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Katrina Allen
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FREELANCE WRITER

racket sports, a speciality. Otherwise, anything quirky! Former real tennis
champ and tennis tournament player. London based.

More About Me

 * Real Tennis at Queen's Club
   
   

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TENNIS

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LIFESTYLE

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TRAVEL

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FICTION/FACTION

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WORKING IN SAMOS

Posted on November 25, 2020 by Katrina in Lifestyle articles, Travel,
Uncategorized | Leave a comment


The Times

WHEN KATRINA ALLEN LEFT HER COMFORTABLE LONDON HOME TO VOLUNTEER AS A TRANSLATOR
IN GREECE, SHE HAD NO IDEA HOW LIFE-CHANGING IT WOULD BE.

It’s on my sixth night on the Greek island of Samos that things really become
tense. I’m at my apartment when the phone beeps: “Get down to the medical
centre. There’s a massive fire in the camp.” It turns out that it’s the result
of a fight breaking out between Syrians and Afghans over somebody jumping the
food queue. Gas canisters are now exploding like bombs, echoing around the
hillside. Hundreds are trying to flee the refugee camp, including terrified
families with small kids, only to be tear-gassed by the police attempting to
contain everyone. Later I’m told that a girl went into labour — thankfully, they
managed to get her to hospital. Read More





COMEBACK NOVAK

Posted on January 30, 2023 by Katrina in Tennis, Tennis/Real Tennis, Tennis/Real
Tennis/Sport blogs | Leave a comment


Today Novak Djokovic is once again world number one in men’s tennis, after he
claimed a record 10th Australian Open singles title at the weekend. He overcame
the Greek player, Stefanos Tsitsipas, in straight sets by 6-3, 7-6, 7-6.



At the end of the match, the Serbian player was a blubbering mess, shoulders
shaking, sobbing into his towel and gasping for air. He later said it was the
“biggest victory of my life”. There are a number of reasons why he might have
expressed the sentiment.

Read More





SEXUAL HARASSMENT, CHANNEL FOUR AND ME

Posted on January 20, 2023 by Katrina in Lifestyle articles, Lifestyle blogs,
Psychology/Health articles, Psychology/Health blogs | Leave a comment


Last week Channel Four broadcast a remarkable investigative documentary, which
has provoked a powerful reaction. “Undercover: Sexual Harassment – The Truth”
presents us with an experiment. Ellie Flynn, an undercover journalist, goes out
at night, pretending to be drunk and separated from her friends. With a feeling
of dread, viewers watch what happens next.



Read More





NO-ONE FOR TENNIS? MENTAL HEALTH, INJURIES AND THE AUSSIE OPEN

Posted on January 2, 2023 by Katrina in Uncategorized | Leave a comment


The 2023 Australian Open, due to start in Melbourne on 17 January, has already
suffered a number of casualties. Who knows how many more are to come?



The 19-year-old number one ranked player, Carlos Alcaraz, has withdrawn, citing
a hamstring injury. Former finalist, Simone Halep, has also pulled out. The
leading home player, Nick Krygios, is not certain to play, after withdrawing
from the United Cup and the Adelaide International with a knee injury.

Read More





THE HOLOCAUST REVISITED: REFLECTIONS ON ‘SEEING AUSCHWITZ’

Posted on December 24, 2022 by Katrina in Lifestyle articles, Lifestyle blogs,
Psychology/Health articles, Psychology/Health blogs | Leave a comment


 

David Herman reviewed the photographic exhibition “Seeing Auschwitz” here last
week. I too have been to the show at 81 Brompton Road in South Kensington,
London. It was a powerful experience.

The mood in the room was sombre and few people talked, so intent was their
concentration onthe images which were, to say the least, disturbing. The quiet
background piano music was slow, deep and chilling.



I went to Auschwitz and Birkenau a number of years ago. Auschwitz is a former
Polish Garrison, a row of orderly brick buildings. Birkenau, however, felt like
a wasteland, which made the end of the railway track seem even more bleak on
that cold and misty November afternoon.

Read More





FEDERER’S FAREWELL

Posted on September 26, 2022 by Katrina in Tennis, Tennis/Real Tennis,
Tennis/Real Tennis/Sport blogs | Leave a comment


 

 



 



Roger Federer played his final competitive match at the Laver Cup in London on
Friday night in front of a capacity crowd, many of whom were virtually in tears
at seeing their hero for the final time. Despite it being more an exhibition
event than a truly competitive one, tickets for this night session were rumoured
to be selling at £50,000 apiece.

The Swiss maestro has had three knee operations, none of which have been
successful enough to allow him to continue to compete at the highest level. He
chose to play alongside his old adversary on the court and good friend off it,
Rafael Nadal, in a doubles match against the Americans, Jack Sock and Frances
Tiafoe.

One could see why he had opted out of playing singles – he was clearly too
tentative to lunge for volleys or take quick sprints either forwards or
sideways. This was a strange sight, since he has always been famed for his light
and swift footwork. Read More





FLUSHING MEADOWS HAILS A NEW CHAMPION: CARLOS ALCARAZ

Posted on September 26, 2022 by Katrina in Tennis, Tennis/Real Tennis,
Tennis/Real Tennis/Sport blogs | Leave a comment


We have a new tennis world number one and US Open champion: the 19-year-old
Spaniard, Carlos Alcaraz.

His win in four sets over the quietly understated Norwegian, Casper Ruud, was
one hell of a feat — especially considering the number of playing hours the
Spaniard had put in over the course of the tournament. He played no fewer than
three consecutive five-set matches in the lead-up to the final. He may be just
19, but that is still some serious staying power. Ruud, meanwhile, moves into
2nd place in the rankings, also leapfrogging Nadal, Medvedev and Djokovic.

The Spaniard’s sensational quarter-final exhibition against the 21-year-old
Italian Jannik Sinner, in which he saved a match point, had to be one of the
most dramatic and high-level contests of the year. Slugging ground strokes, many
reaching speeds of 100 plus mph, balls mostly landing millimetres inside the
lines, along with near-impossible retrieving was a jaw-dropping spectacle. This
is surely the start of an exciting future rivalry. Read More





FAREWELL TO SERENA

Posted on September 26, 2022 by Katrina in Tennis, Tennis/Real Tennis,
Tennis/Real Tennis/Sport blogs | Leave a comment


At the US Open, last year’s teenage finalists went out early in the tournament
in straight sets. The British player and holder, Emma Raducanu, lost to the
Frenchwoman Alizé Cornet 6-3, 6-3 in the first round. Leylah Fernandez lost in
the second round to the Russian player Ljoedmila Samsonova 6-3 7-6. And yet
those early shock exits barely made a ripple in the news.

That’s because all eyes were on Serena Williams. She had more or less stated
that this was to be her final tournament. Except that she has consistently
refused to use the word “retire”, preferring “evolve”, implying that she was
moving in a new direction.

As ever on the feminist bandwagon, she explained that she wanted to extend her
family. “I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family. I don’t
think it’s fair. If I were a guy, I wouldn’t be saying this because I’d be out
there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labor of
expanding our family.”

Except that she turns 41 this month. How many players are at the top of the
singles game at that age? None. 41 is an age well after most players retire,
which made her statement sound somewhat ridiculous.

Read More





EMMA

Posted on September 26, 2022 by Katrina in Tennis, Tennis/Real Tennis,
Tennis/Real Tennis/Sport blogs | Leave a comment


Emma Raducanu goes into the US Open Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows, New York,
this week as the defending champion. Last year, she had an extraordinary run,
battling through three rounds of qualifying and going on to win the title
without losing a single set on the way.

At the start of Wimbledon last year, the Brit came into that tournament with a
world ranking of 343. As a result of her US Open title, she is now ranked no 11
in the world.

However, Raducanu may be the holder of that US Slam, but she’s had a dismal time
of it since. Chopping and changing coaches, a number of injuries and an apparent
loss of confidence has meant she has had 14 wins and 15 losses this year. The
signs don’t look good for the holder who has in excess of 2000 ranking points to
defend. Her tally of 2717 was mostly accumulated from her maiden Grand Slam
victory last year. If she loses in the first round next week to the
highly-experienced French player, Alizé Cornet, she could plunge to 85. It would
be a long way back to being in a seeded position at future Grand Slams and would
mean a reliance on wild cards in the more minor tour events with smaller draws.
Read More





NICK KYRGIOS, THE BAD BOY OF TENNIS

Posted on September 26, 2022 by Katrina in Tennis, Tennis/Real Tennis,
Tennis/Real Tennis/Sport blogs | Leave a comment


Rafael Nadal has pulled out of the semi-final of Wimbledon, citing a 7mm
abdominal tear. It was clear during his match against Taylor Fritz that
something was up and most of us, seeing him doubled up in pain,   half expected
him to retire. Nadal dug in, as he always does, and managed to eke out the win
in a fifth set tie break. Should he have quit during the match, knowing he
wouldn ’ t be fit enough to play the next round and deprive both his opponent
and ticket holders of a semi-final? It ’ s a fair question. Read More





FAREWELL, SUE BARKER — THE FACE OF WIMBLEDON

Posted on September 26, 2022 by Katrina in Tennis, Tennis/Real Tennis,
Tennis/Real Tennis/Sport blogs | Leave a comment


Sue Barker, broadcaster and the face of the BBC at Wimbledon, is finally
retiring, after 30 years on the job.

It ’ s hard to imagine Wimbledon without her and difficult to think who could
fill her shoes. Sue is knowledgeable, incredibly natural, with a great sense of
humour, all of which make for a brilliant broadcaster and interviewer. She is
also seen as strongly maternal by many of the players – her on-court interview
with a devastated and tearful Andy Murray after his loss to Roger Federer in the
2012 Wimbledon final, for example, was handled with enormous tact and kindness

But you don ’ t get to be such a success without grit — and an element of
ruthlessness.



Read More





BILLIE JEAN KING, THE GAME-CHANGER

Posted on September 26, 2022 by Katrina in Tennis, Tennis/Real Tennis,
Tennis/Real Tennis/Sport blogs | Leave a comment


I don’t know how many readers watched Amol Rajan interviewing the former tennis
number one, Billie Jean King, on BBC2 last Wednesday 22 June. For those who
didn’t, I really recommend seeing it on BBC iPlayer.

Billie Jean holds an incredible 39 Grand Slam titles: 12 singles, 16 doubles and
11 mixed doubles. But she has been far more than just a top tennis player. She
was also a serious social activist off the court. It’s down to her that women
earn the same as the men today in the Grand Slams.

During the 1970s, when the women earned much less than the men, she formed a
separate women’s circuit. She found a sponsor in Virginia Slims and enabled
women professionals to earn both serious money and respect for the women’s game,
at a time when female players were more valued for their looks than for their
playing ability. The misogyny of male commentators (which would go along the
lines of: “An attractive young lady, who if she took her glasses off and grew
her hair…”) was quite breathtaking.



King also had a turbulent private life, which was made very public by the press.
There was a massive backlash when it came out that she’d had an abortion — this
was in 1971, before the Roe v Wade ruling. And then, on top of that, she was
“outed” by a former female lover, with commercial endorsements lost overnight as
a consequence.

Read More





SHOULD MEN AND WOMEN TENNIS PLAYERS GET EQUAL PRIZE MONEY?

Posted on September 26, 2022 by Katrina in Tennis, Tennis/Real Tennis | Leave a
comment


“Women play about twenty-five percent as good as men, so they should get about
twenty-five percent of the money men get.” Bobby Riggs, 1973.

Riggs was famous, or rather infamous, for his match against the top female
player of the day, 29-year-old Billie Jean King, in 1973. By then Riggs was 55
years old. It was known as “The Battle of the Sexes”.

The point that Riggs was trying to make was that if a middle-aged man could beat
the top-ranked woman, it was absolute proof that the women were inferior and
therefore not deserving of equal prize money.



It’s difficult to know just how tongue-in-cheek he was with his remarks. He made
some rather bewildering statements, such as “Women belong in the bedroom and the
kitchen, in that order”. Yes, it was back in 1973 — but surely he wasn’t
serious?

The match was huge: played in front of over 30,000 spectators and a worldwide TV
audience of millions. King won in straight sets and took home $100,000
(equivalent to about $658,000 today). Riggs got nothing.

Read More





NADAL, THE KING OF CLAY, DOES IT AGAIN

Posted on June 9, 2022 by Katrina in Uncategorized | Leave a comment


Rafael Nadal triumphed for the 14th time at the French Open tennis Grand Slam in
Paris on Sunday. That is impressive enough — but the fact that he did it on
virtually one foot is positively absurd. Read More





BOOM BOOM AND BUST. THE RISE AND FALL OF BORIS BECKER.

Posted on June 9, 2022 by Katrina in Uncategorized | Leave a comment


The tennis legend, Boris Becker, has landed himself a 36 month jail sentence
after a highly-publicised bankruptcy trial. His has been a spectacular rise and
fall.

Read More





INTERNALISED HOMOPHOBIA AND SHAME – TIME TO TALK? 

Posted on February 17, 2022 by Katrina in Lifestyle articles, Lifestyle blogs,
Psychology/Health articles, Psychology/Health blogs | Leave a comment


Promotional Content Marketing piece for Harley Therapy Ltd.

Most of us have heard of Gay Pride. But how many of us have considered the issue
of “gay shame”? And how is it related to internalised homophobia? Writer Katrina
Allen reports.

WHAT IS INTERNALISED HOMOPHOBIA?

> “A 1998 study on gay and bisexual men in New York city described it as: “The
> gay person’s direction of negative social attitudes toward the self. Leading
> to a devaluation of the self and resultant internal conflicts and poor
> self-regard.”

In other words, internalised homophobia happens when we absorb social prejudice,
leading to negative feelings about our sexual identity or orientation.

Read More





DJOKOVIC HAS LEFT THE TENNIS WORLD TO PICK UP THE PIECES

Posted on February 17, 2022 by Katrina in Tennis, Tennis/Real Tennis,
Tennis/Real Tennis/Sport blogs | Leave a comment


The Novak Djokovic debacle is finally done and dusted. He is out — deported,
visa revoked for the second time, with the threat of being barred from entering
Australia for the next three years.  

Read More





HOW DID DJOKOVIC FIND HIMSELF PLAYING PANDEMIC POLITICS IN MELBOURNE?

Posted on February 17, 2022 by Katrina in Tennis, Tennis/Real Tennis,
Tennis/Real Tennis/Sport blogs | Leave a comment


The Park Hotel on Friday in Melbourne where Novak Djokovic is being detained at
the state-run quarantine facility

In the words of the legendary Aussie tennis player, Rod Laver, in relation to
the current Novak Djokovic debacle: “If he’s got a reason then . . . we should
know it. Yes, you’re a great player and you’ve performed and won so many
tournaments, so it can’t be physical. So what is the problem?”

Read More





“THAT” WEIBO POST IN CASE YOU MISSED IT.

Posted on November 23, 2021 by Katrina in Lifestyle articles, Psychology/Health
articles, Psychology/Health blogs, Tennis, Tennis/Real Tennis, Tennis/Real
Tennis/Sport blogs, Uncategorized | Leave a comment




#WHERE IS PENG SHUAI?

Posted on November 23, 2021 by Katrina in Lifestyle articles, Lifestyle blogs,
Tennis, Tennis/Real Tennis, Tennis/Real Tennis/Sport blogs | Leave a comment


On 2 nd  November, the former tennis star and two times Grand Slam doubles
champion, 35-year-old Peng Shuai, dropped a bombshell via the Chinese
Twitter-style platform, Weibo, in a social media post in which she
accuses  former Vice Premier, 75-year-old Zhang Gaoli, of coercing her into
having sex “about three years ago”. Read More





A PESHAWAR BURQA AND THE FATE OF AFGHAN WOMEN

Posted on September 14, 2021 by Katrina in Lifestyle articles, Lifestyle blogs,
Travel | Leave a comment


Yep, that’s me — under what’s known in English as a “pinhole shuttlecock burqa”.

I bought the burqa some 20 years ago at the market in Peshawar. Most of the
population of this city in Pakistan, close to the border with Afghanistan, are
ethnic Pashtuns. In those days, what few white women visited the town could
freely wander round the market. I say freely, but we did have a male escort, a
burly Pashtun who was visibly embarrassed when I asked him to negotiate for that
burqa, alongside an Afghan tea cosy. Peshawar seemed impossibly exciting then,
like something out of the Wild West. 

When we first arrived, I was horrified by the sudden sight of women in burqas
like this. Those who weren’t out shopping were being jolted around, bumping
shoulders in the back of battered Suzuki jeeps, seemingly peering out at us.
Their garb gave them an appearance of capture, of strange exotic creatures. 

 

 

Read More



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