Tennis News

Tsitsipas' Masters 1000 Chase: 'I'm Getting Really Close'

Stefanos Tsitsipas has won big titles before, with his greatest victory coming at the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals in London. But the Greek star is still searching for his first ATP Masters 1000 trophy, which he hopes to secure at the Miami Open presented by Itau.

“I would be thrilled to walk away with a Masters 1000 title. The opportunity hasn’t presented itself, but I feel like I’m getting really close,” Tsitsipas said. “I really want it a lot and the desire is there. It always has been. I’m always working to get better, and I think that’s what’s going to help me get to that point of winning Masters 1000 events. I feel also I just need more opportunities to get there.”

Tsitsipas is no stranger to good runs at this level. In one of his first big breakthroughs on the ATP Tour, he earned four consecutive Top 10 wins to reach the final in Toronto three years ago. The five-time tour-level champion also advanced to the championship match in Madrid in 2019.

This will be Tsitsipas’ third appearance in Miami, where he reached the third round in 2019. The Big Three of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are not competing.

“It is an opportunity, I won’t lie. It is an opportunity. There are plenty of good guys that aren’t in the top five that can play good tennis as well. I can see them as a threat, too,” Tsitsipas said. “I don’t see myself as the favourite of the tournament. I like to enter a tournament with low expectations and build my way through.

“I have a pretty difficult draw despite all of this. I have matches that I will really have to fight hard and give my best.”

The second seed will play former World No. 5 Kevin Anderson or Brazilian Thiago Monteiro in the second round. Tsitsipas could face 28th seed Kei Nishikori in the third round.

The 22-year-old will hope to maintain the momentum he has accumulated with a strong start to the season. Tsitsipas made the semi-finals at the Australian Open and at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, and last week he reached the final of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC.

“It adds a lot to my psychological state. I wasn’t expecting myself to end up in the final. I wasn’t thinking of the final when I first started playing the tournament. I was enjoying every single day there,” Tsitsipas said. “The weather was great, the people were nice. The crowds seemed very excited to have me there and I wanted to bring the best out of my game in the tournament. There wasn’t a single trace of negativity or any negative outcome until the final.”

Tsitsipas was unable to topple fellow Top 10 star Alexander Zverev, who triumphed in straight sets. The Greek admitted he has played better matches, and coming close without lifting the trophy has motivated him to come back stronger in Miami.

“I can only learn from it and it is something that I cannot go back and fix,” Tsitsipas said. “I might as well just embrace it and move on stronger and take that as an example and as a lesson that I wouldn’t want to happen again in the near future or in any other final that I might play.”

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Rublev: 'I'm Afraid That I'm Just Lucky'

At the 2019 Miami Open presented by Itau, Andrey Rublev was at a low point. The Russian was the No. 99 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings and he had to go through qualifying after struggling with a lower back stress fracture the year before. He wasn’t dreaming of how quickly he could climb towards the top of the sport.

“I stopped thinking how it’s going to be and what to expect, because I was doing this maybe a bit before. The previous year I was thinking, ‘Oh, if it’s going well, maybe soon I’m going to be Top 20 or soon I’m going to be even higher’. In the end, no, I was injured, [and I fell] outside of the Top 100,” Rublev said. “Since that moment, I stopped thinking how it’s going to be… I’m thinking now about what to do to be better and that’s it.

“Because of injuries and all these situations, it helped me to be completely clear.”

Two years later, Rublev is one of the hottest players on the ATP Tour and firmly inside the world’s Top 10. Perhaps what makes Rublev stand out is that no matter how many titles he wins — the 23-year-old has lifted six individual trophies since the start of last season and helped Russia to ATP Cup glory this February — he is constantly searching for ways to improve.

“I want to be better and better. It’s not about what I’m doing now or what I did. It’s about that I want to keep doing this for a long term. I want to keep being better,” Rublev told ATPTour.com last week. “I’m afraid that I’m just maybe lucky, that maybe I’m not good enough. So that’s why I want to keep working to be able to see if I can keep playing the same way, on the same level for a while.”

It is clear that Rublev’s success has not come because of luck — his 57-13 record since the start of 2020 speaks for itself. So why does the Russian fear he is not good enough?

“It’s this kind of fear that it’s not enough,” Rublev said. “Fear that I’m not going to make it or fear that I’m not going to be good enough for a while. In the end, this fear helped me to improve, and that’s why I want to improve and improve. Also maybe because… if I do one mistake, I want to repeat to make it perfect. I need to have everything perfect. This is a bit of a sick mentality, but in the end, for the moment, it [has] helped me.”

Some players have grown to fear playing Rublev, since they know it will take a tremendous effort to beat him. When Marton Fucsovics walked off Centre Court in Dubai last week following his loss against the eventual semi-finalist, he told Rublev, “I hope I don’t play you anymore this year.”

Watch Rublev Train:

Ironically, Fucsovics is the first seeded opponent Rublev could play in Miami, if they both advance to the third round. The fourth seed will try to maintain his momentum at the season’s first ATP Masters 1000 event. The World No. 8 has a big opportunity at this level this year to gain points in the FedEx ATP Rankings, as he has only reached the last eight once at a Masters 1000 tournament.

Rublev, however, is not putting extra pressure on himself.

“I cannot control if I’m going to lose [in the] second round or not. In the end, it doesn’t matter which pressure you have, you cannot control it,” Rublev said. “If you win, you’re going to win it anyway. If you lose, it doesn’t matter what you’re going to do, or how much you’re going to think about it, you’re still going to lose. In the end, it’s just [important] to try to focus on yourself, on the things that you need to improve to do your best and that’s it.”

The fourth seed will begin his run against two-time Australian Open quarter-finalist Tennys Sandgren or Spaniard Pedro Martinez. No matter what happens, Rublev isn’t going to overthink his result.

“Even if I don’t do well here, I still have in a couple of weeks Monte Carlo. After Monte Carlo I have Rome, Madrid and Roland Garros. I will have chances and we’ll see,” Rublev said. “Even if I don’t do well in all of them, I still have next year, I still have the end of the year. In the end, all of us have pressure. We feel pressure. In the end, it’s a nice feeling to see how you deal with this.”

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Murray Withdraws From Miami

Former World No. 1 Andy Murray has withdrawn from the 2021 Miami Open presented by Itau due to a left groin injury. His place in the draw will be filled by a qualifier or lucky loser.

Murray told the Miami Herald, “I had no issues while training, felt fine, did some gym work Friday, no problem…. Then I woke up about three [o’clock] in the morning, felt pain in the groin, not on the side I had my surgery, and when I got out of bed I struggled quite a bit to walk. I have no idea what I did. It’s one of those freak things. Each day it has gotten progressively better, but it’s not enough. I have not practised since Friday.”

The two-time former Miami titlist, who has not played at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament since 2016, last competed on 3 March at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam.

The 33-year-old, who has a 28-9 record in Miami, lifted the trophy in 2009 (d. Djokovic) and 2013 (d. Ferrer), when the event was held at the Crandon Park Tennis Center. He also finished as runner-up in 2012 and 2015 (l. to Djokovic both times).

Murray and his wife, Kim, welcomed their fourth child on 12 March.

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Miami Open: Andy Murray withdraws with groin problem

Briton Andy Murray withdraws from the Miami Open because of a groin problem.

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Magnificent In Miami: The Greatest Champions

Since its beginnings in South Florida in 1985, the Miami Open presented by Itau has been a showcase for the sport’s greatest champions. The tournament’s honour roll reads like a who’s-who guide to the best of men’s tennis, from Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi to Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Ahead of the 36th edition of the ATP Masters 1000 event, ATPTour.com looks back at the greatest champions in Miami history.

Most Miami Open Singles Titles

Ivan Lendl – Titles (2): 1986, 1989
Two of Ivan Lendl’s haul of 94 ATP Tour titles came at this event. The former World No.1 was the second champion to be crowned in South Florida, winning the 1986 edition held in Boca Raton before the event moved to its long-term home in Key Biscayne.

The Czech-American great won a tightly-contested final against Mats Wilander to claim the 1986 title, winning 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(5), 6-4. Lendl also advanced to the 1989 final without losing a set, but received a walkover in the championship match when his opponent Thomas Muster was injured by a drunk driver after the semi-finals.

Andy Roddick – Titles (2): 2004, 2010
Former World No. 1 Roddick racked up 32 ATP Tour titles across his career, including two in Key Biscayne. The American claimed his first title in 2004 with a victory over Guillermo Coria, who retired in the final. Six years later, Roddick won in Miami again to lift his fifth and final ATP Masters 1000 trophy, and his first since 2006. He fired 13 aces and didn’t face a break point in the final to win 7-5, 6-4 against Tomas Berdych.

Andy Murray – Titles (2): 2009, 2013
It’s no surprise that Andy Murray has always seemed right at home on the courts of Crandon Park. The Brit owned a home in Miami, just 10 minutes away from the stadium, for nearly a decade. He bagged two of his 14 ATP Masters 1000 titles at his home away from home, and reached the final on two more occasions (2012, 2015).

In 2009, Murray established himself as a threat to the new ‘Big Three’ with a 6-2, 7-5 victory against Novak Djokovic in the final. The win earned him revenge too, after suffering a 6-1, 6-0 defeat to the Serbian in Miami two years prior. Two days before this 31st birthday, Murray took down David Ferrer 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(1) to win the 2013 title.

Pete Sampras – Titles (3): 1993-94, 2000
In 1994, defending Miami champion Sampras was sprawled on the floor of the locker room moments before the championship match, suffering due to a stomach illness. In a great gesture of sportsmanship, his opponent Andre Agassi agreed to delay the match by an hour to allow him time to recover. Sampras famously bounced back, finding his form as the match went on to beat Agassi 5-7, 6-3, 6-3. 

‘Pistol Pete’ won his third title at the ATP Masters 1000 event in another memorable moment. His late-career clash-of-styles against baseliner Gustavo Kuerten in 2000 is remembered as one of the best championship clashes ever played at the tournament. The American needed a fourth-set tie-break to defeat Kuerten in an instant classic, 6-1, 6-7(2), 7-6(5), 7-6(8).

Roger Federer – Titles (4): 2005-06, 2017, 2019
The Swiss great triumphed against Rafael Nadal in what is widely considered to be one of the greatest ATP Tour finals of all time to claim his first Miami title in 2005. Federer came back from two sets down to win an epic five-setter 2-6, 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-1 against the rising Spaniard.

He would go on to win in Miami three more times, and became the tournament’s oldest champion with his victory in 2019. That year, he was also the first player to triumph at the Miami Open presented by Itau’s new home in Miami Gardens, the Hard Rock Stadium.

Andre Agassi – Titles (6): 1990, 1995-96, 2001-03
For decades, Andre Agassi reigned as the undisputed king in Key Biscayne. A product of the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida, the Las Vegas-born legend was right at home in Miami where he won six trophies and reached the final another two times. At the height of his rivalry with Pete Sampras, he came away victorious in one of the tournament’s classic finals, winning the 1995 edition with a 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(3) victory.

The former World No. 1 amassed the longest win streak in tournament history: He won 19 consecutive matches from 2001-04, a period during which he lifted the trophy three times. It’s a record that stands to this day.

Novak Djokovic – Titles (6): 2007, 2011-12, 2014-16
He became the youngest champion in Miami history at 19 years old in 2007, and he’s never looked back. The Serbian holds the joint record for most titles in men’s singles (also Agassi) and is only the second player to win the tournament three times in a row (from 2014-16, also Agassi 2001-03).

In fact, only one venue has been more successful for Djokovic than Crandon Park, having lifted nine Australian Open trophies at Melbourne Park. He has dominated in Miami more than at any other ATP Masters 1000 event, including Indian Wells, Rome and Paris (5), as well as the Nitto ATP Tour Finals (5).

Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan – Titles (6): 2007-08, 2014-15, 2018-19
The most decorated doubles teams in tennis history, Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan are also the winningest team in Miami with six titles to their name. The twin brothers won back-to-back Miami trophies on three occasions, and appeared in another six finals. By the time they retired in 2020, the Americans had racked up an Open Era record 119 trophies in 26-season careers, including all four Grand Slams, all nine ATP Masters 1000s, Nitto ATP Finals (four titles) and an Olympic gold medal.

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Toni Nadal, Becker, Ljubicic Among Key Speakers At World Tennis Conference

Some of the world’s leading tennis coaches, including Toni Nadal, Boris Becker, Apostolos Tsitsipas, Ivan Ljubicic, Gilles Cervara, Nicolas Massu and Nick Bollettieri, will take part in the first World Tennis Conference, a virtual online event from 25-28 March.

Organised by the Global Professional Tennis Coaches Association (GPTCA) and the Segal Institute, the conference, which includes 63 speakers, is dedicated to education, training and assisting professional tennis coaches globally — whether they work in a local club or are travelling on the ATP and WTA Tours.

Visit World Tennis Conference Website To Sign Up

“We came up with the idea as a way to share the experience and inspiration of coaches from all over the world,” said Fernando Segal, the Creator and Director of the 2021 GPTCA World Tennis Conference. “Those who subscribe can listen to as many of the 64 presentations in four different languages — English, Spanish, Italian and German — as they wish and plan their own schedule. You can also watch every presentation for up for 30 days after the event ends.

“The World Tennis Conference presentations have been divided into four blocks discussing human transformation of a coach and player; sports science and the importance of data analysis; strategy, tactics and technique; and storytelling. There will be discussions on mental awareness, physical preparation, training methodologies and management keys to becoming a top tennis player.”

Dominic Thiem’s father, Wolfgang Thiem, Janko Tipsarevic, Andres Gomez, Rainer Schuettler, Andrei Medvedev, Louis Cayer, Liam Smith, Tomas Behrend, Victor Pecci, Dirk Hordoff, Frederic Fontag, Robert Davis, Juan Manuel Esparcia, John-Laffnie De Jager, Gonzalo Lopez, Marc Gorriz and Tito Vasquez will also be among the key coach speakers.

ATP Coaches Committee member Claudio Pistolesi, who will talk about the power of storytelling during the conference, said, “The purpose of the conference is to bridge the gap between coaches working on the professional tours and local coaches at clubs and academies. By joining the virtual event, thousands of coaches can utilise the advice given by the likes of Toni Nadal, or the playing and coaching experience of Boris Becker, in order to understand and prioritise the steps that are needed to build a tennis player.”

Alberto Castellani, the GPTCA President, said, “We are very happy in our mutual relationship with ATP to certify tennis coaches, and with this event we want to keep evolving and inspiring coaches all over the world with top quality information.”

The World Tennis Conference can be viewed via the TennisONE app on tablet, phone or desktop browser.

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Del Potro Opts For Fourth Surgery On Right Knee

Juan Martin del Potro will pin hopes of a comeback in time for the Tokyo Olympic Games on a fourth right knee surgery. The former World No. 3 announced the news on his Instagram on Monday, when he revealed he was in Chicago about to proceed with the operation.

It marks the eighth time the 32-year-old will undergo surgery since winning his sole Grand Slam title at the 2009 US Open. The 22-time ATP Tour titlist has not competed since June 2019, when he fractured his kneecap at the Queen’s Club, London.

“I’ve been consulting Dr Jorge Chahla and the news is that tomorrow I’ll undergo another surgery on my knee,” del Potro posted. “We’ve tried conservative therapy but the pain is still there. He knows I want to play tennis again and be able to play the Olympics, so we agreed that surgery should be done as soon as possible.”

 

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The Olympic tennis event, postponed a year due to the pandemic, is scheduled to begin on 24 July, a day after the Opening Ceremony. The Argentine won a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Games and a bronze medal at the 2012 London Games.

Since the injury, del Potro has had operations on the right knee in June 2019, and in January and August last year. It comes in a difficult year in which he lost his father, Daniel, in January, following a heart operation in December. 

“Of course, these last few weeks weren’t easy for me,” he said. “Everything’s so hard since my father’s passing. But also, I feel the strength he sends me from above. I had this day in which I woke up and called the doctor. I knew I had to try again.

“I hope I can overcome this painful situation. I won’t stop trying. Of course, your messages and best wishes are always welcomed. Thanks for the love. Take care.”

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