On a rainy Thursday at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, almost all of the day’s action was cancelled because of the weather. But in one of two singles matches played, Stefanos Tsitsipas overcame the conditions and a tough opponent to reach the third round.

Tsitsipas clawed past Belarusian Ilya Ivashka 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 after two hours and 13 minutes. The Greek will next play 14th seed Grigor Dimitrov.

Tsitsipas who last week won his second consecutive Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters title, walked onto Pista Jan Kodes with a 5-1 advantage. Although the top seed closed out the first set, it was clear the rain suspension from Wednesday to Thursday made this a whole new match.

Ivashka showed some of the form that helped him to a career-high No. 41 in the ATP Rankings in March. The 28-year-old showed no fear of stepping into the court and taking the action to Tsitsipas when the opportunity arose.

Last year’s Winston-Salem titlist ripped a backhand up the line to take the second set as the crowd, which was thrilled to watch some tennis on a rainy day, made for a a fun atmosphere with plenty of singing and cheering.

Ultimately, Tsitsipas’ consistency proved the deciding factor. He took advantage of a forehand error from Ivashka to break for a 2-1 lead in the deciding set, which he would not relinquish. The Greek won 65 per cent of his second-serve points in the match compared to just 36 per cent for Ivashka.

The Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell has proven a successful event for Tsitsipas, who reached the final of the ATP 500 in 2018 and 2021, losing against Rafael Nadal on both occasions. 

In the only other completed singles match of the day, Dimitrov finished his 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory against Argentine Federico Coria. 

The Bulgarian is fresh off a run to the semi-finals in Monte Carlo, where he lost against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Tsitsipas leads the pair’s ATP Head2Head series 2-1, including a win on clay at Roland Garros two years ago.

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Novak Djokovic played the best tennis of his 2022 season on Thursday to defeat Miomir Kecmanovic, saving his top level for the final few games of the match at the Serbia Open. For the second straight day, he came from a set and a break down to defeat a countryman, after doing the same against Laslo Djere in his Belgrade opener.

“Generally I felt better than I did yesterday,” Djokovic said after advancing to the semi-finals. “Even though I was a set and a break down I felt game-wise that I took it up a level or two.”

On both occasions, he was pleased with the staying power that allowed him to work his way back into the match: “I muscled it out,” he said of Thursday’s effort. “I managed to physically just stay there with my opponent, yesterday and today. I was physically able to get into the position to have the momentum on my side.”

Djokovic was playing in just his sixth match of the year. In addition to the lack of match play, the 34-year-old also must face the challenge of competing against elite players more than 10 years his junior, like the 22-year-old Kecmanovic.

“Every stage of your career — especially after playing for 20 years on the Tour — has its differences in terms of how you approach things mentally,” said Djokovic, who turned pro in 2003. “My life has changed so much over the last 10 years, and my body as well. So you have to adapt to that, understand these changes, understand what I’m going through and figure out the biology of things. I constantly strategise, organise and plan with my team that helps me to peak at the right time and be able to compete with the young guys.

“For me, age is just a number. I sincerely feel younger than 35,” added Djokovic, who turns 35 on May 22.

Despite his status at World No. 1, a position he has held for a record 366 weeks and counting, the Serb is careful to keep his personal expectations in check and block out the outside noise.

“All these expectations from people, they got used to seeing you at that level for 10, 15 years. They always expect you to be winning 99 per cent of the matches,” he explained. “But obviously that’s not possible. You have to accept the fact that you going to lose, that you’re not going to feel good, that it might take more time to get into the groove.”

Speaking with great perspective, Djokovic went on to share what he sees as the key ingredients for success on the court, while also revealing what drives him to continue to work as hard as he does.

“There’s so many different factors that effect the outcome that you see and the performance on the court. But the discipline needs to always be present,” he continued. “Before discipline, I would say it’s commitment and devotion. If you’re not committed and devoted, then you’re not going to have as much discipline that is necessary.

“But even before that is, obviously, what drives you: Why are you playing? And for me, I try to always draw the strength from the love and passion for the game.”

With his status as a legend of the game long secured, Djokovic remains committed to taking his tennis to new heights. Even amidst a difficult start to his 2022 season, he trusts in his process and his ability to work his way back into top form.

“I choose to play,” he said. “No one is forcing me to play. I’ve done enough in my career that I could stop today. But I still feel motivated and inspired. I love to play in front of people, of course here in Serbia is a unique opportunity for me, and those kind of unique occasions feed me with good energy. I love being here and I love competing.

“I also, as weird as it sounds, I love being devastated by losing big matches. Because I know that means that I care about winning and being able to compete with the best players in the world.”

After his historic 2021 season ended with a loss in the semi-finals of the Nitto ATP Finals, the Serb’s next big opportunity awaits on Saturday, when he’ll face third seed Karen Khachanov for a place in the Belgrade final.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has become one of the men of the moment on the ATP Tour. With a game based on power and a will to throw himself around the court when required, the Spaniard has gained the respect of his peers. His stunning performance at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, where he reached his first tour-level final, has earned him a career-high spot of No. 27 in the ATP Rankings.

His coach Jorge Aguirre, who has been with him from childhood through to his professional career, knows the Andalusian better than anyone. With the young 22-year-old ready to fulfil his dreams on the ATP Tour, his mentor spoke to ATPTour.com about his progress.

Were you expecting a result like the one in Monte Carlo?

It’s complicated. I’ve thought Alex was looking in good shape in every respect for a few months. His attitude, the intention, the dedication, his level… Then, when the results don’t come, it all seems to fade away. When you win two matches, you think everything is great. After the way it went for us in Marrakech, you never think you’ll get to Monte Carlo and have a great tournament like that.

That’s Alex though. We arrived there really hoping to do well. Then the circumstances aligned and he had an amazing week.

After beating a legend, a lot of players struggle to perform. Davidovich did the opposite after he beat Djokovic.
I know Alex very well, especially his personality. During this time, when it looked like he could maintain his level, his performances have dropped. He hasn’t responded to expectations. But I also know that when he feels inner confidence after beating a player like Novak, he falls asleep knowing that he can compete with anyone and beat anyone. When Alex feels that, he becomes a very dangerous player.

The day after beating Djokovic, it’s difficult to perform on court. But Alex has that ability to feel powerful on and off the court and to want more. Deep down, he had the confidence that he could play well.

How do you manage a week like this mentally?

I think much better than previous times. He has recognised the small mistakes that he may have made previously when he had peaks at a high level. Not just since last season — since 2019 he has been having moments where his level would shoot up. He was struggling to manage that.

All these years of work, with a few telling-offs (laughs), with chats and analysis, it will help him tolerate this new situation that has arisen. He was looking forward to it with great excitement and strength. He wants to compete more, to get back out on court. He still has his moments of doubt. Right now he is convinced of what he wants and where he wants to go.

Alejandro said that without you, he would not be a tennis player. How do you define your relationship?

It’s a very special relationship. We can all see what the world of sport is like. The players tend to look for blame when they have three straight defeats. Coaches can struggle to deal with the implications of that and the commitment of combining the personal side with the professional side.

In our case, they have come together, partly because of the sporting ambition I have. For many years I have loved producing players and trying to be among the world elite. When we started with Alex I saw that possibility. I fight with all my strength to help him as much as possible.

Alex has confidence, loyalty and the conviction that he is in the best hands he thinks he can be in. Trying to overcome any kind of slump, which everyone has, he does it without looking elsewhere. He looks inwardly knowing where he has made a mistake or where we all make mistakes, but without blaming anyone.

We want to improve between us all, putting things on the table like in any relationship you want to last. That’s the key: We both want the other to triumph. That gives us great strength to spur each other on mutually.

Alejandro acknowledged that you are just as immersed in the matches as he is.

For me, it changes. Working with Alex is not easy, because he’s a volcano. He’s a torrent of emotions. There are times when he needs to see me very calm because he’s overexcited on court. If I get overexcited too, it could get really over the top. Other times, if I notice that he’s lacking conviction or a little belief and needs to step up, it’s good for him to see that I believe in him at that time and that he has my strength, if I can transmit it to him. Really, I’m trying to read what the match requires from him and I behave in accordance.

What are Alejandro’s biggest personal strengths?
Seeing a 22-year-old guy with the loyalty and honesty he has with us with is really wonderful. Both with me, with the psychologist, with the fitness trainers… he’s someone that doesn’t do things for the sake of it. He is very committed to those close to him. He’s very close to his friends; he has a great need for affection. He has that affectionate side that sometimes he doesn’t show, but it is there.

He is still a 22-year-old guy looking to fight for his dream. He has been a brilliant tennis player since he was little. He is grappling with his character to become a great player and so that people can see what a great guy he is.

Where does he have room for improvement?
There is generally room for improvement in every facet, which is both good and bad. There is nothing that stands out among all his strengths. When he manages to focus all his energy on the match, on one specific point, he is able to do a lot. He can play from the baseline, hit forehands and backhands, his serve and his return are good, he moves well, he can transition from defence to attack, he attacks very violently…

When he’s not doing so well, it seems like everything is very bad. Because he doesn’t have one standout strength, we can’t say that when he is in danger he can fall back on his serve and forehand. That ability to do everything well is where the room for improvement lies. There is a percentage margin in everything.

With time, he will serve better, his forehand will become increasingly stable, the shots will be cleaner. He is changing the height of his backhands better, moving more fluidly across the baseline on both clay and hard court, improving at the net… He needs a little of everything to become a more complete player.

How does a psychologist work with a volcano?

The team has always had Antonio [de Dios] who, as well as being a psychologist, is one of my best friends. Antonio has been working with Alex since he was 11 years old. We’ve been working together for a long time. I also studied psychology; it’s a part of sport that I really like. I’m the bad psychologist and Antonio is the good psychologist.

I like that facet because technique is fundamental, but what happens between your ears before each shot is what makes the body either follow the ball or stay back, or you’re more cramped. That mental work in the background is key and Alejandro takes it on board very well. We believe in it and we’re always very reliant on Antonio.

Do you think the ascent of Carlos Alcaraz could spur him on?

Definitely. Historically that has been the case. A few years ago it looked like Alex was the one on the rise, and now Carlos has appeared and he is a stratospheric player. I’m sure this is great for us. You’re 22 years old and it looks like you’re playing well, then an 18-year-old kid comes along and overtakes you and devours his competition.

It’s very good for him to see that it’s not about age. It’s a question of moments, potential, fighting for what you want. I’m sure they will really help each other mutually in this case. At the end of the day, they are two good friends and great tennis players. In Spain we will enjoy ourselves and they will both try to have the best run they can. It’s really wonderful and hopefully they will both become great tennis players.

What would you be happy with in the coming weeks?
We’ve had a couple of days of rest, so that he can recover from an intense week. This Wednesday we’re going to start training with preparations for Estoril in mind. We’ll go to Portugal at the weekend.

Honestly, we won’t change what we’ve been saying to him over the last 10 days. What we all want is for Alex to find his ‘A’ game more consistently. We want him to recognise himself every time he goes out on court, to be convinced he can play at that level. To tell himself, ‘I can move in this way, I can serve like that.’ To recognise himself every time he goes out on court and every week when he competes.

Whatever results he deserves will come. But we want a month and a half to go by and for him to be able to say he recognises Alex. That’s the goal, to get to June or July and say that we’ve had a few months where I see Alex and I recognise him.

What we want is that every time Alex goes out on a court, be it to compete or to train, that he does so with the utmost excitement and dedication. Be it Wimbledon, the French Open or an exhibition match. Hopefully we can achieve that as soon as possible.

In a dramatic day of quarter-final doubles action at the Serbia Open, all three matches went the distance and one seeded team was sent home.

Top seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic survived a Match Tie-break to knock off home favourites Ivan Sabanov and Matej Sabanov, while third seeds Max Purcell and Matthew Ebden missed out on two match points in a loss against Tomislav Brkic and Nikola Cacic.

Mektic and Pavic came from behind against Serbia’s Sabanov twins to advance to the semi-finals, 2-6, 6-3, 10-4. The established Croatian pairing is seeking its first ATP Tour title of 2022, after falling one point short in the Dubai final in February, when the duo held three championship points against Tim Puetz and Michael Venus.

They’ll face Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski as they bid for their second final of the year, after the Monagesque-Polish pairing defeated Ben McLachlan and Andre Goransson, 6-3, 3-6, 10-7.

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Ebden and Purcell, champions in Houston earlier this month, saw their win streak snapped at five after a 3-6, 7-6(9), 10-4 result. The Aussies could not serve out the match at 6-5 in the second, then had two match points go begging at 6-4 in the tie-break. 

Brkick and Cacic dominated the Match Tie-break, winning the first three points and racing to a 9-2 lead before closing it out on their third match point. Both men were born in Bosnia-Herzegovina, with Cacic playing under the Serbian flag.

For the second straight day at the Serbia Open, Novak Djokovic won a comeback three-setter against an in-form countryman. The World No. 1 again battled back from a set and a break down Thursday against Miomir Kecmanovic to advance to the semi-finals in his native Belgrade, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Djokovic extended his win streak against Serbians to 10 matches, improving his record to 27-4 against his countrymen and 36-6 in his home nation.

“The scenario was similar to last evening’s match, but I managed to win and qualify for the semis,” Djokovic said in Serbian in his post-match interview. “Thanks to my team, I felt better than last night.”

Switching to English, he later added: “It’s a very strange feeling, sharing the court with your compatriots. Obviously the crowd was phenomenal for both players in yesterday’s match and today. They’re very rare occasions when I’m able to play at home and experience this atmosphere, so I’m trying to enjoy every single moment.”

After working through some early struggles and coming to grips with Kecmanovic’s aggressive game, the top seed played some of the best tennis of his limited season in the latter half of the match.

Kecmanovic took the opening set without facing a break point, before an eventful start to the second saw a break chance in each of the first four games. After sitting down for the first changeover down a break, Djokovic began to elevate his precision and consistency from the baseline to level the match.

He redlined in the final game of the two-hour, 18-minute contest, sealing his fourth break of serve with consecutive backhand winners. He won the final four games of the deciding set, dropping just two points in the process, and did not face a break point in the stanza.

Djokovic was happy with the way he held up physically in his opening match, a nearly three-and-a-half hour win against Laslo Djere. With less than 24 hours to rest, he was again up to the task on Thursday, improving as the match wore on.

The victory is a repeat of the result when Djokovic and Kecmanovic met at the same stage one year ago in Belgrade, with Djokovic now holding a 2-0 ATP Head2Head edge in their series. The 22-year-old Kecmanovic has been one of the most consistent players of the 2022 season. Now at a career-high of No. 38 in the ATP Rankings, he was playing in his fifth consecutive ATP Tour quarter-final. The loss drops him to 19-8 on the year.

Djokovic, chasing a third title at the Serbia Open and a fourth ATP Tour title overall in his home city, awaits the winner of third seed Karen Khachanov’s match against Brazilian qualifier Thiago Monteiro.

“I’m very pleased that I’m not going to play a Serbian player,” Djokovic said with a smile. “That’s going to be very nice for a change.”

Another day, another big test for one of the top seeds at the Serbia Open.

Less than 24 hours after Novak Djokovic was pushed to the brink in Belgrade, second seed Andrey Rublev rallied past #NextGenATP Czech Jiri Lehecka 4-6, 7-6(1), 6-2 after two hours and seven minutes to reach the quarter-finals. He will next play #NextGenATP Dane Holger Rune or Japan’s Taro Daniel.

“It’s a bit tough conditions here to play and it was my first match, plus the guy who I played, he played amazing. He’s a young guy and he played through qualies, through the first round, so he got used to the conditions and he started really well,” Rublev said during his on-court interview. “I was a bit tight and the first match is not easy. But then, with time I started to adapt and I started to play better and better and in the end I finished the match on a good level.”

Rublev faced one break point in each of the second and third sets, but was not in quite the same level of difficulty as Djokovic was on Wednesday against Laslo Djere. The 24-year-old raced out to a quick start in the second-set tie-break and never looked back.

“It’s not easy because everyone is playing at a good level and you can see today I was really close to losing my first match. It’s not easy now because the guys, they improve. They play better and better,” Rublev said. “I hope I’m going to do my best tomorrow, I hope I will show a great matchn and we’ll see what’s going to happen.”

In other second-round matches, sixth seed Fabio Fognini set a quarter-final clash against German Oscar Otte. Fognini defeated Slovenian Aljaz Bedene 6-2, 6-3 and Otte upset fourth seed Aslan Karatsev 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-3.

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Did You Know?
Rublev, who has already won hard-court titles this season in Marseille and Dubai, is pursuing his first clay-court trophy since Hamburg in 2020.