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Nadal Leads Stars In Annual Player Revue

  • Posted: Apr 14, 2016

Nadal Leads Stars In Annual Player Revue

Players and coaches put on entertaining show at Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel

Rafael Nadal took a break from watching Barcelona play Athletico Madrid to make a guest appearance in the annual Player Revue at the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel on Wednesday night.

Stars of the ATP World Tour set aside their inhibitions to entertain their friends, family and fellow players in a series of sketches, poking good-humoured fun at life on tour and showing off their singing and dancing talents.

The show was organised by Cecilia Ghe from the ATP and Anna Galoppo, with the assistance of David Ekerot, while Lukasz Kubot acted as compere for the evening alongside Cristina Cimino.

It was Kubot who called Nadal onto stage, along with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Jamie Murray, to take part in a special quiz.

Doubles World No. 1 Murray, who also hosted a special backstage video for ATP Uncovered with partner Bruno Soares, had earlier been the subject of the first sketch of the evening, in which Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau imagined how life may have changed in the Murray household now that Jamie is atop the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings. A very good-natured Judy Murray then joined the cast on stage.

There were two special guest stars as AS Monaco players, captain Jeremy Toulalan and Joao Moutinho, were invited onto stage, where they presented Nadal with a team shirt.

After his stunning victory earlier in the day over World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, Jiri Vesely was all smiles as he nervously made his acting debut in one of the later sketches in the evening.

Children’s party games were featured as #NextGen stars Alexander Zverev, Elias Ymer and Nick Kyrgios were depicted by Stephane Robert, Raven Klaasen and Tecau playing musical chairs in a jest competition for a wild card.

The show was brought to a thunderous close with a lively rendition of Uptown Funk, performed by Gilles Simon, Rohan Bopanna, Jeff Coetzee, Klaasen, Robert Farah and Robert.

The star of the show was arguably 11-year-old Rocco Piatti, son of Milos Raonic’s coach Riccardo Piatti, who enthusiastically assisted in a number of the performances. His supporting cast included Simon, Nadal, Tsonga, Jamie Murray, Soares, Rojer, Tecau, Farah, Juan Sebastian Cabal, Jack Reader, Bopanna, Coetzee, Klaasen, Robert, Vesely, Rajeev Ram, Andrey Kuznetsov, Teymuraz Gabashvili and Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

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Nadal Sees Off Thiem Monte Carlo 2016

  • Posted: Apr 14, 2016

Nadal Sees Off Thiem Monte Carlo 2016

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Nadal Sees Off Thiem Monte Carlo 2016

  • Posted: Apr 14, 2016

Nadal Superó A Thiem En Montecarlo 2016

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Federer Breezes Into Monte-Carlo QFs

  • Posted: Apr 14, 2016

Federer Breezes Into Monte-Carlo QFs

Federer goes on to face Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Roger Federer may have been off tour for two months, but the Swiss is showing no signs of rust at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, where he is through to the quarter-finals after defeating Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 6-4 on Thursday.

“As the match progressed, I felt better and better,” Federer said. “Once I made the break, I was able to relax a little more. I’m happy with what I did. He’s a good player.”

The third-seeded Federer swept past Bautista Agut in 69 minutes, winning 73 per cent of his service points and breaking serve three times. He improved to a 5-0 head-to-head record over Bautista Agut, who has made a strong start in 2016, compiling a 20-7 mark and winning titles in Auckland (d. Sock) and Sofia (d. Troicki).

“As long as I can go into a match feeling alright, then during the match I’m not thinking about it,” said Federer of his recovery from knee surgery. “I’m getting closer to the peak in the sense of maximum movement against the best players on a tough surface.

“I’ll be resting for the next couple of weeks anyway, so even if I get a setback for a couple of days, I can take as much time as I need. I feel like I’m in a great place right now.”

The 34-year-old Federer returned to action at the Monte-Carlo Country Club after being sidelined since the Australian Open, first with a torn meniscus in his left knee that required arthroscopic surgery, then illness in Miami. The Basel native beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in straight sets in his opening match and now goes on to face Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Eighth seed Tsonga won an all-French clash with Lucas Pouille in the last match of the day, beating the wild card 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 35 minutes. In the pair’s first tour-level meeting, Tsonga won 72 per cent of his service points and converted two of his nine break points.

Tsonga trails Federer 5-11 in the FedEx ATP Head2Head, but did beat the Swiss in their last meeting two years ago in the Toronto final. They also met in the Monte-Carlo quarter-finals in 2014, with Federer winning that contest in three sets.

Federer is a four-time finalist in Monte-Carlo and is looking to add the elusive crown to his collection of 24 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophies. The right-hander reached three straight finals from 2006-08, losing to Rafael Nadal, and lost out to countryman Stan Wawrinka in the 2014 title match.

Gael Monfils downed Jiri Vesely 6-1, 6-2 in just 68 minutes, one day after the 22-year-old Vesely had recorded the biggest win of his career by stunning World No. 1 and defending champion Novak Djokovic.

“I played a good match,” said Monfils. “I was broken in the first game. He made good drop shots. He imposed a strange rhythm. That made me more tense. I didn’t expect drop shots that early in the match.

“But I was lucky to break him back immediately. Then we had some rallies. I was trying to hit to his forehand. He gave me many points on his forehand. He wasn’t at ease with that shot today.

“Of course, when you play a big match the day before, it’s always difficult to play again the next day. There are two solutions: either you play very well the next day or it’s very tough. I believe for him today it was not that good.”

Monfils has an 18-5 record in 2016, reaching the final in Rotterdam (l. to Klizan) as well as the quarter-finals at the Australian Open (l. to Raonic), Indian Wells (l. to Raonic) and Miami (l. to Nishikori).

The right-hander is bidding to reach the semi-finals at the Monte-Carlo Country Club for the second year in a row, after beating Federer en route to the final four last year (l. to Berdych). He goes on to face lucky loser Marcel Granollers.

Granollers has seized his opportunity after taking the place of the injured David Ferrer in the draw. The Spaniard battled past #NextGen star Alexander Zverev on Wednesday night and followed up with a 7-6(1), 6-4 victory over 11th seed David Goffin.

The 30-year-old Granollers is through to his first Masters 1000 quarter-final since Rome 2013 (l. to Paire). The right-hander has a 3-1 head-to-head record over Monfils, whom he has beaten in their past three meetings.

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Sharapova meldonium hearing to go ahead

  • Posted: Apr 14, 2016

Maria Sharapova will face a hearing for testing positive for meldonium, despite the World Anti-Doping Agency issuing fresh guidance on the banned substance.

Wada said on Tuesday athletes who tested positive for meldonium before 1 March could avoid bans.

But the International Tennis Federation said Sharapova’s case will proceed.

The Russian tested positive for the drug at this year’s Australian Open, after it was added to Wada’s banned substances list from 1 January.

Wada’s change in stance is because of a “lack of clear scientific information on excretion times”, meaning the agency has so far been unable to establish how long it takes for the drug to clear the human body.

Sharapova’s racquet manufacturer Head stood by the Russian after she initially confirmed the positive test on 8 March, and the company has now called for an amnesty in meldonium cases.

“It is now quite clear that Wada made the decision to ban meldonium based solely upon the alleged prevalence of use among Eastern European and Russian athletes,” said head chief executive and chairman Johan Eliasch.

“This highlights a wholly flawed decision-making process by Wada whereby the ban on meldonium has no justification.

“Until clinical testing is undertaken to prove that meldonium has indeed performance-enhancing potential, Wada should provide amnesty to athletes who had been taking the drug at the direction of a doctor for a proven medical condition, if not all athletes.”

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First Serves Key To Goffin's Ascent

  • Posted: Apr 14, 2016

First Serves Key To Goffin's Ascent

Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers shows how the Belgian is nearing the Top 10

David Goffin is just a hop, skip and a jump away from joining the revered Top 10 club.

The 25-year-old Belgian is currently enjoying a career-high Emirates ATP Ranking of No. 13 in the world, thanks to his 16-6 start to 2016. Coming into this week’s Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament, only five players had won more matches this season than the 150-pound (68kg) Belgian.

His hop into the Top 10 would represent overtaking Milos Raonic, who is currently No. 12, then a skip past No. 11 Marin Cilic and a jump over No. 10 Richard Gasquet. This week, Goffin has already defended the 45 points he accumulated last year in Monte-Carlo. So he’ll be adding points from here on out during the prestigious clay court event.

An Infosys ATP Beyond the Numbers analysis of Goffin’s game in 2016 versus 2015 reveals first-serve performance is fueling his improvement this year. In 2015, Goffin made only 55 per cent (2380/4293) of his first serves in 57 matches, which placed him 47th in this specific category for the season. In 2016, he first-serve percentage is significantly higher at 61 per cent (980/1595), which has him ranked 26th in this area through 20 matches.

Getting more first serves in play enables Goffin to dip into a higher winning percentage and play more aggressively with groundstrokes immediately following his first serve. In his opening 7-5, 6-0 win over Feliciano Lopez in Monte-Carlo, Goffin made a very respectable 63 per cent of his first serves, winning 82 per cent (23/28) of those points.

Drilling down ever further into specific point scores since the start of the 2015 season shows Goffin’s serve metrics are solid when he is tied or ahead in the score but could use improvement when he’s trailing. For example, if Goffin gets to 30-0, he wins 94 per cent of his service games, which is only one per cent behind perennial Top 10 players David Ferrer and Rafael Nadal. At 30-all, Goffin wins 70 per cent of his service games – again only one per cent behind Nadal’s 71 per cent.

But when Goffin falls behind 0-30, the gap between him and the elite players in the world widens. Goffin wins only 32 per cent of his service games at this specific score. On average, the Elite Eight players in the world win 50 per cent. When World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is serving and falls behind 0-30, he still wins a tour-leading 63 per cent of the games.

All points in tennis are not created equal, and it matters greatly when performance elevates during a match. For example, when serving to close out a set, Djokovic has won 90 per cent (36/40) of his service games in 2016. Goffin is at only 68 per cent (17/25). Djokovic has held 88 per cent (86/98) of the time when attempting to consolidate a break, while Goffin is at 77 per cent (51/67).

It’s in these moments that Goffin will look to elevate his game to continue his ascent into the Top 10.

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Robson to enter French Open main draw

  • Posted: Apr 14, 2016

Laura Robson will use her protected ranking of 58 to gain direct entry into the French Open main draw in May.

Robson chose not to use that privilege at the Australian Open while recovering from a series of wrist injuries.

The 22-year-old returned from a 17-month lay-off in June but had a relapse and did not play until Indian Wells last month, losing in the first round.

There will be four British women in France, with Robson joining Johanna Konta, Heather Watson and Naomi Broady.

Andy Murray, Aljaz Bedene and Kyle Edmund enter the men’s main draw at Roland Garros, running from 22 May to 5 June.

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Murray reaches Monte Carlo last eight

  • Posted: Apr 14, 2016

World number two Andy Murray fought back from a set and a double break down to beat Benoit Paire and reach the Monte Carlo Masters quarter-finals.

The Briton eventually won 2-6 7-5 7-5 in two hours and 33 minutes against the 26-year-old Frenchman, who served for the match in the final set.

Murray, 28, will face Canadian Milos Raonic in the last eight.

He is also through to the doubles quarter-finals alongside fellow Briton Dominic Inglot.

More to follow.

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Federer, Murray, Nadal Eye Monte Carlo QF Spots Thursday

  • Posted: Apr 14, 2016

Federer, Murray, Nadal Eye Monte Carlo QF Spots Thursday

ATPWorldTour.com previews day five at the Monte-Carlo Country Club

DAY 5 PREVIEW: Third round play on Thursday features 12 seeds, led by No. 2 Andy Murray, No. 3 Roger Federer, No. 4 Stan Wawrinka and No. 5 Rafael Nadal. There are also a tournament-high five Frenchmen remaining among the final 16 players. Wawrinka, who won the title two years ago, and eight-time champion Nadal, are the former winners left.

Watch Live Matches On TennisTV

In the first match on Court Rainier III, No. 16 seed Benoit Paire takes on Murray for the first time. Paire is trying to reach his second career ATP Masters 1000 QF (SF at 2013 Rome). The 26-year-old Frenchman has a 5-19 career record vs. Top 10 opponents and his last win came over No. 4 Wawrinka in Marseille in February. Murray, who reached the semi-finals here in 2009 and 2011 (l. to Nadal both times), is attempting to reach the QF for the first time since 2012. Murray has won his last 10 matches against Frenchmen since losing to Gilles Simon in Rotterdam QF in February 2015.

In the next match on, Nadal and No. 12 seed Dominic Thiem square off for the third time (tied 1-1). In the last meeting, the 22-year-old Austrian beat Nadal 64 46 76, saving one match pt., in the SF of Buenos Aires in February, en route to the title. Nadal’s win came in straight sets at Roland Garros two years ago. The Spaniard has a tournament-best 54-4 career record in Monte-Carlo with a tourney record eight straight titles from 2005 to 2012. Nadal comes in with a 13-6 match record on the season (5-2 on clay). He was a semi-finalist in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. Thiem enters with a 26-6 match record on the season (10-1 on clay) and he’s won titles in Buenos Aires and Acapulco. He has a 3-12 career record vs. Top 10 opponents but he is 2-2 this season. He leads the ATP World Tour with a 12-0 mark in decisive-set matches this year.

In the third match on, Federer, brings a 4-0 career record (10-0 in sets) against No. 14 seed Roberto Bautista Agut. This is their first meeting on clay. Federer is competing in Monte-Carlo for the 13th time in his career and he’s playing in his first tournament since undergoing left knee surgery on February 3. The 34-year-old Swiss superstar, a four-time Monte-Carlo finalist (2006-08, 2014), has a 29-12 record in Monte-Carlo. The only other tournament he has played more than without winning the title is Rome (15 times). Bautista Agut comes in with a 20-6 match record on the season and he’s one of three players with at least 20 wins (Djokovic-28, Thiem-26). He is 5-25 lifetime vs. Top 10 opponents and he’s looking for his first win on clay (0-6) and vs. a Top 3 foe (0-9).

In the final match on, wild card Lucas Pouille faces countryman No. 8 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for the first time. The 22-year-old Pouille upset French No. 2 Richard Gasquet on Wednesday for his second Top 10 win of the season (d. No. 8 Ferrer in Miami). Tsonga, who reached the SF here in 2013, has never appeared in an ATP World Tour clay court final.

On Court Des Princes, Bosnian qualifier Damir Dzumhur attempts to reach his first career ATP Masters 1000 QF as he takes on No. 10 seed Milos Raonic for the second time. Raonic is attempting to win his 20th match of the year (19-3). They met last month in the 4R at ATP Masters 1000 Miami with the Canadian winning 60 63. In the next match on, Wawrinka brings a 3-2 career advantage against No. 15 Gilles Simon. The Swiss has won both previous clay court meetings at Roland Garros in 2012 and last year. In the third match on, Jiri Vesely, who beat World No. 1 Novak Djokovic for his first career Top 10 win, squares off for the second time with No. 13 Gael Monfils. The 22-year-old Czech won the previous match in five sets at Wimbledon two years ago. In the final match on, No. 11 David Goffin attempts to reach his third straight ATP Masters 1000 QF as he plays Spanish lucky loser Marcel Granollers for the second time. The Belgian won the last meeting 64 64 in the 2R at ATP Masters 1000 Miami last month.

DAY 5 FEDEX ATP HEAD 2 HEADS – In Order of Play by Court

COURT RAINIER III

[16] Benoit Paire (FRA) vs [2] Andy Murray (GBR) First Meeting

Paire 2016 FastFacts:
SF (2): Chennai (l Wawrinka), Marseille (l Cilic)
YTD W-L: 9-10 (2-2 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 1
Date of Birth: May 8, 1989
Emirates ATP Ranking: 22
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 4-3 (3R-2016)

• The 26-year-old Frenchman is making his fourth main draw appearance (4-3 record) and appearing in 3R for first time after wins over Inigo Cervantes 46 62 76(6), saving 1 MP and Joao Sousa 64 63. His previous best was 2R twice: in 2013 (l. to No. 9 Gasquet) and as qualifier last year (l. to Simon)
• Trying to reach 2nd career ATP Masters 1000 QF (SF at 2013 Rome)
• Advanced to SFs at Chennai (l. to No. 4 Wawrinka) and Marseille (d. No. 4 Wawrinka, l. to Cilic). Coming into Monte-Carlo, had 1-4 record after Marseille with opening match defeats at Sao Paulo, ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells and Houston; reached ATP Masters 1000 Miami 2R (1R d. Youzhny, l. to No. 10 Gasquet)
• Achieved career-high No. 18 in Emirates ATP Rankings on January 11
• Upset in Australian Open 1R by No. 328 Rubin 76(4) 76(6) 76(5)
• Reached Chennai doubles final with 1st-time partner Krajicek (l. to Marach/Martin)
• Has 5-19 career record vs. Top 10 opponents (1-2 this year, d. No. 4 Wawrinka in Marseille QF). Has 0-3 mark vs. Top 2 foes

Murray 2016 FastFacts:
F: Australian Open (l Djokovic)
YTD W-L: 11-3 (1-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 35
Date of Birth: May 15, 1987
Emirates ATP Ranking: 2
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 12-7 (SF-2009, ’11)

• The 28-year-old Briton opened on Tuesday with a 62 46 63 win over French qualifier Pierre-Hugues Herbert. Trying to advance to QF for first time since 2012 and fourth overall in eighth appearance in Monte-Carlo, where he has twice reached SF (2009 & 2011, l. both times to eventual champion Nadal)
• Fell to 0-5 in Australian Open finals with 4th championship match loss to No. 1 Djokovic
• With brother Jamie, became 1st brothers in Open Era to reach singles & doubles finals at same major
• Improved to 20-7 in 5-setters with wins over Raonic in Aus. Open SF and No. 6 Nishikori in D. Cup 1R
• Extended Davis Cup win streak to 14 matches with 3 victories to lead Great Britain past Japan 3-1
• Advanced to ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells 3R (d. Granollers, l. to Delbonis 76 in 3rd) and ATP Masters 1000 Miami 3R (d. Istomin, l. to Dimitrov in 3 sets)

[5] Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs [12] Dominic Thiem (AUT) Series Tied 1-1
14 Roland Garros (France) Clay R64 Rafael Nadal 6-2 6-2 6-3
16 Buenos Aires (Argentina) Clay SF Dominic Thiem 6-4 4-6 7-6(4)

Nadal 2016 FastFacts
F: Doha (l. to Djokovic); SF (3): Buenos Aires (l. to Thiem); Rio de Janeiro (l. to Cuevas); ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l. to Djokovic)

YTD W-L: 13-6 (5-2 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 67
Date of Birth: June 3, 1986
Emirates ATP Ranking: 5
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 54-4 (2005-12 Champion)

• The 29-year-old Spaniard is making his 13th appearance at the Monte-Carlo Country Club and opened on Tuesday with a 63 63 win over Aljaz Bedene. Has won a tournament-record eight titles (2005 d. Coria, 2006-08 d. Federer, 2009 d. Djokovic, 2010 d. Verdasco, 2011 d. Ferrer, 2012 d. Djokovic)
• Won 46 consecutive matches in Monte-Carlo before defeat in 2013 final (l. to Djokovic). Reached QF in 2014 (l. to No. 6 Ferrer) and SF last year (l. to No. 1/champion Djokovic)
• Reached 99th career final to start season in Doha (l. to No. 1 Djokovic)
• Lost to eventual champions in three consecutive SFs at Buenos Aires (l. to Thiem after holding 1 MP), Rio de Janeiro (l. to Cuevas) and ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l. to No. 1 Djokovic)
• Retired 2R (after bye) at ATP Masters 1000 Miami with dizziness while trailing Dzumhur 26 64 3-0, first retirement since 2010 Australian Open QF vs Murray, a stretch of 442 matches (370-72)
• Suffered 2nd Grand Slam 1R loss of career at Australian Open vs. Verdasco in 4h41m, 5-set marathon

Thiem 2016 FastFacts:
W (2): Buenos Aires (d Almagro), Acapulco (d Tomic); SF (2): Brisbane (l Federer), Rio de Janeiro (l Pella)
YTD W-L: 26-6 (10-1 on clay)
YTD Titles: 2 / Career Titles: 5
Date of Birth: September 3, 1993
Emirates ATP Ranking: 14
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 2-2 (3R-2016)

• The 22-year-old Austrian is making his third straight tournament appearance and into 3R for first time after wins over qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff 16 63 64 and qualifier Taro Daniel 46 62 60. Lost in 1R previous two years (2014 l. 1R to Mahut, 2015 l. 1R to Pouille)
• Captured 5th career title — 1st ATP World Tour 500 – by beating Tomic in Acapulco final
• Rose to career-high No. 13 in Emirates ATP Rankings on March 7 (second-youngest in Top 20)
• Second on ATP World Tour this season in match wins with 26 (26-6 record; trails Djokovic 28-2)
• Saved 1 MP in Buenos Aires 2R (d. Elias) and SF (d. No. 5 Nadal 76 in 3rd) en route to title (d. Almagro 76 in 3rd). Win over Nadal snapped 8-match losing streak vs. Top 10. Also beat No. 6 Ferrer in Rio de Janeiro QF
• Reached Australian Open 3R (l. to Goffin), Indian Wells 4R (l. to No. 9 Tsonga, 1st Masters 4R of career) and Miami 4R (l. to No. 1 Djokovic)
• Earned 1st 3 Davis Cup victories of career to lead Austria to 4-1 win over Portugal in Europe/Africa Zone Group I, beating Elias 76 in 5th, rallying from 2 sets w/Peya to defeat Elias/Sousa, and clinching tie over Sousa
• Has a 3-12 career record vs. Top 10 opponents (2-2 this season, 1-10 prior to 2016)

[3] Roger Federer (SUI) vs [14] Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) Federer Leads 4-0
14 US Open (U.S.A.) Hard R16 Roger Federer 6-4 6-3 6-2
14 ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai (China) Hard R16 Roger Federer 6-4 6-2
15 Wimbledon (Great Britain) Grass R16 Roger Federer 6-2 6-2 6-3
15 ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati (U.S.A.) Hard R32 Roger Federer 6-4 6-4

Federer 2016 FastFacts:
F: Brisbane (l Raonic); SF: Australian Open (l Djokovic)
YTD W-L: 9-2 (1-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 88
Date of Birth: August 8, 1981
Emirates ATP Ranking: 3
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 29-12 (Finalist-2006, ’07, ’08, ’14)

• The 34-year-old Swiss is making his 13th appearance at the Monte-Carlo Country Club (29-12 record) and opened on Tuesday with a 63 64 win over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. Has reached final four times (2006-08, l. to Nadal, 2014 l. to Wawrinka), last year reached 3R (l. to Monfils)
• Playing first tournament since left meniscus tear on January 29 and successful arthroscopic knee surgery on February 3
• Withdrew from Rotterdam, Dubai and ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells following knee surgery; pulled out of ATP Masters 1000 Miami with gastroenteritis
• Advanced to 12th Australian Open SF (d. No. 6 Berdych, l. to No. 1 Djokovic)
• Earned record-extending 300th Grand Slam win of career in Australian Open 3R on Jan. 22 (d. Dimitrov)
• Started season by beating Thiem en route to Brisbane final rematch vs. Raonic, which he lost 64 64

Bautista Agut 2016 FastFacts:
W (2): Auckland (d Sock), Sofia (d Troicki); QF (3): Chennai (l Coric), Rotterdam (l Klizan), Dubai (l Baghdatis)
YTD W-L: 20-6 (2-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 2 / Career Titles: 4
Date of Birth: April 14, 1988
Emirates ATP Ranking: 17
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 6-3 (3R-2015-16)

• The 27-year-old Spaniard is making his fourth appearance and returns to 3R for second straight year after wins over countryman Ramos-Vinolas 64 76(4) on Monday and Chardy 63 57 75 on Wednesday. Last year reached 3R (l. to No. 8 Berdych)
• Trying to reach second career ATP Masters 1000 QF (SF at 2014 Madrid)
• One of three players on ATP World Tour this season with at least 20 match wins: Djokovic (28), Thiem (26). Last year won his 20th and 21st matches at Wimbledon
• Captured 3rd and 4th titles respectively at Auckland (d. Sock) and Sofia (d. Troicki)
• Saved 1 MP to beat No. 10 Tsonga in Auckland SF, snapping 17-match losing streak to Top 10 opponents. Has a 5-25 career record vs. Top 10 (0-6 on clay and 0-9 vs. Top 3)
• Advanced to Australian Open 4R for 2nd time (d. Cilic, l. to No. 6 Berdych in 5 sets)
• Reached QFs at Chennai (l. to Coric 76 in 3rd), Rotterdam (l. to Klizan after holding 5 MPs) and Dubai (l. to Baghdatis)
• Fell to countryman Lopez 76(5) 67(1) 64 after 3h, 16m at ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells 3R before reaching 4R at ATP Masters 1000 Miami (3R d. No. 9 Tsonga, l. to No. 6 Nishikori)

[WC] Lucas Pouille (FRA) vs [8] Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) First Meeting

Pouille 2016 FastFacts:
QF: Brisbane (l Raonic)
YTD W-L: 7-6 (2-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: February 23, 1994
Emirates ATP Ranking: 82
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 3-1 (3R-2016)

• The 22-year-old Frenchman is appearing in 3R for first time after wins over countrymen Mahut 76(1) 63 in 1R and No. 9 seed/No. 10-ranked Gasquet 46 75 61 in 2R. Last year reached 2R on debut (d. Thiem, l. to No. 5 Nadal)
• Advanced to 5th ATP World Tour singles QF at Brisbane (d. Goffin, l. to Raonic)
• Reached 1st doubles SF of career at Australian Open w/Mannarino (d. Bolelli/Fognini and Rojer/Tecau, l. to J. Murray/Soares)
• Has a 2-0 record vs. Top 10 opponents this season (2-2 in career). Reached 4R at ATP Masters 1000 event for first time in Miami (d. No. 8 Ferrer, l. to Simon)
• Fell to 0-3 lifetime at Australian Open with 1R loss to Raonic
• Qualified at Dubai (l. to Pospisil in 1R)

Tsonga 2016 FastFacts:
SF: Auckland (l Bautista Agut); QF (2): Buenos Aires (l Almagro); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l Djokovic)
YTD W-L: 12-6 (3-2 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 12
Date of Birth: April 17, 1985
Emirates ATP Ranking: 9
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 12-6 (SF-2013)

• The 30-year-old Frenchman is making his seventh tournament appearance and opened on Tuesday with a 76 76 win over Carreno Busta. Reached SF in 2013 (l. to Nadal) and QF in 2012, 2014. Last year reached 3R (l. to No. 10 Cilic)
• Reached 2nd week of Australian Open for 7th time (l. to No. 7 Nishikori in 4R)
• Clinched France’s Davis Cup 1R win over Canada in doubles w/Gasquet (d. Bester/Pospisil)
• Squandered 1 MP in Auckland SF loss to eventual champion Bautista Agut
• Reached QF at ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l. to champion Djokovic) and 3R at ATP Masters 1000 Miami (l. to Bautista Agut)
• Fell to World No. 338 Monteiro in Rio de Janeiro 1R – worst loss by ranking for a Top 10 player since No. 388 Olivetti beat No. 8 Fish at 2012 Marseille
• Has never reached an ATP World Tour clay court final in his career (12-10 record in finals)

COURT DES PRINCES

[Q] Damir Dzumhur (BIH) vs [10] Milos Raonic (CAN) Raonic Leads 1-0
16 ATP Masters 1000 Miami (U.S.A.) Hard R16 Milos Raonic 6-0 6-3

Dzumhur 2016 FastFacts:
YTD W-L: 10-8 (2-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: May 20, 1992
Emirates ATP Ranking: 99
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 2-0 (3R – 2016)

• The 23-year-old Bosnian qualifier, the lowest-ranked player in 3R, made his main draw debut with a 62 60 win over Haase in 1R and followed with a 64 67 63 win over No. 6 seed/last year’s finalist Berdych
• Owns 2-5 record against Top 10 players (2-1 in 2016); beat No. 5 Nadal in ATP Masters 1000 Miami 2R when Spaniard retired trailing 26 64 3-0
• Lost in 2R at 1st 5 main draws of 2016 season: Doha, Australian Open, Sofia, Memphis and Delray Beach
• Avenged Memphis 2R loss by beating Berankis in Delray Beach 1R (l. to Dimitrov in 2R)
• Followed 1R losses at Acapulco (l. to champion Thiem) and ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l. to Granollers) by advancing to ATP Masters 1000 Miami 4R (d. No. 5 Nadal, l. to Raonic), a career-best run at a Masters 1000 event
• Rallied from 2 sets to 1 down to defeat Edmund in Australian Open 1R (l. to Goffin in 2R)

Raonic 2016 FastFacts:
W: Brisbane (d Federer); F: ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l Djokovic); SF: Australian Open (l Murray); QF: ATP Masters 1000 Miami (l Kyrgios)
YTD W-L: 19-3 (2-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 1 / Career Titles: 8
Date of Birth: December 27, 1990
Emirates ATP Ranking: 12
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 9-5 (QF 2014-15)

• The 25-year-old Canadian, a Monte-Carlo resident, is making his sixth tournament appearance and looking to reach QF for third straight year: (2014 l. to champion Wawrinka, 2015 l. to No. 8 Berdych). Opened Monday with a 63 75 win over wild card Cecchinato in 1R and followed with 75 26 76 win over Cuevas in 2R on Wednesday. Has 9-2 record in tie-breaks this season
• Won 1st 9 matches of 2016 season, highlighted by 8th career title at Brisbane (d. No. 3 Federer). Win over Federer avenged loss to Swiss in 2015 Brisbane final
• Upset No. 4 Wawrinka in 5 sets en route to 2nd Grand Slam SF at Australian Open (l. to No. 2 Murray in 5 sets)
• Withdrew from Delray Beach, Acapulco and Davis Cup 1R due to muscular tear sustained in Australian Open SF
• Returned to reached ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells final (l. to Djokovic) and ATP Masters 1000 Miami QF (l. to Kyrgios)

[15] Gilles Simon (FRA) vs [4] Stan Wawrinka (SUI) Wawrinka Leads 3-2
10 ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai (China) Hard R64 Stan Wawrinka 6-4 6-1
12 ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (U.S.A.) Hard R32 Gilles Simon 6-4 6-4
12 Roland Garros (France) Clay R32 Stan Wawrinka 7-5 6-7(5) 6-7(3) 6-3 6-2
14 ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai (China) Hard R32 Gilles Simon 5-7 7-5 6-4
15 Roland Garros (France) Clay R16 Stan Wawrinka 6-1 6-4 6-2

Other meeting:
03 France F2 (France) Clay R32 Stan Wawrinka 6-4 6-4

Simon 2016 FastFacts:

QF: ATP Masters 1000 Miami (l Goffin)
YTD W-L: 11-7 (3-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 12
Date of Birth: December 27, 1984
Emirates ATP Ranking: 19
Monte Carlo W-L (Best Result): 12-9 (SF-2012)

• The 31-year-old Nice native is making his 10th main-draw appearance at Monte Carlo (12-9 record); reached SF in 2012 (3R d. No. 8 Tipsarevic, QF d. No. 5 Tsonga, SF l. to No. 2 Nadal). Last year fell in 3R (l. to No. 7 Ferrer). Opened Sunday with a 63 64 win over Troicki in 1R and followed with 64 63 win over Dimitrov. One of a tournament-high five Frenchmen remaining in 3R
• Advanced to Australian Open 4R for 3rd time (d. Donskoy in 5 sets, l. to No. 1 Djokovic in 5 sets); pushed Djokovic to 100 unforced errors over 4 hours, 32 minutes
• Helped France to 5-0 sweep of Canada in Davis Cup 1R with straight-set win over Pospisil
• As defending champion, held 3 MPs vs. Gabashvili in Marseille 1R before losing 76 in 3rd
• Reached QF at ATP Masters 1000 Miami (l. to Goffin), best run at ATP Masters 1000 event since Shanghai 2014 (F, l. to Federer)
• Has a 29-69 career record vs. Top 10 opponents and looking to snap five-match losing streak since beating No. 6 Berdych at Wimbledon 4R last year. Has lost last 10 on clay vs. Top 10 since defeating No. 5 Tsonga at 2012 Monte-Carlo QF

Wawrinka 2016 FastFacts
W (2): Chennai (d. Coric); Dubai (d. Baghdatis); QF: Marseille (l. to Paire)
YTD W-L: 16-4 (1-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 2 / Career Titles: 13
Date of Birth: March 28, 1985
Emirates ATP Ranking: 4
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 18-7 (2014 Champion)

• The 31-year-old Swiss is making his ninth tournament appearance and opened on Wednesday with 76 75 win over Kohlschreiber. Captured first ATP Masters 1000 title here in 2014 (d. No. 4 Federer). Reached 3R last year (l. to Dimitrov)
• On a 9-match win streak in finals after beating Baghdatis to win ATP World Tour 500 event in Dubai
• Captured 3rd straight Chennai title (d. Coric), increasing streaks at event to 12 matches and 24 sets
• Enjoyed 400th career win in Australian Open 3R (d. Rosol) before falling in 4R (l. to Raonic in 5 sets)
• Advanced to 2nd week of Australian Open for 4th straight season
• Appeared in 44 consecutive Grand Slam main draws since making major debut at 2005 Roland Garros
• Saved 2 MPs to beat Stakhovsky 64 46 76(8) in Marseille 2R and came within 2 points of losing to Stakhovsky in Dubai 1R before earning 57 63 75 win
• Reached 4R at ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l. to Goffin), then lost opening match at ATP Masters 1000 Miami (2R l. to Kuznetsov)

Jiri Vesely (CZE) vs [13] Gael Monfils (FRA) Vesely Leads 1-0

14 Wimbledon (Great Britain) Grass R64 Jiri Vesely 7-6(3) 6-3 6-7(1) 6-7(3) 6-4

Vesely 2016 FastFacts:
SF: Marrakech (l Coric)
YTD W-L: 6-8 (5-1 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 1
Date of Birth: July 10, 1993
Emirates ATP Ranking: 55
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 2-1 (3R – 2016)

• The 22-year-old Czech is appearing in 3R for first time after wins over Gabashvili 36 75 75 and World No. 1 Djokovic 64 26 64 (first career Top 10 win, 1-8). He is making his second main draw appearance after 1R exit last year (l. to Monaco)
• Became first player outside Top 50 to beat Djokovic since No. 74 Xavier Malisse at Queen’s Club in June 2010. Also first Czech to beat a No. 1 since Berdych beat Djokovic at 2013 Rome QF
• Trying to reach first career ATP Masters 1000 QF (6-11 match record)
• Posted only 1 singles win in 1st 3 months of season (1-7 start), beating countryman Rosol in Rotterdam 1R before SF run at Marrakech last week (l. to Coric)
• As defending champion, lost to eventual champion Bautista Agut in Auckland 1R
• Fell to 0-3 lifetime at Australian Open with 5-set loss to Olivo in 1R

Monfils 2016 FastFacts:
F: Rotterdam (l Klizan); QF (3): Australian Open (l Raonic), ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l Raonic), ATP Masters 1000 Miami (l Nishikori)
YTD W-L: 17-5 (3-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 5
Date of Birth: September 1, 1986
Emirates ATP Ranking: 16
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 10-9 (SF-2015)

• The 29-year-old Paris native is making his 10th appearance in Monte Carlo (10-9 record) a year after posting his career-best run to SF (l. to Berdych). Opened with 75 60 win over Muller in 1R and followed with 62 64 victory over Lorenzi in 2R on Wednesday
• Advanced to 1st Australian Open QF in 11th appearance (l. to Raonic)
• Reached back-to-back QFs at ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l. to Raonic) and ATP Masters 1000 Miami (l. to Nishikori)
• Fell to 5-18 in ATP World Tour finals with loss to Klizan in Rotterdam championship match
• Won 8th straight Davis Cup match to open France’s 5-0 sweep of Canada in 1R (d. Dancevic)
• Withdrew from Marseille due to right leg injury

[11] David Goffin (BEL) vs [LL] Marcel Granollers (ESP) Goffin Leads 1-0
16 ATP Masters 1000 Miami (U.S.A.) Hard R64 David Goffin 6-4 6-4

Goffin 2016 FastFacts:
SF (2): ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l Raonic), ATP Masters 1000 Miami (l Djokovic); QF: Marseille (l Berdych)
YTD W-L: 18-6 (4-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 2
Date of Birth: December 7, 1990
Emirates ATP Ranking: 13
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 3-3 (3R – 2016)

• The 25-year-old Belgian is making his fourth appearance (3-3 record) and into 3R for first time after wins over Spanish left-handers Lopez 75 60 in 1R and Verdasco 76 26 76 in 2R, saving 1 MP. Previous best result 2R last year (l. to Tsonga)
• Owns a 6-0 record against left-handers in 2016 (24-11 career); wins this season over Bellucci (Brisbane 1R), M. Zverev (Marseille 2R), Pella (ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells 3R) and Zeballos (ATP Masters 1000 Miami 4R) along with two this week
• Advanced to Australian Open 4R for 1st time (d. Thiem, l. to No. 3 Federer)
• Defeated Coric and Cilic, but lost doubles w/Bemelmans to Dodig/Skugor during Davis Cup 1R (CRO d. BEL 3-2)
• Reached Marseille QF (l. to No. 8 Berdych)
• Advanced to SFs at ATP Masters 1000 events at Indian Wells (first of career; 4R d. No. 4 Wawrinka, l. to Raonic) and Miami (l. to champion/No. 1 Djokovic). Has a 10-2 record in ATP Masters 1000 play
• Win over Wawrinka at Indian Wells ended 14-match losing streak against Top-10 foes (2-26 overall)

Granollers 2016 FastFacts
YTD W-L: 5-8 (1-2 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 4
Date of Birth: April 12, 1986
Emirates ATP Ranking: 67
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 4-7 (3R – 2016)

• The Spaniard celebrated his 30th birthday on Tuesday and he is making his eighth main-draw appearance (4-7 record) and into 3R for first time after win over Alexander Zverev 64 46 63 on Wednesday. As a lucky loser; fell in Q2 to Gimeno-Traver before replacing No. 6 seed Ferrer (calf injury)
• Trying to reach his third career ATP Masters 1000 QF, first since 2013 Rome (also QF in ‘12 Toronto)
• Started season 3-7 in singles, with wins at Australian Open (d. No. 106 Ebden), Memphis (d. No. 120 Jaziri) and ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (d. No. 93 Dzumhur)
• Fell to 0-6 lifetime in Australian Open 2R matches with loss to No. 11 Isner
• Reached Canberra, AUS Challenger SF (d. Halys, l. to Lorenzi)
• In doubles, advanced to Australian Open SF w/Cuevas (d. Dodig/Melo and Pospisil/Sock, l. to Nestor/Stepanek)

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Haas, 38, Planning Another Comeback After Ninth Surgery

  • Posted: Apr 14, 2016

Haas, 38, Planning Another Comeback After Ninth Surgery

German wants to leave tennis on his terms

Tommy Haas has some good news and some bad news for his fans.

The bad news: The former World No. 2, who’s had eight operations throughout his 20-year career, underwent his ninth surgery. The good news: He’s already planning another comeback.

Haas had a torn ligament and a ligament-like structure on his right foot repaired at the Carolinas Medical Center Mercy Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Wednesday, he said. The injury, which is near the second toe of his right foot, started bothering him in October while he was practising for the Shanghai Rolex Masters, an ATP World World Tour Masters 1000 tournament.

During his first-round match against Kevin Anderson, the pain only grew worse. The German could barely push off his right foot and struggled to dart side to side. “I started feeling severe pain,” Haas said by phone from his hospital bed.

About a week later, at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, he felt more of the same during a three-set loss to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Doctors advised him to rest, hypothesizing the pain stemmed from a slight fracture. But the aches infiltrated Haas’ daily life, inflicting him when he jogged or even walked. So Haas, who lives in the U.S., opted for surgery with Dr. Robert Anderson with OrthCarolina.

“I knew that even if I wasn’t playing professional tennis anymore, I would probably have to get (the surgery) done,” Haas said.

His recovery will be at least six months, he said, which, under ideal circumstances, places him back on court in October. But the 38 year old also said he might wait until 2017 to comeback.

The rehabilitation will be nothing new for Haas. His eight surgeries have touched most parts of his body, including his shoulders, rotator cuffs, elbows, hips, ankles and now feet. “That’s the way it is, and now I just have to let the healing process take place,” he said.

Haas, who’s won 15 ATP World Tour titles, wants to leave tennis on his terms. Next year, he’d like to create new memories with his 6-year-old daughter, Valentina, and bring her along as he plays his favorite tournaments, including the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, one final time.

“I know that there’s a chance that I might not come back from this,” Haas said. “I know it will be a very, very hard task, but there’s no doubt in my mind I’m certainly going to try.”

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