Tennis News

Zverev rebuffs resurgent Ruud in Turin tussle

Alexander Zverev maintained his red-hot late-season form in impressive fashion on Wednesday night at the Nitto ATP Finals.

The German downed Casper Ruud 7-6(3), 6-3 in Turin to notch his second victory of the week at the prestigious season finale in Turin. Although Ruud appeared full of confidence after upsetting Carlos Alcaraz in his opening match, Zverev ground down the Norwegian with a rock-solid 86-minute display at Inalpi Arena.

“A good match. I thought both of us played quite good tennis,” said Zverev, who outhit Ruud by 28 winners to 13. “I’m happy with the win. Maybe it was even better than my first match, even though the first match was quite good as well. I’m looking forward to Carlos now on Friday and hopefully more matches at the weekend.”

With his Tour-leading 68th victory of 2024, Zverev improved to 2-0 in John Newcombe Group. The Rome and Paris champion will take on Alcaraz in his final group match on Friday, when he will bid to secure his semi-final spot. Zverev is chasing his third Nitto ATP Finals title, having previously lifted the trophy in London in 2018 and Turin in 2021.

Zverev and Ruud were closely matched in an intriguing opening set that featured no break points but plenty of high-quality all-court exchanges. It was the second-seeded German who pulled clear when it mattered most, however, as he quickly established an ultimately unassailable 6/1 lead in the tie-break.

The second set played out in a similar fashion, with Ruud battling hard to cope with his opponent’s powerful serve and rasping groundstrokes. Just when the encounter seemed destined for a second tie-break, however, Zverev capitalised on a rare loose service game from his opponent to steal a decisive break for 5-3. From there, Zverev had no problem closing out his second win of the week, following his victory on Monday against Andrey Rublev.

A statement win? 🗣️@AlexZverev with firing top scores for serve and forehand #ShotQuality during his group stage win tonight 🔥#TennisInsights | @atptour | #NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/BSQ8nJv4TS

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) November 13, 2024

In a match of relatively fine margins, Zverev’s ability to hit through the court proved key. His superior winner count included 11 aces and he also won 87 per cent (41/47) of points behind his first serve, according to Infosys ATP Stats. The in-form German, who lifted his second ATP Masters 1000 title of the season in Paris 10 days ago, is yet to face a break point this week in Turin.

Zverev’s seventh consecutive tour-level win consolidated his bid to finish the year as World No. 2 for the first time. Currently second in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, the German is 505 points clear of third-placed Alcaraz heading into their Friday showdown in Italy.

Zverev arrived in Turin with the most Nitto ATP Finals experience of the eight singles players. The 27-year-old is competing at the event for the seventh time, and he has racked up a 16-9 win/loss record overall.

“It means I’m old!,” joked Zverev when asked about his long history with the prestigious season finale. “But I still don’t feel old. I hope I have another solid 10 years ahead of me, but I think it’s a young group of guys. There has been kind of a shift in tennis this year and I think it’s a good thing. They’re exciting new players and everybody loves watching them.”

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

Source link

Sinner & Alcaraz nearing Big Four levels of Top 10 dominance

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have quickly established themselves at the top of the sport, and a big reason why is because of their performance against the best players in the world.

Entering the season, only four players since 2000 had earned at least 13 wins against opponents inside the world’s Top 10 in a single season. They are the legendary ‘Big Four’ of Novak Djokovic (10x), Roger Federer (10x), Rafael Nadal (4x) and Andy Murray (3x).

Sinner has joined the elite group by earning 14 Top 10 victories entering the final match of round-robin play at the Nitto ATP Finals. Alcaraz is one triumph away from adding his name to the exclusive list with a round-robin clash to go on Friday against Alexander Zverev.

“That’s good to know for my confidence to go up a little bit,” said Alcaraz, who cracked a smile when told about his 12-4 record against the Top 10 this season.

Most Wins vs. Top 10 (2024)

Not only have they earned a lot of Top 10 wins this year, but they have been doing so at a historic success rate.

According to Infosys ATP Stats, Bjorn Borg holds the career record for winning percentage against the Top 10 at 71.1 per cent. The Swede is the only qualifying player on record with a winning percentage of more than 70 per cent.

Alcaraz has claimed 75 per cent of his Top 10 matches this year (12-4) and Sinner has emerged victorious from 73.7 per cent of his Top 10 matches (14-5). According to Alcaraz, it is key against the very best to focus on playing “good tennis”.

“Obviously playing against the top players, you think to yourself that you have to play at your best tennis. If not, you are going to lose against them. That helps a lot,” Alcaraz said. “Before matches against top players, realise what kind of game, what kind of shots you are going to play or you’re going to hit. I think that’s it.
In tennis, really important [is]the mental game, the way you talk to yourself before the matches.”

The Spaniard explained how he puts himself in a different mindset to meet the challenge against the very best opponents.

“When I’m going to play against a top player, I’m going to repeat myself that I’m better,” Alcaraz said. “I’m going to play my best, my 100 per cent just to beat them.”

Sinner’s Top 10 turnaround helped him climb to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings in June. Entering 2024, the Italian was 22-27 when facing the elite group. This year he is 14-5 and all five of his defeats were in a deciding set.

Sinner is 2-0 in the Ilie Nastase Group and Alcaraz is 1-1 in the John Newcombe Group as they both try to reach the semi-finals at the Inalpi Arena. Their success the rest of the week in Turin will rely on their efforts against Top 10 opponents.

Source link

Alcaraz shrugs off illness to beat Rublev in Turin

Carlos Alcaraz overcomes illness to defeat Andrey Rublev 6-3 7-6 (10-8) at the ATP Tour Finals in Turin.

Source link

Back in business! Alcaraz sinks Rublev at Nitto ATP Finals

After a rocky start to his Nitto ATP Finals, Carlos Alcaraz is up and running in Turin.

The Spaniard eased past Andrey Rublev 6-3, 7-6(8) on Wednesday afternoon at Inalpi Arena in an impressive response to his chastening opening defeat to Casper Ruud. Alcaraz, who struggled with a stomach issue against Ruud, was back to his physical, energetic best in his 96-minute win against Rublev.

“I surprised myself,” said Alcaraz, when asked about his performance despite feeling under the weather. “The way that I played today from the baseline, with my serve. I was really calm. I just tried to be focused on my game and what I had to do and forget about that I’m not feeling well and that I’m sick.

“Once you step on the court, you have to forget everything, your struggles outside the court, and you try to put your focus on hitting a good forehand, a good backhand, and making good tactics against the opponent. I thought I did that pretty well, and surprised myself.”

DOMINANT CARLOS 💎

No. 3 seed @carlosalcaraz finds the strength within and keep his hopes alive of survival with a vital victory over Rublev! #NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/2PIKTtRnir

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 13, 2024

Sporting a pink nasal strip to aid his breathing, Alcaraz took control of Wednesday’s encounter by reeling off four consecutive games from 2-3 in the first set. He was assisted in that sequence by some wayward ballstriking from Rublev, who regained his composure to compete well in a second set featuring no break points but was nonetheless unable to deny Alcaraz a straight-sets victory.

The Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion Alcaraz kept his cool in the second-set tie-break, saving set points at 5/6 and 7/8 before closing out victory to take a 2-1 lead in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Rublev. The Spaniard’s previous victory against the World No. 8 also came in a Nitto ATP Finals group-stage encounter, at the 2023 edition of the prestigious season finale.

Even when up against one of the ATP Tour’s most powerful baseline hitters, Alcaraz’s ability to win points from all corners of the court stood out. He struck 31 winners to Rublev’s 14, a tally which included plenty of trademark drop shots and scintillating forehand passes from deep.

“I feel like in the last matches I couldn’t hit good drop shots, and I was thinking, ‘What’s going on?’,” said Alcaraz. “My style, my game, it’s about playing these kinds of shots and enjoying the game. So I tried to do it today. I felt pretty good from the baseline too, running.

“I had many options on my mind. If I move well, run well from the baseline, I have more options. I’m really happy that ‘Option A’ of just running and playing good points from the baseline, I made it happen.”

Alcaraz was also dominant on serve en route to rejuvenating his bid for a fifth tour-level title of 2024. He did not face a break point and won 84 per cent (37/44) of points behind his first delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Next up for the 21-year-old as he chases a Turin semi-final spot for the second consecutive year is a clash against Alexander Zverev on Friday. As well as potentially deciding who advances to the Nitto ATP Finals knockout stage, that clash could also be crucial in the battle to finish the year as World No. 2. Zverev is currently second in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, 505 points clear of third-placed Alcaraz.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

Source link

Which Nitto ATP Finals records does Roger Federer own?

Roger Federer is one of the most accomplished players in the history of tennis. It is no surprise the Swiss star made his mark on the Nitto ATP Finals, too.

The 103-time tour-level titlist claimed six of his trophies at the season finale, but that is not a record. Which tournament records does Federer own?

Federer has won more matches than anyone in event history
The six-time champion won more matches than anyone else in the history of the Nitto ATP Finals and it is not close.

Federer earned a 59-17 record in his 17 appearances. Only one other player — record seven-time champion Novak Djokovic — has earned more than 40 victories at the event. The Serbian has earned a 50-18 record.

Federer failed to make the semi-finals at the Nitto ATP Finals just once in 17 appearances (2008). He also made four finals on top of his six championship triumphs.

Most Match Wins – Nitto ATP Finals

Roger qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals 18 times
No player has qualified for the year-end championships more times than Federer, who earned his place at the tournament 18 times.

The Swiss first competed in the event in 2002 aged 21. That year, he reached the semi-finals before losing to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings and eventual champion Lleyton Hewitt in three sets.

Federer qualified for the final time in 2020, aged 39. Tied for second on the list of qualifications are Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal with 17 each.

Most Nitto ATP Finals Qualifications

Source link

Watch GB v Germany in BJK Cup Finals live on BBC

Great Britain will face Germany in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in November – and you can watch it live on the BBC.

Source link

BJK Cup tie called off after severe weather alert

A severe weather alert in southern Spain leads to the opening tie of the Billie Jean King Cup between Spain and Poland being postponed.

Source link

Ruud’s stunning lob vs. Alcaraz… As you’ve never seen it before!

Even hardcore fans who have been keeping a keen eye on every point of the Nitto ATP Finals action this week in Turin have never seen tennis like this…

At the 2024 edition of the prestigious season finale, some of the most memorable on-court moments produced by the ATP Tour’s finest stars in Turin will be presented to help attract a younger audience and create new tennis fans. Each day, a Nitto ATP Finals Immersive Highlight will showcase a great point using cutting edge AR technology, 3D modelling and live data, bringing ATP tennis into people’s lives in a new and innovative way.

Check out Ruud’s stunning lob below to experience tennis like never before!

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

Source link