[ad_1]
Over the previous yr, there have been a myriad of fundraising occasions and actions for Ukraine.
And for good motive.
February 24, 2023, is the unhappy anniversary of the Russian invasion that sparked the horrific battle.
In Melbourne on January 11, a month and a half earlier than the one-year mark, the WTA and ATP hosted the Tennis Performs for Peace initiative, bringing the tennis neighborhood and followers collectively to help the humanitarian aid efforts by UNICEF Australia and World Giving.
Maria Sakkari, Rafael Nadal, Alex de Minaur, Alexander Zverev and Frances Tiafoe all hit the courts for the trigger, and so they have been joined by two very particular friends.
On the Conflict of the Centurions, 98-year-old Leonid Stanislavskyi of Ukraine took on 99-year-old Henry Younger (!) of Australia.
Whereas Younger is maybe lesser recognized on the 90+ circuit, Stanislavskyi made his fair proportion of headlines, together with one in this blog, when he went head-to-head towards Rafael Nadal in Mallorca in November 2021.
Earlier this month, because the world’s tennis stars started to descend on Melbourne for the season-opening Slam, Jannik Sinner had a good time hitting with Henry Younger.
The battle of the centenarians might not be the spotlight of the occasion, however it’s a shining instance for anybody who feels too previous or too off form to play.
And it confirms that tennis is, certainly, a sport for all times.
Stakhovsky and Dolgopolov: brothers in arms
Tennis gamers spend their complete careers battling for wins. And, as in most sports activities, navy lingo is usually used so as to add a bit of additional drama to match recaps: weapons, explosive forehands, trench warfare, sneak assaults, and so forth.
Figures of speech that say all of it.
However in 2022, they took on a completely new which means for 2 retired professionals from Ukraine, Alexandr Dolgopolov, 34, and Sergiy Stakhovsky, 37, who enlisted to defend their motherland.
It’s been nearly a yr for the reason that Russian invasion that threw Ukraine right into a state of chaos and horror.
In his 15 years within the ATP, Dolgopolov earned $7 million. Stakhovsky collected $5.5 million in his 19 years on the tour.
Each competed on the world stage, in a sport that garners important media consideration, and will have simply stored making an excellent dwelling, free from need and, extra importantly, free from bombings.
They’ve acquired excessive reward for his or her determination. And their tennis fame means their voices usually tend to be relayed than these of their fellow Ukrainians on the frontlines.
Their words are devastating and jarringly harsh.
“Seeing our bodies doesn’t matter to us anymore. Power of behavior, let’s say,” Stakhovsky instructed L’Équipe.
“Sadly, people can adapt to something. So, we tailored to the bombings. We tailored to worry. And we tailored to loss of life,” he added from the Donbas metropolis of Bakhmut, in japanese Ukraine, the place the streets are strewn with particles and lifeless our bodies.
Alexandr Dolgopolov is a drone operator in a navy intelligence unit. He’s charged with reporting imminent hazard: “I accumulate data. I give targets to our artillery,” he defined.
Echoing his compatriot, Dolgopolov has additionally been compelled to numb his feelings: “At first, it was very tough, however you attempt to pull your self collectively and keep sturdy. If it worries you for too lengthy, you’ll find yourself in an asylum.”
Gone is the time the Ukrainian tennis heroes have been advancing in tournaments and rising within the rankings. And gone is the time they discovered themselves on both aspect of the online.
That was again on September 28, 2017, in Shenzhen, China. Dolgopolov gained 7-6(5), 6-4. Have a look at their 2010–2017 head-to-head, and also you’ll see that Dolgo is 4–1.
Stakhovsky performed his final match nearly precisely a yr in the past, on January 10, 2022, in Melbourne: a loss to J.J. Wolf of the US in AO qualifying that despatched him straight into retirement.
In 2013, he achieved his biggest feat—the largest upset in males’s tennis historical past at Wimbledon—when he dismantled Roger Federer within the second spherical.
Dolgopolov hasn’t competed since Could 2018, when he was despatched packing from Rome by Novak Djokovic. A wrist damage stored him out of the sport, and he formally retired on Could 1, 2021.
Expert and spectacular, Dolgo had all of the pictures and by no means, ever, gave up. Right here’s a becoming tribute by TennisTV.
So, it got here as no shock when he determined to affix the Ukrainian resistance.
Each Alexandr and Sergiy have all the time been able to tackle the enemy and weren’t about to desert their folks.
Venus eternal
There aren’t many ladies like her nonetheless taking part in skilled tennis. There aren’t many males both.
Truly, there aren’t any.
At 42 years previous, Venus Williams kicked off 2023—her thirtieth season within the WTA—by including an 816th victory to her wonderful document. She defeated 21-year-old Katie Volynets of the US (7-6 (4), 6-2) within the first spherical of the ASB Basic in Auckland, New Zealand.
It’s been precisely 28 years and 10 months since her earliest win on October 31, 1994. In her first match ever, then 14-year-old Venus prevailed on the Financial institution of the West Basic in Oakland, California.
Oakland … Auckland.
You’ll be able to’t make that up.
The same spelling and pronunciation are a coincidence, after all, however it’s nonetheless an amusing parallel.
In her Oakland debut, Williams defeated then No.59 Shaun Stafford in two units (6-3, 6-4). The younger teen was so charged up that she didn’t even sit on the changeovers.
In October 2021, Joel Drucker revisited the match on this piece for Tennis.com.
Quick-forward to February 25, 2002, when Venus Williams was topped World No.1. That yr, she spent a complete of 11 weeks on the prime however by no means managed to reclaim the throne—most likely due to how proficient her youthful sister occurs to be.
Although she’s been overshadowed by Serena and her epic achievements, Venus has constructed a profession that’s been the envy of tons of of gamers for many years.
| Tournaments | (W–L) |
| 1) Grand Slams | |
| 16 singles finals | (7-9) |
| 14 doubles finals | (14-0) |
| 3 blended doubles finals | (2-1) |
| 2) Olympics | |
| 1 singles finals | (1-0) |
| 3 doubles finals | (3-0) |
| 1 blended doubles finals | (0-1) |
| 3) WTA | |
| 83 singles finals | (49-34) |
| 22 doubles finals | (22-0) |
Will 2023 be the yr she follows in Serena and Roger’s footsteps and lets the curtain fall? Maybe.
In her second-round match in Auckland—a drawn-out three-setter she misplaced to No.84 Lin Zhu of China—Venus suffered an ankle and knee damage that compelled her to resign her AO wildcard.
Although she at present sits at No.658, her resilience and deep love of the sport are extraordinary. Whereas so lots of her friends have moved on, Venus lives for each match.
After Auckland, the 42-year-old had amassed a complete of $42 million in prize cash.
You’ll be able to’t make that up both.
The shot that made the reduce
Dane Sweeny.
You’ve most likely by no means heard of him.
The present No.240 was among the many 15 Aussies within the qualifying singles competitors in Melbourne.
Within the opening spherical, he despatched No.152 Vit Kopriva again to Czechia (6-2. 6-1).
However extra importantly, Sweeny confirmed simply how a lot expertise relative unknowns can reveal at any given second. He stayed strong within the rallies and capitalized on his fast reflexes and dexterity—identical to a number of gamers within the High 200, High 300 and past.
And that haircut!
Right here’s the shot that made the cut.
Electronic mail: privard@tenniscanada.com
Twitter: @paul6rivard
Comply with all our Canadians in motion here.
[ad_2]
Source link
