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Alcaraz’s motivation to bounce back from his US Open defeat

  • Posted: Sep 12, 2024

To say Carlos Alcaraz was disappointed with his US Open elimination would be an understatement. The Spaniard, No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings, took a few days off after bowing out prematurely from the season’s final Grand Slam before heading to Valencia to join the Spanish team for the Davis Cup Finals Group Stage. By Wednesday, Alcaraz was back to winning ways with two victories in the match against Czechia, beating Tomas Machac in his singles encounter and then joining Marcel Granollers to see off Jakub Mensik and Adam Pavlasek.

“I needed it after the last few matches, as it wasn’t feeling very positive,” explained the Murcia native at the end of the day. “I felt the extra pressure of being number one the first set, I wasn’t comfortable, but I had to stay positive,” added Alcaraz. “The Davis Cup is special and you always want to do well.”

Alcaraz endured an intense day of tennis on Wednesday, taking to the court twice, doubling his normal matchday workload.

“It was a day with a lot of hard work, but I’m happy to have had the opportunity to play singles and doubles,” said Alcaraz. “I’m trying to take the positives from my time in the US and use them so I don’t make the same mistakes again, trying to progress on the mental side and to become increasingly mature,” he continued. “I was very motivated to be here, I’m looking forward to helping the team go as far as possible.”

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It was with this mentality that Alcaraz approached his first Davis Cup match of 2024, which turned out to be a tough encounter. He would lose the first set and fight back to level the scores before his Czech opponent withdrew injured.

“Of course, on the North American swing I didn’t feel great during the matches and that’s why I started off a little nervous,” admitted the Spaniard. “I had chances, even though I didn’t take them. I knew that I’d get more if I stayed strong mentally. After a very tough first set, I managed to keep my head up and put him in difficulty so that he would feel the pressure. Despite everything, this isn’t the way I’d like to win matches, but that’s the way it went.”

Alcaraz will be back on court on Friday, when Spain face France in the second match of the Davis Cup Finals Group Stage.

 

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Nadal withdraws from Laver Cup

  • Posted: Sep 12, 2024

Rafael Nadal says he thinks there are “other players who can help the team deliver the win” for Europe as he withdraws from this month’s Laver Cup.

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Nadal withdraws from Laver Cup

  • Posted: Sep 12, 2024

Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from next week’s Laver Cup in Berlin, the tournament announced Thursday.

In a tweet issued by the event, Nadal said: “I’m really disappointed to share that I won’t be able to compete at the Laver Cup in Berlin next week.

“This is a team competition and to really support Team Europe, I need to do what’s best for them and at this moment there are other players who can help the team deliver the win.

“I have so many great, emotional memories from playing Laver Cup and I was really looking forward to being with my teammates and with Bjorn in his final year as Captain.

“I wish Team Europe the very best of luck and will be cheering them on from afar.”

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Nadal has a 12-7 match record on the season and last competed at the Paris Olympics, where he fell in the second round to Novak Djokovic.

The Laver Cup will run 20-22 September.

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Ruud, Paul to headline 2025 Dallas Open

  • Posted: Sep 12, 2024

The Dallas Open is gearing up for a thrilling 2025 tournament, as World No. 9 Casper Ruud and defending Dallas Open champion Tommy Paul have committed to compete. The event, set for February 1-9, 2025, will take place at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, the headquarters and training facility of the Dallas Cowboys. Premium ticket packages are available now at www.dallasopen.com.

In 2025, the Dallas Open will elevate its status from an ATP 250 to an ATP 500 event, promising the strongest field since the tournament’s move to North Texas in 2022. This upgrade not only attracts top-tier talent but also offers players the chance to earn more ATP ranking points and compete for a share of approximately $2.8 million in prize money.

“I am very much looking forward to playing at the new edition of the Dallas Open in 2025,” Ruud said. “Tournaments elevated to a 500-level tournament bring the highest levels of competition and as a player, I always look forward to competing against some of the best players in the world with the hopes of coming out on top”.

Ruud, who reached the Round of 16 at this year’s US Open, is a 12-time winner on the ATP Tour, including two titles in 2024 (Geneva, Barcelona). The 25-year old Ruud finished as the runner-up at the 2022 and 2023 French Open and the 2022 US Open. He was previously ranked as high as No. 2 in the world (September 2022), securing his place as the highest-ranked Norwegian in history.

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“Elevating the Dallas Open to a 500-level event will bring the best players in the world to North Texas,” Tournament Director Peter Lebedevs said. “Casper Ruud and Tommy Paul are two of the premier players on tour and we look forward to adding more high-level talent to America’s newest ATP 500-level tournament. The 2025 Dallas Open will feature the event’s deepest field yet as players will be competing for the largest purse in tournament history while playing in one of the most impressive facilities in the world.”

Paul, the 2024 Dallas Open champion, is one of the top Americans on the ATP Tour, currently ranked No. 13 in PIF ATP Rankings. He was a 2024 Olympic bronze medalist in doubles alongside Taylor Fritz and recently also reached the Round of 16 at the US Open for the second year in a row. Paul secured his third career ATP Tour title in February in Dallas, beating Americans Ben Shelton 6-2, 6-4 and Marcos Giron 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-3 in the semi-finals and final, respectively.

“The Dallas Open will always be special to me and I’m looking forward to defending my title from 2024,” Paul said. “I’m excited for next year’s tournament and playing against some of the best players in the world at The Star in Frisco.”

 

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Felix fires Canada to victory against Finland at Davis Cup

  • Posted: Sep 12, 2024

Felix Auger-Aliassime moved Canada to the brink of qualification in the Davis Cup Finals Group Stage on Thursday in Manchester, where he moved past Otto Virtanen 6-2, 6-3 to give the former champion an unassailable 2-0 lead against Finland in Group D.

Canada entered its second tie in Manchester off the back of a 2-1 opening win against Argentina. With the top two in Group D advancing to the Final 8 in Malaga in November, Auger-Aliassime was quick to secure his nation a second point after Denis Shapovalov defeated Eero Vasa 7-6(2), 6-2 in the first match of the day.

Auger-Aliassime was dominant on serve throughout his 73-minute win, saving all three break points he faced and winning 86 per cent (32/37) of points behind his first delivery.

The 24-year-old, who was part of the team that beat Australia in the Davis Cup Finals title match in 2022, now holds a 8-3 record in Davis Cup singles matches. He is set to face Great Britain’s Jack Draper in Canada’s final Group D match on Sunday. Great Britain beat Finland 2-1 in its opening match.

Earlier, Shapovalov backed up his win against Argentine Francisco Cerundolo by overcoming Vasa in straight sets. The former No. 10 player in the PIF ATP Rankings has rediscovered his form in Manchester following disappointing first-round exits in Montreal and at the US Open last month.

Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov will team against Wimbledon champion Harri Heliovaara and Virtanen in the doubles rubber.

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In Group C, Germany backed up its opening 3-0 win against Slovakia with a 3-0 victory against Chile on Thursday.

Straight sets victories for Maximilian Marterer, Yannick Hanfmann, and doubles team Tim Puetz and Kevin Krawietz, leave the former champion sitting above the United States, Slovakia and Chile.

“Before our first match we said ‘Okay we need six matches out of nine’,” German captian Michael Kohlmann said. “Now we have won six matches out of six. I think that’s pretty impressive. Especially Yannick, to get this win today against (Alejandro) Tabilo, a Top-20 player, the way he played, the way he handled the situation after maybe not playing his best match on Tuesday was very impressive.”

Hanfmann was at his free-flowing best in defeating Tabilo 7-5 6-3 in 90 minutes. His third career singles victory in Davis Cup clinched the tie after Marterer had blitzed Tomas Barrios Vera 6-1 6-3 in an 80-minute contest earlier.

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