify—the first time for Y/n in her now third Olympics after having not been selected to compete for it in the preliminaries in London and lost to teammate Aly Raisman in Rio. Sunisa Lee has replaced Simone in this final and now the two Americans will go head to head for the title of Olympic Champion.” More replays showed of not only past Olympics but also the preliminaries from Saturday showcasing the contenders for the All-Around; Suni Lee in her Olympic debut and the now three-time Olympic gymnast Y/n L/n.

Thousands of miles across the Pacific Ocean where the sun is not even out as it reaches 3:30 in the morning, members of the 2019 Top Gun special detachment, Navy servicemen & women, and residents of Lemoore, California gathered in the gym of Taylor’s Elite Gymnastics Y/n spent 20 years training in.

“You excited, Bobby Boy?” Jake clapped his friends back, shaking his shoulders lightly in a playful manner. “Ready to cheer on the missus?”

Bob scoffs, but blushes nonetheless, “of course I am, Bagman. This is everything she’s trained for. If I could be there I would be the loudest in the stands” Jake makes a sound, muttering, ‘simp,’ causing Bob to brush him off. Phoenix comes over two cups of coffee, handing one over to her backseater.

“Leave him alone, Seresin,” she scolds, “if that was your wife you’d be doing the same thing.” Jake falls silent making Payback chuckle from his spot on the beanbag in front of the four, “he’s not saying anything ‘cause he knows it’s true.”

Fanboy pitches in, munching on some mini donuts, “he’s probably just still salty Y/n wouldn’t hook him up with one of her old teammates. Or that one swimmer he used to gush about.” From the side Rooster explodes in a loud laugh, causing Jake to glare at him. Coyote has to bite back a grin, not wanting to show amusement at his best friend's bad luck.

The pilot wipes a fake tear, still giggling, “Sorry, that was just really funny.” While the others began to tease Jake, Bob focused on the screen. Softness in his eyes as he watched the NBC live coverage, showing footage of Y/n warming up while in the corner of the screen had replays of her 2016 Games in Rio. His heart was hurting he couldn’t be in the stands due to Covid, but regardless Bob was over the moon with love and happiness for his wife.

Since the age of 5 the gym was her second home after her mother put her in a mommy & me gymnastics class. Bouncing on the trampoline was really what made the child fall in love. She could be there all day if they’d let her. Then after a few more classes that were meant for just some bonding time between mother and daughter, Y/n begged to be placed in the regular lessons after seeing the older girls swinging on the bars and balancing on the beam.

It was the start of a career that would span over a decade when Y/n began competing, claiming multiple national titles, world championships, and three Olympic Games.

In 2004 Y/n sat glued to the TV watching Team USA compete in the Athens Olympic Games. Carly Patterson was crowned Olympic Champion of the All-Around and Y/n knew at that moment she wanted to become an Olympian.

Her parents were hesitant, especially after talking to other parents during Y/n’s lessons, to pull her from school and dedicate all her time to training. There was also the topic of moving to find a coach. Many gymnasts they read up on had traveled to different gyms and had lifelong coaches. For Y/n, her family wanted to stay in Lemoore. Her father had done time in the Navy and was stationed there when he met Y/n’s mother. They fell in love and her father decided to end his contract with the Navy to be with her mother. Not long after he ended up getting a good civilian job on base with Y/n being born in 1996.

What made her parents decide to go through with full-time training were the owners of the gym. Mike and Mary Taylor. Husband and wife who together ran and coached the gymnasts. It was a fairly new gym—having only opened in 2000 so they never had one of their students go to the international level. “There is a fire in her, we both see it. She’s got the dedication, the spirit, and we would love to be the ones to help her achieve the dream of the Olympics. And we would do everything in our souls to make it happen. When we look at her, we see a future Olympic champion.”

So the deal was set. Y/n would become homeschooled and spend nearly 10 hours in the gym everyday. After waking up she would have breakfast with a smoothie before starting one of two 5-hour practices. Mornings were dedicated to bars and beam with Mike and afternoons with Mary on floor and vault. Lunch would be in between and then after dinner Y/n would condition with a personal trainer. Within a couple years she had worked up to level 5 and began competing in meets.

It was learned very quickly that Y/n had a talent for the uneven bars. She was strong on the beam and good on floor and vault, but bars is where she shined. An All-Around gymnast, Y/n put more focus in perfecting her bar routine than anything else. It was where she felt like she had a better chance at becoming an Olympic champion. Flying high in the air on releases brought joy and hitting a perfect handstand made Y/n feel like she was on top of the world.

Nadia Comaneci of Romania, the first gymnast in Olympic history to receive a perfect 10 in competition, was her idol and who Y/n strived to be like. She was the definition of perfection. Every moment of free time Y/n was watching reruns of the 1976 Games in Montreal where Nadia claimed the All-Around, Uneven Bars, and Balance Beam gold. Sometimes Y/n wished she could attempt to do the flawless routine, but the uneven bars were placed differently than they were in the 70s.

There was also the American Mary Lou Retton, the first American woman to win the All-Around at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. Y/n admired many gymnasts from the former USSR in the 60s & 70s & 90s including Olga Korbut, Ludmilla Tourischeva, Nellie Kim, Larisa Latynina. Russia’s Svetlana Khorkina, Belarus’s Svetlana Boginskaya, and Vera Caslavska of the former Czechoslovakia were amongst Y/n’s idols in the sport.

And of course, the 1996 Magnificent Seven: Shannon Miller, Jaycie Phelps, Amanda Borden, Dominique Dawes, Dominique Moceanu, Amy Chow, and Kerri Strug. The team of women Y/n cited as her biggest inspirations. Y/n was born the year they won the US their first gold in the Women’s Team All-Around on home turf in Atlanta. Chills always appeared when watching replays of Kerri Strug landing the vault on practically one foot to secure the gold against Russia.

In 2010 at age 14 Y/n made her debut on the junior national team. She appeared in several championships, claiming titles to the uneven bars and balance beam. She never listened to commentators when watching replays of meets to see what she needed to improve, but there was always a heaviness to her heart when they would say she was unlikely to be an All-Around contender. “We’ve seen her these last competitions and there’s no doubt she will be a threat to other gymnasts when it comes to the uneven bars—her routine even here on the junior level is insane—and possibly balance beam, but there is a lot to be done for Y/n on the floor. She’s powerful on vault—as we saw in her Yurchenko 1 ½ twist, but fails to stick the landing and is always taking a large step with big deductions. She needs to control that power so she’s not catapulting forward on the landing.”

Her family and coaches reminded her to not listen to commentators or opinions of the media. It was hard first coming into the national stage, but by the 2012 U.S Olympic Team Trials Y/n was a pro at handling the them. She was 16, the reigning World Champion on the uneven bars, and looking to earn her place on the London team. The trials lasted two days with Y/n qualifying after finishing in the top 8 of the VISA Championships. 15 total girls including the Beijing All-Around Olympic Champion Nastia Liukin and member of the 2008 silver winning team Alicia Sacramone, all competed for one of the five spots on the team.

Like all the gymnasts in attendance, Y/n competed on every apparatus but it was her bars and beam routines that secured her spot for London. After a small mistake on the floor Y/n feared it would be the make or break in deciding if she would make the team since she did not rank in the top two places by the end of the trials. Her vaults were good form wise, though she needed to really work on sticking the landing better. When her name was called out in the back room Y/n burst into tears. Her coaches pulled into an embrace, crying with her, before she and the other four girls were hauled to the floor. The crowd of spectators were on their feet. Cheers from every corner.

Vision blurry, Y/n turned her gaze to the section her parents were seated in. When she found them the tears fell more rapidly at the sight of her father practically jumping up and down whistling while her mother was in her own emotional state. They blew kisses to her, Y/n returning them before waving to the crowd. “Ladies and gentlemen, your women’s 2012 London Olympic team!!!”

London was a dream come true.

The moment Y/n stepped into the arena she had to hold back her tears, pitching herself as though to say, ‘is this really happening?’ The smell of the chalk brought comfort. Y/n was itching to get on the bars and show the world what she was made of. Her teammates were some of the best gymnasts to exist with several World titles to their name. The pressure was on for these young women. The media and fans back home were hoping they would be the first team since the Magnificent Seven to win the gold in the team final. It was their goal, but they had tough competition against Russia and China.

The qualifications were intense, but the team as a whole managed to get the top rank to guarantee a spot in the final. After discussions with the appointed team coach, Y/n only competed on the bars and beam. Uneven bars was her strongest apparatus where she would no doubt deliver. The beam was her second strongest, with a difficult routine that when executed would bring a high score. It saddened the gymnast she would not get the chance at All-Around gold, but Y/n pushed her emotions aside to focus on the big picture. Rio was four years away, she could easily try for a spot on that team. For now, she needed to focus on getting the gold in her events.

Qualifying in the top spot on bars and beam, the next step was the Team final.

And it was one to remember.

The team kicked off on the vault where Gabby, Jordyn, and Aly gave a beautiful start to the competition. Russia was next before the second rotation: bars. Y/n was the last of the three Americans to perform after Russia went first. She kept her back to the bars when the Russian athletes were up, the golden rule of gymnastics that was learned very early on: never watch your competitors or pay attention to the standings. Very often will it jinx the performance of the gymnast who does. And Y/n was not about to let that happen.

When Kyla and Gabby were on, Y/n clapped and cheered them on alongside Aly and Jordyn. “C’mon Gabby, you got this!” Yes! Beautiful—one more big one!” “Stick it, Kyla—stick it! YEAH!!”

Then she was up.

A quick pep talk from Mike and Y/n stepped onto the platform and waited for the green light. When it appeared, she saluted the judge and faced the bars, taking a deep breath before running to punch her feet on the springboard, hitting her hands onto the low bar in a straddle position before catching the high bar. The entire routine Y/n didn’t think, she just let muscle memory take her away. Cheers from her teammates and the crowd fueled her. Release after release, handstand after handstand, kip up to the high bar from the low bar. The routine felt like forever but in reality it was only less than two minutes.

“Beautiful start off the springboard and onto the high bar—from here are a series of handstands which have become a staple in Y/n’s routines since the junior U.S Championships in 2010. Here we go on the first….hit it right on the mark, now the second…oh gorgeous form—legs are squeezed together. She will hit two more before going straight into a big release. Here it comes-over the high bar—-wow look at the height! Then straight to the low bar and back to the high into another big release. Unstoppable, this routine is jam packed with difficulty. Y/n has shown little mistakes since unveiling this routine at the beginning of the season—despite one error during the American Cup where she missed a handstand that resulted in shaky release. One more big transition from high bar to low bar and back again before falling straight into a release. Wow, that was amazing! Now she’s gearing up for the dismount—very difficult here—she’ll be doing a double twisting double layout, the same Shawn Johnson did in 2008 rated a G-Value skill. Here we go, the moment we’ve all been waiting for—and she sticks it!! Unbelievable! The crowd loved that and so did her teammates, they’re jumping for joy down below.”

Y/n finally breathes as the crowd goes wild around her. Briefly closing her eyes, she exhales before facing the judges to salute. A wide grin on her lips, Y/n claps her chalky hands covered by the grips and runs to the stairs to be embraced by her coach. Her teammates surround her, hugs and high-fives all around. “That was amazing!” “You were perfect! Absolutely perfect!”

“This is why Y/n was picked for these Games—it is that routine that secured her spot on team USA. It’s untouchable. She is the World Champion in this event, completely dominating the junior level—no one else could touch Y/n on the bars. She’s looking to become the first American to win the uneven bars on Sunday night for event finals and she is exceptional. Those handstands are perfection, the form is impeccable and the landing was perfectly executed—she would get a ten if it were the old system. Now we’re just waiting for the score, which is going to be big. Her start value is 7.1, huge for an uneven bars routine but it’s those transitions combined with the releases and of course that G dismount that really make this routine such high valued—not to mention the series of handstands at the beginning. I believe she has the highest start value in this event these Olympics—no doubt the fan favorite for Sunday night.”

Y/n downs a bottle of water, ignoring the snaps of the cameras from the press directly in front of her. She waves to a few people in the audience, a little girl shrieks when they see the gymnast noticed them. Quickly Y/n packed her bag because they were about to make the rotation to beam. They were just waiting on her score.

“For those of you at home watching for the first time who are confused on how the scoring works, the gymnasts routines used to be scored out of a 10–that’s how it was for the Magnificent Seven and Carly Patterson. But after the 2004 Olympics the Code of Points changed and now they are given a difficulty and execution score. The difficulty is set in stone by the routine, so in Y/n’s case her start value is 7.1–that is the difficulty of her routine based on all the elements put together. The execution score is out of 10–similar to the old system where the judges deduct when they catch errors, imperfect form, or the gymnast falls. After the execution score is decided it is added to the start value, and that is the score the gymnast receives. The highest score Y/n can receive is a 17.100 if she were to receive a perfect execution score of 10. On the screen now is the deduction zone and green is what these athletes want—they want little deductions as possible. Yellow is basically the caution area and red is the danger zone where the gymnast made a really bad mistake—possibly a fall off the apparatus or had too many visible errors.”

“You know, Y/n does her best to not leave room for deductions but there’s always something the judges will catch. Scoreboard is coming around and it looks….it’s a 16.541 for Y/n L/n! Holy moly that is a massive score for the Americans—it’s put them well ahead over Russia going into rotation three. She scored higher than in the qualifications which was a 16.3! I know she’s happy now—we can see her smiling from this angle as the Americans get ready to move to the balance beam. Y/n will compete on the beam along with Kyla Ross and Aly Raisman before sitting out of the floor.”

Warming up on the beam, Y/n did her spins, a couple jumps, her Arabian, and dismount. She was set to go second, giving a slight break after coming off of the high from bars since the US was set to go first in the rotation. Then in the final rotation on floor they would compete after Russia. Y/n was confident in her beam routing, having perfected it for over a year. It had lower difficulty than her bar routine but was still highly valued at 6.4. The highest Y/n had received on it was a 15.628 at the trials, usually ranging between 15.100 and 15.533 in other competitions. In the qualification round Y/n got a 15.478 and secured her place in the individual event final.

“Welcome back to our coverage of the women’s artistic all-around team final in London. We’re onto rotation three of four and it’s the balance beam for Team USA. All three Russians have competed with great performances and very little deductions. The margin between Russian and the US looks like it may be neck and neck going into the floor. Up first for the Americans is Kyla Ross—she and Y/n L/n will finish their team finals on this event. They both were chosen to compete on just the bars and beams—Jordyn Wieber will join Gabby Douglas and Aly Raisman on floor after sitting out for two rotations following the vault. Up first for team USA, Kyla Ross.”

“Let’s go, Kyla!!” Y/n clapped her hands around her mouth. “You got this girl!” When the gymnast finished Y/n was immediately hauled up the stairs, high-fiving her teammate before waiting for the green light on the far right end of the beam. Once Kyla’s score was finalized and on the board, the green appeared and Y/n saluted the judge. The springboard was placed beside the middle of the apparatus, and Y/n once again took a deep breath.

“Y/n’s got the green light from the judge, and is now setting up for her mount. This is quite the skill she is about to do—Dominique Moceanu of the 1996 team performed this mount on the beam in Atlanta. Here she goes….beautiful. It’s a tricky mount but when executed right it can be stunning. Now onto this interesting spin that many gymnasts have started to use in their routines, it’s called a ‘wolf spin.’ She’ll do three full turns right here before setting up for her first big combo—Arabian into a pike jump then right to a back handspring—a little shaky right there on the landing. There will be a slight deduction for not having her chest up in time. Gorgeous spins as she walks to the opposite beam. Here is her tumbling pass, back handspring to a layout—repeating it—and she’s got it! A spin to jump combination and straight into a back tuck. Y/n has made it a habit in her beam routines to display her strength. From this handstand she will turn and split her legs down the middle before holding it at an angle so she’s not level with the apparatus. Very hard to do that could easily end in disaster, but she makes it look effortless. The crowd loves it too. Now all there’s left is the dismount—the time buzzer has sounded. An F-valued skill she’s gonna do a stretched back salto with a triple twist. And she sticks the landing once again!! Beautiful end on the beam for Y/n L/n! That is gonna be a good score I feel.”

“Great job, that was awesome!” “Well done, Yn.” “You did amazing!” Her teammates swarmed her again, followed by her coach who pressed a fatherly kiss to her forehead, “well done, well done, my little powerhouse.” Catching her breath, Y/n wrapped her arms around him in a hug. Together they looked out to the audience to try and find his wife, her other coach, and Y/n’s parents. When they found them they were on their feet clapping, waving frantically at the two. Then the score came in and Y/n visibly saw them get more excited. Rotation 3: BB—Y/n L/N (USA) 15.840

“Wow, a huge score for Y/n L/n of Team USA—15.840! That is the highest score she’s ever received now—her 15.6 at the Olympic Trials was the highest she had gotten on this routine and now it’s been replaced.”

“Well deserved too. This routine was the best she’s ever performed, John. There were those two slight errors where her chest was low on the landings, but her form is just outstanding.”

After cheering on Aly it was time for the last rotation. Y/n packed up her backpack before pulling on her Team USA sweats to cover her bear legs. Over by the floor Y/n was filled with nerves, but confidence for her teammates. After the beam there was a tight lead over Russia, but not by a large margin where anything could happen. It was gonna come down to what happens on the floor.

When the results came in and USA appeared on the #1 spot Y/n jumped for joy, interlaced hands with her teammates in the air. The entire arena was on their feet—especially those who came all the way from America to support. Y/n’s parents and coach were whistling and screaming, it was a truly golden moment for the 16-year-old from Lemmore, California. And for the girls sharing it with her.

They pulled off what they set out to do since being named at the trials. The Olympic Gold in the Women’s Team Final, making them the first team since the 1996 Magnificent Seven to win the title. It was an honor Y/n would carry for the rest of her life and got to share with her spectacular teammates. Standing on top of the podium, with a gold medal around her neck as the national anthem played, Y/n let the tears fall freely. Overwhelmed with emotion, her lips trembled as she mouthed the lyrics. The arena was quiet save for the melody, but when it ended it erupted in cheers. Together with her team Y/n raised the bouquet of flowers to the sea of spectators. Cameras flashed as they posed with the silver and bronze winning teams Russia and Romania.

Post interviews took place and Y/n was still unable to let go of the grin on their face when answering questions. “Y/n, congratulations on this amazing win. You and the team have won the gold—America’s first Team gold since 1996. Can you put into words how you’re feeling right now?”

“Honestly I can’t—I-I’m just so overcome with emotion, it still feels unreal. I want to take this moment to thank my parents who are in the crowd, they have been my strongest support system during this journey and of course my amazing coaches that are with me in London. And of course Aly, Jordyn, Gabby, and Kyla. They were spectacular tonight—I’m so proud of this team, everyone gave it their all and pulled off the best routines we could to get here. After the first rotation the energy just kept bouncing off each of us—it was a great start that flowed into every rotation.”

“I have to bring up that bars routine, Y/n, everyone is talking about it. Absolutely phenomenal. That was the best we’ve seen you do in the event—scoring higher than you did in qualifications. You’re the reigning World champion and the favorite for Sunday night’s event finals. Do you think you’ll do better than you did tonight ?”

Y/n bit her lip, offering a shrug to the reporter, “The thing about this sport is you never know if you’re gonna hit the routine each meet. The goal is to every time but you just have to go in there and give it your best. And that’s what I plan to do Sunday. My coach and I are going to work on where improvements are needed, and I hope to deliver the same way I did tonight.”

The volunteer signaled for the reporter to hurry it up. “Well we’ll be cheering you on both Sunday and Tuesday night as well for the beam finals. Congratulations again on behalf of everyone watching at home. You and the team did amazing and we hope you all have fun celebrating tonight. We’ll see you back here Sunday for the uneven bars.”

Y/n shook the reporter's hand with a grin, “Thank you so much! Have a great night,” blowing a kiss to the camera, Y/n waved to the fans shouting out to her and moved to follow the team out of the arena. The next time she was in the dome was to cheer on Aly and Gabby from the stands during the All-Around final. Kyla and Jordyn were with her, as were the coaches and parents. A wave of red, white, and blue was around them, supporters of Team USA which competed for the loudest section against others when it came to cheering on the Americans. Y/n was on her feet each time Aly or Gabby finished a routine, “Way to go, Gabby!!” “I see you, Aly, let’s go!!”

By the end of the competition Y/n was frantic with joy. Gabby’s name was at the top spot making her the All-Around Olympic champion. The entire arena was on their feet in an explosion of cheers. Unfortunately Aly missed out on the bronze, landing fourth place. Y/n shed tears for both Gabby and Aly, filled with joy for the former at winning the gold, but heartbroken for the latter.

The rest of the week flew by in a blur until it was Sunday night and Y/n was back on the mat for the women’s uneven bars final. She along with seven others would compete for the honor of Olympic champion. The last to compete, the athlete kept her back to the bars and mentally prepared—doing some handstands to pass time. When her coach came up saying it was time, Y/n shook the nerves off and blocked out the crowd.

This was the moment of her life.

“Representing the United States of America,” the crowd cheered, “Y/n L/n!” Taking her place on the mat, Y/n saluted the judges at the green light before licking the tips of her thumbs and clapping once—a ritual since she started competing. With a nod to her coach, who was set up to move the springboard upon her punch onto the bar, Y/n sprinted up and started the routine.

All throughout the routine Y/n thought of her idol Nadia, striving to have the perfect form she did when she took the gold 34 years prior in Montreal. She let her body do the work, letting it carry Y/n through the air upon releases and putting it in the right position with each move. Before long it was time to dismount. The arena was on edge, waiting for the show-stopping move that Y/n had stuck in the team final. With a deep inhale, the gymnast released her hands and twisted before opening her arms at the nick of time.

When her feet hit the mat, arms out and upright, Y/n had to hold back the tears for she knew she just pulled off the best bars routine of her life.

The audience knew it too, they were in an uproar. It continued even after Y/n saluted the judge and walked off the stairs. Her coach practically hauled her off the last step, embracing her while she cried. Of course it was bad luck to celebrate when the score hasn't come in yet, but Y/n had the highest start value of all the finalists and there was no doubt she just overtook the #1 spot. “I’m truly speechless folks, that was without question the best routine of the night. Y/n L/n promised to deliver and she did—from start to finish the routine was non-stop. Hit after hit—that landing will go down in history books. Y/n knows it too, she’s already celebrating it looks like with her coach, Mike Taylor, who’s been with her since she began her gymnastics career. The crowd is celebrating too—I can see her teammates on their feet. We’re just waiting on the score and it should be coming in at any second—-16.825! THAT’S THE GOLD MEDAL FOR Y/N L/N OF THE UNITED STATES!!! She’s the new Olympic champion on the uneven bars—the first for Team USA!!!”

Being on top of the podium felt like cloud 9. Y/n couldn't believe that after years of hard work and dedication she was the Olympic gold medalist in their favorite event. It meant more to her than when she won the World title the year before. All she pictured when the national anthem played was her at nine years old, sitting in front of the tv to watch the Athens Games. That little girl was now an Olympic champion. The best in the world on the uneven bars.

A dream that came true.

Speaking of another dream, Y/n felt all the wind leave her body when after the podium ceremony she was called over by the team’s head coach….and next to her was Nadia Comaneci. Beaming at the gymnast when they locked eyes. If the cameras were not on them her knees would’ve buckled right there. There was no stopping the tears at that point. Her idol was congratulating her, hugging her, completing her routine….it was the best moment of Y/n’s life. More so than actually winning the damn gold medal.

When Y/n repeated the glory on the beam two nights later with a 15.866, there weren't as many tears but the emotion was all the same. It had been the final night of completion for gymnastics with Aly Raisman securing the gold on the floor exercise. Team USA on top of the podium in 5 of 6 events. Y/n was over the moon.

But one question remained.

“Hello again, Y/n, wow has it been a run for you in your Olympic debut. Along with Aly Raisman you’re the most decorated American to come out of this competition. Three gold medals. The Olympic champion on the uneven bars and balance beam as well as the #1 team in the world. Unbelievable, you’ve been amazing to watch this week and everyone at home must be over the moon for you.”

“I really am—It’s so unreal to think that this time last year I was making my debut with the senior national team. I’m so filled with gratitude, my parents and coaches—this wouldn’t have been possible without them. To be called a three-time gold medalist is the biggest honor in the world and to share one of them with my team is….I’ll never be more proud than I am of them. They’ve done amazing at these Olympics—Gabby winning the All-Around, Aly with the floor and the bronze on beam. I’m just so overcome with happiness for not just myself but for them as well.”

“I gotta ask because it’s been buzzing after your win on the bars, but are you looking for a shot at the Rio team in 2016? You’re now the Olympic champion in two events—are you hoping to defend it in four years? Not to mention hopefully get the chance at competing in the All-Around since you weren't selected in the qualifications?”

This was the question that had Y/n up nearly all night thinking about. It was unspoken between her and her coaches, having wanted to focus on the current competition than set sights on the future. Now that the Olympics were technically over for her, Y/n was ready to get back in the gym for another chance at glory.

This time, her goal was the All-Around title.

“I pretty much knew regardless of the outcome of this competition that I would train for Rio. Now the motivation is tenfold really and I do hope I get the chance at the All-Around if I do make the team. For now I’m gonna celebrate with my family, coaches, and my team before getting back in the gym for next year’s Worlds.”

The 2013 to 2015 World Championships were some of the best years in Y/n’s career. Not only did she take the silver in the 2014 & 2015 All-Around next to gold medalist Simone Biles, but claimed the 2013 gold on the balance beam followed by silver in 2014 & 2015, shocked the globe by becoming the 2015 World Champion on vault, and went three for three gold on the uneven bars. By the time the 2016 Olympic trials came around, Y/n was the second ranked gymnast in the world.

The Olympic Rings were tattooed on her forearm, a reminder that she accomplished her childhood dream. Making the team for the second time that summer was beyond what Y/n could put into words. And she would not be the only returning olympian to the US team, Gabby and Aly were coming with her.

There was a lot of talk of what Y/n would bring to the Rio Games. Not only was she the defending champion on bars and beam—hoping to bring a first for the US by repeating her success in London, but she was aiming for a spot in the All-Around competition. Commentators couldn’t get enough of the impending qualifications. Simone was the top contender—the #1 gymnast in the world—and would no doubt qualify, which only left one spot. One spot that three gymnasts wanted.

Gabby, looking to defend her All-Around title.

Aly, to claim the medal she missed when placing fourth in London.

And Y/n, the reigning two-time World silver medalist.

All three members of the gold winning team in London. All three individual Olympic champions.

It would be a heated competition between athletes and friends.

When the trials concluded Y/n had a lot to think about. A lot to mentally prepare for. In the Olympics anything can happen. She witnessed that in London when Jordyn, the reigning World champion, did not qualify for the All-Around. Romania claiming the bronze in the team final over China. Then Y/n beat the leading contender for the gold on beam. Nothing was guaranteed.

As Y/n packed up her bag following interviews after the 2016 team was announced, she headed to leave for the parking lot to meet with her parents and coaches. Phone in hand, Y/n sent a message to her parents when they asked if she wanted to go out to eat to celebrate. As she came around the corner, having waited until most of the spectators had already left, the gymnast gasped when something crashed into her legs causing the phone to drop from her hands, “Oh!”

“Daisy!” A male voice shouted against the sound of feet approaching. “I told you to watch before turning—I’m so sorry ma’am. I—.” His voice stopped suddenly when Y/n lifted her head to connect with a stunning pair of blue eyes. They belonged to a young man with a baby face, roughly around her age but possibly older by a few years, who had blonde hair—stood at about 6 ft and wore a pair of glasses. “O-oh God, you’re Y/n L/n. I-I’m so sorry about my sister—she wasn’t looking.”

The little girl in question—who looked to be about 11 years old— was now in front of Y/n, mouth agape as she stood starstruck. In one hand was a handheld American flag with the event program in the other and she had team USA painted on her cheek. She looked very similar to the man behind her as she had matching hair and eyes. Daisy, as her name was shouted by her brother, looked like she could cry. “I’m so sorry, Miss. Y/n.”

“Oh it’s alright,” the woman softly smiled. Daisy had the same look of awe and emotion Y/n had when she met Nadia Comaneci in 2012 after winning the uneven bars. “Really, it’s okay. I should’ve watched where I was going.” She bent down to grab her phone, silently thankful it didn’t crack any more than it already was. The guy, however, saw the cracks and went pale.

“I’m so so sorry. O-oh gosh, I’ll pay the full amount to replace it—.” Y/n immediately cut him off.

“No, no, no, it was already like that,” Y/n lightly laughed, a little embarrassed to reveal the truth, “I promise you, I just haven’t had the time to get a new one. But it wasn’t her fault I can assure you. It was actually the locker room floor that’s responsible.” Daisy looked embarrassed and guilty at the thought she broke the Olympian’s phone, but upon Y/n’s words she visibly relaxed.

Her brother on the other hand still wasn’t sure. Internally he was freaking out. The now two-time olympian and gold medalist was right in front of him. And she was so beautiful in person it was making his brain scatter…..And his sister knocked her phone from her hands. “Are you sure? I can really write you a check right now Ms. L/n.” The woman waved a hand with a shake of the head, “You have my word. You don’t me anything, Mr……” she waited for him to say his name. A light tint of red appeared on his cheeks, “U-uh Robert, but you can call me Bob, everyone does.”

Y/n extended her hand, making Bob blush more when he went to shake it and a spark ignited causing them both to flinch. “Sorry!”

Y/n only laughed, finding him adorable, “It’s okay. It’s nice to meet you, Bob, and please call my Y/n. And it’s nice to meet you too, Miss. Daisy.” The little girl smiled wide, in a state of visible joy that she was in the presence of her idol.

“You were amazing today, Y/n,” Daisy complimented, making the woman smile.

“Thank you. Did you have fun watching the competition?”

Daisy nodded, “I had a lot of fun. My favorite was you on bars—I had my brother get seats near them so we could watch you.” Y/n couldn’t help but feel warmth in her body. Anytime she had fan interactions it reminded her how she fell in love with gymnastics. Watching the Games and competitions on tv, attending them in person to watch athletes she admired growing up. One could never get used to it. Y/n could see herself in Daisy, for she had begged her parents to always get seats by the bars when they went to watch the 2008 Team trials.

“You’re her favorite gymnast,” Bob casually said with a smile. Y/n thought at that moment, ‘wow he’s got a beautiful smile.’ Her heart picked up at the realization she was attracted to the man. There was just something about him that had her wanting to stay and talk with him.

Y/n smiled at the compliment, turning to Daisy, “I’m extremely honored to have that title, Miss. Daisy. Thank you so much for your support and coming out today. I’m happy I did not let you down,” Y/n then asked, “Are you a gymnast too?”

“Yup!” She said proudly, “I’m level five. I watched you win in London and wanted to be like you,” Y/n placed a hand on her chest, an ‘awe’ escaping her mouth as she tried to hold back the emotion. This little girl was about to capture her heart.

Her brother surly was about to.

Bob nodded his head to his sister, “Her birthday was recent and this is what she asked for. To come watch the trials—to hopefully see you make the team. C-congratulations by the way! You were incredible out there.”

“Thank you,” Y/n said to him, “It’s a privilege to get to compete for a second time. Thank you both for coming out and supporting,” she turns back to Daisy, “And happy belated birthday!”

“Thank you!” She beamed, before hesitating to hold out her hand with the program. “Could—could you please sign this?” Y/n quickly pocketed her phone, removing a sharpie from her bag, “of course. Anything for the birthday girl.” Taking the program, Y/n flipped to the page with her picture and information, scribbling a message saying, ‘Daisy, Shoot for the stars and go for the gold. Thank you for all your support. All the love, Y/n,’ with a little heart at the end. Closing it, Y/n handed it over to her just as Bob was pulling out his own phone.

“Do you mind? I know you must be on your way.”

“Oh not at all,” she said, motioning for Daisy to come closer, who politely asked, “Can I give you a hug?”

“Oh course!” Y/n opened her arms and Daisy fell into her embrace. They faced Bob, smiling at the camera and he took several photos before nodding, “perfect.” Daisy then requested a selfie, and Y/n was all too happy to say yes. Bob handed Daisy the phone who then handed it to Y/n who went, “oh you want me to take it? I’m not the best selfie taker but for you I shall.” Y/n flipped to the front camera and took several photos with Daisy. One nice one of them smiling and a few goofy faces, ending with a kissy face.

Y/n handed the phone over to Bob, but Daisy stopped them, “now you two!” Bob flushed, looking at Y/n to see she was just as suprised. He was silently embarrassed to say he too would have liked a photo, but it was getting late, the gymnast was obviously tired, and they had an early drive back home the next morning. He was due back to report on base on Monday after taking the last Thursday and Friday to take his sister to the trials. “Oh Daiz, it’s getting late. We don’t wanna hold Y/n up—.”

“C’mon, Bob,” she whined, “this way you can brag to your Navy buddies you met an Olympian. And not just any Olympian, you met Y/n L/n!” The insinuation had Bob slightly glare at his sister, finding it to be rude to say such a thing in front of the person they were referring to. He didn’t want Y/n to think it was for clout.

“Daisy—.”

“I don’t mind,” Y/n offered with a kind smile, butterflies erupting in when they made eye contact. Despite the aviator’s fears, Y/n wasn’t offended. In fact she found it amusing, wanting to do it for him. She could tell Bob was still unsure so she said, “If we do a selfie then it’s best for you to take it.” Bob gave a nervous laugh, but nodded and moved closer to Y/n. He was taller than her so Bob held the phone up higher than usual and at an angle.

After the photo Daisy insisted on taking one of them despite her brothers protest. Y/n chuckled at the banter, before pulling Bob to her and placing a hand on his back. Blushing, he put his arm around her shoulder. Daisy didn’t say how many photos she had taken, but judging by her thumb rapidly hitting the screen it was safe to say it was a lot. Feeling bold, Y/n looked up to Bob, “You know if you let me, I’d be happy to help you with the ultimate bragging rights?”

The man’s eyebrows raised, “what did you have in mind.” He wasn’t sure if he should be excited or scared by the look on Y/n’s face.

“It requires you to crouch down,” upon his wide eyes she quickly added, “I’m not gonna kiss you, but I will kiss your cheek if you let me.”

“Oh,” Bob couldn’t believe what he was hearing, but Y/n didn’t appear to be lying. “Oh—um.”

“If you’re not comfortable I totally understand.”

“No, no, no, i’m fine with that. It just threw me off for a second. But y-yeah, sure that’d be cool.” Y/n giggled, and motioned for him to bend to her level.

“Get that camera ready, Daisy.” The girl gave a thumbs up, and Y/n stood on her tippy toes while Bob hunched over so her lips were level with his cheek. She gently pressed a kiss to the skin, holding it there for a few seconds to make sure Daisy got the picture. Bob’s face was hot, obviously flustered by the contact but he managed to keep it together. Y/n was in the same boat, heart pumping at tad faster than usual. She pulled away, falling back onto her heels as Bob stood back straight.

“U-uh well thank you,” he laughed, adjusting the collar of his shirt with loopy grin. “That’s definitely the highlight of my year.”

Y/n giggled, stepping away and picking her backpack up. “Be sure to tag me if you post it,” her wink had Bob’s heart skip. His attraction to the Olympian was growing by the second, but Bob knew deep down nothing would come out of it. They were on two opposite spectrums. Y/n was a world class athlete about to compete on the worlds greatest sporting stage for the second time in just two months, while Bob was about to attend the prestigious Navy Fighter Weapon’s school. The thought of them possibly ever getting together, let alone a date, was a fantasy.

Bob snapped out of his thoughts, giving Y/n a nod, “I’ll make sure to.” He then looks to his sister briefly before back at Y/n. “Sorry for holding you up, but thank you so much for the photos and signing her program.”

“It’s a pleasure, really,” Y/n told him and Daisy when the girl thanked her after Bob, “Thank you both for coming out today again. I hope you have safe travels back home wherever you’re going. I’m so happy, Daisy, you had a wonderful time—good luck with your gymnastics. Maybe the roles will one day reverse, and I’ll be the one cheering you on from the stands,” It was evident Y/n’s words meant a lot to Daisy. The girl’s expression read a fire was beginning to ignite in her eyes. “ Oh and on that note…” Y/n removed one of the two armbands wrapped around each wrist. She’d had them since joining the Junior national team and wore them before and every meet. Almost like a good luck charm.

“This is for you, consider it my birthday gift to you. These armbands have served as a good luck charm for me, I’d like you to have one.” Daisy gasped, eyes wide as she took the band in her hand.

“But…if this is your good luck charm, shouldn’t you have it for the Olympics?”

Y/n raised her wrist with the matching band, “I still have this one to do the job.”

“What do you say, Daiz?” Bob said to his sister, who still appeared awestruck. He mouthed to the Olympian, ‘Thank you.’ Y/n gave a smile with a sly wink.

“Thank you,” Daisy finally breathed. “Thank you so so much. I’ll cherish it forever.” Y/n gave one last hug to Daisy before shaking Bob’s hand and waving goodbye to them as they went separate ways. “Good luck in Rio!” Daisy shouted after her, “Win the gold again for us!” Y/n gave the girl her word, feeling a slight sadness when she got to the parking lot where her parents were waiting for her.

“What took you so long, honey?”

“Oh I was talking with some supporters. They were really sweet and we just got carried away,” she explained before switching the conversation.

Though Y/n pushed aside her thoughts of the cute blue-eyed Bob as the days to Rio got closer, she sometimes thought of him and his sister. Y/n never wanted to let her supporters down. Some had been with her since her debut on the national team. Others were residents of her hometown, who’d known Y/n as a baby. Lots came after the London Games. Making the team for Rio was not just her dream, but the dream of the people who admired her. Wanting her to accomplish the impossible when it almost seems too good to be true. Letting them down would be something Y/n couldn’t forgive herself for. Y/n vowed to never let that happen.

And after the night of the trials, she felt that more than ever.

Read Part 2!

………………

TGM tag list: @avaleineandafryingpan

[liamhaydn-blog]

Why Andy Murray is Britain's Greatest Ever Sportsperson

The Difficulty of Tennis

Tennis can be regarded as one of the toughest, most demanding Sports there is for many reasons. The physical demands are huge, with speed, strength and endurance all required. The mental demands are great with the need to manage stress and emotions, with mental fatigue just as much as physical needing to be overcome.. The mental exhaustion must be resisted in order to allow you to keep problem-solving on the court, keep producing solutions and asking questions of your opponent. The 1 v 1 nature of tennis, with coaching not allowed in-game amplifies the psychological battle, not solely against your opponent but also raging inside your own mind, with noone to rely on but yourself. With no time limit, the match only ends when you are the first to reach 2 sets (or 3 for men in Grand Slams) and due to this you have to deal with being as little as 1 point away from victory, before having to still be on court battling hours later if you were unable to take that matchpoint.

As well as requiring physical and mental endurance, Tennis also demands a high level of skill with the elite players needing to have every shot in their repertoire to a high standard: be it the backhand, forehand, serve, volley, smash, slice, groundstrokes. Berrettini for example has one of the best serves and forehands in the game, his backhand however is susceptible and this weakness has been exploited by opponents, and in part because of this he is yet to win a big title at the time of writing. You constantly need to be making decisions when serving and returning, and when in rallies the need for accuracy is essential, especially when facing the elite players. You can make the correct decision in the shot type you go for but if the execution is just a few millimetres wrong it could cost you the point.

The tennis season is a long one lasting around 11 months of the year, and it requires you to play on vastly different surfaces, in vastly different conditions, indoor and outdoor whilst also adjusting to new timezones and climates. You also have to deal with the different opponent styles that you face from the other end of the court, and adjust tactically. You could on Monday, play a huge server with a great forehand but with a susceptible backhand who doesn't like to be made to hit on the run. So you play to their backhand and try and move them around as much as possible. Then the very next day, you face a great returner and mover with a solid backhand, but with a less solid serve which is prone to mis-firing. What worked for you yesterday, will now definitely not work and you need an entirely new strategy.

Sports that combine the need for endurance, technical skill & mental strength of the highest order should be considered more difficult and demanding Sports that those which only require 2 of those 3, such as Darts & Snooker. And other sports may be more physically demanding than tennis, but do not require the same level of diverse technical skills.

Tennis is one of the most popular individual sports in the world when it comes to global participation, with it being one of the biggest sports across many continents. The ATP top 50 at the time of writing features men from 23 countries and 5 continents. The chances of a kid from the tiny Scottish town of Dunblane going on to top the world rankings in such a global sport, and during by far the strongest and most competitive era of men's tennis were so incredibly miniscule.

Since the beginning of the Open Era in 1969, 29 different countries have produced a singles Champion, 20 on the men's side alone, from 5 different continents. Asia is the only continent not to have yet produced a men's singles Champion in the Open Era, though Nishikori of Japan reached the US Open final in 2014 and India has produced some of the finest Doubles players ever. In comparison, some of Britain's other great Sportspeople have dominated in sports such as Darts & Snooker. The Darts World Championship has produced 2 winners from outside Britain since the event began in 1994 and Snooker has produced 4 World Champions from outside Britain since the World Championships began in 1927.

Murray's achievements of winning Wimbledon, the Davis Cup & 2 Olympic Gold's in a truly global sport have led to him winning the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award a record 3 times. Murray won in 2013, 2015 and in 2016, he became the first and to date only person in the award's 70-year history to retain it. That 2016 win came in an Olympics year, following GB's most successful Olympics ever on foreign soil, yet Murray's achievements that year stood out amongst all others.

An Unsuccessful Tennis Nation

Great Britain at the time of Murray's emergence had been a very unsuccessful Tennis nation for a long time, particularly on the men's side. Britain had been one of the strongest nations in the world prior to World War 2, but in the many decades since they'd gradually sunk into a bit of a joke for the rest of the world to laugh at. Britain held the biggest and most prestigious tennis tournament in the world, but they hadn't produced a men's finalist since 1938. British tennis hit its lowest ebb in the 1980's when it was considered a successful slam if a Brit was able to win a round or two at the event. Tim Henman had restored some British pride, reaching 4 semi-finals at SW19, but he fell at that hurdle every single time and even he was regarded as a nearly man.

Many of the all-time great British athletes had a recently successful Brit in their field to emulate, who'd opened the path somewhat for them. Murray had to be the one setting the path for future generations himself, it was going to have to him who made the journey through unchartered territory for Britain in the Open Era.

In 2012, he became the first British man in 74 years to reach the Wimbledon final and the following month he became the first Brit to take the Gold in the Olympic singles for 104 years. Later that year Murray went on to finally end Britain's 76-year wait for a men's Grand Slam champion at the US Open and then the following year he became the first British man to win Wimbledon in 77 years. Given the level of pressure on Murray and the opponent he faced in that 2013 Wimbledon final, Novak Djokovic, statistically unquestionably the greatest Tennis player ever, one of the biggest winners and mentally resilient people sport has ever seen, it has a strong argument for being the greatest victory ever achieved by a British athlete.

It's unlikely any British athlete has ever been under the level of pressure and expectation that Murray had placed on him to win Wimbledon, and not only did he win it, he won it twice. In doing so becoming the only Brit male or female to win multiple Wimbledon singles titles in the Open Era. Murray also ended Britain's 79-year wait to be Davis Cup Champions in 2015, and the following year became the first British man to reach the world number 1 spot since 1941. At Queens, Britain had been without a men's winner since 1938, Murray went on to win the event 5 times, more than anyone else and for this achievement Queens Club immediately announced on his retirement that they will be changing their arena's name to the "Andy Murray Arena" in acknowledgement of their greatest Champion.

In the Open Era, Tim Henman held the record for the British man with the most wins with 496. Murray went onto achieve 243 more. Since the Second World War only two British men had reached a Grand Slam final prior to Murray, John Lloyd and Canadian-Born Greg Rusedski who only switched to British Citizenship in his early 20's. They reached 1 each for a total of 2, Murray had already bettered this by age 24 and his total of 11 Grand Slam finals is more than every other British singles player male and female combined in the Open Era, including Raducanu's 2021 US Open final.

Andy reigned as the British Number 1 for 140 consecutive months, a period of just under 12 years, with only long-term injury ending the run, which undoubtedly otherwise would have gone on for considerably longer. Murray set numerous records in British tennis as the first and only man or player to do many things. He stands alone in the professional era of Tennis as a giant of the British game and his achievements in the sport led him to become the youngest person in modern times to be knighted, earning him the title of 'Sir' before his 30th Birthday.

What Made Him So Good?

What made Murray so good at tennis? Why was he able to compete against the Big 3 for so long, beat them more often than anyone else and dominate the rest of the field? Murray was one of the best returners ever, rated in the same category as the likes of Djokovic, Agassi & Connors when it came to the quality of his return and between August 2015 and June 2017, Murray had a run of breaking his opponent's serve at least once for a run of 136 consecutive matches. That run only coming to an end due to the hip injury.

His ability to read the serve, quickly spotting patterns combined with his reaction speed due to incredible hand eye coordination and speed of movement made him so hard to ace or hit an unreturnable serve against. A great example of this came in the 2016 Wimbledon final, when Raonic hit a 147mph serve, the quickest of the entire Championships into Murray's body in an attempt to jam him up. Raonic quickly looked to move forward off the back of it, assuming that the serve's quality would put him in the drivers seat to finish the point. However Murray's return was so good that it immediately neutralised the point and as Raonic approached Murray simply hit a passing shot which left the Canadian hopeless.

Murray had one of the best backhands not just on the tour, but probably that the game's ever seen. It meant he was incredibly secure off either wing, his depth and quality of shot was always there. Even when a powerful forward was attacking his backhand, it was so reliable at absorbing attacks, and coming back at his opponents over the net even when he was scrambling deep from a defensive position.

The Scot was forever willing to grind behind the baseline and play patient points with deep returns, making it difficult for opponents to come forward and take over the point. This would often force an error to come from the opponents side as they either couldn't match Murray's shot quality or his patience. But Andy was also capable of turning defence into attack with one shot that suddenly caught the opponent off-guard and with that he would suddenly seize the opportunity to finish the point off with a winner. His speed at covering the court, the IQ in which he played points and as well the angles he could find with the ball all made him extremely difficult to beat.

He was an expert at crafting points, but also with an incredible touch and feel for the ball which allowed him to improvise creatively and surprise his opponent. His ability to retrieve the ball from the far corners of the court deep behind the baseline and force his opponent into playing an extra shot often paid dividends. One such famous example came in the 2015 Davis Cup final, which saw a vintage Murray point at matchpoint. Goffin hits a shot down the line which causes some Belgian's to prematurely cheer what looks like a winner to save matchpoint. But Murray reaches it on the stretch and gets it back over the net. Goffin attempts to finish the point again by hitting to the other side of the court but it's not hard enough or far enough away from Murray and he produces one of the finest shots in his repertoire, the backhand lob, high above the head of Goffin before bouncing comfortably in for a winner.

Murray's exquisite touch and feel for the ball always made him a good watch when facing lanky "servebots" who would hit serves and forehands with incredible power. It was always exciting to see Murray often find a way to neutralise all that power, bringing them to the net with his magnificent sliced dropshot, before either hitting a perfect lob over them or a brilliant passing shot often on the run. His ability to reach their attempted winners and force them to keep playing an extra shot or two helped Murray to achieve a great record against the tallest and hardest hitting guys on the tour.

Murray's fitness and durability also made him so difficult to beat. His fitness allowing him to never slow up on the court and keep sprinting for everything. This meant the opponents margin for error was small as if they didn't do enough with their shot, for example if they didn't perfectly execute a dropshot, Murray would be up at the net in no time punishing it. The best-of-five format suited Murray's game and he finished with a total record of 230-60(79.3% win ratio) in BO5 matches. Prior to the hip surgery his BO5 record was 219-48(82% win ratio).

His durability was one reason he had such a good record in deciding set matches, winning 67.7% (193-92), just over two-thirds of matches that went the distance in either best-of-three or best-of-five formats. There was many matches he probably should have lost, but he somehow snatched victory in, just by hanging in there and allowing his opponent to wilt physically or mentally before him.

Another reason Murray won so many of these matches that went the distance was his will to win and his refusal to give up. Murray won 16 matches in his career from matchpoint down and that doesn't even include the two in Doubles with Dan Evans at the Paris Olympics. Andy's memorable run to the 3rd round of the Australian Open in 2023, which he backed up by reaching the final in Doha saw him save matchpoints before winning in 3 different matches in the space of 38 days, and this didn't even include the comeback against Kokkinakis from 2 sets and 2-5 down, with Kokkinakis two points from winning.

Murray won 28 of his 42 career 5-set matches (66.6% win ratio), including a record 11 from 2 sets to love down. 2 of these wins came despite having the metal hip and included the win over Kokkinakis in Australia, which was Murray's most infamous win at a major since winning the Wimbledon title in 2016. The match summed up something else Murray possessed, which alot of the true greats have. Simply he had a hint of madness about him. He's a little bit nuts, a little bit crazy. And this helped him when he was able to drag an opponent into a crazy match. They looked uncomfortable there, like a fish out of water, often close to looking and feeling a bit foolish. Whereas Murray thrived in that situation, the chaotic and random nature seemed to somehow suit him.

The madness of Murray could be epitomised in just one point in that match. He trailed Kokkinakis by 2 sets and 2 games to love. It was the 2nd round of the 2023 Australian Open, a tournament Murray had no chance of winning given he'd not reached the last 16 of a major for six years. It was late at night, he'd just played a near 5-hour match in the first round against Berrettini and the prospect of getting back into this match and taking it the 5-set distance was next to none.

Kokkinakis is serving to make it 3-0 when Murray brings up a breakpoint. But the Australian plays with authority on the point, hitting hard accurate shots corner to corner. Murray retrieves them both forcing Kokkinakis to play another shot to finish the point, a smash put-away. Murray retrieves it and forces him to play another, then another, then another, then another until suddenly Kokkinakis is back behind his own baseline and hitting the ball into the net. Kokkinakis appeared to quickly regain control, going into a 5-2 lead, but it was an illusion. Murray took it to a tiebreak, won it and went on to win the match which concluded at gone 4 in the morning.

Consistency at the Grand Slams

Murray reached 11 Grand Slam Finals, only bettered by 8 men in the Open Era. Only 7 have reached more than his 21 major semi-finals and just 6 have more than his 30 Quarter-Final appearances. He is one of only 7 men along with the Big 3, Rod Laver, former coach Ivan Lendl & childhood hero Andre Agassi, to play in all 4 major finals in the Open Era. Murray is one of just 6 men in the Open Era to reach the semi-finals of every slam on at least 3 separate occasions, and the same is true for him reaching the Quarter-Finals of every slam on 6 occasions. Andy reached atleast the Quarters at all 4 majors in the same calendar year on 4 different occasions, which only the Big 3 have done.

Murray has 200 Grand Slam match wins, which only 7 men have bettered in the Open Era. Exactly half of those wins have come on a hard court, which is the 7th highest on the surface. The Scot retires with a 200-57 record (78% win ratio). Prior to the hip resurfacing surgery Murray's slam record stood at 189-45(81%).

The man from Dunblane is one of only 5 men to reach 5 Australian Open finals. Between 2010 and 2016, 5 of the 7 finals featured Murray, with the Scot having the misfortune to meet Novak Djokovic, the best player in the history of the Australian Open in 4 of them. Djokovic won all 4, as he has the other 6 Australian Open finals he's played to date. In that 7 year period, Murray was a remarkable 37-0 against non-Big 3 opponents at the Australian Open, with an overall record of 39-7, with 5 losses to Djokovic (including a 5-set near 5 hour semi-final epic in 2012) and 2 to Federer. With 51 match wins at the event, Murray is 5th highest in the Open Era, with a 51-16 (76%) record. Before the two hip surgeries that record stood at 48-13(79%).

Roland Garros was Murray's weakest slam, yet between 2011 and 2017 he reached at least the semi-final in 5 of the 6 years he played (missing 2013 through injury), losing in the quarters the other year. He had a 30-2 record at the event against non-Big 3 players in this timeframe and 30-6 in total. His record at the French prior to the hip surgeries was 39-10, with an 80% win ratio which remarkably put him in the top 10 men in the Open Era at the event, despite it being his worst surface. With 2 defeats and no more wins at the event since the hip resurfacing, that win % has dropped to 76.

Wimbledon is ofcourse the slam Murray is most associated with and for good reason. His 61 wins is only bettered by 5 men, with him trailing 7-time winner Pete Sampras by just 2 wins. His overall record of 61 wins for 13 losses gives him a win ratio of 82%, the 9th highest on the men's side in the Open Era. Prior to the hip surgery, Murray's record was 57-10(85%) which was then the 7th best.

Between 2008 and 2017, Murray made the Quarter-Finals for 10 consecutive years. His record vs non-Big 3 players in this period was 47-2, with an overall record of 48-7. Between 2009 and 2016, he only once failed to reach the semi-finals, successfully getting there on 7 occasions. Murray's special relationship with Centre Court began with a 5-set loss to David Nalbandian in 2005, the first and only time Andy would ever lose from 2 sets up. From the moment he had defeated Stepanek, ranked 299 places above him in the 2nd round of his first Wimbledon, the hopes of a nation would rest firmly on his shoulders each and every summer. From 2005 up until 2017, Murray would be the last Brit standing on either side of the singles draw every year that he entered.

Though the pressure was immense, Murray progressed steadily each year. From the 3rd round in 2005, then it was the 4th in 2006, then a first Quarter in 2008 after injury ruled him out in 2007. Murray then fell at the semi-final hurdle 3 years consecutively, before finally reaching the final in 2012. He was beaten by Federer, but a year later got himself back there again and this time he wouldn't be denied. The expectation was extraordinary after Federer & Nadal's early exit made Murray a strong favourite alongside Djokovic, but the title looked a long way away as Murray trailed Verdasco 0-2, a set from elimination. But Murray refused to lose, roaring back and in the final comprehensively outplayed Djokovic for a straight sets victory.

The US Open was a special tournament for Murray, he was junior champion there in 2004 and 4 years later he would reach a maiden slam final aged 21. It was another 4 years of waiting before he could be on the winning side of a Major final, and that of course came at Flushing Meadows. Between 2011 and 2016, Murray made at least the Quarter-Finals 5 out of 6 years and achieved 49 wins at the event, which is the 9th most in the Open Era. His career record there is 49-16(75%) with his record before the hip injury 45-12(79%).

Murray had runs of outstanding levels of consistency across all the majors. Between the 2011 Australian Open and the 2013 Wimbledon, he reached at least the semi-finals at 9 of the 10 slams he played, exiting in the Quarter-Final at the other. His record against non-Big 3 players at the slams in this time period was 53-1, and 56-8 in total. Between the 2012 and 2013 Wimbledon's, he reached the final of all 4 majors that he entered (skipping Roland Garros 2013 due to injury), winning two for a 26-2 total record in that time.

Between the 2015 Australian Open and the 2016 Wimbledon was another golden period for Murray, as he reached atleast the semis at 6 of 7 slams played, going on to the final in 4. His record vs non-Big 3 players at this time was 38-1, with a total record of 38-6. He reached 3 successive finals in 2016 across the 3 different surfaces, for a 19-2 record.

In the exactly 9 years between Murray's first and last Quarter-Final appearances he played 36 slams, reaching the Quarters at 30, the Semis at 21 and the Finals of 11.

The Big 4 Was Real

"He had a lot of finals. He was an amazing player that probably played in a difficult moment of the history of tennis, because, he shared the tour at the prime time of Novak, Roger and myself. And he was, in my feeling, the one that was at the same level as us, in general terms. Then, in terms of victories, it's true that he achieved less, but in terms of level of tennis, in terms of holding mentally, the winning spirit week after week... He was the only one that was very close to, to be at the same level as us."- Rafael Nadal

Murray registered 29 victories against the Big 3 (12 whilst they were ranked #1 in the World), which is more than anyone else and 12 more than the next man Del Potro. 25 of those wins came at one of the big events (either Grand Slam, Olympics, Tour Finals or Masters event). Murray had a 14-17 record against the Big 3 in finals, which improved to a pretty remarkable 12-7 in non-Grand Slams. He also had a positive combined record against the Big 3 in Masters finals with 8 wins to 6 losses, with 5 wins and 5 defeats against Djokovic, the most successful player in Masters history.

Murray and Federer had a very competitive rivalry, with the Brit leading the head to head after 20 matches. Federer ended with a 14-11 edge, though Murray led 6-3 in Masters 1000 matches. Against Nadal, Murray won 7 of 24 matches but won 3 of their 4 meetings in finals. His rivalry was close with Djokovic for the first 20 matches, before the Serb pulled away to win 25 of their 36 total matches (including 1 walkover). Though in finals it was significantly closer with Murray winning 8 of 19 and he remains the only man to have won finals against Djokovic on every surface: indoor & outdoor hard, clay & grass.

Murray met Djokovic in 7 Grand Slam Finals, making it the third most played men's final in the Open Era, only trailing the greatest rivalries in Tennis history Nadal-Djokovic & Nadal-Federer which produced 9 slam finals apiece. Murray and Djokovic met in all 4 Grand Slam Finals (a rarity only shared by the Nadal-Djokovic rivalry in Men's Tennis) with Murray winning the US Open & Wimbledon finals and Djokovic winning the French Open & all 4 Australian Open finals.

Between 2008 (the year Murray won his 1st Masters 1000 title) and 2016 (the year he won his last) the Scot won 14 Masters 1000 events and reached 21 finals, Federer also reached 21 finals but won only 10, Nadal won 19 from 30 finals and Djokovic won 27 from 39. Murray had 9 seasons as a top 10 player & in those seasons which came between 2008 and 2016 he won 41 ATP titles, which was 6 more than Federer in the same period and only 5 less than Nadal, with Djokovic winning 59.

From the 2008 US Open where Murray made his first slam final and the 2016 Wimbledon where he made his last, Murray played 11 slam finals, which was the same amount as Federer managed in that period and only 2 fewer than Nadal with Djokovic reaching 19. Between 2012 and 2016, the peak years of Murray's career, he reached 8 slam finals winning 3. Federer in the same time period made exactly half, winning 1 of his 4 finals. Nadal also appeared in less finals reaching 6 but winning 4.

It goes without saying that the Big 3 caused Murray alot of pain throughout his career and they prevented him from winning many more events. But Murray went toe to toe with them for around a decade and when playing at his best, he was extremely difficult for those guys to get past. On the two occasions he met Djokovic on Centre Court, Murray won both in best of 3 and best of 5 format. He's the only man to beat Nadal on the Madrid clay more than once, and is the only man to beat Federer in straight sets on Centre Court in a final.

As the stats clearly demonstrate, in terms of Masters titles, ATP titles & deep runs at all 4 majors, he was comparable to the Big 3 for the 9 years he was at the top of the game and absolutely in the same category as them in the years 2012 to 2016 in particular.

Big Titles

In the 11 Grand Slam finals Murray reached, he met either Federer or Djokovic in 10 of them. This limited Murray to just 3 Grand Slams, but given the opposition they came against and the circumstances in which they were won, they certainly feel worthy of more. Murray went into the 2012 US Open final against Novak Djokovic aiming to not only end Great Britain's 76-year wait for a men's singles champion, but also to avoid his name going into the history books as the first man to lose his first 5 Grand Slam Finals.

It's hard to imagine many more difficult circumstances to win your first major than to face Djokovic on a hard court. Murray let a hard-earned lead of 2-0 slip away as they went into a 5th and deciding set. He was one set away from losing from the most commanding position he'd ever reached in a slam final, and had he done so it's hard to believe he'd ever have recovered mentally.

But he steadied himself and outlasted Djokovic in the joint longest final in US Open history, and the 4th longest Open Era final ever at the time. The win felt like an amazing achievement then, but with hindsight it's aged brilliantly, as Djokovic has gone onto establish himself as the best hard-court player ever and the best 5-set player ever. And for Murray to win his first major against Djokovic on a hard-court in a match that went the 5-set distance, showed not just unbelievable quality but extreme mental fortitude. For a long time this was the only 5-set major final that Djokovic ever lost, until he was beaten aged 36 by Carlos Alcaraz in the 2023 Wimbledon final.

In the 2013 Wimbledon final, Murray secured his 2nd major with another victory over Djokovic. Winning this one in straight sets was incredible at the time, but seems even more incredible now given that Djokovic has gone on to be a 7-time Wimbledon Champion with a 3-0 final record at SW19 against the 8-time Champion Federer. In 3 extremely tight sets, Murray was able to out-clutch the most clutch player of all time, breaking at the right times and holding his nerve in 3 consecutive sets to see it out. From his first 8 Wimbledon finals, this was the only one Djokovic ever lost until losing in back-to-back years against Alcaraz aged 36 and 37.

In his 11th and what turned out to be last Grand Slam final match, Murray finally met someone other than Federer or Djokovic in the final and didn't let the opportunity pass, defeating the huge serving Milos Raonic in straight sets. Murray dropped just 2 sets all tournament, both against Tsonga in the Quarter-Finals. Aside from that one small blip where he let a 2-0 lead slip to 2-2, in all the rounds before and after he was borderline unplayable, reaching the final without needing to break out of second gear. In the final he played like a man who'd been there many times before and like in 2013, was rock solid in the clutch moments to see out another straight sets victory.

From Murray's 21 Grand Slam semi-final appearances, on the 18 occasions he didn't go on to win the tournament 16 of his losses came against the Big 3. He had a 10-2 record in either Grand Slam semis or finals against non-Big 3 opponents, with Roddick (Wimbledon '09) and Wawrinka (Roland Garros '17) the only men outside of the Big 3 to beat him at that stage.

Murray recorded 5 wins over the Big 3 at Grand Slams with 2 against Nadal, including in the 2008 US Open semi-final, with Murray progressing through to his first slam final. Murray also notched 2 over Djokovic, both in slam finals and came close to more in a couple of semi-final defeats, including memorably in the 2012 Australian Open semi-final, with Murray falling just short, coming within a few points in the deciding set. Murray managed 1 Grand Slam win over Federer, with what was one of his best ever performances at a major in the 2013 Australian Open semi-final. Federer clung in winning 2 tiebreaks, but Murray's serving and forehand was so exceptional on this day that the Swiss only delayed the inevitable.

The Big 3 played a seismic role on keeping Murray at just 3 slams, but he did still manage to win 20 Big titles. This includes 14 Masters 1000 titles, 2 Olympic Golds & the ATP Tour Finals, aswell as the 3 Majors. Only 5 men have won more on the ATP tour, those being Sampras & Agassi, aswell as the Big 3. He is one of only 5 men to reach every major final as well as the Olympics final, with Djokovic only recently joining Andy, aswell as Federer, Nadal & Agassi on the list.

With 14 Masters 1000 titles, Murray has the 5th most, with 3 more than Sampras on 11. He won 7 of the 9 Masters Events, and reached the final at 8. The Monte Carlo event is the only final appearance missing, with Murray losing in 3 semi-finals there. The Scot won 4 Masters 1000 titles without dropping a set, which only the Big 3 have done that many times.

By beating Djokovic to the ATP Tour Finals title in 2016, he prevented the Serbian from winning the event 5 years in a row, with this being the first time someone had beaten him in the final. Murray also topped up his collection with 2 Olympic Gold medals.

His record for GB

Murray has a phenomenal 45-4 record in singles competition when representing Great Britain. With a 92% win percentage, his win ratio for his country is higher than the Big 3's for their respective nations. 12 wins came at the Olympic Games for just 1 sole defeat, and Murray's Davis Cup record stands at 33-3.

At the Olympics, Murray is the most successful singles player, the only player with 2 Olympic singles Golds, and therefore of course the only player to retain it. He won his first at the 2012 games in London, producing one of the most impressive weeks of his career, roared on by his home crowd. After beating Wawrinka in the opening round, Murray progressed to meet Djokovic in the semis, taking him out 7-5, 7-5. In the final he met Federer, the man who'd reduced him to tears and triggered an immense outpouring of emotion from him just weeks prior on the very same court.

This time the outcome was to be totally different, Murray won in straight sets for the loss of just seven games. The biggest title of his career at the time, Andy had earned it by beating Djokovic and Federer (now regarded as the two best grass courters of all time) in back-to-back matches, both in straight sets. 4 years on, Murray would win again this time in Rio De Janeiro, in another carnival atmosphere. Though this time it was one sounding more like a Football crowd due to the number of South Americans in attendance, with plenty pulling for the Argentine Del Potro (who'd defeated Djokovic & Nadal on his way to the final) whilst the Brazilians pulled for Murray. In an epic battle, Murray came through 3 sets to 1, to put his name in the history books forever.

In between winning those two Olympic Golds, Murray brought more glory to British tennis in the form of the 2015 Davis Cup. Andy led GB past USA, France, Australia and Belgium in the final. In total, GB won 9 singles matches and Murray won 8 of them from the 8 he played. Aswell as the singles, Andy also played 3 Doubles matches alongside brother Jamie and he won all of those aswell. This meant that in winning the tournament, GB had won a total of 12 matches & Andy had been on the court for 11 of them.

Anyone who watched the titanic 5 set doubles match in the semi-final against Australia's Hewitt & Groth in an incredible Glasgow atmosphere, or who saw Murray's Davis Cup-clinching matchpoint in the final against Goffin away in Belgium, will surely never forget it. Perhaps noone has ever come closer to winning a team tournament single-handed as Murray did in the Davis Cup that year. The way he absorbed all the pressure and expectation, with the team's chances resting entirely on his shoulders and used it as motivation to inspire the team to victory was extraordinary to see.

When representing Great Britain, Murray often shone outside of just singles action. Aswell as many great performances alongside his brother in the Davis Cup, Murray also has a 3rd Olympic medal for his run to the Mixed final in 2012 alongside Laura Robson. Given all the memorable moments Murray has provided when representing Britain, it was a fitting conclusion to his career that he should finish at the Olympics on the Doubles court alongside Dan Evans, giving the British public that last drop of excitement.

The Olympics is the career pinnacle for most of the all-time great British athletes, and Murray conquered it twice, aswell as reaching the pinnacle in his own Sport by winning 3 Grand Slams. Though the Olympics singles title has sometimes been referred to as the 5th major, and there's an argument for that especially in the years Murray won it when the final was best of 5 sets.

Titles, Finals & Match Statistics

Murray reached 71 ATP finals which is the 16th most in the Open Era on the men's side and won 46 of them which is the 15th highest total. With a 46-25 record, he has a final win ratio of 66.2%, which is the 12th best. Before losing his last 3 finals with the metal hip, his 46-22(67.6%) record was then the 8th highest win ratio in the professional era. Andy won at least 1 ATP title in 13 different seasons, only 6 men have won in more seasons. He also won multiple titles in 10 consecutive seasons with only the Big 3 & Sampras enjoying a longer run since the introduction of the ATP tour in 1990.

What makes Murray's final record even more impressive is he faced a member of the Big 3 in 31 of them, so 44% of his final appearances came against Federer, Nadal or Djokovic. Murray won 14 of them, with 17 of his 25 final losses coming against the Big 3, and 17 of the 22 pre-hip surgeries. Murray's final record against non-Big 3 opponents stood at 32-8, and 31-5 prior to the hip injury. From the 2007 title he won in St. Petersburg up until his final title in 2019 at the European Open, Murray won 30 from 32 finals against the non-Big 3. This run included 15 straight wins, with Murray not losing a final against someone outside the Big 3 for six years between a 2010 loss to Sam Querrey and when Marin Cilic ended the streak in 2016.

34 of Murray's 71 titles came on the hard courts with 20 coming outdoors and 14 indoors. Only 5 men have ever won more hard court titles in the Open Era than Andy, and Nadal is not one of them, winning 9 fewer than Murray. 8 of the Scot's titles have come on grass, with only 4 men having more on the surface. Murray also has 3 clay court titles, with 2 of the final wins coming against Nadal & Djokovic. Andy's other title was won on indoor carpet, at the 2007 St. Petersburg Open.

Murray played 1,001 matches on the ATP tour with 739 wins, which is the 4th most since the tours introduction in 1990. His 73.8% win ratio puts him at 17th on the all-time men's list in the professional era. His record prior to the hip surgeries was 663-190 (77.7%) which was at the time the 9th best Open era record. 200 of Murray's wins came at Grand Slams and 230 at Masters 1000 events, which is the 4th most and gives him the 7th highest win ratio.

503 of Murray's win came on hard courts, which is the 5th most in the Open Era and just 15 fewer than Nadal at the time of writing. His record on grass is 119 wins for 30 losses (79.9%), which gives him the 10th best win ratio for men with at least 50 wins on the surface in the Open Era. His record prior to the metal hip was 107-21, which at the time was the 5th highest and had him above Sampras. His indoor record stands at 115-54 (74.2%), the 10th best ratio in the Open Era for men with at least 100 wins.

The stats show Murray's prowess across surfaces, with him being one of the best players on grass, hard and indoor surfaces over the last several decades.

His 2016 Season

In 2016 Murray had one of the most successful years a British athlete has ever enjoyed. He made the first 3 Grand Slam finals of the year, losing the first two against Djokovic, including his first and what was to be his only Roland Garros final as the Serbian became the first man since Laver to hold all 4 slams simultaneously. But Murray's clay season showed the extent to which he had conquered the dirt, of the 4 clay events he played he reached 3 finals meeting Djokovic in all of them and winning the middle one in Rome, with what was his best ever Singles' championship point, delivering a winner from well wide of the court on the run after expertly reading an attempted put-away from Novak. His performance in that Rome Masters final and aswell when knocking out the defending French Open Champion Stan Wawrinka in the semi-finals at Roland Garros demonstrated just how much Murray had improved on the surface over the years, he was truly an all-surface specialist by now.

Murray had had to wait until mid-May for his first title of the year, but he would go on to make up for it. After losing the RG final, Murray would bounce back to win a record 5th Queens title, a 2nd Wimbledon title and a 2nd Olympic Gold medal as part of a 22-match win streak which was ended by Cilic in the final of Cincinatti. The Scot then suffered two gruelling 5-set losses, first to Nishikori in the Quarters of the US Open, which was a painful defeat as Murray was the best and most in-form player in the world at that time and it felt like a good chance to win another major. Murray then suffered defeat to Del Potro at home in Glasgow which effectively ended Great Britain's Davis Cup reign. Murray had led both matches 2-1, but he quickly shrugged off any disappointment, responding to the set-backs by going on a 26-match win streak (including two walkovers) to win 5 successive tournaments including two Masters titles in Shanghai and Paris.

Before the Paris final, Murray went onto court knowing he was the new world number 1 no matter the outcome but it would have been very short-lived had he lost the ATP Tour Final against Djokovic to end the year. The year end number 1 was on the line aswell as the trophy. To reach the final Murray had beaten the rest of the top 5, including wins over Nishikori and Raonic which were the longest matches in the competitions history. With a straight sets win over Djokovic, Murray became the only man outside the Big 3 to end the year as World Number 1 between the years of 2004 and 2021. With wins over every other top 5 player, this was one of the most impressive tournament wins of Murray's career, proving that at that moment he was hands down the best tennis player on the planet.

Murray played 17 tournaments in 2016, reaching the final in 13 of them and winning 9, including 5 consecutively to end the year. He reached 7 consecutive tournament finals between May and August and had two separate win-streaks of over 20. He became the first and to date only man to win a Grand Slam, the Olympic Gold Medal & ATP Tour Finals in the same year. He finished the year with a 78-9 win-loss record, winning 63 of his last 67 matches after losing the Madrid final. After losing the RG final, Murray was over 8,000 points behind Djokovic in the race, yet managed to hunt him down and improbably catch him to end the year as World Number 1. For his efforts that year Murray would earn around £16.3M, which is the 2nd most any player has ever earned in a calendar year, but it would also come at a cost, as the 172 singles matches he had played in the last 2 years began to take its toll on his body.

The Unluckiest Tennis Player Ever?

Murray played in what was undoubtedly the Golden Age of Men's Tennis and its strongest era. Aswell as the Big 3 or the Big 4 including Andy, the top 10 was made up of exceptional players such as fellow Grand Slam winners Wawrinka, Del Potro & Cilic, aswell as Berdych, Tsonga, Nishikori & Raonic, all of whom would also have reached and potentially won more finals if not for the Big 4 denying them on so many occasions. Murray had a 21-9 record in Grand Slam matches against those 7 names, with 2 defeats to Wawrinka coming after the hip operations. He also has 9-1 record in ATP finals against them, with Cilic the only one to beat him.

Despite facing off against the Big 3 84 times and playing with metal in his hip for 5 years, Murray still had a winning record against top 10 opponents with 105 wins and 96 defeats. Prior to his hip surgeries his top 10 record was 101-80 (55.8%).

From his first ATP final in Bangkok in 2005, where he met Federer in the final, Murray spent all of his career prior to the hip injury competing against Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, players who all have a strong case to be included amongst the top 10 greatest athletes of all time. Given Murray's success against the rest of the top 10, it's likely he would have dominated tennis if not for the Big 3, and if just 1 of them didn't exist, he'd at least have 5 or 6 majors. From 21 semi-finals, 16 times Murray was prevented from lifting the trophy courtesy of a defeat against a Big 3 member. He was also knocked out of a major before the semi-final stage on 4 occasions by either Federer, Nadal or Djokovic.

Against these 3 absolute giants of Sport, Murray was still able to reach the number 1 spot in their era, which is surely one of the greatest achievements ever by a British athlete. He was also able to hold onto the top spot for 41 weeks, which is longer than fellow greats Boris Becker, Ilie Nastase & Mats Wilander managed at the top of the rankings in their careers. Djokovic has a strong argument for being the greatest athlete of all time in an individual Sport, given the amount of records he holds in the era he's played in, and Murray was able to get the better of him in 8 finals, including 2 Grand Slams.

But despite the huge amounts Murray has achieved, he's also not had a great deal of luck. He met either Federer or Djokovic in 10 of his 11 major finals and on the 3 occasions he beat a Big 3 member on the way to a Grand Slam final, each and every time there was another Big 3 player waiting to meet him in the final and deny him the trophy.

Against Federer and Nadal, his age was always more of a disadvantage than an advantage. With Federer being 5 years older, when Murray first began his career the Swiss was in the prime years of his mid-20s. When Murray reached his mid-20s, Federer then had a wealth of experience behind him whilst still being incredibly fit. Murray was only a year younger than Nadal, but it always felt like the gap was bigger, given that the Spaniard was already a major winner as a teenager and had already won every major by the age of 24.

Then at the age of 30 when Murray's age for the first time looked to become an advantage against Federer due to Andy now having more confidence & experience, whilst still having a significant youthful edge over a Federer approaching the other side of 35, that was when Murray's body broke down and he never made a Slam Quarter-Final after the age of 30.

Also sometimes forgotten due to all the success & consistency Murray had is that when his hip effectively ended his career at the highest level, his prime had really only just begun. 2015 & 2016, years in which he won 5 Masters titles, Wimbledon, the Olympic Gold, the Davis Cup & the ATP Tour Finals were really just the beginning of what should have been Murray's trophy winning prime. In this period he was becoming extremely dominant on the court, opponents were beginning to fear him in a similar way they did the Big 3, in the way in which they quickly felt defeated and out of their depth.

A cruel quirk was that in the years Murray was competing for majors, Djokovic was by far the most dominant player and Murray's most regular adversary in semi-finals and finals, with the two meeting in 7 Grand Slam finals, with the Scot losing 5. Between the 2010 and 2016 US Open, Djokovic made the final in 19 of the 25 majors, losing just twice before the semi-finals. But between the 2017 Australian Open and the 2018 Roland Garros he didn't make it past the Quarter-Finals once, due to injuries which caused issues with his form and motivation. This time period was when Murray could have took advantage, now in his prime and taken his slam count up to 5 or 6. But of course, it should happen that just when the path to more majors would have been more open than it had ever been for him, Murray's hip snatched the chance away and it was instead a mid-to-late 30's Federer who capitalised along with Nadal.

In 2019, when Murray had improbably battled back to return to the tour with a metal hip, he won an ATP title against Wawrinka just months into his comeback. But he hadn't played much tennis over the last few years and desperately needed to spend more time on the court if he was to again become a player who could go deep in the big events. But then the following year Covid struck and Murray was limited to just 7 matches over the whole year. And also with the world locked down, tennis players were away from the tour and forced to spend alot of time training solo. This meant there was little to do but work on fitness, and when the full tour returned players seemed a little fitter, a little faster. Murray's endurance levels and speed at getting across the court had been one of his superpowers and one of his advantages over the rest, now it would no longer be the case.

The Comeback

Constant severe hip pain took Murray off the court during his peak. His love for the sport, sheer force of will and stubbornness saw him then return to the game with metal implants inserted into the hip to absorb the surface impact. Noone in singles tennis had previously returned to play in a similar situation, so there was no measuring stick on how the return would go.

In the first months back on the tour, Murray won 2 titles, one with Feliciano Lopez in the Doubles at Queens and the other in singles against Wawrinka in the European Open. For the 5 years Murray would play on with the metal hip this would be as good as it got, though he was able to reach a further 3 ATP finals. But the former World Number 1 had to live with being less than 50% of what he once was.

The player who was once capable of beating Djokovic on hard, Federer on grass and Nadal on clay now had to accept losing regularly in the early rounds of draws against low ranked players. And he did so with a remarkable level of humility, without feeling sorry for himself that he was now reduced to this, that injuries had stolen his time at the very top. Free of ego, Murray endured what must have been at times highly frustrating, with his body unable to do what his mind wanted it to anymore.

Whilst his once-great rivals added to their legacies with Djokovic and Nadal reaching over 20 slams each, Murray continued to grind away, even dropping down to the challenger tour. At less than half of what he once was, he hung around the top 50 for years, reaching as high as 36 in the world with the metal hip, getting right to the edge of being seeded for a major again. His love for the sport kept him going, and the odd bit of magic here and there gave him the encouragement he needed to keep fighting. Like Muhammad Ali in the late '70s, Murray may have been a shadow of his former self but he went on raging against the dying of the light, refusing to quit on anyone's terms but his own. He soaked up the punishment against those he would have toyed with in his prime, without any self-pity, out of sheer love for the fight.

Legacy

Sport ultimately is about entertaining its billions of viewers, making them feel something and for a brief time making the outcome of that sporting event feel like the most important thing in the world. It's doubtful if any athlete has done that better than Andy Murray. You could check the score of a best-of-three sets Murray match and he'd be a set and 1-3 down. You'd check again close to an hour later for the confirmation of defeat and see it was still going, taken to a tiebreak. Murray would be 0-3 down in the tiebreak and you'd again assume it was all over. Then Murray would win the tiebreak and take a 2-0 set lead in the final set. You'd start to relax, the finish line in sight. You'd check back in half an hour later expecting the confirmation of a Murray win and they'd still be going, locked at 4-4. Another half hour later and finally you'd get your winner and much more often than not it'd be Murray

Noone could make you feel as wide a range of emotions as often and as rapidly as Murray. So often he would veer from the sublime to the ridiculous and back. The emotions were only heightened by seeing him go through the exact same emotions on court, all of them clear to see, heart bared on his sleeve. The rollercoasters and level of drama his matches would so often provide made him from an engagement perspective, one of the most entertaining athletes ever. If you wanted to ride the highs and lows with an athlete, there'd have been no better choice than Murray as he experienced the up's and down's with everything in between for the entirety of his career.

The last week of Murray's career at the Olympic Games was an excellent summation of why Murray is so beloved by so many sports watchers. In the opening round he's 9-4 down in the first to 10 points match-deciding tiebreak, he saves 5 matchpoints to come back to win 11-9 alongside Dan Evans. 2 days later and he saves another 2 matchpoints to win 11-9 in the 3rd again. In the end it took 9 matchpoints to finally end the professional career of Andy Murray. Drama loves him and he loves the drama, often finding another level to reach when he most needs it, almost taunting defeat when it feels it has him in his clutches, only for him to say "not today, not just yet."

His love of the game, his love for competing at the sport made him a fantastic ambassador for the game of tennis. Was his behaviour always perfect? No. Was it always utterly genuine, often bizarrely funny? Definitely. Murray found ways to deal with the burden of pressure placed on him not just by the entire country, but also the huge expectations he placed on himself, with Murray demanding near-perfection of himself, knowing that's what was required if he was to beat the Big 3 to a big title. He responded to set-backs and adversity time and again, as the pressure only increased. After losing his first 4 Grand Slam finals, he responded by winning his 5th. After losing in the Wimbledon final to Federer, he came back a month later to the same court to face the same opponent and beat him for the Olympic Gold and then a year later got himself back in the Wimbledon final and this time won it. And in 2019 when injury appeared to have ended his career prematurely at the Australian Open, he battled on for another 5 years.

In total Murray played 1,001 ATP tour level matches, 148 of them with the metal hip. His final win came in his last completed match, fittingly the 1,000th. Murray fighting on for so long with the metal hip and still managing to win more matches than he lost with it on the ATP tour added to his enduring legacy as a titan of British Sport, who kept on fighting longer than anyone could reasonably have asked of him.

With Queens already naming their arena in his honour, it's surely only a matter of time before Wimbledon commissions a statue of him to join Fred Perry, the greatest British man before Murray's arrival. This will go some way toward acknowledging Murray's enormous contribution to Tennis in Britain. And though his contribution on the court may be over, there's plenty left for him to provide for future generations be it through coaching at youth or senior level, or merely through the inspiration his journey will provide others for decades to come.

[scrapesaladofficial]

Ten big moments of the 2024 Olympics

End of the road: Cuba's Mijain Lopez removes his shoes as a signal that he is retiring from wrestling (Punit PARANJPE) From a colorful, sometimes controversial opening ceremony to boxers caught up in a gender row to respectful bows on the gymnastics podium, the 2024 Olympics served up many memorable moments. AFP Sport looks at 10 of the best: Rain on opening ceremony parade -- Organizers promised a spectacular opening ceremony and the rain-soaked boat parade on the River Seine ended up making global headlines, but not for the expected reasons. Church leaders, conservatives and even US presidential candidate Donald Trump were left outraged by a scene involving drag queens and lesbian DJ Barbara Butch that appeared to parody Jesus's Last Supper. Artistic director Thomas Jolly denied any such intention. He and others involved ended up facing vicious online harassment that led to police complaints. Djokovic's roar of approval -- Novak Djokovic stunned Carlos Alcaraz in a memorable men's final to clinch tennis gold and become only the fifth player to complete the Golden Slam of all four majors plus Olympic gold. The 37-year-old celebrated with a roar which echoed around Roland Garros before the tearful Serb clambered into the player's box to embrace his wife Jelena and two children. "There is no greater inspiration than representing your country," said the 24-time Grand Slam title winner. Alcaraz was also in tears, claiming he "had let Spain down". Biles bows to 'queen' Andrade -- Simone Biles may have been the star of the show but she was widely praised for bowing to her arch-rival Rebeca Andrade on the podium. Biles said it was "just the right thing to do" after she and team-mate Jordan Chiles finished in silver and bronze medal position respectively behind the Brazilian in the floor final. "Rebeca's so amazing, she's queen," said Biles. Romanian Ana Barbosu was later awarded the bronze medal after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that Chiles should not have been upgraded from her initial fifth-place finish. Lyles just in time -- World champion Noah Lyles roared to victory in 9.79sec to claim gold in a dramatic men's Olympic 100m final in the closest finish in modern history -- just five thousandths of a second separated him from Jamaica's Kishane Thompson. "I'm the man amongst all of them. I'm the wolf amongst wolves," said Lyles whose victory was only confirmed after a photo-finish. Not cricket as Pakistan top India at javelin -- Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem won the men's javelin title, his country's first individual gold at an Olympics, with a Games record of 92.97m. In second place was India's defending champion Neeraj Chopra. "Rivalry is there when it comes to cricket matches, other sports, the two countries have a rivalry, but it's a good thing for the young people in both countries to watch our sport and follow us. It's a positive thing for both countries," said Nadeem. North-South Korea podium selfie goes viral -- Images of Olympic table tennis players from North Korea and South Korea taking a selfie together on the medal podium went viral in South Korea, hailed as a rare show of cross-border unity. After South Korea won bronze and North Korea silver in the mixed doubles behind China, South Korea's Lim Jong-hoon took a group photo after the medal ceremony. North Korea's Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong, the South's Shin Yu-bin and the victorious Chinese team Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha all beamed into Lim's phone, a South Korean-made Samsung. "A selfie with both Koreas' national flags and a Samsung phone," said the widely read daily JongAng Ilbo. Dreams come Trew -- Australian skateboarding sensation Arisa Trew, just 14, won the women's park event to become her country's youngest ever gold medallist. Trew nailed a high-risk and high-speed final round in her trademark pink helmet, bringing the crowd to their feet at a sun-drenched Place de la Concorde. The event also featured 11-year-old Zheng Haohao, the youngest athlete ever to represent China at the Olympics. "Skateboarding in the Olympic Games isn't much different from skateboarding in my neighbourhood. It's just more spectators," she told reporters. Gender-row boxer beats 'bullying' -- On a raucous night at Roland Garros, the storied home of the French Open, Algerian gender-row boxer Imane Khelif claimed gold and used her platform to hit back at "attacks" and "bullying" before defiantly declaring "I am a woman like any other." Together with Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting, who also fought in Paris, Khelif was disqualified from last year's world championships after they failed gender eligibility tests. However they were cleared to compete in Paris, setting the stage for one of the biggest controversies of the Games. "I am fully qualified to take part, I am a woman like any other. I was born a woman, lived a woman and competed as a woman," said the 25-year-old. High five for Cuban wrestler -- Cuban wrestler Mijain Lopez made Olympic history when he became the first athlete to win five consecutive individual golds in the same event, bettering the records of Games icons such as Carl Lewis and Michael Phelps. The soon-to-be 42-year-old then placed his shoes in the centre of the mat to signify his intention to retire. "Wrestling has been the love of my life, for all of my life," he said. Cool hand Yusuf -- Turkish Olympic shooting silver medallist Yusuf Dikec became an overnight sensation for his casual style during competition. His eye-catching posture saw the marksman wearing standard glasses, a team T-shirt and with his left hand casually tucked in his pocket. Other than his pistol, he notably had none of the specialised equipment used by athletes in the hyper-precise event, like headphones, special lenses or a hat. "The name's Dikec. Yusuf Dikec," said a social media post in reference to cinema icon James Bond. Read the full article

[ok9global]

Tham Gia Trải Nghiệm Đỉnh Cao Tại OK9

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[maximumwobblerbanditdonut]

Novak Djokovic has been fined thousands of pounds for smashing his tennis racket against a net post during the Wimbledon final.

Novak Djokovic refused to apologise for his tantrum on Centre Court in his Wimbledon final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz where he broke his racket into pieces after smashing it against the net post next to the chair umpire.

The seven-time champion was handed a £6,117 ($8,000) penalty for "racket abuse" during Sunday's match which he lost to Spanish 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz 🎾

Why he might be a jerk. It was a mistake on every level. Djokovic lost his temper, got a code violation, hurt his wrist and immediately lost the next game. A huge tactical error.

It’s embarrassing if anyone tries to excuse Djokovic for having a temper tantrum and use excuses for his jerky on-court behaviour a bad habit repeated by Djokovic. This unacceptable behaviour can’t be downplayed 😳

@winston1crappy Yeah! Novak Djokovic’s reputation as leader of the men’s tennis circuit was in tatters, for a tennis player. He through a series of extraordinary own goals — proved himself to be staggeringly stupid during the unprecedented times of a global pandemic. An idiot of Covid-19 fame, he is ladies and gentlemen, a COVIDIOT.

[sportsloverguide]

Tennis Queens: Top 10 Greatest Female Players of All Time

Picking the greatest of all time is always a tough call, and women's tennis is no exception. From power hitters to baseline masters, this list celebrates the best the sport has ever seen:

1. Serena Williams: Queen of the court, Serena's 23 Grand Slams, unmatched power, and global impact solidify her GOAT status.

2. Martina Navratilova: With a whopping 59 Grand Slams across all disciplines and a relentless serve-and-volley style, she dominated the 80s.

3. Steffi Graf: This German powerhouse holds the record for most weeks at #1 (377!) and boasts a Golden Slam (winning all majors and the Olympics in a year).

4. Chris Evert: A baseliner legend, Evert won 18 Grand Slams, including a record 7 French Open titles, and had epic rivalries with Navratilova.

5. Monica Seles: A teenage prodigy, Seles won 8 Grand Slams before 20 and could have been even greater if not for a shocking on-court attack.

6. Billie Jean King: On and off the court, King revolutionized tennis. She won 39 Grand Slams and fought for equal prize money and women's tennis rights.

7. Margaret Court: Holding the most Grand Slams ever (24), Court dominated the pre-Open Era with her imposing serve-and-volley style.

8. Venus Williams: A pioneer and Serena's fierce rival, Venus paved the way for generations and holds 7 Grand Slams, with 5 at Wimbledon.

9. Martina Hingis: The youngest Open Era champion at 16, Hingis had a magical touch but injuries cut short her potential.

10. Justine Henin: This Belgian champion won 7 Grand Slams in the early 2000s with a unique one-handed backhand and mental toughness.

These remarkable women have not only shaped tennis history with their on-court brilliance but have also become influential figures both within and beyond the sport. Each one has left an enduring legacy, contributing to women's tennis

[brutimes]

Rafael Nadal became the global brand ambassador of Infosys

On Thursday, 24 August 2023, Infosys announced a three-year agreement with global tennis champion Rafael Nadal. Infosys is the ATP Tour's digital innovation partner, as well as Roland-Garros, the Australian Open, and the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Infosys and Nadal's coaching staff are working together to create an AI-powered match analysis tool.

[freifraufischer]

GIGA Pro Gym's Team - Does anyone know how to do what they say they want to do?

Presented here are the bios from their website (as of the end of June 2023). I am going to flag what I want you to look for... who here has the technical background to run a multimedia platform. Or are they a marketing person who might have worked in media. I'm going to emphasis these are direct quotes. I'm changing nothing.

I also want to point out that Fox's "early career includes Summer Olympic TV broadcast coverage" is that she was a group VP for Time Warner Cable in the early 2000s. And "start up launches for pro-cycling and senior tennis" still doesn't name what these enterprises are, we've been unable to identify what they might be among non-defunct entities.

*** *** ***

Aimee Boorman: Cofounder and Chief Events Officer

Decorated and globally respected head coach, including 12 years coaching the sport’s all-time greatest, Simone Biles. Collaborative leader with deep technical expertise. Head coach of USA’s Rio Olympic and World Championship gold medal teams. Dutch National team coach at 2020 Tokyo Olympics as well as 2021 World and European Championships; 3X USAG Coach of the Year and 2016 USOPC Coach of the Year. USAG Master of Sport; FIG & USAG judge.

Maura Fox: Cofounder and Chief Executive Officer

Entrepreneur and executive leader with 20+ years in sports, media, technology and entertainment. Long career delivering innovation for cable TV, data tech, and OTT platforms, and successfully launching new products, services, and start ups. Early career includes Summer Olympic TV broadcast coverage, start up launches for pro-cycling and senior tennis, and regional sports net launch of national network brand. Later, led cable TV’s 1st ever IPTV trial and industry leading launches of VOD, SVOD, DVR, and remote DVR services; more recently, led tech transition of linear TV sports channel to all-digital network, product strategy for start up of first-of-its-kind TV data-analytics using census-based data lake-house, and product strategy for $2B IT end user firm.

LaPrise Williams: Cofounder and Chief Sports Engagement Officer

Engagement specialist, business owner, St Vincent and the Grenadines Gymnastics Association (SVGGA) technical director, and women’s sports trailblazer on international stage; Head Coach Baylor University Acrobatics and Tumbling 2011-2014, Co-owner/head coach HUGS gymnastics, Owner/director Dolphin Gymnastics; Coach of USA world gymnastics team member, Ashley Miles; Coach of USA national team members, USA Master of Sport; Texas State Board Member (former), FIG/PAGU committee member 2019, FIG Brevet judge; SVGGA Olympic Committee Board of Trustee member; Coaching consultant Dutch National and Developmental Teams 2020.

Laurie DeFrancesco: Advisor Board Member

GIGA rules chair, 25+ year head coach and gym owner, NCAA and NAWGJ judging official, and co-founder, CT Gymnastics Hall of Fame

Chellsie Memmel: Advisor Board Member

USAG high-performance and technical leader; former World Champion, 2008 Olympian, and internationally rated BREVET judging official

KJ Kindler: Advisor Board Member

OU Women’s Gymnastics Head Coach, 6x NCAA Team Championship titles – including 2023, 3x NCAA Coach of the Year, and Chair of WCGA Rules Committee

Jessica O’Beirne: Advisor Board Member

Creator/ producer of GymCastic podcast; writer, social influencer, and multimedia journalist, on air talent and expert analyst for sport of gymnastics

Lauren LoFrisco

Promotional marketing and sales expert with brand leadership in media and entertainment industries, and prominent management and consulting roles at HBO, TWC, Road Runner, and Comcast

Nicole Perrelle

Trusted advisor for digital execution, innovation strategy, and process optimization, with management and leadership roles including Gartner, Deloitte, and Amazon

Trish Scanlon

Branded entertainment and creative services executive with deep expertise in cable, TV, and lifestyle brands, including networks such as HGTV, Travel, In Demand, and Food Network

Jen Smith

Entrepreneur and strategic advisor, specializing in start up ventures and investor relations; deep experience delivering customer experience optimization, growth, and stakeholder value

Ben Wiles

Legal Counsel, Corporate Matters; deep legal experience and expertise in venture capital, private equity, and emerging growth matters

[enrimedia]

Sports News: The Latest Updates from the World of Sports

Sports are a major part of global culture, uniting people from all corners of the world through competition, passion, and dedication. Whether you're a fan of football, basketball, tennis, or any other sport, staying up-to-date with the latest sports news is essential to keeping track of your favorite athletes, teams, and events. From breaking news and game results to emerging trends and major controversies, sports news is always buzzing with excitement and new developments. Let’s take a look at some of the most notable topics in the world of sports today.

Major Sporting Events and Championships

As the world’s top athletes continue to compete in a variety of sports, major events and championships are a highlight of sports news. One of the most anticipated global events is the Olympics, which brings together athletes from around the world every four years. The 2024 Summer Olympics, set to be held in Paris, is already generating excitement, as countries finalize their athletes and prepare for what promises to be a thrilling competition across a range of sports, including athletics, gymnastics, swimming, and basketball.

In football, the FIFA World Cup is another major event that captures the attention of millions of fans. The most recent tournament in 2022 saw Argentina crowned champions after a dramatic final against France, and the road to the 2026 World Cup is now underway, with qualifying matches taking place across the globe.

Meanwhile, in the United States, the Super Bowl continues to be one of the biggest sporting events of the year, with millions tuning in to watch the NFL’s top teams battle it out for the coveted championship trophy.

Breakthroughs and Records in Football (Soccer)

Football continues to dominate sports news with exciting breakthroughs, new talent, and record-breaking performances. One of the most talked-about stories in recent months has been the incredible rise of young players like Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland, who are pushing the limits of what’s possible on the field.

Haaland, who joined Manchester City, has been setting goal-scoring records in the English Premier League, making headlines with his astonishing number of goals in his first season. Mbappé, meanwhile, has continued to shine for Paris Saint-Germain and the French national team, solidifying his position as one of the most talented players of his generation.

Additionally, Lionel Messi’s move to the United States to play for Inter Miami has been a major talking point in sports news. Messi’s arrival has brought a fresh wave of attention to Major League Soccer (MLS), and his performances on the field are helping elevate the profile of soccer in North America.

The Impact of Injuries and Transfers

Injuries and transfers are always big topics in sports news, and this year has seen its fair share of both. High-profile injuries have led to challenges for teams, especially in football, basketball, and tennis. LeBron James, for instance, has been dealing with injuries that have affected his performance for the Los Angeles Lakers, while in tennis, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have had to navigate injury setbacks in their respective careers.

On the transfer front, the winter and summer transfer windows always bring about significant shifts in the landscape of professional sports. The most notable transfers in football often involve multi-million-dollar deals that can completely change the balance of power in domestic leagues. For example, the departure of players like Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United to Saudi Arabia and the movement of Harry Kane to Bayern Munich has had significant impacts on the European football scene.

Basketball News: NBA Updates and Stars to Watch

In the world of basketball, the NBA continues to provide thrilling action and incredible performances. As the NBA season progresses, players like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant are constantly making headlines with their on-court brilliance.

The rivalry between teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors has been a key storyline this season, with both teams battling it out for playoff spots. Additionally, the emergence of younger stars like Luka Dončić and Victor Wembanyama has raised the excitement level, as these players bring new energy and skill to the league.

The trade deadlines and playoff races are always highly anticipated moments in basketball news, with teams making moves to strengthen their rosters for championship runs. The ongoing discussions about the future of LeBron James and Kevin Durant have also been hot topics for fans and analysts alike.

The Rise of Esports

While traditional sports continue to dominate headlines, esports has seen an incredible rise in popularity over the past few years. Competitive gaming has become a billion-dollar industry, with major tournaments and leagues dedicated to games like League of Legends, Fortnite, and Counter-Strike attracting millions of viewers worldwide.

Esports news includes updates on upcoming tournaments, team transfers, and new games being introduced to the competitive scene. Notable players like Ninja and Shroud have become household names, and their influence continues to drive the growth of esports as a legitimate and thriving segment of the sports world.

Conclusion

Sports news is constantly evolving, with new stories unfolding every day. From major international tournaments like the Olympics and the World Cup to exciting individual performances and player transfers, there’s always something happening in the world of sports. Whether you're a fan of football, basketball, or even esports, staying updated on the latest developments helps you stay connected with your favorite athletes and teams. As new talent emerges, records are broken, and technologies like virtual reality and AI enhance the sports experience, one thing is certain: the world of sports will continue to captivate and inspire for years to come.

[tmarshconnors]

"Practice like you've never won, perform like you've never lost"

Serena Jameka Williams is a former American professional tennis player. 

Tennis Champion: Serena Williams is one of the most successful tennis players in history, with 23 Grand Slam singles titles, making her the most decorated player in the Open Era. Her powerful playing style and competitive spirit have made her a global icon in sports.

Olympic Gold Medalist: Serena has won four Olympic gold medals—one in singles and three in doubles with her sister, Venus Williams. Her success at the Olympics further cements her legacy as one of the greatest athletes of all time.

Fashion Entrepreneur: In addition to her athletic career, Serena has made her mark in fashion with her own clothing line, S by Serena, known for empowering styles that reflect her bold personality. She has also collaborated with major brands, including Nike.

Advocate for Equality: Serena is a vocal advocate for gender and racial equality, both on and off the court. She has used her platform to speak out against pay inequality in sports and has inspired generations of young athletes, particularly women and girls of color.

Mother and Role Model: Serena became a mother in 2017 and has openly shared her journey balancing motherhood with her career. Her daughter, Olympia, has even accompanied her at tournaments, symbolizing Serena’s role as a strong, multifaceted role model.

[news365timesindia]

[ad_1] Image: Manika Batra Instagram Manika Batra’s run at the WTT Champions in Montpellier has brought new recognition and inspiration for table tennis in India. The star Indian paddler, Batra, currently World no. 30 and a multiple Commonwealth Games medalist, had to bow down to China’s Qian Tianyi in the quarterfinals by 8-11, 8-11, 10-12. However, this feat was historic–the first time an Indian table tennis player had reached the WTT quarterfinals. Though her loss against the Chinese paddler marked the end of her campaign in Montpellier, her performance up to the quarterfinals was commendable. She defeated world no. 14, Bernadette Szocs of Romania in the pre-quarters. It was proof that Indian players can challenge top players on the global stage. Tianyi, who defeated Batra in the last eight, also created an upset by defeating World No. 4 Yidi Wang. This shows the depth of the tournament and highlights that Batra’s performance was right at that level. Batra’s journey in Montpellier builds on her accomplishments in another French city a month back—the French capital, Paris. She and her fellow paddler, Sreeja Akula, reached the Round of 16 in the singles event at the Paris Olympics 2024, marking the first-ever feat for any Indian table tennis player. The women’s team, comprising Batra, Akula and Archana Kamath, lost to Germany in the quarterfinals. The men’s team, however, exited in the first round, losing to heavyweights China. Though the TT contingent in Paris didn’t make the podium, reaching the quarterfinals in singles marked a historic feat and showcased the sport’s upward trajectory in the country. Manika Batra in action (Image: Instagram) Now after Montpellier, the consistency shows. For the young players, Batra’s journey is an inspiration. Her progress serves as a reminder that efforts in a traditionally underrepresented sport are paying off. In Indian sports, certain athletes have transcended competitions, becoming poster figures who carry the sport forward. Batra is one such athlete — a role model for many young athletes willing to take up the sport. For a sport where Olympic medal hopes are still a distant reality, it is essential to have such a character who can take the sport forward. Batra has done that for Indian women’s table tennis. The legacies of Neeraj Chopra, Sachin Tendulkar, or PV Sindhu show how important it is to have role models and the impact it has. With her performance in Montpellier and being a part of another history, Batra elevated her glorious career to a different level. Her journey has brought significant attention to the sport. In a country where franchise tournaments are on the rise, investors need icons who can be the face of their properties. Batra is one such icon in the UTT (Ultimate Table Tennis) – India’s premier table tennis franchise tournament. This is all a chain reaction, where a player will influence a bunch of other players, who will create an ecosystem, which will attract investments and the circle will go on. In Indian women’s table tennis, with the recent successes, and multiple laurels in the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games, Manika Batra’s journey brings hope and renewed enthusiasm for Indian table tennis. As Batra continues to lead by example, at only 29, she is building a legacy that empowers India’s youth to take up the sport and break newer grounds on the international stage. The post Manika Batra: Charting the Path for Indian Table Tennis on the World Stage appeared first on Sports News Portal | Latest Sports Articles | Revsports. [ad_2] Source link

[news365times]

[ad_1] Image: Manika Batra Instagram Manika Batra’s run at the WTT Champions in Montpellier has brought new recognition and inspiration for table tennis in India. The star Indian paddler, Batra, currently World no. 30 and a multiple Commonwealth Games medalist, had to bow down to China’s Qian Tianyi in the quarterfinals by 8-11, 8-11, 10-12. However, this feat was historic–the first time an Indian table tennis player had reached the WTT quarterfinals. Though her loss against the Chinese paddler marked the end of her campaign in Montpellier, her performance up to the quarterfinals was commendable. She defeated world no. 14, Bernadette Szocs of Romania in the pre-quarters. It was proof that Indian players can challenge top players on the global stage. Tianyi, who defeated Batra in the last eight, also created an upset by defeating World No. 4 Yidi Wang. This shows the depth of the tournament and highlights that Batra’s performance was right at that level. Batra’s journey in Montpellier builds on her accomplishments in another French city a month back—the French capital, Paris. She and her fellow paddler, Sreeja Akula, reached the Round of 16 in the singles event at the Paris Olympics 2024, marking the first-ever feat for any Indian table tennis player. The women’s team, comprising Batra, Akula and Archana Kamath, lost to Germany in the quarterfinals. The men’s team, however, exited in the first round, losing to heavyweights China. Though the TT contingent in Paris didn’t make the podium, reaching the quarterfinals in singles marked a historic feat and showcased the sport’s upward trajectory in the country. Manika Batra in action (Image: Instagram) Now after Montpellier, the consistency shows. For the young players, Batra’s journey is an inspiration. Her progress serves as a reminder that efforts in a traditionally underrepresented sport are paying off. In Indian sports, certain athletes have transcended competitions, becoming poster figures who carry the sport forward. Batra is one such athlete — a role model for many young athletes willing to take up the sport. For a sport where Olympic medal hopes are still a distant reality, it is essential to have such a character who can take the sport forward. Batra has done that for Indian women’s table tennis. The legacies of Neeraj Chopra, Sachin Tendulkar, or PV Sindhu show how important it is to have role models and the impact it has. With her performance in Montpellier and being a part of another history, Batra elevated her glorious career to a different level. Her journey has brought significant attention to the sport. In a country where franchise tournaments are on the rise, investors need icons who can be the face of their properties. Batra is one such icon in the UTT (Ultimate Table Tennis) – India’s premier table tennis franchise tournament. This is all a chain reaction, where a player will influence a bunch of other players, who will create an ecosystem, which will attract investments and the circle will go on. In Indian women’s table tennis, with the recent successes, and multiple laurels in the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games, Manika Batra’s journey brings hope and renewed enthusiasm for Indian table tennis. As Batra continues to lead by example, at only 29, she is building a legacy that empowers India’s youth to take up the sport and break newer grounds on the international stage. The post Manika Batra: Charting the Path for Indian Table Tennis on the World Stage appeared first on Sports News Portal | Latest Sports Articles | Revsports. [ad_2] Source link

[ukbella]

THIS IS COOL!

Jo Caird, Jody Cameron, “Georgie” Paula George, Rachel Howard, and Dani Marshall have come together in what is believed to be a world-first: the first time a sports team has been solely owned, coached, and managed by an all-female team.

Starting in October, the BNZ Kāhu team will compete to retain their national championship title in the rapidly growing Tauihi league, which enters its third season in 2024.

The new owners include four former elite athletes, Olympians, and world champions across five sporting disciplines:

Jo Caird - a former New Zealand Junior Tennis representative, the first official photographer for the All Blacks, and co-author of the book “Our GameMakers” which shared 52 stories of people who shaped women’s rugby.

Jody Cameron [Ngāpuhi, Niue] - a New Zealand basketball legend, 2004 Olympian, Commonwealth Games silver medalist, former Tall Ferns assistant coach, and current coach of the reigning-champion BNZ Kāhu basketball team.

“Georgie” Paula George – a double international (rugby and netball) who competed in 6 World Cups for England and Wales, a World Cup winner and former Captain of the Red Roses England team, and current scholarship manager for the Tania Dalton Foundation.

Rachel Howard - a former Football Fern who represented New Zealand in the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup and 2008 Beijing Olympics, former player in the German Frauen Bundesliga, and current brand-building executive at one of the top global sports brand.

The fifth owner, Dani Marshall, is the founder of womenzsports, New Zealand’s award-winning media outlet dedicated to women’s sports, and Instagram’s fastest-growing community of women’s sports fans in Aotearoa. Originally from the U.S., Dani brought experience from a career in tech and digital when she immigrated to New Zealand in 2022.

[via BNZ Kāhu basketball and The Female Athlete Project]

I’m so excited for the direction this could take basketball in Aotearoa. They’re a new league, only three seasons in so this is a massive step.

[kicksaddictny]

Serena Williams Design Crew Unveils New Collection Inspired by the Next Generation

Nike has just launched the latest collection from its Serena Williams Design Crew, a project that champions the limitless potential of the next generation by spotlighting the creativity and vision of emerging designers. This collection, created by a diverse team of design apprentices from Serena’s hometown of Los Angeles, underscores Nike’s ongoing commitment to advancing diversity and innovation in both design and athlete partnerships.

Featuring a lifestyle sneaker and five bold apparel pieces, the collection reflects the dynamic energy of LA while pushing the boundaries of sport style. Serena Williams, who has partnered with Nike since 2019 to develop this apprenticeship program, expressed her pride in supporting young designers:

"I'm excited to continue my partnership with Nike and proud to provide emerging Los Angeles designers a platform to explore their craft and bring a touch of our dynamic LA edge to sport style in an influential way," says Serena.

At the heart of the collection is the Victory Tech sneaker, which merges the retro aesthetic of Nike’s Tech Hera silhouette with Serena’s modern style. Design details such as the unique arch piece and lacing system take inspiration from Los Angeles’ iconic architecture, while subtle gold accents add a touch of luxury. The sneaker’s sock liner honors Serena’s beginnings in tennis, and inside the tongue, a motivational message from Serena herself serves as a personal reminder of her journey.

The collection also blends Serena's passion for both fashion and tennis. A standout piece is the bold cutout tank top, paired with loose, mid-rise shorts, featuring curved lines that mimic the shape of a tennis ball. These pieces can be worn as separates or styled together for a modern, athletic look that’s as functional as it is fashionable.

Additional highlights include a short-sleeve top and mid-rise pant inspired by baseball, with vertical stripes and lightweight fabric that offer both freedom of movement and versatility. To top off the collection, the oversized bomber jacket brings varsity-inspired patches and stripes together with contemporary materials, providing warmth without bulk—perfect for layering with other pieces from the line.

The Fall 2024 Serena Williams Design Crew Collection will be available globally starting September 17 on nike.com and at select retail locations. Don’t miss your chance to shop this powerful collection that celebrates the next generation of design talent and Serena’s ongoing legacy.