FILE PHOTO: Tennis – Davis Cup Semi-Finals – Serbia v Croatia – La Caja Magica, Madrid, Spain – December 3, 2021 Serbia’s Novak Djokovic reacts throughout his match in opposition to Croatia’s Marin Cilic REUTERS/Susana Vera
MUMBAI – Novak Djokovic dominated the boys’s recreation as soon as once more and a brand new star in Emma Raducanu exploded onto the scene on the US Open, however the sport completed 2021 in a stand-off with China over the security of former doubles primary Peng Shuai.
Djokovic began the 12 months by profitable a file ninth Australian Open title and by the point the season reached the ultimate of the fourth and final main of the 12 months on the US Open, the Serbian was standing on the verge of historical past.
A title on the Arthur Ashe Stadium would have made Djokovic the primary man to win all 4 majors in a calendar 12 months since Rod Laver in 1969 and likewise helped him break a three-way tie for a males’s file 20 Slam titles with Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal.
It was Russian Daniil Medvedev who created somewhat little bit of historical past of his personal, nevertheless, when he clinched a primary main by demolishing Djokovic in straight units at Flushing Meadows.
The Serbian did have one other tie to interrupt in 2021, although, and this time he succeeded as he surpassed his childhood idol American Pete Sampras by clinching the year-end world primary rating for a file seventh time.
Djokovic additionally gained a file thirty seventh ATP Masters title and surpassed Federer’s file for many weeks because the ATP primary.
Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece and German Alexander Zverev – the Tokyo gold medallist – had been worthy challengers however Djokovic left nobody in any doubt that he would stay the person to beat subsequent time period.
“I’m actually, actually drained from this season and this entire 12 months,” stated Djokovic after Serbia’s semifinal loss to Croatia within the Davis Cup, including that he’ll return hungry for extra.
In crew tennis, Russia was unmatched as they gained the ATP Cup, the Davis Cup and the inaugural Billie Jean King Cup with the pair of Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Andrey Rublev additionally clinching the blended doubles gold on the Tokyo Video games.
Gorgeous Raducanu
Raducanu took the newcomer of the 12 months title for her spectacular few months on courtroom that began along with her fourth-round look at Wimbledon and culminated with the then 18-year-old profitable a maiden main on the US Open.
The 18-year-old Raducanu entered the hardcourt main as a A hundred and fiftieth-ranked qualifier, occurring to turn out to be Britain’s first feminine Grand Slam champion for 44 years.
Raducanu and Canadian Leylah Fernandez — born two months aside in 2002 — generated frenzied hype as they swept all earlier than them on unlikely runs to the title decider in New York.
The 12 months, nevertheless, ended on a bitter observe for the game with the WTA suspending its 2022 tournaments in China as a consequence of issues over the remedy of Peng, who had accused a former vice-premier of sexual assault.
China has been the epicenter of the WTA’s aggressive enlargement in Asia for greater than a decade and the ladies’s tour hosted 9 occasions within the nation when the final full season earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic was held in 2019.
However approaching the flip of the 12 months the way forward for tennis in China appeared grim.
“Except China takes the steps now we have requested for, we can not put our gamers and employees in danger by holding occasions in China,” WTA chief Steve Simon stated.
Duo injured
For the legions of Federer and Nadal followers, it was a 12 months to overlook as each misplaced a bit of the season to accidents whereas the Spaniard additionally relinquished his French Open claycourt crown which was claimed by his nice rival Djokovic.
Additionally struggling was 23-time main winner Serena Williams, who retired from her first-round match at Wimbledon with a proper hamstring damage and was sidelined for the remainder of the season.
Her inheritor obvious, Naomi Osaka, missed a few Grand Slams for a distinct motive.
Osaka started the 12 months by choosing up her fourth main at Melbourne Park however the Japanese participant shocked the world by pulling out forward of her second-round match on the French Open following a row over skipping press conferences.
The 24-year-old revealed that she had struggled to deal with despair for a lot of years earlier than additionally opting out of Wimbledon for the sake of her psychological well-being.
After opting to remain in Australia for a lot of final 12 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ash Barty made probably the most of her six months away from house in 2021 by profitable a tour-leading 5 titles, together with a second main at Wimbledon.
She skipped the Billie Jean King Cup and season-ending WTA Finals as a consequence of Australia’s border restrictions however had executed sufficient to safe her third straight year-end primary rating.
Probably the most improved participant of the 12 months award was bestowed upon Czech Barbora Krejcikova for a stellar season during which she gained the French Open title for her first singles main.
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