Tennis News

Nadal On Ronaldo: 'He Was One Of My Favourite Football Players'

Rafael Nadal has big fans around the world. But one attendee inside Manolo Santana Stadium on Thursday at the Mutua Madrid Open during his win against Alexei Popyrin was more familiar than others for the Spaniard: football legend Ronaldo.

“I always admire the top athletes,” Nadal said. “I am a big fan of sport. When I was a kid, Ronaldo was playing in Barcelona with my uncle. So yeah, [he was] one of my favourite football players of all time, one of the best players that I saw play.”

One of Nadal’s uncles, Toni Nadal, is well-known in the tennis world for his work as Rafa’s coach. “Uncle Toni” is now mentoring Felix Auger-Aliassime. But another of the five-time Madrid champion’s uncles, Miguel Angel Nadal, played football with Ronaldo for FC Barcelona from 1996-97. Another member of that team, Luis Figo, was also in attendance at the Caja Magica on Thursday.

Nadal is a big fan of Real Madrid, which was knocked out of the Champions League on Wednesday by Chelsea.

“I saw the match. Like a spectator, I have to say I’m very proud of my team. Of course, I don’t like to lose,” Nadal said. “With all the difficulties that we had during the whole season with, I don’t know, 60 injuries, it’s difficult to be where we were until yesterday, fighting for the two most important competitions we [are playing in]: semi-finals in the Champions League, and still fighting for La Liga.

“For me 100 per cent Zidane is one of my favourite [managers], without a doubt. Great person, great values for Real Madrid. I think the season is doing great after all the bad luck with injuries that we had. [It is] difficult to ask for more. If I will be the one to decide, of course I don’t have any doubt that Zidane is the right guy to prepare probably the next team.”

Since he was a kid, Nadal has always found interests outside of tennis. While the Spaniard has become known for his legendary intensity and fight on the court, he has enjoyed other things, too, including football.

“I was not the kind of guy or person that I was just focussed on tennis, tennis, tennis every single day. I was practising very hard, yes. I was focussed when I was on court, 100 per cent. But outside of the court I enjoyed all my life,” Nadal said. “I was able to do the things that my friends did, just I was not able to go party every Friday and Saturday. I was [okay going to a] party one Saturday every few weeks, but I had a lot of parties in my life, too. I went to the beach. I played football. I went to the cinema a lot of times. I spent time having dinners with the family, with everyone.

“I don’t think I missed anything, honestly. The only thing that I can say, if they did 100 or 1,000 times, I did probably 100, that’s all.”

Source link

Madrid Open: Ashleigh Barty beats Paula Badosa to reach final

World number one Ashleigh Barty wins her 16th consecutive match on red clay after beating Spain’s Paula Badosa to reach the Madrid Open final.

Source link

Thiem Returns To Madrid Quarter-finals

Dominic Thiem advanced to his fourth Mutua Madrid Open quarter-final on Thursday with a 7-6(7), 6-4 win against Alex de Minaur.

The Austrian saved a set point at 6/7 in the first-set tie-break and saved four of the five break points he faced in the second set to earn his 15th victory at La Caja Magica (15-4). Thiem, a two-time runner-up in Madrid, has reached the quarter-finals or better at each edition of the tournament since 2017.

“There were many long rallies, [which is] exactly what I need right now,” Thiem said in his post-match interview. “I am very, very happy again with my performance… It was nice. I love the conditions, the court and the tournament.”

After recovering from a break down in the opening set, Thiem fired a pinpoint backhand passing shot down the line to save set point in the first-set tie-break. The 27-year-old earned two service breaks in the second set to record his third straight-sets win in four matches against De Minaur. Thiem, who is making his first appearance since the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in March, is yet to drop a set this week.

“I feel way better than expected. In some points and some rallies, I still feel the lack of matches,” Thiem said. “I am a little bit more out of breath, I am a little bit too tight in some shots and some strokes.

“Everything has to be a little more relaxed again to be in the match mode. I lost a little bit of intensity after winning that close first set. I have to get back in a rhythm, but the more matches I play against these top guys, the quicker I will get back in the match rhythm I need.”

De Minaur was aiming to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final. The 22-year-old, who moved past Jaume Munar and Lloyd Harris en route to the third round, owns an 11-9 record this season.

Thiem will face Monte-Carlo runner-up Andrey Rublev or John Isner for a place in the semi-finals. The Austrian trails Rublev 2-3 in their ATP Head2Head rivalry and owns a 2-1 record against Isner.

Source link

Bublik Earns First Madrid Quarter-final Spot

Alexander Bublik became the first man to reach this year’s Mutua Madrid Open quarter-finals on Thursday with a 6-4, 6-3 victory against Aslan Karatsev.

The World No. 44 saved seven of the eight break points he faced to overcome the Belgrade runner-up after 74 minutes. Bublik is through to his second ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final of the season, following his run to the last eight at last month’s Miami Open presented by Itau.

Bublik has joined Karatsev on 19 wins this season. Alongside Jannik Sinner, the pair is currently tied in third position on the 2021 ATP Tour wins leaderboard.

2021 ATP Tour Wins Leaderboard

Karatsev was aiming to reach his first Masters 1000 quarter-final and become the third player to reach 20 wins this year. The Russian defeated Ugo Humbert and seventh seed Diego Schwartzman en route to the third round.

Bublik awaits the winner of Monte-Carlo champion Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud’s third-round clash in the quarter-finals. The 23-year-old owns a 0-2 ATP Head2Head record against Tsitsipas and lost his only previous encounter against Ruud in three sets at the 2019 St. Petersburg Open.

Source link

Preview: Can Rolling Ruud Stop Surging Tsitsipas In Madrid?

Casper Ruud is at a career-high No. 22 in the FedEx ATP Rankings and he has proven a menace for the rest of the Tour on clay. But will the Norwegian have enough to surprise fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas on Thursday at the Mutua Madrid Open?

Ruud is unseeded at the Caja Magica, but he hasn’t played like it in dismissing Felix Auger-Aliassime and Yoshihito Nishioka. The 22-year-old, who is one of seven players remaining making their tournament debut, is one win from making a third consecutive clay-court ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final. Last year, Ruud made the semi-finals in Rome and just weeks ago he made the last four in Monte-Carlo.

But Tsitsipas will be a tough challenge. The Greek recently claimed his first Masters 1000 title in Monte-Carlo and he earned a championship point in Barcelona against Rafael Nadal before the Spaniard battled back to lift the trophy. Tsitsipas is 10-1 on clay this season and he will try to improve that record against Ruud in their first ATP Head2Head clash (Tsitsipas won a final-set tie-break against Ruud in a Futures final in 2016).

“For sure he’s a clay-court specialist. I haven’t played him in a long time. We played in the juniors together,” Tsitsipas said. “He’s someone who knows the surface really well. Most of his good results have come on clay, so a difficult task early in a Masters 1000, but again I’m going to try and go out on the court, show my game, show what I’m capable of, put out my best power.”

Tsitsipas is tied for the ATP Tour-lead in wins with Andrey Rublev at 27 each, and the Russian will also try to make the Madrid quarter-finals on Thursday. Rublev will confront a tall task — literally and figuratively — against American John Isner, who is competing on clay for the first time this season.

Isner won their only clash in Miami six years ago when Rublev was 17. The 6’10” righty hit 32 aces on Wednesday en route to a final-set tie-break victory against Roberto Bautista Agut. That marked the most aces hit by anyone on the ATP Tour in a best-of-three match in 2021.

Rublev has made at least the quarter-finals in his eight previous tournaments this year, and he will be confident after reaching his maiden Masters 1000 final in Monte-Carlo.

A day after snuffing out Carlos Alcaraz’s candles on his 18th birthday, Rafael Nadal will attempt to maintain his good form against Aussie Alexei Popyrin, who ousted Jannik Sinner in the second round. This will be their first ATP Head2Head meeting.

“He has a huge serve, great forehand, young… Another tough opponent. But here we are in Masters 1000, so we can’t expect another thing,” Nadal said. “I hope to be ready to play well. That’s what I am going to need every single day if I want to have chances to keep playing. Tomorrow is another tough battle. I hope to be ready.”

Second seed Daniil Medvedev beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina for his first victory in Madrid, and he will try to double his win count at the Caja Magica against 16th seed Cristian Garin. The Chilean’s best career triumph came two years ago in Munich against World No. 3 Alexander Zverev, and beating another World No. 3 in Medvedev would level their series at 1-1.

Zverev will also try to level an ATP Head2Head at 1-1 when he takes on British No. 1 Daniel Evans. The tricky all-court player is at a career-high World No. 26, and he recently made his first Masters 1000 semi-final in Monte-Carlo. The German, however, is confident in Madrid, where he lifted the trophy in 2018.

In other action, third seed Dominic Thiem will try to continue finding his form in his first tournament since Dubai when he plays Aussie Alex de Minaur (Thiem leads 3-0). Red-hot Russian Aslan Karatsev continues his incredible season against tricky Kazakhstani Alexander Bublik, and Matteo Berrettini will attempt to extend his five-match winning streak when he plays Argentine Federico Delbonis.

ORDER OF PLAY – THURSDAY, MAY 06, 2021

MANOLO SANTANA STADIUM start 11:00 am
ATP – [3] D. Thiem (AUT) vs A. de Minaur (AUS)
Not Before 3:00 pm
ATP – [1] R. Nadal (ESP) vs [Q] A. Popyrin (AUS)
Not Before 7:00 pm
ATP – D. Evans (GBR) vs [5] A. Zverev (GER)

ARANTXA SANCHEZ STADIUM start 11:00 am
ATP – A. Karatsev (RUS) vs A. Bublik (KAZ)
ATP – [16] C. Garin (CHI) vs [2] D. Medvedev (RUS)
Not Before 2:00 pm
ATP – J. Isner (USA) vs [6] A. Rublev (RUS)
Not Before 4:00 pm
ATP – C. Ruud (NOR) vs [4] S. Tsitsipas (GRE)
ATP – [8] M. Berrettini (ITA) vs [Q] F. Delbonis (ARG)

STADIUM 3 start 1:00 pm
ATP – K. Krawietz (GER) / H. Tecau (ROU) vs [4] I. Dodig (CRO) / F. Polasek (SVK)
After Suitable Rest – ATP – A. Bublik (KAZ) / C. Garin (CHI) vs S. Gille (BEL) / J. Vliegen (BEL)

COURT 4 start 11:00 am
ATP – M. Purcell (AUS) / L. Saville (AUS) vs [2] N. Mektic (CRO) / M. Pavic (CRO)
ATP – [Alt] R. Klaasen (RSA) / B. McLachlan (JPN) vs [6] P. Herbert (FRA) / N. Mahut (FRA)

Source link

Medvedev's Secret Soft Spot: McDonald's!

Three years ago, Daniil Medvedev was outside the Top 50 of the FedEx ATP Rankings. At the time, the Russian wasn’t focussed on winning big tournaments like ATP Masters 1000 events like he is this week at the Mutua Madrid Open. Instead, he was more worried about fixing his diet and post-match routines.

Fewer croissants, more porridge was his motto at the time. But on Wednesday after defeating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Medvedev admitted that while fixing those things greatly helped his career, he still has a soft spot for a certain fast food restaurant.

“Many times when I lose a match or when I finish a tournament, I take McDonald’s. I like McDonald’s because it’s really good in Russia,” Medvedev said. “It’s much less good in USA and Europe. I don’t know for which reasons [that is], so I many times regret taking it, but that’s kind of a child’s dream. Many times if I lose a match, like when you are [down], I don’t know, you take ice cream, I take McDonald’s.”

Medvedev certainly does not chow down on fast food during tournaments. That discipline is part of what has helped propel the World No. 3 to the top of the sport. The Russian does not regret making that choice.

“I was always saying, until I was 21 if I’m not mistaken, I was not really paying too much attention to small details,” Medvedev admitted. “I could enjoy life because I just thought that it wouldn’t affect my tennis. Now I can say that when I sacrificed my life to tennis when I was 21, I said, ‘Okay, I’m going to go to bed early, I’m going to eat well.’ If I had a day off, I’m not going to walk for 10 kilometres to the beach. I’m going to rest and prepare for practice the next day. That’s when the results came, so I [do not] regret it.”

On other off-court topics, a reporter asked Medvedev if he is superstitious, to which the 25-year-old said, “I feel like I’m not very superstitious. Just a little bit.” The third seed believes that many players’ superstitions simply come from routine.

“We need a good rhythm to play good, and to have a good rhythm you need to have a routine. The routine may be considered as a superstition,” Medvedev said. “For example, is it superstitious that I usually practise, of course if it’s not a first match at 11:00, three hours [and] 30 [minutes] before? No, it’s just to eat two hours [and] 30 [minutes] before [my match].

“But somebody [who] is more superstitious, [if] he’s going to win his first ATP title eating three hours [and] 30 [minutes] before, he’s going to say, ‘Okay, all my life I’m going to eat 3:30 before the match. We are all superstitious, some more, some less.”

Medvedev, whose victory against Davidovich Fokina was his first in Madrid, will next play 16th seed Cristian Garin for a spot in the quarter-finals.

Source link

Bopanna/Shapovalov Stun Top Seeds Cabal/Farah

Unseeded Rohan Bopanna and Denis Shapovalov closed out a day of upsets at the Mutua Madrid Open with the biggest one of all after taking down top seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah in straight sets on Wednesday.

The Indian doubles veteran and the 22-year-old Canadian have been a regular partnership on the doubles tour since 2019. They paired up for the first time since Roland Garros in 2020 in Madrid, where they are now into the quarter-finals.

One break of serve in each set made the difference for Bopanna and Shapovalov, who closed out the 6-3, 6-4 victory in an hour and 13 minutes. The pair didn’t drop serve once against the two-time Grand Slam winning Colombians, and they created eight chances en route to the win.

In the quarter-finals, Bopanna and Shapovalov will face Tim Puetz and Alexander Zverev after the Germans pulled off a surprise of their own in the second-round. Puetz and Zverev took down former Madrid champions Marcelo Melo (2017, w/ Kubot ) and Jean-Julien Rojer (2016 and 2019, w/ Tecau) 6-4, 6-4.

Also in action, third seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos dodged the upset bug as they took down Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev 6-3, 6-2 in the second round. Marcelo Demoliner and Daniil Medvedev saved match point in the second set against Wesley Koolhof and Lukasz Kubot, but the seventh seeds were victorious in a Match Tie-break, 7-5, 6-7(4), 10-3.

Sixth seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut defeated countrymen Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin 6-3, 6-3 to reach the second round. Fifth seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury weren’t so lucky against Alexander Bublik and Cristian Garin. The Kazakh-Chilean duo edged past Ram and Salisbury 7-6(5), 7-5.

Source link

How Alcaraz ‘Grew Up As A Player’ After Unforgettable Nadal Clash

Carlos Alcaraz’s 18th birthday celebration didn’t exactly go as planned. The teenager won just three games against Rafael Nadal in their second-round clash at the Mutua Madrid Open.

But despite the one-sided scoreline, the #NextGenATP Spaniard was all smiles in his post-match press conference after receiving the ultimate present from his childhood idol.

Playing the five-time champion on Manolo Santana Stadium, wild card Alcaraz stayed toe-to-toe with Nadal for the opening exchanges but wasn’t able to keep pace as the top seed got going. An abdominal injury early on jolted Alcaraz out of his rhythm, requiring a medical timeout, and the 13-time Roland Garros champion cruised to a 6-1, 6-2 victory. 

“I think I could have done more in this match, but at the end of the day, it’s Rafa,” Alcaraz reflected in his post-match press conference. “Playing against Rafa for the first time is never easy. The first or the hundredth time, it’s never easy. But honestly, just to be able to play against Rafa was super special.

“I think the next time we play it will be totally different. I will know more about how to play and how to carry myself on the court. I think this time I was too anxious to finish the points quickly. At some point I even forgot that I had Rafa across the net from me, and then he returned ball after ball. I could have been more patient. But it was an unforgettable experience for me that I will always have.”

The 18-year-old’s efforts didn’t go unnoticed by Nadal, who was generous with his praise of the teenager in his own press conference. But the top seed did more than just compliment Alcaraz’s forehands and backhands.

When asked to quantify Alcaraz’s potential for greatness, Nadal instead pointed to the teen’s work ethic and good character as his best attributes.

“I’ve spoken a few times when I’ve seen him at tournaments… I see a lot of great qualities in him already,” Nadal said. “For example when playing a match like today, he didn’t complain a single time and had a great attitude despite losing the way he did. In Australia, he had a 15-day quarantine, and he accepted it without complaint.

“When it’s time to train, every time I’ve seen him practice he has a great attitude and good energy. This is what I see from him on a day-to-day basis and I can see how he treats the people around him. To me, this shows that he has great character.”

Alcaraz, who also received a birthday cake from Nadal and tournament director Feliciano Lopez after the match, broke into a grin after hearing Nadal’s comments.

“For me it means a lot. For one of the guys who has been at the top for so long to laud you like this and say that you’re doing things the right way means a lot,” Alcaraz said.

“I’ve always said that Rafa is my childhood idol, and I am trying to follow in his footsteps. I never see Rafa make a bad gesture on court or complain, and these are things that can affect you on the court. I try to follow his example. I’m doing things the right way, and if I continue like this I think I can go down the right path.”

Despite the bittersweet ending, Alcaraz was determined to focus on the positives from his run in Madrid. The No. 120 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings claimed his maiden ATP Masters 1000 win in the previous round to set up the meeting with his favourite player, and he is eager for more matches like these against the top players.

“This match made me learn a lot, because I have to know how to manage the tough moments and know how to play against these kinds of players,” Alcaraz said.

“[These are] tough matches, tough players, and I have to learn how to play against them. I think if I could play more matches like this, I will grow up faster as a player.”

Source link

Tsitsipas Storms Past Paire In Madrid

Stefanos Tsitsipas has been a force on the ATP Tour this season, and the Greek showed that on Wednesday evening in a convincing 6-1, 6-2 victory against Benoit Paire in the second round of the Mutua Madrid Open.

The Frenchman battled hard despite an apparent abdominal injury. But anything Paire tried, Tsitsipas had an answer for, and he moved into the third round after 54 minutes. The 22-year-old is now tied with Andrey Rublev for the most tour-level wins in 2021 with 27.

Tsitsipas, who recently won his first ATP Masters 1000 title at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, played his typically aggressive game to storm into the early lead as his opponent struggled to consistently find the court.

After the first set, Paire received a visit from the trainer and the Frenchman removed kinesio tape he had on his abdominal region. Tsitsipas quickly broke to add to his lead, but the World No. 35 fought back. 

Paire, a three-time ATP Tour champion, showed the beautiful artistic game he is capable of with a variety of drop shots and cat-and-mouse play at the net. But too often the Frenchman was unable to harness his groundstrokes when trying to be aggressive from the baseline, and that allowed Tsitsipas to surge ahead.

The fourth seed leads the FedEx ATP Race To Turin by 350 points over second-placed Rublev. The Greek star is now 10-1 on clay this season. His only loss came after holding championship point against Rafael Nadal in the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell final last month.

Tsitsipas will next play Monte-Carlo semi-finalist Casper Ruud, who beat Japanese lefty Yoshihito Nishioka 6-1, 6-2 to back up his first-round victory against Felix Auger-Aliassime. It will be Ruud and Tsitsipas’ first ATP Head2Head meeting.

Source link

Isner Gets Revenge, Saves 1 M.P. In Third Set Tie-break

John Isner lived dangerously on Wednesday at the Mutua Madrid Open, saving one match point in yet another third-set tie-break against Roberto Bautista Agut.

Five weeks on from the Spaniard saving one match point in a 7/6(7) third-set win over Isner at the Miami Open presented by Itau, it was the American’s turn to savour victory in spite of a partisan crowd on Arantxa Sanchez Stadium.

Isner hit 32 aces to book his place in the Madrid third round with a 6-4, 6-7(4), 7-6(6) victory over Bautista Agut in two hours and 23 minutes.

Isner saw a 5/2 lead evaporate in the deciding set tie-break as Bautista Agut won four straight points. The Spaniard served for the match at 6/5, but struck a forehand into the net as Isner remained clutch in baseline rallies. Isner then hit a huge forehand winner and went on to fire a kick serve to Bautista Agut’s backhand to complete a memorable win.

It was the 60th time in Isner’s career that he has won a deciding-set tie-break (60-49). The 36-year-old has now struck 60 aces in two matches this week, following 28 aces against Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round on Monday.

Isner won’t be able to rest on his laurels. The former World No. 8 now prepares to face sixth-seeded Russian Andrey Rublev, who has a 27-6 match record on the season. Isner won their only previous match 6-3, 6-4 in Miami six years ago.

Bautista Agut, who saved nine of 10 break points against Isner, is now 2-4 lifetime against Isner in their ATP Head2Head series. The 33-year-old lost to Jannik Sinner in the Miami semi-finals last month and is now 16-11 on the season.

Source link