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Henri Leconte NYC & US Open

Welcome to Flushing Meadows


The fourth Grand Slam of the year is certainly the hardest . The courts are close to the La Guardia Airport and an aircraft taking off or landing every two minutes. It is almost impossible to hear the sound of the serve. This was the case when I played there as a youngster,  today it's become a lot better. I remember a match Jimmy Connors against John McEnroe. They were always waiting for the right moment between the thundering of  the aircrafts to serve. What a bullshit.

 

Back to the U.S. Open. Arthur Ashe is one of the largest stadiums and it takes very long to get from one side to the other ... But at the Australian Open , it 's almost worse. And everywhere the smell of hot dogs and hamburgers. Plus the noise from the audience , especially in the evenings. "Hey Johnny , do you like another beer ? " And all of that during the match , when you have to serve. This is the usual madness . You will want to shoot the ball into their faces . But , you have to control yourself. The crowd continues to dance , sing and laugh the whole evening. But , I must say though , I loved playing there in this crazy atmosphere in the evening. When I think back, I get goosebumps. This stage inspires you or they will kill you .

 

Let's talk about the surface. It requires physically a lot, it is not good for your back and your knees. One must be prepared and already in super shape to survive it injury free. Imagine you're playing against Rafael Nadal over five sets plus the heat ...

 

If you have the opportunity to come to New York you must see the U.S. Open! Take the first plane and come, I am waiting for you!

 

Voila , that was my little story of the U.S. Open. It was always difficult for me and sometimes hell. Today I 'm really just glad and happy to come here to soak up the atmosphere and to report to you about it.

See you soon!

 

17.08.2016

US Open is the last of four grand slams in a calender year and this year’s tournament will be played through Monday, 28th August to Sunday, 11 September 2016. Serbian Novak Djokovic will defend his mens title while Italian Flavia Pennetta will defend women singles crown. US Open authorities has announced the tournament schedule while they also revealed extensive TV coverage of this year’s tournament worldwide.

ESPN will be the host broadcaster and their live feed will be used around the world in different regions with local coverage. ESPN will continue to broadcast live on TV with their extensive coverage of all six courts plus they will also make live streams available via there official mobile app and through their website. But what channels are broadcasting the US Open live in other parts of the world ?

 

US Open Tennis 2016 TV Channels Worldwide: So ESPN will continue to broadcast live action of US Open in USA while below is the list of channels broadcasting in your part of the world.

US Open 2016 
COUNTRY

CHANNELS
United Kingom

SkySports (extensive coverage) & British EuroSport (only main-court match)
USA

ESPN (exclusive rights in the US and will broadcast through all platforms including mobile/online streams)

Australia
FoxSports (exclusive rights from 2013 to 2016)

Canada 
TSN (English coverage), RDS (French coverage)

Europe
EuroSport 1 & 2 (Eurosport will continue to broadcast US Open and many countries, list will be published closer to US open start dates)

Middle-east
beIN Sports (available in all middle-easter countries and in some parts of north africa
India
TEN Sports (had the rights for 2015 and its unclear whether they still have the rights of 2016 event

Mexico
Sky Mexico (to have live coverage of US open in Mexico and some neighbour north american countries like Panama, Puerto Rico etc)

Spain
EuroSport (Usual coverage on EuroSport with spanish commentary)

South America
ESPN (ESPN Latin covers all four grand slams live on TV in most South American countries except Brazil)

Brazil
SporTV (selected matches) also available on ESPN Latin America
South Africa
SuperSports
Russia
NTV+ & EuroSports
France
EuroSports (EuroSport set to continue their coverage of US open with in France as they enter last year of their current deal)

Germany
EuroSports (Available on EuroSport 360 and the current rights deal run through 2017)

Japan
Wowow (exclusive rights in Japan for US Open)

New Zealand
SKY NZ (Sky has tv rights contract with three of the grand slams including US Open. Only Wimbledon is broadcasted on TVNZ)

 
 
Pacific 
Sky NZ (Sky also broadcast live Tennis Grand Slams live in all pacific countries like Samoa, Tonga etc)
 
 

09.05.2016

Henri Leconte optimistic for Rafael Nadal at the French Open 2016!

Rafa achieved an impressive victory over Gael Monfils in the final of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters (7-5, 5-7, 6-0). "Rafael Nadal appears to be in very good shape for Roland Garros" , says Henri Leconte.

Rafael Nadal won his first major tournament since Roland Garros in 2014. At the start of the clay season, this victory is important for the Madrid, Rome and Paris tournaments.
"With Novak Djokovic swept under the carpet in the first round and Roger Federer still a little bit at the limit physically since his return from injury plus Stan Wawrinka has a t the moment a lack of confidence,
Nadal has a good chance", is the opinion of Henri Leconte.

"Rafa is at the moment in good shape "

The French tennis legend Henri Leconte said that Nadal is in good shape plus he plays on his favorite surface: "Rafa is ahead of the others but can he keep this pace for 5 sets? He must work on a very good serve.
There were some issues when he was serving in Monte Carlo. Nadal's return is beneficial to the world tennis. When he does not play well, there is a a big gap in the top world tennis player field.
He is coming back and he is taking his place on clay. But Stan Wawrinka who won the French Open last year still remains a major favourite on this surface. "

Avantage Leconte AO 2016



 

Come on England !!!

A photo posted by @henrileconte on Nov 29, 2015 at 5:39am PST

10.11.2015

Interview 'Who is your favourite for ATP World Tour Finals 2016, London?'

Henri Leconte
: 'At the ATP World Tour Finals, Novak is the favourite surely. I’ve never seen anybody play so well and be so relaxed. I know my dream is to see Roger winning. It would be great. But I think Novak put the tennis at another world.
We used to have one, two, three guys but now Novak is ahead by far. He’s changed the way he’s training and playing. Before, he was very nervous and tense and tight, but now he’s so flexible and relaxed and that’s why all the players want to be like him. The upper body is always straight. That’s the key. 
I think it would have to be one of the best seasons of all time. Could you imagine winning one match and having the Grand Slam?'







16.10.2015

Henri, how are you?

Very good. I travel a lot and work for Padel, Eurosport, Tennis Exhibitions and the ATP Champions Tour. 

We would like to know more about you and your tastes ...

What's the last movie you saw and the movie you like very much?

There are several movies but Avatar is fantastic!


Your favourite musical group or artist?

U2 and the Rolling Stones of course. 


Your favourite meal?

The pate gratin of my wife! It is exceptional!!!

 

And your favourite drink?

Water ... 

We return to tennis now – if you were not Henri Leconte, which tennis player 

(active or not) would you like to be and why?

Everyone is admiring Roger Federer. Anyway, yes I would like to be like him! Of my generation and before I would choose Nastase for his talent ... and McEnroe too!

Which surface is your favourite?

Clay and grass!

To talk a little bit about material that you are fancy the most?

Natural gut string

 

Are you interested or do you participate in the technical progress of equipment (rackets / strings ...)?

Yes of course I'm very interested. We are all interested.

 

Henri Leconte Padel – where are we?

We progress and we open with my partners right now Henri Leconte Padel Clubs in France and abroad. We have a new HLPC that opens in Reichstett near Strasbourg. We also expect more news from the FFT how to move forward.

 

What are the Henri Leconte's goals in the next months or years to come?

Being happy and healthy!! And also for my family.

Thanks Henri and good luck ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

04.09.2015

Interview #2 Henri Leconte: US Open 2015 Avantge Leconte

US Open: interview with Henri Leconte, Consultant on Eurosport
For the duration of the tournament, from August 31 to 13 September, the former French Open finalist has his own show Avantage Leconte on Eurosport, where he talks quite open and frank.

Why is "Avantage Leconte" different from other tennis shows? And what is different at the US Open?

It's a show that moves. We are never in the same place. We are in different places around the US Open (rooftop, Eurosport Studio, on court): it is a special situation at the US Open. We do not have the same facilities as during Roland Garros. We try to be much more dynamic. In New York, there's always an extra excitement thanks to the "Night Session". At night, it's even more crazy: people are happy, singing & dancing. In fact they are relaxed. This is New York.

What is the atmosphere of tennis during the US Open?
They love the tennis sport the American way. When we (the Legends) played here in the 80s, it was a mess because there was too much noise. Today, it is still a bit strange as people are still very noisy and there is a lot of music. It is a Grand Slam where you have to be mentally prepared. And the external factors add to the pressure.
 
Are the players today as accessible as before?
No, it's complicated because there are many requests and a lot of pressure. There is also the entourage/ coach who are blocking many requests from journalists. And social networks did not exist in our time and that is why the players today are not communicating as we did in the past.
 
Are they afraid to speak?
Yes, that is obvious. They are so afraid that they are in permanent fear. Today they communicate with no emotions. They answer something like: "Yes, I played well, I'm happy. Thank you. And goodbye '. We were more open and outgoing. We did not hesitate to say "bullshit". In fact, their problem is that they are afraid of being trapped. Social networks have not helped this matter. In fact they made it even worse. Some like Djoko (Novak Djokovic), Roger (Federer) and Rafael (Nadal) sometimes stand up and talk, but the others are too afraid compared to our generation.  

Tell us about your generation. What did you do?
In our time, if you would have heard what we said to each other (like Connors, McEnroe, Becker, me) you would fall off your chair. The so-called scandal between Kyrgios and Stan Wawrinka, it makes me laugh. If we had recorded everything we said in our days, there would have been no player on the court the next day as they would have been angry or totally out of order. But, we were and we are always friends, even if we say our opinions.