Tennis365’s A to Z of tennis for October: An ‘unpretentious’ Andy Murray, WWE’s Serena Williams wish

Shahida Jacobs
November 1, 2018

You may have missed some of important things that happened in the world of tennis during September, so here is your A to Z of tennis snapshot.

A is for ATP Tour title glory: Kyle Edmund got the monkey off his back as he won his maiden ATP Tour title when he beat Gael Monfils in the European Open final.

B is for bounce-back 2019: We took a look at tennis stars who need a bounce-back 2019, featuring Andy Murray and a few other players.

C is for century: Roger Federer claimed ATP Tour title No 99 when he won the Swiss Indoors for a ninth time and he then set his sights on No 100. Will he do it at the Paris Masters?
Roger Federer celebrates

D is for Davis Cup: There was good news, bad news and wait and see news for the Davis Cup as Rafael Nadal committed to playing in next year’s tournament, Alexander Zverev announced he would boycott the event while Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are yet to officially make a decision.

E is for exclusive interview: Sky Sports’ tennis analyst Marcus Buckland talked exclusively to Tennis365 about watching Andy Murray win his first Slam, life after the Big Five and more.

And here is part two of the Marcus Buckland interview.

F is for five of Britain’s best: On the back of Edmund’s maiden ATP Tour title, we look at five other British stars’ first singles trophies and how it shaped their careers.

G is for Garbine Muguruza: Two-time Grand Slam winner Garbine Muguruza turned 25 in October and we dug up 10 facts featuring Beyonce selfies and Oreo brownies.

H is for Halep: World No 1 Simona Halep capped off a brilliant 2018 by winning the WTA Player of the Year award while Serena Williams scooped the Comeback of the Year gong.
Simona Halep named WTA Player of the Year

I is for injury: Kyle Edmund was forced to end the 2018 season prematurely due to injury.

J is for Jack Draper: Joe Tyler caught up with rising British tennis star Jack Draper and asked whether he could swap junior Wimbledon for the real thing in the next few years.

K is for Katie Boulter: More good news for British tennis as Katie Boulter broke into the WTA top 100 for the first time in her career during October.

L is for luckless Juan Martin del Potro: Juan Martin del Potro is set to miss the season-ending ATP Finals after fracturing his knee cap during the Shanghai Masters.

M is for most successful player in the Murray family: Johnny Nic believes Jamie Murray deserves more praise than brother Andy as he is the most successful player in the Murray family.

N is for No 1 / numero uno / Novak Djokovic: We asked who will finish the year as the No 1 player? Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer? Well, Djokovic is currently the man in the driver’s seat after replacing Nadal.
Novak Djokovic celebrates

O is for on-court coaching: Is it time to introduce on-court coaching at Grand Slams? After the dramatic 2018 US Open women’s final, Serena Williams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou called on authorities to take the logical step and allow on-court coaching.

P is for potential: According to Greg Rusedski, Nick Kyrgios has the potential to become one of the top players in the world, but unfortunately the Sky Sports analyst doesn’t believe he has the mentality.

Q is for qualifier: Russian Daniil Medvedev came through qualifying to win the Japan Open.

R is for rheumatoid arthritis: World No 2 Caroline Wozniacki was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis shortly before the US Open and she admits she initially struggled to come to terms with it.

S is for “something special” from sensational Svitolina: Ukrainian Elina Svitolina won the biggest trophy of her career when she beat Sloane Stephens in the WTA Finals.

T is for tie-breaker rule change: The Kevin Anderson-John Isner Wimbledon semi-final was the straw that broke the camel’s back as SW19 will use tie-breakers in the final set from 2019.
Kevin Anderson v John Isner scoreboard

U is for “unpretentious” Andy Murray: Andy Murray surprised four players celebrating their birthdays in Philadelphia and they described him as “unpretentious and low-key”.

V is for video: You should know by now that we can’t go a month without some sort of Nick Kyrgios controversy. Here is a video of him involved in yet another row with a chair umpire.

W is for WWE: Serena Williams is apparently being coveted by the WWE, but Michael Graham says tennis needs her more.

X is for eXhibition match: The Saudi Arabia exhibition match has created a lot of unwanted attention for Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic as they have come under pressure to withdraw from the event following the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Roger Federer has since revealed that he was also offered to play in the Middle Eastern country, but said no.

Y is for yellow tennis balls: Did you know that Sir David Attenborough is the reason why tennis switched from white to yellow balls?