Laura Massaro: ‘There is no hiding place inside the glass box’
There is a sentence in the foreword to Laura Massaro’s autobiography, written by England Netball Head Coach, Tracey Neville, that sums up just why her…
Marianne Bevis Archives: 05/2021
French Open 2021: Naomi Osaka, a woman of few words, finds her clay feet for opening win
World No2 Naomi Osaka found herself in the spotlight on tennis’s biggest stages right from the start. Her first title, at the age of 20,…
French Open 2021: Dan Evans makes first-round exit in Paris against rising young Serb Kecmanovic
2021 will always go down on the Dan Evans resume as the year that the Briton won, at the age of 30, his first title,…
French Open 2021 women’s preview: Swiatek’s top tennis timed for Paris title defence
It seems only a few months ago that the tennis tour rolled into a near-empty Roland Garros stadium to play an unseasonal, and unseasonably cold,…
French Open 2021 preview: Rafael Nadal eyes 14th Paris and 21st Major records
It is just seven months since Rafael Nadal won a remarkable 13th French Open title, a full 16 years since the same teenage Spaniard won…
Geneva Open 2021: Roger Federer’s highly-anticipated return ended by Andujar in opener
There is no getting away from it: an awful lot has happened on the tennis stage since Roger Federer disappeared from the tour following his…
Rome Masters 2021: Rafael Nadal beats greatest rival Novak Djokovic for 10th Rome title
It has become an oh-so-familiar sight. Come the sharp end of tennis’s biggest events, there they are, No1 Novak Djokovic, with 36 Masters titles, and…
Rome Open 2021: Iga Swiatek sweeps aside former champion Pliskova for Italian title
It is not the first time, and it will not be the last, that the huge, and hugely prestigious Internazionali BNL d’Italia found itself in…
Rome Open 2021: Match 1,000 ends in defeat for Serena Williams – ‘Maybe I need a few more matches’
The depth and quality of the women who embarked on Wednesday’s packed schedule at the Foro Italico was outstanding. Ten Major champions; 10 of the…
Italian Open, Rome 2021: Williams returns, Barty builds, Djokovic and Nadal compete for dominance
The Internazionali BNL d’Italia is one of the most popular tournaments in the tennis calendar, and one look at the Foro Italico explains why. This…
Madrid Masters 2021: Zverev beats Berrettini in thrilling final to win fourth Masters title
Men’s tennis has to go back a very long time to find the last occasion that four consecutive Masters titles were won by someone other…
Madrid Open 2021: Aryna Sabalenka powers past Ash Barty to rise to world No4
Ash Barty, whose time at No1 is guaranteed to extend beyond its current 74 weeks when the tennis tour moves from the Madrid 1000 to…
Madrid Masters 2021: Zverev into eighth Masters final with back-to-back wins over Nadal and Thiem
There was no getting away from it when the draw was made for the first playing of this prestigious tournament since 2019. The top quarter…
Laureus World Sports Awards 2021: Tennis stars Nadal and Osaka Tennis takes top individual prizes
Tennis scooped the top two individual prizes at this year’s Laureus World Sports Awards at a digital awards ceremony in Seville. Spain’s Rafael Nadal was…
Madrid Open 2021: Ash Barty dashes Spanish hopes with semi-final Badosa win
One name that took to the magnificent Manolo Santana court for the first semi-final of the prestigious Mutua Madrid Open was certainly very familiar to…
Madrid Masters 2021: Dream 18th birthday present for Alcaraz… but Nadal ends fairytale
It is not many players who get to share a court with their idol. It is even fewer who get to do so on the…
Madrid Masters 2021: Rising stars Ruud and Bublik dash young Canadian hopes
Even before the first round of men’s action at the Caja Magica was concluded, a number of high-profile names had gone from the 16 seeds.…
Madrid Masters 2021: Daniil Medvedev will seek first Madrid match-win on return from Covid set-back
Once he broke into the top 10 in the middle of 2019, there seemed to be no stopping the tall, reed-thin Russian, Daniil Medvedev. Back…
Madrid Masters 2021: Dan Evans wins first ever match in Madrid in three-set Chardy battle
Briton Dan Evans, sitting at a career-high 26 in the ranks, had only ever played the Madrid Masters once before—a loss in the first round…
Estoril Open 2021: Briton Cam Norrie’s campaign for first singles title thwarted by Albert Ramos-Vinolas
One has only to look at the scalps that Briton Cameron Norrie has claimed this season to recognise his fine streak of form. He started…
Madrid 2021 preview: Rafael Nadal seeks 36th Masters in tough draw on home soil
The Mutua Madrid Open has been one of the biggest events in the tennis calendar since the ATP Masters moved from the autumn indoor hard…