Tennis News

Most Improved Nominees: Humbert, Rublev, Schwartzman & Sinner Shining

The Most Improved Player of the Year in the 2020 ATP Awards goes to the player who reached a significantly higher FedEx ATP Ranking by year’s end, and who demonstrated an increasingly improved level of performance through the season. This year’s nominees are Ugo Humbert, Andrey Rublev, Diego Schwartzman and Jannik Sinner. The winner, as selected by the players, will be announced later this month.

Ugo Humbert
22-year-old Ugo Humbert won his first ATP Tour title in the second week of the 2020 season in Auckland, and claimed his second on the second-to-last week of the season in Antwerp. Despite the unprecedented events of 2020 that happened in between those milestones, the Frenchman stayed solid as he established himself as a rising force on the Tour. 

After starting the year ranked No. 57, Humbert broke into the Top 50 after his win in Auckland, which made him the youngest Frenchman to claim an ATP Tour title since 21-year-old Richard Gasquet in 2007. When the ATP Tour resumed after its COVID-19 suspension, Humbert found another level as he earned the biggest win of his career over No. 5 Daniil Medvedev en route to his first ATP 500 quarter-final in Hamburg. He backed up that result by winning his second tour-level title in Antwerp, and he also posted his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final appearance in Paris to end the season at a career-high No. 30 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

“Tennis is a game for me. It’s fun. That’s why I love it, but it’s also a personal challenge for me. It’s more like a fulfillment,” Humbert told ATP Uncovered presented by Peugeot. “I want to prove that I can do great things in this sport. It’s also because of this that I love tennis, practising and fighting every day against my opponents.

”I was lucky to have the right people around me and make the right decisions. I think it’s important for me to leave a mark. I would like to show my values… I want people to see that I enjoy myself when they watch me. I want them to play as well, or at least that they want to try when they watch me.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Ugo Humbert (@ugohumbert)

Andrey Rublev
The seemingly tireless Andrey Rublev ended the year the same way he started it: on a hot streak. The 23-year-old added five ATP Tour titles to his haul this year, the most of anyone in 2020, outpacing even World No.1 Novak Djokovic.

Rublev exploded onto the courts at the start of 2020 with an 11-match winning streak that took him to back-to-back trophies in Adelaide and Doha and to the Australian Open fourth round for the first time.

The Russian continued to impress after the ATP Tour’s resumption, reaching quarter-finals at the US Open and Roland Garros and picking up his third trophy of the year – and his first ATP 500 title – in Hamburg. Rublev embarked on an 11-match win streak to make it a hat-trick of ATP 500 trophies with victories in St. Petersburg and Vienna. He went on to qualify for his first Nitto ATP Finals and earned a round-robin win over Dominic Thiem to finish the season at a career-high No. 8 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

“I’m grateful for everything that’s happened to me,” Rublev told press at the Nitto ATP Finals. “I won more tournaments in this year than I’ve won in my life.”

“There are still so many things I can improve. That’s the main goal in the off-season. Now I’m really motivated to improve the main parts [of my game] before we start the new season.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Andrey Rublev (@andreyrublev)

Diego Schwartzman
New career-high FedEx ATP Ranking? First Nitto ATP Finals appearance? Best Grand Slam result? Check, check and check. Diego Schwartzman ticked off some major milestones in 2020 as he continued his steady rise into the game’s upper echelons.

Schwartzman started the season with a run to the final in Cordoba, and backed it up with a semi-final in Buenos Aires. But the best was yet to come after the Tour’s resumption, and he reached new heights on clay, where he took down Rafael Nadal en route to his first ATP Masters 1000 final at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome. A few weeks later, the Argentine put together his best Grand Slam run at Roland Garros, defeating Dominic Thiem on his way to the semi-finals. Schwartzman went on to qualify for his first Nitto ATP Finals, becoming the first Argentine player to compete at the season-ending event since Juan Martin del Potro in 2013.

“[Usually] at this time, I was always on holidays, and now I’m practising more than ever trying to beat the best guys on Tour,” said Schwartzman in London. “So I’m very excited, I’m trying to enjoy every single moment here, but also I’m trying to work really hard. I have the opportunity to continue doing a good season.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Diego Schwartzman (@dieschwartzman)

Jannik Sinner
Nineteen-year-old Jannik Sinner finished the 2019 season by stunning the field in Milan and taking home the Next Gen ATP Finals trophy. By the end of 2020, the youngest member of the Top 100 was lifting his first ATP Tour trophy – and sending a signal to the rest of the ATP that he intends to keep rising.

After claiming his first Grand Slam main draw win at the Australian Open, Sinner kept the positive momentum going early in the season to reach his first ATP 500 quarter-final in Rotterdam. He continued chipping away at his FedEx ATP Ranking throughout the abbreviated season, and made a statement in his Roland Garros debut by reaching the quarter-finals, defeating World No. 7 Alexander Zverev along the way. Sinner sealed his breakthrough season by becoming the youngest ATP Tour titlist in 12 years when he lifted the Sofia Open trophy, boosting him to a new career-high Ranking of No. 37.

“It’s a great progress of hard work,” Sinner said after his win in Sofia, “I have a great team behind me. I’m very excited about this result because sometimes you need them; obviously you’re working hard, so sometimes a result [like this] is good and great to see. 

“It’s a great progress, but there’s still a lot of work to do. We will see in a few years where I am, but I think right now I’m very happy about this win.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Jannik Sinner (@janniksin)

Source link

Kyrgios-Tsitsipas Classic Among Best ATP Matches Of 2020

Last week, ATPTour.com looked at the best Grand Slam matches, comebacks and upsets of 2020. Now, we will reflect on the most memorable matches, comebacks and upsets from ATP Tour events this year, starting with the best matches.

From two classic showdowns in Australia at the inaugural ATP Cup to a bruising battle of contrasts on Rome’s red clay, these are three of the top five ATP Tour matches of the season.

5) Nick Kyrgios def. Stefanos Tsitsipas, ATP Cup, Brisbane, RR, 7 January 2020 (Match Stats)
Team Australia had already booked its spot in the Final Eight of the inaugural ATP Cup, and Team Greece was eliminated. But Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas still put on one of the most intense matches of the season — in a fun way — at the ATP Cup.

In 2019, the pair met for the first time at the Citi Open, where Kyrgios won in a final-set tie-break, so it was no surprise that this match was a cracker. There were no service breaks, just a combined 43 aces, jaw-dropping shotmaking, tweeners and, most importantly, a memorable atmosphere.

It felt like a football match in Australia, with both players not just showing great skill, but plenty of emotions. Kyrgios, who never shies away from a show, was leaving everything on the court. At one point he even dropped to his back in exhaustion after chasing down several shots in the second set.

Tsitsipas got a point penalty for hitting a ball into the Team Greece Team Zone, as members of his team tried to calm him down. The Aussie fan section “We The People” banged its drums as Greek fans chanted in unison for Tsitsipas. Both players used the raucous crowd to push themselves forward and play some sensational tennis.

There was no discernable difference in level between the two stars, and there was never a doubt that a point here and there would make the difference. With the final-set tie-break still on serve, Kyrgios crushed a backhand return winner to seal a 7-6(7), 6-7(3), 7-6(5) victory.

“I served really well in big moments,” Kyrgios said. “But the atmosphere was awesome.”

4) Novak Djokovic def. Daniil Medvedev, ATP Cup, Sydney, SF, 10 January 2020 (Match Stats)
Perhaps Serbian Novak Djokovic most succinctly summed up his ATP Cup semi-final classic against tricky Russian Daniil Medvedev in January: “Exciting, exhausting, joyful, dreadful all at once.”

Entering the match, Medvedev had some confidence having won two consecutive clashes against Djokovic. The unorthodox righty quickly dropped the first set with an uncharacteristic 12 unforced errors, and then he changed his strategy. Medvedev became a mirror.

Medvedev began putting ball after ball into play, making for an abundance of grinding rallies in which neither man was willing to make a mistake. Djokovic is not often bent over from exhaustion. Usually it’s his opponents who are gasping for air and solutions, but this time it was the Serbian.

“At one point we both refused to miss from baseline, so it was a lot of rallies and it was very exhausting,” Djokovic said. “[It was a] very physical battle, but also [a] mental battle.”

One advantage Djokovic had was the crowd, which was pro-Serbian throughout the tournament. It was as if the atmosphere gave the World No. 2 an extra boost to overcome the physicality of the match and find a way to win the big points. Djokovic was able to summon his reserves in the critical moments, ultimately triumphing 6-1, 5-7, 6-4.

“[It was] definitely one of the most exciting matches I have played against him or any other top player [the] past few years,” Djokovic said.

3) Diego Schwartzman def. Denis Shapovalov, Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Rome, SF, 20 September 2020 (Match Stats)
Styles make matches, and high stakes make those clashes even more gripping. Diego Schwartzman and Denis Shapovalov’s Rome semi-final duel had all of that and more.

Schwartzman entered the match fresh off a stunning upset of Rafael Nadal. The Argentine called that performance his “best match ever”, but the 28-year-old still was trying to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 final, which would come with a chance at cracking the Top 10 of the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time. Shapovalov, a dynamic lefty, knew if Schwartzman did not win the title, he would be the one making his maiden appearance in the Top 10 after the tournament.

This became a classic battle between Shapovalov’s unrelenting offence and Schwartzman’s unbreakable defence. Against Nadal, the Argentine played aggressively and came out on top in cat-and-mouse points. But Shapovalov showed no interest in allowing that, swinging away and trying to bulldoze through the Italian clay.

As the gruelling rallies went on towards the end of the second and third sets, both men barely mustered enough energy to celebrate. Schwartzman simply stared at his team as he caught his breath. The Argentine appeared like a dam ready to break, as Shapovalov’s blows proved difficult to fend off indefinitely. But after failing to serve out the match, the Canadian began misfiring with his forehand, while Schwartzman remained in “lockdown mode” to emerge victorious 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(4) after three hours and 15 minutes.

“I’m very, very happy. I think today was a crazy match, it was really tough for us,” Schwartzman said. “On my side I’m very happy because I have the win.”

Schwartzman was unable to complete his dream run, losing against Novak Djokovic in the final. But while Shapovalov cracked the Top 10 the next week, the Argentine also accomplished the feat later in the year following a career-best Grand Slam run at Roland Garros, where he reached the semi-finals.

Read Our ‘Best Of 2020’ Series

Tomorrow: The best two matches of 2020 at ATP Tour tournaments.

Source link

Dennis Ralston, 1942-2020

Dennis Ralston, the 1966 Wimbledon finalist and five-time major doubles champion, passed away on Sunday due to brain cancer aged 78. The American, who dedicated his life to the sport, was a Davis Cup captain, a coach to former WTA Tour No. 1 Chris Evert, Yannick Noah, Gabriela Sabatini and Roscoe Tanner, and an inspirational figure, who overcame hardship later in his life.

Ralston was adjudged to be World No. 5 in 1966 by the doyen of tennis correspondents, Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph. He turned pro aged 24, for what was believed to be $100,000 over three years, and in 1967 signed on with the World Championship Tennis Tour as part of the ‘Handsome Eight’, alongside John Newcombe, Tony Roche, Cliff Drysdale, Earl Butch Buchholz, Nikola Pilic, Roger Taylor and Pierre Barthes.

During a 20-season playing career, which began as an amateur in 1958, Ralston battled back from 16 knee operations. A decent basketball guard growing up, his parents didn’t permit him to continue as an American Football quarterback, fearful of injuries. Ralston won three consecutive NCAA titles with the University of Southern California between 1962-64 and also two doubles titles in 1963 (w/Rafael Osuna) and 1964 (w/Bill Bond). He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987.

Having started playing tennis against a garage door and an eight-foot high brick wall in Bakersfield, two hours north of Los Angeles, Ralston rose through the ranks of southern California tennis and caught the attention of Perry T. Jones, one of the sport’s most powerful officials, and Richard Pancho Gonzales, who was an early coach. Like many, right-hander Ralston struggled with his serve if he didn’t toss the ball correctly, and worked hard with Gonzales after hitting 22 double faults in a Davis Cup tie against Mexico in August 1961. Gonzales helped Ralston become more offensive on his second serve and slice the stroke with greater efficiency. He also hit a powerful forehand and was also a world-class volleyer.

He first travelled to England after his childhood club, Bakersfield Racquets Club, raised $900 of the $1,400 for the 17-year-old to play on the 1960 summer circuit. Staying in a cheap Earls Court hotel, Ralston and 21-year-old Osuna, his future college roommate, needed to walk 232 steps up to their top-floor room, but the extra exercise helped them become the first unseeded team to win the Wimbledon doubles title (d. Michael Davies/Bobby Wilson). Ralston would also team up with Chuck McKinley for the 1961, 1963-64 US Championships at Forest Hills and Clark Graebner for the 1966 French Championships at Roland Garros.

It’s a sad day as my former coach of six years, Dennis Ralston, has passed away. A deeply religious man, a devoted family man, and a superb player and coach…. he will be missed. RIP Dennis ???

— Chris Evert (@ChrissieEvert) December 6, 2020

So sad to hear the passing of Dennis Ralston, greatfull to have received his knowledge, dedication and passion on the tennis court. But most of all his integrity and great values as a person. My condolences and all my love to his family #RIP #DennisRalston pic.twitter.com/xxRITenmFL

— Gabriela Sabatini (@sabatinigabyok) December 6, 2020

Favoured to win the 1966 Wimbledon singles final, having beaten Manolo Santana a few weeks earlier at The Queen’s Club, sixth seed Ralston lost 6-4, 11-9, 6-4 and later admitted he felt flat, unable to get fired up. Shortly afterwards, Ralston partnered his father to the National Father & Son title in Boston. He also reached semi-finals at the 1960 US Championships (l. to Neale Fraser) and the 1970 Australian Open (l. to Arthur Ashe).

Ralston, dubbed ‘Dennis The Menace’ by the press, also played 34 singles and doubles rubbers for the United States, including victory over Australia in the 1963 Challenge Round. He served as coach from 1968 to 1971 and captain from 1972 — the year Stan Smith won the title-winning point over Ion Tiriac in Bucharest — to 1975.

Tactically astute, Ralston was soon in high demand as a Tour coach and he helped Tanner reach the 1979 Wimbledon final (l. to Borg in five sets) and taught the big-serving American how to volley. It was also a stroke he worked on with Evert, who sought out Ralston at a time when she was on a 13-match losing streak against Martina Navratilova. In a six-year partnership, Ralston also helped Evert to hit a topspin lob — coached over a five-month period from his Dallas home — and when to attack the net. He also assisted John Lloyd and Pat Dupre, and taught Noah how to hit a backhand return and wait for the ball. He developed Sabatini’s serve, with a half swing motion, relaying exactly what Gonzales had told him almost 30 years earlier.

Ralston also served as men’s coach at Southern Methodist University between 1981-89 and 1991-93 (split when he helped Noah in 1989-90). He was named NCAA Coach of the Year in 1983, when SMU finished second nationally, and was the Director of Tennis at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs in the 1990s. For the past decade, Ralston was on the teaching staff at Grey Rock Tennis Club in Austin, Texas.

Ralston underwent double knee replacement surgery in the 1990s and in 2009 experienced a bad fall in the Dallas airport that injured both shoulder rotator cuffs. By then, his ankles and left foot had also seen better days. One year later, at a time of financial hardship that led Ralston to melt down his silver trophies, a series of infections forced the amputation of his left leg below the knee. With the support of his family, he returned to the court 12 months later and wore a prosthetic to play and coach tennis once again. He also underwent hip replacement surgery in 2017.

Ralston, a religious man of great integrity and compassion, passed away in Austin, Texas. He is survived by Linda, his wife of 56 years, and their three children, Mike, Lori and Angela.

International Tennis Hall Of Fame President Stan Smith, who was coached and captained by Ralston when competing for the US Davis Cup team, including the team’s historic 1972 championship win over Romania, paid tribute to his countryman.

“Dennis Ralston lived his whole life in tennis. He was a terrific champion, but he contributed to every part of the sport really, and with a real passion for it,” Smith said. “To me, he was a fellow USC Trojan, my coach, my captain, and a great friend. I, along with so many in the tennis world, will greatly miss his friendship and kindness.

“Dennis had an incredible mind for tennis, and he wanted to share what he knew to help others. He really prepared us for that battle in Romania. It was the most challenging and satisfying of all my Davis Cup campaigns. Dennis knew what it would take for us to compete, and he was a tremendous leader for me and the team.”

Richard Dennis Ralston, tennis player, captain and coach, born 27 July 1942, died 6 December 2020

Source link

Rublev, Schwartzman New Names In Year-End Top 10; Djokovic Continues No. 1 Reign

The ATP today published the 2020 year-end FedEx ATP Rankings on ATPTour.com. Despite a tour suspension of more than five months, a number of milestones were reached, including two new players in the year-end Top 10, while Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal continued their battle for No. 1.

Djokovic earned a record-tying sixth year-end No. 1 finish (joining Pete Sampras), while Nadal finished No. 2 for the seventh time and in the Top 2 for a record 12th time.

There were two new faces in the year-end Top 10: No. 8 Andrey Rublev, who led the ATP Tour with five titles, and No. 9 Diego Schwartzman.

Five players 24-and-under finished in the Top 10 for the first time since 2009, led by World No. 4 Daniil Medvedev (24), who won the Nitto ATP Finals. Other Top 10 players under the age of 25 were No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas (22), No. 7 Alexander Zverev (23), No. 8 Rublev (23) and No. 10 Matteo Berrettini (24).

View Full 2020 Year-End FedEx ATP Rankings

2020 Year-End FedEx ATP Rankings Quick Facts
* France led all countries with 11 players in the Top 100, followed by Spain with 10 and the U.S. with nine. Italy had eight for the second straight year, their most in FedEx ATP Rankings history. France had the most players in the Top 50 with five followed by Italy, Serbia, Spain and the U.S. with four.

* Federer, at 39 years and 3 months, was the oldest player to finish in the Top 100 followed by Feliciano Lopez (39y, 2m) at No. 64. Including Milos Raonic, who turns 30 later this month, there were 41 players 30-and-over in the year-end Top 100, the most since a record 43 in 2017.

* There were three Russians in the year-end Top 20 for the first time in the history of the FedEx ATP Rankings (since 1973) with No. 4 Medvedev, No. 8 Rublev and No. 20 Karen Khachanov.

* World No. 25 John Isner finished in the Top 25 for the 11th straight year and he was the top American in the year-end FedEx ATP Rankings for the eighth time in the past nine years (except 2017). It was the first time in FedEx ATP Rankings history that an American did not finish in the Top 20.

* There were 14 players 24-and-under in the year-end Top 30, the most since 2006, when there were 16.

* Vasek Pospisil made the biggest jump (89 spots) into the Top 100 from No. 150 at the end of 2019 to a year-end No. 61 in 2020. The 30-year-old Canadian returned from back surgery, which sidelined him for six months in 2019, and reached two finals (Montpellier, Sofia). He is a leading candidate for ATP Comeback Player of the Year.

* #NextGenATP Canadians Felix Auger-Aliassime, 20, and Denis Shapovalov, 21, along with No. 1 Aussie Alex de Minaur, 21, were the youngest players to finish in the Top 25 for the second straight year. Shapovalov broke into the Top 10 for one week before finishing a year-end best No. 12. Auger-Aliassime was No. 21 for the second year in a row and De Minaur was No. 23. Overall there were eight #NextGenATP players (born after 1998) in the Top 100 of the year-end FedEx ATP Rankings.

* For the second season in a row, Jannik Sinner, 19, was the youngest player in the year-end Top 100. Sinner, who made the biggest jump into the Top 100 in 2019 (685 spots from No. 763 to No. 78), made the biggest improvement in the Top 50 this season (41 spots from No. 78 to No. 37). Sinner was one of six first-time ATP Tour champions in 2020 and he was followed by Casper Ruud (No. 54 to No. 27) and Ugo Humbert (No. 57 to No. 30), who both jumped 27 spots from last season. They also were first-time champions.

* Overall there were 37 countries represented in the year-end Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings (36 in 2019).

* Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares finished No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Doubles Team Rankings. Pavic finished No. 1 two years ago (w/Oliver Marach) while Soares was No. 1 in 2016 (w/Jamie Murray).

* Shapovalov was the only player to finish in the Top 50 of both singles and doubles. Shapovalov ranked No. 12 in singles and No. 49 in doubles.

Source link

Cerundolo's Title Treble Caps Breakthrough Season

Who was the ATP Challenger Tour’s hottest player in the final months of the 2020 season? There is only one answer: Francisco Cerundolo.

In October, Cerundolo introduced himself to the tennis world with a maiden ATP Challenger Tour title in Split, Croatia. The Argentine told us the story of how he studied for three exams while battling through the Split Open draw.

In November, Cerundolo received a special honour after taking his second title in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Competing in his first tournament as a Top 200 player, the 22-year-old was presented with the trophy by former World No. 4 and tournament director Andres Gomez.

And in December, Cerundolo completed an unforgettable title treble. On Sunday, he triumphed on the clay of Campinas, Brazil, defeating World No. 102 Roberto Carballes Baena 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 for his third crown in three months. The Argentine joins Carlos Alcaraz as the most decorated players on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2020.

“The truth is that it feels incredible,” said Cerundolo. “It was a great tournament for me. Two win a second title in three weeks is amazing. I’m very happy with what I achieved and the way I finished the year. To finish the year in the Top 150  is crazy.”

Photo Credit: Joao Pires/Fotojump

Cerundolo was made to work to lift the trophy after nearly being bounced from the tournament in second round. The Buenos Aires native was forced to save a match point against countryman Facundo Mena, reeling off 10 straight points to prevail in a deciding tie-break. He would then defeat another Argentine, Facundo Bagnis, and last week’s Sao Paulo champion Felipe Meligeni to reach the final. There, he rallied from a break down in the deciding set to defeat Carballes Baena and lift the trophy.

“In the second round, I did not play well,” recalled Cerundolo. “To win after saving a match point, holding the trophy in my hands, makes me happy. And the final was difficult too. Carballes is a tough opponent and he raised his level in the second set. But I’m very happy for what I did, to come back in the third.”

Cerundolo rises to a career-high No. 139 in the FedEx ATP Rankings with the victory in Campinas, soaring more than 100 spots since the start of the year. He finishes his 2020 campaign on a staggering 20-3 run. Moreover, his 22 match wins lead the Challenger circuit since the restart from the COVID-19 hiatus.

“Now I will go back to my home in Argentina to relax, spend some time with my family and friends  and later prepare for the next season.”

Match Wins Leaders Since Restart (17 August)

Source link

Sousa Triumphs On Home Soil In Final Match Of 2020

The 2020 ATP Challenger Tour season came to a close on Sunday afternoon in Maia, Portugal, as one of its native sons lifted the trophy. Pedro Sousa raised his arms in triumph, celebrating the 57th – and last – title of a season no one will ever forget.

Sousa clinched the eighth Challenger crown of his career, marking the fourth straight year in which he has been the last man standing at a tournament. The 32-year-old rises to No. 105 in the year-end FedEx ATP Rankings, just six spots off his career-high position.

“It couldn’t be better,” said Sousa. “I’m a little relieved, because I had lost four finals in a row, three of them in Challengers, so I was getting a little bit worried. But fortunately today I managed to handle the pressure well and ended up winning the title.”

Sousa found himself in the winners’ circle for the first time since August 2019, defeating Spain’s Carlos Taberner 6-0, 5-7, 6-2 for the title on Sunday. He needed two hours and five mintues to earn the hard-fought championship victory. It was a historic achievement for Sousa, whose eight titles move him into a tie with Rui Machado for the all-time lead among players from Portugal. Now retired, Machado is the Davis Cup captain and National Technical Director for Portuguese tennis.

“The first set was perfect, but I knew the match was going to be tight,” Sousa added. “It’s impossible to play a final and think that things are going to go well all the time. He improved in the second set and I lost a bit of my level, with some nerves in the mix, but luckily I still had time to win the match in three.”

At the age of 32, Sousa is playing the best tennis of his career. He reached a combined four finals in 2020, including three at the Challenger level and his first on the ATP Tour. It was in Febraury that he competed for the title at the ATP 250 event in Buenos Aires, eventually falling to Casper Ruud.

“Next year I want to continue climbing,” the Portuguese No. 2 added. “I am working hard and focus every day on improving my ranking. This year was positive for me, but I want to play as many ATP Tour tournaments as I can in 2021.”

Portuguese Title Leaders – ATP Challenger Tour

Source link