Laura Robson believes the brand new Sky Sports activities’ new tennis deal permits the prospect for the sport to develop within the UK as she discusses which gamers you must preserve an in depth eye on in 2024.
Sky Sports activities agreed a brand new five-year partnerships with the ATP and WTA to indicate 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 shall be led by presenter Gigi Salmon, alongside Tim Henman and Robson who will provide their professional evaluation and insights throughout the boys’s and ladies’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 Courtroom’s legacy, however the emergence of Jannik Sinner has given the proficient younger Italian the impetus to turn out to be the brand new drive in males’s tennis alongside Carlos Alcaraz and Britain’s Jack Draper.
“We keep saying new generation but Djokovic is still winning everything so the old generation is still doing very well,” Robson advised 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 arrogance he’s getting by reaching these finals, I simply really feel like 2024 goes to be big for him and I do not really feel like I am the one one who thinks like that.
“It’s an obvious opinion amongst everyone in tennis because he’s grown so much over the last two years already, but then you’ve got Britain’s Jack Draper, who we hope will stay injury free and have a huge, huge season. His game is electric and he’s got the huge lefty serve. I’m hopeful for him but I don’t want to jinx it.”
Robson additionally feels British ladies’s tennis is popping out of the doldrums of the previous few years with a scarcity of success underpinned by a lot of negativity within the media.
“I think we’ve got some really good Brits,” Robson stated. “There’s Katie Boulter and hopefully we’ll get to see Emma Raducanu back on the tour and then Jodie Burrage as well. It will be on Sky Sports every 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 bought to see her expertise at first hand through the US Open junior ladies’ singles event.
She stated: “I thought that was a really cool thing that Sky did over the US Open because I got to commentate on Hannah’s match and usually I wouldn’t see any of her matches televised or anything and it was really fun for her to come into the studio and have that experience of chatting to Gigi and everyone.
“I do not need 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 bought an awesome crew and her coach has accomplished a incredible job along with her, so she’ll be one to look out for.
“I’m always glass half-full when it comes to British tennis but the hope is to watch players come through, although some people have very quick transitions through the junior level while others take longer. I think the perfect example of that is Carlos Alcaraz who’s gone from 100 and won a Grand Slam in his first couple of years on tour, while Sinner has been building and growing. Now you feel he’s ready mentally to do it.
“It is arduous not seeing Djokovic profitable no less than 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 prime of the ladies’s recreation together with Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina, the WTA Tour shall be additional strengthened by the return of Naomi Osaka, Caroline Wozniacki and Angelique Kerber all type maternity lead.
“Iga Swiatek is the obvious choice to have a big year because it’s a pretty safe bet,” revealed former world No 27 Robson. “I think she’s going to do just as well next season but the couple of names that I’m really interested in Naomi Osaka. She’s coming back from maternity leave and she’ll be back with a renewed energy.
“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 will again her to do nicely.
“Tournaments are making it easier to travel with kids. There are crèches, there are nurseries and there are things to do for children, so a lot of people are willing to take that option and make a bit of a sacrifice or travel with the baby, but I think it’s fantastic.”
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 think it’s a huge chance for tennis to grow in the UK to gain a new audience and hopefully a younger audience as well, which will bring in new fans of the game,” she stated.
“I often think tennis is seen as a two-week tournament over Wimbledon in the summer but this will give us the chance to make it visible and accessible all-year round.
“The market that Sky Sports activities has is simply big with so many subscribers via soccer however folks will put it on and watch it all through the day – no matter sport it’s! In the event you’re a sports activities fan you type of put something on, you are simply completely happy to look at.
“You might have seen a bit of Wimbledon over the years but you might not know about huge, huge tournaments like Indian Wells, Miami and all the Masters 1000 events that Sky are going to have.
“With tennis being a factor in the intervening time with varied totally different motion pictures and Netflix exhibiting ‘Break Level’, I believe it is excellent timing to capitalise on all of that.”
The best way to watch tennis on Sky
Reside tennis shall be obtainable from subsequent 12 months on Sky Sports activities, and non-Sky subscribers can entry the Excursions by way of a NOW Sports activities Month-to-month membership, with chosen highlights obtainable on demand.
For additional entry, followers will even be capable of observe their favorite gamers and achieve deeper insights from each Excursions by way of Sky Sports activities Information, the Sky Sports activities app, on SkySports.com and by way of Sky Sports activities social channels.
Laura Robson was talking to Sky Sports activities’ Raz Mirza. Stream all of your favorite sports activities and extra with NOW