and Every week in the tennis world, countless stories emerge that don’t always make headlines but are too intriguing to overlook. It can be on-court or off-court stuff that goes under the radar of bigger storylines. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are featured in this week’s article alongside three other important news that LWOT did not cover in a separate article.
Tennis News Weekly Roundup
Wimbledon’s Expansion Plans Approved Despite Concerns of Locals
The Greater London Authority has approved the All England Lawn Tennis Club’s Wimbledon Park Project. The proposal includes 39 new courts and an 8000-seat show court, marking a significant expansion for the prestigious club. This would also allow them to have the qualifying matches at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. The qualifying matches currently occur at the LTA training centre in nearby Roehampton, but spectator facilities are practically nonexistent there.
This development is going to replace a golf course. Many of the complaints are from locals who fear traffic on a road that is remarkably quiet outside of the Championships. The new show court will have a roof, which will make it easier to conduct matches when it’s raining. With the new development in place, up to 10,000 people a day could watch qualifying, and up to 50,000 could enter the grounds during each day of the main fortnight.
Pablo Cuevas Announces Retirement
Pablo Cuevas announced on Instagram that he is retiring from tennis, aged 38. The final match of his career was in the first round of US Open qualifying when he lost in straight sets to Luca Van Assche. Cuevas was one of the best shotmakers of his generation and has made some unbelievable shots in his career. The Uruguayan had a fantastic career, with the highlights being— Six ATP Tour titles (all on clay) and nine doubles titles, including the 2008 French Open title with Luis Horna.
Cuevas is the highest-ranked Uruguayan player in history, with a career-high of 19 in singles and 14 in doubles. He had some of the best kick serves on tour and defeated great players like Nadal, Tsonga, and Roddick, among many others. Cuevas was a fun player to watch and will be missed by the sport.
Garcia, Pavlyuchenkova and Kalinina End Season
Caroline Garcia has ended her 2024 season due to physical and mental fatigue. She said: “Guadalajara marked the end of my 2024 season. Physically, I’ve been pushing my shoulder to its limit, trying to recover while competing, and it’s just not working. I need more time off to heal properly. Mentally, I need a reset. I need to step away from the constant grind of tennis, take a real holiday, reconnect with my family and loved ones, and allow myself to breathe without the pressure of performance”.
Garcia posted a lengthy message and was honest about her struggles. Hopefully, she can reset herself for the next year. She’s turning 31 soon, which probably creates even more pressure on her to perform while she still can.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Anhelina Kalinina also ended their 2024 seasons due to injury and health issues, respectively. Pavlyuchenkova posted an Instagram story in which she said, “It’s been a very long season, and it’s now over for me.” She had a brilliant start to the 2024 season but struggled later with form and injuries.
Kalinina posted a similar story: “Due to my health issues, this season is over for me.” The Ukrainian has been in terrible form recently, winning just three of her last 10 matches in all competitions. It’s a letdown after a good 2023 season, but she will hope to be fresh and ready for the next season.
Federer will play Celebrity Doubles at the Shanghai Masters
Tennis legend Roger Federer will be playing a celebrity doubles match on October 11 with pop singer and actor Eason Chan, Chinese tennis player Zhang Zhizhen, and Chinese table tennis Olympic champions Fan Zhendong and Wang Liqin. This match will be held as part of the Rolex Shanghai Masters, which is one of the biggest tennis tournaments on the ATP Tour. The tournament will be held from October 2 to October 13. It should be a fun event, and fans worldwide will be thrilled to see Federer in action.
Nadal Named on the Preliminary List for Davis Cup Finals
Rafael Nadal has been named for the Davis Cup finals lineup for Spain. He is picked alongside Carlos Alcaraz, Roberto Bautista Agut, Pablo Carreno Busta, and Marcel Granollers. This doesn’t mean he will certainly play in the finals, which will be held from 19th to 24th November in Malaga, Spain. The captains had to declare their preliminary picks because Davis Cup management demanded it for promotional reasons. Nadal is scheduled to play the Six Kings Cup in Saudi from October 16th to 19th. Maybe he just plays doubles at the Davis Cup, but for now, nothing is certain about the Spaniard’s future.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane – USA TODAY Sports
