For Laura Robson, No Relief Under Pressure & Other Stories from the Week in Tennis
Tennis Now's Blair Henley covers the latest in the tennis umpire murder trial, the return of Gael Monfils, and why Venus and Serena have withdrawn support for a new documentary on the sisters. Also, learn about Rafael Nadal's latest honor, the latest Indian tennis drama, and Laura Robson's unfortunate drug testing snafu.
Hey Tennis Fans, I’m Blair Henley and welcome to the Tennis Now News update.
The tennis umpire accused of bludgeoning her 80-year-old husband with a coffee mug is back in the news again after her lawyers attempted to block the prosecution’s request for a DNA sample. Lois Goodman’s attorneys said her DNA would be useless since she freely admits gathering up the mug shards in question after her husband’s death. Goodman offered them to police, but claims they told her the evidence was unnecessary. Whoops!
Former world No. 7 Gael Monfils is making his grand return to the ATP Tour this week in after a four-month injury layoff. He’s currently ranked 44th, but his semifinal run at the Moselle Open in France bodes well for the success of his comeback.
Venus and Serena Williams recently withdrew their support for a documentary about their rise to tennis stardom. Part of the lineup at the Toronto Film Festival, the sisters felt it negatively portrayed their father and former coach, Richard. The film followed Venus and Serena throughout a turbulent two years that saw Serena’s hospitalization for a pulmonary embolism and Venus’s autoimmune disease diagnosis. So far, reviews for the movie have been positive.
Mahesh Bhupathi is now threatening legal action after the All India Tennis Association banned him from playing Davis Cup for India over the next two years. The ban comes after Bhupathi refused to team up with his former doubles partner, Leander Paes for the Olympics in July. Bhupathi gets the award for dramatic quote of the day when he said this about AITA president Anil Khanna: “He has used Leander’s shoulder to fire the gun against me multiple times.” -- We’ll let you know how this one plays out.
Rafael Nadal hasn’t played a match since losing to Lukas Rosol at Wimbledon, but he was still named Spanish Vanity Fair’s Male Personality of the Year in an event for the mag in Madrid this week. In an interview on the red carpet, Rafa admitted he didn’t know how much longer he would play professionally. Nadal has been active on social media during his recovery, even posting this recent photo playing the OTHER country club sport.
Great Britain’s Laura Robson followed up her stunning run at the U.S. Open by reaching her first WTA final in Guangzhou this week. But according to her Twitter page, she faced some serious hurdles en-route to the championship match. That brings us to our quotes of the week: “Have been in the doping control room for nearly four hours. Can’t pee under pressure.”
Robson followed that up with this gem: “For those suggesting I should drink some water, that’s a great idea…I’ll be sure to try that. #SarcasticTweet." While there’s no way to know for sure, we’ll assume everything came out all right in the end. Pun definitely intended.
That’s all for today’s Tennis Now News Update. What are your thoughts on Rafa, Robson, and the renegade tennis referee? Let us know in the comment section below or on Facebook and Twitter. Also, remember to sign up for our Youtube channel to get all the latest updates. We’ll see you next time, here on Tennis Now.