Revealed: Chelsea owner’s plans to pump money into women’s tennis – and why some insiders are alarmed January 25, 2023 Billionaire part-owner of Chelsea Mark Walter is the US businessman in talks with the International Tennis Federation over a controversial proposal to bring private investment to the Billie Jean King Cup, Morning Wire has learned. We revealed yesterday that the ITF is close to agreeing a major new partnership with a US group to promote [...]
Billie Jean King Cup lined up for private investment as International Tennis Federation is accused of risking another Kosmos Davis Cup $3bn fiasco January 24, 2023 The International Tennis Federation is in talks with private investors over a major new partnership to revamp the Billie Jean King Cup just weeks after the embarrassing demise of a similar deal for the Davis Cup, Morning Wire can reveal. And the move has sparked serious concerns, with some insiders demanding greater transparency and scrutiny [...]
Karen Khachanov: Russian tennis player sparks political row over disputed territory of Artsakh at Australian Open January 24, 2023 Australian Open semi-finalist Karen Khachanov is at the centre of a political row after using his matches to voice support for the breakaway region of Artsakh. Historically part of Armenia, Artsakh, or the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan and has been the source of two conflicts since 1990 as well as [...]
Ed Warner: Cricket has a membership dilemma January 19, 2023 English cricket is braced to be declared institutionally racist. The results of an independent inquiry are imminent. The England and Wales Cricket Board is corralling the boards of the 18 first-class counties to prepare their statements of contrition. Quite what the hundred thousand-plus members of said counties will think is another matter, though. All but [...]
Australian Open: What it costs to buy tickets, flights from London, hotel and visa January 14, 2023 So you like two people hitting balls at each other and fancy spending a day in the air to see it happen? Here’s how you can get to the Australian Open finals weekend. Visa As Novak Djokovic learned the hard way last year, you cannot simply hop on a plane and expect to be welcomed [...]
Kyrgios, Jabeur and Nadal: How Netflix’s Break Point looks to grow tennis January 12, 2023 Tomorrow morning the latest sports docu-series goes live on streaming giant Netflix as Break Point – the tennis version of Formula 1’s Drive to Survive – offers a peek behind the scenes of the sport. Here’s what we learned from the series. Tennis’ special Ks Break Point grips you instantly, using Nick Kyrgios and his [...]
Naomi Osaka withdraws from Australian Open a week before first round January 8, 2023 Four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from next week’s Australian Open. The 25-year-old did not give a reason for her surprise withdrawal but has not featured on the WTA singles circuit since September. The Japanese star won the Grand Slam in Melbourne in 2019 and 2021 but has since slipped in the world [...]
Why tearful Emma Raducanu is now a major doubt for the Australian Open January 5, 2023 Emma Raducanu’s hopes of playing in this month’s Australian Open have been plunged into doubt after her latest injury retirement left the Briton in tears. The tennis star abandoned her last-16 match at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, today after appearing to roll her ankle. It leaves Raducanu facing a race to be [...]
Djokovic likely to miss duo of US tennis competitions over Covid-19 rules January 4, 2023 Former world No1 tennis star Novak Djokovic is set to miss the Miami Open and Indian Wells in the United States this year due to changes in the country’s Covid-19 vaccination requirements. The United States have extended its requirement for visitors to prove they’re vaccinated against Covid-19 until 10 April and the Serbian has previously [...]
Ed Warner: Everybody Wants to Rule the World December 8, 2022 Hop to it! Harking back to an innocent ‘70s youth of balmy summers and winter power cuts, when even Space Invaders had yet to land, a friend gets in touch to sense-check his vision for an organised sport of space hopper racing. Sad sack that I am, my thoughts instantly turn to governance, and the [...]