Category: Tennis
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Impossible to play under U.S. Open’s COVID-19 protocols – Djokovic
World number one Novak Djokovic has said participating in the U.S. Open would be an impossible task due to the “extreme” COVID-19 protocols in place for the tournament at Flushing Meadows. The U.S. Open, scheduled to begin on Aug. 31, will be the first Grand Slam to be played after the COVID-19 pandemic suspended the…
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Naomi Osaka using lockdown to conquer inner demons
Two-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka is using the novel coronavirus shutdown as one of self-reflection to try and overcome her crippling shyness. The tennis season was suspended in early March, due to COVID-19 outbreak and the hiatus will continue until at least mid-July with many countries in lockdown to contain the virus. Japan’s Osaka,…
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Quadri, Omotayo drop in ITTF ranking, Edem remains best-ranked Nigerian female
Nigeria’s duo of Aruna Quadri and Olajide Omotayo have dropped in the April 2020 ranking released on Thursday by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). In spite of this however, Quadri still maintains his status as the highest-rated African player in the world. Quadri, who is still recuperating from the thigh injury he sustained during…
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I had depression before Wimbledon, says U.S. tennis teenager
American teenager Coco Gauff says she struggled to deal with the hype and mental pressure brought on by her rapid rise in the tennis world. She said she had to rediscover her love for the game after becoming depressed. The Florida-based 16-year-old has enjoyed a sensational run on the professional circuit since July last year…
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Wimbledon 2020 cancelled, first time since World War II
The Wimbledon championships were cancelled for the first time since World War Two on Wednesday as the coronavirus pandemic struck another blue-riband sports event off the calendar. The development meant a wipe-out of the entire tennis grasscourt season. The decision had looked inevitable for some time, since the virtual shutdown of world sports and the…
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Oshonaike makes history, qualifies for Tokyo 2020 Olympics
Olufunke Oshonaike has become the first African female athlete to compete in seven Olympic Games after the former African table tennis champion secured her place at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan. To be sure of being part of the party in Tokyo, Oshonaike defeated Cameroun’s Sarah Hanffou 4-1 in the second match of the…
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Tennis: Offiong Edem qualifies for Tokyo 2020
ffiong Edem became the first table tennis player to secure a place at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games after a 4-3 win over Tunisia’s Fadwa Garci in the deciding match of the Qualifying Tournament holding in Tunis. Despite taking a 2-0 lead against the Tunisian, Edem fell back to allow the tie to go into 3-3.…
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Tennis: I’m saying goodbye – Sharapova
Maria Sharapova has announced her retirement from tennis at 32. The five-time Grand Slam champion has been struggling with a shoulder problem and is currently 373th in the rankings. Sharapova has only won three matches, since she reached the fourth round of last year’s Australian Open and was eliminated in the first round this year.…
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Roger Federer pulls out of French Open
Roger Federer will miss his fourth French Open in the last five years after having knee surgery on Wednesday. The 20-time Grand Slam champion had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee – which had been “bothering him for a little while” – in Switzerland. Federer, who won his only Roland Garros title in 2009, said…
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Table Tennis: Nigeria still on course for 2020 Olympics – NTTF Official
Nasiu Bello, Coach for the National Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), on Tuesday denied speculations that Nigeria had crashed out of the 2020 Olympics set to hold in Tokyo. Bello told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the qualification stages for the Olympic were in five parts. He added that Nigeria had lost…