Frenchman going for third ‘s-Hertogenbosch title
Nicolas Mahut was halfway to his third ‘s-Hertogenbosch title before rain postponed Sunday’s Ricoh Open final. The Frenchman won the first set against Gilles Muller 6-4. The opener had just concluded under ominous skies when play was suspended because of rain at about 6 p.m. local time. Officials later postponed the match until 10 a.m. local time on Monday.
Mahut will try to defend his 2015 title on the grass. He also claimed the title in the Netherlands in 2013. The 33-year-old Muller will go for his first ATP World Tour title, having lost his three prior finals.
Sunday’s final looked to be a serve-and-volley exhibition. Both players dominated with their serve throughout the week. Muller, No. 44 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, had held 98 per cent of the time (48/49). Mahut, No. 49 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, had won 96 per cent of his service games (52/54) before Sunday.
But both, especially Muller, struggled to find their serving groove. The Luxembourg native landed just 61 per cent of his first serves, down six percentage points from his Ricoh Open average. The left-hander also won only 25 per cent of his second-serve points (3/12) and was broken twice in the first set as Mahut struck deep returns throughout the set.
Mahut struggled with his serve early on as well, but the 34 year old settled his nerves and took the first set when Muller netted a backhand pass.
Andy Murray says former coach Ivan Lendl has rejoined his team for the start of the Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club.
Murray has been without a coach since splitting with Amelie Mauresmo shortly before the French Open last month.
The Scot said: “We had a chat, he messaged me yesterday and said let’s do it.”
Murray won Wimbledon, the US Open and Olympic gold during the two years he spent with Lendl.
This clip is originally from 5 live Sport on the 12th June 2016.
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Andy Murray has reunited with former coach Ivan Lendl before the Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club.
Murray, 29, has been without a coach since splitting with Amelie Mauresmo shortly before the French Open last month.
The Scot won Wimbledon, the US Open and Olympic gold during two years with Lendl from 2012 to 2014.
“Ivan’s single-minded and knows what it takes to win the big events,” Murray said in a statement.
“I had two very successful years working with him. I’m looking forward to Ivan joining the team again and helping me try and reach my goals.”
Lendl, a former world number one and eight-time Grand Slam champion, has spent the last two years working for the United States Tennis Association.
He will work alongside Jamie Delgado, the British former player who joined Murray’s team earlier this year.
Lendl helped guide Murray to victory at the London 2012 Olympics before the Briton won his first Grand Slam title at the US Open later that year.
The Czech-born American then helped Murray end Britain’s 77-year wait for a men’s singles champion at Wimbledon in 2013.
“I enjoyed working with Andy in the past,” Lendl, 56, added.
“Andy and I have always stayed in contact so it should be fun to be part of his team again.”
Murray is ranked second in the world and has reached both Grand Slam finals in 2016, losing to Serbian world number one Novak Djokovic at the Australian and French Opens.
A four-time champion at Queen’s Club, Murray will begin his campaign against Frenchman Nicolas Mahut in round one, with the championships starting on Monday.
BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller
Contact was made during the French Open, and the reunion sealed in the past few days – with Lendl due at the Queen’s Club for Murray’s opening match on Tuesday.
Lendl is no fan of living out of a suitcase, but it sounds as if the chance to work with the world’s second best player – who can expect to be in his prime for at least another couple of years – was just too hard to resist.
They are planning to spend up to 20 weeks a year together, with Lendl present at all the Grand Slams, key training weeks and probably the odd Masters Series event too.
Jamie Delgado remains Murray’s full-time coach, but it always made sense to add a Grand Slam champion to the fold. Lendl was the obvious place to start, and after a two-year break from travelling, it sounds as if Murray’s call came at just the right time.
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Swiss puts emphasis on additional match play
“Any match you lose is disappointing. But to lose when you have match point means it was a close one,” said Roger Federer in the wake of his three-set loss to Dominic Thiem in the semi-finals of the Mercedes Cup on Saturday. “We both had our chances throughout. After coming back from 0-5 in the second, it was tough to lose the tie-break.”
Federer won the first set 6-3 and mounted a furious comeback in the second set to force a tie-break. After Thiem saved a match point serving at 5/6, Federer had the match on his racquet at 7/6.
“At 7/6 in the tie-break, I’ve got an 80 per cent chance of winning the point on my first serve and a 50 per cent chance on my second serve, so things were all good for me at that point,” the Swiss noted. Thiem regained the momentum after Federer missed a volley, and went on to close out the match with a break of serve in the deciding set.
“It was a tough match for both of us,” Federer said. “I could have played better at some of the bigger moments. At the same time, Thiem came up with some really good shots when he needed them. It’s just unfortunate. It’s just a matter of working hard and maybe things will go my way next time.”
Federer also underlined the importance of additional match practice. He was making a return to play after missing Roland Garros due to a back injury. It was the Swiss’ second layoff of the year after undergoing knee surgery in January.
“Things went surprisingly well this week. Conditions were very fast, so that’s why you saw a lot of tie-breaks, lots of close matches,” Federer said. “I probably didn’t serve my very best and I need to cut down on some mistakes in my game, but that comes down to not playing a lot.
“I want to be in a position to talk more about my matches, rather than the way that I am training coming back from injury. I’m happy that it is in the past, and I am looking forward to the second half of the season.”
Federer is slated to take part in the Gerry Weber Open, which begins on Monday. He is an eight-time champion at the event and will face Jan-Lennard Struff in the first round.
Brit honoured for achievements on and off the court
Jamie Murray, No. 2 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings, was awarded an OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to tennis and charity.
The 30-year-old Dunblane native has been at the top of his game in the past 12 months. The elder Murray teamed up with brother Andy Murray to help Great Britain claim the 2015 Davis Cup. In 2016, Murray secured the Australian Open title alongside Bruno Soares and reached No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings for the first time.
Murray will next take to the court at the Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club, where he is slated to play doubles with Soares.
