Almagro Produces More Strong Clay Results

Back on his beloved clay, Nicolas Almagro made another deep run on the red dirt this past week as he continues his resurgence in 2016.

Competing at the $125,000 ATP Challenger Tour event in Genova, Italy, Almagro stormed through to the final as the top seed. Although he lost the championship match on Sunday to Jerzy Janowicz, the Spaniard had only positive things to say about the tournament, particularly since he was given a wild card as a late entrant.

“The tournament director waited for me until the last second from the US Open, so I was really happy to play here,” said Almagro. “Genova is a beautiful city. The hotel is amazing and the people around here are very kind and helpful.”

Almagro has climbed back into the Top 50 of the Emirates ATP Rankings this year after impressive results including winning the Millennium Estoril Open in May and finishing as runner-up at the Argentina Open. But despite his ATP World Tour success, he still sees plenty of value in playing high-level Challenger events.

“To me, this is one of the most important Challengers in the world. There are many great players who play here,” said Almagro. “I can say that this tournament in Genova is quite similar to an ATP World Tour 250 event because there are a lot of fans here to watch and the supporters are amazing.”

With minimal points to defend during the fall season, Almagro believes he is playing the type of tennis that could even get him into seeding contention for the Australian Open.

“I want to finish the year inside the Top 35,” said Almagro. “I want to try and play in great tournaments where I feel good on the court, so it was very important for me to play here in Genova.”