Black Tennis Pros

(ABN AMRO) The smile of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga could hardly be greater when he left the center court of Rotterdam Ahoy. The Frenchman, winner of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in 2017, had just gotten rid of the Dutch stuntman Tallon Griekspoor: 7-6 (5), 6-1.

"I played well and reached a constant level," said the 33-year-old Tsonga. "In the first set I made the big points and after the early break in the second set I have made almost no mistakes."

Audience favorite Tsonga was sidelined for seven months last year with knee problems. "Injuries are part of the life of a tennis pro. It is not easy to come back again, but it's going in the right direction. I love to be a player again."

Tsonga plays in the quarter finals on Friday-afternoon against the fifth Daniil Medvedev. Both players won an ATP tournament last Sunday. "That will be a tough game," thinks Tsonga, who in 2012 was the number five of the world rankings. "Medvedev is a player who has developed enormously in recent months."

Gäel Monfils was the first quarter finalist of the 46th edition of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament. The French showman defeated Andreas Seppi in the second round: 4-6, 6-1, 6-3.

Gäel Monfils suffered from his wrist in his first round against David Goffin, but Andreas Seppi did not notice that much. Yet the Italian routine came out of the starting blocks. "Seppi played the first set very well," judged Monfils, 33rd on the ATP ranking. "He also hit a few beautiful dropshots, but I kept on playing aggressively."

Monfils will play in the quarter finals against Bosnian Damir Džumhur.

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A 👏 for the first singles player into the @abnamrowtt quarter-finals... @iamgaelmonfils . . . . . . . . . #Tennis #ATPTour #Monfils

A post shared by ATP Tour (@atptour) on Feb 13, 2019 at 7:16am PST

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Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe didn’t just change the sport of tennis. They changed the world.

‘Althea and Arthur’ explores their stories and lives, which ended in dramatically different circumstances, on Monday on CBS Sports Network. pic.twitter.com/Qmd0vAs4L9

— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) February 12, 2019

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The Boulevard in Richmond, VA shall now accompany the Monument Avenue statue in honor of legendary Richmond native Arthur Ashe.

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) - City Council has voted to in favor of renaming the Boulevard after tennis great Arthur Ashe.

City Council voted eight in favor with one abstaining Monday on the proposal that was suggested last summer by the Scott’s Addition Boulevard Association.

“The name Arthur Ashe brings pride,” Ashe’s nephew, David Harris, said last year. “Things he did to create diversity and advance people regardless of their race, gender and educational background. If I could get your support, that would be great.”

Over the years, businesses hadn’t been in favor of a change, fearing confusion and the cost of changing signs, menus, stationery and websites.

Ashe won three Grand Slam titles and was the first black player selected to the U.S. Davis Cup team.

BREAKING: Richmond City Council has voted to change Boulevard to Arthur Ashe Boulevard. https://t.co/pXgzyRA5qz

— NBC12 WWBT Richmond (@NBC12) February 12, 2019

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. @chris_eubanks96 secures a spot in the #NYOpen19 main draw, coming through 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 over @netoescobedo #ATPTour 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/UCdtTlXlX2

— New York Open (@NewYorkOpen) February 11, 2019

Second Time’s a Charm as @Chris_Eubanks96 Qualifies for @NewYorkOpen Main Draw https://t.co/Xl0zKu9cEs pic.twitter.com/rfNuOUDf9G

— TennisAtlantic (@TennisAtlantic) February 11, 2019

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World No. 1 Naomi Osaka consulting with now former coach Sascha Bajin.

Thank you Naomi 🙏🏽 I wish you nothing but the best as well. What a ride that was. Thank you for letting me be part of this.

— sascha Bajin (@BigSascha) February 11, 2019

Major decision making can be necessary as we move forward in life. It appears that World No. 1 Naomi Osaka has done just that. Osaka's announcement today via Twitter, "Hey everyone, I will no longer be working together with Sascha. I thank him for his work and wish him all the best in the future", has sent a slight rumble through the world of tennis.

Osaka and Coach Bajin have collaborated victoriously in the last two grand slams with Osaka earning the World No. 1 spot after the Australian Open. The two have been working together since October 2017 and created a swift, yet incredible journey.

Bajin responded cordially, “Thank you Naomi. I wish you nothing but the best as well. What a ride that was. Thank you for letting me be part of this”.

Now what? Who? We shall see...

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A pair of legends taking in #TeamUSATennis! 📸: @billiejeanking

A post shared by USTA (@usta) on Feb 9, 2019 at 11:56am PST

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 MONTPELLIER, France (AP) — Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-4, 6-2 in an all-French final of the Open Sud de France on Sunday, winning his 17th career title and denying his countryman a first.

Tsonga broke the seventh-seeded Herbert’s serve three times and dropped only four points throughout the match on his own serve.

The 33-year-old Tsonga was out for seven months last year following a left-knee injury. His previous title was in October 2017 at the European Open in Antwerp.

"I am very happy with the way I played this week," said Tsonga. "It was an amazing moment for me to win here in Montpellier... I have made many efforts to come back [here], so for me it is a good reward and I hope I will be able to continue playing at this level."

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✨🙌🏾🎾🏆✨ @opensuddefrance #TsongaTeam #OSDF19

A post shared by Jo-Wilfried TSONGA (@tsongaofficiel) on Feb 10, 2019 at 7:51am PST

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💪🏾✨ #TsongaTeam

A post shared by Jo-Wilfried TSONGA (@tsongaofficiel) on Feb 10, 2019 at 9:29am PST

He also beat Herbert, who owns a career grand slam in doubles, in their two previous matches.

Herbert has now lost his three singles finals on the ATP Tour.

Source
ATP Tour

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