Tennis News

Djokovic Withdraws From Cincinnati

Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the Western & Southern Open, the ATP Masters 1000 tournament announced Monday.

Djokovic posted a note to his fans on social media after the announcement.

“Dear fans, I wanted to share with you that I am taking a bit longer to recover and recuperate after quite a taxing journey from Australia to Tokyo,” Djokovic wrote. “Sadly, that means I won’t be ready to compete in Cincinnati this year, so I’ll turn my focus and attention to the US Open and spend some more time with family. See you in New York soon!”

❤️ @CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/J1N19eKOp4

— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) August 9, 2021

Djokovic has won the Western & Southern Open twice. In 2018, the Serbian completed the Career Golden Masters in Cincinnati. He also triumphed last year, when the event was held in New York at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The World No. 1 has won the season’s first three majors at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Djokovic will try to become the first man to complete the calendar-year Grand Slam since Rod Laver in 1969.

The 34-year-old is 38-5 in 2021. Djokovic most recently competed at the Tokyo Olympics, where he lost in the semi-finals against German Alexander Zverev and the bronze-medal match against Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta.

The Western & Southern Open will be played from 15-22 August.

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ATP Updates Q4 2021 Calendar

The ATP has issued further updates to its Q4 2021 ATP Tour calendar, outlining a revised tournament schedule from September through to the culmination of the season in November at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, Italy.

Under the updated calendar, the 2021 Rolex Shanghai Masters will not take place in 2021, due to the impact of COVID-19. The Chengdu Open and Huajin Securities Zhuhai Championships (ATP 250s) have also confirmed their cancellation. In parallel, the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells has been expanded to an 11-day event across weeks 40 and 41.

Elsewhere, the St. Petersburg Open (ATP 250) moves to week 43 alongside the Erste Bank Open in Vienna (ATP 500). The revised schedule also sees the addition of two single-year licenses: an ATP 250 in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, on indoor hard in week 38; and another ATP 250 in San Diego, California, on hard at the Barnes Tennis Center in week 39. The previously postponed Maharashtra Open in Pune (ATP 250) has also confirmed its cancellation in 2021.

The updated Q4 2021 ATP Tour calendar includes:
Week 38: Metz (ATP 250), Nur-Sultan (ATP 250), Laver Cup

Week 39: Sofia (ATP 250), San Diego (ATP 250)

Week 40 & 41: Indian Wells (ATP Masters 1000)

Week 42: Moscow (ATP 250), Antwerp (ATP 250)

Week 43: Vienna (ATP 500), St. Petersburg (ATP 250)

Week 44: Paris (ATP Masters 1000)

Week 45: Milan (Next Gen ATP Finals), Stockholm (ATP 250)

Week 46: Turin (Nitto ATP Finals)

Andrea Gaudenzi, ATP Chairman, said: “We’ve maintained a flexible approach to the calendar this year due to the constantly evolving nature of the pandemic. It’s extremely unfortunate to announce the cancellation of our Asia swing this season and we look forward to returning in 2022. I would like to thank all tournament operators for taking on the challenge of staging in this environment, including the new single-year event operators that have stepped up. Players also deserve huge credit for putting on a world-class spectacle for fans week-in and week-out, as we build toward a thrilling finish to the season in Turin.”

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Andy Murray in US Open main draw after Stan Wawrinka withdrawal

Andy Murray is added to the US Open main draw after Swiss former champion Stan Wawrinka withdraws.

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Former Champion Wawrinka Withdraws From US Open

Stan Wawrinka, the 2016 champion, withdrew from the US Open due to his ongoing recovery from left foot surgery, the tournament announced Monday.

The former World No. 3 owns a 44-13 record at the season’s final major. He lifted his third Grand Slam trophy at Flushing Meadows five years ago, completing an impressive run by defeating World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the final.

Wawrinka has advanced to at least the quarter-finals of the US Open in six of his past nine appearances. In his most recent showing two years ago, he made the last eight before losing against eventual finalist Daniil Medvedev.

The Swiss star has not competed since Doha in March. Following Wawrinka’s withdrawal, former World No. 1 and 2012 champion Andy Murray moves into the main draw.

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My Masters 1000: Diego Schwartzman

Diego Schwartzman is set for his fourth appearance at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers, Canada’s ATP Masters 1000 event. The 28-year-old is the eighth seed, and will begin his run against Washington finalist Mackenzie McDonald or Frenchman Benoit Paire.

Schwartzman recently spoke to ATPTour.com about his favourite Masters 1000 matches, memories and venues.

Which ATP Masters 1000 host city is your favourite and why?
I am going to choose Rome because I did so well [there in the] past two years and I love the city. It is like the chicken and the egg. Maybe because I enjoy the city, I have a good tournament or maybe I enjoy the city because I am winning matches.

Which Masters 1000 would you most like to win?
Monte Carlo. A lot of history there, Argentine history as well. We love that tournament, so maybe one year [I can win].

Do you remember your Masters 1000 debut? 
In Indian Wells [in 2015], I knew before the match that Roger Federer was [waiting] in the second round. It was a special match against [Jerzy] Janowicz. He was doing very well at that time… It was a very tough match, but I won 7-6 in the third set and I was really nervous at the end. I won the last point and I was jumping and doing something with my legs. I don’t remember exactly what, but it was really fun.

What do you consider to be your best Masters 1000 win?
Rafa last year in Rome. I was not playing my best tennis from the start of the [Tour resumption] and I arrived to the match against Rafa trying to be able to play good tennis and feel good on court again. I was able to play my best tennis ever. That match was special… I was able to take every chance he gave me in the match. It was a perfect match and obviously, against Rafa on clay, it was special.

What is your favourite off-court memory or activity at a Masters 1000?
I think in Shanghai, the first time I went there. China has a totally different culture, people and language. When I went there, I found many different things that I really loved to watch. The food, how the people sit [with their meals] is very difficult. I cannot do it… Everything was totally different for me at that time.

What is your dream match at a Masters 1000 (who would you play & at which tournament)?
Indian Wells, beating Roger in the final.

Toughest match you’ve played at a Masters 1000?
A lot of matches. In Rome last year against Shapovalov, it was a crazy match. He served for the match and I won 7-6 in the third. We were fighting to be Top 10… After that, I was able to be in the Top 10 for the first time [for] Roland Garros… We were both playing such good tennis. When you are feeling good, with good timing and good conditions, and you are able to play good tennis, sometimes you forget everything.

Greatest match you’ve ever seen at a Masters 1000 event?
I think the one I really remember was Juan Martin del Potro coming back against Roger [in the 2018 Indian Wells final]. He was able to come back from [three] match points down… against Roger in Indian Wells, [which Roger] won many times. It was a crazy match and I was watching it on TV. [It was] Delpo’s first time winning there and he was coming back from the injuries. It was special for him and Argentine tennis.

What is your favourite court at any of the Masters 1000 events?

Monte Carlo. It is a special place. Also being a Latin-American guy, on clay it is a different feeling. Rome and Madrid also are special places, but centre court in Monte Carlo… it is different.

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Sinner Soars To Career-High After Washington Title, Mover Of Week

No. 15 Jannik Sinner, +9 (Career-High)
The #NextGenATP Italian has jumped nine spots to a career-high No. 15 in the FedEx ATP Rankings after he captured the Citi Open title in Washington. The 19-year-old is the youngest ATP 500 champion since the category was created in 2009, with no other teen lifting a trophy at this level. The three-time tour-level titlist dropped just one set all week en route to victory. Read Washington Final Report & Watch Highlights

View Latest FedEx ATP Rankings

No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas, +1 (Career-High)
Despite not playing last week, the 22-year-old has moved one place to a career-high No. 3. The Greek has won two tour-level titles this year at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters and the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon, while also advancing to his first Grand Slam final at Roland Garros in June. The 2019 Nitto ATP Finals champion is the third seed in Toronto this week.

No. 55 Kei Nishikori, +12
The 31-year-old has moved 12 places after he reached the semi-finals in Washington. It is the first time the Japanese star has reached the last four at a tour-level event since Barcelona in 2019. The former World No. 4, who lifted the Citi Open trophy in 2015, last won a tour-level title at the 2019 Brisbane International.

No. 64 Mackenzie McDonald, +43
After advancing to his first ATP Tour final at the Citi Open, the American has risen 43 spots to No. 64 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. The 26-year-old defeated Australian Nick Kyrgios and Nishikori in Washington.

No. 97 Jenson Brooksby, +33
The #NextGenATP American has broken into the Top 100 for the first time, climbing 33 spots to No. 97 after reaching the semi-finals in Washington on his ATP 500 debut. The 20-year-old record a career-best win at the Citi Open, overcoming World No. 15 Felix Auger-Aliassime in the third round. 

Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 32 Reilly Opelka, +4
No. 36 Marton Fucsovics, +2
No. 40 Taylor Fritz, +2
No. 90 Denis Kudla, +13

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Citi Open: Jannik Sinner beats Mackenzie McDonald for biggest ATP title yet

Italian teenager Jannik Sinner wins the Citi Open in Washington on Sunday to claim the biggest ATP title of his career.

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Sinner Surges Into Nitto ATP Finals Contention

What a difference a week can make. Jannik Sinner arrived in Washington on a four-match losing streak, having just fallen to World No. 132 Christopher O’Connell in Atlanta.

Five victories and a Citi Open title later, the Italian was crowned the first teenage champion at an ATP 500 event. A 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 triumph over Mackenzie McDonald capped a welcome resurgence of form and importantly catapulted Sinner into 10^th place in the FedEx ATP Race to Turin, moving him into contention for a spot at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held from 14-21 November.

FedEx ATP Race To Turin Standings (as of 9 August 2021)

Sinner could join countryman Matteo Berrettini as one of two Italians to qualify for the season finale, which will be staged in Italy this year for the first time. The 19-year-old stands to add crucial points in coming weeks as the North American hard-court swing turns to ATP Masters 1000 events in Toronto and Cincinnati ahead of the season’s final Grand Slam at the US Open.

Sinner has not yet won a main-draw match in Cincinnati or Flushing Meadows and makes his debut this week at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers in Toronto against Australian qualifier James Duckworth or American Taylor Fritz in the second round.

Novak Djokovic is the only player who has sealed his place at the Nitto ATP Finals, for which eight players will qualify. The Serbian (7,170) leads the Race ahead of Stefanos Tsitsipas (4,660), Matteo Berrettini (3,505) and Andrey Rublev (3,250).

Reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion Daniil Medvedev (3,020) is well-positioned to make another appearance at the prestigious year-end event. Currently sixth in the Race, he enters the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers as the top seed.

Casper Ruud (2,270) has made huge inroads in the past month to put himself in eighth in the Race. The Norwegian star completed a clay-court hat-trick with victories in consecutive weeks in Bastad, Gstaad and Kitzbühel, becoming the first player to accomplish the feat in a decade. The 22-year-old trails seventh-placed Rafael Nadal (2,985) by 715 points in the Race.

Only 250 points separate Ruud and Sinner (2,020), with Miami champion Hubert Hurkacz (2,190) sitting between them in ninth place. Sinner jumped past Aslan Karatsev, Denis Shapovalov and Cameron Norrie with his Citi Open title run this week.

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Red-Hot #NextGenATP Star Brooksby Makes Top 100 Breakthrough

Less than four months ago, Jenson Brooksby was outside the Top 200 of the FedEx ATP Rankings. But after a red-hot stretch, including runs to the Newport final and the Washington semi-finals, the #NextGenATP American on Monday cracked the Top 100 for the first time at World No. 97.

“I’m excited. It seems like a cliche answer, but I know I have the game to do it and I’m glad obviously I’ve done it in a short period of time,” Brooksby told ATPTour.com. “Let’s see how high I can push it.”

Brooksby has picked up high marks from some of the sport’s greatest minds. Former World No. 1 Andy Murray on Friday tweeted his praise for the 20-year-old.

“Jenson Brooksby is the sort of player I love to watch…lots of variety.. high tennis IQ…. great in defence,” Murray wrote. “His slice and backhand volley are almost identical to Florian Mayer.”

Jenson Brooksby is the sort of player I love to watch…lots of variety..high tennis IQ….great in defence..?
His slice and backhand volley are almost identical to Florián Mayer.#tennis @atptour

— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) August 6, 2021

Brooksby was excited to hear about Murray’s tweet. “I think that’s very accurate. Obviously that’s great to hear from Andy,” he said in a press conference in Washington. “He’s been one of the best in the sport and a great guy to look up to. That means a lot. Those are great words coming from him.”

The Californian is an unorthodox disrupter on the court. The American rarely misses and finds ways to put the ball in uncomfortable positions for his opponent, much like Murray and Daniil Medvedev do. He also has a two-handed backhand slice and is unafraid of mixing in drop shots or net rushes if necessary.

Frances Tiafoe described his countryman’s game style well after losing to Brooksby in Washington.

“[He] is super unorthodox. Obviously everything he does is pretty strange,” Tiafoe said. “[He] puts you in awkward positions, makes you play an extra ball, has great anticipation of the ball. [He] is really solid, makes you play a lot.”

Brooksby, who is an intense competitor, enjoys putting his opponents in those difficult positions and frustrating them.

“I really do. I’m sure a lot of people may think of it as, ‘Oh, someone had a bad day or something,’” Brooksby said. “But in my mind, that’s the result of my game doing the right things, exposing their weaknesses.”

Brooksby, who received a wild card into his first ATP Masters 1000 event at this week’s National Bank Open Presented by Rogers, has turned his unique game and competitive spirit into a lot of winning in 2021. In addition to his recent ATP Tour success, the American has claimed his first three ATP Challenger Tour titles this season.

“I really believe this is my level, and it’s not too surprising for me,” Brooksby said. “Obviously I’m happy that I have been able to do it consistently most weeks, and that’s [moreso] that my mental toughness has improved more than anything.”

^{Photo Credit: Andrew Eichenholz/ATP Tour}
Although Brooksby is happy to crack the Top 100, he has no intention of stopping here. The #NextGenATP star is keen to continue pushing forward.

“Hopefully I’ll have a lot more firsts out there. I believe I will,” Brooksby said. “I’m just excited to keep playing and keep learning.”

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Brothers In Arms: Cerundolos Join Elite Company With Fran's Title In Cordenons

It has been an Argentine assault on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2021. The South American nation celebrated its 10th title on the circuit this year, as Francisco Cerundolo lifted the trophy on the clay of Cordenons, Italy.

Cerundolo dominated the final on Sunday, routing in-form countryman Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-1, 6-2 in one hour and 33 minutes. The 22-year-old, who was coming off his Olympic debut in Tokyo, played inspired tennis in his return to the ATP Challenger Tour. It was the Argentine’s fourth Challenger crown in total and first of the year.

Cerundolo’s convincing victory was even more impressive considering Etcheverry’s stunning run of form in recent weeks, having claimed a pair of titles on Italian soil while amassing a 17-2 record. Cerundolo saved all six break points faced to oust his close friend and longtime rival, edging ahead 3-2 in their head-to-head series.

“It was a special match,” said Cerundolo. “Playing against a friend and winning always gives me great emotions. Etcheverry just won the title in Trieste and is having an incredible run in the Italian Challengers, so it was never going to be easy. We are very good friends for many years. It’s special to play a final against each other and hopefully we can have more matches like these in the future.”

With the victory, the Buenos Aires native and his brother Juan Manuel Cerundolo joined an exclusive list of siblings to triumph on the ATP Challenger Tour in the same season. One of the breakthrough #NextGenATP stars of 2021, Juan Manuel had captured his maiden title earlier in the year in Rome.

Brothers With Challenger Titles In Same Season

The Cerundolos are the sixth set of brothers to lift Challenger trophies in the same season, joining the Griekspoors, Melzers, Rochuses, Lapenttis and Simpsons in achieving the special feat. In fact, it has happened three times in the last five years, with Tallon Griekspoor and Scott Griekspoor both capturing crowns in 2018, just one year after Jurgen Melzer and Gerald Melzer celebrated titles.

Francisco is now on the brink of cracking the Top 100 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, rising to a career-high No. 111 on Monday. He will be one of the more feared competitors in New York, when US Open qualifying gets underway in two weeks.

In other action… Alex Molcan was a ruthless force in claiming his maiden ATP Challenger Tour on Sunday in Liberec, Czech Republic. The Slovak dropped a combined 17 games throughout the week at the Svijany Open, culminating in a 6-1, 6-0 semi-final win over Malek Jaziri and a 6-0, 6-1 domination of Tomas Machac for the championship.

Molcan was hungry to lift his first trophy, following a pair of Challenger final defeats in Sevilla in 2018 and in Prostejov earlier this year. He also played for the title at the ATP 250 stop in Belgrade in May, falling to World No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

“I’m really happy that I finally managed to break my bad luck in finals and win the tournament,” said Molcan. “I played really well in all the matches in Liberec. The positive thing for me is that I was able to keep the level of my game high throughout the week.”

The 23-year-old is Slovakia’s first Challenger champion since 2019. He rises 17 spots to a career-high No. 136 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

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