Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain ATP 500
Serbia Open, Belgrade, Serbia ATP 250
Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Stuttgart, Germany, WTA 500
TEB BNP Paribas Tennis Championship, Istanbul, Turkey WTA 250
April 18 - 24, 2022
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These Iberian Lynx Cubs are on the endangered species list. The conservation effort taken to prevent the Iberian Lynx’s extinction has paid out, and from a shrinking population of less than 100 individuals in 2002, now 404 cats live in the Mediterranean forests of the Iberian Peninsula. A new ambitious conservation project, LIFE Iberlince, is recovering some of the lynx’s lost territories in Spain and Portugal. |
💐Spring has sprung!🌻 I think since we have been having some funky spring weather. We are well on our way to Roland Garros - a mere five weeks away. Players are honing their red clay skills. I particularly like the scraping sound when a player slips and slides across the red stuff to get a ball. Seriously some of the best moves I have seen in tennis have been those elegant and not so elegant, funny and not so funny slipping and sliding. Sigh a bit of Paul Simon is floating in my mind so here goes...."Slip slidin'away / Slip slidin' away / You know the nearer your destination / The more you're slip slidin away..."
Let's see what we have this coming week....
Barcelona Open Banc, Sabadell, Spain, ATP 500
Real Club de Tenis Barcelona -1899
April
18 - 24, 2022
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| The Sagrada Familia (Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family) is the most iconic symbol of Barcelona and the most visited landmark in the whole of Spain. The construction of the structure began in 1882. It was designed initially in a Neo-Gothic style. A year later it was commissioned to the Spanish Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, who redesigned it entirely. He drafted a remarkable and original basilica that was to have 18 towers. However, he died before he could complete this chef d’oeuvre, having only built one of the church’s towers. |
Surface: Clay outdoor
Draw: Singles 48, Doubles 16
This tournament takes place in the oldest Spanish tennis club.
2021 Champion: Rafa Nadal. Rafa has an incredible 12 trophies, and in 2017 the center court of the Real Club was renamed Pista Rafa Nadal (Rafa Nadal Arena). Sadly, because of injury he won’t be able to defend his title.
Seeds (in order of seeding: Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Cameron Norrie, Carlos Alcaraz, Diego Schwartzman, Pablo Carreno Busta, Nikoloz Basilashvili, Alex de Minaur, Lorenzo Sonego, Daniel Evans, Frances Tiafoe, Grigor Dimitrov, Federico Delbonis, Alexander Bublik
Wildcards: Spaniards Feliciano Lopez, Jaume Munar, Tommy Robredo, plus Felix Auger-Aliassime
Notables include: Marton Fucsovics, Lloyd Harris, Sebastian Korda, Arthur Rinderknech
Withdrawals include: Nadal, Bautista Agut, Hurkacz, Shapovalov, Sinner
Serbia Open, Belgrade Serbia ATP 250
Novak Tennis Center
April 18 - 24, 2022
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Church of Saint Sava, Serbia - From whichever direction you approach the capital of Serbia, there’s one edifice you won’t be able to miss. Every day, its grandiose bell towers with almost 50 bells announce noon. Its walls bring tens of thousands of believers together and its magnificent appearance and sacred spirit protect the sky above Serbia’s capital. It is located on the Vračar plateau, on the eastern part of the Svetosavski Trg square in Belgrade which is believed to be the location where the remains of Saint Sava were burned in 1595 by Ottoman Grand Vizier Sinan Pasha in order to break the Serbian spirit. |
Surface: Clay outdoor
Draw: Singles 28, Doubles 16The ATP Tour returned to Belgrade in 2021 for the first time in nine years, relocating from Budapest, Hungary.
2021 Champion: Matteo Berrettini (also out with an injury)
Seeds (in order of seeding): Novak Djokovic, Andrey Rublev, Karen Khachanov, Aslan Karatsev, Cristian Garin, Fabio Fognini, Miomir Kecmanovic, Filip Krajinovic
The top four seeds get a first-round bye.
Wildcards: Serbian player Hamad Medjedovic, plus Mikhail Kukushkin, Alejandro Tabilo
Withdrawals include: Berrettini, Carballes Baena, Monfils, Thompson
Porsche Tennis Grand Prix WTA 500
Porsche Arena
Stuttgart, Germany
April 18 - 24, 2022
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| Though it has been left largely uninhabited since the 18th century, the towering Hohenzollern Castle remains one of Germany's most visited palaces for its fairytale views. Atop a formidable hill surrounded by Germany’s Black Forest rests the high-walled fortress of Hohenzollern Castle. It towers regally over the town of Bisingen on a mountain of its own name, “Burg Hohenzollern,” and is bound by the Rhine Valley to the west and the south. |
Surface: Clay indoor
Draw: Singles 28, Doubles 16Held since 1978, the tourney is the oldest women’s indoor tournament in Europe. The lucky winner gets to take home a Porsche as well as the prize money.
2021 Champion: Ashleigh Barty (Because Ash has retired from competition she won’t be defending her title.)
Most titles: Martina Navratilova with six.
Seeds (in order of seeding): Iga Swiatek, Paula Badosa, Aryna Sabalenka, Maria Sakkari, Anett Kontaveit, Karolina Pliskova, Ons Jabeur, Emma Raducanu
The top four seeds receive opening-round byes. Other notables: Coco Gauff, Daria Kasatkina, Angelique Kerber, Elena Rybakina and Bianca Andreescu
Withdrawals include: Azarenka, Collins, Ostapenko, Pavlyuchenkova, Svitolina
Singles Draw
Doubles Draw
OOP
TEB BNP Paribas Tennis Championship WTA 250
TTF Istanbul Tennis Center
Istanbul, Turkey
April 18 - 24, 2022
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Fat Cats of Instanbul - In Istanbul, fat cats are a good thing. A Turkish affection for street cats and dogs has
blossomed online—and occasionally pits local people against the government. SPRAWLING on doorsteps, on café benches,
inside hamams: stray cats and dogs are everywhere in Istanbul. Some 130,000
dogs roam the city; at least 125,000 wild cats prowl its streets. There are at least half a dozen Facebook pages dedicated to
the strays around Istanbul. One, “Cats of Istanbul”, has nearly 70,000
followers; its canine cousin, “Pups of Istanbul”, a more modest 20,000,
attesting to the pointlessness of competing with cats on the internet. One
particular photo, of Tombili, an obese feline who was papped leaning casually
against a step, so tickled its fans that a bronze statue (pictured, with
original) was put up in his honour after he died. |
Surface: Clay outdoor
Draw: Singles 32, Doubles 16
This is the 15th edition of the tournament.
2021 Champion: Sorana Cirstea
Seeds (in order of seeding): Elise Mertens, Sorana Cirstea, Veronika Kudermetova, Anhelina Kalinina, Jil Teichmann, Ajla Tomljanovic, Sara Sorribes Tormo, Tereza Martincova
Wild cards: Ipek Oz and Pamra Ozgen of Turkey
Withdrawals include: Caroline Garcia, Marta Kostyuk, Camila Osorio
Singles Draw
Doubles Draw
OOP
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| Ukraine - Still Standing |
Celebrating Missy Hartt's week long Birthday. So it is decreed so shall it be. Thank you and Happy Week long Birthday Shirley Hartt. Ha! See Aretha at about the 3:15 mark
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