GB face Germany in BJK Finals opener
Great Britain face Germany in their opening game of the Billie Jean King Cup finals on 15 November in Malaga.
Great Britain face Germany in their opening game of the Billie Jean King Cup finals on 15 November in Malaga.
Spanish second seed Carlos Alcaraz breezes past Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets to reach the Olympic men’s singles final.
Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson reached their seventh semi-final of the year Thursday when they ousted home hopes Sebastian Korda and Alex Michelsen at the Mubadala Citi DC Open.
The second seeds, who have won three titles together this year, defeated the Americans 6-4, 7-5 after saving eight of the nine break points they faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats. Purcell and Thompson triumphed in Dallas, Los Cabos and Houston this year. Thompson partnered Korda, his quarter-final opponent in singles, to win the ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid.
Finalists at Wimbledon last month, Purcell and Thompson next meet fourth seeds Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow or fifth seeds Lloyd Glasspool and Santiago Gonzalez.
In the top half of the draw, Sadio Doumbia and Hugo Nys upset top seeds Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten 6-2, 7-5. Brazilians Rafael Matos and Marcelo Melo downed Karen Khachanov and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-4, 7-6(3).
Did You Know?
ATP is trialing player-worn microphones during Washington doubles matches. This innovation, part of the 2024 ATP Doubles Trial, aims to enhance the fan and broadcast experience, while also amplifying the profiles of the players. This will take place across select doubles matches throughout the week.
Andy Murray was understandably emotional as his illustrious career came to a close at the Paris 2024 Olympics – but he wasn’t the only one.
Ben Shelton held his nerve in two tight tie-breaks Thursday to seal his place in the Mubadala Citi DC Open quarter-finals. The second-seeded American ousted countryman Brandon Nakashima 7-6(5), 7-6(4).
The 21-year-old hugged the baseline and produced heavy-hitting, first-strike tennis in humid conditions. Despite letting slip three set points on serve at 5-4 in the first set, Shelton, who on Wednesday won a late night three-setter against Radu Albot, quickly rebounded to win the opener in a tie-break. The lefty won 81 per cent of his first-serve points and hammered 14 aces, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
“I served amazing today, that was one of the keys for me,” said Shelton, who struck a pair of aces from 5/4 in the second-set tie-break to seal victory. “If you don’t have 100 per cent in the tank, it’s really hard to break serve against a guy like him so I knew that I was going to have to hold serve.
“I did a great job holding serve, got broke once. But my best tennis came out in the tie-break. I thought it was just a clutch performance. I managed my energy well and I’m happy to be through. A really tough opponent.”
[ATP APP]Shelton will next face wild card Denis Shapovalov in a rematch of last month’s Wimbledon third round five-setter, which the American won. The Canadian on Thursday rallied past Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Shelton’s countrymen Sebastian Korda and Alex Michelsen also advanced. The fourth seed Korda reached the last eight after Thanasi Kokkinakis retired with the American leading 6-7(1), 7-5, 3-2. Kokkinakis had two match points on serve at 5-4 in the second set. #NextGenATP Michelsen downed South Korean Seongchan Hong 6-3, 6-3.
Michelsen next meets Italian Flavio Cobolli, who earned a memorable win, saving five match points to defeat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 1-6, 7-6(0), 7-6(7) in a three-hour, 14-minute marathon. Cobolli, 22, trailed 2/6 in the tie-break and again fought off a match point at 6/7. The 10th seed is No. 47 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, one spot ahead of his career-high.
Atlanta finalist and seventh seed Jordan Thompson defeated Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 7-5, 6-4.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Watch highlights as Andy Murray’s illustrious career comes to an end with a straight-set defeat alongside Dan Evans to American third seeds Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul in the Olympic men’s doubles quarter-finals.
British tennis icon Andy Murray’s illustrious career ends with a straight-set defeat in the Olympic men’s doubles quarter-finals.
Watch as Great Britain’s Andy Murray and Dan Evans react to the end of Murray’s career and their defeat in the men’s doubles on day six of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Watch the moment Andy Murray’s tennis career ends as he and Dan Evans are beaten by USA’s Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz in the men’s doubles on day six of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Andy Murray has retired from professional tennis following his appearance in the Paris Olympic Games, where he partnered Daniel Evans to the quarter-finals of the men’s doubles event.
The 37-year-old will be remembered for a career full of historic achievements, which he accomplished against some of the best players in the history of tennis.
“I’m happy about it [ending his career at the Olympics]. Look, a few months ago I didn’t know, I wasn’t happy about potentially stopping, I was quite unsure about it,” Murray said on the eve of the Olympics. “But now that the time is here, now I’ve made that decision definitively, I feel good about it.”
In November 2016 Murray became the first British player to reach World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings aged 29, making him the second-oldest player to debut at No. 1 behind only John Newcombe, who was 30 when he accomplished the feat in 1974.
Murray finished the year on a 24-match winning streak, a stretch during which he won five consecutive titles, including two ATP Masters 1000 trophies and victory at the prestigious Nitto ATP Finals, where he defeated No. 2 Novak Djokovic in the title match to clinch ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours. The Scot held top spot for a total of 41 weeks in his career, placing him 14th among the 29 players who have reached World No. 1.
ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said: “Andy has been an inspiring and important force in our sport for so many years. He has embodied the values of hard work, sportsmanship, and never giving up – with his unwavering love for the game endearing him to millions of fans. His remarkable achievements on the court over the past two decades speak for themselves. Equally, it’s his contributions off the court, building up the next generation of athletes and championing important causes, that will define his legacy. Congratulations to Andy on an extraordinary career. Our sport has been incredibly fortunate to watch you play, and we look forward with great excitement for what’s next in your story.”
Murray became the first British Grand Slam singles champion since Virginia Wade in 1977 at the 2012 US Open, where he battled past Djokovic in a thrilling five-set final. The following year, he became the first British male Wimbledon champion since Fred Perry in 1936, ending the nation’s 77-year wait for a home winner at the grass-court major.
The Scot became the first player to win two Olympic singles gold medals (2012 and 2016), defeating Roger Federer in the London final and Juan Martin del Potro in the Rio de Janeiro championship match. He also partnered Laura Robson to win the mixed doubles silver medal in 2012.
Murray shone at ATP Masters 1000 events, capturing 14 titles at the elite level, fifth most in the history of the series (since 1990) behind only Djokovic (40), Rafael Nadal (36), Federer (28) and Andre Agassi (17). He triumphed at seven of the nine Masters 1000s events.
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The father of four was also a rival to Djokovic, Nadal and Federer. Murray tallied 29 Lexus ATP Head2Head victories against the trio, with 11 against both Djokovic and Federer, and seven against Nadal.
Murray earned 739 tour-level wins overall, the most victories among British men and the 14th-most wins on record according to Infosys ATP Stats. Of those triumphs, 105 came against Top 10 opponents. The Scot earned 46 tour-level titles, including three major crowns (2012 US Open, 2013 Wimbledon, 2016 Wimbledon), and led Great Britain to Davis Cup glory in 2015.
The 71-time tour-level finalist qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals nine times (2008-16) and emerged victorious in his final appearance in 2016. That year he went a perfect 5-0, defeating Marin Cilic, Kei Nishikori and Stan Wawrinka to win his group, Milos Raonic in the semi-finals and Djokovic for the title.
Murray served the sport as a member of the ATP Player Advisory Council from 2016-18 and 2020-22. He has also consistently supported a variety of causes, serving as a global ambassador for organisations including UNICEF, United for Wildlife, Malaria No More and the World Wildlife Fund. Murray is one of just four players to receive the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award twice, alongside Andre Agassi, Federer and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi.
The winner of four ATP Awards (ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF (2016), Comeback Player of the Year (2019) and the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award (2014 and 2022), Murray was also a vocal advocate for women, especially the players of the Hologic WTA Tour. He hired former WTA No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo as his coach.
On 16 May 2019, then-Prince Charles knighted Murray at Buckingham Palace. On 17 October 2013, Prince William awarded Murray with the Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) medal.
Murray played his final singles match at the cinch Championships, held in June at The Queen’s Club, London. There, the Scot also played his 1,000th tour-level singles match.
After the tournament, he underwent minor back surgery with the hopes of making a farewell singles appearance at Wimbledon, but settled for a memorable Centre Court goodbye in men’s doubles alongside brother Jamie Murray in front of an adoring British crowd. He then played his final tournament in men’s doubles at the Olympics with Daniel Evans.
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