In the week leading up to Wimbledon there is a surge in warm up tournaments, wild tournament speculation, and various quirky tennis stories hoping to catch on while people have their mind on tennis. Here are some of the stories from the last week that caught our attention.
Murray Back To Winning Ways with Lendl
Last week Murray announced that he was bringing his old buddy Ivan Lendl back into the fold to help him once again get over that Grand Slam hurdle. So far so good as Murray came back from a set down to defeat Milos Raonic 6-7(5) 6-4 6-3 in the Aegon Championships final. Obviously Murray is hoping he can recapture the magic of his 2013 Wimbledon but is crawling back to his (coaching) ex the way to get that done? Only time will tell.
See, they do both smile!
A dream start to @andy_murray & Ivan Lendl part II. #AegonChampionships pic.twitter.com/Li9FBTKpol— TennisTV (@TennisTV) June 20, 2016
Novak is as Loose as a Goose Heading Into Wimbledon
Djokovic might be on the biggest hot streak of any tennis player in history but he’s still a man of the people. Imagine running into Novak Djokovic on the tube in London? How is he not swarmed by fans? Either way, Djokovic’s down to earth personality has long been one of his most redeeming qualities and he seems as relaxed as ever heading to what could be his fifth straight Grand Slam title.
I’m officially a Londoner. Best way to avoid the traffic 🙂 pic.twitter.com/3aVtYDKvO7
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) June 20, 2016
Marion Bartoli Lost A Whole Bunch of Weight
In general it’s not great form as a blogger to highlight someone’s extreme weight gain so I feel similar about Bartoli’s extreme weight loss, but in this case she has been putting herself out there chronicling her journey. In her interview with Kerry Potter of You Magazine she seems thrilled with her current weight, diet and exercise routine. To my untrained eye she doesn’t exactly look healthy, and twitter seems to be doubling down on that thought. Good on her if she’s genuinely healthy and at her natural weight but she is certainly opening herself up to the critics, fair or not.
Definitely the arm of a healthy woman. Help her @wada_ama @bartoli_marion pic.twitter.com/5PGEw3JHAr
— Matthew! (@MRisingStar18) June 18, 2016
Zverez Beats Federer, Falls to Mayer in Halle Final
Alexander Zverev is a 19-year-old German who not only beat Roger Federer in Halle, but moved up 10 spots in the ranking this week to 28 in the world. Although he lost to fellow German Florian Mayer in the final, Zverev is solidifying his position as the best teenager in the world and the next big thing. He’s been on the radar of the avid tennis fan for a few years now but he seems primed to put his name in lights over the next few weeks at Wimbledon. His talent speaks for itself in the video below.
Awesome winning tweener from Alexander Zverev in Halle final 👌 #hotshot pic.twitter.com/fdnhVWEpo0
— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) June 20, 2016
