Murray Looks Ahead To Beijing 2016 Campaign
Murray Looks Ahead To Beijing 2016 Campaign
Oct022016
Britain’s Andy Murray says overtaking Novak Djokovic as the world’s top-ranked player is a big motivation for him for the rest of the 2016 season.
The Serb’s mixed form this year means Murray, 29, has a chance to claim top spot for the first time in his career.
On Wednesday, Djokovic pulled out of next week’s China Open in Beijing with an elbow injury.
“Trying to reach number one is a goal,” said Murray, who plays Italy’s world number 94 Andreas Seppi in round one.
“I’ve never been [top]. It’s something I would like to do for the first time, which is maybe more of a motivation for me than some of the guys that have been there before.
“But I want to just try and finish this year strong from a personal point of view. It’s been my best season to date, and I want to try to finish it as best as I can.”
World number two Murray, who is 4,695 points behind Djokovic in the current world rankings, has had to overcome a thigh strain – picked up on Davis Cup duty last month – but will look for only his fourth ATP title of the season when he faces Seppi on Tuesday.
“I needed to take quite a few days off after the Davis Cup to try and let my injury heal and to rest,” added the Scot. “I needed a break anyway.
“I haven’t been able to practise as much as usual coming into an event like this. But I feel healthy. My leg feels good.”
While Murray has triumphed at Wimbledon and the Olympics this year, Djokovic’s form has dipped since beating his rival to the French Open title.
The Serb exited Wimbledon and Rio 2016 in the early rounds, and though he reached the US Open final earlier this month, he was beaten by Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka.
Tomas Berdych won his first title of the season with victory over Richard Gasquet at the Shenzhen Open in China.
The Czech secured his 13th ATP title, and his second Shenzhen title, with a 7-6 (7-5) 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 victory over third seed Gasquet.
Berdych, who missed the US Open with appendicitis, is ninth in the race to qualify for the ATP World Tour Finals.
“Five weeks ago I was in hospital, now I’m sitting here with the trophy,” he said.
The win was Berdych’s first ATP World Tour title since the Stockholm Open in October 2015.
The 31-year-old is aiming to appear at his seventh consecutive World Tour final but will need to overtake Rafael Nadal, who currently holds the final qualifying place.
“Luckily for me, everything is going well, I’m feeling good, sitting here as a winner,” he added.
Russian Karen Khachanov, ranked 101st in the world, secured his first ATP title at the inaugural Chengdu Open as he beat fifth seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas.
The 20-year-old produced 14 aces as he fought back from a set down to register a 6-7 (4-6) 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 win over the Spaniard.
Czech turns up the heat on Nadal in Emirates ATP Race To London
Tomas Berdych moved to within 330 points of Rafael Nadal in the Emirates ATP Race To London as he won his first ATP World Tour title of the season at the Shenzhen Open.
In his 15th meeting with Richard Gasquet, defending champion Berdych retained his title with a 7-6(5), 6-7(2), 6-3 victory in the final on Sunday.
Berdych is currently ninth in the year-to-date standings, with the top eight at the end of the regular season set to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Berdych has played at the prestigious season finale in London the past six years.
After being forced to miss the US Open due to appendicitis, Berdych has hit top form quickly on his return to action, reaching the semi-finals in St. Petersburg last year (l. to Zverev).
“Five weeks ago I was in hospital, now I’m sitting here with the trophy,” said Berdych. “Things are changing very quickly. Luckily for me, everything is going well, I’m feeling good, sitting here as a winner. I’m just taking all this as a bonus, that I can play and win some matches.”
The 31-year-old Berdych lifted his first ATP World Tour trophy since triumphing at the If Stockholm Open almost one year ago. The Czech improved to a 13-17 record in tour-level finals. Four of Berdych’s titles have come in Asia (2008 Tokyo, 2011 Beijing, 2015-16 Shenzhen).
In the fourth all-30 and over final on the ATP World Tour this season, Berdych improved to an 8-7 mark over Gasquet in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series as he claimed victory in two hours and 40 minutes. Berdych is the 18th 30-and-over winner on the ATP World Tour this season.
The top seed lost serve in the first game of the match, but immediately struck back to draw level with Gasquet. In the eventual tie-break, Berdych clinched the opener on his first set point.
A break in the third game gave Berdych an early lead in the second set. But he was denied on two match points as Gasquet held serve in the ninth game and then saw his lead snuffed out as the Frenchman staged a late fight back with a break of serve to love as Berdych served for the match. Gasquet then took the match into a decider as he dominated the tie-break.
Berdych regrouped in the third set, though. The Czech broke through in the sixth game for a 4-2 lead and did not falter when serving for the match a second time, closing out the final game to 15.
“I think it was a very solid game,” said Berdych. “I said after the semi-final that I wanted to raise my game and play better and I think I achieved that against a tougher opponent. I’m very pleased with the way I played.
“The two match points [in the second set] were very tough. He served aces so I couldn’t do anything about that. He started playing very well and deserved to win the second set. I had to battle for the win and sometimes that happens.”
Berdych will now look to make up more ground on Nadal in the Emirates ATP Race To London when he competes at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships 2016, an ATP World Tour 500 hard court tournament in Tokyo next week. Nadal is the second seed at the China Open in Beijing.
Third seed Richard Gasquet was looking to win his second ATP World Tour title of the season, following victory in Montpellier in February (d. Mathieu). The Frenchman falls to a 13-13 finals record on the ATP World Tour.
Two consecutive weeks on the ATP World Tour has yielded back-to-back titles for the fast-charging #NextGen contingent, as Karen Khachanov clinched his first title on Sunday at the Chengdu Open.
The 20-year-old Russian is projected to soar nearly 50 spots in the Emirates ATP Rankings to a career-high No. 55, after rallying past Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 6-3 in Chengdu. Khachanov, who follows in the footsteps of German teen Alexander Zverev, last week’s champion in St. Petersburg, as first-time #NextGen winners. He is the third in total this year, with Nick Kyrgios prevailing in both Marseille and Atlanta.
With his arms raised in triumph after two hours and 39 minutes, Khachanov secured the title when a Ramos-Vinolas forehand sailed long. The Galo Blanco pupil fired 14 aces, while converting three of nine break chances. It marks his fourth victory over a seeded opponent this week, having toppled No. 7 Joao Sousa, No. 4 Feliciano Lopez in the quarter-finals and No. 6 Viktor Troicki on Saturday.
More to come…
Frenchman sets sight on Tokyo success
Gael Monfils, the No. 2 seed at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships 2016, is a hit wherever he goes. The flashy Frenchman believes that his fan appeal originates from the sincerity with which he approaches the sport.
“I’m a very natural person on the court. I try to be myself and forget about the pressure,” Monfils said. “Some may think that I am really trying to be entertaining, but for me that’s just the way that I enjoy playing the game. I’m happy to see that people like the way I play and that I help them have fun.”
The 30 year old’s charm has won him many fans in Tokyo, where he reached the semi-finals twice in three past appearances. Monfils made the semi-finals in 2009 (l. to Tsonga) and reached the final in 2010, falling to Rafael Nadal. Back for the first time since 2013, Monfils revealed that he has been approaching his physical preparation differently in recent years in order to gain an edge.
“My physio Gaetan and I have been working together since 2014, and over that time he has done a lot to give me the right tools to stay healthy and to recover between matches,” said Monfils. “We use a lot of Chinese medicine; we do acupuncture. I am not afraid of the needles, as I have many tattoos.”
Continued enthusiasm for tennis and improved health may well help Monfils qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals for the first time. The Frenchman is currently in sixth place in the Emirates ATP Race To London, 150 points clear of seventh-placed Dominic Thiem and trailing Tokyo top seed Kei Nishikori by 960 points.
“It’s not something that I am really thinking about yet,” Monfils said. “My objective right now is just to finish the season well and to win another title. If that helps me qualify for London, then it would be great. But my priority is to find a good level and to perform well at the events I play at.”
Monfils will face Japan’s Yuichi Sugita in the first round.
Britain’s Johanna Konta banished memories of her US Open defeat by Anastasija Sevastova as she swept past the Latvian at the China Open.
Konta lost to Sevastova in New York last month but dominated in Beijing, winning 6-1 6-1 and dropping just one point on her first serve.
She goes on to face Hungary’s world number 25 Timea Babos in round two.
In the men’s event, Kyle Edmund beat Russia’s Evgeny Donskoy 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 to qualify for the main draw.
Andy Murray is the top seed in Beijing and will open his campaign against Italy’s Andreas Seppi later in the week.
More to follow.