Tennis News

Tsitsipas' Masters 1000 Chase: 'I'm Getting Really Close'

Stefanos Tsitsipas has won big titles before, with his greatest victory coming at the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals in London. But the Greek star is still searching for his first ATP Masters 1000 trophy, which he hopes to secure at the Miami Open presented by Itau.

“I would be thrilled to walk away with a Masters 1000 title. The opportunity hasn’t presented itself, but I feel like I’m getting really close,” Tsitsipas said. “I really want it a lot and the desire is there. It always has been. I’m always working to get better, and I think that’s what’s going to help me get to that point of winning Masters 1000 events. I feel also I just need more opportunities to get there.”

Tsitsipas is no stranger to good runs at this level. In one of his first big breakthroughs on the ATP Tour, he earned four consecutive Top 10 wins to reach the final in Toronto three years ago. The five-time tour-level champion also advanced to the championship match in Madrid in 2019.

This will be Tsitsipas’ third appearance in Miami, where he reached the third round in 2019. The Big Three of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are not competing.

“It is an opportunity, I won’t lie. It is an opportunity. There are plenty of good guys that aren’t in the top five that can play good tennis as well. I can see them as a threat, too,” Tsitsipas said. “I don’t see myself as the favourite of the tournament. I like to enter a tournament with low expectations and build my way through.

“I have a pretty difficult draw despite all of this. I have matches that I will really have to fight hard and give my best.”

The second seed will play former World No. 5 Kevin Anderson or Brazilian Thiago Monteiro in the second round. Tsitsipas could face 28th seed Kei Nishikori in the third round.

The 22-year-old will hope to maintain the momentum he has accumulated with a strong start to the season. Tsitsipas made the semi-finals at the Australian Open and at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, and last week he reached the final of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC.

“It adds a lot to my psychological state. I wasn’t expecting myself to end up in the final. I wasn’t thinking of the final when I first started playing the tournament. I was enjoying every single day there,” Tsitsipas said. “The weather was great, the people were nice. The crowds seemed very excited to have me there and I wanted to bring the best out of my game in the tournament. There wasn’t a single trace of negativity or any negative outcome until the final.”

Tsitsipas was unable to topple fellow Top 10 star Alexander Zverev, who triumphed in straight sets. The Greek admitted he has played better matches, and coming close without lifting the trophy has motivated him to come back stronger in Miami.

“I can only learn from it and it is something that I cannot go back and fix,” Tsitsipas said. “I might as well just embrace it and move on stronger and take that as an example and as a lesson that I wouldn’t want to happen again in the near future or in any other final that I might play.”

Source link

Rublev: 'I'm Afraid That I'm Just Lucky'

At the 2019 Miami Open presented by Itau, Andrey Rublev was at a low point. The Russian was the No. 99 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings and he had to go through qualifying after struggling with a lower back stress fracture the year before. He wasn’t dreaming of how quickly he could climb towards the top of the sport.

“I stopped thinking how it’s going to be and what to expect, because I was doing this maybe a bit before. The previous year I was thinking, ‘Oh, if it’s going well, maybe soon I’m going to be Top 20 or soon I’m going to be even higher’. In the end, no, I was injured, [and I fell] outside of the Top 100,” Rublev said. “Since that moment, I stopped thinking how it’s going to be… I’m thinking now about what to do to be better and that’s it.

“Because of injuries and all these situations, it helped me to be completely clear.”

Two years later, Rublev is one of the hottest players on the ATP Tour and firmly inside the world’s Top 10. Perhaps what makes Rublev stand out is that no matter how many titles he wins — the 23-year-old has lifted six individual trophies since the start of last season and helped Russia to ATP Cup glory this February — he is constantly searching for ways to improve.

“I want to be better and better. It’s not about what I’m doing now or what I did. It’s about that I want to keep doing this for a long term. I want to keep being better,” Rublev told ATPTour.com last week. “I’m afraid that I’m just maybe lucky, that maybe I’m not good enough. So that’s why I want to keep working to be able to see if I can keep playing the same way, on the same level for a while.”

It is clear that Rublev’s success has not come because of luck — his 57-13 record since the start of 2020 speaks for itself. So why does the Russian fear he is not good enough?

“It’s this kind of fear that it’s not enough,” Rublev said. “Fear that I’m not going to make it or fear that I’m not going to be good enough for a while. In the end, this fear helped me to improve, and that’s why I want to improve and improve. Also maybe because… if I do one mistake, I want to repeat to make it perfect. I need to have everything perfect. This is a bit of a sick mentality, but in the end, for the moment, it [has] helped me.”

Some players have grown to fear playing Rublev, since they know it will take a tremendous effort to beat him. When Marton Fucsovics walked off Centre Court in Dubai last week following his loss against the eventual semi-finalist, he told Rublev, “I hope I don’t play you anymore this year.”

Watch Rublev Train:

Ironically, Fucsovics is the first seeded opponent Rublev could play in Miami, if they both advance to the third round. The fourth seed will try to maintain his momentum at the season’s first ATP Masters 1000 event. The World No. 8 has a big opportunity at this level this year to gain points in the FedEx ATP Rankings, as he has only reached the last eight once at a Masters 1000 tournament.

Rublev, however, is not putting extra pressure on himself.

“I cannot control if I’m going to lose [in the] second round or not. In the end, it doesn’t matter which pressure you have, you cannot control it,” Rublev said. “If you win, you’re going to win it anyway. If you lose, it doesn’t matter what you’re going to do, or how much you’re going to think about it, you’re still going to lose. In the end, it’s just [important] to try to focus on yourself, on the things that you need to improve to do your best and that’s it.”

The fourth seed will begin his run against two-time Australian Open quarter-finalist Tennys Sandgren or Spaniard Pedro Martinez. No matter what happens, Rublev isn’t going to overthink his result.

“Even if I don’t do well here, I still have in a couple of weeks Monte Carlo. After Monte Carlo I have Rome, Madrid and Roland Garros. I will have chances and we’ll see,” Rublev said. “Even if I don’t do well in all of them, I still have next year, I still have the end of the year. In the end, all of us have pressure. We feel pressure. In the end, it’s a nice feeling to see how you deal with this.”

Source link

Murray Withdraws From Miami

Former World No. 1 Andy Murray has withdrawn from the 2021 Miami Open presented by Itau due to a left groin injury. His place in the draw will be filled by a qualifier or lucky loser.

Murray told the Miami Herald, “I had no issues while training, felt fine, did some gym work Friday, no problem…. Then I woke up about three [o’clock] in the morning, felt pain in the groin, not on the side I had my surgery, and when I got out of bed I struggled quite a bit to walk. I have no idea what I did. It’s one of those freak things. Each day it has gotten progressively better, but it’s not enough. I have not practised since Friday.”

The two-time former Miami titlist, who has not played at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament since 2016, last competed on 3 March at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam.

The 33-year-old, who has a 28-9 record in Miami, lifted the trophy in 2009 (d. Djokovic) and 2013 (d. Ferrer), when the event was held at the Crandon Park Tennis Center. He also finished as runner-up in 2012 and 2015 (l. to Djokovic both times).

Murray and his wife, Kim, welcomed their fourth child on 12 March.

Source link

Miami Open: Andy Murray withdraws with groin problem

Briton Andy Murray withdraws from the Miami Open because of a groin problem.

Source link

Magnificent In Miami: The Greatest Champions

Since its beginnings in South Florida in 1985, the Miami Open presented by Itau has been a showcase for the sport’s greatest champions. The tournament’s honour roll reads like a who’s-who guide to the best of men’s tennis, from Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi to Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Ahead of the 36th edition of the ATP Masters 1000 event, ATPTour.com looks back at the greatest champions in Miami history.

Most Miami Open Singles Titles

Ivan Lendl – Titles (2): 1986, 1989
Two of Ivan Lendl’s haul of 94 ATP Tour titles came at this event. The former World No.1 was the second champion to be crowned in South Florida, winning the 1986 edition held in Boca Raton before the event moved to its long-term home in Key Biscayne.

The Czech-American great won a tightly-contested final against Mats Wilander to claim the 1986 title, winning 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(5), 6-4. Lendl also advanced to the 1989 final without losing a set, but received a walkover in the championship match when his opponent Thomas Muster was injured by a drunk driver after the semi-finals.

Andy Roddick – Titles (2): 2004, 2010
Former World No. 1 Roddick racked up 32 ATP Tour titles across his career, including two in Key Biscayne. The American claimed his first title in 2004 with a victory over Guillermo Coria, who retired in the final. Six years later, Roddick won in Miami again to lift his fifth and final ATP Masters 1000 trophy, and his first since 2006. He fired 13 aces and didn’t face a break point in the final to win 7-5, 6-4 against Tomas Berdych.

Andy Murray – Titles (2): 2009, 2013
It’s no surprise that Andy Murray has always seemed right at home on the courts of Crandon Park. The Brit owned a home in Miami, just 10 minutes away from the stadium, for nearly a decade. He bagged two of his 14 ATP Masters 1000 titles at his home away from home, and reached the final on two more occasions (2012, 2015).

In 2009, Murray established himself as a threat to the new ‘Big Three’ with a 6-2, 7-5 victory against Novak Djokovic in the final. The win earned him revenge too, after suffering a 6-1, 6-0 defeat to the Serbian in Miami two years prior. Two days before this 31st birthday, Murray took down David Ferrer 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(1) to win the 2013 title.

Pete Sampras – Titles (3): 1993-94, 2000
In 1994, defending Miami champion Sampras was sprawled on the floor of the locker room moments before the championship match, suffering due to a stomach illness. In a great gesture of sportsmanship, his opponent Andre Agassi agreed to delay the match by an hour to allow him time to recover. Sampras famously bounced back, finding his form as the match went on to beat Agassi 5-7, 6-3, 6-3. 

‘Pistol Pete’ won his third title at the ATP Masters 1000 event in another memorable moment. His late-career clash-of-styles against baseliner Gustavo Kuerten in 2000 is remembered as one of the best championship clashes ever played at the tournament. The American needed a fourth-set tie-break to defeat Kuerten in an instant classic, 6-1, 6-7(2), 7-6(5), 7-6(8).

Roger Federer – Titles (4): 2005-06, 2017, 2019
The Swiss great triumphed against Rafael Nadal in what is widely considered to be one of the greatest ATP Tour finals of all time to claim his first Miami title in 2005. Federer came back from two sets down to win an epic five-setter 2-6, 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-1 against the rising Spaniard.

He would go on to win in Miami three more times, and became the tournament’s oldest champion with his victory in 2019. That year, he was also the first player to triumph at the Miami Open presented by Itau’s new home in Miami Gardens, the Hard Rock Stadium.

Andre Agassi – Titles (6): 1990, 1995-96, 2001-03
For decades, Andre Agassi reigned as the undisputed king in Key Biscayne. A product of the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida, the Las Vegas-born legend was right at home in Miami where he won six trophies and reached the final another two times. At the height of his rivalry with Pete Sampras, he came away victorious in one of the tournament’s classic finals, winning the 1995 edition with a 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(3) victory.

The former World No. 1 amassed the longest win streak in tournament history: He won 19 consecutive matches from 2001-04, a period during which he lifted the trophy three times. It’s a record that stands to this day.

Novak Djokovic – Titles (6): 2007, 2011-12, 2014-16
He became the youngest champion in Miami history at 19 years old in 2007, and he’s never looked back. The Serbian holds the joint record for most titles in men’s singles (also Agassi) and is only the second player to win the tournament three times in a row (from 2014-16, also Agassi 2001-03).

In fact, only one venue has been more successful for Djokovic than Crandon Park, having lifted nine Australian Open trophies at Melbourne Park. He has dominated in Miami more than at any other ATP Masters 1000 event, including Indian Wells, Rome and Paris (5), as well as the Nitto ATP Tour Finals (5).

Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan – Titles (6): 2007-08, 2014-15, 2018-19
The most decorated doubles teams in tennis history, Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan are also the winningest team in Miami with six titles to their name. The twin brothers won back-to-back Miami trophies on three occasions, and appeared in another six finals. By the time they retired in 2020, the Americans had racked up an Open Era record 119 trophies in 26-season careers, including all four Grand Slams, all nine ATP Masters 1000s, Nitto ATP Finals (four titles) and an Olympic gold medal.

Source link

Toni Nadal, Becker, Ljubicic Among Key Speakers At World Tennis Conference

Some of the world’s leading tennis coaches, including Toni Nadal, Boris Becker, Apostolos Tsitsipas, Ivan Ljubicic, Gilles Cervara, Nicolas Massu and Nick Bollettieri, will take part in the first World Tennis Conference, a virtual online event from 25-28 March.

Organised by the Global Professional Tennis Coaches Association (GPTCA) and the Segal Institute, the conference, which includes 63 speakers, is dedicated to education, training and assisting professional tennis coaches globally — whether they work in a local club or are travelling on the ATP and WTA Tours.

Visit World Tennis Conference Website To Sign Up

“We came up with the idea as a way to share the experience and inspiration of coaches from all over the world,” said Fernando Segal, the Creator and Director of the 2021 GPTCA World Tennis Conference. “Those who subscribe can listen to as many of the 64 presentations in four different languages — English, Spanish, Italian and German — as they wish and plan their own schedule. You can also watch every presentation for up for 30 days after the event ends.

“The World Tennis Conference presentations have been divided into four blocks discussing human transformation of a coach and player; sports science and the importance of data analysis; strategy, tactics and technique; and storytelling. There will be discussions on mental awareness, physical preparation, training methodologies and management keys to becoming a top tennis player.”

Dominic Thiem’s father, Wolfgang Thiem, Janko Tipsarevic, Andres Gomez, Rainer Schuettler, Andrei Medvedev, Louis Cayer, Liam Smith, Tomas Behrend, Victor Pecci, Dirk Hordoff, Frederic Fontag, Robert Davis, Juan Manuel Esparcia, John-Laffnie De Jager, Gonzalo Lopez, Marc Gorriz and Tito Vasquez will also be among the key coach speakers.

ATP Coaches Committee member Claudio Pistolesi, who will talk about the power of storytelling during the conference, said, “The purpose of the conference is to bridge the gap between coaches working on the professional tours and local coaches at clubs and academies. By joining the virtual event, thousands of coaches can utilise the advice given by the likes of Toni Nadal, or the playing and coaching experience of Boris Becker, in order to understand and prioritise the steps that are needed to build a tennis player.”

Alberto Castellani, the GPTCA President, said, “We are very happy in our mutual relationship with ATP to certify tennis coaches, and with this event we want to keep evolving and inspiring coaches all over the world with top quality information.”

The World Tennis Conference can be viewed via the TennisONE app on tablet, phone or desktop browser.

Source link

Del Potro Opts For Fourth Surgery On Right Knee

Juan Martin del Potro will pin hopes of a comeback in time for the Tokyo Olympic Games on a fourth right knee surgery. The former World No. 3 announced the news on his Instagram on Monday, when he revealed he was in Chicago about to proceed with the operation.

It marks the eighth time the 32-year-old will undergo surgery since winning his sole Grand Slam title at the 2009 US Open. The 22-time ATP Tour titlist has not competed since June 2019, when he fractured his kneecap at the Queen’s Club, London.

“I’ve been consulting Dr Jorge Chahla and the news is that tomorrow I’ll undergo another surgery on my knee,” del Potro posted. “We’ve tried conservative therapy but the pain is still there. He knows I want to play tennis again and be able to play the Olympics, so we agreed that surgery should be done as soon as possible.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Juan Martin del Potro (@delpotrojuan)

The Olympic tennis event, postponed a year due to the pandemic, is scheduled to begin on 24 July, a day after the Opening Ceremony. The Argentine won a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Games and a bronze medal at the 2012 London Games.

Since the injury, del Potro has had operations on the right knee in June 2019, and in January and August last year. It comes in a difficult year in which he lost his father, Daniel, in January, following a heart operation in December. 

“Of course, these last few weeks weren’t easy for me,” he said. “Everything’s so hard since my father’s passing. But also, I feel the strength he sends me from above. I had this day in which I woke up and called the doctor. I knew I had to try again.

“I hope I can overcome this painful situation. I won’t stop trying. Of course, your messages and best wishes are always welcomed. Thanks for the love. Take care.”

Source link

Quiz: Do You Know Your Miami Tennis History?

Who’s ready for the first ATP Masters 1000 of the 2021 ATP Tour season? Main draw action at the Miami Open presented by Itau gets underway on Wednesday. But first, let’s see how much you remember from Miami tournament history!

You may recall that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal began their storied rivalry here many, many years ago, but do you know who won that first meeting? Were you watching in 2017 when an iguana ran on court and interrupted a match? Which legendary American – Michael Chang, Jim Courier or Pete Sampras – was the first male player to complete the Indian Wells/Miami double?  

Take the quiz, share your results and challenge your tennis friends to see who does best!

Need to brush up on your Miami knowledge? Check out these resource pages:
Tournament Profile  |  All You Need To Know 

Click here to stay informed all year with tennis news from the ATP Tour.

<!–

Done with the quiz? Scroll back up to the top to see how you did!

–>

Source link

Third Time Lucky For Medvedev? Russian Faces Tricky Path In Miami

If Daniil Medvedev is to make it third time lucky and lift the Miami Open presented by Itau title he will may need to work his way past the likes of Alexander Zverev, Roberto Bautista Agut and Felix Auger-Aliassime for a place in his fifth ATP Masters 1000 final.

The World No. 2, who is hoping to improve upon a 2018 second-round exit to Zverev and 2019 fourth-round loss to Roger Federer at the Masters 1000 event, has been drawn to meet Sam Querrey or Yen-Hsun Lu in the second round. The Russian has gotten off to a 14-2 start on the season, which includes the ATP Cup title, an Australian Open final appearance (l. to Djokovic) and the Open 13 Provence crown (d. Herbert). Medvedev could meet No. 11 seed Auger-Aliassime or 2018 champion and No. 18 seed John Isner in the quarter-finals, with a potential 10th ATP Head2Head meeting against Zverev in the semi-finals.

Medvedev has won his past three matches against Zverev, including wins at the Rolex Paris Masters, where he captured his third Masters 1000 crown, and at the Nitto ATP Finals in November 2020. Six weeks ago, Medvedev also recorded a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory over the German at the ATP Cup in Melbourne. 

Former World No. 1 Andy Murray, the 2009 and 2013 titlist, is also a dangerous contender in Medvedev’s quarter and the British wild card begins his quest against Lloyd Harris, last week’s Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships finalist. Murray, who is competing at his first event since last month’s ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, could then meet seventh-seeded Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut in the second round.

Third seed Zverev, a winner of three Masters 1000 crowns from seven finals, may face 17-year-old #NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz for the second week running, or Emil Ruusuvuori of Finland in the second round. Zverev, who captured his 14th ATP Tour title on Saturday at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC (d. Tsitsipas), beat Alcaraz 6-3, 6-1 in Acapulco and afterward predicted that the teenager would be in the Top 10 of the FedEx ATP Rankings by 2024. Nikoloz Basilashvili, the No. 27 seed and recent Qatar ExxonMobil Open winner in Doha, could face Zverev in the third round.

Second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas may need to overcome the likes of Andrey Rublev, Diego Schwartzman, Denis Shapovalov or last week’s Dubai titlist Aslan Karatsev in the bottom half of the draw if he is to appear in his third Masters 1000 final (after 2018 Rogers Cup and 2019 Mutua Madrid Open). Tsitsipas opens his campaign against South Africa’s Kevin Anderson or Thiago Monteiro of Brazil, prior to a potential third-round clash against Kei Nishikori of Japan.

Fourth seed Rublev, who saw his 23-match ATP 500-level winning streak end at the hands of Karatsev in the Dubai semi-finals, could meet his compatriot in Miami quarter-finals. Karatsev, the No. 17 seed, who beat Rublev 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in Dubai on Friday last week, is set to make his Masters 1000 debut against Kazahstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin or British wild card Jack Draper, and may meet No. 10 seed Fabio Fognini in the third round. Rublev, meanwhile, will be attempting to better his Miami-best third-round exit in 2019.

The Russian, who joined Medvedev and 27-year-old Karatsev to win the ATP Cup last month, will start his campaign against Spain’s Pedro Martinez or Tennys Sandgren of the United States. Incredibly, Rublev may then face Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics for the third time in four weeks. Rublev beat Fucsovics in the Rotterdam final, received a walkover against the Hungarian in the Doha quarter-finals and also won their Dubai quarter-final last week. Fifth seed Schwartzman, Fognini or No. 17 seed Karatsev could be a potential quarter-final opponent for Rublev.

Jannik Sinner, the 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals champion and No. 21 seed, will first face French wild card Hugo Gaston or Germany’s Dominik Koepfer, who rose 17 places to a career-high No. 54 in the latest FedEx ATP Rankings. From there, Sinner could meet No. 14 seed Karen Khachanov of Russia. #NextGenATP Italian Lorenzo Musetti, who broke into the Top 100 for the first time on Monday after his Acapulco semi-final run, will make his Miami debut against American wild card Michael Mmoh.

Source link

Scouting Report: 10 Things To Watch In Miami

Newly-minted World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev will lead the way at the Miami Open presented by Itau, where the Russian star will try to claim his fourth ATP Masters 1000 title. The top seed, who is 14-2 so far in 2021, is on a tear after winning at the Open 13 Provence in Marseille to bring his ATP Tour trophy haul to double digits.

But there is a hungry field that will try to get in Medvedev’s way, including Acapulco titlist Alexander Zverev, runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas and Russian Andrey Rublev.

The draw for the first ATP Masters 1000 of the 2021 season will be made on Monday afternoon, and main draw action will begin Wednesday. ATPTour.com looks at 10 things you should know ahead of the tournament. 

1) Medvedev In The Magic City: Top seed Medvedev leads the field in Miami, and he brings with him plenty of momentum. The Russian led his country to glory at the ATP Cup, reached his second Grand Slam final at the Australian Open and arrived in Florida after winning at the Open 13 Provence in Marseille. Medvedev will be going for his fourth ATP Masters 1000 title. This will be his third appearance in the Miami tournament. In his previous two showings, Medvedev lost against the World No. 5 (l. to Zverev in 2018, l to Federer in 2019, ).

2) Breaking Up The Big Four: Medvedev also arrived in Miami with a new number next to his name. The 25-year-old will be making his debut as the World No. 2 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. His rise marked the first time a player outside the Big Four — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray — held a top two spot since Lleyton Hewitt was World No. 2 in July 2005.

3) Zverev Arrives In Good Form: Zverev brings confidence to Florida following an impressive run to the title at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC, where the German defeated Tsitsipas in the final. The 23-year-old is going for his fourth ATP Masters 1000 title, and his first since the 2018 Mutua Madrid Open. That year, Zverev reached the final in Miami with a run that included wins against Medvedev, David Ferrer, Nick Kyrgios, Borna Coric and Pablo Carreno Busta. The World No. 7 has been hot on hard courts, reaching his first Grand Slam final at last year’s US Open.

4) Rublev Revving Up: Rublev has been the king of ATP 500 events. He won four titles in a row at that level and racked up a streak of 23 consecutive wins that only came to an end last week in Acapulco. But at ATP Masters 1000s, it has been a different story. The Russian player has only advanced past the fourth round once, when he made the quarter-finals at the 2019 Western & Southern Open, thanks to a victory against Roger Federer. Rublev showed comfort in Miami two years ago, where as a qualifier he advanced to the third round.

5) Russians In Action: Medvedev and Rublev lead a red-hot Russian contingent in Miami. All four Russians inside the Top 50 will be in action, with 2018 Rolex Paris Masters champion Karen Khachanov and Dubai winner Aslan Karatsev also flying the flag in South Florida. Karatsev has been the breakthrough star of 2021, reaching the Australian Open semi-finals and claiming his maiden ATP Tour title just days ago at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, an ATP 500 event. This will be Karatsev’s first Masters 1000 main draw.

6) The Singles Field: Acapulco finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas and Buenos Aires champion Diego Schwartzman join Medvedev, Rublev and Zverev as the top seeds in Miami. Other players to watch include 2019 semi-finalist Denis Shapovalov, 2018 champion John Isner, 2017 Nitto ATP Finals titlist Grigor Dimitrov, as well as #NextGenATP players Felix Auger-Aliassime and Jannik Sinner. Auger-Aliassime, like his countryman Shapovalov, made the last four here two years ago. 

7) Murray Leads Wild Cards: The tournament awarded five wild cards, headlined by former World No. 1 Andy Murray. The Scot is a two-time titlist in Miami (2009, 2013), where he owns a 28-9 record. Rising talents were also rewarded, with #NextGenATP Carlos Alcaraz, Michael Mmoh, Hugo Gaston and Jack Draper also getting a spot in the main draw. Alcaraz, who is the 17-year-old charge of former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, will make his Masters 1000 debut less than two months after reaching the second round of the Australian Open.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by ATP Tour (@atptour)

8) The Doubles Field: Six players who have won the Miami doubles title will compete this year, but the only tandem that triumphed at this event was Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, who were victorious in 2016. The top seeds will be Colombians Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah, who in Dubai claimed their first title since the 2019 US Open. The team they beat in that ATP 500 final, Croatians Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic, will be the second seeds. Other standout duos to watch include Acapulco finalists Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos as well as Australian Open champions Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek. 

9) Double Duty: The Miami event also features a host of top singles players who will be in the mix in doubles. Recent Doha doubles titlist Rublev (w/Karatsev) will reprise his partnership with Khachanov, with whom he has made two Masters 1000 finals. Dimitrov will team up with Kei Nishikori, Isner with Taylor Fritz, and Zverev with Tim Puetz. Auger-Aliassime and Hubert Hurkacz, who won last year’s Rolex Paris Masters, will also be in the field.

10) Eyes On Grandstand: The Hard Rock Stadium is once again the venue for the Miami Open presented by Itau, which is into its 36th edition. The tournament was held the past 32 years in Key Biscayne, after one year in Delray Beach (1985) and in Boca Raton (1986). The event moved to the home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins in 2019, and featured a stunning centre court that sat inside the stadium. Due to reduced fan capacity, the Grandstand Court will serve as the main court for the 2021 tournament. 

Source link