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Federer, Djokovic Set To Resume Storied Rivalry

  • Posted: Jan 27, 2016

Federer, Djokovic Set To Resume Storied Rivalry

Pair to meet for 45th time in Australian Open semi-finals

“There’s a lot of tension. There’s a lot at stake. I’m expecting a great fight in two days,” said Novak Djokovic as he looked ahead to his blockbuster Australian Open semi-final with Roger Federer, set for Thursday night on Rod Laver Arena.

Indeed, Djokovic and Federer will share the court for the 45th time, with their FedEx ATP Head2Head finely balanced at 22-22. Their past three Grand Slam meetings all came in finals and all were won by Djokovic (2015 Wimbledon & US Open, 2014 Wimbledon). The last time they played a semi-final was four years ago at Wimbledon. Federer won.

It has been an uphill struggle for Federer against Djokovic in recent years as the Serb’s dominance on the ATP World Tour has grown. Since that Wimbledon victory, Federer has beaten Djokovic seven times in 18 meetings. The challenges that he – and the rest of the tour – have faced against Djokovic would make victory on Thursday and ultimately an 18th Grand Slam championship even sweeter for the Swiss.

“It’s part of the reason why I guess I’m still playing,” said the 34-year-old Federer. “I feel like I’m competitive at the top. I can beat all the guys on tour. It’s nice now that in the last three slams that I’ve been as consistent as I have been.

“I’m playing good tennis, fun tennis for me anyway. I really enjoy being able to come to the net more like back in the day. So I’m very pleased. It would mean a lot to me, no doubt about it.”

Both Djokovic and Federer are bidding to reach their sixth Australian Open finals.

The 28-year-old Djokovic has never lost in a final at Melbourne Park, lifting his first Grand Slam trophy Down Under in 2008 (d. Tsonga) and returning victorious in 2011 (d. Murray), 2012 (d. Nadal), 2013 (d. Murray) and 2015 (d. Murray). Indeed, his 5hr., 53min., battle against Rafael Nadal in the 2012 finale would suggest he simply refuses to lose.

Federer first triumphed in Melbourne in 2004 (d. Safin) and reclaimed the trophy in 2006 (d. Baghdatis), 2007 (d. Gonzalez) and 2010 (d. Murray). He was runner-up to Nadal in the 2009 title match.

Djokovic is looking to reach his fifth successive Grand Slam final, having not lost prior to the title match at a major since the 2014 US Open, when he was beaten by Kei Nishikori in the semi-finals. Last year, the Serb won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open and fell just one match short of completing the calendar Grand Slam, losing to Stan Wawrinka in the Roland Garros final.

While Djokovic escaped a five-set scare in the fourth round against Gilles Simon, Federer has come through the draw largely unscathed – only dropping one set to Grigor Dimitrov in the third round – and having played three hours and 26 minutes less than Djokovic. Should Thursday night’s contest go the distance, though, Djokovic is backing himself to have a slight edge against Federer, six years his senior.

“Roger is playing really terrific tennis in the past two years,” said the Serb. “We played two Grand Slam finals last year. I know very well how well he plays, especially in the later stages of a major event.

“He always makes you play your best. My best is what is going to be necessary to win against him. Hopefully I’ll be able to deliver. This is going to be a big challenge for both of us. The longer the match goes, maybe I have a slightly bigger chance. I still don’t think it’s something I can heavily rely on.”

Unquestionably, Djokovic rises to the occasion in the big matches. The Belgrade native has won 15 of his past 16 tour-level matches against Top 10 opposition. His only defeat in that time came to Federer in the round-robin stages at the 2015 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Furthermore, he has won 12 of his past 13 matches against Top 10 opposition at Grand Slams, with his only defeat coming against Wawrinka in the 2015 Roland Garros final.

Federer is looking to reach his 29th Grand Slam final, which would make him the oldest finalist at the Australian Open since 1972, when Ken Rosewall (37 years, 62 days) and Mal Anderson (36 years, 306 days) played the final. At 34 years, 176 days, he is already the oldest man to reach the semi-finals at the Australian Open since Colin Dibley (aged 35 years 105 days) in 1979

The Basel native will need to buck the trend of semi-final defeats he has endured at Melbourne Park in recent years, falling in the final four in 2011 (l. to Djokovic), 2012 (l. to Nadal), 2013 (l. to Murray) and 2014 (l. to Nadal).

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Raonic on Warhol, Weiwei and winning

  • Posted: Jan 27, 2016
Australian Open
Venue: Melbourne Park Dates: 18-31 January
Coverage: Live radio and text commentary on all Andy Murray matches, plus highlights on BBC TV and BBC Sport website. Listen to Tennis Breakfast on Radio 5 live sports extra and the BBC Sport website from 07:00 GMT.

Standing in Andy Murray’s way of another Australian Open final is 6’5″ big-hitting Canadian Milos Raonic.

And the man with the monster serve has revealed he has a unique preparation method for his run to the semi-final – art.

Speaking after victory over Frenchman Gael Monfils, Canadian Raonic revealed a trip to a Melbourne museum helped him focus on the quarter-final match-up.

“I saw a lot of Andy Warhol exhibits before,” said the 25-year-old. “It was more of the Ai Weiwei installations I wanted to see, especially the Infinite Bicycle one that was in the centre of the museum.

“It was magnificent in many ways. I think that whatever iteration you see of Andy Warhol’s life has been redefined over many years due to his unfortunate passing, but Weiwei’s story is constantly building and you’re hearing something different.

“There is a lot I’m learning about his house arrest and all these kind of things, his rebel behaviour towards establishment and so forth.

“I think the most impressive thing is how grand his installations are. It’s tough for somebody to put it in their own home, but they speak wonders I believe.”

Raonic beat 2014 Australian Open winner Stan Wawrinka in a five-set fourth-round thriller on Monday and the 13th seed said the progress on his mental game was key to that victory.

“It’s something I’m getting better with. I can be very obsessive when it comes to the process and what I need to do for the next match. I am constantly considering things.

“[Going to an art gallery] was definitely a nice escape from myself. I got to participate in something that I really enjoy and a passion that’s definitely grown for me over the last two years.”

The only question now is: What would Raonic make of the dog portraits painted by Murray’s wife Kim?

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Female Bourne – GB's new tennis hope

  • Posted: Jan 27, 2016

Australian born, proudly British, thriving down under.

“Actually I am a tri-citizen, I’ve got a Hungarian passport as well. I’m pretty much the female version of Jason Bourne.”

Like fictional action-hero Bourne, Johanna Konta is proving herself capable of stunts to wow an audience.

Now an Australian Open semi-finalist, this Eastbourne resident has practically doubled her career prize money in under two weeks and left Australia wondering how they let her get away.

Konta’s career has taken her from Sydney to Eastbourne – via Gijon, Texas and Barcelona. Now, her own all-action production is gathering pace and even Bourne might not be able to handle her.

Turned away for being too good

Konta’s run makes her the first British woman to reach the last four of a Grand Slam since Jo Durie in 1983 and her formative years offered hope of a rise to stardom.

“Her parents brought her to my academy in 2005 but I said she’s too good, too strong and told her where she needed to go to train next,” said Justin Sherring, director of the Weybridge Tennis Academy.

Konta – 14 at the time – had just touched down in the UK after her Hungarian parents moved so father Gabor could take a job at the Marriot Hotel in London’s Docklands.

Eastbourne became home – and still is – but spells in academies in Spain and the US showed Konta’s will to move around in order to hone game.

“The first thing that struck me was she was really bubbly and enthusiastic,” added Sherring, who eventually coached Konta for a spell in 2010. “I’m not surprised at what she has done. Top players have that something different about them. She is incredibly passionate about the sport.”

Sacrifice, self analysis – and some What’s App

Konta – now British number one – has stated she once made her elder half-sister cry during a game of Monopoly.

Behind the humility she shows during warm interviews on court sits an obsession with becoming a better player.

“The only difference between try and triumph is a little oomph” reads a quote on her Twitter account.

Form has undoubtedly picked up since her LTA funding was cut last year- perhaps showing the defiance that burns inside Konta – who said the move “jeopardised” her career.

And self analysis at the highest level of sport can unearth tough realities. In attempting to battle anxiety during matches, Konta appointed a mental coach by the name of Juan Coto, who aids her with sessions via Skype or What’s App.

“You need to be humble, and to accept that a mental coach can help you,” Coto told the BBC. “You also need to be courageous to try different ways of thinking and behaving.”

Building a tight network

All of these things – the right coach, the right base, the right mindset – take time to harness. At 24, Konta has years left to make them pay.

It is reported her boyfriend is hitting partner Kether Clouder, offering a friendship, support and perhaps much needed distraction from the game during long spells on Tour.

“I think the package around her has really helped her to be much more in control of what she wants to do on the court,” said Fed Cup team captain Judy Murray. “You can go out and do relatively normal things and I think that helps you to stay much more emotionally stable.”

Konta’s Twitter account offers plenty of images of family gatherings.

Her father Gabor – who now works at Ashdown Park Hotel and Country Club, in East Grinstead – and mum Gabriella, a dentist, have refused to speak to media during the Australian Open. A clear focus on staying humble, focused and private seems to run though Team Konta.

She’s Eastbourne and they love it

Konta does not own a home, she says if she did she would happily remortgage it to see one of her music loves – U2.

But the lack of a mortgage does not weaken her ties with Eastbourne, where a pride in her professional exploits exists among the community in the south-coast seaside resort.

Groups of school girls attended the Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club to watch her quarter-final win over China’s Zhang Shuai, while the local newspaper – The Eastbourne Hearald – led their website with news of her win.

And Konta still relies on a local dealership to supply her Peugeot.

Simple interests

If not playing, enjoying her mum’s cooking in Eastbourne or being honed by coaches Esteban Carril and Jose-Manuel Garcia in Gijon, northern Spain, Konta will probably be found enjoying ice cream and listening to music.

“I play tennis during the day. Would love to go to concerts most nights. I take gelato very seriously,” reads her Twitter bio.

Van Morrison’s music is a particular love and in what seems anything but a standard relationship for a finely-tuned athlete, her passion for ice cream has led to some sponsorship from an Italian manufacturer.

A return to Australia? A flash in the pan?

The stunning run in Melbourne contrasts Konta’s previous Grand Slam performances, where she has five first-round exits in eight attempts.

But this is no one-off display according to Sherring, who says his former pupil is “where she deserves to be”.

“She looks like she believes in what she is,” he added. “She just looks much more confident, winning makes you feel good.”

The Sydney Morning Herald has been left asking how Konta slipped away from Australia, referencing she had spent “three years in English fog” by the time she reached 11th in the world junior rankings in 2008.

Australia would love to have her back.

“My home is Great Britain,” Konta told one reporter. “It has been for a long time now, over a decade. That’s where my heart is.”

Hard luck, Australia. Great Britain is closing in on being home to a first female Grand Slam winner since 1977.

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Στους 8 του Australian Open ο Στέφανος Τσιτσιπάς!

  • Posted: Jan 27, 2016

tsitsipas

Ο Στέφανος Τσιτσιπάς, νίκησε τον Αμερικάνο Liam Caruana με σκορ 6-4,6-4, πέρασε στους 8 καλύτερους της διοργάνωσης, και κοιτάζει ψηλότερα.

Επόμενος αντίπαλος στην πορεία προς την κορυφή, ο Αυστραλός Alex De Minaur.