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Laura Robson believes the brand new Sky Sports activities’ new tennis deal permits the possibility for the sport to develop within the UK as she discusses which gamers you must hold a detailed eye on in 2024.
Sky Sports activities agreed a brand new five-year partnerships with the ATP and WTA to point out all-year-round tennis beginning subsequent season final week.
The deal will see greater than 80 tournaments and 4,000 matches – together with each season-ending finals and all Masters 1000 occasions – broadcast reside yearly on Sky Sports activities from 2024.
Sky Sports activities’ protection might be led by presenter Gigi Salmon, alongside Tim Henman and Robson who will supply their knowledgeable evaluation and insights throughout the boys’s and girls’s excursions.
Robson, who received a silver medal on the 2012 London Olympics enjoying with Andy Murray, is worked up with the expertise on present subsequent 12 months with Novak Djokovic able to dim the sunshine on Margaret Court docket’s legacy, however the emergence of Jannik Sinner has given the proficient younger Italian the impetus to grow to be the brand new drive in males’s tennis alongside Carlos Alcaraz and Britain’s Jack Draper.
“We hold saying new era however Djokovic continues to be successful every part so the previous era continues to be doing very properly,” Robson informed Sky Sports activities. “I am simply so enthusiastic about Sinner. I simply love his recreation and I believe with the wins that he had on the ATP Finals and the boldness he’s getting by reaching these finals, I simply really feel like 2024 goes to be large for him and I do not really feel like I am the one one who thinks like that.
“It is an apparent opinion amongst everybody in tennis as a result of he is grown a lot during the last two years already, however then you definately’ve received Britain’s Jack Draper, who we hope will keep damage free and have an enormous, large season. His recreation is electrical and he is received the large lefty serve. I am looking forward to him however I do not wish to jinx it.”
Robson additionally feels British ladies’s tennis is popping out of the doldrums of the previous few years with an absence of success underpinned by a lot of negativity within the media.
“I believe we have some actually good Brits,” Robson stated. “There’s Katie Boulter and hopefully we’ll get to see Emma Raducanu again on the tour after which Jodie Burrage as properly. It will likely be on Sky Sports activities each week.”
Hannah Klugman at 14 is a star within the making, not least after her historic run on the ITF W100 Shrewsbury, the place she reached the quarter-finals.
British followers and Robson received to see her expertise at first hand through the US Open junior ladies’ singles match.
She stated: “I believed that was a very cool factor that Sky did over the US Open as a result of I received to commentate on Hannah’s match and often I would not see any of her matches televised or something and it was actually enjoyable for her to come back into the studio and have that have of chatting to Gigi and everybody.
“I do not wish to put any stress on Hannah as a result of she’s so, so younger. So long as she retains persevering with down the trail that is she’s on, she’s received an amazing crew and her coach has finished a improbable job along with her, so she’ll be one to look out for.
“I am at all times glass half-full in terms of British tennis however the hope is to look at gamers come via, though some individuals have very fast transitions via the junior degree whereas others take longer. I believe the right instance of that’s Carlos Alcaraz who’s gone from 100 and received a Grand Slam in his first couple of years on tour, whereas Sinner has been constructing and rising. Now you are feeling he is prepared mentally to do it.
“It is laborious not seeing Djokovic successful at the least two Grand Slams subsequent 12 months as a result of you have to again him on each hardcourt Slams.”
With world No 1 Iga Swiatek on high of the ladies’s recreation together with Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina, the WTA Tour might be additional strengthened by the return of Naomi Osaka, Caroline Wozniacki and Angelique Kerber all kind maternity lead.
“Iga Swiatek is the plain option to have an enormous 12 months as a result of it is a fairly protected wager,” revealed former world No 27 Robson. “I believe she’s going to just do as properly subsequent season however the couple of names that I am actually excited by Naomi Osaka. She’s getting back from maternity depart and he or she’ll be again with a renewed vitality.
“Caroline Wozniacki can be again from maternity depart. She made the fourth spherical on the US Open out of nowhere after which determined she’s not going to play the remainder of the 12 months however I’ll again her to do properly.
“Tournaments are making it simpler to journey with children. There are crèches, there are nurseries and there are issues to do for kids, so lots of people are keen to take that possibility and make a little bit of a sacrifice or journey with the newborn, however I believe it is improbable.”
Robson ‘excited’ by new Sky Sports activities tennis deal
Discussing the brand new five-year partnership with the ATP and WTA with greater than 4,000 matches and 80 tournaments throughout the season, Robson stated she was hopeful of seeing a youthful viewers glued to the TV screens.
“I believe it is an enormous likelihood for tennis to develop within the UK to achieve a brand new viewers and hopefully a youthful viewers as properly, which can herald new followers of the sport,” she stated.
“I typically assume tennis is seen as a two-week match over Wimbledon in the summertime however this may give us the possibility to make it seen and accessible all-year spherical.
“The market that Sky Sports activities has is simply large with so many subscribers via soccer however individuals will put it on and watch it all through the day – no matter sport it’s! When you’re a sports activities fan you form of put something on, you are simply pleased to look at.
“You might need seen a little bit of Wimbledon over time however you may not find out about large, large tournaments like Indian Wells, Miami and all of the Masters 1000 occasions that Sky are going to have.
“With tennis being a factor in the mean time with numerous completely different motion pictures and Netflix exhibiting ‘Break Level’, I believe it is excellent timing to capitalise on all of that.”
Find out how to watch tennis on Sky
Stay tennis might be obtainable from subsequent 12 months on Sky Sports activities, and non-Sky subscribers can entry the Excursions through a NOW Sports activities Month-to-month membership, with chosen highlights obtainable on demand.
For additional entry, followers can even be capable of observe their favorite gamers and acquire deeper insights from each Excursions through Sky Sports activities Information, the Sky Sports activities app, on SkySports.com and through Sky Sports activities social channels.
Laura Robson was chatting with Sky Sports activities’ Raz Mirza. Stream all of your favorite sports activities and extra with NOW
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