Google Play App Download

Tennis News

From around the world

Djokovic: 'The Love Affair Keeps Going'

  • Posted: Feb 18, 2021

Eight-time champion Novak Djokovic says knowing that he has never lost an Australian Open final gives him more confidence ahead of Sunday’s test against Daniil Medvedev or Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The World No. 1, who was speaking after a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 semi-final victory over Russian qualifier Aslan Karatsev on Thursday, said, “Of course, it contributes to [having] more confidence. Coming into the final, knowing that I [have] never lost in the final or semi-finals [at the Australian Open] just makes me feel more comfortable on the court.

“But each year is different, although it does have a mental effect on me [and] maybe on my opponents. It does definitely have a positive effect on me. It’s not a decisive factor in the way the match is going to go… Regardless of my great record, I think both Tsitsipas and Medvedev will want to get their first Grand Slam title.”

Djokovic, who injured his abdominal region in a third-round victory over Taylor Fritz last week, went on to discuss his route to a 28th major championship final (17-10 record) and how he played pain-free against Karatsev on Rod Laver Arena.

“I’ve never experienced the kind of a injury that I experienced in third round here, and had to deal with in the past five days,” said Djokovic. “I also had tough match-ups. I had big hitters: Fritz, [Milos] Raonic, [Frances] Tiafoe, [Alexander] Zverev. I just had to deliver my best [level].

“I see every experience that I have at the Grand Slams as something that I can actually draw a lot of lessons from, learn from and grow. [I] definitely had to stretch myself to the limit in the past five days in every sense, but I’m really pleased that in terms of [the] injury, it’s going in the right direction.

“I am surprised [by] the way I felt tonight. I think it surpassed, in a way, my greatest wishes and the way I wanted to feel… I didn’t think that I’d play without pain tonight. And I did play without pain.

“Each day [the injury] is progressing and getting better, and so today is [the] best [I’ve] felt. Hopefully, [the injury] will stay the same until the final.”

The Serbian, who has compiled an 81-8 match record at Melbourne Park, admitted he has always aimed to begin each season in good form.

“I think, as any other tennis player at the beginning of the season, I really want to get off the blocks and start the season in the best possible way. So I’m fresh, I’m motivated, I’m inspired to play my best tennis. Then, of course, the surface, the conditions, especially night matches are very suitable to my style of play.

“I just somehow always manage to find the best game when it matters the most. The more I win, the better I feel coming back each year…. The love affair keeps [on] going.”

After Rafael Nadal’s loss to Tsitsipas in the Australian Open quarter-finals on Wednesday, Djokovic is guaranteed to remain as World No. 1 through at least 8 March, when he will overtake Roger Federer to set a new record of 311 total weeks at No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

Source link

Updates: Djokovic Leads Karatsev In Semi-final

  • Posted: Feb 18, 2021

World No. 1 and eight-time champion Novak Djokovic leads Russian qualifier Aslan Karatsev 6-3 on Thursday night in their Australian Open semi-final. Djokovic is on course to reach his 28th Grand Slam championship final, where the Serbian will meet fourth-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev or fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece.

Karatsev didn’t appear to be fazed by the biggest occasion of his career, striking powerful groundstrokes to keep Djokovic behind the baseline in the first set. The Russian won four straight points from 0/30 to overcome his first challenge at 2-3, but Djokovic broke to love for a 5-3 advantage after Karatsev made three consecutive errors. Djokovic won eight straight points to clinch the 35-minute opener, which saw Karatsev commit 13 unforced errors.

The 27-year-old Karatsev is bidding to become the first player to reach the final on his Grand Slam debut. At No. 114 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, Karatsev is also attempting to become the lowest-ranked man to reach a major single final since World No. 125 Goran Ivanisevic at 2001 Wimbledon.

After Rafael Nadal’s loss to Tsitsipas in the Australian Open quarter-finals on Wednesday, Novak Djokovic is guaranteed to remain as World No. 1 through at least 8 March, when he will overtake Roger Federer to set a new record of 311 total weeks at No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

Source link

The Daniil Dilemma: Pick Your Poison

  • Posted: Feb 18, 2021

Confidence is king, and Daniil Medvedev has plenty of it.

The fourth seed is into the semi-finals of the Australian Open, where he will play fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas for a spot in the championship match. Nobody on Tour has more momentum than the inimitable Russian, whose tricky game has stymied all opponents across the net in recent months.

Entering last year’s Rolex Paris Masters, Medvedev held an 18-10 record on the 2020 season. Since then, he has won 19 consecutive matches, and is now two victories away from lifting his first Grand Slam trophy. Former World No. 1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov is not surprised.

“I always said he’s the kind of player where the more matches he plays, the better he gets. What‘s happening right now, it’s a logical thing because he played a lot of matches in the fall last year and luckily he’s won a few tournaments,” Kafelnikov said. “That gives him a lot of confidence and we all know how confidence can play a huge factor for any top-level player.”

What’s been most impressive about Medvedev’s run is that he has consistently faced some of the toughest opponents on the ATP Tour. Eleven of his 19 wins have come against Top 10 opponents. The 25-year-old captured the biggest trophy of his career at the Nitto ATP Finals — where he beat the top three players in the FedEx ATP Rankings — and led Russia to glory in the ATP Cup, where he faced the No. 1 player from opposing countries.

“Confidence is an important factor, especially at the level where a few points can make the difference,” Kafelnikov said. “That’s where the difference is for Medvedev at the moment against the top players.”

It’s not just been that Medvedev has been winning, it’s how he’s been doing so. During this stretch, the Russian has won seven of his 11 matches against Top 10 players in straight sets.

“The best feeling is when you win matches, so the more you win, the more you win in a row, the more it’s better as a feeling,” Medvedev said. “Some matches I could say, ‘I could do this better, this better.’ But for me the momentum, the confidence means a big part.

“I think you can see that once I lose it, I start to make more unforced errors and that’s where my game can be a little weaker.”

The million-dollar question: How has Medvedev found such success against the best players in the world so consistently?

“Every player at every level has at least one opponent whose style gives them fits,” former World No. 4 Brad Gilbert wrote in his book Winning Ugly.

Medvedev has been that player for all his opponents lately. The Russian blends impenetrable defence with opportunistic offence to thrive regardless of the circumstances. Players are forced to pick their poison: Attack too aggressively against someone who gets nearly ever ball back, and risk going for too much, or settle into rallies and allow the Russian to hit through the court with his flat, penetrating groundstrokes. Neither option is enticing.

Andrey Rublev led the ATP Tour with five titles last season and was 8-0 this year entering his quarter-final against Medvedev Wednesday, and yet the seventh seed was left throwing his hands up in frustration as he struggled to find solutions against his ATP Cup teammate. Rublev, like many others, was unable to solve the Medvedev puzzle.

“You need to be focussed 100 per cent every point, because as soon as you relax, then he will use this opportunity,” Rublev said. “It’s always important… to still try to bring all the balls back, because then for him, it’s also not easy. I’m not the only one who’s suffering, he’s also suffering, because in the end for him it’s tough to be always the one who needs to attack and then suddenly again to defend.”

It’s much harder than it looks, but Medvedev manages to transition seamlessly, which frustrates players even more. His next opponent, Tsitsipas, said after losing against Medvedev at the 2019 Rolex Shanghai Masters that “it’s boring” to play the Russian.

“He has a huge serve, and if you manage to get it back, it’s just countless balls inside the court,” Tsitsipas said at the time. “[All] you can do is hit as hard as you can side to side, be accurate, and make him move. Otherwise you can just play it back to him and play it again and play it again. It just keeps coming back, keeps coming back.”

Over time, however, the Greek star has come to appreciate Medvedev’s unorthodox game style.

“[I] might have said in the past that he plays boring, but I don’t really think he plays boring,” Tsitsipas said. “He just plays extremely smart and outplays you. He’s somebody I really need to be careful with and just take my chances and press. That will be very important.”

Medvedev is as confident as ever. Will anyone be able to stop him at Melbourne Park, or will he ride his tidal wave of momentum to his maiden Grand Slam trophy?

“I’m really happy that I managed to keep this momentum going so far, and it feels great,” Medvedev said. “Hopefully I can continue it for at least two matches.”

Source link

Karatsev's Quarantine Practice Partner: 'He Has No Fear'

  • Posted: Feb 18, 2021

Aslan Karatsev has enjoyed a dream run at the Australian Open, where he will play eight-time champion and World No. 1 Novak Djokovic on Thursday in the semi-finals. One player who is not surprised by the Russian’s success is his quarantine practice partner: Sumit Nagal.

“I am not amazed to be honest. I knew he was playing well as I was practising with him daily,” Nagal said. “I am happy for him and I hope he even goes further.”

Nagal, like Karatsev, competed in the Australian Open main draw for the first time. The 23-year-old Indian, who is No. 144 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, was able to tell how high on confidence the Russian was from hitting with him for two weeks.

“The amount of confidence he has is very high. He has no fear and he is going for his shots no matter what, which is brave of him to do,” Nagal said. “But again, you can do that when you have the confidence [he has right now].”

 

View this post on Instagram
 

A post shared by Sumit Nagal (@nagalsumit)

Karatsev finished his 2020 season by winning 18 of his final 20 ATP Challenger Tour matches. The 27-year-old claimed two of his three Challenger titles after tennis’ resumption in August, which followed a five-month suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nagal did not know Karatsev extremely well before their two weeks on court together. In their only professional match against one another, at the Milan Challenger in June 2019, Nagal beat Karatsev 6-4, 7-6(4) to reach the semi-finals. However, Karatsev was World No. 343 at the time.

 Sumit Nagal
Photo Credit: Mike Frey/Tennis Photo Network
The Indian is no stranger to big stages, winning a set against Roger Federer in the first round of the 2019 US Open inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. Nagal has been impressed by how Karatsev has handled himself with all eyes on him. One thing has stood out the most.

“Him sticking to his game plan,” Nagal said. “I really like that. He has an amazing backhand and is pretty explosive.”

Nagal lost in the first round of the Australian Open against Ricardas Berankis, and he is currently en route to compete in qualifying at the Cordoba Open in Argentina, more than 10,000 kilometres away. The 23-year-old is happy for his quarantine practice partner’s success.

“Him and his team have worked very hard to get where he is,” Nagal said. “I was happy to share the court with him.”

Source link

Grand Prix Hassan II In Marrakech Postponed

  • Posted: Feb 17, 2021

Due to COVID-19, the 2021 edition of the Grand Prix Hassan II has been postponed from its traditional April date. Consideration will be given to rescheduling the tournament later in the year.

Last year’s event was cancelled due to the pandemic. Frenchman Benoit Paire won the most recent edition of the tournament in 2019.

The Grand Prix Hassan II was inaugurated as an ATP Challenger Tour event in 1984 and as an ATP Tour tournament in 1990. The tournament is entirely funded by Morocco’s King Mohammed VI. Marrakech, relocated from Casablanca in 2016, is the only ATP Tour stop on the African continent.

Two Moroccans have won the title in their home country: Hicham Arazi in 1997 and Younes El Aynaoui in 2002.

Source link