Archive: richard-evans
The tears of joy had barely dried in Basel before Roger Federer’s great rivals were gearing up for the year’s last ATP Masters 1000 event at Bercy in Paris – an event that will decide whether Rafa Nadal or Novak Djokovic will finished the year as world No 1.
King Arthur had his round table. Gladys Heldman had her round bed. It was there that Gladys spent hours with the make-ups of the next edition of the magazine spread before her.
It was Charles Wintour, the father of Vogue’s Anna Wintour, who assigned me to write Althea Gibson’s copy for the London Evening Standard in 1960 and, in doing so, kick started my tennis writing career.
Althea Gibson, the first African-American ever to win a Grand Slam title, provided a perfect example of America’s schizophrenia over its attitude to people of color in the 1950’s and 1960’s.
When I lived in Richmond, Virginia I found it difficult driving past Arthur Ashe’s statue without getting a lump in my throat. Compared with the huge, preposterously imposing statues of Confederate Generals that adorn long stretches of Monument Avenue, Arthur’s statue is relatively small but no less emotive.
Roger Federer continued a perfect London run. Launching his quest for a seventh ATP World Tour Finals title, Federer broke in the opening game of the match subduing Jack Sock, 6-4, 7-6 (4), in the opening match of Group Boris Becker at the O2 Arena.
They both said it. “This has been a week I will never forget.” Nor should they because, at the Rolex Paris Masters, Jack Sock and Filip Krajinovic lifted themselves to higher levels of achievement than either had ever experienced before.
It was all set up for two Americans to make Paris their own by reaching the final of the year’s last ATP Masters 100 event. It never happened.
The day did not start well for the Rolex Paris Masters. As soon as it was announced that Rafa Nadal was calling a press conference at 1.00 pm we knew what he was going say.
When Grigor Dimitrov led 5-2 in the final set and then served for the match at 5-3, John Isner’s chances of reaching the final of the Rolex Paris Masters for the second consecutive year looked bleak.
Outside, the falling autumn leaves might give voice to a song but inside the vast stadium on the banks of the Seine, Rafa Nadal was calling the tune.
You are a Russian man with a 6 year old daughter and $700 in your pocket. You are standing on the curb at Miami Airport at 2.00 am and cannot speak English. The Russian coach who is supposed to pick you up doesn’t arrive.
Not everything is running smoothly in the nation’s capital right now but, in between the heat (not as bad as usual this year) and the showers, tennis was able to produce a welcome distraction...
The Olympics & Sharapova by Richard Evans
He sent flowers. So he is contrite. Is that enough; is that enough to prevent Ilie Nastase from being banned forever from any future responsible position in the world of tennis? Almost certainly not.
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