Ben Rothenberg
@BenRothenberg
BOUNCES (Subscribe at http://benrothenberg.com). Host @NCR_Tennis podcast. [email protected] //
A remarkable win for 45-year-old Venus Williams in Washington, and more remarkable words from her in victory. "Champions falter," Venus said. Read it all at Bounces: benrothenberg.com/p/venus-willia…
Venus Williams is on court soon in Washington for her first match in more than a year, starting out with doubles alongside Hailey Baptiste against Genie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue. Read up on her pre-tournament happiness over at Bounces:
Sunday in Washington was the happiest and chattiest we've ever seen Venus Williams in a press conference. Read the content and context at Bounces: benrothenberg.com/p/venus-willia…
>> ICONIC << @Venuseswilliams 💃 #MubadalaCitiDCOpen
Congratulations to @Venuseswilliams on reaching the second round in the Mubadala Citi DC Open!
"When coaching was illegal, everyone was still doing it." Truth or myth?
Third-seeded Holger Rune has withdrawn from ATP-WTA 500 Washington citing a back injury. Corentin Moutet (LL) is replacing him against Alexandre Muller tonight.
It's not always about ticket price, people just often prefer the outer courts here in DC because you can get up closer (sometimes with a little more shade from the heat). Not dissimilar to Indian Wells, where often the main stadium is pretty empty while the grounds are teeming.
@BenRothenberg What is the DC ticket price difference (if any) between the court Taylor Townsend won her Tuesday match vs the court Baptiste is playing Kenin? Looks like a packed outer court vs an empty main court. Not a good look there.
Venus Williams and Hailey Baptiste rolled to victory in front of a packed crowd in Washington, 6-3, 6-1 over Bouchard/Ngounoue. Venus' singles return, a different sort of test, will be tomorrow against Peyton Stearns.
Stars will draw huge crowds, even for doubles. And Venus, a planetary star like none other still in orbit, still has quite the gravitational pull today in Washington.
Stars will draw huge crowds, even for doubles. And Venus, a planetary star like none other still in orbit, still has quite the gravitational pull today in Washington.
Venus Williams wins her first set played in more than a year, taking the opener with Baptiste 6-3 over Bouchard/Ngounoue. Btw, reason this can’t be on stadium is TV rights related; they are contracted for singles only in the main time slots on the main stadium. 🤷♂️
Crowd for Venus Williams' *doubles* match in Washington. vs. crowd for ATP singles R1 in Washington.
Zheng Qinwen, last year's Olympic gold medalist, has pulled out of the entire American hardcourt season following her elbow surgery. She has now withdrawn from the US Open following previous withdrawals from Washington, Montreal, and Cincinnati.
144th-ranked Dan Evans, the 2023 champ in Washington who sacrificed his title defense (and any chance of saving the 500 points on his ranking) last year to play doubles with Andy Murray at the Olympics, is a winner in his return here as a wildcard, beating Zizou Bergs in three.
Emptying my #Wimbledon notebook over at Bounces, covering lots of different topics from the tournament and beyond! On complaints about McEnroes in the booth, the psychic powers of @VenusGauff, an update on Zverev v Rothenberg, and more! Enjoy! benrothenberg.com/p/wimbledon-no…
New: Lots more new pairings on the latest update of the #USOpen's mixed doubles entry list. These are sorted by ranking, so the top eight pairs as listed will get in guaranteed if there are no further additions or ranking changes; everyone else will need a wildcard.
Emma Navarro had jokes today in Washington when I asked her about partnering with Jannik Sinner in the #USOpen's newfangled mixed doubles event.
“At 45… you have everything going for you. It’s hot, it’s humid, you’re going to be grinding out there. Why?” @Venuseswilliams: Why not? 🎤 #MubadalaCitiDCOpen
Boxers *very* frequently wear their names or nicknames on their shorts, buddy.
Jerseys are for team sports to differentiate players on the same team. @BillieJeanKing is an idiot. Should boxers wear jerseys with their names on them too?
Billie Jean King has said for years that she thinks tennis players should wear their names and a number on their match outfits. I’m not sure I agree, but I gotta say I recognized this guy more instantly than I otherwise might’ve.
Sunday in Washington was the happiest and chattiest we've ever seen Venus Williams in a press conference. Read the content and context at Bounces: benrothenberg.com/p/venus-willia…
