Australian Open organisers say event will return to January timeslot for 2022 and stay in Melbourne
Organisers say they are confident the Australian Open will go ahead in Melbourne and in its usual January timeslot next year.
Organisers say they are confident the Australian Open will go ahead in Melbourne and in its usual January timeslot next year.
Roger Federer is looking forward to returning to the ATP Tour this week at the Gonet Geneva Open.
The Swiss superstar, who has played just two matches this year at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in March, admitted on Monday, “I am just concerned about where my game is at. The guys are back on Tour in a good rhythm, the level everyone is producing is great. I want to achieve that again too.
“I need to play 10 matches to give you a better answer [about my level]. Things have been going well in practice. When you come back from an injury, you’re in a different place than everyone else. I am excited about the comeback, and won’t be focused on being at the same level as Rafa [Nadal] or Novak [Djokovic] right now.”
The 39-year-old brings a 32-match winning streak on home soil into the ATP 250 tournament, and is pursuing his first title since triumphing at the Swiss Indoors Basel in October 2019. Federer, who underwent two arthroscopic right knee surgeries in 2020, will play Australia’s Jordan Thompson or Pablo Andujar of Spain on Tuesday.
“I was happy that the knee didn’t feel any different from hard to clay, and I expect the same in the switch from clay to grass,” said Federer. “I’ve never had any major issues going between the surfaces, but with an injury and not having played as long as I have, there is always concerns. So far, the clay has been good for me and I hope it will be good for me for the grass.”
Federer lost his last tour-level match to eventual champion Nikoloz Basilashvili in the Qatar ExxonMobil Open quarter-finals on 11 March. Although he hasn’t watched much tennis since then, what coverage he has seen, he’s been impressed.
“I haven’t watched that much, but every time I have watched I’ve been impressed,” said Federer. “I’ve been excited to find out [how I’ll fare]. But going to Doha I was particularly worried about the level and the first set I played with Dani [Daniel Evans], I won it and I surprised myself a little.
“Now we’re on clay, I’m more focused on the clay than my opponent. Once I get healthy and matches under my belt, that will increase my confidence. I think then I’ll be a part of the top tier. If you want to be in the top tier you need to play 50, 80 or 100 matches per season and that gets tougher as you get older.
“One thing is for sure, that the generation of [Stefanos] Tsitsipas, [Andrey] Rublev, [Daniil] Medvedev and [Alexander] Zverev have all gotten better with more experience. Dominic [Thiem] won a Slam in the meantime, and Rafa and Novak are still where they are. You would think that the game has improved again. It will be an extra challenge to find that level, but it was never going to be simple, whether I was out for three months or almost a year-and-a-half.”
No. 28 Lorenzo Sonego, +5 (Joint Career High)
The Italian returned to his career-high of No. 28 in the FedEx ATP Rankings after a run to the Internazionali BNL d’Italia semi-finals (l. to Djokovic). The 26-year-old beat Gael Monfils, Gianluca Mager, World No. 4 Dominic Thiem and World No. 7 Andrey Rublev en route to the last four of an ATP Masters 1000 tournament for the first time. Sonego first rose to No. 28 on 12 April 2021.
View Latest FedEx ATP Rankings
No. 35 Reilly Opelka, +12
The American sits four spots off his career-high of No. 31 after he reached his first Masters 1000 semi-final in Rome (l. to Nadal). The 23-year-old, who struck 88 aces in five matches, jumps 12 places to No. 35. He last reached the semi-finals (or better) at an ATP Tour event in February 2020, when Opelka captured his second title at the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com (d. Nishioka).
No. 50 Federico Delbonis, +14
The Argentine, who qualified for the Rome tournament, moved up 14 spots to No. 50 after he reached the quarter-finals (l. to Opelka). It marks the first time Delbonis has been in the Top 50 of the FedEx ATP Rankings since the week of 6 March 2017 (No. 49).
Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 17 Jannik Sinner, +1 (Career High)
No. 19 Felix Auger-Aliassime, +2
No. 25 Aslan Karatsev, +2 (Career High)
No. 38 Alexander Bublik, +2 (Career High)
No. 45 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, +3 (Career High)
No. 65 Sebastian Korda, +2
No. 80 Jaume Munar, +3
No. 86 Gianluca Mager, +4
No. 92 Yannick Hanfmann, +3 (Career High)
Two shots in the court from each player create a defining line in the sand — or crushed Roman brick — in a tennis point.
Rafael Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia final by owning the shorter rallies, specifically the 0-4 shot rally length. Nadal dominated in that category, winning 14 more points (50-36) than Djokovic. Once rallies drifted to five shots or more, Djokovic built a 14-point advantage, 58 points to 44.
Own the short. Lose the long. Add significant silverware to your Mallorcan trophy cabinet.
Djokovic’s advantage in longer rallies was even more significant in extended rallies of nine or more shots, where he won 20-5. Our sport obsesses about being consistent and having superior shot tolerance than your opponent, but the truth is that there is no more important statistic to own than winning the 0-4 shot rally length. Losing the longer rallies rarely means you lose the match. The Rome final was further proof of how winning titles in our sport actually happens.
Nadal’s Forehand
At the start of the week in Rome, Nadal worked on the practice court to tame his errant forehand. It flew on him. It lacked shape and control. As the tournament progressed, his hard work paid off and his forehand emerged as the key shot in the final.
Nadal found his range with his forehand early and often in the opening set, crushing 15 forehand winners to just two for Djokovic. For the match, Nadal finished with 26 forehand winners to just 11 for the Serbian. Nadal’s favourite place to hit forehand winners was as a run-around forehand standing in the Deuce court, directing the ball inside-out to Djokovic’s forehand wing. Nadal also hit a lot of rally forehands to Djokovic’s backhand side in the Ad court, but the knockout blows were directed more to the vacant Deuce court.
Both players struck more forehands than backhands for the match, but Nadal was able to feast on significantly more, helping him edge control and flow of the baseline exchanges.
Total Rally Forehands/Backhands
Nadal
• Forehands = 57% (184)
• Backhands = 43% (139)
Djokovic
• Forehands = 51% (159)
• Backhands = 49% (153)
Nadal’s average net clearance for the match was almost a metre over the net at 0.96 metres. This forced Djokovic to make contact with the ball on average at 1.24 metres. The combination of increased height and heavy spin made Nadal’s forehands land deep in the court where they were difficult to attack. Djokovic played lower over the net with an average net clearance of just 0.69 metres. This made Nadal make contact with his groundstrokes on average at just 0.98 metres. Nadal hit 80 per cent of his shots deep of the service line, while Djokovic was just at 73 per cent.
Own the short rallies. Own the more potent forehand. That’s enough to own any given Sunday.
Overall, Nadal’s ability to thrive on adversity, manage time, absorb power, be patient, and unleash hell on the right ball was rewarded with another major title. He did it with the forehand and he did it with being the first to attack in the point.
Rafael Nadal has soared into sixth position in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin after beating Novak Djokovic in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia final to tie the Serbian’s record of 36 ATP Masters 1000 trophies.
Only 30 points now separate the Spanish superstar (2,220) from fourth-placed Alexander Zverev (2,250), the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals champion and last week’s Mutua Madrid Open titlist. Daniil Medvedev is currently in fifth spot on 2,230 points.
FedEx ATP Race To Turin Standings
| Player | Points |
| 1. Stefanos Tsitsipas | 3,110 |
| 2. Novak Djokovic | 2,920 |
| 3. Andrey Rublev | 2,760 |
| 4. Alexander Zverev | 2,250 |
| 5. Daniil Medvedev | 2,230 |
| 6. Rafael Nadal | 2,220 |
| 7. Aslan Karatsev | 1,685 |
| 8. Hubert Hurkacz | 1,460 |
| 9. Matteo Berrettini | 1,445 |
| 10. Jannik Sinner | 1,310 |
Stefanos Tsitsipas continues to lead the 2021 year-to-date Race standings on 3,110 points, but five-time Nitto ATP Finals winner Djokovic is now just 190 points behind the Greek in second place. Tsitsipas won his first Masters 1000 crown last month at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.
Djokovic, who won his 18th Grand Slam championship at the Australian Open (d. Medvedev) in February, continues to turn up the heat on 22-year-old Tsitsipas as the Serbian superstar pursues a record-breaking seventh year-end No. 1 finish (2011-12, ’14-15, ’18, ’20). Djokovic currently shares the record for most year-end No. 1 finishes with his childhood idol Pete Sampras (1993-1998).
Following the conclusion of the season’s fourth Masters 1000 tournament, Matteo Berrettini and #NextGenATP Jannik Sinner remain within striking distance of the Top 8 automatic qualification positions for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin from 14-21 November.
Berrettini, who lost to Zverev in the Madrid final, sits in ninth place on 1,445 points, just 15 points behind eighth-placed Hubert Hurkacz (1,460), who defeated Sinner in the Miami Open presented by Itau final. Sinner, the 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals champion, currently sits in 10th position on 1,310 points after the Rome event.
One of the week’s biggest climbers, Italian Lorenzo Sonego, jumped 16 spots to 13th place in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin after a run to the Rome semi-finals (l. to Djokovic), while 2019 and 2020 Nitto ATP Finals runner-up Dominic Thiem is up to 16th after a rise of six places.
Novak Djokovic was disappointed to fall short in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia final on Sunday against his great rival, Rafael Nadal. But the Serbian departs Rome as confident as he has been all clay-court season.
“[We played] almost three hours of high-quality tennis. Of course I’m disappointed not to win it, but at the same time I’m very pleased with the level of tennis that I managed to find in the later stages of this tournament,” Djokovic said. “Going into Paris brings me good sensation. I actually now [am starting] to feel like I actually want to feel on clay. So I think if I manage to play the way I played last night and today, I think I have a good chance to go all the way in Paris.”
Djokovic had a difficult path to the championship match, earning two victories on Saturday just to earn a shot against Nadal, who is now a 10-time champion at the Foro Italico.
“I could have easily went out from this tournament in quarters. I’m very pleased with my fighting spirit. The level of tennis was higher and higher, actually.
Yesterday I played great. Today I thought I also played a high level,” Djokovic said. “Unfortunately [the] decisive moments in the first and third sets [today] just went his way. It was a bit unfortunate.”
Had Djokovic showed signs of fatigue against Nadal, it would have been understandable given he spent four hours and 56 minutes on court on Saturday. But the Serbian came out swinging after losing the second set, and he had a chance to surge into a lead in the decider.
“Not at all. I did not feel any fatigue. He managed to break my serve and played better, that’s it. As I said, [until] the last shot it was quite close. I had my shot to win it, but [it] wasn’t meant to be. I didn’t feel fatigue,” Djokovic said. “Actually, I was very happy with the way I felt on the court. I could have gone for another few hours.”
Although Djokovic fell short of lifting his sixth Rome trophy, he earned a series of mental victories throughout the tournament, and he will also climb to second in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin. According to the Serbian, rallying past Stefanos Tsitsipas in a thrilling quarter-final that was played across Friday and Saturday due to rain, ranks high on that list.
“Mentally it means a lot to overcome a huge obstacle against Tsitsipas. I was a set and a break down. He was serving for the match. He had everything to finish that match, like probably Shapovalov had everything to finish the match against Rafa,” Djokovic said. “We both dug ourselves out of quite a big hole and managed to reach [the] final.
“He was just [the] better player in the decisive moments, and he took the victory away from me, but [it] was very close. I have a lot of positives to take away from today.”
Djokovic will next compete at the Belgrade Open the week before Roland Garros. Last month, he played at the same venue in the Serbia Open, but lost against Aslan Karatsev in the semi-finals. The Serbian will take some time to recover before trying to lift a trophy on home soil.
“I’m going to rest as much as I can, because I had enough time with the racquet on the court. So I’m just going to rejuvenate, regroup, and then start training again some days before the start of the Belgrade Open,” Djokovic said. “I’m hoping I can go all the way there, playing at home. Most likely we are going to see the crowd in the stands, so that’s going to be fantastic to feed off that energy, to go to Paris with good feelings on the court, off the court, spend some time with the family additionally, which I wouldn’t get if I go earlier to Paris.
“I have to obviously keep the momentum going I feel with the quality of tennis. Do more training, of course, and [play a] few more matches. I think I’m on the right way. Actually, the past couple days really gave me the confidence boost for the clay. I found the game. So now I just have to maintain that level and peak in Paris.”
Two weeks ago, it was Juan Manuel Cerundolo claiming his maiden ATP Challenger Tour crown. On Saturday, another #NextGenATP Argentine made a major statement with a title of his own.
Buenos Aires native Sebastian Baez will join Cerundolo in the Top 200 of the FedEx ATP Rankings after lifting the trophy in the Croatian capital of Zagreb. The duo are leading the South American charge in their quest to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals as well, with Baez moving to seventh in the ATP Race To Milan.
Baez, a qualifier, rallied from a set down to defeat Juan Pablo Varillas 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the championship clash at the Zagreb Open. It marked his third comeback victory of the week, after also dropping the opening set against former World No. 23 Damir Dzumhur and second seed Pedro Martinez.
“It was an amazing week,” said Baez. “The truth is that it’s something incredible to start in qualifying and to be able to lift the trophy. Thanks to my coach Sebastian for preparing me on court. It was just a good tournament with really good matches for me.”
A dogged defender with the agility to stop his opponents from all corners of the court, the 20-year-old is earning serious attention on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2021. Not only does he own a tour-leading 94.1 win percentage (16-1 record), but his three trophies move him atop the titles leaderboard alongside Jenson Brooksby.
Standing at 5’7″, where Baez lacks in height, he more than makes up with unyielding aggression and determination. Just like his 5’7″ countryman Diego Schwartzman.
With his victory on Saturday, Baez etched his name in the ATP Challenger history books for his native Argentina. At 20 years and four months, he joins Juan Martin del Potro, Guillermo Coria, Guillermo Canas and Gaston Gaudio as the only Argentines to win three Challenger titles before their 21st birthday. In addition, he became the youngest player from his country to win three titles in a single season since an 18-year-old Coria in 2000.
Youngest Argentines To Win Three Challenger Titles
| Player | Age | Third Title |
| Juan Martin del Potro | 17 years, 10 months | 2006 Segovia |
| Guillermo Coria | 18 years, 10 months | 2000 Montevideo |
| Guillermo Canas | 19 years, 10 months | 1997 Santiago |
| Gaston Gaudio | 20 years, 4 months, 10 days | 1999 Nice |
| Sebastian Baez |
20 years, 4 months, 17 days |
2021 Zagreb |
Baez, who opened the season outside the Top 300 of the FedEx ATP Rankings, has surged to a projected career-high of No. 183. A pair of titles on Chilean soil – in Concepcion and Santiago – gave him a perfect 10-0 start to 2021, before taking his talents to Europe and triumphing on the clay of Zagreb. He would prevail at the Zagreb Open as a qualifier, winning seven matches in seven days, including his first career victory over a Top 100 opponent (Martinez).
A former Roland Garros junior finalist in 2018, Baez has his sights set on qualifying for his first Grand Slam in Paris in one week.
Rafael Nadal says that he is delighted to have captured his 10th Internazionali BNL d’Italia and it’s a reward for all his hard work over the past couples of weeks.
“It’s amazing to have the trophy with me again, one more time here in Rome,” said Nadal, after he defeated World No. 1 Novak Djokovic 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 on Sunday in the final at the Foro Italico. “I really wanted this 10th here in Rome… After achieving 10 at Roland Garros, 10 in Monte-Carlo, 10 in Barcelona, I really wanted this one. It’s [a] super important tournament for me.
“I went through a lot of things during the week. Some positive, some great moments, some lucky moments, suffering moments. At the end I think I played a very solid week of tennis… It’s the right moment to win an important title.
“I don’t put myself extra pressure [on myself] at all. I want to win every day and every tournament that I am playing. Something that I know [is] not going to happen. But the passion and the motivation to try is always the same. I know how to handle the pressure.”
Nadal, who equalled Djokovic’s tally of 36 ATP Masters 1000 trophies on Sunday, is now 18-3 on the season, which also includes capturing his 12th Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell crown on 25 April.
“I think I have been playing better and better with my forehand in the past couple of weeks, getting [more] confident. Today has been a positive day… That’s a huge improvement for me, [a] very important shot. Especially on clay, it’s give me confidence. I think my serve is working better, too. I think I had a great week. I played plenty of hours, so I feel good. I feel tired, but [it’s] a very satisfying victory.”
Watch Rome Final Highlights
The 34-year-old will now return to Mallorca to rest, and also prepare for a tilt at a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam championship crown with his 14th Roland Garros title.
“[I’ll] take a couple of days off and then start working,” said Nadal. “I think I can work on a couple of things that I can do a little bit better. I think I have been improving this week, but I need to keep going with [those] improvements, because when you improve, you’re able to do it every day for longer time. Then it [gives you] more confidence and you feel more confident … to do it in the next tournament.
“I just need to keep going. I know what I need to work [on over] the next couple of weeks, and I’m going to do it. Work, relax mentally, and work the right way.”
Rafael Nadal wins his 10th Italian Open with a 7-5 1-6 6-3 victory over world number one Novak Djokovic in Rome.
Rafael Nadal clawed closer to Novak Djokovic in the ‘Big Titles’ race on Sunday when he beat Djokovic 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 to win his 10th Internazionali BNL d’Italia title.
The legendary lefty now has 57 ‘Big Titles’, moving to within two of the World No. 1’s record 59. Nadal also tied Djokovic’s record of 36 ATP Masters 1000 title with his triumph at the Foro Italico. A ‘Big Title’ is a trophy at a Grand Slam championship, the Nitto ATP Finals, an ATP Masters 1000 tournament or an Olympic singles gold medal.
The Spaniard has now won at least one ‘Big Title’ in 16 of the past 17 seasons. This is Nadal’s second trophy of the year after emerging victorious at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell.
Nadal has won four of his 10 championship matches in Rome against Djokovic. This was their sixth clash for a title at this tournament (4-2 Nadal).
Djokovic still has the best ‘Big Titles’ win-rate at one title won per 3.3 events played (59/197). Nadal has triumphed once for every 3.4 tournaments played at this levels (57/196). Only two other players have converted more than once per five events: Roger Federer (4.4, 54/237) and Pete Sampras (4.9, 30/147).
Current and Former Champions’ Big Titles Won (Records Since 1990)
| Player | Grand Slams | Nitto ATP Finals | 1000s | Total^ (Avg) |
| Novak Djokovic | 18/63 | 5/13 | 36/118 | 59/197 (3.3) |
| Rafael Nadal | 20/61 | 0/10 | 36/123 | 57/196 (3.4) |
| Roger Federer | 20/79 | 6/17 | 28/138 | 54/238 (4.4) |
| Pete Sampras | 14/52 | 5/11 | 11/83 | 30/147 (4.9) |
| Andre Agassi | 8/61 | 1/13 | 17/90 | 27/164 (6.1) |
| Andy Murray | 3/50 | 1/8 | 14/100 | 20/161 (8.0) |
| Boris Becker* | 2/26 | 2/6 | 5/51 | 9/84 (9.3) |
| Thomas Muster | 1/29 | 0/4 | 8/53 | 9/87 (9.7) |
| Stefan Edberg** | 3/28 | 0/4 | 4/45 | 7/79 (11.3) |
| Gustavo Kuerten | 3/33 | 1/3 | 5/67 | 9/105 (11.6) |
| Jim Courier | 4/38 | 0/4 | 5/71 | 9/114 (12.6) |
| Marcelo Rios | 0/26 | 0/1 | 5/56 | 5/84 (16.8) |
| Marat Safin | 2/41 | 0/3 | 5/87 | 7/133 (19) |
| Michael Chang*** | 0/50 | 0/6 | 7/86 | 7/144 (20.6) |
| Andy Roddick | 1/46 | 0/6 | 5/75 | 6/129 (22.5) |
^ Includes Olympic Games gold medals and tournament participations
* Becker’s four other Grand Slam titles came before 1990.
** Edberg’s three other Grand Slam titles came before 1990.
*** Chang’s one Grand Slam title came before 1990
Did You Know?
Nadal has now won at least 10 titles at four tour-level events. In addition to his 10 Rome victories, the Spaniard has also triumphed at Roland Garros 13 times, lifted 12 Barcelona trophies and won 11 Monte-Carlo titles.
