The former American legend has built his ideal tennis player, putting together ‘pieces’ of other champions, taking serve, forehand, backhand, speed and mentality
In recent months, many tennis players and former tennis players have had fun building their ideal tennis player, assembling pieces from past and present champions; the latest was Andre Agassi and his choices have caused discussion.
The legendary American was invited to build his ideal tennis player and, in a post published on the social profiles of the US Open, Agassi, winner of 8 Slam titles, outlined his ideal player through 5 main categories: serve, forehand, backhand, speed and mentality.
For the serve, Andre pointed to John Isner: “Pete Sampras had a great serve, I mean for a normal-sized person excellent. His mechanics, his execution of the shot were perfect. It was beautiful to watch. But if I have to evaluate the serve I would say indisputably John Isner. I have never seen anyone serve what John did,” analyzed Agassi.
On the choice of forehand, the American explained: “There are many ways to judge a forehand, but here I would say Roger Federer. Sampras’ running forehand was superior to Federer’s, he hit a phenomenal ball. But in general on the forehand my choice falls on Roger Federer.”
Regarding the speed of execution (and thought), Agassi said: “Three guys are the fastest right now on the tour. They are Carlos Alcaraz, Alex de Minaur and Tommy Paul. I say Alcaraz for the skills he has shown in managing the point and for the ability he has to turn rallies around.”
Finally, Agassi talked about mentality, explaining: “Without a doubt, without any hesitation, I say Novak Djokovic. Mentally when he’s focused or needs to raise his level, he does it. No one can raise the level in a match when he serves like he does.”
Sinner reached the top spot for the first time in June and he has been ranked there ever since.
Jannik Sinner thinks he has a pretty clear idea of how he can keep the world No. 1 position long-term as the 22-year-old Italian believes constantly improving and trying to always be a step ahead of the competition is the key.
After evidently taking his game to another level in late 2023, Sinner continued his rise at the start of the 2024 season and it didn’t take long before he became a Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open. A couple of months after landing his maiden Major, the Italian accomplished his next big goal and dream – he became the top-ranked player in the world for the first time in his career after the French Open.
And currently, Sinner has just over 300 ranking points more than world No. 2 Novak Djokovic and he is also around 800 points clear ahead of third-ranked Carlos Alcaraz.
Sinner admits he doubted if he could be here one day
Before all of this happened for Sinner, he just wasn’t able to make it past the quarterfinal stage at the Grand Slam level as he was struggling to come up big in the matches against the top players on the biggest stage.
But that has been fixed and Sinner is now a top favorite for the title wherever he goes.
“We all have doubts. Sometimes, even before I won a Grand Slam, I had some doubts if I can win a Grand Slam or not. And then you reach the point where you win it. After, in your mind you know that you can do it, but you still have to work a lot for that,” Sinner explained.
Meanwhile, Sinner is back in action at the Cincinnati Masters after missing the Paris Olympics due to tonsilitis. In Cincinnati, Sinner is the top seed and has a first-round bye before facing either Alex Michelsen or Tallon Griekspoor.
Nick Kyrgios and Alexander Bublik candidly opened up about the struggles of facing Novak Djokovic as both lamented how it was “crazy” and “insane” to deal with the Serb’s returns and his ability to perfectly read everything.
In 2022, Kyrgios was playing outstanding at Wimbledon and he ended up making his first Grand Slam singles final. As a reward, Kyrgios got to play Djokovic, who had six titles at The Championships at the time.
And Kyrgios came to play since he was dropping massive serves and being competitive in rallies against Djokovic. But even though the Australian won the opening set and kept playing at a very high level for the remainder of the match, he still somehow didn’t win a set in the remainder of the match as the Serb completed a 4-6 6-3 6-4 7-6 (3) win.
During the match, Kyrgios fired 30 aces and made 73 percent of his first serve but Djokovic still found a way to earn four break points and realize two of them.
“I served 75 percent of first serves and Novak broke me three times,” Kyrgios said on the UTS Tour podcast during his conversation with Alexander Bublik and Patrick Mouratoglou.
After the final, Kyrgios earned massive praise for his performance and some went as far as to state that the Australian would have 100 percent won that day if anyone other than Djokovic was his opponent.
After Kyrgios very honestly admitted how he felt about Djokovic’s returning abilities, world No. 26 Bublik did the same. While Bublik has been around for a long time, he has only once played Djokovic so far – he lost 3-6 4-6 to the Serb in their Davis Cup meeting in 2021. But that one match was enough for the four-time ATP champion to learn everything he needed to know about Djokovic’s returning abilities.
While Bublik was breaking down all of this, Kyrgios interrupted a couple of times to make it clear he completely agreed with the points that the Kazakh was making.
Kyrgios on Djokovic returning his serve bombs: It’s ridiculous…
Further reflecting on the final, Kyrgios admitted he didn’t know if there was anything more he could have done that day and seemingly agreed with the claim that he probably would have the 2022 Wimbledon final if Djokovic wasn’t his opponent.
“I mean the final, I don’t think I could have done much more, like… I played pretty solid I played a bad tie-break in the fourth set. I mean, got broken up at four all in the third set at 40 love. It’s ridiculous. So we get broken up 40 love on grass… Something has gone wrong in my head, not tennis-wise, in my head. That was tough. I think if I played like Rafa or something in the final. I would have been fine I think,” Kyrgios said.
Coach Mouratoglou then asked Kyrgios if all of that made him more motivated after the final.
“No, i was crying (laughs),” Kyrgios said, before adding: “Yeah, I got motivated, I don’t know…”
Mouratoglou then clarified he meant to ask it he felt like he could win a Grand Slam.
“Yeah, it was right there, yeah. But like, he is, he is different though… He had what? 30 finals like… And that was my first. So experience, he was never fazed at all. He is so good,” Kyrgios concluded.
Meanwhile, Kyrgios missed the 2023 and 2024 Wimbledon editions due to knee and wrist surgery. In recent weeks, Kyrgios indicated that he is progressing extremely well and that he should be back in action in the very near future.
1973 French Open finalist Nikola Pilic thinks it is absolute nonsense to think that Novak Djokovic faked a knee injury and adds that it was evident that one of the Serb’s left was “softer than the other.”
After having a couple of unpleasant slips on the clay of Roland Garros during his French Open round-of-16 match against Francisco Cerundolo, Djokovic later learned that he tore his knee meniscus. The moment the 37-year-old Serb received the diagnosis, he pulled out of his French Open quarterfinal and had surgery to repair the damage.
25 days later, Djokovic made his return at Wimbledon and reached the final before Carlos Alcaraz ousted him in three sets. Djokovic then made a quick transition to clay courts and returned to Roland Garros, where he won his first Olympic gold medal after beating Alcaraz in the Paris Olympics final.
But while some were in awe of what Djokovic was able to achieve just weeks after his surgery, some weren’t that impressed and started throwing certain conspiracy theories and questioning if the Serb’s claims were truthful.
However, 84-year-old Pilic – who coached Djokovic in his childhood – has no doubt about what really happened.
At Wimbledon, Djokovic clearly wasn’t playing his absolute best tennis but it was still enough for him to make the final. But when the time came for him to take on Alcaraz, the Serb couldn’t beat the Spaniard without his best level and it resulted in him getting dismantled in three sets.
Considering that Alcaraz was coming off back-to-back Slam titles and Djokovic was struggling throughout the entire year and easily lost the Wimbledon, some thought the Serb would have no chance if another meeting with the Spaniard happened at the Paris Olympics. And it happened – but the outcome wasn’t as many expected – as Djokovic won 7-6 (3) 7-6 (2).
Asked if he was surprised, Pilic said no really.
“No, I was interviewed by some Serbian media before the final and I was one of the few who said that Novak had a good chance of winning gold. Provided he found his rhythm and played in sixth gear. Nobody said that beforehand. Most media said that it would be a mere formality for Alcaraz. Also because Novak played very badly in the Wimbledon final, while Alcaraz played very well and that’s why he won clearly with 6:2, 6:2 and 7:6. I know Novak better than anyone else. I believed that he had a good chance. His attitude was outstanding because he knew it was his last chance,” Pilic explained.
Pilic on how he views Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner compared to Djokovic
After Sinner beat Djokovic en route to becoming a Grand Slam champion at this year’s Australian Open and then also replaced the Serb as the top-ranked player in the world, some started claiming that the Italian and Alcaraz were officially the ones to beat now. Addressing that, Pilic acknowledged the quality of the two young superstars but also underlined that Djokovic is a record 24-time Grand Slam champion and that his resume speaks for itself.
“Carlos is a very mature talent, the most mature of his generation. I also have a lot of sympathy for Jannik Sinner, but for me Carlos is simply the greater talent. He is very active and plays incredible tennis. But Novak, the old master, is simply still a different calibre. I don’t want to be subjective here, but he has been named World Sportsman of the Year five times,” Pilic noted.
“That is not my subjective opinion, that was decided by independent committees. That speaks for itself and is something very special. Sinner, Alcaraz and others will certainly take over the new generation in one or two years. Novak will be 39 by then, and not everything will be the same as when he was 29.”
Meanwhile, Djokovic decided to skip the Masters events in Montreal and Cincinnati after his Olympic win. As it stands now, he will directly go to the US Open without any preparation.
With the U.S. Open set to commence on August 26, the USTA announced the men’s and women’s singles wild cards, including Stan Wawrinka and Naomi Osaka.
Naomi Osaka will be one of the many wild cards at the US Open (Image: GETTY)
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) has announced the men’s and women’s singles wild card recipients for the 2024 U.S. Open, beginning on August 26. Perhaps the biggest names to be included as a wild card are four-time Grand Slam singles champion Naomi Osaka and three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka.
The 39-year-old Wawrinka most famously defeated Novak Djokovic in the 2016 U.S. Open final, the only time that year Djokovic won the first set but lost the match. Then in 2023, Wawrinka, 38, became the oldest man to win a singles match at the U.S. Open since 1992, when Jimmy Connors did so at age 40.
Along with Osaka and Wawrinka are former champions Bianca Andreescu and Dominic Thiem, the USTA announced. Thiem most recently won the men’s U.S. Open in 2020 while Andreescu won the women’s tournament in 2019.
Meanwhile, for Osaka, being a wild card draw bodes well for her comeback despite recently falling to Ashlyn Krueger, 6-3, 2-6, 6-3. Osaka has long stated that the U.S. Open is where she hopes to get back into the swing of things, hoping the tournament is when she will return to full strength.
However, the Japanese star posted a lengthy message on Instagram, telling fans how she feels and what her mindset is about heading into the U.S. Open. Particularly, Osaka shared with fans how she has not felt truly 100 percent, with her mind and body not fully connecting.
Stan Wawrinka was also selected as a wild card (Image: Getty)
“I’ve been trying to figure out how I feel for the past several hours,” her post began. “In a weird way I’ve come to appreciate losses, you don’t play tennis for 20+ years without your fair share of them.
“You learn from a loss and then eagerly await your next opportunity to put what you learned to test. My biggest issue currently isn’t losses though, my biggest issue is that I don’t feel like I’m in my body. It’s a strange feeling, missing balls I shouldn’t miss, hitting balls softer than I remember I used to.
“I try and tell myself ‘It’s fine you’re doing great, just get through this one and keep pushing,’ mentally it’s really draining though. Internally I hear myself screaming ‘What the hell is happening?!?!’
“That scares [me] because I’ve been playing tennis since I was 3, the tennis racquet should feel like an extension of my hand. I don’t understand why everything has to feel almost brand new again… Nothing in life is promised but I realized that I can promise myself to work as hard as I can and give it my best shot till the very end. See you in New York.”
Men’s Singles Wild Card Recipients:
Stan Wawrinka
Dominic Thiem
Chris Eubanks
Zachary Svajda
Lerner Tien
Matthew Forbes
Alexandre Muller
Tristan Schoolkate
Travis Kelce won’t propose to Taylor Swift until the couple have agreed a prenup, it has emerged.
Swift is a billionaire – thanks in no small part to her wildly successful Eras Tour – while Kelce, a three-time Super Bowl winner, has an estimated worth of around $70million.
The couple started dating last year and went public with their romance when Swift appeared at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium to see Kelce play for the Chiefs. She took a seat alongside his mom, Donna, for the game last September.
Now, according to a source quoted by Life and Style, the couple are ready for the next step but Kelce will not pop the question until financial terms are in place for if they were to ever split up.
‘This is a lot further along than either Taylor or Travis would care to admit, since they’ve considered themselves unofficially engaged for a while and are both 100 percent committed to spending the rest of their lives together and starting a family,’ the source is quoted as saying.
The formalities are just their schedules that have gotten in the way, as well as the logistics of a prenup, which is obviously complicated by the vast amounts of money involved on both sides.
There’s just no way Taylor would walk down the aisle without a prenup. They both want it figured out before Travis gets down on one knee.’
Swift cheered Kelce on in 13 NFL games last season, including last year’s Super Bowl, while he travelled to multiple of her tour dates across the globe once he was in his NFL offseason.
Kelce, 34, signed a new two-year deal with the Chiefs before his preseason camp started this year worth around $17million a season.
He has also been reported to be in talks over a new deal for his New Heights podcast – which he co-hosts alongside his older brother Jason – worth around $100million.
Swift is currently in London, where she will round off her four-month European tour with a run of shows at Wembley Stadium.
She is expected to be back at Arrowhead when Kelce and the Chiefs start the NFL season on September 5 against Baltimore Ravens.
While Swift has dates in the United States and Canada before the end of the year – and some overlap with Chiefs games – she is said to be planning to attend as many games as possible.
So much so that Kelce has prepared for Swift to spend more time at his $6million Kansas City mansion by upgrading his kitchen because she loves cooking.
Earlier this week, Patrick Mahomes claimed that Swift was the reason why Kelce has grown his hair out recently.
As part of a wider answer about his team in an interview with NFL Radio, Mahomes said: ‘You got the old man (Kelce). I’ve been trying to get him to grow his hair out and all of a sudden, Taylor gets him to do it.’
Taylor Swift reminded people in her recent interview with TIME magazine about her feud with Kim Kardashian.
The pop princess was named TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year, and in her interview, she talked about how her feud with The Kardashians star impacted her. In 2016, Kim’s then-husband Kanye West released his song Famous with the lyrics: “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex. Why? I made that b***h famous.”
At the time, Taylor expressed her dislike of the lyric. Kanye said that Taylor gave her consent to the lyric and Kim released a video that seemed to back her husband up.
However, it was later revealed that the video was edited to make it look like Taylor gave consent when she really didn’t. About the event, Taylor said in her TIME interview: “You have a fully manufactured frame job, in an illegally recorded phone call, which Kim Kardashian edited and then put out to say to everyone that I was a liar. That took me down psychologically to a place I’ve never been before.”
A source told Heat that Kim is furious that the Love Story singer put her on blast years after the incident occurred. Reportedly the reality television star wants revenge – and is targeting Taylor’s relationship with Kansas City Chief’s Travis Kelce to do it.
Kim is incandescent with rage, and she’s come up with a plan to get her own back by using her connections in the sport world to break up Taylor and Travis,” the source said. “Kim can’t believe that she buried the hatchet with Taylor only to have her turn on her like this – she’s ready for war
The source went on to say that Kim is taking this “very seriously” and “knows the most important thing to Taylor is her love life and this is the best way to hurt her.” They added: “Kim is friends with so many guys in the NFL world, like Odell Beckham Jr, and she could easily ask them to pass on any dirt they have about Travis and stir up trouble.”
The source said: “She even reckons she can get to the same event as Travis when Taylor is out of town – flirting or being pictured with him might just torpedo the whole romance. Or she can send in one of her girlfriends to do the job. She figures the more heat she can put on Travis, the faster things with Taylor will implode.”
Taylor Swift has plenty of songs about feminism – and her ‘f*** the patriarchy’ attitude appears to have struck a nerve with a conservative journalist.
In the Newsweek piece titled Taylor Swift Is Not a Good Role Model, Ghilonn claimed the songstress was setting a poor example as she’s ’34,
unmarried and childless’ – failing to call out her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, for being the same
The op-ed writer penned the piece last week to ‘offer some pushback’ on the Taylor-mania that has swept the globe – and has been swiftly ridiculed for his ‘1950s misogynistic’ views.
In his piece, he claimed despite the popstar’s ‘talent for sparking conversations, driving engagement,
and raking in profits is commendable,’ she is not a good role model for young girls.
Commenting on Swift’s past relationships, Ghilonn suggested her martial status was crucial in shaping her as a role model, citing her not being wed as almost a sole reason girls should look elsewhere for a figure to emulate.
Although he acknowledged her ‘musical talent and business acumen,’ the researcher and essayist argued that ‘instead of encouraging young girls to see the “Swift standard” as the norm,’ they should be encouraged to aim for a romantic lifestyle that was a ‘little more… wholesome.’
‘Would any loving parent reading this want their daughter to date 12 different men in the span of just a few years?’ he argued in the piece.
‘This is not an attack on Swift; it’s a valid question that is worth asking.
Ghilionn did not comment on the fact that Swift’s boyfriend Kelce is also unmarried and 34 – which was immediately noticed by furious readers.
Branded an ‘incel misogynist coward’ by some readers, irate users took to X, previously known as Twitter, to share their thoughts.
‘What the actual f*** is this misogynistic claptrap from @Newsweek?! Taylor Swift isn’t a role model because she’s “unmarried and childless”, what the hell? Written by a man, of course, but you should be ashamed to have published this vacuous nonsense,’ one person wrote.
No man has ever been chastised in the media for being a “bad role model for boys” because he was “34, unmarried and childless,”‘ another commented.
Someone else wrote: ‘Young girls do not need to aspire to marriage and children. I personally have no interest in Taylor Swift but there are worse role models than someone who evidently works hard and is financially independent and also made huge donations towards food banks.’
In response to John Mac Ghlionn’s controversial article criticizing Taylor Swift, it is important to consider the impact of such harmful and outdated views on young girls. Swift’s decision to focus on her career and personal growth rather than conforming to traditional gender norms should be celebrated, not condemned.It is alarming that in the 21st century, a successful woman like Taylor Swift is still being judged based on her relationship status and whether or not she has children.
Young girls should be encouraged to look up to strong, independent women who prioritize their own happiness and fulfillment, rather than being pressured to adhere to outdated societal expectations.Furthermore, the fact that Ghilionn failed to mention that Swift’s boyfriend is also unmarried and childless highlights the inherent double standards and sexism present in his argument. It is unfair to criticize Swift for choices that are perfectly acceptable for men in the same position.
It is time to move away from the narrow-minded thinking that defines a woman’s worth by her marital status and motherhood status. Young girls deserve role models who inspire them to pursue their passions, regardless of their relationship status.
Taylor Swift’s success as a musician and entrepreneur should be celebrated and admired, not diminished by antiquated viewpoints.Let’s empower young girls to define success on their own terms and break free from the limiting expectations placed on them by society. It’s time to embrace diversity and celebrate all paths to fulfillment and happiness, whether they include marriage and children or not.
Patrick Mouratoglou has had his say on Novak Djokovic’s career after the Serb won Olympic gold.
Novak Djokovic has been backed to keep playing at the top of the game for several years after winning his first Olympic gold medal.
The world No. 2 was having a disappointing season by his standards. But his first title of the year was the one that always evaded him – the Olympics.
Top tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou has now claimed that Djokovic managed to capture the gold medal because his rivals “touched his ego”.
Djokovic was in tears as he finally won Olympic gold in Paris, beating Carlos Alcaraz in two tiebreak sets. There were plenty of question marks surrounding him coming into the Games after a rollercoaster year.
The Serb suffered some uncharacteristic early exits at tournaments like Indian Wells and, for the first time in almost two decades, reached the middle of the season without winning any titles. To make matters worse, he injured his knee at the French Open and underwent meniscus surgery.
But everything changed at the Olympics where he won just his second medal 16 years after claiming bronze in Beijing. And Mouratoglou now believes Djokovic can keep playing for years, so long as he has rivals to motivate him.
Novak Djokovic won his first Olympic gold medal (Image: Getty)
“I think Novak can still play three or four years at the highest level. The real question is about his motivation. I think he really struggled with motivation until the Olympics,” Serena Williams’ former coach said.
Djokovic’s long-time rivals Roger Federer and Andy Murray are both now retired while Rafael Nadal looks to be on the decline. And Mouratoglou thinks the 37-year-old struggled until new and old competitors resurfaced.
He continued: “Everybody felt like it was the end for Rafa, Novak felt it too. For sure, it hit his motivation really hard. But after that, Rafa came back on clay, his level was good and I think this gave extra motivation to Novak. Sinner started to play great. Alcaraz again.
Patrick Mouratoglou recently worked with Holger Rune (Image: Getty)
“I think it touched his ego, and he came back really strong and finally won the title that he was chasing his whole career, which was a gold medal at the Olympics to complete his collection of trophies.”
Mouratoglou, who also coached rising star Holger Rune, now wants to see Djokovic form rivalries with younger players to keep him going for the next few years. “So what’s going to happen now in the future? He’s in great shape, he plays unbelievable tennis. He’s ready to compete, I think, two, three, four years at the highest level,” he added.
“But he needed this competition between him and Roger and Rafa to be the greatest. The only confrontation he can have now is probably Carlos and Jannik pushing him, beating him, him feeling his ego touched and wanting to show that he’s still great.”
Andy Murray hasn’t ruled out a return to sport following his retirement from tennis.
Andy Murray could be in line for a shock career change. (Image: Getty)
Andy Murray has already hinted at a potential sport change following his retirement from tennis.
Murray hung up his racket during the recent Paris Olympics, bringing an end to a glistening career that stretched close to two decades.
Despite surviving seven match points across his first two doubles matches with partner Dan Evans, Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz in the quarter-final proved too strong for the British pair.
It denied Murray the chance to add a fourth Olympic medal to his collection, having taken gold and silver at the 2012 Games, before following it up with another gold in Rio four years later.
However, depending on how things work out for Murray, he could be making a swift return to the Olympics in 2028.
That’s because the three-time Grand Slam winner has already revealed an interest in becoming a golf caddie sometime down the line.
An avid lover of the sport, Murray told Gentleman’s Journal in 2021: “I love sport, so something else that would interest me post-playing would be working in another sport.
“I got asked about this a little while ago and, because I really like golf, being a caddie on a golf tour would be exciting – to be up close and personal with top golfers and to learn about another sport like that.
Andy Murray retired from tennis during the 2024 Olympics. (Image: Getty)
“There’s probably also some crossover between tennis and golf on the mental side of things, and helping a golfer with that might be interesting.”
It didn’t take Murray long to get back out on the golf course post-retirement, with the 37-year-old pictured playing alongside Olympics doubles partner Evans last week.
Murray shared a snap to his 2.1million Instagram followers showing him and Evans enjoying a round of golf, with the photo captioned: “Partners last week, opponents today.”
But, any permanent switch to becoming a caddie is likely to be put on hold for now, with Murray focused on recharging the batteries after a demanding professional career.
Andy Murray won three Grand Slams during his career. (Image: Getty)
Speaking during the Olympics, Murray told Eurosport: “A few months ago I was not looking forward to it. Like in most jobs when people retire generally it’s more of a celebration because they’re looking forward to it.
“I’ve obviously loved playing tennis so I wasn’t necessarily really looking forward to that moment. But after I had the operation on my back at Queen’s, I was struggling to walk. It was kind of an emergency operation that I had to have.”
Matthew Ebden and John Peers took gold in the men’s doubles for Australia, while Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek picked up the silver medal.
Fritz and Paul won the bronze medal match, beating Czech duo Adam Pavlasek and Tomas Machac.
