Top Dogs on Tour

 

Originally published on 29/04/15

1 Venus Williams
Harold Reginald Williams, known to his friends as Harry, joined Venus Williams’ team in 2007 after the seven-time Grand Slam champion bought him from a New York pet store. The 34-year-old has described the grey Havanese as “a friend who’s there for you – after wins or losses – and who really cares for you.”  
 

2Novak Djokovic
Toy poodle Pierre is perhaps the most pampered pooch in tennis and even made an appearance on the cover of fashion magazine L’Uomo Vogue in as his master, accompanied Djokovic to Wimbledon in 2011 but had to fly home alone after an issue with customs.
 

3 Andy Murray 
Murray is a self-confessed dog lover and even stopped traffic on his way to Wimbledon last year to rescue a labradoodle near his home in Surrey. Murray and wife Kim have two border terriers, Rusty and Maggie May, who has her own Twitter account.
 

4 Richard Gasquet
The Frenchman has a pet Alsatian called Ganso, named after the Brazilian footballer. German Shepherds can grow as large as 40kg, making Ganso one of the larger dogs on tour. “He really helps him to relax when he does have time with him,” Gasquet’s father Francis told L’Equipe.
 

5 Victoria Azarenka
While sidelined with injury in early 2014, two-time Australian Open champion Azarenka rescued stray dog Duke. “It’s a love story,” she said. “He just doesn’t leave my side when I’m in the house at home. He looks like Scooby Doo. He’s really fun and I miss him. He’s a really cool dog.”

To read about more players and their canine companions, get your hands on a copy of our June 2015 issue, on sale now in selected WH Smith, Tesco and Sainsbury's stores or buy online.

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