Covid-19 lockdown: Up to 10,000 fans could return to stadiums by mid-May
Up to 10,000 fans could be back in stadiums by mid-May as part of the government’s plans to move England out of lockdown.
Up to 10,000 fans could be back in stadiums by mid-May as part of the government’s plans to move England out of lockdown.
Andy Murray is not surprised by Novak Djokovic’s Australian Open win against younger opponent Daniil Medvedev.
Ugo Humbert claimed his first victory at the Open Sud de France on Monday, as he defeated Norbert Gombos 6-3, 7-6(3) in Montpellier.
The sixth seed, who lost in the first round at this event in 2019 and 2020, recovered from 2-5 down in the second set to advance in 78 minutes. Humbert struck 18 aces and dropped just six points behind his first serve (42/48) to improve to 2-2 in 2021. Since competing at last year’s edition of the ATP 250, Humbert has doubled his ATP Tour trophy collection (2) and risen to a career-high No. 30 in the FedEx ATP Rankings (November 2020).
[WATCH LIVE 2]Humbert is aiming to become the fifth Frenchman to claim the Montpellier title since the tournament made its ATP Tour debut in 2010. Eight of the previous 10 editions of the singles event have been won by French players.
Humbert is chasing his third ATP Tour title on hard courts in 13 months. Last year, the Frenchman claimed his first two tour-level trophies in Auckland and Antwerp. The 22-year-old will face Dutch qualifier Tallon Griekspoor or American Marcos Giron in the second round.
Yoshihito Nishioka battled past Michael Mmoh 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 on Monday at the Singapore Tennis Open to earn his first victory of 2021.
The Japanese No. 2 entered the match on a four-match losing streak, but he broke serve on three occasions and won 71 per cent of his service points (53/75) to overcome Mmoh in one hour and 58 minutes.
Nishioka is aiming to capture his second ATP Tour title this week. The 25-year-old, who won his maiden tour-level crown at 2018 Shenzhen, will meet Maxime Cressy for a place in the quarter-finals.
Earlier in the day, Cressy claimed his second win of the year. The American, who fell in three sets to Alexander Zverev in the Australian Open second round, converted three of his five break points to beat Jason Jung 7-6(4), 6-2.
[WATCH LIVE 3]#NextGenATP Bulgarian Adrian Andreev earned his second tour-level victory with a 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 comeback win against seventh seed Lloyd Harris. The 19-year-old saved 12 of the 15 break points he faced to overcome Harris in two hours and 19 minutes.
“It is very difficult to compete at this level and sometimes when you are beginning to play such tournaments, you have this disbelief,” said Andreev. “But when I won the match, it proved to myself that I can play at this level and the third set proves to me that I can compete if I have the right mindset.”
Andreev will face Alexei Popyrin for a place in his maiden ATP Tour quarter-final. Popyrin held his nerve to claim a 7-6(5), 7-6(5) win over American qualifier Christopher Eubanks.
Taro Daniel withstood 15 aces to beat India’s Ramkumar Ramanathan 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-3. The 28-year-old will meet third seed Marin Cilic in the second round.
“Cilic has a huge game, big serves and ground strokes,” said Daniel. “I think that there [will] be more high-paced rallies, so I definitely need to be on top of my service game. I will be looking to pressure him with my serves and also move him around because that’s probably his weakness if there is one. Either way, he is a Grand Slam champion [and a] two-time [Grand Slam runner-up], so I have to be on top of my game. I have nothing to lose and I’m pretty excited to be playing him.”
In his latest BBC Sport column, Jamie Murray talks about going close to another Australian Open final and the “stress” of upcoming uncertainty for tennis.
On the morning after his record-extending ninth Australian Open final victory, Novak Djokovic visited Brighton Beach to reflect on his 18th Grand Slam triumph.
The World No. 1, who joined 13-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal as only the second man to win nine or more titles at the same major championship, took the time to thank the fans who supported him inside Rod Laver Arena on Sunday night. Djokovic was backed by not only the Australian fans, but also a strong contingent of Serbian supporters during his 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 triumph against Daniil Medvedev.
“I had great support last night. I thought it was fantastic to play in front of the people,” said Djokovic. “We probably had more than half the stadium full and I thought the atmosphere was electric. Serbian supporters were really loud and brought a lot of energy to the stadium and to myself.
“[They] backed me from the very first point. Playing in such an atmosphere always gives you wings, it gives you wind in the sails, in a way. I started off the match very strongly from the first point and I kept that momentum going all the way through. They were one of the biggest reasons why I played the way I played last night.”
In the hours after lifting the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup for the ninth time, Djokovic celebrated his victory with his closest friends and family and began to pack for the trip home.
“I had a late, late dinner, had a little chat with the team, listened to some music and started packing,” said Djokovic. “I went to bed, called my family and tried to share the adrenaline and great feelings that I have been experiencing with the closest people in my life. I tried to sleep, but I couldn’t sleep much. The adrenaline has settled in a little bit now, but it still feels great. I am obviously very fulfilled, happy and joyful to be holding this trophy again.”
Since his first major triumph, Djokovic’s post-final celebrations have evolved over time. The 18-time Grand Slam champion was just 20 years old when he defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to win his maiden major title at this event in 2008 and, back then, his celebrations were more extravagant. These days, as a husband and father to two children, Djokovic’s priorities have changed.
“There is always a way to celebrate and it is just different every time… When I go back home, I will definitely celebrate with my family, with my friends,” said Djokovic. “I used to go wild and go to discotheques and nightclubs… Now, it is a bit different. [It is] a different kind of celebration, more of a homely celebration with family and the closest people.”
Prior to his visit to Brighton Beach on Monday, Djokovic visited his doctor for an update on the abdominal oblique muscle tear he suffered during his third-round victory against Taylor Fritz. The Serbian played through the pain in his next two matches against Milos Raonic and Alexander Zverev, before he recorded back-to-back wins against Alsan Karatsev and Medvedev to win his third straight trophy in Melbourne.
“I just actually came from another MRI that I had done this morning. The damage is bigger than what it was when it happened, when I did the first MRI after the third round,” said Djokovic. “It is not too bad, judging by what the doctor said, but I will have to take some time off and heal. The tear is bigger. It is 2.5 centimetres, 25 millimetres. It started at 1.7 [centimetres].”
Djokovic may be one of the most successful players in Grand Slam history, but he is still learning new lessons in each major championship he competes at. The 6’2” right-hander’s injury struggles in Melbourne provided him with crucial experience in how to manage any similar issues at future events.
“[The biggest lesson I learned was] resilience and the ability to deal with an injury mid-way through a tournament. It is something really that I haven’t really, to that extent, experienced before,” said Djokovic. “I definitely have been tested a lot, mentally and physically, and just managed one day at a time. [I] understood that if things are done really properly, regardless of what kind of circumstances you are in, you can still manage to find a way out and go all the way.”
No. 42 Aslan Karatsev, +72 (Career High)
The Russian rose 72 places to break into the Top 50 of the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time at No. 42 after a run to the Australian Open semi-finals (l. to Djokovic). The 27-year-old, who qualified for his first Grand Slam championship and beat eighth seed Diego Schwartzman, No. 18 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and No. 20 seed Grigor Dimitrov in Melbourne, was ranked No. 262 just 12 months ago. Karatsev, who was the first man in the Open Era to reach the semi-finals on his major championship debut, joined Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev in Russia’s ATP Cup-winning team earlier this month.
View FedEx ATP Rankings
No. 3 Daniil Medvedev, +1 (Career High)
The Russian claimed five straight-sets wins en route to his second Grand Slam championship final (also 2019 US Open), where he saw his 20-match winning streak come to an end at the hands of Novak Djokovic, who won 7-5, 6-2, 6-2. The 25-year-old, who beat Top 10 opponents Rublev and Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach the Australian Open title match, rose one spot to a career-high No. 3.
Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 11 Denis Shapovalov, +1
No. 17 Grigor Dimitrov, +4
No. 24 Casper Ruud, +4 (Career High)
No. 55 Pablo Andujar, +4
No. 57 Feliciano Lopez, +8
No. 65 Cameron Norrie, +4
No. 76 Radu Albot, +9
No. 81 Soowoo Kwon, +16
No. 82 Lloyd Harris, +9
Stories like this don’t come very often. On Sunday, Jenson Brooksby completed an improbable run to his maiden ATP Challenger Tour crown, digging deep to secure the title in Potchefstroom, South Africa.
After missing 14 months with a toe injury, the #NextGenATP American impressed in just his third tournament back – and just his third since turning pro – lifting the trophy at the PotchOpen II. Brooksby rallied from a set down to defeat Teymuraz Gabashvili 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 for the hard-court title after one hour and 45 minutes.
An aggressive player and a fiery competitor, Brooksby demonstrated both of those traits as he battled for the trophy in Potchefstroom. Not only did he come back from a set down in both his first-round match (d. Peniston) and the final, but he was forced to go the distance against last week’s Potchefstroom I champion Benjamin Bonzi as well. It was a breakout week for the 20-year-old from California.
Brooksby is a former U.S. junior champion, who sent shockwaves throughout the tennis world with an upset of Tomas Berdych at the 2019 US Open. It was in New York that an 18-year-old Brooksby successfully qualified for his home Grand Slam, before defeating the former World No. 4. He would then push 17th seed Nikoloz Basilashvili to four sets in the second round.
Having enrolled to play college tennis at Baylor University, Brooksby was set to embark on the next step in his journey, but a toe injury would sideline him indefinitely in late 2019. He would not step on a match court for 14 months, eventually opting to turn pro to open his 2021 campaign. The decision would pay dividends. Just three tournaments into his comeback, he lifted the trophy in Potchefstroom.
Brooksby rises 66 spots to a career-high No. 249 in the FedEx ATP Rankings and is up to seventh in the ATP Race To Milan. He is one of three #NextGenATP Americans making moves in 2021, joining Sebastian Korda and Brandon Nakashima as players from the United States seeking to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals. In fact, the trio have all won Challenger titles already this year, with Korda and Nakashima prevailing in consecutive weeks in Quimper I and Quimper II.
The Sacramento native spoke to ATPTour.com following the victory…
Congrats Jenson. How does it feel to win your first Challenger title?
It feels great. With the work I’ve put in throughout the year and now during the tournaments, it’s great to get my first Challenger title today for sure.
How did you get it done today? Competing in your first final, were you nervous?
I was pretty nervous at the start. Teymuraz started out strong and caught me a bit off guard, but I battled past the nerves, thankfully, to get through.
This was just your third tournament after missing all of 2020. How do you explain your sudden success?
I knew that in 2019 I had a good year, winning my first match at the US Open and also the results leading up to that. But I had a couple injuries at the start of 2020 and then COVID happened. I knew I always had this level in me, but I’m just happy to be out here competing again.
Can you describe the injury and how you were able to recover? What was the process like?
The bad one was a toe injury in December 2019, that kept me from playing college matches in early 2020. I was in a boot for a couple months and it took a while to get back on the court. But you just have to stay motivated through whatever happens.
After those struggles, how can a week like this build your confidence and rhythm going forward?
It gives me great confidence that my game is getting better and be more disciplined out here. I can hold my nerve and compete with these guys and win. I’m looking forward to the next tournaments coming up and the rest of the year.
Who is your coach and what did you work on to prepare to turn pro this year?
My coach, Nick Bezzubchenko, is here with me and we’ve put in a lot of work together. This is the third week in a row we’ve been traveling and he’s helped me a lot to stay motivated and get my game better. And I owe a lot to Joseph Gilbert back home for always keeping me tough, so thanks to them both. They’ve been a great help for me.
You have a very aggressive game style and play with a lot of energy. Who inspired you and where does that come from?
I would say my coach Joseph back at home [at the JMG Tennis Academy in Sacramento, California]. I’ve been with him since I’m seven years old. Through the tough moments and the good moments he’s always been there for me, so I’m really appreciative. He’s definitely brought my game to where it is today.
We know it’s a difficult time in South Africa with COVID. How did they make you feel comfortable and safe in Potchefstroom?
I didn’t know what to expect coming to South Africa for the first time, but I’ve enjoyed coming here. The court setup and the hotel setup were perfect, both weeks I’ve been here. They did a great job creating a bubble for us to compete in. Thanks to everyone for helping to host the tournaments. They all did incredible work.
You’re back inside the Top 300 with this title. How high can you climb in 2021?
I don’t have any goals, but I want to be Top 100. I don’t set any limits on myself to where I can go. I’m taking it week-by-week, trying to get better.
For those of us that don’t know you, tell us something. What do you enjoy doing off the court?
Back in California, it’s definitely the piano. I love playing piano at home. That’s the most fun thing I do off the court.
Six weeks into the 2021 season and three Italians have already laid down early markers for a spot at the Nitto ATP Finals, which will be held at the Pala Alpitour in Turin from 14-21 November.
Matteo Berrettini, who joined forces with Fabio Fognini to lead Italy into the ATP Cup final (l. to Russia), sits in sixth position on 495 points in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin. Berrettini, who made his Nitto ATP Finals debut in 2019, has a 6-1 match record this year after a run to the Australian Open fourth round.
Fognini, who lost to Rafael Nadal (360 points) in the fourth round at Melbourne Park, will be hoping to delight Italian fans by securing his first singles qualification at the season finale. The 33-year-old Fognini, who partnered Simone Bolelli in the 2015 doubles competition at The O2 in London, sits in ninth place (380 points).
Jannik Sinner also got his 2021 campaign off to a strong start by earning his second ATP Tour trophy at the Great Ocean Road Open (d. Travaglia) prior to the hard-court major championship. The 19-year-old #NextGenATP star, who captured the 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals trophy in Milan, is currently tied in 14th position with 260 points.
View Latest FedEx ATP Race To Turin Standings
The 2021 FedEx ATP Race To Turin already has a familiar feel with eight of the Top 12 positions filled with former Nitto ATP Finals participants.
While Novak Djokovic, defending champion Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas currently hold the top three spots, Aslan Karatsev, who qualified for the Australian Open and reached the semi-finals (l. to Djokovic), has jumped 325 places to fourth position on 745 points. The 27-year-old Russian is just 75 points ahead of his ATP Cup team mate, Andrey Rublev (670 points), who lost to compatriot Medvedev in the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park.
The 22-year-old Australian Alex de Minaur, who captured his fourth ATP Tour title at the Antalya Open (d. Bublik) in the first week of 2021, and 20-year-old #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, who advanced to the Australian Open fourth round (l. to Karatsev) after a runner-up finish at the Murray River Open (l. to Evans), are placed 11th and 12th respectively.
Medvedev, who beat Dominic Thiem for the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals crown, is currently 440 points behind five-time former titlist Djokovic (2,140 points). World No. 1 Djokovic ended Medvedev’s 20-match winning streak on Sunday with 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 victory for his ninth Australian Open title.
They are joined in the Top 10 of the FedEx ATP Race To Turin by three other former champions: third-placed Greek Tsitsipas (2019), who lost to Medvedev in the semi-finals at Melbourne Park, No. 7-placed German Alexander Zverev (2018) and No. 8-placed Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov (2017), who both reached the last eight at the hard-court major.
Nadal, the 2010 and 2013 runner-up at the Nitto ATP Finals, is in 10th position on 360 points. The Spaniard has qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals every year since 2005.
Did You Know?
The top seven players in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin after the Rolex Paris Masters on 8 November 2021 qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals. If there is one current-year Grand Slam champion positioned between No. 8 and No. 20 in the Race, he qualifies in eighth place. If there are two current-year Grand Slam champions positioned between No. 8 and No. 20 in the Race, the highest-placed of those players becomes the eighth and final qualifier; the lower-placed Grand Slam champion will serve as the alternate. If there are no current-year Grand Slam champions positioned between No. 8 and No. 20, then the player at No. 8 in the Race will claim the eighth and final berth.
You’ll forgive Craig Tiley if he’s sprouted an extra gray hair or two in recent months. The Tennis Australia CEO had been tasked with the formidable challenge, after all, to host a global sporting event amidst a global pandemic.
His plan was ingenious, really, though even Tiley anticipated a few stumbles along the way. The Australian Open had already been pushed back from its original start date of 18 January to 8 February, with qualifying rounds moved to Doha and Dubai. Alternating between the roles of tournament director and ad hoc health administrator, Tiley, never more removed from his days as tennis coach at the University of Illinois, would bring some 1,200 athletes and coaches to Melbourne on more than a dozen chartered flights from all corners of the world.
“We have now a chance to showcase our ability as the major events capital of the world, as well as our capability of delivering these events in what is a very challenging time for all of us,” said Tiley of the ambitious agenda, which included the lead-up Great Ocean Road Open, Murray River Open, ATP Cup and three WTA 500 events.
In addition to daily COVID-19 testing, the new arrivals would be required to quarantine in their respective hotel rooms, which in itself produced some comedic results. Oh, the ingenuity. Pablo Cuevas invented the sport of bed surfing; Tennys Sandgren shoulder-pressed his stationary bike; Denis Shapovalov ran serpentine sprints in his entryway; Bernard Tomic’s girlfriend, the reality TV star Vanessa Sierra, was forced to shampoo her own hair.
When news of positive COVID tests traced to the flights from LA and Doha surfaced, 72 players were forced into “hard” quarantine. While others were allotted five hours of supervised daily release that included practice time, they were mandated to hold up in their rooms for 14 days.
If ever there were a labour of love, this was it. Both financially and otherwise.
TA reportedly poured some $AU40 million into the logistical effort, knowing all along that a reduced crowd capacity would cost the governing body millions more. This while offering $AU80 million in prize money. When the tournament finally got underway, it was a revelation; actual spectators in the stands, cheering on their racquet-wielding heroes. For some, it felt like time travel, a return to the pre-COVID existence they once knew.
“We have to be very thankful for being able to play a tournament in the middle of a pandemic and to pull that through in such a tough and delicate moment,” said Grigor Dimitrov, who went on to reach the quarter-finals. “We all know what is going on in the world. It’s tough. It’s very uncomfortable. It makes life difficult for so many, not only for us as athletes but for people around the world. For us to be able to play, to perform, it means a lot.”
“We’re lucky to be able to keep doing our job, without a doubt. We can’t complain at all,” echoed second seed Rafael Nadal, who likened the tournament, and all its moving parts, to a traveling circus.
Those stumbles anticipated by Tiley would indeed come. Midway through the fortnight, a cluster of coronavirus cases surfaced at an airport hotel, leading Daniel Andrews, Premier of the Australian state of Victoria, to implement a five-day lockdown, meaning that matches would temporarily be played in empty arenas. It was a surreal moment when the lockdown kicked in at midnight; those in attendance for the gripping third-round clash between Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz filed out of Rod Laver Arena with the witching hour approaching, the outcome yet to be determined.
“Well, definitely one of the strangest matches that I was ever part of,” said Djokovic, who fought through a third-set tumble to prevail in five sets. “It’s unfortunate for the crowd that we didn’t finish the match with them seeing the end.”
Somehow the show went on. Whether they were lucky enough to be at Melbourne Park or watching from the couch at home, fans were treated to some epic tennis. They witnessed the feel-good resurfacing of a pair of Aussie fan-favourites, Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis. (One hadn’t played in 11 months; the other hadn’t won a main-draw match at his home Slam in a half dozen years.)
They saw Iron Man Feliciano Lopez, 39 and playing in his record 75th consecutive major, storm back from two sets down in the second round. They saw an all-but-unknown, 114th-ranked Russian with a name straight out of The Chronicles of Narnia, Aslan Karatsev, become the first man in the Open Era to reach the semi-finals in his Grand Slam debut. They saw Stefanos Tsitsipas pull off a rarity, overcoming a two-set deficit against Nadal, something that’s now happened only twice in 225 Grand Slam matches when the Spaniard had a two-sets-to-love lead. The list goes on.
No, it wasn’t the first event to be played in COVID conditions. That distinction went to the Western & Southern Open (won by Djokovic), held at the Bille Jean King National Tennis Center leading into the 2020 US Open. Roland Garros found against-the-odds success last year, too, moving from its usual May-June to a chilly, low-bounce September-October. Many ATP Tour events recalibrated in the latter part of 2020 after play on the Tour resumed, and ATP added a number of single-year licences to tournaments in 2020 and 2021 to provide playing opportunities for players.
But the 2021 Australian Open should be celebrated in its own right, for the many obstacles it overcame. It was proof that we can indeed hang on to some sense of normalcy – such as Djokovic again being the last man standing in Rod Laver Arena – in this changing world.
Hopefully, Craig Tiley, and his dedicated team at Tennis Australia, are headed for some beachside recliners for a well-earned stretch of R&R. It was worth those gray hairs in the end.
