Category Archives: Sport

Drawing: Ivan Lendl

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Ivan Lendl

Included in the list of tennis greats, Ivan Lendl was one of the most dominate players in the 1980’s, winning 8 Grand Slams and reaching 19 finals. He also lead Czechoslovakia to a Davis Cup victory.

Ivan’s eight Slams include two Australian, three US and three French titles. The only Slam to elude him was Wimbledon.  He did however reach two finals, being beaten by Boris Becker and Pat Cash.  His playing style revolved around strength, using a heavy top spin from the baseline, ushering in the modern era of ‘power tennis’.

Between 2012-14 Ivan coached the current World Number 2 Andy Murray to Wimbledon and US Open victories and an Olympic Gold Medal. In June this year he returned with the Scot securing his fifth Queens and second Wimbledon titles.

A large crowd gathered around Court 19 at Wimbledon last week as Andy practiced prior to his Championship victory. As you can imagine when he came off the court he was mobbed. Ivan, by contrast, slipped down the side near the media centre and his relatively short walk to safety as only interrupted by me and my drawing which he signed on the stroll.

 

Drawing: Lindsay Davenport

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lindsay davenport

American tennis ace Lindsay Davenport was the World Number 1 on eight occasions for a total of 98 weeks. In a career that spanned 17 years from 1993-2010 she won 55 singles and 38 doubles titles. Her singles victories have her tied with Virginia Wade as the seventh best in the open era. Lindsay’s Grand Slam singles success came in a tight three-year span, winning the US Open in 1998, Wimbledon the following year and then the Australian Open in 2000. Her doubles success was similar, the French Open in 1996, the US in 1997 and then Wimbledon in 1999. While not winning the Australian title, she was a finalist on six occasions. At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics she won the singles Gold Medal.

Lindsay was known as a powerful baseliner. She built her game on a crushing forehand and superb court placement. Her two-handle backhand was also a handy weapon.

I caught up with the genial American at this year’s Wimbledon, where she was working on commentary for the BBC and signed my sketch outside the media centre after completing a stint on centre court.

Drawing: Alize Cornet at Wimbledon

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alize cornet

At Wimbledon in 2014 I watched 25th seed Alizé Cornet come from a set down to beat five-time Champion and World No 1 Serena Williams, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a dramatic, rain-interrupted, third round encounter on Court One that had everything, including thunder and lightening. It was her best result at SW19 and no fluke. In fact that year the twenty-six year old Frenchwoman managed three victories over the 21 time Grand Slam winner. She was beaten in the next match by Eugenie Bouchard, but got her revenge over the Canadian earlier this year to win the Hobart International, her fifth WTA title. In 2009 she was ranked as high as No 11, but is currently at 61.

I did this sketch of Alizé or ‘Allleeezzzzzee!’ as her supporting French fans call out, after her wonderful Wimbledon win and managed to catch up with her at The Championships on Thursday after she and her doubles partner Xena Knoll won their opening match. Earlier that day she had defeated Sarah Errani to advance to the third round, so it would be fair to say she was in a buoyant mood and happily signed the drawing.

Drawing: John Newcombe

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John Newcombe

I’m not sure when I drew this caricature of Australian tennis legend John Newcombe. I think it was sometime in the 1990s when he was an Australian Open commentator at Melbourne Park. Somehow I managed to get it to him. I don’t do many caricatures for signing these days. It was my modus operandi back then and surprisingly got most of them signed. I didn’t resort to vicious renderings, preferring a softer approach with a comical likeness in order to get the work ‘graphed. I liked to use a fine line 0.05 black felt pen and board cross-hatch style with big heads, small bodies and extended necks… where appropriate.

For the record John won seven Grand Slam singles titles including three Wimbledons and secured an all-time record 17 doubles victories. He was World Number 1 in both singles and doubles. Rod Laver is the only other player to have won the US Open and Wimbledon as an amateur and a professional.

As a bit of trivia, given that the US Presidential elections are upon us, it was revealed during the 2000 campaign that John was George W Bush’s drinking companion in September 1976 when the future President was charged with driving under the influence.

Drawing: Bjorn Borg

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Bjorn Borg

With the French Open at Roland Garros just completed and Wimbledon later this month it’s an appropriate time to pay homage to one of the true icons of tennis, Sweden’s Bjorn Borg, considered by many to be one of the greatest players in the history of the game. The first male player to win eleven Grand Slam titles, Bjorn held the number one spot for a total of 109 weeks between 1974–81, winning six French titles and five consecutive Wimbledon crowns.

His distinctive playing style with powerful ground strokes on both forehand and his highly unorthodox double handed backhand and his unique appearance was one of the reasons for the sports rise in popularity in the 1970’s. Because of his calm demeanour on court he was nick-named ‘Ice- Borg’.

Winning the French and Wimbledon titles in the same year is considered the toughest to achieve and almost impossible in the modern era. Only Bjorn, Rod Laver, Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer have achieved the ‘Channel Slam’ but the cool Swede is the only player to have done it three times.

He also holds the record for the winning the most consecutive sets – 41– at The French Open and in 1978 and 1980 won the title without dropping a set, an achievement he repeated when winning his first Wimbledon in 1976.

He is one of the reasons why I started following tennis and I just missed meeting him at last year’s Wimbledon. I was waiting in the ticket line and he was waiting for his car on the other side By the time I got in and made my way to the Members entrance he had gone, so I sent my sketch to him at his company in Stockholm and it was returned with interest, as they say in tennis circles,msigned and dedicated. Very cool. I just found out it’s Bjorn’s 60th birthday today… even cooler!

 

 

RIP Muhammad Ali

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Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.

It’s a day to remember Muhammad Ali

Muhammed Ali

Cartoon: Zika

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150 leading scientists have asked the World Health Organisation to step in and postpone or move the Rio Olympics, due to the Zika virus. WHO has rejected the call.

Chicane Zika Virus Cartoon

Drawing: Stan Smith

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Stan Smith

Former World Number One American tennis player Stan Smith was a special guest at last years World Tour Finals at London’s 02 because Group A was named after him in honour of his victory in the inaugural 1970 year-end Grand Prix in Tokyo.

Stan won two Grand Slams, The US Open in 1971 and Wimbledon the following year. He also formed a formidable doubles combination with Bob Lutz, winning five Grand Slam titles.

While I was waiting at the players’ entrance at the O2, I saw Stan arrive. I literally had less than three minutes to sketch this drawing of him, based on an enlarged image on the wall in the fan zone. By the time he reached me I managed to get this much done, which he signed for me before he went in to watch the day’s proceedings.

Drawing: Ding Junhui

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Ding Junhui

Chinese snooker star Ding Junhui became the first Asian player to reach the final of the World Snooker Championships at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield last week. The former world number 1 had slipped outside the world’s top 16 and had to qualify for the tournament’s main drew. He won his three matches, conceding only seven frames and then went on to win all his matches to play Mark Selby,  losing 18-14 in a thrilling finale. Ding became the first qualifier to reach the final since Judd Trump in 2011. Nicknamed ‘Enter the Dragon’ the final attracted an television audience of over 42 million in his home country. The most successful Asian professional snooker player in the history of the sport has scored over 400 century breaks, securing the maximum 147 on six occasions. When beating Alan McManus in the semi-final,  Ding set a new record for the highest number of century breaks made by a single player at the Crucible.

I sent this drawing to Ding at the Crucible and he kindly signed it for me.

Drawing: Lewis Hamilton

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Lewis Hamilton

I can draw cartoons. Cars are more difficult, so I avoid them. But occasionally I try. I did this quick sketch of the current Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton in his 2015 title-winning Mercedes AWG Petronas car in my small sketch book. It was in preparation for my usual A4 renderings which I intended including his portrait. That’s him under the helmet. Traditionally, in the days of the Masters, (artists not golf) cartoons were prelim drawings, so in a sense it is a cartoon. Enough of the art history lesson. It also seems appropriate since the Broadway musical HAMILTON  just collected a record 16 Tony Nominations, not that there’s any connection other than motor racing can be a bit theatrical. Many F1 fans probably look at the title and draw the wrong conclusions. Bless ’em.

For some reason I left the drawing in the pad. I have a lot of pads, and for obvious reasons do not carry them with me at the same time. I also use the pure white, acid-free 140gsm paper to collect sigs – perfect for the purpose. I just happened to have this one in my bag last November when I managed to grab a front row spot on the red carpet at the British Fashion Awards at the London Coliseum. I’m no fashion aficionado, but the industry does attract celebs from other realms and on this particular evening Lewis was amongst the gathering. It’s fashionable being a world champion. He arrived quickly, as you would expect for a speed merchant and I got the sketch book out to get his autograph, suddenly realising his sketch was still in it and got it graphed.