The tennis news (but not only) of the week: professor Barty and polluting asthma.

Nov 5, 2019, 12:00:00 AM

The tennis news (but not only) of the week: professor Barty and polluting asthma.
We Are Tennis by BNP Paribas brings you the best of the past week, on and off the courts, day after day. With Barty crowned at the women’s WTA Finals, Djokovic the master in Paris, polluting inhalers and a defeated crocodile.

Monday, October 28th

Nobody saw Roger Federer in Oise, France, during the sale of the Christ Mocked, the masterpiece of the Italian painter Cimabue, which became the most expensive primitive painting after being auctioned for 24 million euros. No one will also be able to watch him play tennis in the French capital. Expected to play at the Rolex Paris Masters, just like Richard Gasquet who also pulled out of the tournament, the Swiss withdrew from the Masters to « pace himself », in order to « play as long as possible on the ATP Tour. However, this 2019 edition of the Rolex Paris Masters sounds enthralling and there will be a lot at stakes. With notably the attribution of the last remaining spots for the London Nitto ATP Finals, and the world number 1 spot for the end of the year. » Yes please!

 

Tuesday, October 29th

At last, it had to happen! After six consecutive finals, Daniil Medvedev lost in the second round against Jérémy Chardy. And as it was a day for surprises, Ashleigh Barty, who is guaranteed to be the world number 1 at the end of the season, lost in the group stage of the WTA finals against Kiki Bertens, despite holding a large lead during the match. It wasn’t catastrophic, however, in comparison with the mistake of a Brazilian surgeon who mistook a circumcision with an amputation at the Malacacheta hospital. Ouch.
 

 

Wednesday, October 30th

They were many different fights on the cards, on this late-October Wednesday. While Roberto Bautista-Agut lost his against Alex de Minaur, and said goodbye to his spot at the London ATP Finals, Rebecca Munkombwe, an 11 year-old Zimbabwean, won hers against a crocodile to save one of her young classmates. Meanwhile, the French put on a show in Paris, with a winning tweener produced by Corentin Moutet and a spectacular encounter between Benoît Paire and Gaël Monfils. 
 

 

Thursday, October 31st

If you want to be happy and healthier, you just have to spend two hours in nature. That’s the conclusion of an article published in the magazine Scientific Reports, which advises everyone to take a walk in the forest or lie down on a beach for 120 minutes to feel better. Bianca Andreescu, the third player who was forced out of the Shenzhen WTA Finals with an injury, now knows what she has to do to get back in shape. What do you mean, everyone already knew that?

 

Friday, November 1st

Matrix Challenge, Novak Djokovic is up! The Serb was as convincing as Monfils going to the London ATP Finals as an alternate. As for the rest of the news, scientists from Cambridge university have demonstrated that inhalers used to treat asthma are playing an active role in… polluting. According to them, they represent 4% of all greenhouse gas emissions produced by the public healthcare, in the UK. What if this study was as serious as the Djoker?
 

Saturday, November 2nd

The feel-good story of the start of November: in a bar located in Utah (USA), an unknown man sat down at a table without ordering anything… before paying for everyone’s meal. It wouldn’t be enough to comfort the English, as their national team were defeated by South Africa in the rugby World Cup final. We’re not sure that it would be enough to comfort Rafael Nadal either, as he had to pull out from his semi-final without playing because of his painful abdominal muscles. He could also miss the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup. « I’ll do everything I can to heal in time, but you understand that today, I can’t answer this question », said the Spaniard, with regret. He still hasn’t been crowned in Bercy…
 

 

Sunday, November 3rd

Still with science, researchers from Primatologics found out through their observations that bearded men are more likely to have smaller penises. Mustached or not, Denis Shapovalov had every reason to be mad: for his first final in a Masters 1000, and despite producing a very strong defense on some points, the Canadian was easily defeated by Novak Djokovic. It was the world number 1’s fifth title in Paris. As for Barty, she won her first WTA Finals. Congratulations to the champions of the weekend.
 

 
 
By Florian Cadu