Tennis News

Sinner The Winner: Jannik Clinches Maiden ATP Tour Title In Sofia

Jannik Sinner ended his breakthrough 2020 ATP Tour season with a milestone victory on Saturday, as he defeated Vasek Pospisil 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(3) to capture his maiden ATP Tour trophy at the Sofia Open.

Sinner withstood 14 aces and won 75 per cent of his first-serve points (45/60) to become the youngest man to capture an ATP Tour title in more than 12 years. The last player to have lifted a tour-level trophy at a younger age was Kei Nishikori. The Japanese earned his maiden ATP Tour title as an 18-year-old at the 2008 Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com.

The Italian also became the sixth player this year to lift his maiden tour-level title. He joined fellow 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals contenders Ugo Humbert, Casper Ruud and Miomir Kecmanovic in the club. #NextGenATP Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild and John Millman also captured their first trophies this season.

2020 First-Time Champions

Just one year ago, then-World No. 95 Sinner stunned the field at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan to claim the title. The 19-year-old has used that success as a springboard in 2020 to crack the Top 50 in the FedEx ATP Rankings and strengthen his position as the youngest player in the Top 100.

Sinner’s title run in Sofia completes a memorable 2020 campaign. The 6’2” right-hander claimed three Top 10 wins in 2020 and finished the year with a 19-11 record. As a result of his title run in the Bulgarian capital, Sinner will crack the Top 40 of the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday at No. 37.

Pospisil was also attempting to capture his first ATP Tour crown. The 30-year-old, who also finished as a runner-up at the Open Sud de France in February, ends his season with a 16-10 record.

Sinner attacked Pospisil’s backhand with deep returns and dictated rallies with his forehand to earn an early service break. The Italian served well under pressure and claimed the first set with his fourth ace of the match.

The 19-year-old increased his lead with an immediate break in the opening game of the second set, but his advantage did not last long. Sinner committed a series of errors, most notably on his forehand, to drop two of his next three services games and hand Pospisil a 4-2 lead. The Canadian served with confidence and levelled the match with his third love service hold of the set.

In a tight final set, Sinner continued to play with aggression on his return. That tactic paid dividends in the final-set tie-break as he claimed two mini-breaks and the trophy by extracting errors with deep backhand returns.

Sinner received 250 FedEx ATP Ranking points and collected €24,880 in prize money. Pospisil claimed 150 points and earned €19,795.

Source link

ATP Finals 2020: Rafael Nadal & Novak Djokovic head field in London farewell

Eight of the world’s best men’s players will close a fragmented 2020 season by battling to be champion at the last ATP Finals event in London before it moves to Turin.

Source link

Twitch Takes: Monfils & Murray Preview The Nitto ATP Finals

Have you ever wished you could be a fly on the wall to listen to the world’s best players discuss their peers? Gael Monfils and Andy Murray are making that a reality.

The two stars took to Twitch on Friday to preview the Nitto ATP Finals, analysing the field and providing their thoughts on each players’ game. They reveal memories of their past meetings and keep the conversation fun, too.

WATCH MONFILS & MURRAY’S TWITCH PREVIEW

“You’re very well dressed, Gael,” Murray immediately said.

“You know why? It’s because of you,” Monfils responded.

“I feel very under-dressed myself, to be honest. But next time… I’ll put something special on for you,” Murray said, cracking a laugh.

Come and Join @andy_murray and myself tomorrow at 8PM (7PM GMT) on https://t.co/Tk1TNA4qYm We will do a preview of the Nitto ATP Finals to be held in London from Sunday onwards. #NittoATPFinals 1/2 pic.twitter.com/ucD5kT632s

— Gael Monfils (@Gael_Monfils) November 12, 2020

Monfils and Murray will continue these Twitch streams beginning Monday to recap each day’s results at the season finale.

“It’s cool for us to share [our] opinions because people don’t really know our views on Tour,” Monfils said. “I think it’s great for us players to sometimes have a chat like that.”

Source link

Djokovic: 'I Want This Trophy As Much As Anyone Here'

Novak Djokovic has achieved almost everything in the sport he could have dreamed of as a boy growing up in Belgrade. And so, when he recently came upon a boy hitting tennis balls on the streets in his hometown while out walking his dog, he stopped to give the kid some pointers.

The proud and unapologetic Serb has had a hell of a year. He won his eighth Australian Open. Djokovic has won at least one major every year since 2011, excluding his injury plagued 2017 campaign. He’s won 39 matches against just three losses this season. And he recently clinched his record-tying sixth year-end No. 1 finish in the FedEx ATP Rankings. But the Serb is so good that we expect him to win, and so his losses tend to be magnified more than his wins.

Technically, he comes into the Nitto ATP Finals with nothing to prove, but if you think ‘Nole’ will be on cruise control this week, prematurely oiling himself up for a beach holiday, you don’t know the tenacious Serb very well. He’s won the event five times before, one fewer than Roger Federer, and a win at The O2 would be exactly the kind of early Christmas denouement the World No. 1 craves.

“Coming into the tournament knowing I already clinched the year-end No. 1 releases some of the pressure definitely, but at the same time it doesn’t change what I hope to achieve in this tournament and why I’m here,” Djokovic said at the tournament’s media day Friday. “I really want to win every single match that I get to play and try to get my hands on the trophy and I want this trophy as much as anyone here…

“I’m really hoping that I can end the season in the best possible way and the success that I had previously here in the past 10 years helps me feel more comfortable and confident about myself on the court.”

His adversaries in Group Tokyo 1970 — Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, and Diego Schwartzman — will no doubt shudder at the prospect of Djokovic feeling more comfortable and confident at The O2, where he’s won four titles. Overall, the battling Belgrade native has compiled a 36-14 career mark against the world’s best at this tournament. His finals ‘kill list’ includes tombstones for Nikolay Davydenko (2008), Roger Federer (2012, 2014, 2015), and Rafael Nadal (2013). As the legendary Italian tennis writer Ubaldo Scanagatta likes to say to Novak, “not too bad, eh”?

But Djokovic didn’t make it out of the round-robin phase of the tournament last year, the first time he’s suffered this indignity since 2011. He played 68 matches last year, against just 42 so far this year, so he should have more gas in the tank than he did at this time last year. And as he expressed at media day and in a recent Zoom call with Pete Sampras and Tim Henman, it’s a court and an event that he clearly loves.

“The [Nitto] ATP Finals is probably the biggest event that we have in our sport,” he said. “It’s probably the ultimate challenge in a season: facing the top eight guys of the year in a group stage format… it’s one of the most special events that we have in our sport.”

He’ll be the prohibitive favourite to win the tournament and to prevail in his opening match Monday afternoon against Diego Schwartzman, a first-time qualifier who is 0-5 lifetime against the Serb. But meticulous Djokovic knows that the Argentine has been red hot and is taking nothing for granted.

“He never played on this court but that probably is kind of releasing him from any pressure that he has to do well,” said Djokovic, 33. “Diego is in great form this year, it’s been the best season of his life, he deserves to be part of this tournament. I have lots of respect for him, he’s a fierce competitor [and] one of the quickest players on the Tour.”

Daniil Medvedev or Alexander Zverev, two of the hottest players on the Tour, are also in Group Tokyo 1970. He’s 3-2 versus Zverev and 4-2 versus Medvedev.

“Zverev and Medvedev are probably in the best form of anyone at this tournament indoors,” he said. “They’ve won two tournaments in a row and played in the finals in Paris. Those guys are very tall and have big serves and lots of weapons from the back of the court, solid backhands and forehands also. They’re complete players both of them and [they have] similar styles. You have to be at your best to win against those guys the way they’re playing indoors.”

The Serb said that it’ll be “strange to give a farewell to [The O2] without crowds” but insisted that he was grateful to have a chance to compete. Expect him to do so fiercely and with gusto, like a kid from the streets of Belgrade still trying to make a name for himself.

Source link

Rublev: 'This Is The Moment We Are Playing For'

From the start of the 2020 ATP Tour season, Andrey Rublev has achieved consistent success.

The Russian, who leads the ATP Tour this year in titles won (5) and tour-level match wins (40), has booked his place at the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time with confident performances. Rublev has won titles indoors, outdoors, on clay and on hard. But that does not mean the World No. 8 is not nervous about his debut appearance at The O2 this year.

“Of course, I am feeling nervous. It is my first time,” said Rublev. “You are with all the best players here and of course, you feel nervous. This is a normal thing because we are all humans… This is the moment we are playing for and we are working for.”

Rublev started the year by becoming the first player since Dominik Hrabty in 2004 to win back-to-back titles in the opening two weeks of the season (Doha, Adelaide). The Moscow-native began the year with 11 consecutive wins and continued to raise his game after the ATP Tour suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The seven-time ATP Tour titlist has won three ATP 500 titles since the ATP Tour’s August restart and reached back-to-back Grand Slam quarter-finals at the US Open and Roland Garros. All those experiences have left Rublev feeling a sense of gratitude. The 23-year-old took a moment to pay tribute to his support network ahead of his first match at the elite eight-man event.

“I am really grateful for everything that I am [experiencing], for everything that I have been through,” said Rublev. “I am really grateful for the team that I have [and] for the friends that are around me because they support me a lot. We have the same vision [and] they give me a lot of energy so, in the end, I am where I am today because of them.

“I have been working really hard. With all the support around me, it gives me double [the] energy and double [the] motivation. I am not alone and when you are not alone, it is much easier and you are much stronger.”

After winning his fourth ATP Tour title of the season at the St. Petersburg Open, Rublev voiced his opinion on whom he believed to be the best athlete in history. His answer was Rafael Nadal.

When the draw for the tournament was made on Thursday, Rublev was placed in Group London 2020 alongside the 20-time Grand Slam champion. The Russian is looking forward to testing his game against Nadal on Sunday evening, when the pair will meet for the second time in their ATP Head2Head series. Nadal won their only previous encounter in the 2017 US Open quarter-finals./p>

“I am looking forward [to the match]. He is one of the best players in the history of tennis, so I have nothing to lose. I’ll go there to enjoy. All the pressure will be on him and in the end, we will see what is going to happen. I will try to do my best and we will see.”

Rublev will also meet US Open champion Dominic Thiem and reigning Nitto ATP Finals titlist Stefanos Tsitsipas in round robin action. The seventh seed owns 2-2 ATP Head2Head records against both of last year’s finalists.

“All of the matches are really tough. It is the best players in the world of tennis competing against each other. Every match is so tough, so interesting,” said Rublev. “I played with Dominic a couple of times [and] I played with Stefanos a couple of times. I won some matches against them [and] I lost some matches against them, so it is going to be fun, it is going to be really interesting.”

Two of the past three editions of the event have been won by tournament debutants (Dimitrov, Tsitsipas). With form on his side, Rublev will be hoping he can continue that trend at The O2. The first edition of the event to be held in London in 2009 was won by a Russian (Davydenko), so why not the last?

Source link

Stars Gearing Up For Nitto ATP Finals

When the Nitto ATP Finals competitors pose for the official group portrait at The O2 in London, you know the action is near.

The eight singles players competing in the season finale gathered on Friday for their group shot, while also taking a special tribute photo to thank the National Health Service and all key workers.

^{Photo Credit: Wonderhatch/ATP Tour}
The singles players were split into two groups on Thursday. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic leads Group Tokyo 1970, which also includes Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev and Diego Schwartzman. World No. 2 Rafael Nadal tops Group London 2020 alongside Dominic Thiem, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev. 

The players participated in Media Day Friday, speaking to reporters and broadcasters before the season finale. Here is what some of the players said…

Rafael Nadal
“The atmosphere in this amazing stadium, the organisation has been great, the event has been very popular around the world. I think the ATP did a great job choosing The O2, choosing London and creating a fantastic event for so many years.”

Dominic Thiem
“The guy who has the better day is going to win and the guy who has the most good days is going to end up winning the tournament. The only thing I’m going to try to do is to be there 100 per cent and to be there completely ready on Sunday afternoon [for my first match].”

Daniil Medvedev On Winning The Rolex Paris Masters
“It was a great level of tennis, so I have confidence in myself, and I think it will help me here in London. Before, I won only one match in three or four years in Bercy, but this year I won the tournament, so I’m looking confident for this year in London.

Alexander Zverev On Facing Novak Djokovic
“Novak is a great player no matter where you play him. He’s tough to beat,” Zverev said. “I played him twice here in the same year. Obviously I won once, I lost once. He’s going to be difficult. I think he’s the favourite in our group and everybody’s going to look forward to playing him. You have to play your best to have a chance against him.”

Read Media Day Features
What Nadal Hopes To Change In London
Thiem: ‘Maybe I’m Even More Comfortable On A Hard Court’
Medvedev Finds His Mojo: ‘I’m In My Best Shape’
Zverev: ‘Everybody’s Looking Forward To Playing Novak’

The tournament’s 12th and final edition in London will take place from 15-22 November.

Source link

Group Envy: Diego Braces For Tough Debut

When Nitto ATP Finals debutant Diego Schwartzman was recently asked to name the players he would want in his ideal London group, the Argentine was just wishing for anyone who didn’t like an indoor hard-court.

That didn’t quite play out according to plan.

“When I saw the draw being made, my friends started poking fun at me,” Schwartzman said with a wry smile at his pre-tournament press conference. “And the media did as well, because I had wished for the other group and ended up in this one.”

Indeed, if there was any group of players with the weapons and qualifications to make Schwartzman sweat, they all landed Group Tokyo 1970, which is packed with in-form indoor hard-court heavyweights like Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev, along with arguably the toughest opponent of all: top-ranked Novak Djokovic, who is going for a record-tying sixth Nitto ATP Finals trophy. 

“They like more indoors than the other group, so it’s going to be difficult,” Schwartzman acknowledged. “They’re great servers, in addition to being solid from the baseline and they move very well… But we all know that either group would be really tough, with great players who have done well here and won titles. So any opponent in either group was going to be difficult.”

Without the ‘draw gods’ on his side, Schwartzman will be looking to make his own luck in London from his first match, which pits him against Djokovic in his group debut on Monday. The current World No. 9 is hoping to claim his first victory in six matches against the Serbian player. 

“Against Nole, you have to always play your 100%. It’s hard to think of something else, or try to be tactically better than him, or try to do winners,” he said. “You just have to walk on court trying to play your 100%, and maybe if he’s not in his best day, you’re going to have a few opportunities. 

“But always the first match is difficult for every single player, so I hope to have opportunities in the match and for sure I’m going to try to take them.”

Thankfully for Schwartzman, he’s already in ‘finals mode’ as he relishes the hush of London’s O2 Arena in his first Nitto ATP Finals appearance: lacking the dozens of fellow ATP players and coaches that accompany most ATP events, Schwartzman said, this tournament already feels like a major heading into finals weekend.

“When you first arrive to many tournaments, it’s full of people – difficult to practise, difficult to do everything,” Schwartzman reflected. “And here, we have a lot of facilities and it’s [rare] to see other players, you know? 

“That’s a really good feeling, because when you arrive to a tournament you’re thinking, ‘Okay, I want to be here almost alone, playing in the weekend [at the end of the tournament.]’ So that’s the first feeling that we felt, with my team.” 

It’s a feeling Schwartzman will be hoping to recapture as he seeks his fourth career ATP Tour trophy – and the biggest of his career to date. But reaching new heights has been a theme this season for the Argentine, from achieving a new career-high FedEx ATP Ranking of No. 8, to reaching three ATP finals in a single season for the first time, including his first ATP Masters 1000 in Rome.

“[Usually] at this time, I was always on holidays, and now I’m practising more than ever trying to beat the best guys on tour,” he said. “So I’m very excited, I’m trying to enjoy every single moment here, but also I’m trying to work really hard. I have the opportunity to continue doing a good season.” 

Source link

Nitto ATP Finals Doubles Draw Revealed

Three Grand Slam-winning doubles tandems will be in the same group at this year’s Nitto ATP Finals, it was revealed Friday evening in London.

Second seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury will lead Group Mike Bryan. The reigning Australian Open champions will compete in round-robin play against back-to-back Roland Garros winners Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies, 2017 Wimbledon titlists Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo, and Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic, who reached this year’s US Open final.

Top seeds Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares, who triumphed at Flushing Meadows two months ago, highlight Group Bob Bryan. The other teams in that group are Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos, John Peers and Michael Venus, and Jurgen Melzer and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.

Group Bob Bryan
Mate Pavic/Bruno Soares
Marcel Granollers/Horacio Zeballos
John Peers/Michael Venus
Jurgen Melzer/Edouard Roger-Vasselin

Group Mike Bryan
Rajeev Ram/Joe Salisbury
Kevin Krawietz/Andreas Mies
Wesley Koolhof/Nikola Mektic
Lukasz Kubot/Marcelo Melo

The final spot in this year’s Nitto ATP Finals doubles field was not decided until Friday, when Melzer and Roger-Vasselin advanced to the Sofia Open final. Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski earned the same number of points as eighth seeds Kubot and Melo, but they played more tournaments this year, giving the season finale berth to the Polish-Brazilian duo. Murray and Skupski will be the first alternates in London, and Australian Open finalists Max Purcell and Luke Saville will be the second alternates.

The doubles groups at the 2020 year-end championships are named after legendary doubles team Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, who announced their retirement earlier this year. The American twins competed together in the Nitto ATP Finals 15 times, triumphing on four occasions. Mike Bryan also lifted the prestigious trophy alongside Jack Sock in 2018.

ORDER OF PLAY – SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2020

CENTRE COURT start 12:00 noon
[3] K. Krawietz (GER) / A. Mies (GER) vs [5] W. Koolhof (NED) / N. Mektic (CRO)

Not Before 2:00 pm
[3] D. Thiem (AUT) vs [6] S. Tsitsipas (GRE)

Not Before 6:00 pm
[2] R. Ram (USA) / J. Salisbury (GBR) vs [8] L. Kubot (POL) / M. Melo (BRA)

Not Before 8:00 pm
[2] R. Nadal (ESP) vs [7] A. Rublev (RUS)

ORDER OF PLAY – MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2020

CENTRE COURT start 12:00 noon
[4] M. Granollers (ESP) / H. Zeballos (ARG) vs [6] J. Peers (AUS) / M. Venus (NZL)

Not Before 2:00 pm
[1] N. Djokovic (SRB) vs [8] D. Schwartzman (ARG)

Not Before 6:00 pm
[1] M. Pavic (CRO) / B. Soares (BRA) vs [7] J. Melzer (AUT) / E. Roger-Vasselin (FRA)

Not Before 8:00 pm
[4] D. Medvedev (RUS) vs [5] A. Zverev (GER)

Source link

Defending Champ Tsitsipas Ready To ‘Celebrate Hard Work’ In London

Defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas returns to the site of his biggest triumph at the Nitto ATP Finals eager to end a strange 2020 season on a high note. 

The No.6-ranked player is competing at the Nitto ATP Finals for the second time after an unforgettable debut that saw him defeat Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev and Roger Federer before toppling Dominic Thiem to claim the 2019 title. 

“Every year I get to experience being back here is thrilling,” Tsitsipas said ahead of the tournament. “It’s like a meeting spot for those that had a good year, just to be back here and celebrate their hard work, their dedication to the sport, and I’m very privileged to be part of it.”

Defending his Nitto ATP Finals title would be “the best case scenario”, but the Greek player acknowledged that he has his work cut out for him if he wants to become the first back-to-back champion since Novak Djokovic in 2014 and 2015.Tsitsipas landed in Group London 2020, which is anchored by 20-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal, who comes into the tournament on the back of a record 13th Roland Garros title –  and who was also the only player to defeat Tsitsipas at this venue during the Greek player’s run to the title.

“Rafa is one of the biggest fighters, one of the biggest icons of our sport, and having him in my group is an opportunity to go out on the court and try my best and fight my best against him,” Tsitsipas said. “He’s the favourite, we all know that. He has been more years on the Tour, he has been playing great tennis.

“But I’m more young than him, and I haven’t had that much experience. So I think playing against him is always an extra opportunity to prove myself, and be out on the court and try to find ways to win.”

Group London 2020 also features US Open winner Thiem in a rematch of the 2019 final, and is rounded out by one of the most in-form players of the season in Andrey Rublev.

“Dominic, we know each other for a long time. We are good friends, on and off the court. He has contributed a lot to my success, and he has inspired me in many ways,” Tsitsipas said. “[Andrey] is one of the most difficult opponents and for sure has been in a great run these past couple of weeks, playing a lot of finals and having a lot of titles in his pocket. So I’m sure he’s going to be in good shape and good form psychologically, mentally ready for his first appearance.

“They’re all difficult opponents, there are no easy opponents in this tournament. We elevate tennis, all of us. I think we’re going for a good show.”

Tsitsipas also acknowledged that while he’s “very close to 100%,” he is still managing the lingering leg injury that he’s struggled with in recent weeks, and that forced him out of doubles at the Rolex Paris Masters.

“I’m happy that I’m able to move more freely and less conscious of my pain. So it’s a positive feedback, and a positive thing to have, [because] this injury kind of mentally drained me,” he revealed, adding, “I was not quite sure if it’s the right thing to do, to keep playing, but I proved that the mind can do anything if you set yourself a goal and you want to pursue it. Right now, I’m feeling way, way better than I did in Vienna. I hope my leg stays the same.”

If he can make it through, Tsitsipas will be eyeing his second ATP trophy of 2020 after a victory at the Open 13 Provence in Marseille earlier this year. Tsitsipas also posted a run to the final at the Hamburg European Open and reached his second Grand Slam semi-final at Roland Garros this season.

“I’m grateful that I get to be among the eight players and be here to defend my title. I know it’s not easy to be in this position, and I’ve really worked hard for it,” Tsitsipas said.

“[Defending my title] would be the best thing that could happen this year for me. But for sure, we have to take it step by step, one step at a time.”

Source link

Zverev: 'Everybody's Looking Forward To Playing Novak'

Alexander Zverev has great memories at The O2 in London. Two years ago, the German earned the biggest title of his career at the Nitto ATP Finals. During that run, he defeated Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic en route to lifting the trophy.

This year will be different, though. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament’s 12th and final London edition will be played without fans. Zverev, who is competing in the season finale for the fourth time, will try to make the most of it.

“It’s a little bit upsetting, of course. London is a place where we love the atmosphere, we love the stadium and everything,” Zverev said. “It’s going to be difficult, it’s going to be different, but I’m still looking forward to playing in this beautiful stadium for the last time at the Nitto ATP Finals. It’s still going to be special.”

The fifth-seeded Zverev is in Group Tokyo 1970, which is led by World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. The Serbian leads their ATP Head2Head series 3-2.

“Novak is a great player no matter where you play him. He’s tough to beat,” Zverev said. “I played him twice here in the same year. Obviously I won once, I lost once. He’s going to be difficult. I think he’s the favourite in our group and everybody’s going to look forward to playing him. You have to play your best to have a chance against him.”

Zverev has shown good form since the ATP Tour’s restart in August, reaching his first Grand Slam final at the US Open in New York.

The 23-year-old has maintained his momentum, winning two of his past three tournaments (both in Cologne). Last week, he reached the Rolex Paris Masters final, in which he lost a tough three-setter against Daniil Medvedev, who is also in his group. First-time Nitto ATP Finals competitor Diego Schwartzman rounds out Group Tokyo 1970.

Zverev will try to carry his confidence onto The O2’s hard court. It’s the place where the German enjoyed his biggest triumph. Now, he’ll try to repeat that success before the season finale moves to Turin, Italy next year.

“I am looking forward to playing here for the last time in London.”

Did You Know?
Zverev owns a 7-5 record at the Nitto ATP Finals. Against the ‘Big Three’ of Djokovic, Federer and Rafael Nadal, he is 3-2.

Source link