A look ahead to the first week of the 2017 ATP Challenger Tour season
Action on the ATP Challenger Tour is set to take off as the 2017 season gets underway this week with a trio of tournaments. NextGen stars begin their quests in the Emirates ATP Race To Milan, with Noumea, Happy Valley and Bangkok playing host to the opening-week events.
For the 14th consecutive year, the French territory of New Caledonia kicks off the season. The island paradise, located off the eastern coast of Australia, welcomes players to the Ligue de Tennis du Ouen-Toro in the capital city of Noumea. Defending champion Adrian Mannarino is the top seed and bidding for a third title in five years, while Next Gen ATP Finals contenders Duckhee Lee, Quentin Halys and Noah Rubin feature in a stacked draw.
Why would anyone want to come Noumea?….?? pic.twitter.com/TjiI57kFmR
— Noah Rubin (@Noahrubin33) December 30, 2016
Lee, seeded third, reached his first Challenger final in Kaohsiung in September, while Halys, seeded fourth, is seeking a second title (Tallahassee ’16).
View Draws: Noumea | Happy Valley | Bangkok
Meanwhile, Michael Mmoh kicks off his campaign in Happy Valley, Australia, where countryman Donald Young is the top seed. The 18-year-old Mmoh is surging with confidence after clinching his maiden Challenger title in Knoxville in November, climbing inside the year-end Top 200 of the Emirates ATP Rankings at No. 198. An American has won the title in Happy Valley in both its previous editions – Ryan Harrison (2015) and Taylor Fritz (2016).
The season-long Emirates ATP Race to Milan will see the world’s best up-and-coming talents battle to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals, taking place from 7-11 November, 2017. The Top 7 players born in 1996 or later will qualify automatically, while the eighth spot will be reserved for a wild card.
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Finally, the KPN Bangkok Open is back for a ninth year, with former World No. 8 Janko Tipsarevic seeded fifth. Three past champions have returned, as 2015 winner Yuichi Sugita is the top seed and 2013 titlist Blaz Kavcic and 2011 champ Cedrik-Marcel Stebe also present.
Roger Federer can return from six months out and win another Grand Slam, says his former coach Paul Annacone.
The 35-year-old, who has won 17 majors, is due to make his comeback from a knee injury against Britain’s Dan Evans in the Hopman Cup in Perth on Monday.
Annacone, who coached the Swiss from 2010 to 2013, told BBC Sport: “Last year was a very tough year for him and he still got to the semis of Wimbledon.
“There is no reason why he can’t play at that level again.”
Annacone believes Federer’s best chance of another major title will come at SW19, where he has triumphed seven times.
The American added: “When you look at his track record, particularly on grass, if he’s healthy, it’s going to be very difficult not to put him in the sentence as one of the favourites.
“Again, it’s about staying healthy, but I absolutely think he can contend for a major title.”
Federer has not played since hurting his left knee as he lost in the Wimbledon semi-finals to Milos Raonic in July.
‘I expect great things because he’s a great player’
Federer said he took six months off “so I would be playing for hopefully another two to three years, not just another six months or so”.
Having had knee surgery in February 2016, he missed the French Open with a back problem and played only 28 matches in the year.
He last won a tournament in November 2015 – the Swiss Indoors – and has not won a Slam since Wimbledon 2012.
Annacone, who also coached 14-time major winner Pete Sampras and Britain’s Tim Henman, believes Federer’s extended absence “could be a positive”.
He added: “It’s given him time to refresh and really get his body healthy.
“Six months isn’t critical – it’s not what I would call lethal. I know how hard Roger’s worked and how professional and meticulous he is about his preparations.
“It is a challenge, but great players love challenges. I expect great things because he’s a great player.”
Click to see content: roger_federer_titles_by_year
Federer can follow Sampras example
Federer, who has spent 302 weeks as world number one, has fallen to 16th in the rankings, his lowest position since May 2001.
That means he could face Britain’s world number one Sir Andy Murray or defending champion Novak Djokovic as early as the fourth round of the Australian Open, which starts on 16 January.
Having reached the semi-finals in Melbourne last year, an early exit would further impact on his ranking.
Annacone feels that will not matter to Federer at this stage of his career, citing the example of Sampras, who won the US Open in 2002 as the 17th seed.
“It’s not ideal but I’m a glass half-full guy,” said the 53-year-old. “I would imagine if you talked to Andy or Novak they’re not going to want to be playing Roger in the round of 16 or third round either.
“I was with Pete Sampras when he won his 2002 US Open. He hadn’t won an event for 26 months. With these great players, you just don’t know what they’re capable of. The rules don’t apply – they’re merely suggestions.
“I remember it with Pete. He said: ‘I really don’t care what my ranking is, it doesn’t matter any more. It’s about can I put myself in position to win tournaments, and in particular major tournaments.’ I’m sure Roger’s approaching it the same way.”
As if to underline that, Federer said on Friday: “Winning titles is a beautiful feeling; rankings at the moment… completely secondary. As long as I’m healthy, I think I can really do some damage.”
Can he make more history?
Federer, who has won more Grand Slams than any other male player, will be 36 in August, and Annacone says he does not need to chase history for motivation.
“I just think the sheer joy of competing and the challenge of testing himself against the others will be enough for Roger,” he said. “He’s so at peace with what he’s done and where he is that he’ll do it organically by himself.
“If he stays healthy and is able to train and compete as often as he’s planning to then I would consider that a success.
“If he does that, his average level, for how talented he is, is going to be somewhere in the top 10 anyway. If that’s the case, that average level will create opportunities where he is playing at the end of events.”
Annacone, who keeps in touch with Federer “via texts and instant messaging”, says the Swiss has been “in good spirits”.
“A couple of weeks ago he was doing great, he was really happy in his training in Dubai,” he said. “His body felt good and he was really excited about 2017.”
But Annacone, who will be commentating on the Australian Open for Tennis Channel, says Federer must “stay patient” in the early stages of his comeback.
“He is so meticulous in his preparation that I expect him to play pretty terrific tennis pretty quickly,” he added.
“Now can he do it second event in, the Australian Open, for seven matches? That’s a big challenge but he’s done it so many times in the past.”
There will be fireworks on and off the court this week in Doha, as the calendar flips to the New Year at the star-studded Qatar ExxonMobil Open. With the 2017 ATP World Tour season set to commence, familiar foes Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic are poised to pick up where they left off to conclude 2016.
Djokovic, who was dethroned as year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings by Murray at the ATP Finals, will be seeking revenge in the Qatari capital. The longtime rivals could face off in the final, which would be their first encounter at an ATP World Tour 250 event. With only 630 points separating them atop the Emirates ATP Rankings, the battle for No. 1 will be hotly contested to open the new season.
View Draw
Murray carries an 8-1 FedEx ATP Head2Head edge into his first-round encounter against Jeremy Chardy, with either Gerald Melzer or Paul-Henri Mathieu potentially waiting next. Fellow Top 10 player Tomas Berdych and World No. 12 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga could loom large in the semi-finals. Murray, who owns a 15-2 mark in four trips to Doha, will be looking to his extend his career-best 24-match win streak.
Djokovic, meanwhile, will face Jan-Lennard Struff for the first time in his opener. The 26-year-old German is eyeing Top 10 wins in back-to-back tournaments, having notched his first at the BNP Paribas Masters in November, defeating Stan Wawrinka in a deciding tie-break. Djokovic could face either Horacio Zeballos or Florian Mayer in the second round, with David Goffin, Marcos Baghdatis and Ivo Karlovic the other seeds in his half of the draw.
Djokovic, Murray and Tsonga are former champions returing to Doha this year. Murray claimed back-to-back titles in 2008-09, while Tsonga prevailed in 2012 with victory over Gael Monfils, and Djokovic is the defending champion after defeating Rafael Nadal last year.
In other action, Karen Khachanov will look to kick off his quest to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals, opening against local wild card Mubarak Shannan Zayid. The 20-year-old Moscow native soared to a year-end position of No. 53 in the Emirates ATP Rankings after clinching his maiden ATP World Tour title at the Chengdu Open in early October. The season-long Emirates ATP Race to Milan will see the world’s best up-and-coming talents battle to qualify for the exclusive tournament in November. Learn More
ATPWorldTour.com pays tribute to the first-time winners on the ATP World Tour in 2016.
Albert Ramos-Vinolas – Bastad [Ramos-Vinolas Spotlight]
Competing in his first clay court event since reaching his first Grand Slam quarter-final two months earlier at Roland Garros, Ramos-Violas once again showed off his red-clay prowess by capturing his first ATP World Tour title in July in Bastad. After defeating fellow Spaniard David Ferrer for the first time in seven tries in his semi-final win, Ramos-Vinolas prevailed in another all-Spanish encounter by defeating Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-4 in the championship match. The win also enabled him to snap a three-match losing streak against Verdasco.
“I cannot be more happy after a long time waiting. I have been working very hard,” said Ramos-Vinolas. “Everybody wants to win or dreams of winning a title. It was the same for me. It was important for me to win one ATP World Tour title.”
The Spaniard followed up his breakthrough in Bastad by reaching another ATP World Tour final in September in Chengdu (l. Khachanov). Ramos-Vinolas reached his career-high Emirates ATP Ranking of No. 26 in October.
Paolo Lorenzi – Kitzbuhel [Lorenzi Spotlight]
The feisty Italian broke ground in July in Kitzbuhel by becoming the oldest first-time winner on the ATP World Tour at 34 years, 7 months. With his 6-3, 6-4 victory in the final over Nikoloz Basilashvili, Lorenzi also finished 2016 as the third-oldest winner in 2016 on the ATP World Tour. only behind Ivo Karlovic (Newport; 37 years, four months) and Estrella Burgos (Quito; 35 years, six months).The Italian also became the first player that season to win both an ATP World Tour and ATP Challenger Tour title, having previously prevailed at Challengers in Canberra, Australia and Caltanissetta, Italy.
“I think it’s great to win an ATP trophy. I don’t look at the age. I can say that I’m really happy and I don’t mind if it’s happening at 34,” said Lorenzi. “When I was younger, I think the dream is to become No. 1 and win a Grand Slam, but of course it’s not so easy and only a few players can do this. But a goal of this year was to win one trophy, so this is great for me.”
Lorenzi would go on to reach the third round of the US Open, marking his best appearance at a Grand Slam. He also recorded a quarter-final showing in September in St. Petersburg, and achieved a career-high Emirates ATP Ranking that same month of No. 35. The year was also a success off the court for Lorenzi as he married Elisa Braccini in December.
Pablo Carreno Busta – Winston-Salem [Carreno Busta Spotlight]
Having finished runner-up earlier in the year in Sao Paulo and Estoril, the third time proved to be the charm for Carreno Busta in August in Winston-Salem. Facing fellow Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut in the final, the Barcelona resident rallied from down a set and a break to prevail 6-7(6), 7-6(1), 6-4.
“This is amazing. This is an incredible feeling. To win my first ATP World Tour title and then playing against Bautista [Agut], a top player, is really tough,” said Carreno Busta. “When you continue working and you continue fighting all the time and finally the result arrives, for me, it’s really, really good.”
His top form carried over into the US Open, where he reached the doubles final with another Spaniard in Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (l. Murray/Soares). Carreno Busta went on to win his second ATP World Tour title in October in Moscow (d. Fognini) and currently sits at a career-high Emirates ATP Ranking of No. 30.
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World number one Sir Andy Murray ended 2016 with a win over Milos Raonic at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship.
The 29-year-old, knighted in the New Year Honours list, beat Canada’s Raonic 6-3 7-6 (8-6) to take third place at the exhibition event in Abu Dhabi.
The Briton started well, breaking Raonic in his first two service games as he took the opening set.
He led 5-3 in the second but Raonic staged a mini fightback before Murray took the tie-break.
The Scot said: “It was good to finish the year with a win. It was a good match to work on returns as Milos has a strong serve.
“I still feel like Andy Murray – that feels more normal – but I am happy with the knighthood and it is a nice way to start the new year.”
In Friday’s semi-finals, Murray lost to Belgium’s David Goffin for the first time in six meetings.
Elsewhere, Laura Robson was beaten in the first round of qualifying for the ASB Classic in Auckland, losing in three sets to Tereza Martincova of the Czech Republic.
The Briton, now ranked 222nd in the world, lost 6-3 5-7 7-6 (10-8) to an opponent ranked 59 places above her.
Wawrinka, Nishikori set to face off in draw’s bottom half
The 2017 ATP World Tour season should start much like the 2016 season finished – with blockbuster match-ups.
At the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp, the first tournament of 2017, top seed Milos Raonic will try to repeat as champion Down Under. The right-hander won his lone title of 2016 in Brisbane.
But the World No. 3 could face a fellow Top 10 player before he even makes the semi-finals. Rafael Nadal, No. 9 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, will await Raonic if the two progress to the quarter-finals.
Raonic has a first-round bye and a potential second-round match-up with Argentine Diego Schwartzman or American Sam Querrey. The Canadian will be making his debut with new coach Richard Krajicek.
The fifth-seeded Nadal faces Ukraine’s Alexandr Dolgopolov in the first round and could meet a qualifier or German Mischa Zverev in round two. The Spaniard hasn’t played a match since the Shanghai Rolex Masters in October (left wrist). Nadal also made some coaching news this off-season by adding former World No. 1 Carlos Moya to his team.
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In the bottom half of the bracket, second seed Stan Wawrinka could collide with third seed Kei Nishikori in the semi-finals. The Swiss star receives a first-round bye and will face a qualifier or Serbian Viktor Troicki in round two.
Wawrinka might play rising Frenchman Lucas Pouille in the quarter-finals. Pouille, the sixth seed, opens against countryman Gilles Simon and could play a qualifier or #NextGen player Kyle Edmund of Great Britain in the second round.
Nishikori, who receives a first-round bye, will meet the big-serving lefty Gilles Muller of Luxembourg or a qualifier in round two. The Japanese player could meet eighth seed David Ferrer in the quarter-finals.
Fourth seed Dominic Thiem could meet seventh seed Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-finals if the seeds play out. Thiem, who made his Barclays ATP World Tour Finals debut in November, leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 1-0 (2016 Acapulco). Main draw play starts on Sunday in Brisbane.
British tennis champion Andy Murray and athlete Mo Farah have been knighted in the Queen’s New Year Honours list.
Paralympic dressage rider Lee Pearson also becomes a Sir, while heptathlete Jessica Ennis-Hill and rower Katherine Grainger are made dames.
There are CBEs for cyclists Jason and Laura Kenny, swimmer Sascha Kindred and equestrians Charlotte Dujardin, Nick Skelton and Sophie Christiansen.
Former athlete Sir Roger Bannister is made a Companion of Honour.
New Year Honours: Kinks singer Ray Davies knighted, actor Patricia Routledge made a dame
17 famous faces on the New Year list
Boxer Nicola Adams, Great Britain hockey captain Kate Richardson-Walsh and Wales football manager Chris Coleman receive OBEs.
Other OBEs include rowers Pete Reed and Andrew Triggs Hodge, cyclist Ed Clancy, Paralympians Jody Cundy and Anne Dunham and racehorse trainer John Gosden.
BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew is made a MBE, as are a host of gold medal winners from the Olympics and Paralympics in Rio, with more than 100 people in sport included on the list.
Great Britain’s women’s hockey players – including Richardson-Walsh’s wife Helen – are all honoured, together with other champions including gymnast Max Whitlock, swimmer Adam Peaty, golfer Justin Rose, and Paralympic gold medal-winning cyclist and athlete Kadeena Cox.
An extraordinary year for Murray
Becoming a Sir caps a landmark 12 months for Wimbledon and Olympic champion Andy Murray, 29.
February 2016: Has first child as wife Kim gives birth to daughter Sophia
June 2016: Becomes Wimbledon champion for the second time
August 2016: Defends Olympic singles title in Rio
November 2016: Replaces Novak Djokovic as world number one
December 2016: Wins BBC Sports Personality of the Year for record third time; knighted in New Year Honours List
Scot Murray, previously honoured with an OBE in 2012, had said he was “too young” for a knighthood.
Dream come true – Farah
Mo Farah, 33, completed a ‘double double’ in Rio as he won his fourth Olympic gold and became only the second man to retain the 5,000m and 10,000m titles.
His knighthood completes a remarkable journey for the runner who moved from Somalia to England aged eight.
“Looking back at the boy who arrived here from Somalia, not speaking a world of English, I could never have imagined where I would be today – it’s a dream come true,” he said.
Dressage rider Lee Pearson carried the flag for Great Britain during the Paralympic opening ceremony and went on to win the 11th gold medal of his career.
The decorated Paralympian already held the MBE, OBE and CBE for services to equestrianism and to disabled sport.
“I think it’s been the biggest surprise of my life,” he told Sky Sports.
“You receive a letter asking you to accept the honour and ever since sending the envelope back to the prime minister I’ve hardly slept. It’s just been really surreal. I’m just a bloke from Stoke-on-Trent.”
At 87, Sir Roger Bannister has chalked up another significant achievement. The first man to run a mile in under four minutes, in 1954, he joins an elite group as a Companion of Honour – a special award for service of conspicuous national importance limited to 65 people at a time.
Recipients wear the initials CH after their name and members currently include Stephen Hawking and Desmond Tutu.
Sporting dames
Jessica Ennis-Hill, 30, announced in October she was retiring from athletics after winning an Olympics silver medal in the summer.
She secured heptathlon gold at the London 2012 Olympics and will be awarded her third World Championship after Tatyana Chernova was stripped of the 2011 title.
“What a team to have been apart of. Dame…truly truly honoured!” she posted on Twitter.
Five-time medallist Katherine Grainger, who also becomes a dame, is Britain’s most decorated female Olympian after taking silver alongside Victoria Thornley in the double sculls.
The 41-year-old won gold in London after silvers in Sydney, Athens and Beijing.
Riders rewarded
Cycling’s so-called ‘golden couple’ Jason and Laura Kenny are made CBEs.
The pair, who boast 10 Olympic gold medals between them, were married in September.
Show jumper Nick Skelton finally claimed an individual Olympic title, riding Big Star, at his seventh Games – aged 58, he was Britain’s second oldest gold medallist.
Three dressage wins at the Paralympics for Sophie Christiansen took the 29-year-old’s Games career gold medal total to eight.
Aboard Valegro, Charlotte Dujardin, 31, retained her Olympic dressage title, while Sascha Kindred, 39, won his seventh Paralympic swimming title in Rio.
There is also a CBE for British Paralympic Association chairman Tim Reddish.
Adams proves a knockout
Nicola Adams became the first British boxer to retain an Olympic crown for 92 years by winning the flyweight title in Rio.
Kate Richardson-Walsh is also given an OBE after captaining Great Britain’s women to a first Olympic hockey gold medal.
Hockey’s Sam Quek: ‘I found out when I was coming out of the jungle’
It’s an incredible honour. We’ve really put hockey on the map
In football, Chris Coleman guided Wales to the semi-finals at Euro 2016, their first appearance at a major tournament since 1958.
There are OBEs for cyclist Ed Clancy, part of the victorious team pursuit in Brazil, plus Pete Reed and Andrew Triggs Hodge, after rowing golds at a third consecutive Olympics.
Also receiving an OBE are former swimmer turned cyclist Jody Cundy – who has represented GB at six Paralympics, winning seven golds – and Para-dressage rider Anne Dunham, who won team gold and two individual silvers in Rio, aged 67.
John Gosden, who has trained more than 3,000 winners, is honoured for services to horse racing.
Team GB’s Olympic chef de mission Mark England and his ParalympicsGB equivalent Penny Briscoe are recognised, as is former Commonwealth Games Scotland chairman Michael Cavanagh.
From TMS to MBE for Aggers
Among the MBEs are Northern Ireland football manager Michael O’Neill and former cricketer Jonathan Agnew, a regular on the BBC’s Test Match Special, who temporarily switched to Olympic equestrian commentary in the summer.
Cyclists Katie Archibald and Elinor Barker become MBEs as do sailor Saskia Clark and divers Jack Laugher and Chris Mears.
Swimmer Bethany Firth, who was ParalympicsGB’s most successful athlete in Rio with three golds and a silver, is on the list along with Ellie Robinson, who claimed gold in the pool aged 15.
Double Rio Paralympics athletics gold medallists Georgie Hermitage and Libby Clegg and wheelchair tennis champion Gordon Reid are all made MBEs.
Chelsea Ladies winger Karen Carney, referee Sian Massey-Ellis, Arsenal Ladies defender Alex Scott and racing driver Susie Wolff are honoured, while Brian Robinson will receive the British Empire Medal for services to cycling and charity.
The author, who led the Hillsborough Independent Panel’s research team, said he could not receive an honour, and had made that decision in protest “at those who remained unresponsive” to help families and survivors affected by the 1989 disaster in which 96 football fans died.
All the sporting honours
KNIGHTHOOD
Mo FARAH, CBE, for services to athletics, London; Andy MURRAY, OBE, for services to tennis and charity, Surrey; Lee PEARSON, CBE, for services to equestrianism, Staffordshire.
DAMEHOOD
Jessica ENNIS-HILL, CBE, for services to athletics, Sheffield; Katherine GRAINGER, CBE, for services to sport and charity, Maidenhead.
COMMANDERS OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (CBE)
Sophie CHRISTIANSEN, OBE, for services to para-equestrianism, Maidenhead; Charlotte DUJARDIN, OBE, for services to equestrianism, Gloucestershire; Jason KENNY, OBE, for services to cycling, Cheshire; Laura KENNY, OBE, for services to cycling, Cheshire; Sascha KINDRED, OBE, for services to swimming, Hertfordshire; Tim REDDISH, OBE, British Paralympic Association chairman, for services to sport, Nottinghamshire; Nick SKELTON, OBE, for services to equestrianism, Warwickshire.
OFFICERS OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (OBE)
Nicola ADAMS, MBE, for services to boxing, Leeds; Penny BRISCOE, MBE, Great Britain chef de mission for Rio 2016 Paralympics, for services to sport, Nottinghamshire; Michael CAVANAGH, for services to sport and the Commonwealth Games movement, Haddington, East Lothian; Ed CLANCY, MBE, for services to cycling, Holmbridge, West Yorkshire; Chris COLEMAN, Wales football team manager, for services to football, Winchester; Jody CUNDY, MBE, for services to cycling and swimming, Greater Manchester; Anne DUNHAM, MBE, for services to para-equestrianism, Devizes; Mark ENGLAND, Team GB chef de mission and British Olympic Associations director of sport, for services to sport, Guildford; John GOSDEN, for services to horseracing and training, Newmarket, Suffolk; Tim HOLLINGSWORTH, British Paralympic Association chief executive officer, for services to sport, Bath; Alison KERVIN, Mail on Sunday sports editor, for services to sports journalism, East Molesey, Surrey; Pete REED, MBE, for services to rowing, London; Kate RICHARDSON-WALSH, MBE, for services to hockey, Maidenhead; Peter ROWLEY, for services to sports administration, Darlington; Andrew TRIGGS HODGE, MBE, for services to rowing, Checkendon, Oxfordshire.
MEMBERS OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (MBE)
Tim ADAMS, for services to horseracing and rugby league, Leeds; Jonathan AGNEW, sports broadcaster, for services to broadcasting, Scalford, Leicestershire; John ALLEN, for services to athletics in Northern Ireland, Dundonald, Down; Giselle ANSLEY, for services to hockey, Devon; Katie ARCHIBALD, for services to cycling, Edinburgh; Hollie ARNOLD, for services to field athletics, Gwent; Elinor BARKER, for services to cycling, Greater Manchester; Sally BARKER, for services to sport and women’s participation in sport, Guildford; Stephen BATE, for services to cycling, Hebden Bridge; Will BAYLEY, for services to table tennis, Rotherham; Paul BENNETT, for services to rowing, Leeds; Paul BLAKE, for services to athletics, Redland, Bristol; Sophie BRAY, for services to hockey, Claygate, Surrey; Daniel BROWN, for services to rowing, Reading; Joanne BUTTERFIELD, for services to field athletics, Govan, Glasgow; Jon-Allan BUTTERWORTH, for services to cycling, Sale, Greater Manchester; Karen CARNEY, England and Chelsea Ladies, for services to football, Birmingham; Claire CASHMORE, for services to swimming, Kidderminster; Jeanette CHIPPINGTON, for services to canoeing, Maidenhead; Saskia CLARK, for services to sailing, Poole; Chris CLARKE, for services to sport, Loughborough; Joe CLARKE, for services to canoeing, Waltham Abbey, Essex; Elizabeth CLEGG, for services to athletics and charity, Loughborough; Grace CLOUGH, for services to rowing, Sheffield; Kadeena COX, for services to athletics, Leeds; Crista CULLEN, for services to hockey, London; Alex DANSON, for services to hockey, Marlow, Buckinghamshire; Karen DARKE, for services to sport – particularly cycling and triathlon, Inverness; Rob DAVIES, for services to table tennis, Brecon, Powys; Anne DICKINS, for services to canoeing, Oxted, Surrey; Owain DOULL, for services to cycling, Cardiff; Adam DUGGLEBY, for services to cycling, Leeds; Scott DURANT, for services to rowing, Halton, Lancashire; Lora FACHIE, for services to cycling, Altrincham; Robert FAHEY, lately Real Tennis world champion, for services to sport, Feering, Essex; Bethany FIRTH, for services to swimming, Downpatrick, Down; Fab FLOURNOY, for services to British Basketball and the community in the North East, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear; Paul FORD, British Olympic Association pre-Games manager, for services to sport, West Sussex; James FOX, for services to rowing, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire; Jo FRITH, for services to archery, Glastonbury, Somerset; Megan GIGLIA, for services to cycling, Stockport; Matt GOTREL, for services to rowing, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire; Sophie HAHN, for services to athletics, Widmerpool, Nottinghamshire; Corrine HALL, for services to cycling, Greater Manchester; Liam HEATH, for services to canoeing, Maidenhead; Robert Welby HENRY, for services to medicine and the sport of horse racing in Northern Ireland, Ballynahinch, Down; Georgina HERMITAGE, for services to athletics, Alton, Hampshire; Phelan HILL, for services to rowing, London; Maddie HINCH, for services to hockey, Maidenhead; Trefor Lloyd HUGHES, for services to football in Wales particularly Anglesey, Holyhead, Anglesey; Paul HUTCHINS, for services to tennis, London; Oliver JAMES, for services to rowing, London; Michael JONES, for services to swimming, Greater Manchester; Colin KING, for services to football and BAME inclusion in sport, London; Matt LANGRIDGE, for services to rowing, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire; Jack LAUGHER, for services to diving, Ripon, North Yorkshire; Andy LEWIS, for services to triathlon, Lydney, Gloucestershire; Claire LOMAS, for charitable and voluntary services to spinal injury research, Melton Mowbray; Constantine LOULOUDIS, for services to rowing, London; Hannah MACLEOD, for services to hockey, Maidenhead; Joanna MANNING-COOPER, for services to sport, West Byfleet, Surrey; Sian MASSEY-ELLIS, football referee, for services to football, Coventry; Kathleen McBRIDE, for services to sport and the community in Coleraine; Coleraine, Londonderry; Shona McCALLIN, for services to hockey, Newark, Nottinghamshire; Chris MEARS, services to diving, Leeds; Hannah MILLS, for services to sailing, Portland, Dorset; Stephanie MILLWARD, for services to swimming, Box, Wiltshire; Aaron MOORES, for services to swimming, Sketty, Swansea; Rachel MORRIS, for services to rowing, Farnham, Surrey; Samuel MORSHEAD, lately general manager Perth Racecourse, for services to the UK horseracing and charity, Comrie, Perth and Kinross; Marion MURDOCH, sportscotland, for services to sport particularly curling; Helen MURRAY, for services to swimming in Scotland, Longniddry, East Lothian; George NASH, for services to rowing, London; Jonathan NORFOLK, Great Britain para-cycling head coach, for services to cycling, Wilmslow, Cheshire; Robert NORTHRIDGE, for services to rowing and community relations in Northern Ireland, Enniskillen, Fermanagh; Michael O’NEILL, Northern Ireland football team manager, for services to football and the community in Northern Ireland, Edinburgh; Bill OWEN, for services to cycling particularly in Wales, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire; Lily OWSLEY, for services to hockey, Maidenhead; Adam PEATY, for services to swimming, Uttoxeter, Staffordshire; Hilary PHILBIN, British Fencing president, for services to fencing and sports administration, Romsey, Hampshire; Sam QUEK, for services to hockey, Birkenhead, Merseyside; Tom RANSLEY, for services to rowing, Ashford, Kent; Gordon REID, for services to wheelchair tennis, Glasgow; Helen RICHARDSON-WALSH, for services to hockey, Maidenhead; Ellie ROBINSON, for services to swimming, Great Houghton, Northamptonshire; Susie RODGERS, for services to swimming, London; Louis ROLFE, for services to cycling, Cambridgeshire; Justin ROSE, for services to golf, Fleet, Hampshire; Lauren ROWLES, for services to rowing, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire; Hannah RUSSELL, for services to swimming, Chertsey, Surrey; Will SATCH, for services to rowing, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire; Mohamed SBIHI, for services to rowing, London; Alex SCOTT, England and Arsenal Ladies defender, for services to football, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire; Giles SCOTT, for services to sailing, Weymouth, Dorset; Helen SCOTT, for services to cycling, Halesowen, West Midlands; Stephanie SLATER, for services to swimming, Preston; David SMITH, for services to Boccia, Strand, Swansea; Mike STEPHENSON, for services to rugby league and sports broadcasting; Jessica STRETTON, for services to archery, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire; Alice TAI, for services to swimming, Barton-on-Sea, Hampshire; Manisha TAILOR, for services to football and diversity in sport, London; Sophie THORNHILL, for services to cycling, Poynton, Cheshire; Susannah TOWNSEND, for services to hockey, Canterbury; Georgina TWIGG, for services to hockey, London; Laura UNSWORTH, for services to hockey, London; Edmund VAN HOOF, British Gymnastics head coach and men’s technical director, for services to gymnastics, Telford, Shropshire; Ian WALKER, for services to Olympic and international competitive sailing, Southampton; John WALKER, for services to archery, Newport, Shropshire; Hollie WEBB, for services to hockey, Maidenhead; Nicola WHITE, for services to hockey, London; Laurence WHITELEY, for services to rowing, Northallerton, North Yorkshire; Max WHITLOCK, for services to gymnastics, Pitsea, Essex; Emma WIGGS, for services to canoeing, Diseworth, Leicestershire; Susie WOLFF, for services to women in sport, abroad; Matthew WYLIE, for services to swimming, Washington, Tyne and Wear.
MEMBERS OF THE ORDER OF THE COMPANIONS OF HONOUR
Sir Roger BANNISTER, CBE, for services to sport, Oxfordshire.
MEDALLIST OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (BEM)
Brian ROBINSON, for services to cycling and charity, Mirfield, West Yorkshire.
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