WASHINGTON, May 29, 2020 (by Michael Dickens)
Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, currently ranked No. 20, has been added to the draw for the first edition of the Ultimate Tennis Showdown, an invitation-only tournament that international coach and broadcaster Patrick Mouratoglou is setting up for next month at his Mouratoglou Tennis Academy, near Nice, France.
Auger-Aliassime, who was a finalist earlier this year at Rotterdam and Marseille, joins ATP Top 20 players David Goffin of Belgium, ranked No. 10, and No. 11 Fabio Fognini from Italy. Also committed are: No. 58 Lucas Pouille of France, No. 103 Alexei Popyrin of Australia and No. 239 Dustin Brown from Germany.
The final three UTS entrants will be announced by the beginning of the competition that is scheduled to take place June 13-14.
Thrilled to announce that I will be competing in the @UTShowdown! From June 13, live tennis returns. Like never before.
Ravi d’annoncer que je participerai au @UTShowdown! À partir du 13 juin, le tennis en direct est de retour. Comme jamais auparavant. pic.twitter.com/6gD5eWQbMK— Félix AugerAliassime (@felixtennis) May 27, 2020
Nike: Never Too Far Down …
Iconic American apparel brand Nike knows we all love a feel good comeback story. This week, it released a new 90-second spot, “Never Too Far Down,” which features a trinity of Grand Slam tennis stars – Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal and Naomi Osaka.
Narrated by NBA superstar LeBron James and also featuring pro golf star Tiger Woods and NBA star Paul George, there’s a can-do theme to the spot. Near its climatic ending, James voices: “Right now, we’re fighting for something much bigger than a win or a championship. But if we learn anything from sports, that no matter how far down we may be, we’re never too far down to come back.”
No matter what we’re up against, we are never too far down to come back. #YouCantStopUs
Join Us | https://t.co/4PA8xvWFag pic.twitter.com/VA30CC2ehg
— Nike (@Nike) May 23, 2020
Lacoste: In honor of volunteers on the front line
In honor of volunteers on the front line, Lacoste, the casual luxury brand that embodies French elegance, is donating the entire sales from its L12.12 Merci Polo to partners including the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies around the world. Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev and Gustavo Kuerten are among those who are featured in a promotional Lacoste video.
In honor of volunteers on the front line, @LACOSTE is donating the entire sales from the L12.12 Merci Polo to partners including the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies around the world. ❤️🙏🏼 Merci Thierry and the Lacoste team pic.twitter.com/NA9UBPpTd7
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) May 28, 2020
Tying the knot – David Goffin
On the cover of Paris Match Belgique
Retrouvez @David__Goffin en Une de Paris Match Belgique cette semaine !
Abonnez-vous : https://t.co/vqmKBdnsCf pic.twitter.com/9avOA5wYCl— Paris Match Belgique (@ParisMatchBe) May 28, 2020
Mary Pierce: Twenty years ago …
Frenchwoman Mary Pierce won the 2000 Roland Garros women’s singles title. She is tweeting about her memorable French Open fortnight run.
My serve was always an important part of my game. On the clay courts of @rolandgarros, I used my kick serve effectively. Being tall and strong helped me to serve well, like in my 2nd round match, which I won in two sets. #MaryRG20 pic.twitter.com/GAy4ZD9C1s
— Mary Pierce (@_MaryPierce) May 28, 2020
Behind The Racquet – Alex de Minaur
Ask Alex de Minaur and he will tell you that tennis is “a battle of its own.” As the #NextGenATP rising star from Australia, currently ranked No. 26 after reaching a career-high of 18th last October, wrote in a first-person essay for the Instagram series Behind The Racquet last year, “the amount of things you have to do to prepare for matches is unbelievable, even when you are in the right head space.
“I was speaking to my psychologist about once a month,” de Minaur wrote last September. “I had an unbelievable year last year (2018). He had to sit me down to let me know that what I thought was unbelievable, was going to lead to new stresses. He told me the work we were doing wasn’t enough. We actually had to do much more because what’s coming up was tougher than you can ever imagine. The expectations that came with backing up a big year led to a lot of difficulty.”
De Minaur began the 2018 season ranked No. 208 and finished as one of two teenagers (Denis Shapovalov was the other) ranked in the Top 100. Then, in 2019, he enjoyed a breakout year by winning three outdoor titles – Sydney, Atlanta and Zhuhai. The Aussie has finished runner up in each of the past two Next Gen ATP Finals. In an abbreviated 2020 season, de Minaur is 2-3 and hasn’t played since late February in Acapulco.
De Minaur has continued his conversations with his psychologist. “I now talk to him almost every day on the phone,” he wrote. “I have a tendency to have high expectations for myself and if I don’t achieve it, that’s when I get pissed off at myself. He tries to bring out a level of calmness and enjoyment, which is when I play my best tennis. For me it has been about dealing with my problems upfront. I’ve tried to bottle up many different emotions. I couldn’t handle it anymore. The best thing that has happened to me was seeing a psychologist. I am just excited to get back to a place that I lost for a while; Happiness.”
What they’re thinking
I can’t wait to be back in Charleston! This is gonna be so fun 🤩 https://t.co/5JKa0BmWPz
— Madison Keys (@Madison_Keys) May 27, 2020
What they’re sharing on social media
Karolina Muchova / Feels good to be on the court again
Here’s short cut from today. Feels good to be on court again and play some matches for a good cause 🙃 pic.twitter.com/JCAvZUk4Qb
— Karolina Muchova (@karomuchova7) May 27, 2020
Canadians take over #TennisUnited
Group. Chat. Goals. 😂
Catch the full Canadian takeover of Tennis United as @VasekPospisil & @matteksands were joined by @Bandreescu_, @milosraonic, @geniebouchard and @felixtennis 🇨🇦👇
— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 27, 2020
Leyla Fernandez / Missing Roland Garros
This week is so special to me. One year ago today I was playing one of the most memorable weeks of my junior tennis career at @rolandgarros. Missing tennis and that red clay a little more than usual today. pic.twitter.com/mCeXl4OdhH
— leylahfernandez (@leylahfernandez) May 26, 2020