The Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship arrived in Houston in 2001 — moving to its current location at River Oaks Country Club in 2008 — and the clay-court event has proven a philanthropic presence in the community ever since.
The ATP 250 this year received a $15,000 ATP ACES For Charity grant to provide funds to help continue the initiative of resurfacing an NJTL site and offer programs so that the kids and families in the community can have a safer, more enjoyable place to play tennis. But the Houston tournament has long been supportive of its city.
The event’s partnership with the Houston Tennis Association’s NJTL began a few years ago with volunteer support at some of the signature events of the summer—the NJTL Regional Rally, NJTL Reading Rally and the NJTL Kids’ Day— and in 2017, HTA NJTL became an official charity of the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship.
In 2018, the clay-court tournament coordinated a special effort to benefit the NJTL. When Hurricane Harvey hit the city of Houston in August 2017, there was much devastation. Many of the ATP pros who played the tournament contacted Tournament Director Bronwyn Greer to see how they might help.
When the event rolled around in April 2018, seven top American players made personal donations toward resurfacing the two tennis courts at Sunnyside Park: Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, John Isner, Steve Johnson, Sam Querrey, Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe. Isner, Querrey, the Bryan Brothers, Frances Tiafoe and Steve Johnson made a visit to Sunnyside Park, where they met and hit tennis balls with the NJTL kids.
“It’s bigger than tennis,” Tiafoe said. “Terrible things happen everywhere, and it’s always good to give back, and that’s what sports are about, togetherness. It brings people together.”
The visit was especially meaningful to the 20-year-old American, who grew up playing in public parks and visited similar grassroots programs in Maryland.
“It reminds me of where I started, very humble beginnings,” Tiafoe said. “I do my best every day to try to become someone to be able to give back. Because I was given so much, I was very fortunate, very lucky.”
Last year, Taylor Fritz and Reilly Opelka visited local courts that were being refurbished for use by the HTA NJTL. They were excited to see how enthusiastic the kids and their coaches were.
“These kids were great. They were actually really engaged. You can tell they are here on a consistent basis, because you don’t get to be that good without putting in time and effort,” Opelka said. “With a nicer surface and everything, I’m sure [the courts] will get tons of great use.”
The event runs a ticket turnback program to support the Trauma and Emergency Center at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital. Fans are encouraged to return tickets for any session they cannot attend so they may be re-sold, with the entire purchase price being donated to the hospital. The program has raised more than $265,000 for charity.
The tournament has supported a plethora of charitable programs over the years, but one thing to note is that the event has become the presenting sponsor of its Kids’ Day, which brings together 750-1,000 students who meet attendance requirements during the summer. The event is a highlight with the kids receiving bus transportation, t-shirts and snacks to participate in a day full of music, art, tennis lessons and special guests — including ATP Tour players — on that day.
In the first of a new series of first-person essays on ATPWorldTour.com, top American John Isner opens up about the toughest moments of his life: When his mother, Karen, was diagnosed with colon cancer.
Looking back on it, it was weird that I hadn’t heard from Mom in a few days. We usually talked every day, sometimes more, even if I was busy with tennis and classes at the University of Georgia.
It was February 2004, and I was in the second semester of my freshman year. We were beginning our spring tennis season, my game was in a good place, and we had just finished another weekend of matches. Life was good.
But when I woke up at around 8 a.m. in my McWhorter Hall dorm room to two missed calls, I thought something was definitely up. Maybe something had happened to one of my grandparents? Maybe, but surely nothing to Mom, not to the woman who had survived raising my two older brothers and me. Besides, she was in good health – she played tennis, lifted weights, ran – and she was only 50.
I was alone when I called her back.
“I’m going to tell you something but I don’t want you to worry. It’s going to be OK,” she said.
“But there’s a reason why I haven’t spoken to you the last few days.
“I have cancer.”
***
Cancer, at that point in my life – I was 18, two months away from my 19th birthday – had been something I had read about in the news or something, unfortunately, that had happened to relatives or parents of friends. It wasn’t something that I had personally experienced.
But by the time I talked with my mom, cancer had already affected my family. She hadn’t called because she had been rushed into emergency surgery. Mom had been so ill – deathly sick, really – that she had gone to the hospital for what she had thought was appendicitis. She woke up to learn that she had “stage four” – very developed – colon cancer. A tumour had formed, and they had to remove it, immediately.
She didn’t tell me during the weekend because she wanted me to focus on my matches. We talked for a few minutes. She told me about her upcoming chemotherapy and her brutal path ahead.
I hung up, and I bawled. I sat there on my dorm room bed, with my Carolina Panthers poster on the cement wall, and cried and cried and cried. My mind was blank.
Less than six weeks earlier, I had been at home, celebrating Christmas with my family. Everyone was healthy, everything was perfect. Now I thought I was going to lose my mom.
***
I had actually wanted to get away from my parents. When I was deciding which college to attend, I picked Georgia because, No. 1, it was the right place for me and the tennis program was – and remains – incredible, but also because the university was perfectly located.
I wanted to leave North Carolina, where I had grown up, but I didn’t want to leave the South. The University of Georgia, about four hours away from my parents’ home in Greensboro, North Carolina, was the best of everything: easy enough to drive home to if I needed to but far enough away that my parents couldn’t come visit every weekend. Funny, isn’t it?
Because as I drove home on 106 North and then I-85 North, speeding past forests coming to life and two-stoplight towns in the South, I wanted to be nowhere else but home, in Greensboro, with my family.
We had shared so many ridiculous times at home. I remember my two older brothers – Nathan and Jordan – and I would eat so much food that my parents eventually bought a second refrigerator and put it in the laundry room. But we were eating that food so rapidly as well that my mom put a combination lock on the extra fridge.
My brothers and I, however, were smart kids. One time, one of us slyly peered over Mom’s shoulder as she entered the combination, and we again had reins to both refrigerators, until she noticed the attrition and changed the lock.
John Isner has gained perspective from his mother’s battle with colon cancer. (Credit: Aaron Sprecher/US Clay) We ate so much, a cheeseburger counted as a snack. But we were good eaters, too: Every year my mom would plant a huge vegetable garden in the backyard, and we’d devour carrots and tomatoes.
We got into our share of trouble as well. One time, when I was maybe 7 or 8, my oldest brother Nathan took a “U” bicycle lock, shoved my head through it and locked me to his brass bed post. He left me there for a few hours until my mom came home and found me.
She was also the person waiting for me after Nathan would make me walk the three miles from the tennis courts to our house after I’d beaten him. He’d get so mad, he’d just take off – and this was before cell phones, so I couldn’t call or text someone for a ride.
But I knew this trip home would be a lot different. My usual road-trip music – CDs of The Allman Brothers Band, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Doobie Brothers – wouldn’t cut it; I spent most of the next four hours on the phone, talking with family.
***
Mom had six months of chemotherapy waiting for her. On Monday through Wednesday, she’d sit for hours with a tube connected to her as the medicine seeped into her veins. Every other week, she’d go back.
But she never went alone. Someone – either myself, my dad, my aunt or uncle, or my brothers – would go with her, holding her hand or just trying to talk to her about anything else.
She’d feel OK for the first day or two after a session, but then she’d feel awful for days. Nauseated. Vomiting. She didn’t want to leave her bed. I’d call and ask how she was doing, “Oh, I’m fine,” she’d say. But then, later, I’d talk with my dad, who would tell me the truth.
Watch Isner’s My Story
My first trip back, right after I heard the news, I stayed for about a week, but then I returned to Georgia. I hated leaving my family, but, to be honest, it was easy to go back and keep playing tennis.
That was the one thing my mom wanted me to do – to keep playing – and because of that, I felt like, in some small way, I was able to do something for her.
She was right there with me, too: Mom came to every home tennis match that spring. She’d go to chemotherapy in the beginning of the week, drive down with my dad on Friday and, in between sleeping all weekend, she’d watch tennis.
I went home every couple of weeks during that spring season. Usually I headed back on a Monday, after a weekend of matches, and I’d come back to Athens on Wednesday. My coach, Manny Diaz, and my professors were so understanding. The tennis team secretary, who knew about my mom’s health, even baked me a cake on my birthday, 26 April.
***
The six months of chemotherapy had removed the cancer. Mom was in the clear, so we thought.
But she still came in for checkups so they could test her blood, and every time we learned she was OK, until October 2007, when doctors noticed something abnormal in her blood. The cancer had returned.
This time, however, we took her to the University of North Carolina Lineberger in Chapel Hill, and they started treating it even more aggressively. Doctors there attacked it with 28 radiation treatments and constant chemotherapy. For about six weeks, Mom carried around a chemotherapy bag so that the drugs could constantly be infused in her.
It worked. The tumour shrunk, and they surgically removed it. The rounds of checkups began again, but this time, they happened less frequently and less frequently until, finally, my mom didn’t have to go back at all.
Isner, center, remains close with his entire family, including his mother, to his left, and his brother Nathan, to his right. She and my dad could come watch me play whenever they wanted, and they have. They’ve seen me in Indian Wells, Miami, New York, Cincinnati, Winston-Salem and Atlanta. Anywhere they can drive, they usually go.
During my 12-year ATP World Tour career, I’ve been lucky enough to play a lot of intense matches. But I’ve never experienced anything like the pain my mom had to endure.
What I felt when it was 68-68 against Nicolas Mahut at 2010 Wimbledon? Doesn’t compare. The exhaustion I had during the first set of the Miami Open final against Alexander Zverev, before I won my first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title? Not even close.
My mom is also why we’ve raised more than $200,000 for UNC Lineberger during charity exhibitions. This year we’re raffling off a chanceto come to Wimbledon, with proceeds benefiting the hospital, where the doctors saved my mom’s life and save lives every day.
When I think about whining about the heat or about what time I’m scheduled to play, one thought about the courage Mom has shown over the years places everything in perspective.
I’m one of the lucky ones. I play a game for a living, and, whether she’s at home or in the stands, I have the support of my mom.
ATP Tour Uncovered presented by Peugeot looks back on the all-American rivalry that lit up the 1990s
It was a rivalry based on the serve of Pete Sampras and the return of Andre Agassi. In a 30-match series that spanned 13 years, the sport’s two most marketable stars of the 1990s pitted contrasting styles, and personalities, that led to high-quality match-ups and plenty of mutual respect.
Early in his career, Agassi played first-strike tennis, looking to end points as quickly as possible, but learned to dictate play from the baseline, with accurate groundstrokes — almost identical in strength — and wore down his opponents with his superior conditioning and depth of shot.
Sampras developed a classic, all-court attacking game, centred on a serve hit with great disguise. His second serve, struck almost as powerfully as his first delivery, is regarded as the best in the sport’s history. His jump smash and hitting an on-the-run forehand also became signature shots.
“It’s a great match up, both of us Americans, different styles of play and games,” says Sampras. “It’s a contrast and it has the ingredients of a rivalry. It’s different when I play him; there is a lot of respect for each other. We’ve competed since we were eight years old, playing junior tennis. I need to step up whenever I play him.”
Agassi says, “I felt if I played my best tennis, I can beat anyone. If I played my best tennis against Pete, it still doesn’t mean I will win. He’s taken away a lot of titles from me and caused me a lot of sleepless nights. I’m grateful now to have had him in my career.”
Dig Deeper Into Agassi & Sampras’ Rivalry
By 1995, when they met on five occasions at high-profile tournaments, their mutual clothing sponsor had a field day, with the ‘Guerrilla Tennis’ television commercial raising their profile further. Their matches had become the sport’s hottest ticket and must-see television.
But Agassi’s sharp decline, including a wrist injury, that saw him drop to No. 141 in the FedEx ATP Rankings on 10 November 1997, contrasted to Sampras’ sustained dominance and six consecutive year-end No. 1 finishes between 1993 and 1998.
Agassi recovered to finish 1999 in top spot, and the pair engaged in a further 11 matches, culminating in Sampras winning a then-record 14th major crown at the 2002 US Open. While it proved to be Sampras’ last match, Agassi forged on, once again rising to No. 1 at the age of 33 and the Las Vegan continued to compete until September 2006.
At the close, Sampras led 20-14 in their ATPHead2Head series, having won 10 of their 15 matches at Grand Slam championships or the Nitto ATP Finals. They brought out the best in each other, but it was Sampras’ 11-9 edge over Agassi in hard-court meetings that elevated the sport to new heights and the era of superstar tennis.
First staged in Casablanca from 1990, the ATP 250 tournament moved to Marrakech in 2016
The Grand Prix Hassan II, which began at the inception of the ATP Tour in 1990, is the only ATP held in Africa.
ATPTour.com looks at five things to know about the ATP 250-level tournament, which has been held in Marrakech since 2016.
Royal Links
The Grand Prix Hassan II is named after the former King of Morocco, Hassan II (1929-1999), and the tournament has been supported by the royal palace for 30 years, since the ATP Tour’s inception. King Mohammed VI of Morocco entirely funds the event today.
The spring clay-court opener was first held in Casablanca, from 1990 to 2015, at the 6,000-square-metre Complex Al Amal, which was built in just three months and was the home of the Royal Moroccan Tennis Federation.
When the city didn’t wish to upgrade the stadium, the event moved to the Royal Tennis Club de Marrakech, located in the chic Hivernage neighbourhood.
The players’ lounge looks like an oriental living room and traditional Moroccan mint tea is served. Lunch is taken by the swimming pool and players can enjoy the city by visiting the Jamaa el Fna square and the Palmeraie.
More than 500 children each year take part in Kids’ Day, with Alexander Zverev, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Jaume Munar and Jiri Vesely hitting on court in 2019.
The First Champion
Having held an ATP Challenger Tour event since 1984, the Grand Prix Hassan II became a part of the first ATP Tour calendar in 1990, with future World No. 1 Thomas Muster winning the first title. Only 12 months on from a freak road accident in Miami, which left the Austrian with severed knee ligaments, Muster beat Argentina’s Guillermo Perez-Roldan 6-1, 6-7, 6-2 in the final.
Midweek rain delayed the schedule by one day and forced matches to be switched from the Complex Federal to old courts nearby owned by Mohamed Mjid (1916-2014), the President of the Royal Moroccan Tennis Federation (1964-2009). When the rain finally stopped, layers of sodden clay were removed from the court and the surface was then set on fire to speed up the drying process. It enabled the final to be played on the Complexe Al Amal stadium court, watched by Prince Moulay Rachid and a capacity crowd of 3,500 fans.
Andujar & Spaniards Reign Supreme
A Spaniard has lifted the Grand Prix Hassan II trophy in six of the past 11 years, including three triumphs for Pablo Andujar (2011-12, 2018). Former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero (2009), Tommy Robredo (2013) and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (2014) also had singles title success.
Two years ago, Andujar arrived at the clay-court tournament at No. 355 in the FedEx ATP Rankings and used a protected ranking to enter the 2018 main draw. With a 6-2, 6-2 win over Kyle Edmund, he went on to become the lowest-ranked singles champion on the ATP Tour since then-No. 550 Lleyton Hewitt won at Adelaide in January 1998. He finished runner-up to Benoit Paire in 2019.
Tomas Carbonell (1996), Alberto Martin (1999), Fernando Vicente (2000) and Santiago Ventura (2004) are also former champions from Spain.
Homegrown Titlists
The Grand Prix Hassan II has witnessed two Moroccans lift the singles trophy. Firstly, current Tournament Director Hicham Arazi, with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Franco Squillari, in 1997, and Younes El Aynaoui, who overcame Guillermo Canas 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the 2002 final.
El Aynaoui also advanced to finals in 1993 (l. to defending champion Guillermo Perez Roldan) and 2003 (l. to Julien Boutter). Karim Alami also finished as runner-up in 1994 (l. to Renzo Furlan) and partnered Arazi to the 1997 doubles final (l. to Cunha-Silva/Marques).
Community At Its Heart
The Grand Prix Hassan II is renowned for inviting orphans each year to sample the ATP 250-level tournament, which opens the spring clay-court swing.
In 2013, when the tournament was held in Casablanca, home of an ITF performance centre, a number of the country’s best junior tennis players also met and hit with 2010 champion Stan Wawrinka and 2013 runner-up Kevin Anderson.
Knock, Knock, It’s Nick: Kyrgios Could Be At Your Door
Apr082020
Learn about how Kyrgios is helping his community
If you hear a knock at your door in Canberra, Australia, don’t ignore it. It might be Nick Kyrgios.
The Australian, who is a consistent participant in charitable activities throughout the year on the ATP Tour, plans to do whatever he can to support those in need during the coronavirus pandemic. Two days ago, he posted on Instagram that fans who are struggling should feel free to reach out to him for help through direct message.
“If ANYONE is not working/not getting an income and runs out of food, or times are just tough… please don’t go to sleep with an empty stomach,” Kyrgios wrote. “Don’t be afraid or embarrassed to send me a private message. I will be more than happy to share whatever I have. Even just for a box of noodles, a loaf of bread or milk. I will drop it off at your doorstep, no questions asked!”
Well done NK, in times like these you see how people react and, once again, like the bushfires you’re looking to help others. As someone who has travelled with Nick for a while this comes as no shock – hopefully people are starting to see the real Nick..
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Kyrgios more recently wrote in an Instagram story that he will soon be following through on his promise.
“Hey guys, tomorrow I will be doing as many deliveries as I can throughout the day to the nearest people I have been in contact with. If I haven’t read your message yet, trust me I will do my absolute best to get to yours,” Kyrgios wrote. “And to my international friends around the world, I wish I could do more, but right now things are tough, stay strong, brighter days are coming.”
The 24-year-old took the initiative in supporting those suffering from the widespread bushfires in Australia earlier this year, pledging AUD $200 per ace hit during the Aussie summer. That led to numerous players making pledges of their own.
Kyrgios was one of the players who participated in Rally For Relief, a fundraising event held before the Australian Open, helping raise almost AUD $5 million for the Victorian Bushfire Appeal.
I’m kicking off the support for those affected by the fires. I’ll be donating $200 per ace that I hit across all the events I play this summer. #MoreToCome#StayTuned
Wawrinka’s Big Night, Fognini’s Rivalry: Tennis At Home Roundup
Apr072020
ATPTour.com looks at what your favourite players have been up to
Your favourite players are all back at home, but they’re finding plenty of ways to stay active. From Stan Wawrinka’s clones to Fabio Fognini’s backyard point, find out how the biggest names in tennis are keeping busy.
Denis Shapovalov sent his fans an encouraging message on Tuesday to help them maintain positivity during the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, promoting the importance of unity.
“Just wanted to reach out to the fans. I know it’s a tough time. A lot of people [are] stuck inside their homes. I hope everyone is social distancing, staying inside,” Shapovalov said. “I know it’s tough for everyone, but let’s get through it together.”
The 20-year-old Canadian spent time to thank those on the front lines battling against virus.
“I just want to thank all the first responders, all the people: firefighters, policemen, people working at the hospitals, doctors, everyone just putting their lives at risk every day trying to take care of this and manage it as much as possible,” Shapovalov said. “It is heroes like this who truly inspire me and I’m sure a lot more people. Thank you to them.”
Shapovalov admitted he hasn’t been posting much on social media, with his most recent post coming on 29 March. But the lefty promised fans they will hear from him sooner rather than later.
“Honestly I’ve been locked down, just doing my own thing, working on some stuff for myself,” Shapovalov said. “I promise to be posting some more content shortly.”
Learn how Williams put Dimitrov on the spot before their workout
Fans got a special Instagram Live surprise on Tuesday, as 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion Grigor Dimitrov and former WTA World No. 1 Venus Williams joined forces for a special workout session.
Dimitrov and Williams did a variety of exercises, from skipping rope to footwork drills. Before they got started, Williams put on her reporter hat and asked the Bulgarian some questions about how he’s holding up.
“Life on the west coast is pretty good,” said Dimitrov, who is in California. “Making the most that we can out of the situation. Enjoying the early mornings and a little bit of workouts as well.”
Dimitrov admitted that he misses playing tennis while staying at home.
“[I miss it] a lot. I know it’s not easy. It’s been quite a few days that you’ve been away from the court. You just want to step on [to a court] and try some things that you have worked on. But at the end of the day you’ve got to make the most out of it and try to focus on all the positivity,” Dimitrov said. “We’re all in this together and I think it’s just going to make us stronger and look at things a little bit different. I think it puts everything in perspective from now on.”
The World No. 19 has been keeping busy to try to keep himself in shape for when the ATP Tour is able to get rolling again.
“I’ve been doing a lot of runs lately, to be honest, every time we go out. Doing a lot of shoulder prevention exercises. Working on little specific drills that I like to keep my feet activated. Just small details that we often neglect, especially when we’re competing throughout all the weeks,” Dimitrov said. “Now is the time that you can really emphasise on those things. We have a few exercises to show the fans. I’m sure we’re going to do something nice.”
Right before their workout began, Williams put Dimitrov on the spot.
“When are we playing mixed doubles?” she asked.
“Oh great, thanks,” he replied, cracking a laugh. “We should definitely do that. I’d be happy and excited to do this for sure. I’ve played I think a couple of times and for some reason I have a hard time hitting against the girl.”
Williams made a face that caught Dimitrov’s attention.
“We’re not going to play if you’re not going to play full out,” Venus said as they both laughed.
Food Court: Chopping Up Nutrition With Milos Raonic
Apr072020
Raonic dishes on nutrition, food he wishes he could eat, and more
Milos Raonic has long paid close attention to his nutrition, first bringing a nutritionist onto his team in 2013. The former World No. 3 says the personnel has changed, but he has always had guidance in that department since, and it has proven a key part of his career.
ATPTour.com caught up with the Canadian to discuss nutrition, the food that has become a major part of his diet, the dessert he wishes he could eat and more.
What made you add a nutritionist to your team in 2013? Some players pay careful attention to that, others not as closely, so was there any specific reason? Every single step [of my career] I’ve always asked myself, ‘What can I do better?’ I reached that point in 2013 when just before the season, that’s where I thought I could make the most impact. I asked the people I was working with, my team, they felt that’s something I could give attention to and I could reap benefits from.
How much has your diet and what you’ve avoided changed between where you started and now? It’s probably changed every two to three years because every time I change it, I use that to solve certain issues. When I started it was, ‘How can I clean stuff up? How can I be more efficient?’ Then over the past few years when I’ve had a lot of injuries, it’s been, ‘What have I been lacking or what might I be missing or what do I need to do better to stay healthy?’
I think each time it’s been conformed to a specific issue that I’m trying to solve or I’m trying to fix or improve. I think that’s where it’s sort of stepped from the approach we take to the solution we are looking for.
Do you have a list of ‘no-no’s’ where you go into a restaurant and you know you can’t touch it? Skipping desserts. I don’t eat red meat that often. Maybe once or twice every two weeks, and now a big part of it has been regimenting the times I eat. That is how quickly I’m eating after a match, and those kind of things. That’s what has changed a lot over the past period of time. It’s a lot more structured and so forth.
I’ve struggled with a lot of different types of injuries, different issues with my back, a couple muscle tears over the past few years. It was about how can we fuel you and how can we give you the right kind of food that you need to keep your tissues and your body healthy and also functioning properly. [It’s about] functioning efficiently to try to find a way to minimise those problems coming up.
Is there a food that you thought was gross or just didn’t eat that now you’re eating because of those things? When I started on Tour I wasn’t a big fan of fish, probably back in 2010 or 2011. That’s something that I probably eat more than anything of. It’s something I go to quite often to have the source of protein throughout my day, pretty much almost daily. That’s one that’s changed quite a bit.
There are different kinds of veggies and things that I’ve added, but I’d say fish was the one, because it is such a big part of what I consume nowadays. It’s probably the most significant change.
You mentioned how something you’ve adapted is how quickly after a match you eat, so what is that process like for you? I think you try to get something in you right away within the first 45 minutes to an hour after a match. Before, sometimes I would stretch after a match, do my cooldown, do press and all those things. Now I’ll do my cooldown because that’s a priority right after, but then I’ll eat before I do press and all the other things that fall after it. It’s just been a shift in priorities in that sense.
When I do press doesn’t really change anybody’s life, but it will make a difference for me the next day or the accumulation of match after match, and it’ll start to make a difference in how soon I’m consuming something to start replenishing my body after the load of playing a match.
I know there are no desserts, but is there one you wish you could have? I have it every once in a while, but much more rarely: tiramisu. It’s by far my favourite dessert.
Resurfaced | Amazing Andujar: No. 1,824 To Titlist In Two Months
Apr072020
Spaniard wins fourth tour-level title
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 15 April 2018.
Pablo Andujar became the lowest-ranked ATP World Tour champion in 20 years on Sunday, beating first-time finalist Kyle Edmund 6-2, 6-2 to win the Grand Prix Hassan II for a record third time.
The Spaniard, who also won the event in 2011 and 2012 in Casablanca, overcame the Australian Open semi-finalist in 82 minutes to become the most successful player in the history of the tournament, which began in 1990.
“I played very well during the whole match,” said Andujar. “Trying to make him move as much as I could. He attacks a lot and is a very strong player. I was very solid today and I’m very happy about that.”
The World No. 355 is the lowest-ranked tour-level titlist since Lleyton Hewitt, who lifted his maiden title in Adelaide at World No. 550 in 1998. Andujar has now won three of his four ATP World Tour titles in Morocco with his other victory coming in Gstaad four years ago.
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Watch Full Match Replays
The 32-year-old raced out to a 5-1 lead, breaking Edmund in each of his opening three service games to establish control of the match, before taking a one-set advantage in the eighth game after saving two break points. Edmund had been broken just three times this week heading into the championship match.
The Spaniard continued to find success against the 23-year-old’s serve in the second set, winning 67 per cent of points while returning off the Edmund first serve. Andujar was once again clinical, breaking on all three break-point opportunities created before once again navigating his way through a tough eighth service game to clinch the title in Marrakech.
Ranked as low as World No. 1,824 on 12 February after three elbow surgeries had threatened his career, Andujar now finds himself on a ten-match winning streak after becoming the first man since Ryan Harrison in 2017 to win ATP Challenger Tour and ATP World Tour titles in consecutive weeks.
“I always believed that I could come back, otherwise I wouldn’t have tried,” reflected Andujar.
World No. 26 Edmund was bidding to win his first ATP World Tour title in his maiden championship match at tour-level. With victory, he would also have become just the seventh player from Great Britain, in the history of the ATP Rankings, to reach the Top 20.
“For me it was a good tournament… it was great experience for me,” said Edmund. “It’s been a good year so far, it’s not the result I wanted, but nevertheless a good week for me.”
Andujar will receive 250 ATP Ranking points and €85,000 in prize money for clinching the crown. Edmund earns 150 ATP Rankings points and €44,770.
Did You Know? Pablo Andujar is the third player to win ATP Challenger Tour and ATP World Tour titles in consecutive weeks in the past five years. In 2014, David Goffin won in Tampere, Finland and Kitzbuhel, and last year Ryan Harrison won in Dallas and Memphis.
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