Tennis News

Alcaraz/Carreno Busta Upset Fourth Seeds In Barcelona

Seventeen-year-old Carlos Alcaraz had never played a tour-level doubles match when he walked on Pista 2 on Monday at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. However, the #NextGenATP star and countryman Pablo Carreno Busta still earned an impressive win.

The Spaniards upset fourth seeds Wesley Koolhof and Lukasz Kubot 6-4, 6-1 in 68 minutes to reach the second round at the ATP 500. They will next play one of two all-French pairs: Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin or Adrian Mannarino and Benoit Paire.

Alcaraz and Carreno Busta saved four of the five break points they faced and earned four service breaks against the experienced doubles tandem.

Second Seeds Eliminated In Belgrade
Luke Bambridge and Dominic Inglot ousted second seeds Austin Krajicek and Oliver Marach 6-7(5), 7-6(7), 10-7 to reach the second round of the Serbia Open in Belgrade. The Brits saved one match point at 5/6 in the second-set tie-break. 

Aljaz Bedene and Divij Sharan took a 6-1 lead against Rohan Bopanna and Pablo Cuevas when Cuevas retired due to a left leg injury. Bopanna and Cuevas won titles together in Monte-Carlo and Vienna in 2017.

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Fan Questions: Nishikori Reflects On Federer's Influence, Gives Juniors Advice

Kei Nishikori on Monday advanced to the second round of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, where the Japanese star is pursuing his third title. The former World No. 4, who owns 12 tour-level trophies, triumphed at this ATP 500 event in 2014 and 2015.

Nishikori caught up with ATPTour.com to answer questions that fans recently submitted on Twitter.

What have you been doing during quarantine?
I watch a lot of movies. I’ve been watching many documentaries now. I watch a little bit creepy ones.

Have you had any training changes recently that have helped improve your game?
I started working with Max recently. He tells me good things, how I should come in a little more and play aggressive. Of course also serve, too. He’s very disciplined. From the serve, he’s very good coming in. I’m not trying to come in every time, it’s been taking some time. But I think I’m getting used to it now, so I’m feeling good.

Who was your inspiration when you wanted to become a tennis player?
Roger. Just fun to watch. Of course he’s a great player, but also at the same time he’s very fun to watch. There are not too many players I get excited to watch, but he’s one of the best. He makes great shots that nobody can do and just fun to watch.

What’s your favourite match from over the years?
I really remember that I played David Ferrer the first time. It was the 2008 US Open, I was really young, 18, and I think he was Top 10 at that time. I beat him in five sets. It was one of the emotional matches for me, especially because I was young.

What is your best advice to a young player who wants to become a tennis player?
You have to have good commitment, you have to know that it’s not going to be easy and you’ve got to work hard. Tennis, it’s really fun to play and you get a lot of excitement on the court and if you become good, you can play with 10,000 people or maybe more. There are many fun things waiting.

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Millman Makes Winning Start In Belgrade

John Millman made a successful start to his Serbia Open title bid on Monday with a 7-5, 6-4 victory against Danilo Petrovic.

The seventh seed created 17 break points and converted four of them to overcome the Serbian wild card in one hour and 51 minutes. Millman, who entered the tournament with a 3-8 record this season, is aiming to reach his first quarter-final of the year in Belgrade.

The Aussie will meet Pablo Cuevas or Emil Ruusuvuori for a spot in the last eight. Millman lost his only previous ATP Head2Head clash against Cuevas at the 2016 Miami Open presented by Itau and has not met Ruusuvuori.

Serbian wild cards compiled a 1-2 record on Monday at the Novak Tennis Center. Nikola Milojevic opened the tournament with an impressive 6-4, 6-0 victory against Federico Coria of Argentina, but Viktor Troicki was unable to join his countryman in the second round. Marco Cecchinato, the 2018 Roland Garros semi-finalist, needed 66 minutes to record a 6-1, 6-4 win against Troicki on Center Court.

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Why Djokovic Is 'Very Emotional' In Belgrade

When Novak Djokovic last competed at an ATP Tour event in Belgrade a decade ago, he had only won two Grand Slam titles and had not yet ascended to No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

Now an 18-time major winner and the record-holder for most weeks at World No. 1 in history (317), returning to his hometown to compete at this week’s Serbia Open is a special moment.

“I get very emotional when I’m playing at home, when I’m representing my country,” Djokovic said. “We had this tournament from 2009 to 2012 and I won it two out of four years and I remember these moments very profoundly. Playing in front of family, friends, my people, you don’t get to experience that [often]. I only experienced that maybe a few times in my career, to actually play in my hometown, to actually play in front of my fans, to have that kind of support and backing. It’s definitely special.”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there aren’t throngs of fans following Djokovic’s every move at the Novak Tennis Center. But the two-time tournament champion is still excited to perform at home.

“I’m just trying to enjoy every second I get to be in my country with my family, my parents who I don’t get to see so much nowadays with the restrictions and traveling and so forth,” Djokovic said. “It just brings in lots of memories from the past, my upbringing, of the roots, of how I started. This club where this tournament is played is the club where I used to play a lot when I was a kid, the local tournaments.

“I get to see many people that have seen me develop into the tennis player that I am today and the person I am today. It’s a very particular, very unique feeling that I’m trying to marvel in and feed off that energy so I can do the best I possibly can this week.”

Five of the eight singles seeds are from Serbia, and eight players from the home country began in the main draw.

“I’m really glad to see that the draw is packed with Serbian players, all the best men’s Serbian tennis players are here in this draw,” Djokovic said. “There are going to definitely be some match-ups between us, hopefully I’ll be able to play [in the] quarters against one of the guys.”

Djokovic, who will open against Roberto Carballes Baena or Soonwoo Kwon, could face eighth seed Miomir Kecmanovic in the quarter-finals. Ninth seed Laslo Djere is also in his half of the draw.

“We’re all friends, we have respect for each other, we like each other, we support each other and we give each other backing. We want each other to do well on the Tour,” Djokovic said. “We come from the same country and we obviously have very good relationships on and off the court. But once you’re facing each other, you just see opposite your side of the net an opponent, a rival you want to beat and that’s what it comes down to.”

Last week at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, Djokovic lost his first match of the season against Daniel Evans. Stefanos Tsitsipas went on to claim his first ATP Masters 1000 title.

“I think it’s a positive thing for our sport to actually have new champions, new faces, new brands really that are going to be recognised by tennis fans around the world, that are going to be celebrated. Obviously they will compare them to us and to maybe the results that we historically made, I understand that,” Djokovic said. “But I don’t mind seeing new winners. Of course I would like always to be on the winning side myself everywhere I play, but things are different.

Djokovic admitted that some of the younger stars on the ATP Tour are showing they can compete against the world’s best, and that the Serbian along with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will “have to accept the fact that maybe we will not be in the top ranking spots of the world and some other guys will replace us there and that’s a normal cycle of life”.

“We’re still hanging in there, we’re still trying to compete with these young guys who are strong, they are playing well, they are very motivated,” Djokovic said. “I think so far we’ve been doing pretty well.”

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How Becoming A Father Changed Bautista Agut's Life

In an excerpt from Eurosport’s Players’ Voice series, Roberto Bautista Agut reflects on the importance of family. The nine-time ATP Tour champion discusses how welcoming his first child to the world last year has impacted him after losing his mother in 2018 and father in 2019.

Becoming a father last September has been one of the most incredible experiences of my life so far, if not the best. I feel that the family bond I lost when my parents passed has been recovered by entering this new chapter of life with Ana and my child.

Family has always been the most important thing for me by far; the love you feel for your loved ones is incomparable. I felt this even before my parents passed; every time I came home and noticed they were gradually getting older, I made a mental note to enjoy every little moment I spent with them and that mindset stays with me now.

Recently, Ana and Mini Rober joined me on Tour during the Middle East swing, which was really special. It’s beautiful seeing your child grow because they’re in continuous evolution; day by day they edge one step closer to the person they will become.

 

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If there’s anything I could pass down to him, it would be my stubbornness! I believe that persistence to keep fighting for things is a very good thing and an important way of overcoming difficult obstacles. Those are the times which I think ultimately help you grow as a person.

That can be said for all things in life — both big and small. The fact I wasn’t playing my best tennis in Australia motivated me to train much harder, and as a result, I’m now feeling really good on court, beating Top 10 players and starting to feel those positive sensations that come with winning again.

When I think back to Wimbledon two years ago when I reached the semi-finals, I lived it the way I had always dreamt it; those two weeks were honestly a dream come true.

Emulating that would be incredible, but the most important thing for me right now is maintaining my best level, enjoying my time on court and sharing the success and memories with my family.

Read Bautista Agut’s Full Eurosport Players’ Voice Column

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Nishikori Escapes Early Elimination In Barcelona

Two-time former champion Kei Nishikori survived a major scare on Monday to reach the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell second round.

The former World No. 4 recovered from 4-6, 2-4 down and was forced to break serve to stay in the match at 5-6 in the second set, before he charged to a 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-2 victory against Guido Pella after two hours and 39 minutes. The 2014 and 2015 champion claimed three service breaks in the decider to improve to 23-6 in Barcelona.

“He had the match today at 6-5, serving [for the match],” said Nishikori. “He was much better in the first and second [sets] and 3/0 up in the tie-break. I don’t know how I fought through. [In the] third set, I was playing much better.

“I was making so many unforced errors in the first and second [sets]. Maybe he got a little bit tired and I was playing strong in the third set. I want to take that to the next round… The way I fought today and the way I played in the third set was good.”

Nishikori will face 13th seed Cristian Garin for a spot in the third round. Garin won the pair’s only previous ATP Head2Head meeting at last year’s Hamburg European Open 6-0, 6-3.

“[Garin] is good on clay, but he can play on all surfaces,” said Nishikori. “I thought I was playing good [in Hamburg last year] but I lost pretty easily to him, so I definitely have to change something.”

Egor Gerasimov made a successful debut in Barcelona with a 7-5, 6-1 win against former Top 5 star Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The Belarusian converted four of his five break points to eliminate the 2010 quarter-finalist in 80 minutes. Gerasimov will meet #NextGenATP Italian Jannik Sinner in the second round.

In the opening match on Pista Rafa Nadal, 2015 runner-up Pablo Andujar battled past Gilles Simon 6-1, 3-6, 6-3. Andujar broke serve on six occasions to confirm a second-round clash against fifth seed and countryman Roberto Bautista Agut.

Andujar was not the only home player to reach the second round on Monday. Marbella runner-up Jaume Munar and qualifier Bernabe Zapata Miralles also claimed wins at the ATP 500. Munar saved seven of the eight break points he faced en route to a 6-3, 7-5 win against Thiago Monteiro and Zapata Miralles rallied from a set down to beat Andrey Kuznetsov 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-1.

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Davidovich Fokina Jumps Into Top 50, Mover Of Week

No. 48 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, +10 (Career High)
The Spaniard has broken into the Top 50 of the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time, rising to a career-high No. 48 after he reached his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (l. to Tsitsipas). The 21-year-old beat Alex de Minaur, recorded his first Top 10 win over No. 10-ranked Matteo Berrettini and then overcame Lucas Pouille, who rose 14 places today.

View Latest FedEx ATP Rankings

No. 19 Jannik Sinner, +3 (Career High)
#NextGenATP Italian Jannik Sinner has risen to a career-high No. 19 and is the second youngest player in the Top 100, after fellow 19-year-old and compatriot Lorenzo Musetti (No. 87). Sinner captured his second ATP Tour trophy at the Great Ocean Road Open (d. Travaglia) in February and earlier this month advanced to his first Masters 1000 final at the Miami Open presented by Itau (l. to Hurkacz).

No. 26 Daniel Evans, +7 (Joint Career High)
The Briton came into the second Masters 1000 tournament of the year on the back of a 10-match losing streak on clay, but he changed his mindset with victories over Dusan Lajovic, Hubert Hurkacz, World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and David Goffin en route to the Monte-Carlo semi-finals. The 30-year-old, who captured his first ATP Tour title in February at the Murray River Open (d. Auger-Aliassime), fell to Tsitsipas in the Principality, but rises seven spots to his joint career high of No. 26, which he first attained on 8 February 2021.

Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 7 Andrey Rublev, +1 (Career High)
No. 12 David Goffin, +3
No. 33 Filip Krajinovic, +4 (Career High)
No. 59 Jordan Thompson, +4
No. 72 Lucas Pouille, +14
No. 79 Alexei Popyrin, +4 (Career High)
No. 81 Salvatore Caruso, +8
No. 91 Roberto Carballes Baena, +14

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Sinner Breaks Into Top 20 For First Time

#NextGenATP Jannik Sinner has broken into the Top 20 of the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time today at No. 19.

The Italian has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the past few years, going from an unranked pro in February 2018 to his Top 100 breakthrough on 28 October 2019, shortly before he drew the attention of the tennis world with his dazzling performances to capture the Next Gen ATP Finals title.

Under the guidance of the vastly experienced Riccardo Piatti since the age of 13, and his second coach, Andrea Volpini, Sinner has been able to absorb the very best information and has long shown a maturity that belies his 19 years of age.

“Things are happening quite fast at the moment,” said Sinner, ahead of this week’s Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. “I have a very good team behind me, and each member knows what they have to do, so that gives me confidence. Everyone has a lot of experience working with many players. I try to improve every day, which is my main goal, and the results will come. I am happy with what I am doing.

“Being a champion is a long, long road. It’s still a long way away… [I’ve made] a good start being 19 years old and playing at the highest level, but I don’t think about being a champion at the moment.”

Last year, Sinner reached his first Grand Slam championship quarter-final at Roland Garros and went on to claim his first ATP Tour title at the Sofia Open (d. Pospisil). He impressed Nadal so much that the Spanish superstar asked Sinner to be his quarantine training partner in Australia earlier this year.

The Monte-Carlo resident got first-hand knowledge of Nadal’s work ethic and went on to capture his second crown at the Great Ocean Road Open (d. Travaglia) in February. He recently advanced to his first ATP Masters 1000 final at the Miami Open presented by Itau (l. to Hurkacz).

Novak Djokovic, who was coached by Piatti at a similar age to Sinner, offered the 62-year-old coach a few tips on Wednesday after the World No. 1 had beaten the teenager at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. “Jannik realises that the process is long,” said Piatti, who also coached former World No. 3 Ivan Ljubicic from the age of 17 in 1997 until the Croatian’s retirement in 2012. “His potential is very good, but he must continue to develop all areas of his game, learn by watching the best players, and develop his consistency each week.”

Last week, Djokovic praised Sinner, saying: “I think he’s very talented player. He has already established himself at [a] high level in the men’s game, playing [a] Masters [1000] final [and] winning a couple of tournaments already.

“What impresses me the most is his professionalism, his dedication to the everyday routines that he has to endure in order to play at such high level… He really has a good mindset. He seems more mature for his age than the rest of the guys with the way he’s playing and training. He’s got a good tempo. From the baseline, he makes the other guy feel he’s got to run a lot.

“I like his game. I think he has an all-around game. He can play equally well on all the surfaces, which he has proven. Obviously, there’s always things to improve. But he’s in good hands… I’m sure a bright future is ahead of him.”

Following his loss to Djokovic, Sinner joined Piatti the next day on the practice courts at the Monte-Carlo Country Club, trying to improve. Today, Sinner is the Italian No. 2, behind No. 10-ranked Matteo Berrettini, and the youngest player in the Top 80. 

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Challenger Q&A: Brooksby Celebrates Second Title, Top 200 Debut In Orlando

Jenson Brooksby is as fearless a competitor as they come. A self-described ‘physical player’ armed with a boisterous backhand and a dialed-in demeamor, the 20-year-old California native is making an instant splash on the ATP Challenger Tour.

Brooksby is putting the rest of the tour on notice after a near-perfect start to his 2021 campaign. The American’s stunning run continued this week with a dominant performance in Orlando, Florida. He streaked to his second Challenger title without dropping a set, culminating in a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Denis Kudla.

If you aren’t familiar with Brooksby, here’s your introduction to the hottest player on the circuit. After missing 14 months with a toe injury, including all of 2020, the surging #NextGenATP star has been a relentless force in the opening months of 2021. His 14-2 record gives him the highest win percentage on the ATP Challenger Tour (87.5), among players with at least 15 matches played. And his two titles has him sitting tied for the tour lead with Sebastian Baez and Zizou Bergs.

2021 ATP Challenger Win Percentage Leaders (min. 15 matches)

After lifting his first Challenger trophy on the hard courts of Potchefstroom, South Africa, in February, Brooksby reached another final in Cleveland, USA, before earning his first career victory in ATP Tour qualifying. He would upset Henri Laaksonen at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Miami, before arriving in Orlando with plenty of confidence and momentum.

Brooksby, a native of Sacramento, California, is up to a career-high No. 194 in the FedEx ATP Rankings with his title on Sunday. Having opened the season outside the Top 300, and with just three match wins on the Challenger circuit, it’s been a remarkable rise for the 20-year-old.

There’s no stopping Jenson Brooksby!

The 20-year-old ?? is the champion in Orlando, claiming his second #ATPChallenger title in dominant fashion. Did not drop a set all week. pic.twitter.com/D5dPzh7kNh

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) April 18, 2021

Brooksby’s story is a fascinating one. A former U.S. junior champion, the American sent shockwaves throughout the tennis world with an upset of former World No. 4 Tomas Berdych at the 2019 US Open. At the age of 18 and with no experience on the professional stage, he would earn the biggest win of his young career.

Having enrolled to play collegiately at Baylor University later that year, the American’s toe injury would derail his college tennis ambitions. He would not step on a match court for more than a year, before eventually opting to turn pro to open his 2021 campaign. Now, in just his fourth month as a professional, he already has one eye on the Next Gen ATP Finals, surging to sixth in the ATP Race To Milan.

Brooksby with coach Nick Bezzubchenko in Orlando

Brooksby spoke to broadcaster Mike Cation following his victory in Orlando…

Congrats Jenson. The courts this week were very quick. How did you make it so your style was so effective, that you didn’t even lose a set?
I knew coming into the week that it would be a little faster than the courts I usually train at, at home. But I got here a couple days early this time, just to get used to playing here. Nothing in my game really changed much. It’s just all about getting used to the courts and the speed.

For people who are new to the Jenson Brooksby game, what is it that you do well and how does that translate when you’re moving up to the higher level?
I think that I have an all-around game. I like hitting my backhand, but my forehand is getting there too. I just fight for every point and move my opponent around as much as possible. I don’t want to give it all away. [laughs]

You don’t have the biggest serve yet, but that will evolve in time. That said, in these faster conditions, how did you make sure that the first forehand and backhand was so effective and generated a lot of depth?
I’ve been working on that a lot in practise lately. Just being more physical in the first few shots of the point, because in the past I wasn’t doing that. It’s just about doing it in practise and getting the confidence to swing through those shots in the matches. It looks like it was working this week.

Your coach Nick said that you’ve been much more focused this week. Is that an issue for you, at times?
Yeah, against Christian Harrison yesterday I started out strong and it slipped a little as the first set went on. For me, it’s all about staying focused on the strategy and being aggressive in the match. When I lose focus, I have to let out a little anger with a shout. Something like that. It just helps me get back in the zone to refocus.

Against another player with such a good backhand in Kudla, what were the patterns you looked for?
I knew going in that he’s a very good player. But I was feeling confident and staying physical to the forehand. I tried to move him around and keep the ball low. He likes to attack as well, but I think I did a good job of stopping him today. He wasn’t in rhythm and I think I caused that.

This year has been impressive. Two titles from three finals for you. How do you set realistic expectations so you’re not rushing the process and instead trying to focus match-to-match and tournament-to-tournament?
The mindset I have and the mindset of my team is not looking at the ranking. We don’t read into any of that stuff. It’s just about taking it day-by-day and doing what’s in my control to get better. The results will take care of themselves. I’m happy with the year so far and I’m happy to make such big progress, especially after a tough 2020 for me. I’m focusing on the right things consistently and I know I’ll keep getting better.

That said, the next step is Roland Garros qualifying. I know you haven’t played on clay much. What’s that going to be like for you?
Luckily, I’ve had some experience with changes in conditions this year. I went from Spain to South Africa and played two days later. Then, I went from Cleveland indoors to slower conditions in Miami. I know I haven’t played on clay in a while, but we’ll drive to Tallahassee tonight and get a couple hits tomorrow. Even if I’m not playing my best, I’m not going to worry about that. I’ll get used to the courts again.

How do you celebrate, especially when you have another tournament to focus on?
You have to celebrate. The big thing for me is to enjoy the process. Training is always going to be hard work, and then there’s the matches and all the traveling, but I’ve enjoyed it a lot this year. It’s finding the balance of putting in the hard work and enjoying what I do. Off-court things as well.

Maybe get a nice steak tonight?
Yeah, I’m sure we’ll get a good dinner tonight. I’ve got a match in a couple days, but we’ll enjoy it for sure.

I first became aware of you in Stockton in 2016, when you played qualies. You had some early Challenger wild cards as a junior, and those were opportunities that many kids don’t get. What did that mean to you?
At the time, it was a great opportunity. And my game was there. I was competing with those guys. But obviously my focus wasn’t near what it is now. The physical side too. I grew late. At 16 and 17 years old, it gave me the confidence to know that my game was there. It showed me that I just needed to keep training hard. I still haven’t played a lot of Challenger matches in general, but it was a good experience to have that.

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