Seasonal; Team; Individual; Extreme; Gear;

"[Serbia] allowed everyone to do whatever they want," Manchester United soccer star says.
Serbian soccer star Nemanja Matić is defending compatriot Novak Djokovic in the aftermath of his Adria Tour debacle.

The Adria Tour, which launched in Djokovic's native Belgrade, featured high-fives and hugs between players and little social distancing or masks among fans.

Watch: Tsitsipas Sings for His Supper

Several players, including Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki, contracted coronavirus after playing the Adria Tour.

While Djokovic, an organizing force behind the tour, has taken the brunt of the backlash against reckless behavior on the Tour, Matić says the Serbian government opened up the country and gave the world No. 1 approval to host the Adria Tour.

"People need to understand that the situation in Serbia was better than here," Matić, who plays for Manchester United, told Sky Sports. "The country allowed everyone to do whatever they want, everything was open, the shopping centres and the restaurants.

"So they started to live normal lives because our country was closed for three months completely. You were not allowed to walk on the street, you couldn't leave your home, so it was different than [England].

"But when they opened they said 'you are more than free to do whatever you want'. Before that tournament, there was a game with 20,000 people and nobody said anything about that."

Photo credit: Adria Tour Facebook

The Greek is making hits on and off the court. Not only is Stefanos Tsitsipas excelling on the court at the Ultimate Tennis Showdown in the South of France, the World No.6 is also polishing up his singing chops.

One of the fun parts of the UTS format is the changeover interviews after every quarter. That means fans get at least four minutes of Tsitsipas, live and unscripted, and sometimes the results can be quite hilarious. Here The Greek tells commentators Pete Odgers and Jenny Drummond that he’s going to sing some Justin Timberlake—never mind that he actually sings Timbaland.

There was also plenty of excellent tennis from Tsitsipas. He’s now 5-1 and in first place after three weeks of tennis in the South of France. There are two more weeks to play.

He was everywhere at once today 🙌

Another magnificent performance from @StefTsitsipas at #UTShowdown pic.twitter.com/5IiaxUotmo

— Tennis Majors (@Tennis_Majors) June 29, 2020

UTR launches new initiative for junior, high school and college athletes to compete in high level local tennis events.
Americans don't need a pro ranking to play for a National Championship.

Universal Tennis today announced the launch of its first-ever UTR National Championship Series, a new initiative for junior, high school and college athletes to compete in high level local tennis events, continue to develop their game, and have their scores count globally via the Universal Tennis Rating (UTR).

More: What Self-Isolation? Zverev Spotted Partying

The UTR National Championship Series features over 20 locations with more than 70 events and 2,000 matches across the United States, including California, Florida, Texas, Georgia, Missouri, Ohio, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts.

The series will be divided into three divisions: High School, Juniors (14’s & 16’s) and College, with events beginning July 8th and running through early August.

Space is limited to the top 16 players by UTR in each division and winners of each host site will be nationally recognized by Universal Tennis as the first ever UTR National Champions.

All UTR National Championship Series events will be organized based on a World Cup-style format, where groups of players will compete in round robin style stages and will advance to the next round based on their results. Winners of the collegiate and junior UTR National Championships will be eligible to receive prize money. The junior series will be live-streamed for college coaches on MyUTR.com to help support summer recruiting efforts.

“The UTR National Championship Series gives young players who are eager to get back on the court a new opportunity to participate in local, high level competition that counts globally for their Universal Tennis Rating. Due to the global health crisis, players have been unable to compete for a few months, and many events have been cancelled,” said Mark Leschly, Universal Tennis Chairman & CEO. “Our partner sites are committed to following their local health and safety guidelines, while offering a fun, competitive environment for players to get back to competition, showcase their skills and return to the game they love.”

Fila will serve as the official apparel and footwear provider of the UTR National Championship Series, providing prizes for all winners across the junior, high school and collegiate divisions.

Calendar Dates:

• College: July 8 – August 2
• Juniors Boys & Girls (14s & 16s): July 15 – July 26
• High School: July 29 – August 2 

​Registration: Players, coaches and parents can learn more and sign up for their local UTR National Championship Series event at MyUTR.com.

Photo credit: UTR Facebook

The Aussie jumps all over Zverev, who was seen out partying six days after promising to self-isolate. Nick Kyrgios has taken to Instagram to call out the behavior of Alexander Zverev. Zverev made headlines on Sunday when he was filmed out at a club in the French Riviera.

Just six days prior, Zverev had posted an apology on social media, saying that he was planning to self-isolate due to his presence at the Adria Tour, which saw several top players, including Novak Djokovic, test positive for Covid-19.

Kyrgios filmed a rant in his car and posted it on his Instagram stories.

“How selfish can you be?” he said. “If you have the audacity to f****** put out a tweet that you made your management write on your behalf, saying you are going to self-isolate for 14 days, and apologizing to the general public for putting their health at risk, at least have the audacity to stay inside for 14 days.”

Nick Kyrgios on Sascha Zverev. *A lot of things* were said. 😶 pic.twitter.com/zWxl9opKjC

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) June 29, 2020

“Have your girlfriend with you for f****** fourteen days. Jesus, man, pissing me off,” Kyrgios added. “This tennis world is pissing me off, seriously, how selfish can you all get?”

Tunisian player also fined $7,000.
Majed Kilani has been banned seven years for match-fixing.

The Tunisian player was also fined $7,000 after being found guilty of match-fixing, the Tennis Integrity Unit announced.

Uncle Toni: Rafa Has Doubts About Rest of 2020

A Tennis Integrity Unit investigation concluded Kilani conspired with a third party to manipulate the outcome of matches played at an ITF Futures tournament in Egypt in August 2016. In addition to the match-fixing offenses, Kilani was also found to have failed to fully co-operate with a TIU investigation into the corruption allegations against him.

Kilani is prohibited from playing in or attending any tennis event authorized or sanctioned by the governing bodies of tennis for a period of seven years, effective June 25th, 2020.

The 23-year old Kilani is currently ranked 804 in ATP singles and 528 in doubles, both of which are career highs.

The $7,000 fine must be paid at the rate of $1,000 per year over the course of his seven-year ban.

Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve

Former No. 1 says shift from US Open hard-court to Madrid clay is hazardous.
Andy Murray has won both the US Open and Madrid.

The former world No. 1 says the revised calendar for the pro circuit will put players' health at risk by scheduling the Mutua Madrid Open on clay right after the US Open is contested on hard court.

Toni Nadal: Rafa Has Doubts About 2020 Season

Murray, who suggests he is leaning toward playing the Citi Open in Washington, DC starting on August 14th, says requiring players to shift surfaces after a long layoff is not safe.

“It’s not safe for players to go from the semis or final in New York, quarters even, and then you’re playing on the Tuesday in Madrid at altitude on the clay court, when players haven’t competed for a very long time,” Murray said.

The former world No. 1 proposes a possible solution for players: shift the rankings to two years.

“It might be worth potentially looking at a two-year ranking for the time being so that the guys who did well last year and are not able to defend their points properly aren’t punished," Murray said.

Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve

The uncle of Rafael Nadal says that the ATP's schedule is going to be extremely tough on the older players. Speaking in an interview with ESPN Deportes, Toni Nadal hinted that his nephew Rafael might have some difficult choices to make when it comes to his playing schedule for the remainder of 2020.

With the US Open taking place in New York just two weeks before the start of Roland Garros, and tournaments packed into the schedule from mid-August til October, the legendary coach and uncle of Nadal says that his nephew is hesitant.

"I spoke to Rafael and he was hesitating,” Nadal said. “He told me what they had done with the calendar and it seems a little ugly to me, what the ATP have done. It seems to me an unforgiving calendar for older people: for Djokovic, for Rafael, for Federer … to play every week. A young tennis player can, but if you think about Djokovic, Rafael and Federer have helped tennis for many years."

Nadal’s uncle also gave his take on the Adria Tour, which has seen World No.1 Novak Djokovic and several other top players test positive for Covid-19 after two weekends of play in Belgrade, Serbia and Zadar, Croatia.

"It was a shame,” he said. “It was a good initiative to do a little movement in tennis that I think was going well but in the end there has been a coronavirus problem that has not been good for tennis or for Djokovic and the players.”

Nadal admits that the scenario is different than it would be in other countries, given the fact that Serbia and Croatia have been relatively spared by the virus. “In Serbia the measures are not as strict as in other countries and they have acted in this way,” he said. “It is a mistake that anyone can make, Djokovic has already apologized for the mistake. It is a step backwards in the process of normalizing the circuit. "

Srdjan Djokovic made Grigor Dimitrov the fall guy. Nick Kyrgios isn't having it.
Srdjan Djokovic blames Grigor Dimitrov for bringing the coronavirus to the Adria Tour.

Nick Kyrgios isn't having it.

Kyrgios: Epitome of Stupidity

Srdjan Djokovic, Novak Djokovic's father, claims Dimitrov infected the Tour—a charge Dimitrov's agent denies.

"How did the infection come about? Probably because Dimitrov came sick, who knows where,” Srdjan Djokovic told Croatian television network RTL. “He was not tested in Zadar, but somewhere else. I don’t think that’s right.

"I think it is not correct that the test was not done here, but somewhere else…

"[He has caused] great harm to you in Croatia, to us as a family and to Serbia. Nobody is well, not even my son."

Novak Djokovic, Borna Coric, Dimitrov and Viktor Troicki, who all played the Adria Tour, have all tested positive for coronavirus and are self-isolating.

In an Instagram post, Kyrgios shot down Djokovic senior's attempt to make Dimitrov the fall guy posting this response.

"Nah Bruh don't push the blame," Kyrgios posted above a photo of his nemesis, Novak Djokovic, and Srdjan Djokovic together.

The comment comes after Kyrgios ripped the "boneheaded decision" to host the Adria Tour during this coronavirus pandemic.

Dimitrov's agent, Georgi Stoimenov, pushed back against the elder Djokovic's claim countering it is the Adria Tour organizers, not the players, who bear the responsibility for the COVID-19 spread on the tour.

"Grigor landed directly in Belgrade after three months of isolation,” Dimitrov’s agent said in a statement. “Neither in Belgrade nor in Zadar, Croatia was he required to pass a test for the coronavirus. The event organizers are responsible for the running of a safe event and for creating the rules they deem necessary to follow.

“Grigor strictly respected and followed all of the rules imposed by the organizers of both the tournament and those regulations required by the borders of Bulgaria, Croatia and Serbia. "

Photo credit: Guillermo Sanchez

Dominic Thiem's agent Herwig Straka thinks Novak Djokovic should shoulder the blame for the Adria Tour debacle. Dominic Thiem‘s agent Herwig Straka says Novak Djokovic should be the pointman when it comes to taking blame for the Adria Tour’s careless handling of public safety and the positive Covid-19 cases that emerged from the first two weekends of the now cancelled event.

“Yes. In retrospect, it is clear that it was nonsense,” Straka said in an interview with "Der Standard". “Even if it was allowed. Everyone knows it was stupid, no public apology helps. The only one who has to apologize is Djokovic because he staged everything. The others were just there, didn't kill anyone.”

Thiem took to social media to apologize today. “Our behavior was a mistake, we acted too euphorically,” he wrote.

Straka, who is the tournament director of the Erste Bank Open in Vienna and also a tournament representative on the ATP's Board of Directors, said that Djokovic let good common sense get in the way of good intentions.

“You have to assign Djokovic the main share of the blame,” he said. “Okay, the others took part, but he was very behind it. Originally from honorable motives, the focus was on the charity concept. But it went in the wrong direction, was misused as a publicity show. You have to blame Djokovic for that.”

Straka said he pushed for clear social distancing guidelines and was later disappoint when monitoring the event to see that they hadn’t been kept.

Dominic #Thiem's manager tells @SportStandardAt reg #AdriaTour: "I insisted on receiving their COVID-19 regulations. 2 days prior to the event it was said that there will be 1000 fans max., social distancing guaranteed. They didn't hold up to that."https://t.co/9SaLhS0nLR

— Lukas Zahrer (@ZahrerLukas) June 25, 2020

“In advance, I insisted that we get clear Covid-19 guidelines,” he said. “It was urgent that a maximum of 1,000 spectators are allowed to come, social distancing was guaranteed. I only released Dominic under these conditions. That was two days before. You didn't stick to it, it was annoying to me.”

Former world No. 1 will play for Washington Kastles.
World TeamTennis welcomes another superstar to its 2020 season.

Former world No. 1 Venus Williams has committed to WTT's 45th season, which will be contested from July 12th-August 2nd at The Greenbrier “America’s Resort” in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

Kyrgios: Epitome of Stupidity

The four-time Olympic gold-medal champion will play for the Washington Kastles.

It will be Venus' 15th season for the Kastles, a team she led to the King Trophy on four occasions in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015. She won her first King Trophy in 2006 while playing for the Philadelphia Freedoms and was named the WTT Final MVP in 2012.

“I’m excited to be playing World TeamTennis with the Kastles again this year,” Williams said. “It’s always a great time and I’m looking forward to getting back on the court, embracing the team approach, and hopefully leading the Kastles to another King Trophy.”

The 40-year-old Williams has won five Wimbledon Championships, two US Open titles, 16 Grand Slam doubles titles and owns 49 career WTA singles crowns.

The summer of 2000 was also the same year Williams made her WTT debut for the St. Louis Aces. She has played for the Delaware Smash (2005), Freedoms (2006-09) and Kastles (2010-12, 2014-15, 2017-19). The Kastles are led by rising American star Frances Tiafoe and includes teammates Marcelo Arevalo, Bernarda Pera, Nick Monroe and Arina Rodionova, and are coached by former ATP player Robby Ginepri.

Williams leads an accomplished cast of champions to compete at The Greenbrier, including reigning Australian Open singles champion Sofia Kenin, 2017 US Open winner Sloane Stephens, Mike and Bob Bryan, tennis’ all-time winningest doubles team, former world top-10 Jack Sock, 2016 Olympic gold medalist Monica Puig, and former Wimbledon singles finalists Milos Raonic and Genie Bouchard.

Tickets are on sale now at WTTTickets.com. General admission tickets start at $40 for Upper Bowl seats at Center Court at Creekside, and prices vary depending on the day of the week.

All of WTT’s 2020 regular season and playoff matches will be televised or streamed on CBS, CBS Sports Network, Tennis Channel or the ESPN family of networks. In addition, select matches will be live-streamed on ESPN+, Facebook Watch or WTT.com.

WTT’s complete season broadcast schedule will be announced on WTT.com at a later date.

Safety guidelines have been put into place by WTT with guidance of local and state government officials in West Virginia and in adherence to all health and safety protocols set forth by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Every fan at The Greenbrier will be required to pass a temperature check of under 100.4 degrees before entering the grounds. All fans will be required to wear a face covering during the matches and will be checked a second time before entering the outdoor stadium, Center Court at Creekside, or indoor court for any matches, and will be denied entry should they fail the temperature check.

Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve