Dimitrov FedEx ATP Player Profile 2017
Dimitrov FedEx ATP Player Profile 2017
Apr182017
Gilles Simon came close, but there will be no shocking second-round upset against Novak Djokovic this year at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. The second seed battled and eventually fought off the Frenchman 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 to move into the third round of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event.
The two-time champion (2013, 2015) improved to 11-1 against Simon in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. The 29 year old will next meet #NextGenATP player Karen Khachanov of Russia or 13th seed Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain.
The second-round contest was Djokovic’s first ATP World Tour match since falling to Nick Kyrgios in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open more than a month ago, on 15 March. The Serbian withdrew from the Miami Open presented by Itau because of a right elbow injury but did return to tour-level action earlier this month, dismissing Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas in straight sets during Davis Cup play in Serbia.
Last year, after earning his fourth Sunshine Double in the U.S., Djokovic fell in the Monte-Carlo second round to then-World No. 55 Jiri Vesely, who celebrated his first Top 10 win and handed Djokovic only his second loss of the season.
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Adrian Mannarino recorded one of the biggest wins of his career on Tuesday at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters when he beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-3 for a place in the third round.
World No. 56 Mannarino, who won two matches in qualifying and beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez on Monday, dictated with his potent backhand and forays to the net to improve to 2-18 lifetime against players in the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings. His only previous win over an elite player came against the then No. 8-ranked Stan Wawrinka in March 2015 at the Miami Open presented by Itau.
Seventh seed Tsonga got off to a fine start, sweeping to a 3-0 lead, but Mannarino recovered to 3-3 and, in hot conditions, the first set was decided by a tie-break. Tsonga took a 4/1 lead and finished the 52-minute opener with a forehand winner down the line. Mannarino responded to surge to a 5-0 lead in the second set, leaving a capacity crowd primed for a decider.
Having saved one break point in the third game of the deciding set, Mannarino broke Tsonga to 15 for a 3-1 lead. Tsonga, the 2013 and 2016 semi-finalist, continued to battle in his first match since 11 March at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Tsonga got back to 3-4 but broke a string when hitting a forehand at 15/40 to gift Mannarino a chance to serve for the match. The 28-year-old Mannarino was not to be denied his seventh match win of the 2017 ATP World Tour season, which lasted two hours and five minutes.
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Tsonga became a father for the first time with the birth of his son, Shugar, on 18 March, and celebrated his 32nd birthday at the Monte-Carlo Country Club on Monday. Mannarino, who told reporters he had trained for 10 days prior to coming to the Monte-Carlo Country Club, will now meet French compatriot and No. 11 seed Lucas Pouille or Italian Paolo Lorenzi.
Pouille gained safe passage past the lone American in the draw, Ryan Harrison, 6-2, 6-4 in 72 minutes. Harrison, this year’s Memphis titlist, was playing his first tournament since getting married to Lauren McHale on 31 March in Austin, Texas. Lorenzi was a 6-2, 6-4 winner over Marcel Granollers.
“It was a good start for the tournament, very solid,” said Pouille. “From the beginning to the end, I played well, except for one game where I got broken. Other than that, I’m very happy with this first round.”
Tommy Haas made a welcome return to the Monte-Carlo Country Club by beating Benoit Paire 6-2, 6-3 in 68 minutes. The oldest player in the draw, aged 39, is competing at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament for the first time since 2008 and notched his first win since 2004 (d. Malisse, l. to Chela). Haas now gets a shot at ninth seed Tomas Berdych in the second round.
World number two Novak Djokovic won on his return to the tour as he beat France’s Gilles Simon in his opening match of the Monte Carlo Masters.
The Serb, playing his first clay match of the year after recovering from an elbow injury, won 6-3 3-6 7-5.
The 29-year-old secured the first set before Simon saved four break points in the second to change the game’s tempo.
Simon, ranked 32nd, had the chance to serve for the match but Djokovic fought through to reach the last 16.
Djokovic, a two-time champion in Monte Carlo, received a bye in the first round and appeared to feel some strain in his right elbow in a close final set against Simon.
He was broken by Simon after an error-strewn game but a series of lengthy rallies fell Djokovic’s way, before the 32-year-old broke again.
Simon – who has not won a match since February – failed to serve out the match at 5-4, allowing Djokovic to find some rhythm and secure victory.
Elsewhere, France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was beaten by compatriot Adrian Mannarino 6-7 (3-7) 6-2 6-3.
World number one Andy Murray makes his return to the tour on Wednesday when he faces Luxembourger Gilles Muller, while Briton Kyle Edmund will play Spain’s Rafael Nadal in the second round.
View FedEx ATP Head2Head for the following match-ups Tuesday at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters & vote for the players you think will win!
Djokovic vs Simon | Paire vs Haas | Goffin vs Almagro
View Tuesday schedule and check back later for preview notes
#NextGenATP Stefanos Tsitsipas speaks exclusively to ATPWorldTour.com about his life on the road and his desire to inspire a generation of Greek tennis players.
The statement on Stefanos Tsitsipas’ website is clear, “Tennis is my life. I breath tennis!” His lifestyle of travel, graft and dedication has seen the 18 year old rocket from outside the Top 1,000 of the Emirates ATP Rankings in August 2015 to his current position of No. 201.
“In Athens it is not as well organised as at the academy and there aren’t too many at my level to train with. But I hope to inspire,” Tsitsipas told ATPWorldTour.com from the sun of Sardinia, Italy, at the Santa Margherita di Pula. “Many people are playing the game in Greece, it’s growing slowly and getting more and more popular. You see it more on the news and on websites. We have some juniors doing a good job. Hopefully our success can make tennis even more popular.”
The state-of-the-art facilities at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy hosted the recent Verrazzano Open, enabling Tsitsipas to practise with World No. 1 Andy Murray, who stopped by to ramp up his clay-court preparations. Tsitsipas soon realised the work rate required to accumulate the on-court armoury that will rival those in the upper echelons of professional tennis.
“It was for sure inspirational,” said Tsitsipas. “He’s a player I’ve been watching on television from a young age. He’s inspired me the way he plays tennis and the way he’s such a big fighter on court. He’s the World No. 1, he’s achieved so much in the sport. Actually, he won Wimbledon (2013), the first British man in 77 years to do so, then repeated the feat last year. I’m sure Great Britain is very proud of him. It was an honour to practice with him.”
From yesterday’s practice with @andy_murray at the @MouratoglouAcad.
I was very happy to see him play injury-free and in a great shape. pic.twitter.com/3Kxk4HIR0W
— Stefanos Tsitsipas (@StefTsitsipas) April 7, 2017
However, the privilege to hit with the sport’s top player nearly became a blur.
“He offered advice, he’s a really friendly guy, very open minded, but I can’t remember everything he told me, I was so focused on the practice,” revealed Tsitsipas. “I remember he told me in a volley game at the net, not to hesitate and to go towards the ball. But that’s pretty much all I remember!”
Motivated by the challenges ahead, Tsitsipas would relish the prestigious opportunity to participate in the inaugural #NextGenATP Finals in Milan this November.
“I’m very proud of the level my game is at and what I have achieved so far, but it doesn’t end now,” said Tsitsipas. “I’m looking forward to what is ahead, I’m focused on qualifying for the #NextGenATP Finals, but that is a long way away.
“It’s a very good idea from the ATP, [which is] really looking after the youngsters coming through. I only have good things to say about the Milan finals and if I managed to qualify, I’d be very proud and happy.”
Alongside his quest to reach Milan, the ambitious Greek is targeting major success. “If I qualified for a Grand Slam that would be amazing. I’d be so happy for my game, my team and my country.”
Tsitsipas has now experienced matches on the ATP Challenger Tour and ATP World Tour, with the rise in standard illustrating the magnitude of the task ahead.
“For sure it’s very different, you come against much better players, guys you have watched on the TV and admire,” said Tsitsipas. “In an ATP World Tour main draw, I faced Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and I remember watching him since I was a little kid.” Tsitsipas pushed the eventual ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament champion in a 6-4, 7-6(2) loss. “It’s tough, because every match counts. But it’s pretty good because there are plenty of points on offer every week.”
The Greek, who won the Wimbledon junior doubles title last summer with Kenneth Raisma, offers a very positive persona and is eager to fill his time away from court with a variety of hobbies; ranging from basketball, watching movies, picking up the sport padel, reading, to swimming in the sea.
He also displays his wit and sense of humour on social media. “I like posting as much as possible about my life and what’s going on around me,” said the tech-savvy Tsitsipas. “I think it’s interesting the life of a sportsman, a tennis player. I also like sharing my thoughts on social media with loyal fans.”
He loves the history of tennis, the required work rate and the lifestyle on tour. “I get to travel the world, discover new cultures, meet new people, learn new ways, and do what I love,” said Tsitsipas. “I get to see and do things I’d never get to do without tennis and otherwise I’d be back home sitting in school! The sport has given me this great opportunity, I will make the most of it.”
Novak Djokovic and Viktor Troicki renewed their doubles partnership on Monday with a 7-5, 6-3 victory against Gilles Muller and Gilles Simon at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. The Serbians won almost 70 per cent of their service points in the 76-minute win. They’ll next meet top seeds Henri Kontinen and John Peers.
Tommy Haas and Treat Huey prevailed past the French pairing of Julien Benneteau and Lucas Pouille 4-6, 6-4, 10-8. Haas/Huey will face third seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares in the second round.
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The French team of Benoit Paire and Edouard Roger-Vasselin had better luck, though, beating Grigor Dimitrov and Nenad Zimonjic 6-4, 1-6, 10-3. They’ll next face sixth seeds Marcel Granollers and Ivan Dodig.
Romanian Florin Mergea and Pakistani Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi swept Marin Cilic and Philipp Petzschner 6-4, 6-4. Mergea/Qureshi will meet seventh seeds Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez in the round of 16.
