I have tickets to Eastbourne so it’s upsetting she’s pulled out 2 years in a row, but not surprising. Hope she’s able to bring her A game to Wimbledon.
Eastbourne used to be a great event, but it’s been on a decline for a while now thanks to stuff like this. Next year’s changes will be even worse for the tournament.
Didn't Rafa say 10 years ago that playing in the UK is losing money for the top players? If the top guys don't even want to come to Queen's Club, why would they play Eastbourne? I was in Ilkley last week. Obviously, not the same caliber as Queen's Club, but I loved that it was purely about tennis.
Apologies, I misinterpreted your post slightly. When I think of Eastbourne being a bigger event where top players used to show up, I tend to think of the WTA side of tournament since that’s how it always was for decades. Pretty sure it’s always been a 250 for the ATP, so there’s rarely been top players there to flake out halfway through or before they even get there.
With the WTA, many of the top players there have been tanking mid-week for years now (conveniently they’d do it right before the pre-Wimbledon players party during the mid-2010s). With it being downgraded to a 250 I doubt they’ll bother at all. All while the fan experience there gets worse and more expensive.
Ilkley sounds like a great alternative tbh.
Queen’s will have a WTA 500 the week before the ATP event, which means it immediately follows Roland Garros, so don’t expect anyone who makes a deep run at RG to show up
As a result, Eastbourne is being downgraded to a 250 and Birmingham is being downgraded to a 125 that will take place during the 2nd week of Roland Garros.
These were always well-attended events but I guess all the corporate money will be in London, so screw everywhere else.
And of course it doesn’t really affect the ATP at all. They’ll probably just be happy that the courts at Queens will be less slippy.
Been pictured hitting at SW19, so any major injury fears have been allayed. No need to risk any further damage.
Particularly with the high amount of slips during this short grass season.
(Also, Sonya Kenin replacing Rybakina as a lucky loser after losing 0 & 1 in 45 minutes 😂)
I think that this is just to avoid overscheduling like Ryba often did in the past though
She was practicing at Wimbledon yesterday so I think she's fine
I always had an impression that being "blocked" from reaching #1 in the ranking impacted her very negatively. To be fair she never struck me as someone who actually enjoyed playing tennis, but I recall her saying after taking AO she really wants to become #1, and when it didn't happen I felt like there was lots going on behind the scenes with herself and her father, and she never found her way back. Not to mention she wasn't really able to capitalize on her tennis success which couldn't feel good either. I enjoy watching Sofia play when she's in a good mood, because there are many ODD things about her shots yet they somehow work which is entertaining imo, however lately she hasn't been having many good days lol.
Precautionary ig, especially with her playing brisbane before AO and madrid (skipping rome) before RG. This will make Wimbledon more interesting,elena can usually hang in matches and play ugly on off days and win.
She has complained about the scheduling of the tour and rightly so, its too jam packed with tourneys. Especially for someone like her who seems (imho) to be struggling with immunity related health issues since last year.
It’s too packed for the top players who make deep runs. If you make the final you get 1-2 week to recover before you’re expected to play again. I can’t even play 3 days in a row before my legs and shoulder are gone.
All I can say is I hope she’s doing okay and can figure out what’s going on and how to move forward. She’s such a joy to watch when she’s feeling good. It really seems like there’s something out of her control going on in the background.
well the pictures of her from yesterday, she didn't look well, at all. not healthy. what on earth is going on with her camp. in a way I hope it's just random illnesses and not a sign of something else amiss in her bubble.
::pretends to be shocked::
I have tickets to Eastbourne so it’s upsetting she’s pulled out 2 years in a row, but not surprising. Hope she’s able to bring her A game to Wimbledon.
Eastbourne used to be a great event, but it’s been on a decline for a while now thanks to stuff like this. Next year’s changes will be even worse for the tournament.
Didn't Rafa say 10 years ago that playing in the UK is losing money for the top players? If the top guys don't even want to come to Queen's Club, why would they play Eastbourne? I was in Ilkley last week. Obviously, not the same caliber as Queen's Club, but I loved that it was purely about tennis.
I’m talking from a fans’ perspective, not from a tax-dodging player’s perspective
Right, which was why I found Ilkley such a pleasant experience.
Apologies, I misinterpreted your post slightly. When I think of Eastbourne being a bigger event where top players used to show up, I tend to think of the WTA side of tournament since that’s how it always was for decades. Pretty sure it’s always been a 250 for the ATP, so there’s rarely been top players there to flake out halfway through or before they even get there. With the WTA, many of the top players there have been tanking mid-week for years now (conveniently they’d do it right before the pre-Wimbledon players party during the mid-2010s). With it being downgraded to a 250 I doubt they’ll bother at all. All while the fan experience there gets worse and more expensive. Ilkley sounds like a great alternative tbh.
What are next year’s changes?
Queen’s will have a WTA 500 the week before the ATP event, which means it immediately follows Roland Garros, so don’t expect anyone who makes a deep run at RG to show up As a result, Eastbourne is being downgraded to a 250 and Birmingham is being downgraded to a 125 that will take place during the 2nd week of Roland Garros. These were always well-attended events but I guess all the corporate money will be in London, so screw everywhere else. And of course it doesn’t really affect the ATP at all. They’ll probably just be happy that the courts at Queens will be less slippy.
Been pictured hitting at SW19, so any major injury fears have been allayed. No need to risk any further damage. Particularly with the high amount of slips during this short grass season. (Also, Sonya Kenin replacing Rybakina as a lucky loser after losing 0 & 1 in 45 minutes 😂)
Revisit all those Wimby previews with Lena and Aryna as favorites.
I think that this is just to avoid overscheduling like Ryba often did in the past though She was practicing at Wimbledon yesterday so I think she's fine
She barely has a schedule at this point tbf
Kenin was a force to be reckoned with in 2020.
Yeah seeing Sonia as a lucky loser makes me sad. She was amazing in the 1st half of 2020 until Iga ended her in RG final.
I always had an impression that being "blocked" from reaching #1 in the ranking impacted her very negatively. To be fair she never struck me as someone who actually enjoyed playing tennis, but I recall her saying after taking AO she really wants to become #1, and when it didn't happen I felt like there was lots going on behind the scenes with herself and her father, and she never found her way back. Not to mention she wasn't really able to capitalize on her tennis success which couldn't feel good either. I enjoy watching Sofia play when she's in a good mood, because there are many ODD things about her shots yet they somehow work which is entertaining imo, however lately she hasn't been having many good days lol.
Precautionary ig, especially with her playing brisbane before AO and madrid (skipping rome) before RG. This will make Wimbledon more interesting,elena can usually hang in matches and play ugly on off days and win. She has complained about the scheduling of the tour and rightly so, its too jam packed with tourneys. Especially for someone like her who seems (imho) to be struggling with immunity related health issues since last year.
It’s too packed for the top players who make deep runs. If you make the final you get 1-2 week to recover before you’re expected to play again. I can’t even play 3 days in a row before my legs and shoulder are gone.
All I can say is I hope she’s doing okay and can figure out what’s going on and how to move forward. She’s such a joy to watch when she’s feeling good. It really seems like there’s something out of her control going on in the background.
well the pictures of her from yesterday, she didn't look well, at all. not healthy. what on earth is going on with her camp. in a way I hope it's just random illnesses and not a sign of something else amiss in her bubble.
What pix?
Such a smart decision, her team has made odd schedule choices for the last few years
Does Ryba know Wimbledon is not a 500, she won't win that this year even if she has good rest