The Millennium Estoril Open is the only ATP Tour event held in Portugal.

The tournament would have been held this week if not for the Tour suspension due to coronavirus. ATPTour.com looks at five things to know about the ATP 250-level tournament that started in 2015.

Venue Favoured By The Social Elite
The Millennium Estoril Open, created by Benno van Veggel and football agent Jorge Mendes five years ago, is held at the Club de Tennis do Estoril in Cascais, a popular beach resort favoured by the elite. The sixth film of the James Bond series, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, was shot in Estoril and popularised the town, which is 25 kilometres from Lisbon. In 2019, 42,000 spectators visited the tournament, while there were 1,000 hours of television worldwide, valued at €250 million in global sponsorship value.

Gasquet Wins Inaugural Edition
Richard Gasquet, a long-time visitor to Portugal, captured the inaugural title in 2015 with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Nick Kyrgios in 65 minutes. The Frenchman had come through a third-set tie-break against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the semi-finals. Treat Huey and Scott Lipsky beat Marc Lopez and David Marrero 6-1, 6-4 for the doubles title.

Charitable Efforts For The Underprivileged
The Millennium Estoril Open has partnered up with Academia Dos Champs, which teaches tennis as an innovative tool to instil strong, positive guidelines in underprivileged children and young adults. The academy, based across 10 centres, promotes the benefits of sport and how it transcends social classes, backgrounds and life circumstances. Having held more than 10,000 tennis lessons since 2009, it received a €15,000 ATP ACES for Charity grant in 2018 to conduct 1,100 lessons in the Cascais municipality.

Tsitsipas Returns To Triumph
Having lost to eventual champion Joao Sousa in a third-set tie-break in the 2018 semi-finals, Stefanos Tsitsipas returned last year to go one round further. Beating David Goffin in a thrilling semi-final, Tsitsipas held his nerve to overcome Pablo Cuevas 6-3, 7-6(4) for the first ATP Tour clay-court title of his career. “You really have to fight hard and give your soul out on the court,” said Tsitsipas. “This title means a lot to me. It’s on clay, it’s one of my preferred surfaces. It’s nice to have completed the clay-hard court title [sweep] that I’ve been fighting for.” The Greek had previously won two indoors titles at the 2018 Stockholm Open (d. Gulbis) and in February 2019 at the Open 13 Provence (d. Kukushkin).

Rich ATP Tour History
Prior to the Milliennium Estoril Open beginning in 2015, the country hosted the Portugal Open at the Estadio Nacional from 1990 to 2014, when the event was cancelled due to a lack of sponsorship. Eighth different Spaniards won the ATP 250-level tournament in the 25 editions, while the likes of Novak Djokovic (2007), Roger Federer (2008), Juan Martin del Potro (2011-12) and Stan Wawrinka (2013) were among the list of former champions. Portuguese Fred Gil lost to Albert Montanes in the 2010 final.

Rafael Nadal has won the Mutua Madrid Open five times, and he is off to a good start to his pursuit of the Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro title.

Nadal proved clutch on Monday in his first video game match played in Manolo Santana Stadium, squeaking by #NextGenATP Canadian Denis Shapovalov 4-3(3). The Spaniard leads Group 1 with a 1-0 record after the first day of action. He finished off his victory with a backhand winner, raising both arms and cracking a smile to celebrate.

The @RafaelNadal celebration ?

Rafa is off to a winning start in the #MMOpen Virtual Pro, defeating Shapovalov 4-3(3) in Group 1. ? pic.twitter.com/vFLP5jcSkR

— ATP Tour (@atptour) April 27, 2020

Also winning in Nadal’s group was former World No. 1 Andy Murray, who beat Frenchman Benoit Paire 3-1.

Argentine Diego Schwartzman opened the event with a close-fought win over David Ferrer 4-3(4). Ferrer, the former World No. 3, returned to the ATP Tour — virtually, at least — to help with this charitable event. Schwartzman took little rest, returning to the Caja Mágica’s centre court for a convincing 3-1 win over John Isner, giving him an impressive 2-0 record in Group 2.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, the reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion, did not disappoint with a controller in his hand. He defeated both Italian Fabio Fognini and Japanese Kei Nishikori 3-0, guaranteeing himself a place in the quarter-finals, which begin Wednesday.

In Group 4, David Goffin and Alexander Zverev picked up one win each against Lucas Pouille, both triumphing 3-1. 

Make sure to tune in to the Mutua Madrid Open’s Faebook page to watch the rest of the round-robin matches.

Monday Results

Group 1
Nadal d. Shapovalov 4-3 (3)
Murray d. Paire 3-1

Group 2
Schwartzman d. Ferrer 4-3 (4)
Schwartzman d. Isner 3-1

Group 3
Tsitsipas d. Fognini 3-0
Fognini d. Tiafoe 4-3 (4)
Tsitsipas d. Nishikori 3-0
Nishikori d. Tiafoe 3-0

Group 4 
Goffin d. Pouille 3-1
Zverev d. Pouille 3-1

Andy Roddick hasn’t played inside Arthur Ashe Stadium — the US Open’s centre court — since retiring in 2012. But for charity, the American will return to Flushing Meadows to provide three lucky people with the opportunity of a lifetime.

Former World No. 1 Roddick will play a doubles match with the winner of an #AllInChallenge charity auction and two guests on the same court where he lifted his lone major trophy 17 years ago. He will also share a meal with the trio.

“I don’t play much anymore, but still like my chances against most,” Roddick tweeted, following that with a smiley face.

Anyone want to play me at Arthur Ashe Stadium? I don’t play much anymore, but still like my chances against most 🙂 Thanks to @usta @usopen for providing access! Bid below! https://t.co/Nhl8driffU

— andyroddick (@andyroddick) April 25, 2020

Roddick, who says the USTA is allowing him to use the court for this cause. is trying to raise money for those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. Proceeds will go towards Feeding America, Meals on Wheels, World Central Kitchen and No Kid Hungry. With more than two weeks left in the auction, the current bid is $12,000.

Learn More About The Auction & Bid

Roddick consistently involves himself in philanthropy through his Andy Roddick Foundation.

On 3 April, the foundation, which typically focusses on after-school and summer programming, announced the creation of a Family Emergency Fund to help those families in Austin, Texas, in new ways during the coronavirus pandemic. Roddick told ATPTour.com that even the smallest donation will help. Not only does the closing of schools hurt childhood education, but he says there are families in the area that rely on the two meals per day kids get at school.

“It’s a huge deal. If you think about the cost of groceries, even the smallest donation can cover groceries for a day, which in these times is huge. That was our first goal: we’ve got to replace these two meals a day, to not throw a family that’s already potentially in a stressful situation in a financially stressful situation,” Roddick said. “Thankfully we do plan ahead so we do have a little bit of a runway, but we also have staff and food and there are so many different needs we have to fill right now. Anything we can get helps, and the Austin community has been amazing… Every little bit at this moment in time can make the difference for a family.”

So much for the quaran-fifteen. Matteo Berrettini is among the disciplined few who have been able to lose weight while on lockdown.

The 24-year-old made history last year by becoming the first Italian to win a singles match at the Nitto ATP Finals. But despite a breakout season that saw him finish at a career-high standing of No. 8 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, his attention quickly turned to improving his on-court stamina.

The powerful baseliner felt worn out at the end of a grueling season that saw him play 24 tour-level events and go deep in many of them. Although racking up match wins is a problem that any player would like to have, Berrettini decided to make off-court training a priority during last year’s pre-season in Monte-Carlo. He’s continued that trend while currently staying at his training base in Florida with his girlfriend, WTA player Ajla Tomljanovic.

“We were all tired playing at the end of the year, but all the guys [in London] had more energy. They were better than me physically,” Berrettini said to ATPTour.com “When the tournament finished, I told my team that I wanted to improve this for the next year. I wanted to arrive in better condition if I qualified again. I’m still in touch all the time with my fitness trainer, who is with his family now in Italy, and also my coach.”

Berrettini started putting more emphasis on lateral movement drills, while continuing to work on his endurance and strength. He also has time now to experiment with new methods of training and recently tried yoga for the first time.

The results of his hard work have already paid off. Recent photos that Berrettini posted on Instagram showed a noticeably slimmer physique.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Two different ways to handle quarantine ?? . . #pigra #kruzer

A post shared by Matteo Berrettini (@matberrettini) on Mar 30, 2020 at 1:18pm PDT

“If it looks like that, then that’s great,” Berrettini said, smiling. “I care about my weight, but it’s not my top priority at this moment. I don’t have to play matches, so I don’t have to be that strict with the diet. But it’s also very hot here and I’m working hard, so I’m sweating a lot. I weighed myself before and after practice the other day and had lost four kilograms.”

Most importantly, Berrettini is back at full strength after dealing with a lingering abdominal injury sustained during last year’s pre-season. The injury forced him to withdraw from the ATP Cup and he re-aggravated it before the start of the Australian Open. But while the Italian has spent more time in the gym than on the court over the past five months, it’s not an unfamiliar situation to him.

“My knee injury [in 2016] gave me seven months to work on my body, so I felt much better when I came back. This situation is much tougher though,” Berrettini said. “My mindset was to use this time to get better, but also come back as soon as possible. Now I’m ready, but understandably, the Tour is not.”

Berrettini also has some extra encouragement by having Tomljanovic join him in the gym. He’s used to having his team push him through grueling workouts and has found the support from the Aussie to be beneficial.

“We work out together and it’s really helpful that she’s there. She pushes me to run more and do more,” Berrettini said. “I used to work out with my brother and it helped me a lot, so I’m really happy when I can train with someone.”

Andy Murray is off to a quick start in the Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro, in more ways than one.

The former World No. 1 won his first match of Group 1 action, defeating Benoit Paire 3-1. Perhaps the highlight wasn’t the victory, but Murray’s in-match commentary.

“Where is my player going? Where are you going?!”

“Ahh, get there! Get there!”

“My hands are sweating.”

Murray simultaneously played the Frenchman and commentated on the action. There was no shortage of grunting, despite the players competing virtually.

During one point, Paire rushed the net and put away a backhand winner, which threw Murray for a loop.

“I’ve never seen you play that shot before, ever,” Murray said. “Normally you hit a drop shot there!”

Paire has a formidable two-handed backhand in real life, and Murray was keen to play the game as if both men were physically on the court.

“Why am I playing to your backhand?” Murray asked, criticising his own decision-making.

Paire held his first service game to take a 1-0 lead, but Murray found his rhythm from there, pumping himself up throughout, sprinkling in comments of “come on”, “that’s the one” and “tricky serve” throughout.

“Come on I need the break here. Come on,” Murray said after earning a break point at 1-1, before crushing a forehand passing shot down the line for a winner. “Come on!”

Murray was so busy bantering with Paire that he received a time violation warning on match point, but it mattered little, as the Brit quickly finished off the Frenchman.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, the reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion, has found a new way to give back during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Greek has launched ‘Beyond 100 Support’, an auction for which any money raised will go towards the Player Relief Programme, which will provide much-needed assistance to the players who are particularly affected during this time of the coronavirus crisis.

“As the youngest player in the Top 10, I feel responsible to help the future of tennis. I understand how critical it is for the sustainability of both ATP and WTA players ranked beyond the Top 100 and how difficult it is to make a living from professional tennis, especially with no tennis events going on for an undefined period of time,” Tsitsipas said. “Through the creation of ‘Beyond 100 Support’, I hope to start a movement that my fellow players will follow suit.”

Tsitsipas has donated several items to the auction, including autographed racquets, match kits and the opportunity to feature as a guest in one of the Greek’s YouTube vlogs. The ATP has donated Nitto ATP Finals, Next Gen ATP Finals and ATP Cup experiences.

View ‘Beyond 100 Support’ Auction

Pierre-Hugues Herbert had plenty of reason to celebrate last weekend. Not only did he ring in the birthday of his fiancée, Julia Lang, but he announced that the couple are expecting their first child.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

My birthday girl ♥️ and our special guest ??

A post shared by Pierre-Hugues Herbert (@pierrehuguesherbert) on Apr 26, 2020 at 1:34am PDT

Herbert revealed the news on Sunday in an Instagram post. Fellow players on Tour quickly jumped in the comments section to congratulate them, including Felix Auger-Aliassime, John Isner, Jan-Lennard Struff and Andreas Seppi. Herbert announced his engagement to Lang after clinching last year’s Nitto ATP Finals doubles title with Nicolas Mahut (d. Klaasen/Venus).

“Thank you Julia for saying yes!” ?@p2hugz announces on court he and his girlfriend Julia will be getting married ❤

?: @TennisTV #NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/WuaCCLlPOm

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 17, 2019

The Frenchmen continued their successful on-court partnership this year by taking title in Rotterdam (d. Kontinen/Struff). Herbert also posted a 7-5 record this season in singles, including tour-level quarter-finals in Doha and Montpellier.

Editor’s Note: ATPTour.com is resurfacing features to bring fans closer to their favourite players during the current suspension in tournament play. This story was originally published on 24 April 2016.

Rain in Bucharest, snow in Munich… Players encountered both ends of the weather spectrum on the ATP Tour on Sunday.

While the singles and doubles finals at the BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy were postponed due to persistent downpours, competitors at the BMW Open by FWU AG fought through the snowflakes ahead of the outdoor clay-court tournament.

Qualifying at the ATP World Tour 250 event was briefly halted due to a snow shower that hit Munich, and main draw players practising at the venue were also given a unique opportunity by Mother Nature.

“I have never seen anything like this before,” said John Peers, who is seeded third in the doubles draw with Henri Kontinen. “It’s the first time at an outdoor tour-level event that I have seen snow and matches had to be suspended. Being Australian it was definitely something different. We actually got lucky as it didn’t snow during practice, but literally right before and right after it did. It was so cold and our hands were frozen. Apparently we could get some more over the next day or two. Time to rug up I think.”

Do we have a “snow rule” @ATPWorldTour @BMWOpenbyFWUAG ☃☃? pic.twitter.com/iwZXmzyDTn

— John Peers (@johnwpeers) April 24, 2016

Less than two weeks ago, Neal Skupski was battling the heat and humidity at the ATP Challenger Tour stop in Sarasota, Florida. On Sunday, he and brother Ken were bundled up, hitting through the hail and snow in preparation for their first-round clash against home hopes Dustin Brown and Florian Mayer.

“It was actually my second time hitting in the snow,” Skupski added. “Many years ago I remember clearing the court back home (in England) with Ken to try it out for a bit of fun, but it’s not the same as practising for an ATP World Tour event. It was good to practise in it today because we may have to get used to it for this week’s tournament, looking at the weather forecast!” 

Canada’s Vasek Pospisil, seeded seventh in singles, experienced a taste of home weather with the April snow. He took to Twitter to comment on the rare conditions.

“We heard that it might snow today and I have to admit I was a bit excited because I rarely get to see snow anymore,” said Pospisil. “I started the day with a run outside and it was snowing a bit, which was good enough for me. It seemed to clear up but then it started snowing again when I began practising a few hours later. It was coming down pretty hard at one point. It was the first time I have played in snow as a professional and I have to admit that, although I had played in snow as a youngster growing up in Canada, I didn’t think it would ever happen again. It actually made me feel right at home this week. Canadians don’t shy away from cold weather.”

Main draw action in Munich gets underway on Monday, with snow in the forecast for much of the week.

Editor’s Note: ATPTour.com is resurfacing features to bring fans closer to their favourite players during the current suspension in tournament play. This story was originally published on 29 April 2018.

Players competing at the Millennium Estoril Open this week will be sliding on the red clay, battling for a coveted ATP World Tour title. But before the main draw begins, some competitors were sliding around something else — a surfboard.

Portugal’s own Joao Sousa and British No. 1 Kyle Edmund took time out to learn how to catch some waves with a special instructor — world-class surfer Frederico ‘Kikas’ Morais, ranked No. 14 in the World Surf League.

“It’s not easy to get the time to do this kind of thing normally. It’s a great activity and to be with Frederico, it’s nice,” said Sousa. “He’s one of the greatest in the world. It’s a bit windy, which makes it difficult. But hopefully we’ll have some fun. It’s gonna be tough, but we’ll give our best.”

The players certainly enjoyed the experience at Carcavelos Beach, even if they might not be joining a professional surfing circuit any time soon.

“He gave us some tips to make it a little bit easier,” Sousa said. “But I’m not sure our physical condition is perfect for this kind of sport.”

View Draw

Edmund, who advanced to the Australian Open semi-finals before reaching the championship match in Marrakech, enjoyed his time on the water as well, saying that Morais had the pair practising getting up on the surfboard and settling into their stance.

“I’ve never surfed before, only done stuff like jet skis in the water before. So it’s my first time, but I’ve got no excuses because I’ve got a pretty good instructor,” Edmund said. “I’m pretty good with adventure sports. I like motorbiking, and loved the jet skiing. It’s a bit cold, that’s my only excuse! But I’m excited to give it a go and to try something out of my comfort zone.”

To start the day, the pair also played mini tennis at the brand new Nova School of Business and Economics. But after some pre-tournament fun, Edmund is excited to head back to the tennis court, where he looks to maintain the momentum he gained in Marrakech.

“It’s one of my aims, to get my first title. So it was great to reach a first final,” Edmund said of his run in Morocco. “I obviously wanted to go one step further, but the experience will serve me well. The next time I’m in a final, I’ll hopefully be able to use that loss to my benefit.”

It’s an especially important week for Sousa, who is playing in his home country of Portugal.

“It’s always a special week for me, playing at my home and in front of my people,” said Sousa, who made the semi-finals of Marrakech. “It’s been a good season so far and hopefully I can play a good level and play good matches.”