Tennis News

Berrettini, Cilic, Nishikori nominated for 2024 Comeback Player of the Year

Call it a comeback.

Matteo Berrettini, Marin Cilic and Kei Nishikori have starred on the ATP Tour for years, their talents clear for all to see. But their 2024 efforts showcased another side to the superstars, as their resilience paved the way to standout seasons and dramatic rises in the PIF ATP Rankings — as well as ATP Awards nominations for Comeback Player of the Year.

Nominees for Comeback Player of the Year are determined by an International Tennis Writers’ Association (ITWA) vote. The winner is selected by players from the shortlist.

ATP Awards winners will be announced during Awards Week, starting Monday, 9 December.

Matteo Berrettini
Berrettini shut it down for the 2023 season after an ankle injury forced him to retire in the US Open second round. After joining forces with new coach Francisco Roig, the Italian was poised to return to competition at the Australian Open, only to withdraw on the eve of his opening match.

With his PIF ATP Ranking at a season-low of No. 154, he finally stepped back on the court in March at an ATP Challenger Tour event in Phoenix, where he reached the final. After dropping a three-setter to Andy Murray in Miami, Berrettini re-announced himself on the ATP Tour by winning the ATP 250 in Marrakech.

That proved to be the first of three ATP 250 titles for the Italian on the year, with the 28-year-old backing it up with triumphs in Gstaad and Kitzbuhel — all on clay — to bring his tour-level singles trophy count up to 10. He also reached a grass-court final Stuttgart on his way to a 32-12 season.

“When you’re not able to do your job and what you like to do, then it’s always a struggle. So I’m really appreciating every moment that I have to spend on court, to perform and give my best,” he told the press at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. “I know it’s a process. I did a great job this year to build up again my ranking, and I’m feeling good.”

Berrettini closed out his 2024 campaign by helping Italy retain its Davis Cup title, notching crucial singles wins in the final two rounds.

Marin Cilic
Plagued by a knee injury for much of 2023, Cilic first attempted to return to the ATP Tour at the start of this season. But after four winless appearances to start the year, he made the difficult decision to undergo knee surgery in May.

“My desire to play again at the highest level hasn’t faded; on the contrary, it is as strong as ever,” Cilic wrote on social media after going under the knife. “The journey over the last 15 months has been challenging, but I am motivated to get back.”

Following a successful rehab period, his renewed comeback attempt began in late August. After finding his legs in two ATP Challenger Tour events, the Croatian stunned the tennis world by winning the ATP 250 in Hangzhou, beating Top 50 stars Brandon Nakashima and Zhang Zhizhen in the semi-finals and final, respectively.

The wild card arrived at the event at No. 777 in the PIF ATP Rankings and became the lowest-ranked champion in ATP Tour history. 

“It has been a difficult period for me in the past few months. I lost my ranking and I didn’t play too much,” Cilic said before thanking the tournament for his wild card. After dropping out of the top 1,000 in the PIF ATP Rankings in early 2024, Cilic soared more than 800 places to ultimately finish the season inside the Top 200. 

Kei Nishikori
After nearly eight months on the sidelines, Nishikori played his first tournament of the 2024 season at the Miami ATP Masters 1000. Though he suffered a first-round defeat to Sebastian Ofner, he kept a positive outlook on his return.

“I never lose that motivation. It’s always there. Some reason I cannot explain, but some reason motivation is always there,” Nishikori said in his post-match press conference. “I’m looking forward to getting my tennis back.”

After picking up a win at Roland Garros, competing at Wimbledon and representing Japan at the Paris Olympics, the 34-year-old put down a marker with a quarter-final run at the Montreal ATP Masters 1000, beating Stefanos Tsitsipas along the way. He reached another tour-level quarter-final on home soil in Tokyo before ending the season with two deep runs on the ATP Challenger Tour, capping his year with a title in Helsinki.

Nishikori’s joy at returning to the professional game has been evident throughout the season. In Montreal, after ripping a winner to beat #NextGenATP American Alex Michelsen in the first round, he was nearly laughing as he looked to his team because of how well he closed out the match.

“I surprise myself too sometimes,” he joked. “It was different when I was young. I feel like I’m trying to enjoy it a little more because I really appreciate where I am right now.”

Source link

Best ATP Tour comebacks of 2024: Tiafoe, Thompson top the tally

To mark the end of another thrilling season, ATPTour.com is unveiling our annual ‘Best Of’ series, which will reflect on the most intriguing rivalries, matches, comebacks, upsets and more.

From saving match points, overcoming the brink of defeat to eventually lifting the trophy, or a narrow escape in a high-stakes match, today we highlight the five best comebacks from ATP Tour tournaments in 2024.

5) Dubai R2, Lehecka d. Khachanov 6-7(6), 7-6(5), 6-4
Czechia’s Jiri Lehecka produced fearless hitting in pressure moments to save five match points in Dubai and down fourth seed Karen Khachanov, who had captured the Doha title the week prior and was on a five-match winning streak.

All of Khachanov’s match points came on Lehecka’s serve late in the second set, but the 23-year-old relied on his booming forehand to pull him out of near defeat at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. In the decider, Khachanov seemingly recovered from his blip, gaining a 4-2 lead before Lehecka tallied four consecutive games to seal the match. Lehecka fell to his knees in relief and celebration.

4) Shanghai R3, Paul d. Tabilo 6-7(2), 7-6(6), 6-2
All signs pointed towards a routine, straight-sets win for Alejandro Tabilo when he led American Tommy Paul 7-6(2), 5-1 at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. The 27-year-old then held five match points on his serve at 5-2 in the second set when suddenly things began to change.

On Tabilo’s fifth match point, he put pressure on Paul by closing the net, but the American hit a perfect cross-court backhand passing shot to stay alive, kick-starting his comeback victory. Paul reeled off 12 of the final 15 games to secure a hard-fought win.

3) Hong Kong R1, Struff d. Cilic 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(7)
On the second day of the year, Jan-Lennard Struff strung together a memorable comeback that stood the test of time to finish as one of this season’s most impressive comebacks. The 34-year-old, who was voted ATP Comeback Player of the Year by his peers in 2023, lived up to that title with an incredible escape at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open.

Struff saved a whopping nine match points to escape 2014 US Open champion Cilic in a three-hour, six-minute clash between two of the heaviest hitters in the game. The German’s inspired performance is tied for second-most match points saved in a tour-level win since 2015.

“I just told myself, ‘Let’s go’, to keep fighting, to never quit,” Struff said. “You have to give yourself the chance to fight back. It won’t be given to you and that’s why it’s such a great sport.”

Most Match Points Saved In An ATP Tour Win Since 2015:

2) Cincinnati SFs, Tiafoe d. Rune 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(4)
Home favourite Frances Tiafoe rallied from a 2-5 deficit in the third set against Holger Rune at the Cincinnati Open, where he was millimetres from losing the back-and-forth semi-final battle.

Tiafoe saved the first of two consecutive Rune match points at 4-5 in the deciding set with a forehand that slightly clipped the top of the net, before the ball popped over to stave off the American’s elimination. It drew gasps from the crowd as the ball seemingly floated in the air for minutes, but it was a half-second freeze in a thrilling clash.

Tiafoe held his nerve, forging a dramatic comeback to become the first American to reach the Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 final since John Isner in 2013.

“That last set was nuts,” Tiafoe said. “I got really lucky there. I had a couple net cords, but I also battled. I competed really hard and put myself in position.”

1) Los Cabos QFs, Thompson d. Michelsen 0-6, 7-6(1), 7-5
Australian Jordan Thompson will not soon forget his maiden tour-level title run at the Mifel Tennis Open by Telcel Oppo, where he was on the brink of an emphatic defeat in the quarter-finals against Alex Michelsen.

The #NextGenATP American Michelsen won the first nine games of the match and could taste the finish line in Los Cabos, where he led 6-0, 4-1 and held two break points. Later, Thompson fended off three match points in that same set, before again finding himself in a hole trailing 3-5 in the decider. Thompson rose to the occasion once more, claiming four consecutive games in epic fashion.

“That’s probably one of the best comebacks I’ve ever had in my life, and [it was] in a quarter-final of a Tour event,” said Thompson, who in August became the fourth player this century to crack the Top 30 in the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time aged 30 or older. “I was saying to myself that I literally haven’t been in front until 6-5 in the third set. So a long time being behind.”

Thompson’s memorable week did not stop there. In his next match, he converted his seventh match point to seal his upset against top seed Alexander Zverev after three hours and 40 minutes. Thompson eventually was crowned champion — defeating Casper Ruud in the final — not only in singles, but also in doubles with Max Purcell, with whom he later qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals.

“I don’t think anyone would challenge my competitiveness,” said Thompson.

Source link

Are there 'different approaches' to tennis doping cases?

Iga Swiatek, Jannik Sinner, Simona Halep and Tara Moore have had very different experiences after testing positive for a banned substance – BBC Sport looks at why.

Source link

Innovations, Rules Revealed For 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF

The seventh edition of the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF is set to commence later this month, when the Top eight 20-and-under players in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah face off in Saudi Arabia.

The ATP on Wednesday announced the innovations and rules for the 2024 event, to be held from 18-22 December.

The tournament, created to spotlight tennis’ rising talents, continues to evolve. Several of this year’s innovations and rules are designed to enhance the flow of the game, including reduced warm up, no let rule, while other innovations include free fan movement and in-game Tennis IQ match date analytics for coaches courtside.

Look for the following in Jeddah in 2024:

SCORING:
– First-to-4, Best-of-5 set scoring: Each match shall be the best of 5 tie-break sets. Each set shall be first to 4 games with a margin of 2 games and a tie-break (first to 7 points with a margin of 2) played at 3-3. Each game shall be played using the No-Ad scoring format with the Server choosing the service box.

CHANGEOVERS:
– There will be no change of ends after the first game.
– Players will change ends and sit down for 90 seconds after the first three games are played, once more if the set score reaches 3:2 (i.e., after two more games in the set), and then again at the end of the set (regardless of the final set score).
– Players will change ends after every six points in the tie-break.
– Players will sit down at the end of the set for 90 seconds, reduced from 120 seconds.

RULES INITIATIVES:
– Warm-up: Players will warm up for 3 minutes on court.
– Ball change: After every 7 games.
– Serve Shot Clock: Up to 8 seconds will be permitted between first and second serve. A shot clock will display the time elapsed between the first and second serve.
– Time between Points: Continuing with the 2023 initiative, the time between points will be reduced from 25 seconds to 15 seconds if a point is below three shots (e.g., 2 shots = 15 seconds; 3 shots = 25 seconds).
– No Let Rule: Play continues even if the ball touches the net during a serve, provided it lands in the correct service box.
– Free Fan Movement: Free movement will be allowed in the stadium for the first three games of the match. After the first free games, fans will be allowed to move freely except for limited areas behind the baseline in direct player view.
– Movement by a spectator(s) in the designated free movement areas shall not constitute a legitimate pause in the shot clock.
Umpire Chair: Lower umpire chair to reduce the visual obstruction for fans in the arena.

INNOVATION INITIATIVES:
– Scoreboards: Simplified scoring graphics for improved fan consumption will be visualised in the arena to educate younger audiences that attend the event.

PLAYER PERFORMANCE INITIATIVES:
– Wearables: Players will be able to wear wearable devices in matches. The wearable data will be summarised and visualised so that players can gain a comprehensive overview of their physical performance and stress responses in matches.
– In-Match analytics: The Tennis IQ match data platform will be available to coaches sitting courtside, and video footage tagged with the match data will be available post-match. New insights will also be visualised in the arena.

View full rules here.

Source link

Djokovic to begin bid for 25th Grand Slam in Brisbane

Novak Djokovic will play at the Brisbane International this month before he starts his bid for a 25th Grand Slam at the Australian Open in Melbourne.

Source link

Bellucci: ‘Learning is not a straight line’

Mattia Bellucci lights up the court with infectious energy and a fierce competitive drive. The 23-year-old lefty plays with bold intensity, swings for the fences and shows a range of emotions.

The kind-spirited Italian is an entertaining player to watch and this season, he continued his rise by winning his first major main-draw match at the US Open against former champion Stan Wawrinka and reaching his maiden tour-level quarter-final in Atlanta. Bellucci ascended to a career-high No. 100 in the PIF ATP Rankings last month and finished the season at No. 103.

There were highs, like that Court 17 win against Wawrinka in front of a packed New York crowd, and there were obstacles, including when Bellucci let slip two championship points in a nearly three-hour Cary Challenger title match. Through it all, Bellucci is embracing the lessons learned along the way.

“Learning is not a straight line and [I need] to give myself time,” Bellucci told the ATP Challenger Tour media team. “When you put the right energy and you really look for something new during practice and try to copy what you’re going to do in the matches, that’s when the results come. Try to improvise.”

A three-time ATP Challenger Tour champion, Bellucci advanced through qualifying at three consecutive majors this year: Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open. Bellucci drew a difficult first-round opponent at each tournament. He showed a high level when he pushed Frances Tiafoe to five sets at Roland Garros and did the same at Wimbledon against 14th seed Ben Shelton.

Then, Bellucci’s breakthrough victory came at Flushing Meadows. With the crowd heavily supporting 2016 champion Wawrinka, Bellucci rose to the occasion and earned a memorable win.

“It was definitely the highlight,” Bellucci said. “It was very nice. From the beginning of the match, I felt quite relaxed even though I was playing Stan in a big stadium.

“From playing Tiafoe at Roland Garros to playing Shelton at Wimbledon, I felt like the level was coming and that I was doing the right things during practice. Going on court with the right behavior and fighting for every point was the key.”

What else helped Bellucci post some key wins and improve in 2024? The Italian did not let the win-loss column define his success. He shifted his focus to the process, believing that consistency and effort would lead to growth.

“Focusing on the results is not bringing the results, to me at least,” Bellucci said. “Focus on the performance and what you have to do, not what the result of the match is.”

Source link

Djokovic to begin his 2025 season in Brisbane

Novak Djokovic is set to return to action in the first week of the 2025 season at the Brisbane International presented by Evie.

The former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings and 99-time tour-level titlist will aim to kick-start his season when he lines up in the field at the hard-court tournament for just the second time. Djokovic fell to Ernests Gulbis on his only previous appearance at the ATP 250 in Queensland in 2009.

Djokovic, whose only title in 2024 came at the Paris Olympics, will chase the 100th tour-level trophy of his career in Brisbane. The 37-year-old is trying to join Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) as the only ATP stars to hit that milestone.

A record 10-time Australian Open champion, Djokovic has not competed since he fell to Jannik Sinner in the Rolex Shanghai Masters championship match on 13 October. Currently the World No. 7, the Serbian will lead a field that also includes his fellow Top 10 star and 2023 Brisbane champion Grigor Dimitrov.

Last year’s finalist Holger Rune and Frances Tiafoe will also compete, while home favourite Nick Kyrgios is set to make his long-awaited return to competitive action. It will be the 29-year-old Kyrgios’ first ATP Tour appearance since June 2023 due to injury.

Defending Champion Rublev Leads Hong Kong Field
World No. 8 Andrey Rublev will defend his title at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open. Chinese stars Shang Juncheng and Buyunchaokete are also on the entry list in Hong Kong, where home hopes will be lead by Coleman Wong.

Hong Kong played a significant rise in Shang’s 2024 rise up the PIF ATP Rankings: He reached his maiden ATP Tour semi-final at the event, before going onto lift his maiden tour-level title in Chengdu. The 19-year-old finished the year as the World No. 50 and he will compete in the upcoming Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF in Jeddah.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

Source link