Black Tennis Pros

(ABN AMRO) Gaël Monfils has become the winner of the 46th edition of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament. The 32-year-old Frenchman beat his good friend Stan Wawrinka in the final: 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. It was the eighth ATP title for the Paris-born showman.

Gaël Monfils (32) and Stan Wawrinka (33) are two superstars of a generation that slowly vanishes from the scene. But audience favorite Monfils and triple Grand Slam winner Stan the Man have never played a final match.

"It was a separate race," said Monfils, who was nicknamed the "Flying Frenchman" in Rotterdam. "We have been training together all winter and have known each other for so long. In fact, the battle plan was 'who could take care of the biggest surprise?' Of course I was tired during the final, but I did not show anything. My physio did a great job during the tournament week, because in the first round I had fallen on my wrist. "

Gaël Monfils, who returned to the top 30 in the world rankings with his tournament win, had lost a final 21 times. "I am always happy to be in a finale, in a few finals I was the big favorite, but I lost when I was young, I was in finals against Roger Federer, Ivan Ljubicic and Andy Roddick. absolute world top. "

Gaël Monfils was happy to see his name on the champion ring as well as Arthur Ashe. "Ashe has done a lot for the black community in the States, I have read a lot about him and also seen many of Ashe's statues, this is the tournament I won, as did Arthur Ashe."

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Gael Monfils, France and Damir Džumhur, Bosnia in the 46th ABN AMRO Tournament

(ABN AMRO) Gäel Monfils always performs well during the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament. This year also, because the 32-year-old Frenchman was the first man that reached the semi-finals at Rotterdam Ahoy after he defeated Damir Dzumhur: 6-1, 6-2.

"A well-played match”, the Frenchman said who got the nickname 'Flying Frenchman’ three years ago during his way to the finals. "I’ve lost only three games, which is proof that the with my coach discussed tactic is doing great. The hard work in the off-season pays off and I would go back to the top as soon as possible.”

Monfils became sixth in november 2016 and is currently 33st of the worldranking. Saturday afternoon he will compete against the winner of the duel Jo-Wilfried Tsonga-Daniil Medvedev. "The opponent doesn’t matter to me, because it will be hard against both of them. Last week I’ve lost from Medvedev in Sofia and I know Tsonga already. If Jo-Wilfried wins, there will be a Frenchman in the finals anyway. "

Keep an eye on this man the upcoming days @Gael_Monfils 🇫🇷. The celebration says it all... 👉 #abnamrowtt pic.twitter.com/YC4VA8HN7u

— ABN AMRO WTT (@abnamrowtt) February 13, 2019

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(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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