Tiger Woods announced that he will take some time away after a disastrous performance at The Open.
Woods had two days to forget at Royal Troon, carding an 8-over 79 in the first round before an equally disappointing day on Friday, finishing 14-over par.
It means the 15-time major winner has missed the cut at his third-consecutive major for the first time in a decade.
The last time that happened, Woods missed the U.S. Open, The British Open, and the PGA Championship.
Following Friday’s setback, the 48-year-old confirmed his immediate plans are to improve his game although he will not play again until December.
“I’m not going to play until then,” he told reporters. “I’m just going to keep on getting physically better and keep working on it and then hopefully come back for our fifth major.”
“I’m physically feeling better than I did at the beginning of the year. At the end of last year, it was tough, and I haven’t played a lot. As the year has gone on, I have got better.
“I just wish I could have played more, but I’ve been saving it for the majors just in case I do something pretty major and then take myself out of it. Hopefully next year will be better.
“I need to do a lot more work in the gym and keep progressing.”
The three-time Open winner started Friday with a par on the first hole but found difficulty on the second with a double bogey.
He followed it up with a bogeys on holes no. 5, 9, 12, 14, and 17, finishing on 6-over. The score saw him tied in 149th place – four places off finishing last.
“I’ve won two Open Championships here in Scotland, so I’ve always enjoyed playing up here,” Woods added. “I’ve enjoyed the different types of links that Scotland brings and the challenges. I’ve missed playing Troon.
“It’s been a long time. I remember playing here way back in ’97. I’ve had some good memories here. I just wish I’d done a little bit better.”
On August 3 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, Terence Crawford makes his long-awaited return to the ring when he aims to become a four-weight world champion against WBA super-welterweight title holder Israil Madrimov.
Crawford (40-0-0 31 KO) will compete at 154lbs for the first time in the headline bout of a stacked card on Riyadh Season’s international debut. His return in California will be his first fight since last July when he dominated Errol Spence Jr to become the undisputed welterweight champion. It made Crawford the first male two-weight undisputed champion having previously achieved the feat at super-lightweight.
Naoya Inoue (bantamweight and super-bantamweight) and Oleksandr Usyk (cruiserweight and heavyweight) have since emulated Crawford, but ‘Bud’ will hope to strike out on his own and become a three-weight undisputed champion.
The first step on that journey is Madrimov (10-0-1 7 KO). A victory will not only earn Crawford the Uzbek’s WBA title but also the WBO interim belt, setting up the American for a shot at WBO world champion Sebastian Fundora, who also holds the WBC strap.
It means that, potentially, within two fights Crawford could be the unified super-welterweight champion, with only the IBF title, currently held by Bakhram Murtazaliev, out of his possession.
Given Crawford’s status as arguably the best pound-for-pound boxer on the planet and the history that awaits him should he carve through the 154lbs division, it’s no surprise much of the attention ahead of August 3 is focused on the Nebraskan.
However, Madrimov is not a fighter to be taken lightly, and while Bud is the strong favorite to win (bookmakers have priced him at around 1/7 for victory), the unbeaten Uzbek will not want to give up his title in his first defense.
So, with the odds stacked against him and facing perhaps the finest fighter of his generation, what can Madrimov do to emerge victorious and shock the world?
It’s no secret that Crawford has not fought as much as he would’ve liked in recent years, and several failed negotiations over the past 12 months mean it will be more than one year since his last bout against Spence.
Going back to December 2019 and his bout against Egidijus Kavaliauskas, Crawford has averaged one fight per year for the past five years: Kell Brook (November 2020), Shawn Porter (November 2021), David Avanesyan (December 2022), and Spence (July 2023).
So far, that lack of activity has had minimal effect on Crawford, who secured stoppage wins over all these opponents, but could there come a time when ring rust might set in? As he approaches his 37th birthday in September and with a step up to his heaviest weight yet, it might prove to be a factor against Madrimov.
The Uzbek has hardly been particularly active himself, with four fights dating back to December 2021, but at least his most recent outing was in March when he produced the best performance of his career so far to stop Magomed Kurbanov and become a world champion.
Madrimov will hope his better sharpness and greater experience at 154 can give him a couple of advantages against a superior opponent in Crawford.
Crawford might be the most complete fighter on the planet. Speed, power, movement, intelligence, with long arms that give him range – the American has it all, plus no one can control a fight better than Bud. There have been 40 opponents who have all tried and failed to find a solution.
Such is Crawford’s brilliance, he’s often allowed to fight on his own terms and at his own tempo, placing his opponents in survival mode and unable to execute their game plans.
To avoid a similar fate, Madrimov will need to rely on his own strengths, of which there are plenty. The Uzbek is a powerful and accurate puncher who has a solid defense – thanks to his stellar amateur background – and like Crawford, has excellent footwork.
At 29 years old, he also has youth on his side, while he is full of self-belief and is genuinely convinced that he will be the man to inflict a first career defeat on Crawford.
“Experience-wise, yes, I have ten professional fights, but it’s a high quality. All ten were WBA fights. All ten were twelve-rounders against stiff opposition. I have more than 200 international amateur fights. So overall, over 300 amateur fights. I have experience fighting everyone around the world,” Madrimov said.
“The ring will show everything. On August 3, you will see everything. We have some things we’ve been watching. We’re not going to talk about it right now. With a lot of fighters, they’re losing before they even step in the ring [with Crawford]. They’re already kind of on the downside [of their careers]. With me, I’m mentally strong.”
Make no mistake, Madrimov will be a massive underdog when he climbs through the ropes to face Crawford on August 3, but as the saying goes, every boxer has a puncher’s chance.
For that to generally apply, though, a boxer needs to possess the necessary power to administer that one, fight-changing punch – and Madrimov certainly has that.
Even with a fighter as skillful and imposing as Crawford, a clean shot to the temple or ripping punch to the liver has the potential to send him to the canvas. It’s not happened yet – Bud has famously never gone down – but at 154 against arguably the biggest puncher he’s faced, there remains an outside possibility that one clean shot could change the outcome of the bout.
“Madrimov is the best 154-pounder in the world, I really believe that,” Madrimov’s promoter Eddie Hearn said. “Terence came straight out the gate and he wanted all the champions. His Excellency (Turki Alalshikh) reached out to me. We made the fight, the main event on a huge card but as I said to him, ‘Every fighter gets old, every fighter steps [up] one weight class too many’.”
Andy Ruiz would be happy to welcome an arrival to heavyweight for David Benavidez.
Ruiz is set to make a long-awaited return to the blue-riband division when he takes on Jarrell Miller on August 3 on the undercard of pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford.
The Mexican has been out of action since outpointing Luis Ortiz in September 2022, but is plotting his path back to the top of the division.
But in a surprising name-drop, Ruiz Jr has opened the door to a showdown with Benavidez, who recently made his debut at light-heavyweight.
He told FightHype: “I think David can do anything because he’s big, he’s strong.
“He’s super young, he’s super, super young. If he does go to heavyweight, hopefully, he gives me the opportunity to fight too.
He can [move to heavyweight and be successful]. If he’s walking around, he’s probably like 200 pounds anyway.
“I’m pretty sure he feels strong, but he’s a really talented kid.”
Benavidez has yet to be defeated in his professional career and has spent the vast majority of his campaign at super-middleweight.
‘The Monster’ dispatched of several contenders at 168lbs, and spent most of his time in the division campaigning for a shot at undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez.
He is a sizeable athlete at that weight category and carries a huge height advantage over many at 6ft 2ins.
But he recently moved up to light-heavyweight, where he outpointed Oleksandr Gvozdyk, but struggled and could well move back down in weight.
He could elect to continue his pursuit of Alvarez, but is currently failing to entice the champion into a clash, who is demanding a purse of around $200 million.
Any fight with Ruiz Jr is highly unlikely, but it would make for an intriguing spectacle given the former unified champion is at the smaller end of the heavyweight scale.
But Benavidez has spoken of facing heavyweight opposition in the past, and suggested he would pursue a shot at Oleksandr Usyk, who just picked up the undisputed titles in May.
For now, focus will be to wear away any ring rust for Ruiz Jr and get his name back into the win column.
The heavyweight is booming thanks to the investment of Saudi Arabia, where Ruiz famously rematched and lost his titles to Anthony Joshua in 2019.
And his former trainer Manny Robles believes he needs to put his name back firmly in the mix.
“I think he would fight in this Saudi Arabia world title mix,” Robles said. “But where is Andy? That is the question.
“I haven’t spoken to him or seen him in years. I have no idea what Andy is up to in all honesty.
“But he should come back and take advantage of this opportunity that has been given to all the heavyweight fighters.
“The opportunity to fight in Saudi Arabia and get in the mix, all these great heavyweight champions fighting each other.
“A loss should not determine the career of a fighter, I don’t think he should be judged by that defeat.”
Robert Helenius has been banned from boxing due to a positive drugs test after his KO defeat to Anthony Joshua last year.
The 40-year-old heavyweight veteran was knocked out cold by AJ at the O2 Arena in London in August 2023, then recorded a positive UKAD (UK Anti-Doping) test for clomifene.
Helenius protested his innocence but has now been banned for two years after being unable to prove it.
UKAD’s statement read: “Finnish Professional Boxer Robert Helenius has been banned from all World Anti-Doping Code-compliant sport for two years, following Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) for the Presence and Use of a Prohibited Substance.
“Mr Helenius was tested by UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) after his bout against Anthony Joshua at the London O2 Arena on 12 August 2023.
“Analysis of his Sample revealed the Presence of clomifene. Clomifene is a Specified Substance that is prohibited at all-times.
“UKAD notified and charged Mr Helenius with ADRVs for the Presence and Use of a Prohibited Substance and provisionally suspended him.
“On being notified of the ADRVs, Mr Helenius stated that the clomifene detected in his urine Sample must have originated from his consumption of eggs and chicken meat.
“However, following a request by UKAD, Mr Helenius was unable to provide any evidence that the eggs and chicken meat he had consumed in advance of the bout originated from hens that had been administered clomifene.
“Mr Helenius was therefore unable to identify the source of clomifene in his Sample and therefore unable to reduce the applicable period of Ineligibility of two years.
“Mr Helenius is entitled to credit for the time he spent provisionally suspended, so his ban is deemed to have commenced on 18 September 2023 and will end at midnight on 17 September 2025.”
After the news initially broke of his positive test last year, Helenius posted the following statement.
He wrote: “I want to say something very clear in my own words right now with absolutely no exception. I did not use any performance enhancement now or ever. I have been tested my entire career.
“I was just told that I tested positive for the presence of a non-steroid substance in my system and I wanted to send an immediate direct message to Anthony Joshua and boxing fans that I didn’t cheat and never would.
“I volunteer to work with VADA and the BBBofC to do whatever it takes to clear my name.”
However, he’s now been banned for two years regardless, likely ending his boxing career.
Deontay Wilder has risen in the WBC Rankings despite two straight defeats and remains eligible for an immediate heavyweight title shot.
“The Bronze Bomber” moved up one place due to the World Boxing Council’s ruling that anyone challenging another organization’s title must be removed from the WBC list. This means Anthony Joshua, facing Daniel Dubois for the IBF belt on September 21, is dropped despite previously being the number one contender.
That honor now goes to former titleholder Tyson Fury. However, Fury is not mandatory despite having a rematch clause to face current WBC ruler Oleksandr Usyk in December. It’s a complicated situation that is also largely unfathomable in Wilder’s case due to his form.
Losing against Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang in December and June is not a recognizable world championship-worthy run. Wilder’s record since 2020 leaves a lot to be desired, with four losses and only one victory. Only a solitary knockout of Robert Helenius, no longer ranked in the WBC Top 40, backs up any claims Wilder has to compete for his old green and gold belt.
Despite everything mentioned above, Wilder goes from 15th to 14th in the past month.
The four major boxing sanction bodies have discussed the possibility of featuring the other champions in the ratings. If this were the case, Wilder undoubtedly wouldn’t be eligible for a world title shot as a top-fifteen-ranked contender. Additionally, every WBA, IBF, and WBO titleholder would feature above the American in the current standings.
Wilder needs a victory to get back in the mix, having recently been linked to a move down to bridgerweight. Champion Lawrence Okolie accepted the challenge of facing Wilder after World Boxing News got the green light from Mauricio Sulaiman for the 38-year-old to contest the 224-pound if he so wished.
Without a response from Wilder before a scheduled purse bid with mandatory and interim champion Kevin Lerena, Okolie seems set to move on.
WBC Heavyweight Rankings – July 2024
1 Tyson Fury GB
2 Agit Kabayel Germany CONTINENTAL AMERICAS
3 Zhilei Zhang China
4 Efe Ajagba Nigeria/US SILVER
5 Jared Anderson US USWBC
6 Martin Bakole Congo/GB
7 Frank Sanchez Cuba
8 Joe Joyce GB
9 Bakhodir Jalolov Uzbekistan
10 Fabio Wardley GB BBBofC/COMM
11 Arslanbek Makhmudov Canada
12 Filip Hrgovic Croatia
13 Luis Ortiz Cuba
14 Deontay Wilder US
15 Otto Wallin
Novak Djokovic was well beaten in a one sided beating from Carlos Alcaraz with a 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 defeat which was only prolonged after the Spaniard spurned 40-0 up on championship point at 5-4. It is back-to-back Wimbledon crowns and agony for a second straight year for Djokovic.
Djokovic still awaits number 25 and he still awaits his 8th and landmark Wimbledon title which would see him tie with Roger Federer as the undisputed king of Wimbledon. But for the Serbian, he was as ever gracious in defeat. Annabel Croft doing the presentation on court had a blunder and said that Alcaraz looked very hot today which caused a lot of laughter.
To which Djokovic agreed before praising his rival to the hilt and saying he was simply not good enough for what Alcaraz produced on Sunday evening. Only a few weeks removed from knee surgery, Djokovic reaching the final in itself was a miracle but he couldn’t complete the final part of said miracle.
“That’s what I was about to say. He was definitely very hot today. Obviously not the result I wanted. Especially the first few sets.. the level of tennis wasn’t up to par from my side. Credit to Carlos. He had it all today. I saved the 3 match points.. I extended the match a bit. But he was an absolutely deserved winner today. Huge congratulations,” said Djokovic.
But he was also asked to give thanks to his family and got emotional in a message to them including to his son Stefan chasing his own tennis career.
“To my wife.: I love you. Thank you for supporting me. Thank you for being here. To my wonderful children, thank you for bringing the smile to my face every single day. I keep on tearing up every year when I look at them at the closing ceremony. I’m so thankful to be the father of these two little angels. They’re starting to love tennis more and more. I don’t know if I have the nerve to keep going with my coaching career with my son. There are a lot of beautiful things in life.. but if you really wish to keep going, I’ll be there for you”
Novak Djokovic tearing up talking to his wife and children after losing the Wimbledon final to Carlos Alcaraz
“To my wife.: I love you. Thank you for supporting me. Thank you for being here. To my wonderful children, thank you for bringing the smile to my face every single day.… pic.twitter.com/k6ggy94QFL
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 14, 2024
Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis returned to the ring on Saturday night with a dominant fifth-round stoppage of veteran David Avanesyan and immediately set his sights on “big names” including Terence Crawford.
Ending more than one year of inactivity and fighting in his hometown of Philadelphia for the first time in almost six years, Ennis (32-0-0 29 KO) expectedly proved levels above Avanesyan (30-5-1 18 KO), although it was a far from flawless performance. Boots admitted himself that his timing was off on occasion and his defense was breached too often by the Armenian.
Still, it was a display that did enough to feed into the hype that claims Ennis is the next man to take over the welterweight division. That the IBF world champion defeated Avanesyan a round earlier than Crawford has not gone unnoticed, either.
With Ennis’ stock on the rise and Crawford considered by many boxing’s pound-for-pound best, clamor for a mega-fight between the pair continues to increase. It has quickly become the new fight all fans want to see.
As Canelo Alvarez continues to show little interest in fighting David Benavidez, and a catchweight fight between Canelo and Crawford always feeling fanciful, attention has now turned to a showdown between the former undisputed welterweight champion and the division’s hottest new star.
However, boxing fans have been in this position too many times before; the biggest fights everyone wants to see simply don’t get made as often as they should, leaving fans frustrated and ultimately damaging the sport’s standing.
Thankfully, there is one man who has set about changing all that in recent years and will no doubt be instrumental to ensuring Crawford v Ennis doesn’t become another super-fight that ends up on the scrap heap.
Saudi Arabian boxing supremo Turki Alalshikh has transformed boxing. Backed up near unlimited financial resources as Saudi Arabia engineers itself to become a global fight capital, Alalshikh has done more than any individual to make sure the biggest fights are being made over the past two or three years.
Now Alalshikh has taken a proactive role in Crawford’s career, we can expect to see ‘Bud’ back in the ring fighting the best more frequently following a spell of frustrating inactivity. It’s been more than one year since his masterful victory over Errol Spence Jr to become the undisputed welterweight champion.
Crawford returns on August 3 in the headline bout of Alalshikh and Riyadh Season’s first international card as the two-weight undisputed champion goes for a world title in a third division against WBA super-welterweight title holder Israil Madrimov in Los Angeles.
However, the wheels are seemingly already in motion for a showdown with Ennis at 154lbs once Crawford gets past Madrimov.
I just reached out to boxer Jaron Ennis and Eddie Hearn to congratulate him on his win and I'd love to see Ennis in fight with Crawford at weight 154 soon🤷🏻♂️🥊🔥
“I just reached out to boxer Jaron Ennis and [his promoter] Eddie Hearn to congratulate him on his win and I’d love to see Ennis in fight with Crawford at weight 154 soon,” Alalshikh posted on social media after Boots’ win over Avanesyan.
Matchroom Boxing boss Hearn, who has a close working relationship with Alalshikh having held numerous fights in Saudi Arabia, responded by insisting Ennis is very much interested in the bout.
“His Excellency [Alalshikh] watched the fight, and he wanted to have a quick word with Boots. He said if there’s no Canelo fight, he wants to make Boots vs. Crawford. ‘Would we do it?’ The answer is, of course,” said Hearn to iFL TV.
Hearn had earlier said in the ring that he would back Ennis against any welterweight, describing his fighter as “the future of boxing … I think he beats everyone … [Ennis] is a special fighter that needs to be tested against the best in the world.”
World class fighter now hun? 🤣🤣🤣 my the double standards be crazy!!! @EddieHearn you talk good.
That prompted a response on social media from Crawford, who wrote: “World class fighter now hun? My the double standards be crazy!!! @EddieHearn you talk good.”
While still early days, the momentum certainly appears to be building, and with Alalshikh determined to make this fight happen, boxing fans should be cautiously optimistic that we should see Ennis and Crawford go toe-to-toe.
Additionally, now that Riyadh Season has gone overseas – first to Los Angeles next month and then to London for Daniel Dubois v Anthony Joshua on September 21 – any potential obstacle limiting the fight to Riyadh no longer exists.
Now it’s up to the respective fighters and their teams to agree terms and get it on.
Tyson Fury is not one to shy away from a challenge.
‘The Gypsy King’ has fought some of the greatest fighters of his generation such as long-reigning heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko and undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk.
He also famously shared a brutal trilogy with one of the most destructive punchers in the history of the sport in Deontay Wilder.
But there is one boxer he admits he will never face – his long-time training partner and close friend Joseph Parker.
Asked last year if he would ever entertain a fight with Parker, Fury, who was the WBC heavyweight champion at the time, replied: “Definitely not.
“No. I’d rather give him the belt than fight him for it.
“We’re too close for that fight and there’s plenty of heavyweights out there.
“He doesn’t need to fight me, I don’t want to get beat up, sorry!”
Fury may be forced to make the tough decision if he defeats Usyk when they rematch for the WBA ‘super’, WBO and WBC titles on December 21.
Parker picked up the WBO ‘interim’ title by beating Zhilei Zhang in his last outing in March and would be next in line in the sanctioning body rotation system to face the winner.
The expectation is that whoever emerges victorious from Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua’s all-British showdown for the IBF strap on September 21 will be next in line for a shot at Usyk or Fury.
However, the WBO could throw a spanner in the works by mandating Parker to box the unified heavyweight champion.
Of course, a step-aside fee can be agreed to allow the original plan to go ahead and Parker would likely take this to avoid causing his close friend a headache should he end up in possession of three of the four major sanctioning body belts at the back end of the year.
Although Parker’s stance on fighting Fury is slightly different.
“If it ever came down to it and Tyson was No. 1 and I was No. 2, and there was no one else to fight, and it could help me and my family and secure us for the rest of our lives, I think Tyson and I could do something together,” he said earlier this year.
“But I have the utmost respect for the guy and what he has done for my career, and if it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be where I am today.
“But if it has to come down to it I think we can put everything aside and do it before we sit down after the fight and say, ‘Hey man, you caught me with that good shot,’ and that sort of thing if you know what I mean.”
CBS golf reporter Amanda Balionis is overjoyed to be heading across the pond to North Berwick for the 2024 Genesis Scottish Open, where she’d be reunited with Rory McIlroy.
On Thursday, Balionis took to Instagram to express her excitement about covering the tournament. Sporting a tan Alo cap and sweater, the reporter took a selfie with her stamped passport.
‘See ya soon North Berwick,’ she wrote with a heart emoji while tagging the Scottish Open.
Covering the last two days of the tournament, which runs from July 11 to 14, may open the door for Balionis’ first public run-in with McIlroy since their previous flirtation rumors circulated.
However, it comes after McIlroy called off a divorce and reconciled with wife Erica Stoll, who was seen at the course supporting her husband early in the tournament.
The last time Balionis interviewed McIlroy was at June’s RBC Canadian Open following his headline-grabbing divorce from Stoll in May. Speculations of a possible romance between them sprouted from their seemingly flirtatious interviews.
With McIlroy calling it off with Stoll, fans continued to push the narrative as Balionis – who is married to former NFL quarterback Bryn Renner – was also conspicuously not wearing her wedding ring amid the rumors.
However, the whispers coming from interview smiles and giggles proved to be nothing but fan fiction.
After declaring their marriage broken and filing for divorce, McIlroy called the split off to settle their differences for their family. The golfer would later address the unavoidable rumors about his personal life.
‘There have been rumors about my personal life recently, which is unfortunate. Responding to each rumor is a fool’s game,’ he said.
‘Over the past weeks, Erica and I have realized that our best future was as a family together. Thankfully, we have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning.’
Stoll made her first public appearance since the divorce was retracted as McIlroy finished the first round five under to secure an eighth place tie to begin.
McIlroy hopes to bounce back after losing to Bryson DeChambeau in heartbreaking fashion in at the 2024 US Open.
Jessica Matthews, 19, has been mixing with the stars during her stint as a hitting partner at Wimbledon
Novak Djokovic was running five minutes over his allotted time slot on the Wimbledon practice courts at Aorangi Park, but kept hitting. Hovering at the edge of the court, 19-year-old Jessica Matthews started to slowly make her way into his line of sight.
“Sorry, sorry, I’ll leave,” Djokovic said, putting his hands up in apology, and headed to pack up his rackets.
When Matthews became a hitting partner at Wimbledon, kicking seven-time champion Djokovic off the court was not on her bingo card. But needs must.
“I was due to be hitting with [Danish player] Clara Tauson,” Matthews tells i. “We only had a half-hour hit, so we looked at each other and were like, ‘I think it’s time’. We slowly started creeping on and Djokovic was like sorry, sorry. He was hitting with his son Stefan. It was a crazy experience, kicking off Djokovic when everyone is watching him play.”
Matthews has been getting accustomed to rubbing shoulders with some of the biggest names in tennis for the past two years in her role at Wimbledon. Her job is quite simple: help the best players in the world practise during the most high-pressure fortnight of the year.
Matthews grew up in Hertfordshire and did well as a junior before heading to the University of Iowa to study economics and finance, as well as play college tennis.
She is on her summer holidays now and, here at Wimbledon over the last three weeks, Matthews has been putting in a shift. She is the only female hitting partner employed by Wimbledon, so is in high demand.
“Some days I’ve been playing a total of six to seven hours,” she says. “The legs have been a bit shaky. But when you’re on your sixth hour of the day, your legs are completely exhausted, you can’t turn down another hit because you don’t know when you’ll get to hit with somebody that good again.”
Each session is different. Sometimes she delivers serves over and over again for those that want to hone their returning. She thumps baseline shots across the net by the dozen too, and offers up backhand slices to the best of her ability. Whatever the player wants to work on, she is their woman.
While a small number of top female players travel with a hitting partner, and some favour hitting with men – to try to match the speed and power they experience against the best female opponents – Matthews says she hits a flatter ball, mirroring the majority of women on tour.
Matthews is speaking to i on a drizzly afternoon at the Aorangi Park courts, after hitting with two-time Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur. She has also fulfilled appointments with Spain’s Paula Badosa and British veteran Heather Watson, to name a few.
Matthews might as well call this her second home, as she spends up to 10 hours at the All England Club a day, with access to player locker rooms, restaurants and even sometimes sneaking onto Centre Court to watch the action.
Her favourite moments have come across at practice though. Matthews swallowed her nerves last year during a hit with five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams – which she says remains her most intense session to date. She also befriended former world No 1 Victoria Azarenka and Nick Kyrgios even slid into her DMs (direct messages) on Instagram after she watched his practice session with Djokovic.
“I was basically stood right next to them,” Matthews says. “Kyrgios DM’d me afterwards asking for the videos I took. He was like ‘hey thanks for coming, do you mind sending them to me?’. I was like, of course!”
Above all, she feels like the experience is helping her become a better player – because she is practicing with the best in the world, and gaining opportunities to get top level coaching too.
“Heather’s coach helped me adapt my ball toss. He said he could tell where I was going to serve based on my toss, so we fixed that. [France’s] Diane Parry’s coach was really nice talking to me about the tour, how it’s difficult in the opening stages but you get used to it once you start getting up in the ranks. It was good advice.”
Matthews hopes she will one day be back at Wimbledon as a player herself. For now, getting to know the British pack has been one of the best ways of getting to grips with the pressure involved with competing at Wimbledon: “I was meant to hit with Emma Raducanu but the rain came. I was sad about that. Andy Murray is super nice. I also messaged his brother Jamie asking about the Queen’s tournament where he’s the tournament director, about being a potential hitter there next year. He recognised me and came up to me here the other day.
“Heather Watson’s been so sweet on the court too. We did some doubles practice and she was joking that we should play together. I was like, count me in!”
