Here we are for May; a good field of 15 players this month, listed below with their achievements.
The vote will close Tuesday evening around 10 pm ( I will confirm precise time when I set the 24 hour time this evening). If you vote, please tell us who and why you voted for them - it makes it more interesting for us all. ETA - vote will close at 22:08 Tuesday.
Top 2 players qualify for Player of the Season at the year end. So it isnt just about winning, second place is worth getting also.
Finally, anyone can vote - this isnt just a select process, it is open to all board members. So give it a go!
1. Jacob Fearnley - won 2 Q rounds plus 2 MD rounds to reach the L32 of the Madrid Masters, before a close one vs Grigpr Dimitrov either side of lights out. Took him to another CH and his L64 victory over Tomas Machac WR 20 was a CH win. Followed up by winning a round in Italian Open, taking out Fognini in his last Rome match.
2. Jack Draper - an extremely impressive run to the final of the Madrid Masters - found his clay feet and sent a message to the tennis world; rises to number 5 in the world and above Djokovic as a result and also to number 2 in the 2025 Race. Followed up with a QF place in Rome, losing only to Carlos Alcaraz.
3. Hollie Smart - age 15 - unranked, no MD wins in adults before. Has now won two qualis rounds, and two MD rounds at W35 in Nottingham, beating two top-600 players, a top-800 and a top-900.
4. Dom Iannotti - in the Virtus Games Para Tennis World championships for players with intellectual disabilities, Dom took all 4 titles - singles, mens doubles, mixed doubles and mens team - in an epic display of dominance.
5. Anna McBride - at the Virtus Games, Anna retained her world title and also won the mixed with Dom, as well as womens doubles bronze and womens team bronze.
6. Team GB Junior Wheelchair World Cup Team - brilliant performance to win the Wheelchair World Cup, seeded 4th in an 8 team event, won all 5 of their matches before dispatching USA in the final - congrats to our team of Ruben Harris, Lucas John De Gouveai, Matt Knoesen and Will Barton.
7. Fran Jones - for winning the W75 in Prague without dropping a set and reaching a CH., also reaching the final qualifying round for the French Open
8. Liv Zingg - age 13 - has just won the J30 singles AND doubles in Kenya, beating the top seed, taking her first titles, and then a second J30 singles title
9. Katie Boulter- for winning the 125 k Clarins Paris event, beating Andreeva , Savill and then 3 French clay courters in a row to clinch the title. Not bad for someone who absolutely hated playing on clay until as recently as a month ago , to win her first clay court title in Paris ! A good omen for Katie ??
10. Alice Gillan - following a run to the final in the first W35 at Nottingham she reached a new CH of 532, and followed this up by winning the W15 at Monzon Spain. This will take her into the top 500 for the first time as WR496 up from WR621 at the start of the month. Another good week in Estapona W15 making the final (lost to Ranah) and gaining a few more points.
11. Cameron Norrie - After a lean spell, beset by illness, injury and poor form, seeing his ranking drop to almost out of the top 100, Cam has reached the SF in the ATP 250 tournament in Geneva.
12. Luca Pow - Going unbeaten during the month of May in singles and doubles to play a big contribution to Wake Forest winning the NCAA Men's team national championships and concluding a season with a 31-3 singles record and 24-5 doubles record. Voted to the NCAA All-tournament team in singles and doubles.
13. Lui Maxted - Going unbeaten during the month of May in singles and doubles during the NCAA championships. In the semi-finals he played arguable one of his best college matches to defeat PY Bailly 3 & 0 who he had lost to heavily twice earlier in the season and was largely unbeaten himself. His performances during May helped secure him as being one-half of the No 1 ranked doubles team in men's college tennis for 2024/25. Voted to the NCAA All-tournament team at No 3 singles and No 1 doubles.
14. Jay Clarke - winning the ATP Challenger in Skopje, his first challenger title in 3 years, taking his excellent run to 36 wins in 41 matches and achieving his 4th best scalp by ranking with his semis win over Dellien. Good to see Jay back on the list again.
15. Katy Dunne - on her return to competitive tennis after a shoulder operation. Three tournaments all starting in qualifying, 11 wins, three defeats, making the final in Monastir. 16 points gained and her ranking has gone from WR1039 to WR952 before the points from her run to the final go on.
-- Edited by JonH comes home on Monday 26th of May 2025 09:07:31 PM
-- Edited by JonH comes home on Monday 26th of May 2025 09:08:36 PM
We all have our own biases and choose to vote with emotion as well as brain. Im sure therefore that I personally overlook many great achievements due to my biases, often based on which performance triggers me the most that month.
For me, this month, 3 stood out. Jay came really good at month end and it is great to see him back; Jack getting to the Madrid final, that is hard to ignore and I really hope he produces something similar in Paris.
But it was the Junior Wheelchair team, becoming World Cup winners that really caught my emotions this month and gets my vote.
Thanks for the other vote in already - remember, if you can and are willing, please do say who you voted for and why. It isnt obligatory but it really does make it more interesting, keeps the thread alive and, I hope, attracts others to take part.
I guess I'm only able to properly assess those I've been watching on multiple matches and 3 stand out for me .. Jack now looks something I never thought I'd see .. a Brit playing clay court tennis of the highest standard .. although I'm holding out for more ..
Fran's star continues to rise .. and had she reached RG MD would have clinched it ..
But the performances that stood out for me have come from Cam Norrie .. he has really surprised me that he's managed to reproduce something close to his technical level of 2 years ago, but the performance level he has finally returned to after injury and illness, first in Rome and then Madrid have turned the clock back - I didn't think he could do it and now I feel sure he's made it back. The rise up the rankings is to come but May was an amazing month
This was a month to vote in. As an English gentleman I was brought up to vote for the underdog and so the players who have had to fight against the odds always appeal. Early on I had decided but I must admit Katy D did almost make me change my mind. In the end though I voted for AnnaMcB. If she is not a name familiar to you then the long thread about the Virtus Games is well worth reading over in the General Discussion section, look for Para Tennis 2025.
This was a month to vote in. As an English gentleman I was brought up to vote for the underdog and so the players who have had to fight against the odds always appeal. Early on I had decided but I must admit Katy D did almost make me change my mind. In the end though I voted for AnnaMcB. If she is not a name familiar to you then the long thread about the Virtus Games is well worth reading over in the General Discussion section, look for Para Tennis 2025.
Thanks Mdewey- Annas dad is a board member and will be pleased! And agree - Dom Iannotti is also well worthy this month.
I'm another vote for Anna McB. Anna always performs well, but I was particularly impressed by her resilience in the face of a lot of setbacks this month and some excellent wins against her main rivals.
As mdewey says, the thread about the Virtus Games is well worth a read to learn about both the triumphs of the Para Tennis team and the environment (and nonsense) they have to contend with. Starts at: