After a long journey back, Australian Nick Kyrgios claimed his first singles victory in the Miami open first round since October 2022.
Known for having controversial moments on a tennis court, Kyrgios has had a very tough few years battling injury and mental health.
After reaching the Wimbledon final in 2022 it felt like Kyrgios was on the up but since this moment his career has been on the decline.
The Aussie has been plagued with numerous injuries including to his wrist, knee and foot.
He has had to come over so many obstacles to get himself back playing on the pro tour.
“I think it’s great to see Nick Kyrgios back on a tennis court where he belongs as he is so talented and is great for the sport” said Sam Drury from BBC sport.
Kyrgios was given a wildcard to enter the Australian open in January but lost in the first round to Brit Jacob Fearnley.
After his defeat, tennis fans began to lose hope as he claimed that he may not play again but Kyrgios dusted himself off and went again.
A brilliant comeback win against American Mackenzie McDonald was his first victory for 29 months but has got his loyal fans believing in him again.
“He showed a lot of heart in this match in order to turn it around and i think this win will massively boost his confidence” said BBC sports journalist Sam Drury.
Off the court, Kyrgios has struck up a great relationship with Novak Djokovic. The Australian was full of praise for Djokovic after he revealed that he helped to get him through a challenging part of his career.
Whatever the future may hold, Nick Kyrgios has always been an entertainer and the majority of tennis fans will be hoping that he can stay injury free and go on to win more matches.
Great Britain – A country mad about sport but where is tennis currently at this moment in time?
Currently, Jack Draper leads the way as the British number one having endured a stellar 2024 season.
He is now ranked 12th in the men’s world rankings after soaring through the ranks. His main highlight was reaching the semi finals of the Us open and put up a great fight against Jannik Sinner.
If Draper can stay injury free, the future is bright as he has the game to go on to win a grand slam.
Another British hope of the women’s side is Katie Boulter. In November 2024, she reached her best singles ranking of 23rd in the world.
Although she is yet to reach the heights at the Grand Slam tournaments, Boulter has won 3 WTA titles including winning on home turf in Nottingham last year.
“It is great to see British players thriving on the men’s and women’s tours and i think it is crucial that Jack Draper and Katie Boulter stay fit” said BBB tennis correspondent Russell Fuller.
Britain’s tennis history
After a quiet 50 years for the Brits, a magical moment happened in the summer of 2013.
Andy Murray made history by becoming the first British tennis player to win Wimbledon in over 70 years.
Defeating the legendary Novak Djokovic on Centre court is a monumental victory.
Then in 2016 he would do the same again, this time defeating Milos Raonic in straight sets.
On the women’s side of the draw, an 18 year old qualifier was sitting her A-levels when she exploded onto the world’s biggest stage.
Emma Raducanu had to go through qualifying to get to the main draw at the Us open and she only went and won it.
The first female grand slam champion since Virginia Wade in 1977.
However, tennis is an extremely physical sport and unfortunately setbacks happen.
Murray and Raducanu were both plagued with injuries, both less than a year after winning a grand slam so the younger generation coming through have to be cautious.
After a very quiet 20 years for the Brits, young rising superstars are gaining momentum and helping to build an exciting future.
Schedule of tennis
Tennis still has many great days in England on the tennis calendar with Wimbledon being the marquee attraction.
Warm up tournaments take place across June including at Birmingham, Ilkley, Nottingham and Queen’s which attracts the higher ranked players.
Birmingham starts on the 31st May as the French open enters the second week so it’s a great opportunity for lower ranked players to take advantage.
Last Summer, unknown prospect Jacob Fearnley made a name for himself by winning in Nottingham and then backed that up by making the final in Eastbourne.
His performances in these events gained him enough ranking points to gain entry into the main draw at Wimbledon as he won his opening match at the home of tennis.
“We have a great range of tournaments across the English summer and ranking points are they to be had, Jacob Fearnley is a great example of that” said BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller.
Wimbledon championships
The Wimbledon tennis championships started way back in 1877 and is the oldest tennis event in the world.
This tournament has been a great opportunity for British players to succeed due to more spots becoming available to homegrown British players.
The pristine grass courts typically suit the big servers in tennis as well as players who like to chip and charge.
Players from Great Britain are more familiar with the surface and find it easier to adapt to ‘typical British like conditions.’
Women’s tennis player Sonay Kartal enjoyed her best run at Wimbledon in 2024 as she won two matches before getting knocked out in the third round against Coco Gauff.
Wimbledon has provided a great path for different age groups to compete as it has a boys and girls tournament.
This has provided great opportunities for the next generation to succeed.
British player Henry Searle won the tournament in 2023 and off the back of this got invited into the main draw, gaining valuable experience and highlighting another future British star.
“With Wimbledon being the main highlight for British tennis I think it is vital to get as many wildcards with it being our home tournament we have to take full advantage” said Russell Fuller.
Britain’s tennis setup
At this moment in time, British tennis is mainly run through the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA).
“Recently we have seen a lot of positive aspects from the LTA as they have provided funding for new tennis centres to open and some to stop from closing down” said Russell Fuller.
They are in charge and in control of a lot of tennis court’s and Centre’s in Britain including the National Tennis Centre where the best players in the country train.
The LTA has established tennis academies in Stirling and Loughborough in order to boost the number of players seeking to be successful and willing to put in the workload.
For players to improve, they have to play in tournaments across the UK. The LTA website provides a vast range of tournaments at different grade levels with Grade one tournaments involving Britain’s best players.
Tennis is considered as one of the toughest sports to make it at pro level and make it a career.
In the past, Andy Murray was training in Barcelona in order to prepare himself for men’s tennis. Meanwhile, Jack Draper went over to the United States to train, just showing the levels of commitment future British tennis players will have to go through.
Summary
British tennis is on the rise.
After Andy Murray’s incredible achievements in the last decade, it has built a pathway for more people to get into tennis.
More tennis courts and parks are now being opened up to encourage tennis amongst any level of ability.
Our future is bright with Jack Draper leading the way after an incredible performance at Indian Wells.
Right now British tennis is pushing through elite tennis players and we can only look in a positive direction.
Jack Draper defeated Holger Rune 6-2, 6-2 to claim victory in California.
In the semi-finals, Draper dethroned defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in three sets and went into the final full of confidence.
Rune was in great form too, as he defeated last year’s finalist Daniil Medvedev.
The Brit came flying out the traps breaking Rune in the opening game with his thunderous forehand.
The Dane had no answers to Draper’s consistency.
Very few long rallies were contested in the opening set as Draper was ruthless on his serve.
It took until the eighth game and the score at 5-2 that Rune threatened to break Draper after forcing deuce but the Brit closed out the opening set after an unforced error from the Dane.
At the start of the second set, Rune clicked into gear after unloading a terrific cross-court forehand to hold serve in the first game.
The Englishmen was untouchable on his serve. His leftie serve was unplayable at times as he was managing to swing the ball far out wide.
If there were any nerves at this point, you could not see them.
The man from Denmark battled as the games ticked by, using his forehand as a weapon to send the match to 5-2 and put the pressure on Draper to close out the win.
Jack Draper was on the brink, his first championship point he sent a forehand long, but he was not to be denied.
His second championship point was a winning one after coming into the net, Rune pushed a backhand wide and Draper had become the champion.
Becoming just the fifth British man to win the Indian Wells, he now rises to seventh in the world rankings.
The Italian tennis player has been given a three month ban by the World Anti doping agency (WADA) after two positive drug tests last year.
He will be suspended from the 9th February until the 4th May, clearing him for the second grand slam of the year at the French Open.
After being cleared of any wrongdoing last year by an Independent panel, questions need to be asked as to whether he is innocent or if his ban should be more lengthy.
After his three month ban was announced on Saturday 15th February, tennis coach Bill Connell gave his opinion.
“I think it’s a sad day for tennis with the best player in the world being banned.”
“The tennis authorities need to stamp down on doping to stop in growing in our game.”
“The ban seems very convenient that he will be back for the French open” said Connell.
Sinner, comes off the back of defending his Australian Open title last month down under and has been in red hot form since the start of 2024.
The story began back in March 2024 when Sinner provided two positive tests of clostebol.
Since then, it has been a growing factor hanging over the Italian as the player received mixed receptions in Grand slam tournaments at Wimbledon and the Us Open last year.
Subsequentially, the news casts a shadow of doubt over the sport of tennis with the news providing a dark look for the sport and will severely impact the way tennis is viewed around the world.
The man from Serbia is showing that age is just a number and will go onto to win a record 25th grand slam title.
Novak Djokovic, the man who grew up watching the bombs fly over his head on the streets of Belgrade has gone on to become the greatest player in Tennis.
After now going 18 months without a grand slam title Novak Djokovic will prove his doubters wrong to stamp his authority as the best in tennis.
After winning his first slam down under in 2008, Djokovic really has completed tennis.
The Serbian’s dominance over the last decade has been staggering.
He has seen his three main rivals; Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray retire around him whilst he has gone on to show why he is the greatest to have played the sport.
At 37 years old, Novak has solidified his status among the elite, being able to outlast tennis’ youngest superstar in Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open in 2025.
In November 2024, the Serb announced that he was going to team up with British legend Andy Murray who would become his coach.
An unlikely partnership: a partnership that leads to winning.
With Andy Murray at the helm, Djokovic will surely be successful as he aims to surpass Margaret Court to win the most Grand Slams.
In the last 18 months, the grand slams have been dominated by the future of tennis. Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz shared two grand slam titles each in 2024.
So will Novak Djokovic have more hunger to win?
Whilst Novak went a year without a grand slam title for the first time in seven years, he captured the one tournament missing from his record; an Olympic Gold medal.
A superb performance against Carlos Alcaraz in the Gold medal match in Paris propelled Djokovic to the greatest.
It was an emotional moment for him as he could be seen in tears but it’s great for the sport of Tennis as it highlights how much it means for a player to win.
This moment simply solidifies the qualities that the Serb still holds.
Most players at 37 years old consider retirement, but not this man.
Djokovic has managed to keep his body in excellent physical condition, avoiding many long-term injuries.
As he went out of the French Open in 2024, he had to have minor knee surgery, but four weeks later he somehow manages to get fit to play at Wimbledon and make a final: a true warrior.
If he manages to stay fit there is no doubt that Djokovic has a great chance of winning another Grand Slam.
Certainly, no one gunning for a title will want to face Novak as they know his capabilities and he has what it takes to win.
The man from Belgrade has certainly proved any doubters wrong.
Capturing over three Grand slam titles on each surface represents a true champion.
Novak Djokovic will show his character and belief to be on top of the tennis world again.
Jannik Sinner produced a scintillating performance to defeat Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 and become a three time grand slam winner.
The Italian dominated from the baseline breaking Zverev’s powerful serve at 4-3 and solidified his advantage throughout the opening set.
The big serving German was finally broken in the seventh game of the match. Sinner finished off a 16 point rally to hit a forehand winner down the line as Zverev had no answers to Sinner’s consistency.
His baseline dominance showed in the first set as he was unbeatable behind his serve and wrapped up the opening set after 46 minutes.
The second set was a much closer affair as Zverev stepped up his game to put pressure on Sinner.
Zverev, known for his rock solid backhand managed to gain more control.
The Melbourne crowd, who were showing more support towards Sinner were now on their feet cheering every point as the second set gathered steam.
A critical point at 6-5 to Zverev and at 30-30 unfolded which could have been a huge turning point.
21 shots unfolded and Sinner eventually came out on top after nailing a backhand down the line.
This then led the game into a tiebreak which Sinner closed out to win the tiebreak (7-4) after a superb forehand line winner. A potentially match winning moment for Sinner.
The Italian came into the third set with his tail up. He was able to hold serve comfortably and his confidence was growing as he played more drop shots.
On the second break point, Sinner was not to be denied as an unforced error from Zverev game him a championship deciding break to go 4-2 up.
Jannik Sinner then produced a point to win any grand slam.
A captivating drop-shot caught Zverev off guard as he dug the ball over the net. Ready and poised, Sinner hit a backhand cross-caught winner to claim the title in straight sets.
This now means that Sinner has not lost a grand slam match on hard court since being sensationally beaten by his runner up, Zverev in a five-set epic at the 2023 Us Open.
Game set and match 