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Read & Watch: Kyrgios Hits Underarm Serve, Tweener, Wins Point In Stuttgart

  • Posted: Jun 11, 2019

Read & Watch: Kyrgios Hits Underarm Serve, Tweener, Wins Point In Stuttgart

Nick Kyrgios, in a point

Nick Kyrgios was being Nick Kyrgios on Tuesday at the MercedesCup in Stuttgart.

The enigmatic Aussie, serving at 1-2, 40/15 against Italy’s Matteo Berrettini, snuck in an underarm serve and charged the net. Berrettini retrieved the surprise opening and threw up a lob, which Kyrgios gingerly tracked down, giving himself an opportunity for another one of his favourite shots: a tweener.

Read More: Chang Popularised The Underarm Serve 30 Years Ago; Now Thiem Faces It

Berrettini volleyed the tweener lob, but Kyrgios then struck a forehand that the Italian couldn’t handle at net. Berrettini, however, earned the last laugh of the day, advancing 6-3, 6-4.

Read More: Felix Wins On Mixed Day For Canadians In Stuttgart

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Gasquet Battles Back From The Brink In 's-Hertogenbosch

  • Posted: Jun 11, 2019

Gasquet Battles Back From The Brink In ‘s-Hertogenbosch

Goffin, Seppi advance to the second round

Defending champion Richard Gasquet came back from the brink of defeat on Tuesday to advance to the Libema Open second round. The eighth-seeded Frenchman withstood 21 aces from the racquet of Slovenia’s Aljaz Bedene, who led by a set and was at 5/5 in the second set tie-break, to complete a 6-7(3), 7-6(5), 6-4 victory in two hours and 26 minutes.

Former World No. 7 Gasquet, who celebrates his 33rd birthday next Tuesday, will next play Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan. Kukushkin came back to defeat Italian Lorenzo Sonego 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.

Fifth-seeded Belgian David Goffin won the first seven games against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, a Spanish qualifier, in a 6-0, 6-2 win over 48 minutes. The 2015 ‘s-Hertogenbosch semi-finalist will now prepare to face France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert, who was a 6-4, 7-5 winner over 2018 semi-finalist Matthew Ebden of Australia in 82 minutes.

You May Also Like: Pierre-Hugues Herbert: Narrowing His Vision

Andreas Seppi battled to a 7-6(10), 7-5 win over fellow Italian Thomas Fabbiano in one hour and 58 minutes. Seppi saved two set points at 7/8 and 9/10 in the first set tie-break and came within one point of trailing 1-4 in the second set. He now faces third-seeded Australian Alex de Minaur.

Meanwhile, Chile’s Nicolas Jarry will play top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas after a 7-6(4), 6-3 win over Italian qualifier Jannik Sinner in 81 minutes and Frenchman Adrian Mannarino will meet No. 4 seed Fernando Verdasco after dismissing Dutch wild card Thiemo de Bakker 6-2, 6-1. 

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Auger-Aliassime Wins On Mixed Day For Canadians In Stuttgart

  • Posted: Jun 11, 2019

Auger-Aliassime Wins On Mixed Day For Canadians In Stuttgart

Shapovalov falls to Struff in consecutive tournaments

Three Canadian stars — Felix Auger-Aliassime, Denis Shapovalov and Milos Raonic — experienced mixed fortunes on Tuesday at the MerdedesCup in Stuttgart.

Seventh seed Auger-Aliassime, contesting his first ATP Tour match on grass, broke serve once in each set for a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Ernests Gulbis of Latvia in 86 minutes for his 21st match win of the season. The 18-year-old has finished as runner-up at the Rio Open presented by Claro (d. Cuevas) and at the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon (l. to Paire) in 2019. He’ll now play Germany’s Peter Gojowczyk or Gilles Simon of France in the second round.

Auger-Aliassime is currently second (on 1,081 points) in the ATP Race To Milan (behind defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas, 2,985) for one of the seven qualification spots to the Next Gen ATP Finals, to be held from 5-9 November 2019.

Denis Shapovalov, who is in third position (795 points), lost out to Jan-Lennard Struff for the second time in as many tournaments. Struff, two weeks on from beating the 20-year-old eighth seed 7-6(1), 6-3, 6-4 in the Roland Garros first round, struck 14 aces in a 7-5, 6-4 win over 86 minutes.

Elsewhere, sixth seed and last year’s runner-up Raonic hit 31 aces to edge past Australian qualifier Alexei Popyrin 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(4) in two hours and 12 minutes. Raonic won 47 of his 50 first-service points, while Popyrin saved three set points from 3/6 in the first-set tie-break and led 2-0 in the deciding set. The Canadian now challenges Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who has recorded 449 career match wins.

Germany’s Dustin Brown set up a second-round meeting against top-seeded compatriot Alexander Zverev after striking 16 aces past John Millman of Australia for a 6-4, 7-6(3) victory in 72 minutes.

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FedEx ATP Ball Kids Programme To Continue At 2019 Nitto ATP Finals

  • Posted: Jun 11, 2019

FedEx ATP Ball Kids Programme To Continue At 2019 Nitto ATP Finals

30 lucky children to get a chance

The ATP and FedEx Corp (NYSE:FDX) are once again offering 30 children the chance to be Ball Kids at the Nitto ATP Finals in London, UK, this November as part of the FedEx ATP Ball Kids programme which aims to give aspiring youngsters the opportunity to develop new skills through teamwork, sportsmanship and the adoption of a healthy lifestyle.

This year’s collaboration follows the programme’s successful launch at the prestigious season-ending event last year and offers the opportunity for 24 talented UK-based youngsters and 6 international kids to be a part of the season finale at The O2 from November 10-17, 2019.

UK-based children aged from 12 to 16 can register to join the FedEx ATP Ball Kids Trial on June 30 at the Royal Berkshire Club (Bracknell, UK). This will be the occasion to select the 24 kids based on their attitude, dedication, abilities and skills which will then be improved during a five-day Training Camp later in October, where all ball kids will be invited to start bonding together as a team.

Kids must register here by Monday, 24 June 2019

Meanwhile four successful international FedEx Ball Kids have already been selected during two of the FedEx-sponsored tournaments earlier in the season.

Two talented 14-year-old girls residing in Dubai have been chosen at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships – Steffi Bojica from Romania and Coumba Ben from the Maldives.

A girl and a boy, both 14, have been selected for their outstanding abilities by the Rio Open presented by Claro – Raissa Martins Pereira and Joao Gabriel Felix Torres.

The final two international FedEx Ball Kids will be selected later this year during the Rolex Shanghai Masters in October. All six international ball kids will be flown to the Nitto ATP Finals in London in November.

Chris Kermode, ATP Executive Chairman and President, said: “After the outstanding success of the collaboration between the FedEx Ball Kids programme and the Nitto ATP Finals last year, it is exciting to see its return this year, bringing with it the opportunity for more talented youngsters to experience world-class tennis at the very heart of the action.”

Wouter Roels, Senior Vice President, International Marketing, FedEx Express, said: “We are delighted to continue our sponsorship of the FedEx ATP Ball Kids programme and once again create possibilities for a global team of Ball Kids to join together in London. Sport creates the opportunities to develop new skills, such as teamwork and sportsmanship. Alongside our continued sponsorship of professional ATP tournaments around the world, we are excited about delivering more opportunities for young people through tennis.”

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Nadal: 'The Path Doesn't End Here. There's Still Work To Be Done'

  • Posted: Jun 11, 2019

Nadal: ‘The Path Doesn’t End Here. There’s Still Work To Be Done’

Spaniard considered shutting down his season during the clay-court swing

Lifting a crown never becomes routine, not even if the player lifting the crown is Rafael Nadal and when it’s for the 12th time. Such is the situation in which the Spaniard finds himself after defeating Dominic Thiem 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 to win his 12thRoland Garros title and improve to 93-2 at the season’s second Grand Slam.

Nadal, now dressed in a white shirt and gray shorts just a few hours after lying on the clay of Court Philippe Chatrier in celebration, is ready to discuss how he got to this point, a point that just a few weeks ago was almost unthinkable. And that is precisely the starting point of this conversation.

Did you see yourself in this position a month and a half ago?
I did not.

How come?
If I made it to this point, it was because I believed that I could. If I didn’t think I could make it happen, I wouldn’t have followed through; I would have gone a different route.

You hit a bit of a roadblock a little while back.
It wasn’t a roadblock – there are times you just have to make certain decisions. I’ve suffered a lot of injuries throughout the past 18 months. If you’re referring to the knee injury, which has admittedly given me problems, you can add a bunch of other things that I’d consider setbacks that have affected my game. Too many setbacks, honestly. I’m always pushing forward but there’s a point where one hits rock bottom. Not being able to train or compete, it’s frustrating and it takes its toll on you.

What happened after Indian Wells in March, when you injured your right knee and couldn’t compete in the semi-finals against Roger Federer?
Mentally, after Indian Wells, I suffered a major downturn. Ideas and scenarios were swirling inside my head. I considered shutting down my season to see if my body would recuperate instead of playing through injury after injury. Another option was to press on and play through the pain. Either way, the outlook was bleak. It required a change of mindset this time, and that doesn’t happen overnight.

Your coach, Carlos Moya, recently said: “Since I’ve starting coaching Rafa, I’ve never seen him look so [downtrodden].”
I was reluctant and hesitant to return. Physically, because of another tendon tear in my knee, and on top of going through all the treatment required in the recovery process, there was dealing with the pain. That’s the reality of the matter — it was different this time. That’s not how it usually works with me.

Normally, the injury is diagnosed, I rehab, practise and go through the routine like it’s no big deal. I’d play through pain and wouldn’t even consider that as suffering. This time was different … considering my history of competing, of fighting. Normally, this process isn’t what I would consider “suffering”.

Can you explain?
Between the level of pain and just being sidelined, there came a time when I just felt tired of all of this. I was sick of always being in pain. I get it: with competing comes pain. But when you’ve accumulated injuries, decided to deal with them, recovered from them and before you even get back on the court you’ve acquired another, that takes a toll.

After Indian Wells, I took a moment to make sense of all of it. I felt a little more upbeat around the time of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, but I was still in a very low place and hardly positive.

Following a first-round win over Leonardo Mayer [6-7(7), 6-4, 6-2] in Barcelona, you stayed in your room with your team for quite some time to contemplate things and come to some sort of conclusion.
I promised myself that I would play through Roland Garros with the attitude and energy necessary to confront all obstacles in my way. I wanted to give myself the opportunity to compete at the highest level possible throughout this clay-court season. I spoke with my team and we thought things over.

I needed motivation and there are things you can do in the moment to get that sort of uplifting feeling. YouTube is good for that; there are lots of inspirational videos on there. But I also had to think long-term and summon my inner strength. I did a lot of reflecting, self-evaluating.

You’ve said in the past that when you lose the illusion, the dream, that will be the day you start the next chapter.
I wasn’t in that situation. In this scenario, I was weighing the option of taking some time off to recover. It’s not a case of losing the drive of playing tennis. I had just lost the strength to face down every problem that sprung up on a daily basis and to deal with the debilitating pain. I had to make a decision, but not that drastic of a decision (retirement).

More From #RG19
Rafa’s Dozen: Nadal Claims 12th Paris Title
Nadal Turning Up Heat On Federer, Djokovic In Big Titles Race
Nadal Details His Clay-Court Season Turning Point

So you weren’t considering retirement.
No, not at all. Just contemplated a break for time to recover.

Did you feel all alone at that time?
I never feel alone, no matter where I go. I have lifelong friends, people I consider friends since I was three years old. I have the same core team. And I have my family in Manacor (on the island of Mallorca, Spain). Village life is different from life in a big city. I communicate daily with my family. There’s always a time, though, that whatever I’m going through, I’m the only one who knows what it feels like and to live through it. Sometimes I need help from the people who know me well, from people who love me. In this sense, I have always been very well accompanied, accommodated and advised.

All things considered, no matter how big the wound has been, you’ve always found a way to close it.
When I win, I bask in the glory, and when I lose, it feels like everything has gone wrong with the world. Don’t get me wrong, through the good and bad, I’m always emotionally stable, and staying on level ground helps me accept the positive with the negative and handle my feelings.

It’s a matter of reflecting and assessing things as they happen, then evaluating why they happened. Win or lose, I strive to do even better. The basic principle stays the same, though: I respect the game, and I respect my opponent.

What are you most proud of these past few months?
Playing in Barcelona, in Madrid, in Rome, at Roland Garros … this is the most beautiful time of the year for me. I’m pleased to have stuck to the promise I made myself going into the season, to give it my all, to appreciate the little improvements and to just be thankful for the opportunity to compete day in and day out. From that time in Barcelona through now, I’ve steadily improved. The self-evaluation has paid off. I made lots of small but important steps along the way.

What are you most satisfied with?
I’ve done almost nothing wrong. I wasn’t playing out-of-this-world tennis, but I have come through at important moments. My backhand has been on target, and my forehand is operating at a very high level. Just the fact that I’ve been able to play five tournaments in a row without withdrawing once is satisfying.

I’ve never said it before, but going a stretch like that gives me confidence that my body can hold up under pressure. I can rely on my body to endure what I put it through, even if it’s something as simple as running down shots or twisting and turning, without the fear of something going wrong.

Read More: Nadal Flipped The Script To Run Away With His 12th Paris Title

You’re always the favourite when you step onto the court at Roland Garros. Does that affect you?
What people think has no effect on how I play. I control how I play. Feelings and opinions don’t fit into the outcome. I see this time of the year as a chance to add to my success, and I feel I’ve done that this season.

Have you ever stopped valuing everything you have achieved?
I haven’t made that mistake and don’t intend on doing so. I value it all. In the past, I sometimes felt more excited about some wins more than others, but even that sensation isn’t one I’ve felt since 2015. It’s dangerous to think that way.

The feeling shared among your rivals is that your peerless on clay. Do you consider yourself your own biggest rival?
I haven’t been. Maybe I’ve failed myself a little when it came to maintaining that always positive attitude and with my level of play (following the most recent injury).

But when I play my best, I achieve the intended results and have done so throughout my career. I said it in Barcelona this year: All I needed to do was to get well. They asked me if I had to win in Rome to win at Roland Garros (Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic 6-0, 4-6, 6-1 to lift his ninth Rome title in May). My response was “No, all I need to do is feel well to play well.”

You’re recovered and in top condition. Is anything possible once again?
I’ve never seen myself as capable of anything. I’m happy with what I’ve achieved so far, it’s all special. But the path doesn’t end here; this isn’t the end of the road. There’s still work to be done. I’m going to have to adjust my schedule a little bit, but that’s a matter I’ll discuss with my team. I want to be able to play my best in every tournament I enter and that’s the approach we’ll take moving forward following Wimbledon.

As you’ve said, you’ve strung together five consecutive tournaments without injury. With the grass season already here and the hard-court stretch not too far out, how concerned are you about another possible setback?
The option is always there to take some time off like I considered some months back. After all I’ve been through, acquiring an injury isn’t something that goes through my mind when I’m on the court. I’m an optimistic person, so all I can say is that I’m going to play and I’m thinking about playing at a high level.

It’s true that clay is a little less hard on the body, but I can’t dwell on that and also aspire to be successful going into the grass- and hard-court seasons. We’ll play with an adjusted calendar to give me the best possible chance to succeed.

Are you eager ahead of Wimbledon?
Realistically, I’ve had my chances at Wimbledon when I’ve been fit and playing well. I played five finals in a row there (2006-08, 10-11; DNP in 2009). I was on the cusp of reaching the final last year (l. to Djokovic 6-4, 3-6, 7-6[9], 3-6, 10-8). Winning at Roland Garros has definitely given me a boost in confidence going into Wimbledon. If I’m fit and I can prepare sufficiently, well, we’ll see what happens.

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'Under-28s must show up' – Becker calls for younger generation to take on big three

  • Posted: Jun 10, 2019

Former world number one Boris Becker has called on tennis players under the age of 28 to “show up” and start challenging for Grand Slam titles.

With Nadal winning the French Open, the last 10 Slams have been won by either the 33-year-old, Novak Djokovic, 32, or Roger Federer, 37.

Dominic Thiem, 25, is the only male player currently aged under 28 to have reached a Grand Slam final.

“That is not good,” six-time Grand Slam champion Becker said.

“That is not a compliment for anybody under 28.

“And don’t give me that the others are too good. We should question the quality and the attitude of everybody under 28. It just doesn’t make sense. As much as I respect Roger, Rafa, Novak – who else? Show up. Give me something I want to talk about.”

  • ‘Nadal feat will be talked about in 200 years’

Austrian Thiem has reached two successive French Open finals and took a set from Nadal at Roland Garros on Sunday.

He defeated Djokovic in the semi-finals, while Greek 20-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas beat 20-time Grand Slam champion Federer at the Australian Open.

To date, Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka, Marin Cilic and Juan Martin Del Potro – all now over the age of 30 – are the only players other than Nadal, Djokovic and Federer to have won a Grand Slam title since the Spaniard won at Roland Garros in 2005.

“Eventually they will be too old. But you want to see the passing of the torch while they are still in their prime,” added Becker, who won Wimbledon at the age of 17.

“You want to see Stefanos and Dominic beating them when they are still very, very good.

“It’s not the forehands. It’s not the fitness. It’s a certain mentality, mindset, attitude that makes the difference between winning and losing.”

Nadal, Djokovic and Federer have won 53 Grand Slam titles between them, and there have long been fears as to what will happen to tennis’ popularity once they retire.

“There will be a dip. People have to get used to the new players,” said Becker. “There will be a ‘wow’ moment. ‘Wow, we’re not talking about Roger and Rafa any more’.

“But we said the same thing with [John] McEnroe and [Jimmy] Connors, [Andre] Agassi and [Pete] Sampras. Maybe myself and [Stefan] Edberg and [Mats] Wilander.

“Tennis will always continue with great new stars. But there will be a dip and then the spotlight will be on the young generation to say, ‘Now, show up. Who are you? Are you good enough, can you carry the sport, or was it all a bluff?'”

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Tsitsipas, Felix Lead Race To Milan

  • Posted: Jun 10, 2019

Tsitsipas, Felix Lead Race To Milan

Kecmanovic currently clinging to seventh and final qualification spot

The top of the ATP Race To Milan remains unchanged, but the competition for the final qualification spot has become increasingly tense with five months to go until the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan.

Reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas, 20, and 18-year-old Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime lead the Race, which will determine seven of the eight 21-and-under players at the tournament. The eighth position is reserved for a wild card.

Follow the ATP Race To Milan

Tsitsipas won his first ATP Tour clay-court title last month at the Millennium Estoril Open (d. Cuevas), and Auger-Aliassime made his second ATP Tour final of the season in Lyon (l. to Paire).

Right behind Auger-Aliassime is countryman Denis Shapovalov, who made the Lyon quarter-finals and is competing this week, alongside Auger-Aliassime, on grass at the MercedesCup in Stuttgart. American Frances Tiafoe, who reached the third round at the Mutua Madrid Open, is in fourth place.

Further down the Race leaderboard, Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic currently holds the seventh and final qualification spot. But a pair of 20-year-old #NextGenATP players made gains at Roland Garros and are close behind the 19-year-old Belgrade native.

Read More: Moutet Leading France’s #NextGenATP In Paris

France’s Corentin Moutet picked up two of his three tour-level wins by making the third round at Roland Garros and is in eighth position in the Race, trailing Kecmanovic by only 28 points. Sweden’s Mikael Ymer qualified and picked up his first tour-level victory of the year – and his first career Grand Slam win – by making the second round. Ymer trails Kecmanovic by only 55 points in the Race.

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Tiafoe Turns Tables On Sousa In 's-Hertogenbosch

  • Posted: Jun 10, 2019

Tiafoe Turns Tables On Sousa In ‘s-Hertogenbosch

Haase battles on in front of home crowd

Entering Monday, #NextGenATP American Frances Tiafoe had struggled against Portuguese No. 1 Joao Sousa, losing to the veteran in last year’s Estoril final and again last month in Rome. But the third time was the charm for the World No. 35.

Tiafoe earned his first FedEx ATP Head2Head win against Sousa 6-2, 7-6(0) to reach the second round of the Libema Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. The victory snaps a three-match losing streak for the 21-year-old.

The sixth seed will next face Aussie Jordan Thompson, who rallied past American Tommy Paul 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in one hour and 42 minutes. The 25-year-old was 1-11 at tour-level in 2018, but he has enjoyed plenty of success this year, moving to 16-11 on the season with his three-set triumph.

Tiafoe defeated Thompson 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 earlier this year at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC in Acapulco. The key in that match was that Tiafoe won 55 per cent of his second-serve return points.

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Seventh seed Cristian Garin, who broke through during the clay-court season, advanced with a 6-1, 6-4 victory against qualifier Salvator Caruso. The Chilean previously held an 0-2 record in tour-level grass-court matches.

Next up for Garin is Dutchman Robin Haase, who outlasted #NextGenATP Frenchman 5-7, 7-6(2), 7-6(4) in two hours and 26 minutes. Haase withstood Humbert’s 18 aces, striking 15 aces himself en route to his win.

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/robin-haase/h756/overview'>Robin Haase</a>

In the only other singles match of the day, American Taylor Fritz beat wild card Jurij Rodionov 7-6(2), 6-4 in 79 minutes. The World No. 41, who is one spot off his career-high ATP Ranking, will play second seed Borna Coric in the second round.

On the doubles court, top seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo ousted Monaco’s Romain Arneodo and Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert 7-5, 6-2. They will next face Brit Dominic Inglot and American Austin Krajicek, who moved past wild cards Thiemo de Bakker and David Pel by the same score.

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Stuttgart's Top Seed Zverev: 'These Tournaments Are Very Important'

  • Posted: Jun 10, 2019

Stuttgart’s Top Seed Zverev: ‘These Tournaments Are Very Important’

German to face countryman Brown or Aussie Millman in opener

Reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev reached his second Grand Slam quarter-final at Roland Garros. So of course, he will want to go even further at Wimbledon, which starts on 1 July. But the German, who accepted a wild card into the MercedesCup in Stuttgart, where he is the top seed, knows that to be successful in London, he needs to build up his form beforehand.

“These tournaments are very important. I play two tournaments in Germany, which I always love doing, which for me, on a personal level, is very, very important,” Zverev said. “Stuttgart, I haven’t been here for a few years now, so this is why I have great motivation to do well and obviously also enjoy my time here. Halle is also a tournament that I always love. So for me, of course you want to play your best tennis in the final of Wimbledon. But to do that you’ve got to play great before as well.”

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Zverev, who is playing in Stuttgart for the first time since 2015, is competing in his 12th tournament in the past 12 weeks of the ATP Tour calendar. The 22-year-old did not advance past the quarter-finals in the eight tournaments he played between his run to the Acapulco final and lifting the trophy in Geneva, but his victory in Switzerland and reaching his second Slam quarter-final in Paris will give him confidence, as he is in ninth place in the ATP Race To London.

“I hope that the grass-court season continues with how I ended the clay-court season. I played a few good tournaments in Geneva and in Paris, so I really hope that I [can] continue my good form,” Zverev said. “I hope to have a good grass-court season. Obviously playing in Stuttgart, playing in front of my home crowd, is something that I always love doing. I’m looking forward to the tournament here.”

You May Also Like: 20 Things To Watch In Stuttgart, ‘s-Hertogenbosch

Zverev has won two of his 11 ATP Tour titles in Germany, but he has not been victorious on grass. The home favourite, who will play Aussie John Millman or compatriot Dustin Brown in his opener, ranks 12th among active players with a 66.7 winning percentage (22-11) on the surface, according to the FedEx ATP Performance Zone.

“I started practice yesterday. I didn’t hit for too long because of the rain, but I hit a little bit today already, I hit for two hours. I’m going to practise again later if the rain stops,” Zverev said. “I’m going to do everything I can to prepare myself the best I can. I’m going to play doubles as well with my brother, so for me I’m taking this tournament and the grass-court season very seriously. I want to do well.”

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Nadal Turning Up Heat On Federer & Djokovic In Big Titles Race

  • Posted: Jun 10, 2019

Nadal Turning Up Heat On Federer & Djokovic In Big Titles Race

Spaniard won his 12th Roland Garros trophy on Sunday

It took Rafael Nadal longer to win his first title in 2019 than he did in any season since 2004, the year he earned his maiden tour-level crown. But the World No. 2 has now captured two crowns in a row after lifting his 12th Roland Garros trophy on Sunday, putting plenty of pressure on Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the race for the most Big Titles, a combination of Grand Slam, Nitto ATP Finals and ATP Masters 1000 crowns.

Nadal, whose Paris victory earned him his 52nd Big Title, is now just one Big Title from tying Djokovic in second place (53) and two from record-holder Federer (54). But by winning Roland Garros, he has matched Djokovic’s Big Titles winning rate by capturing one trophy per 3.4 events played. However, since they have both played 179 combined Grand Slams, Nitto ATP Finals and ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, and Djokovic has won 53 titles to Nadal’s 52, the World No. 1 has a slightly better conversion ratio.

Nadal, who with 18 Grand Slam victories is now also within just two majors off Federer’s record, can make the Big Titles competition even juicier if he is to win his third Wimbledon title and first since 2010.

You May Also Like: Tsitsipas Gaining Momentum In ATP Race To London

With his record-extending Roland Garros victory, Nadal has now captured multiple Big Titles in a season 13 times in his career. If the 33-year-old wins another Big Title this year, it will be the 11th time he has lifted at least three of those trophies in a season.

All eyes will also be on Nadal’s pursuit of Federer’s 20-Grand Slam mark. If the two-time Wimbledon champion triumphs again on the London grass, he will be within one major title of the Swiss for the first time. 

“It’s a motivation, but it’s not my obsession. If you ask me whether I would like it, of course. If that’s a goal in my career, no. It’s not what makes me get up every morning or go and train and play. It’s not the way in which I view the sport, and it’s not the way in which I consider my sports career,” Nadal said. “I want to follow my own journey, give myself the best opportunities, and give myself the possibility of competing at the highest level. And if I end up in a position like that of today where I’m the one who won the most Roland Garros [titles] in history, all very well.

“But I don’t think my future will be worth any more if I equal Federer’s record or if I do something like Djokovic or whatever. I consider that I’m going much further than I dreamt about in my career.”

Current and Former Champions’ Big Titles Won (Records Since 1990)

Player Grand Slams Nitto ATP Finals 1000s Total (Avg)
Roger Federer 20/76 6/16 28/135 54/228 (4.2)
Novak Djokovic 15/57 5/11 33/111 53/179 (3.4)
Rafael Nadal 18/55 0/8 34/116 52/179 (3.4)
Pete Sampras 14/52 5/11 11/83 30/146 (4.9)
Andre Agassi 8/61 1/13 17/90 26/164 (6.3)
Andy Murray 3/47 1/8 14/96 18/151 (8.3)
Boris Becker* 2/26 2/6 5/51 9/83 (9.2)
Thomas Muster 1/29 0/4 8/53 9/86 (9.6)
Gustavo Kuerten 3/33 1/3 5/67 9/103 (11.4)
Jim Courier 4/38 0/4 5/71 9/113 (12.6)
Stefan Edberg** 3/28 0/4 1/24 4/56 (14)
Marcelo Rios 0/26 0/1 5/56 5/83 (16.6)
Michael Chang 1/50 0/6 7/86 8/142 (17.8)
Marat Safin 2/41 0/3 5/87 7/131 (18.7)
Andy Roddick 1/46 0/6 5/75 6/127 (21.2)

* Becker’s four other Grand Slam titles came before 1990.
** Edberg’s three other Grand Slam titles came before 1990.

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