The Month after month of the year 2018: from January to June

Dec 11, 2018, 12:05:09 PM

The Month after month of the year 2018: from January to June
While 2018 is ending, We Are Tennis by BNP Paribas decided to sum up the tennis news, but not only, of the past season. The first semester of 2018 was marked by Federer and Nadal’s triumphs, but also a small british wedding.

January

Roger Federer is still there! The Swiss is very far from the sporting grave where the tennis players who are his age usually end up. At 36 and a half, the legend still surprised everyone and won his… twentieth Grand Slam tournament! In the final of the Australian Open, RF defeated Marin Cilic (6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1). In women’s tennis, Caroline Wozniacki won her first Grand Slam tournament, against Simona Halep (7-6, 3-6, 6-4).

 

 

 

February

The Winter Olympic Games of Pyeongchang, in South Korea, are open! Other kind of festival: Australians have made up the first mullet hairstyle festival. Why not. And as for tennis, Petra Kvitova, who won her first Premier 5 of the season in Doha, was brilliant. The Argentines as well: if Federer carried on his winning streak by triumphing in Rotterdam, Diego Schwartzman and Juan Martín del Potro respectively won in Rio de Janeiro and Acapulco. The last ATP 500 tournament, which was played in Dubaï, was won by Roberto Bautista-Agut. While waiting for another Spaniard to take over…

 

 

 

 

Mars

Del Potro loves the end of the winter. The proof with his win at BNP Paribas Indian Wells Open. Just after that, on the last day of the cold season to be precise, John Isner triumphed in Miami. Naomi Osaka and Sloane Stephens, who have grabbed the WTA Premier Mandatory tournaments, at Indian Wells and Miami, have stood out. On his side, Vladimir Putin not surprinsingly won his own presidential tournament and is still ruling Russia. Meanwhile, Meanwhile, the STX shipyard company delivered the world’s biggest liner ever in Saint-Nazaire, France. Last good news: the moon should be equipped with a 4G connexion within a year.

 

 

April

 

It is the time for April fools, especially François Hollande (the former french president) who became the president of Disneyland. More serious: the Williams sisters joined Billie Jean King in the « equal pay push » movement, to ask for equality in prize money in all Grand Slam tournaments. Just as serious as the Williams sisters battle is Rafael Nadal's level on clay. Obviously enough for him to step up. Boom, he started by winning the Monte-Carlo Masters 1000! And boom, the Barcelona ATP 500 quickly followed! Miguel Diaz-Canel, who became the new president of Cuba after the very long Castro-regime, can only applaud.

 

 

 
 

May

 

Nobody is getting tired of Nadal’s genius. After Alexander Zverev’s triumph in Madrid, Nadal proved once again that he was the unquestioned master of clay after defeating everyone in Rome. Before claiming his eleventh Roland-Garros. Unbelievable! Dominic Thiem, who lost 4-6, 3-6, 2-6, couldn’t even be disappointed after seeing the monster’s extraordinary performance. In women’s tennis, Halep took her personal revenge on Roland-Garros and won her first Grand Slam tournament, even if Sloane Stephens won the first set (6-3, 4-6, 1-6). In other news, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got married. Congratulations.

 

 
 

June

A mini-break to make the most of the first sun rays. And to take a look at the football World Cup, which started in Russia. The tennis season carried on, with Croatian players claiming all the trophies: Borna Coric won the Halle ATP 500, and Cilic triumphed in London. Will their fellow countrymen be as successful in Putin’s country ?

 

 

 

By Florian Cadu