Nikoloz Basilashvili wins the qualifying round of the ATP 250 tournament in Doha

Georgian tennis player Nikoloz Basilashvili number 84 in the ATP, lived up to expectations by winning the previous qualifying round of the ATP 250 tournament in Doha in one hour and twenty-six minutes per 6-3 and 7-5 to Turkish Cem Ilkel, ATP number 279. After this result, the winner manages to add new points to his ranking to enter the ATP 250 tournament in Doha.

the tournament of Doha (ATPDoha) previously has a qualifying phase where the lowest ranked tennis players compete for their place in the official tournament against the rest of their rivals. To do this, they must collect as many points as possible. During this part of the competition, specifically, 16 tennis players participate. In addition, it takes place between February 18 and 25 on an outdoor hard court.

A sport that lasts over time

Tennis is considered a classic sport. Each year, four tournaments (called “Grand Slams”) attract all the attention of the world: the season begins with the Open Australia to continue with the dirt track of Roland Garros then travels to London with the celebration of Wimbledon and ends in the United States with the U.S. Open.

The rest of the year, players continue to play around the world, completing seasons on different surfaces: hard or fast track, clay oh grass.

tennis was born in Europe at the end of the 18th century and since 1926 it is a professional sports start date of the tour. It was particularly popular among the upper classes in English-speaking countries, but today it is a world sport. Divides into categories: the male (ATP) and female (WTA) competition.

ATP

There ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) is the association of professional tennis players which brings together players from all over the world in the men’s category.

The ATP circuit organizes several tournaments throughout the year: ATP Masters 1000 (where the winner of the tournament will take 1000 points to add to the ATP ranking), ATP 500 and ATP 250. Below these tournaments, in a lower rung we would have the ATP Challenger Tour, where the future stars of world tennis compete. Moreover, ATP tennis is also in charge of Grand Slam tournaments.

The fight to be the best in history does not stop in the men’s category. The Spaniard Raphael Nadalhe Serbian Novak Djokovic and the Swiss Roger Federer they compete to break all records and add the most Grand Slam tournaments. The three players are commonly referred to as “big three’ in front of the new generations or ‘Next Gen’.

These future tennis stars have stormed onto the world tennis circuit, as in the case of the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipasfrom Italian Matthew Berretinigerman Alexander Zverev or the russians Medvedev there Rublev.

Novak Djokovic currently holds the record for weeks at number 1 in the ATP rankings, closely followed by Roger Federer, the legendary American player Pete Sampras, Iván Lendl and Jimmy Connors.

WTA

There WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) was founded in 1973 by the famous former tennis player Billie Jean King. The Californian has won 39 Grand Slam titles during her active phase and is a reference and an icon in the world of tennis.

Today, many female tennis players are also battling to stay at the top of the world tennis elite and surpass Stefanie Graff or Serena Williams. Players like the Polish Iga Swiatek (Roland Garros champion in 2021), the Greek Maria Sakkari oh Paula Badosa (the first Spanish winner of Indian Wells) are fighting to stay in the top 10 of the WTA rankings.

In the year 2022, the Australian tennis player Asleigh Barty announced his permanent retirement from tennis and left behind an impressive career with several Grand Slam tournaments behind him. Now it’s the other players’ turn to take over and become number 1.