After 10 years as a professional, John Millman has seen plenty of things on tour that he can only shake his head and laugh about now.

“I was at a Futures tournament in Korea in 2012 and watching a doubles match. We hear this motorbike coming all of a sudden and a pizza delivery guy gets out. He then walked on court and tried to deliver the pizza to the guy getting ready to return serve,” laughed Millman. “It was so funny, but it also makes you appreciate it more when you move to up to the higher-tier tournaments.”

Since then, Millman’s memories of Korea have come from his results on the court. At this week’s $100,000 ATP Challenger Tour event in Busan, he comes in as the No. 2 seed and has made his way through a potentially tricky draw with flying colours. In his quarter-final match on Friday against Liam Broady, Millman recorded a dominant double bagel victory that saw him drop just seven points in the second set.

Having reached the finals in Busan in 2012 and won two Futures events in Korea in 2014, Millman said he looks forward to playing here when he gets the chance.

“I play really well in Korea and Asia in general,” said Millman. “The Challengers here are well-run, it’s not too far away from Australia and the conditions are usually similar. Everyone is very nice to me, so it’s a real treat to play here.”

After an outstanding 2015 season on the ATP Challenger Tour that saw him win three singles titles and finish as runner-up in two other events, Millman has played exclusively on the ATP World Tour this year. Despite having solid results in 2016, he believes it’s important for him to occasionally play Challengers with the goal of making deep runs.

“I don’t think the level on the ATP Challenger Tour is that different from the level on the ATP World Tour,” he explained. “Men’s tennis is so strong these days and there are so many good players. This tournament is a great example of that because there aren’t any easy matches. I had to beat Austin Krajicek and Sergiy Stakhovsky just to get to the quarter-finals and they’ve both been in the Top 100.”

After advancing to the third round of this year’s Australian Open, Millman said he’s now setting his sights on reaching the second week of a Grand Slam. Having already moved through three matches this week in Busan, he’s confident he can do the same at Roland Garros.

“I’m just trying to get as many matches as I can now,” said Millman. “I’m very confident in my game and confident that all of these tournaments are the right preparation to lead me towards that.”

Rafael Nadal set a blockbuster semi-final clash with Andy Murray at the Mutua Madrid Open after battling past Joao Sousa 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 on Friday at the Caja Magica.

The stage is set for a rematch of last year’s final, which saw Murray capture his first clay-court ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown after beating Nadal. Since that loss, Nadal has won his past two meetings with Murray, at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and three weeks ago in the semi-finals of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters.

The 29-year-old Nadal improved to a 13-match winning streak after edging Sousa in a match watched by Real Madrid footballing star, Cristiano Ronaldo.

It took Sousa 37 minutes to register his first game of the match, levelling at 1-1 in the second set, but the Portuguese’s respite was short lived as Nadal looked set to make a decisive move when he engineered break points in the sixth game.

However, as the rain began to fall more heavily in Madrid, a 10-minute delay ensued as the roof was closed on Manolo Santana court and it was Sousa who emerged stronger. The Portuguese saved the three break points he faced in the sixth game, halting Nadal’s momentum, and then took his chance in the 10^th game, breaking Nadal to 15 to snatch the second set.

Sousa stayed close with Nadal in the early stages of the third set, but the Spaniard regained the initiative in the eighth game, breaking Sousa before serving out the match in two hours and five minutes.

Nadal came into Madrid on the back of victories in Monte-Carlo (d. Monfils) and Barcelona (d. Nishikori). This week, he is looking to claim an Open Era record 50^th clay-court crown and also his 29^th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy.

The Mallorcan is a four-time former champion in Madrid, winning the title once when the event was held on indoor hard court, in 2005 (d. Ljubicic), and three times since the move to clay, in 2010 (d. Federer), 2013 (d. Wawrinka) and 2014 (d. Nishikori).

Benjamin Becker shares the last time…

I missed a flight?
Well, I’m German so I actually value punctuality, but I missed one flight. I remember, (it) was many, many years ago, coming to Houston (late) because of a traffic jam in Miami. I missed the flight by maybe two minutes, and they wouldn’t let me on but I got lucky because I knew a guy that I met there by accident at the airport who worked for the airline, and he got me on the next plane. So it worked out OK.

I lost something important?
Last time I lost something important was when my wallet got stolen in Germany. For me, traveling all over the world and being in many places where you maybe have to be careful of it, my wallet got stolen at a tennis club in Germany, where I had left for 10 seconds and had my wallet in my bag and somebody stole it out of my bag… I left my bag, I actually just went to the restroom. I heard somebody come in but I didn’t think about it. And really, it was just 15 seconds, 20 seconds. I came out and the bag was gone and I ran outside and I didn’t see anybody, so that was it… They must have searched it real quick and just found the right spot.

I paid money to rent a tennis court or buy tennis balls?
Balls, I just bought a few weeks ago in Dallas, just to get some balls to prepare for [Houston]. And court, I’m lucky that I’m able to play in Dallas at a Lifetime Club. I’m able to practise there, and they help me out nicely. They are very nice people. But I rented some courts in Florida… I went to a public park and everybody had to pay so you pay three bucks an hour. So usually I paid six bucks for two hours and then I practised there… It was when I still lived in Florida and I moved two years ago. I lived there for five years and I usually played at that park because it was five minutes from my house… hard courts… Fort Lauderdale. It was George English Park… Everybody had to pay and I didn’t mind paying… Six bucks, not bad, and if I wanted to play three hours they let me play an hour longer… I could play as long as I wanted, unless somebody else came in. I actually had to wait for the court a few times because the courts were full, so I waited an hour or two and then I got my court.

Being famous helped me?
I don’t know, I’m not that famous. I have to think about that one. I remember after I beat (Andre) Agassi I went to, which also was a long time ago, I went to a New York restaurant, and I had my former college coach, some college friends, my coach at the time, my girlfriend at the time… and obviously I had to pay for dinner. It was after I lost to (Andy) Roddick so we all went out to dinner, and I said “Hey, OK, I cover the dinner, no problem, guys. I invite you, you guys came to New York to support me.” And then when I paid, I gave them my credit card, the guy came back and apologised and said, “I didn’t know it’s you, you beat Agassi a few days before, obviously you don’t have to pay.” So until today those guys still say I owe them a dinner, which I say, “No, I paid, just a different way!”

I strung a tennis racquet?
I’ve only strung a tennis racquet once in my life to test it and that was maybe 10 years ago, and I gave up. So I’ve never actually done it in my life… I mean I did do it once but I didn’t play with the racquet. It was way too loose and it was just to test it.

I cooked for myself and others?
I sometimes cook breakfast. So I cook for my kids sometimes. I do an omelette in the morning, if you consider that cooking. I did some pancakes once. The real cooking, which is also maybe not gourmet cooking, but in college (Baylor University) I always cooked for myself… You didn’t want to go out to eat, you tried to save money, obviously. So we never really did anything outside then, just cooking at home and eating there. We went with the team somewhere we went out to dinner… Usually (at college) I always cooked for myself every day, lunch and dinner. But nothing special, usually pasta, chicken, some vegetables, so nothing fancy, also some pancakes. My grandmother gave me the recipe, and that’s pretty much it… Every now and then I do pancakes or omelettes in the morning for my kids and my wife just to do something extra.

I met a childhood idol?
One of my childhood idols was Boris Becker (no relation), and I met him in 2007, during Davis Cup, my first Davis Cup tie… On Saturday after the doubles he walked into the locker room and it was just like you didn’t breathe for a minute… That was a big moment for me, to actually meet somebody you looked up to most of your life, all of your life… He was the reason why I started to play tennis… Coming to college, I followed (fellow German and Dallas Maverick) Dirk Nowitzki very closely. I went to the games every semester whenever I could. I met him also a few years back, and it was also a good thing for me.

I shared a hotel room with another player?
I hadn’t done it in a long time but in Miami I shared a hotel room with (compatriot Philipp) Petzschner… Before that I don’t think I shared a room with somebody for a long, long time… We went to Dallas together and then he didn’t book a hotel at the time. I said I have a hotel room, and I sai, “Hey, why don’t we share the hotel room. His doubles partner was staying in private housing. We’re good friends… We don’t spend that much time in the hotel but we go practice, we come back, we go to dinner, we come back. We like to watch basketball, and there was a lot of basketball on TV. So we just shared a room. It was good fun, actually.

I asked someone famous for an autograph or selfie?
Selfie? I don’t think I’ve done a selfie. But I just took a picture with Dirk Nowitzki a few weeks back in Memphis. Autograph… the one person that I asked for an autograph and he gave it to me was Wayne Gretzky. I got to stay at his house for four or five days during a college tournament in… 2004. He actually signed a poster… and he gave me a DVD, the heights of his career… It was a great experience… It was a college tournament, and they also offered private housing. Our assistant coach knew his private coach… It was pretty incredible to have five days with him. See him in the morning, him having a coffee, we eating the Wheaties while he’s on the box of the Wheaties! It was kind of surreal but unbelievable guy, so nice. He came to watch us practise, warm up for the matches, everything. Really humble. Very, very nice guy and family, five kids. Very, very fun.

Kei Nishikori came within two points of losing to Nick Kyrgios on Friday but fought his way into the Mutua Madrid Open semi-finals.

Nishikori looked far from happy after losing the first set and recovered from 5-6, 30/30 in the second set to beat Kyrgios 6-7(6), 7-6(1), 6-3 in two hours and 39 minutes.

“I thought it was a great match,” said Nishikori. “I think he served really well. Even though I had many opportunities in the first and second sets – many break points, I couldn’t convert. If I could play better on those important point maybe I could finish [the match in] two sets. It was two tough tie-breaks, but I tried to play maybe a little more aggressive in second set. I thought I returned better in the third set. I was seeing his serve a little better. It was a really tough match, so I am very happy to win today.”

The sixth seed and 2014 runner-up, who is 26-7 on the season, will next meet World No. 1 and 2011 champion Novak Djokovic or No. 11 seed Milos Raonic on Saturday.

ATP Next Generation star Kyrgios saved two break points at 1-2, 30/40 and at 3-4, 30/40 in the first set. Nishikori took a 5/3 lead in the tie-break, but Kyrgios held his nerve to clinch the 54-minute opener.

Nishikori failed to convert two break point opportunities on Kyrgios’ serve at 15/40 in the first game of the second set, which proved to be the only chances prior to another tie-break. Nishikori opened up a 4/0 lead and went on to level the score.

The Japanese warrior grew in confidence in the decider, breaking Kyrgios to 30 in the fourth game and recovered three break points at 15/40 and Advantage at 4-2. He eventually reached his third straight semi-final in Madrid.

Nishikori also beat Kyrgios in last month’s Miami Open presented by Itau semi-finals and now holds a 3-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head record.

Kyrgios had been attempting to earn his 20th match win of the year, which includes his first ATP World Tour title in Marseille (d. Cilic).

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Roger Federer have combined to win the last 15 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles, with at least one member of the ‘Big Four’ playing in 30 straight finals at this level. Through three rounds at the 2016 Mutua Madrid Open, three players remain capable of extending those streaks on Sunday.

Djokovic and Nadal have not dropped a set as they battle for a record 29th ATP Masters 1000 title. The top-seeded Djokovic is 6-0 in matches and 15-1 in sets against his quarter-final opponent on Friday, World No. 10 Milos Raonic. Djokovic is also on a 12-match unbeaten run versus Top 10 players, winning 27 of 28 sets during that stretch. Nadal, meanwhile, meets unseeded Joao Sousa for a spot in the semi-finals. Sousa is 1-21 with a 19-match losing streak against Top 10 opponents.

Play begins with Murray, the 2008 and 2015 Madrid champion, facing No. 8 seed Tomas Berdych. The Brit is 0-3 against Berdych on clay, but 3-0 overall since Dani Vallverdu left Murray’s camp to coach the Czech last season. Should Murray fail to defend his title this week, he will lose the No. 2 ranking to Federer on Monday. Also on Friday, No. 6 seed Kei Nishikori plays 21-year-old Aussie Nick Kyrgios, the youngest Madrid quarter-finalist since Juan Martin del Potro in 2009.

With Jamie Murray losing in the second round, there will be a new No. 1 in next week’s Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings. Ex-No. 1 Marcelo Melo has the inside track but can be passed by No. 3 Nicolas Mahut and No. 5 Horia Tecau. All three contenders play in the quarter-finals on Friday, with Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert continuing their quest for history against Bob and Mike Bryan. The Frenchmen are bidding to become the first doubles team or singles player to sweep the first four ATP Masters 1000 titles. The Bryans came the closest to doing so in 2014, winning Indian Wells, Miami and Monte-Carlo before falling in the Madrid final.

Top seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut defeated Spaniards Pablo Carreno Busta and Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 7-6(4) in the second round of the Mutua Madrid Open on Thursday. The Frenchmen improved to 15-1 in 2016 and have not lost since the quarter-finals of Brisbane in January.

Since then, Herbert/Mahut have swept the first three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events of the year – the BNP Paribas Open (d. Pospisil/Sock), the Miami Open presented by Itau (d. Klaasen/Ram) and the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters (d. Murray/Soares).

No doubles team has won the first four ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in the same year, and standing in the way of the Frenchmen will be Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, who were one match away from accomplishing the feat in 2014 before losing the Madrid final to Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic.

The Americans set up a tantalising quarter-final matchup with Herbert/Mahut by edging in-form Lukasz Kubot and Marcin Matkowski 7-5, 2-6, 10-8 in the second round. The Polish duo made the final of Estoril last week (l. to Butorac/Lipsky) and landed 80 per cent of first serves against the Bryans, but succumbed in 81 minutes.

Second seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares fell to Henri Kontinen and John Peers 6-4, 7-6(4). Kontinen/Peers were unbreakable in the second-round match, firing six aces and winning 91 per cent of first serve points.

Murray’s loss ensures that there will be a change at No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings on Monday. There are three players in contention to take top spot: Former No. 1 Marcelo Melo, Mahut and Romanian Horia Tecau, who teamed up with Jean-Julien Rojer to beat Thomaz Bellucci and Leonardo Mayer 6-4, 6-4.

Melo is guaranteed to reclaim top spot from Murray, who displaced the Brazilian almost five weeks ago, if he reaches at least the semi-finals and Mahut does not advance one round farther than Melo. Melo will also move to No. 1 if Tecau does not win the title and Mahut loses in the quarter-finals. Mahut will go to No. 1 if he wins one more match than Melo. Tecau can only reach No. 1 if he wins the title and both Melo and Mahut fall in the quarter-finals.