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Wimbledon 2022

2022 Wimbledon - Team Yonex Preview

LONDON – Over 50 players from Team Yonex have transitioned to the grass in SW19 for Wimbledon. 2022 marks the 100th anniversary of Wimbledon’s Centre Court since the move to Church Road. Although ranking points will not be awarded at this year’s Championships, the draws are still packed with talent but open for new opportunities.

 

[3] Casper Ruud (NOR) is coming off his career-best performance with a runner-up finish at Roland-Garros last month. [7] Hubert Hurkacz (POL) and [13] Denis Shapovalov (CAN) are looking to build off their success from last year where they reached the semifinals.

Nick Kyrgios (AUS) is one of the most dangerous, unseeded players in the draw. Kyrgios is 7-2 this grass season with key wins over top players. Kyrgios will team up with Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) in doubles, their first appearance since winning the 2022 Australian Open titles.

American [8] Jessica Pegula has been one of the most-consistent players on tour. She has reached the singles’ quarterfinals in both majors this year and was recently a finalist at Roland-Garros in doubles.

 

Top Seeds on Grass

Team Yonex makes up 20% of the top-32 seeds in the men’s and women’s singles draw. For the first time in their careers, Ruud is a top-4 seed and Hurkacz is a top-8 seed.

 

On the women’s side, Pegula leads Team Yonex as the 8 seed. 2018 Wimbledon Champion and last year’s semifinalist Kerber is flying under the radar on her favorite surface as the 15 seed.

 

Also recording “first’s” during their breakout seasons, 21-year-old [31] Sebastian Baez (ARG) and Ukranian [29] Anhelina Kalinina are seeded for the first time in their careers.

 

The London Collection

The traditional all-white collection will be worn by 10 players at this year’s Championships, including two of the top-eight men’s seeds – Ruud and Hurkacz.

Casper’s Gear
Racquet: EZONE 100
String: POLYTOUR SPIN 125 / PRO 130
Apparel: London Collection
Footwear: ECLIPSION
Bag: Pro Series Bag

Hubert’s Gear
Racquet: VCORE PRO 97
Apparel: London Collection
Footwear: ECLIPSION
Bag: Pro Series Bag

Denis’s Gear
String: POLYTOUR STRIKE 125
Bag: Pro Series Bag

Nick’s Gear
Racquet: EZONE 98
String: POLYTOUR PRO 120
Bag: Pro Series Bag

Thanasi’s Gear
Racquet: EZONE 98
Bag: Pro Series Bag

Jessica’s Gear
Racquet: EZONE 98
Bag: Pro Series Bag

Sebastian’s Gear
Racquet: VCORE 98+
String: POLYTOUR STRIKE 125
Bag: Pro Series Bag

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Roland-Garros 2023: Champion Oda makes history

Paris, FRANCE – Just a month after turning 17, Yonex ambassador Tokito Oda (JPN) made history at Roland-Garros as the youngest ever man in any discipline to win a Grand Slam. 

Oda’s phenomenal victory in the men’s wheelchair singles, which also propelled him to World No. 1 for the first time, was among the highlights for Team Yonex on the clay. The unstoppable, unplayable Diede de Groot (NED) won a 10th consecutive Grand Slam in the women’s wheelchair singles while Casper Ruud (NOR) reached the final of the men’s singles for the second straight year, with Yonex players featuring in 10 different finals.  

Dream win for Oda 

Two dreams came true for Tokito Oda in the final of the men’s wheelchair singles. With his 6-1, 6-4 victory over Britain’s Alfie Hewett, the teenager claimed his first Grand Slam singles title and also replaced his opponent at the top of the rankings. It was just 12 months ago that Oda made his debut at the Grand Slams when he was 16 years old and he was the youngest ever competitor at the wheelchair events. At the age of 17 years and 33 days, Oda has created history in Paris again, this time by becoming the youngest man in any discipline to win a Grand Slam. No wonder the Yonex athlete felt as though it was the happiest day of his life. 

Perfect 10 for De Groot 

Dropping just two games for a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Japan’s Yui Kamiji, Diede de Groot claimed her 10th consecutive Grand Slam singles title and is now halfway to a possible third successive calendar-year Grand Slam. In 2021 and 2022, the Dutchwoman became the first player in any discipline to achieve the Grand Slam – winning all four majors in a season – two years in a row. After winning this year’s Australian Open, she has now added the Roland-Garros title as well. De Groot also extended two other streaks with her 18th Grand Slam singles title – this was her third consecutive triumph at Paris, and her fourth overall, and took her winning streak at tour level to 103 matches. 

Second straight final for Ruud

For the second year in a row, head-to-toe Yonex ambassador Casper Ruud appeared in the final at Roland-Garros, coming close to becoming the first Norwegian man to win a Grand Slam singles title. It was also his third final from the past five Grand Slams as he also featured in the final of the 2022 US Open. Ruud had played superb tennis to win six matches in Paris, including beating Denmark’s Holger Rune in the quarter-finals and Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the last four, and he maintained a high level in the final during his 7-6(1), 6-3, 7-5 defeat to Serbia’s Novak Djokovic. 

Busy weekend for Team Yonex 

Yonex ambassador Sander Gille (BEL) reached the final of the men’s doubles while another Yonex athlete, Taylor Townsend (USA), featured in the final of the women’s doubles. Diede de Groot came close to winning a second title at Roland-Garros as she was in the women’s wheelchair doubles final while Yonex ambassador Martin De La Puente (ESP) / Gustavo Fernandez (ARG) appeared in the final of the men’s wheelchair doubles. Team Yonex’s Heath Davidson (AUS) was in the quad doubles final while another Yonex athlete, Juan Carlos Prado Angelo (BOL), reached the final of the boys’ singles. In the girls’ doubles, Team Yonex also dominated into the finals, with Tyra Caterina Grant (USA) claiming victory and Sarah Saito (JPN) taking the runner up position.

Tokito Oda (JPN) | EZONE 100L / POLYTOUR SPIN / POLYTOUR PRO 125

Content from Yonex.com

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Roland-Garros 2023: De Groot wins 100th match in a row

Paris, FRANCE – The extraordinary, seemingly unstoppable Diede de Groot (NED) has won her 100th consecutive tour-level match with the women’s wheelchair tennis icon hitting triple figures in her opening appearance at Roland-Garros. 

Taking less than an hour to defeat French wild card Emmanuelle Morch 6-2, 6-2 in the first round, the Yonex ambassador remains undefeated since 2021, and the World No. 1 also has not lost at a Grand Slam tournament since Roland-Garros 2020. 

De Groot attempting to win a 10th major in a row 

De Groot’s dominance of women’s wheelchair tennis means the Dutchwoman has come to Paris looking for a 10th consecutive major singles title. In 2021 and 2022, she became the first tennis player in any discipline to achieve the calendar-year Grand Slam – winning all four majors in the season – two years in a row, and then she extended her streak to nine Grand Slams with her victory at this season’s Australian Open. 

Only two other players in the history of the sport – Shingo Kunieda with 12 titles in a row and Esther Vergeer with 11 consecutive majors – have longer winning streaks at the Grand Slams. 

Among other remarkable numbers, De Groot is also trying to win a third successive title at Roland-Garros and a fourth overall. 

Oda seeking history 

Just a year after making his first Grand Slam appearance at 2022 Roland-Garros, and still only 17 years old, Tokito Oda (JPN) is already the World No. 2 in the men’s wheelchair rankings. Oda, who won his opening match 6-1, 6-4 against another Japanese player, Daisuke Arai, is hoping to win a first major and also become the youngest World No. 1 in the history of men’s wheelchair tennis.   

Diede de Groot (NED) | VCORE 98 / REXIS COMFORT 125

Tokito Oda (JPN) | EZONE 100L / POLYTOUR SPIN / POLYTOUR PRO 125

Content from Yonex.com
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TEAM YONEX EXCELS AT US OPEN

TEAM YONEX EXCELS AT US OPEN

New York- Casper Ruud, the runner-up for the US Open and Roland-Garros this year marked his career-high ranking No.2.   

 When Casper Ruud saw the pictures of past champions lining the locker room of the US Open, he thought to himself: "There are more faces here than there are at other Grand Slams."

 He was right: if you compare the winners of each major tournament since 2010, the US Open has offered the greatest variety of champions. In these 12 years, only the so-called "Big 4" have won Wimbledon.  At the Australian Open, the past 12 titles have been split among only four champions. And at the Roland-Garros, only three players have lifted the trophy.

 But in New York, there have been seven champions in the past 12 tournaments. Moreover, four of them, including Andy Murray, grabbed their first career Grand Slam title at this tournament. "Then I should have a chance," Ruud told himself.

 With that hope as his driving force, Ruud marched to the final. He was close to grabbing the victory—a first major title that also would have earned him the world No. 1 ranking—but fell just short of that dream, falling in four sets in the final. "I'm proud of the match and the two weeks,” said Ruud, who jumps from No. 7 to No. 2 in the post-US Open ATP rankings. “I gave it all. I left it all out on the court."

 When he was asked "What have the Roland-Garros and this tournament taught you about what you need to do to take that next step and win one of these titles?" Ruud smiled softly. “In Roland-Garros, it was hard for me to believe that I could beat Rafa,” he said. “Today was not easier, but I believed it more. I think these two tournaments have sort of made my self-belief to win a Grand Slam grow".

 Frances Tiafoe and Caroline Garcia advanced to the Semifinals for the first time at Grand Slam tournaments.

 Another player who believed in his potential in this tournament. Frances Tiafoe lost to Alcaraz in the semifinals in a five-set battle.

 Tiafoe’s coach, the former top-10 player Wayne Ferreira, said the key to Tiafoe's growth was a change to his diet. “Yeah, it seems simple, but he liked a lot of candy and chocolates and cookies,” Ferreira said with a laugh. "He'd eat at unusual times. He missed breakfast a lot, didn't really have a good set of times on when to eat before matches, what to eat after matches. You need a little guidance on that side, and he's done well on that side of it.”

 Tiafoe, eating right and hungrier than ever, hoped for immediate results, but of course it will take time. His new efforts and his talent were showing promise already in this tournament.

 “After getting this deep, I understand how much rest is important during two weeks of slams,” Tiafoe said. “Again, I didn't go out to dinner one time. I mean, I knew that, like, I'm definitely falling in love with the process and doing the work much more. I'm working smarter, I'm understanding getting my weaknesses stronger, breaking down my game a lot more.”

 Tiafoe said he was committed to learning as he grew. "I am a student of the game again.”

 Caroline Garcia also felt a spirit of learning as she experienced a breakthrough result. "I feel already that I can improve many things,” Garcia said. Garcia’s talent hadn’t always translated directly to results. But this summer, winning Cincinnati and reaching the semifinals of the U.S. Open, Garcia showed amazing progress, proving that she can be capable of anything.

 The biggest improvements to Garcia’s game were on her return, the lethal weapon that powered her to the semifinals. But after a career-best result in the semifinals, Garcia was focused on doing even better. “I have a very long list of things to improve,” she said with a smile, singling out one item on her list for special mention. “Today the backhand down the line was not working, and I needed it!” she said. “I think we will talk about it tomorrow and see, debrief about all the three weeks and see what we can do”.

 Diede De Groot is now the first tennis player in any discipline to complete the Grand Slam in back-to-back years.

 Fifth straight US Open women's wheelchair singles title.

Second Calendar women's wheelchair singles Grand Slam in a row.

Fifth US Open women's wheelchair doubles title.

 Once again, De Groot showed what a real champion she is.

 De Groot said ‘At the end of the first set, I already felt like, Okay, I'm relaxing a little bit more now, I'm easing up, or like I'm calming down a little bit. I think that helped me throughout the rest of the match.”

 Not only De Groot’s achievements, Team Yonex advanced to the finals in 12 categories and won four titles


 Casper’s Gear: EZONE100, POLYTOUR SPIN/PRO 130, ECLIPSION3, New York Collection apparels

 Frances’s Gear: VCORE PRO 97, POLYTOUR PRO 125

 Caroline’s Gear: VCORE 100, POLYTOUR STRIKE 120

 Diede’s Gear: VCORE98, REXIS COMFORT125