30^th December 2021

By Abigail O'Sullivan

It can be hard to keep up with all the news lately and with so much going on, it’s particularly easy for tennis news to get lost amongst the media. With the information changing daily, it’s also difficult to ensure you have the most up to date news. So, we’ve gathered it all for you to have in one spot so you can check which players are still contenders for the Australian Open and which will be sitting on the bench thanks to injury or a positive COVID-19 result.

One of the biggest tennis stories in the news lately is whether or not Novak is going to make it Melbourne Park for   AO 2022. Perhaps the most telling clue thus far that he won’t be in attendance is his recent withdrawal from Sydney’s ATP Cup. This confirmation is one of the strongest signs to indicate there is some truth to the rumours that the world number 1 is unvaccinated and yet to receive a medical exemption. In addition to Djokovic, Rafael Nadal has also withdrawn from the warm-up event after testing positive to COVID-19. However, he has been back to training and has said that he will be playing in Melbourne in 2022.  

Rafa is not the only one to be recently struck down with COVID-19. Indeed, it seems as though the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi has turned into a tennis star super spreader event, with Nadal as only the first of many players to come away from the tournament with more than they bargained for. Other players who have taken to social media to announce their positive COVID-19 results include Benoît Paire, Denis Shapovalov, Andrey Rublev, Emma Raducanu, Belinda Bencic and Ons Jabeur. After contracting the virus, these players’ 2022 Australian Open campaigns are in doubt.

After a tough year in 2021, with a lot of players missing matches and training sessions due to quarantine or a positive Covid test, it comes as no surprise that the tour has been littered with injuries. Some notable injuries that have ruled stars out of a spot in the 2022 AO draw include Roger Federer, Dominic Thiem, Karolina Pliskova and Stan Wawrinka. Serena Williams has also withdrawn after deeming her fitness to not be at a level that would allow her to compete.

So, it looks as though the draw has opened up slightly for newcomers to make their mark in Melbourne. Players have begun to touch down on Aussie soil all week, including big names in tennis like Osaka, Gauff, Berrettini, Zverev and Tsitsipas! The 2022 AO is shaping up to be an exciting tournament which is exactly what the world needs right now!

 

There is nothing better than a deal and here at TennisGear our Boxing Day sale offered deals galore! We were absolutely elated to find out that we received 272 orders this year, up from 100 orders last year! Our online store continues to grow each year and providing our customers with all their tennis equipment needs brings us so much joy.

We took a look at what you guys ordered most frequently, to ensure that our stock can satisfy customer demand. Last year’s best selling products were Asics’s Court FF2 and Gel Resolution 8 shoes. But this year, our customers stocked up on 12 metre Babolat string sets, RPM Blast and Touch VS!

Our average order value was up 65% from last year so we’re delighted that our customers found a variety of products they wanted to buy and that we were able to provide them with a great deal!

Our team worked tirelessly over the last few days to get all of your Boxing Day orders picked, packed and shipped as soon as possible. We can’t wait for you gear to arrive so you can try it out on court!

If you missed out this year, don’t worry! We have plenty more sales coming up throughout the year and next year’s Boxing Day sales will be sure to deliver!