ATP

RECORD CROWDS WITNESS DAY OF DRAMA AT ATP AEGON NOTTINGHAM OPEN

Published

9 years ago

25/06/2015

Packed stands at today’s Aegon Open Nottingham witnessed the top three seeds in action as former World No. 8 Marcos Baghdatis produced a second-round shock against David Ferrer. Mike James and Jonathan Fraser

Third seed and two-time winner of the Aegon International at Eastbourne Feliciano Lopez also reached the third round having eased past junior World No. 1 Taylor Harry Fritz 6-3 6-3. He will be joined by second seed Gilles Simon who came through a three hour epic to defeat Spaniard Marcel Granollers, 6-4 7-6(3) 6-7(0).

Record crowds enjoyed a sun soaked day at the Nottingham Tennis Centre, and limited tickets are still available for Wednesday’s action which will feature the Spanish crowd-favourite taking to the courts again. Lopez, 33, will play last on Centre Court against Taipei’s Yen-Hsun Lu, who downed Halle runner-up Andreas Seppi. Cypriot Baghdatis, who will open Wednesday’s play at midday on Centre Court, goes on to play teenage wildcard Alexander Zverev.

Baghdatis said after beating 2013 French Open finalist Ferrer: “The best thing is that I’m feeling good on court. It was his first match on grass and at the beginning he didn’t have much rhythm. I think I played it smart not to give him any rhythm. I’m very happy about my win today but I have to keep my feet on the ground. There’s still a long way to go. But I feel good here, there are a lot of good vibrations, good vibes, positive energy.”

And Spanish No. 2 Ferrer admits that he was second-best on his return to the grass surface. He said: “Marcos was better than me. He played more hours on court and had more confidence in his game. For me, the first set was difficult because it was the first set back on grass. I didn’t have too many days of practice on this surface. I hope next year I’ll have more days here. It’s important to play more matches. Now I have to focus before Wimbledon. I will have four or five days of practice and I hope to play better.”

Meanwhile, World No. 16 Lopez knows that he faces a tough task to get past Lu and reach the last eight. Lopez said: “He’s a great player who can do very well on grass. He’s dangerous. I’ll try to play my game, be aggressive and hold serve. This is the way I have to play … Grass court season is good for me. It has been good for the last 10 years. It’s the surface where I play my best tennis, so I take advantage of that. My game is good for the grass, so hopefully I can have a great run here and also at Wimbledon next week.”

Fritz had already beaten World No. 66 Pablo Carreno Busta earlier in the day in what was his ATP World Tour main draw debut. “He was not shy at all,” Lopez said. “The fact that he won his first match this morning gave him a lot of confidence and he went in with nothing to lose – he’s 700th in the world, I’m 16th – so it’s a great match for him to play. I think he has a great future.”

First on Centre Court was British No. 4 Ward, who resumed his rain-interrupted first round match up by one set against American Tim Smyczek but lost 1-6 7-6(3) 6-1, before sixteenth-seed Czech Jiri Vesely eased past Smyczek 6-1 6-3 in less than an hour in the second round.

Elsewhere on the outside courts, 18-year-old former junior world number one Alexander Zverev came from a set down to beat Brazil’s Thomaz Bellucci 6-7(7), 6-3, 6-4 and set up a third round meeting with Baghdatis. Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov, who toppled Rafael Nadal at The Queen’s Club last week, overcame 11th seed Spaniard Pablo Andujar in 2 hours 20 minutes 7-6(5) 6-7(5) 6-4, while world No. 23 Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas got past Dudi Sela of Israel in straight sets, 7-5, 6-4. Cuevas will next face big-serving American Sam Querrey, who took down Santiago Giraldo of Colombia 7-6(4), 6-4.

ATP

Rafael Nadal To Play Laver Cup In Berlin

Published

2 days ago

22/04/2024

Adam Addicott

Rafael Nadal has eased speculation that he might be retiring from the sport soon after signing on to play in the Laver Cup later this year.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion is the latest player to join the line-up for this year’s team competition which features Europe taking on the rest of the world over three days. It will be Nadal’s fourth appearance in the competition and his first since 2022. He competed in the inaugural edition of the event back in 2017 alongside co-founder Roger Federer.

“I am very happy to be playing Laver Cup in Berlin for Team Europe,” Nadal said in a press release. “I have some really special memories from my Laver Cup experiences, including all the emotions from London two years ago playing alongside Roger for the last time.”

Nadal’s decision to play comes amid questions about his future in the sport. The former world No.1 has previously indicated that this year could be his last on the Tour but he has stated that no decision has been made. In recent months he has been sidelined from action due to injury setbacks and has only been able to play in two tournaments so far this year.

“At this stage in my career I really want to go out there and make the most of every opportunity I am given,” he explains.
“Teaming up is always an incredible experience and I have always enjoyed it, the competition is different and exciting. I’m looking forward to going to Berlin and helping Team Europe win back the Laver Cup.”

Other European players confirmed to be playing are Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev. Meanwhile, Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul have agreed to play for Team World. This year’s event will be held in Belin at the Uber Arena between September 20-22.

The Laver Cup was inspired by golf’s Ryder Cup. It was co-founded by Federer’s Team8 management company (which he formed with agent Tony Godsick), businessman Jorge Paulo Lemann and Tennis Australia. In 2019 it became an official ATP sanction event and now has a place on the official calendar.

Nadal is set to return to competitive action at the Madrid Masters which he has won on five previous occasions. He has been drawn to play teenage wild card Darwin Blanch in the first round. If he wins, Nadal will then play Alex de Minaur who knocked him out of the Barcelona Open last week.

ATP

Carlos Alcaraz In Doubt For Madrid Open Title Defence

Published

1 week ago

16/04/2024

Adam Addicott

Carlos Alcaraz admits that he is not certain if he will be ready in time to play at next week’s Madrid Masters.

The 20-year-old is yet to play a clay tournament in Europe due to a forearm injury which ruled him out of both Monte Carlo and Barcelona. He hurt his right arm whilst training shortly before the Monte Carlo event began.

It is the latest in a series of injury issues that has affected Alcaraz throughout his young career. Since the start of 2023, he has also been derailed by issues with his abdominal, hamstring, post-traumatic arthritis in his left hand and muscular discomfort in his spine.

“My feeling isn’t right, but it is what it is. Now I’m fully focused on recovery and I have a little more time,” Alcaraz told reporters in Barcelona on Monday.
“My goal is to try and go to the Madrid Open, but at the moment nothing is certain. I was given specific recovery times and I’ve respected them, but I haven’t felt good. I don’t want to get ahead of myself.
“I can’t say I’ll be 100% in Madrid, but that’s my intention. We’ll train and do everything we can so that the feelings improve so I can play a match … It’s also a very special tournament for me.”

Alcaraz has won the past two editions of the Madrid Open, which is classed as a Masters 1000 event. In 2022 he defeated Alexander Zverev in the final and then 12 months later he beat Jan-Lennard Struff in the title match.

The setback comes after what has been a steady start to the year for Alcaraz who has reached the quarter-finals or better in four out of five tournaments played. He successfully defended his title in Indian Wells and then reached the semi-finals in Miami.

Should he not play in Madrid, it is likely that the Spaniard will lose his No.2 spot to Jannik Sinner who is just over 100 points behind him in the standings. He will still have the chance to play a clay-court event before the French Open with Rome taking place early next month.

ATP

Olympic Qualification Is Not the Only Goal For French Veteran Gael Monfils

Published

2 weeks ago

10/04/2024

Adam Addicott

Gael Monfils (image via https://twitter.com/atptour)

Gael Monfils admits he doesn’t have too many years left on the Tour but this doesn’t mean his targets are any less ambitious.

The 37-year-old has enjoyed a rapid rise up the rankings over the past 12 months following battles with injury. At his lowest, he was ranked 394th last May but is now in 40th position. As a result, he is closing on securing a place in the Olympic Games which is being held in his home country of France for the first time since 1924. The tennis event will be staged at Roland Garros.

“When I was 400, I was thinking the Olympics would be great, but it’s going to be tough,” Monfils told reporters on Tuesday.
“There are younger players playing well. If I don’t qualify, I don’t mind. It will just mean I’m very close to the ranking I want to be. That ranking will allow me to find another goal.”

Monfils is already a three-time Olympian but has never won a medal at the event. He reached the quarter-finals of the singles tournament twice in 2008 and 2016.

Another goal of Frenchmen is the Wimbledon championships which concludes just three weeks before the Olympics begin. The proximity of these tournaments will be a challenge to all players who will be going from playing on clay to grass and then back to clay again.

“I really want to go and play Wimbledon. I don’t have so many Wimbledons to play in the future. The Olympics is one goal, not the only goal.” Monfils states.
“My dream is of course to be part of the Olympics. I played three times at the Olympics. I’d like to be there again. But I also really want to do well in Wimbledon this year. To reach my goal, it has to be including Wimbledon.” He added.

Monfils is currently playing at the Monte Carlo Masters where he beat Aleksandar Vukic in his opening match. In the next round, he will take on Daniil Medvedev in what will be their first meeting since 2022. He leads their head-to-head 2-1.

Medvedev has openly spoken about his roller-coaster relationship with playing on the clay. He admits it is not his favourite surface but how much of a factor could this be in his upcoming clash with Monfils?

“Of course, it’s not his favourite one, but he’s still Daniil Medvedev, and whatever the surface, it’s always very complicated to play him,” Monfils concludes.