Emma Raducanu’s victory at the US Open last year transformed her into a global phenomenon. British broadcaster Sky Sports has taken note of this fact and has made efforts to gain exclusive streaming rights for the US Open next year.
Felix Auger-Aliassime, meanwhile, was awarded a late wildcard to participate in the upcoming ATP 250 event in Morocco. Daniil Medvedev is set to be sidelined for a month or two after undergoing minor hernia surgery, while Iga Swiatek has pulled out of the Charleston Open due to an injury.
John Isner completed the “sunshine double” by winning the doubles title in Miami. Here’s a round-up of the day’s biggest headlines:
Sky Sports’ move to secure US Open broadcasting rights due to Raducanu’s stardom
Emma Raducanu made history by winning the 2021 US Open as a qualifier. The Brit became an overnight sensation following her triumph in New York. Over the last few years, Amazon’s streaming service Prime Video has become the go-to destination to watch tennis action in the UK.
Amazon currently broadcasts most of the ATP and WTA events in the country and has exclusive rights to the US Open telecast until 2022. However, with the broadcasting rights for the US Open up for grabs once again, British broadcaster Sky Sports have apparently outbid Amazon.
The decision is yet to be finalized, but Raducanu’s global popularity has played a big role in Sky Sports’ move to regain the broadcasting rights for the US Open.
Auger-Aliassime set to compete in Morocco
Felix Auger-Aliassime had a great start to the season. He made it to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, won his maiden title at the Rotterdam Open and was a finalist at the Open 13 Provence. However, his momentum came to an abrupt halt during the Masters events in Indian Wells and Miami. He failed to get past the opening hurdles in both tournaments.
Auger-Aliassime’s disappointing performances last month may have played a part in his decision to kick-off his clay season early. He’s set to compete at the Grand Prix Hassan II, to be held in Marrakesh, Morocco, for which he was awarded a late wildcard.
Medvedev sidelined for 1-2 months after undergoing hernia surgery
Former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev revealed that he has been playing with a small hernia for a while and has gone under the knife to treat the same. He’s likely to be out of action for a month or two.
“Hi everyone. The last months I have been playing with a small hernia. Together with my team I have decided to have a small procedure done to fix the problem. I will likely be out for the next 1 – 2 months and will work hard to be back on court soon. Thanks for all the support,” Medvedev said.
Medvedev is likely to miss the entirety of the clay season, including Roland Garros, where he reached the quarterfinals last year.
Swiatek to miss Charleston Open due to arm injury
The last few weeks have seen Iga Swiatek transform into a winning machine. She has now won three WTA 1000 tournaments in succession; the Qatar Open, the Indian Wells Open and the Miami Open. Playing so much high-intensity tennis, however, has finally caught up to the newly crowned World No. 1, forcing her to withdraw from the Charleston Open due to an arm injury.
“I hoped to start the clay season in Charleston but unfortunately, I need to wait to play this great tournament with big traditions,” Swiatek said.
🇵🇱 Iga Swiatek has withdrawn from the #CharlestonOpen with an arm injury.“I hoped to start the clay season in Charleston but unfortunately, I need to wait to play this great tournament with big traditions.“We hope to see you back here in 2023! 😃📖: bit.ly/36JynYB https://t.co/tPxUfet6Qs
Swiatek isn’t the only high-profile player to pull out of the event. Simona Halep, Garbine Muguruza, Jelena Ostapenko and Danielle Collins have also withdrawn.
Isner completes “Sunshine Double” by winning doubles title in Miami
John Isner won the Indian Wells Masters partnering with Jack Sock a couple of weeks ago. He then teamed up with Hubert Hurkacz to win the doubles title in Miami. The duo defeated Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski to win their first title as a pair.
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With the victory, Isner completed the “Sunshine Double” (winning the Indian Wells and Miami Masters consecutively). It was the eighth career title in doubles for the American.