'£50,000 says it was out' – Dart's umpire outburst
Watch the moment Harriet Dart disagrees with the umpire in her all-British tie against Katie Boulter at the Nottingham Open.
Watch the moment Harriet Dart disagrees with the umpire in her all-British tie against Katie Boulter at the Nottingham Open.
Luca Nardi’s tour-level debut on grass proved to be worth the wait on Monday at the Libema Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
After rain forced the start of the Day 1 schedule at the ATP 250 to be delayed until 3:30 p.m., the Italian downed two-time Wimbledon quarter-finalist David Goffin 7-5, 7-5 in an absorbing first-round clash. Nardi handled the blustery and damp conditions well on the Dutch grass, wrapping his victory against the former World No. 7 in two hours and five minutes.
“For sure, the biggest challenge for me was to adapt on grass, because I didn’t play too many matches on grass,” said Nardi in his on-court interview. “This was maybe my second or third match [overall]. Playing in these conditions, with the wind and the cold and a bit wet on the ground [was difficult], but I think that I played a good match and I am very happy.”
[ATP APP]Nardi kept his cool under pressure to save seven of 10 break points he faced against Goffin, according to Infosys ATP Stats. With his win, he avenged his 2023 loss to Goffin on home soil in Rome and drew level at 1-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
A competitor at the 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, Nardi will take on seventh seed Sebastian Korda or qualifier Tristan Schoolkate next in the Netherlands. The 20-year-old, who upset then-World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in Indian Wells in March, is now 4-5 for the season at tour-level.
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Britain’s Emma Raducanu says she is in a “really fit place” as she prepares to start her grass-court season at the Nottingham Open.
Jack Draper made a winning return to grass on Monday at the BOSS OPEN in Stuttgart, where he defeated Sebastian Ofner 7-6(4), 7-6(5) to earn his first tour-level victory on the surface outside of Great Britain.
The 22-year-old missed the grass swing last season due to injury but has performed impressively on the surface in the past, reaching the semi-finals at the ATP 250 event in Eastbourne in 2022.
[ATP APP]Draper looked comfortable against Ofner in the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting, rallying from a break down in the second set to advance after one hour and 40 minutes. The lefty will next face former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings Andy Murray or American Marcos Giron.
“I thought it was a really good match,” Draper said. “I thought we both played clean tennis, both of us were executing really well. When it came down to it I think I competed really well and I am glad to get over the line. It is good to be back on grass as well.”
In other action, Germany’s Dominik Koepfer clawed past Chinese star Zhang Zhizhen 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(6). The home favourite saved two match points in the third-set tie-break before eventually advancing on his first match point after two hours and 37 minutes. It is the first time Koepfer has won a tour-level match on grass since 2021, when he beat Soonwoo Kwon in the second round at Wimbledon.
Koepfer, who is making his second appearance in Stuttgart, will next meet fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti or French wild card Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
In an-all German clash, Yannick Hanfmann defeated wild card Henri Squire 6-3, 6-3. Hanfmann did not face a break point according to Infosys ATP Stats to advance after 63 minutes. The 32-year-old next plays defending champion Frances Tiafoe.
Day 1 of main-draw action was rounded out with a maiden tour-level grass win for Hamad Medjedovic. The 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion rallied past Fabian Marozsan 6-7(3), 6-1, 6-4 on his Stuttgart debut. His next opponent in Germany will be third seed Alexander Bublik.
Serving Rockets 🚀@MedjedovicHamad with some huge serving on both 1st and 2nd 🔥#ShotQuality is calculated in real-time by analysing each shot’s speed, spin, depth, width, and the impact it has on the opponent#TennisInsights | @atptour | @boss__open pic.twitter.com/UNMyUL2NAC
— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) June 10, 2024
Jannik Sinner has today become the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings. He is the first Italian man or woman to reach World No. 1 in singles since computerised rankings were introduced in 1973.
The 22-year-old began the year at World No. 4. But with a remarkable surge to start 2024, highlighted by his first major title at the Australian Open, an ATP Masters 1000 title in Miami and semi-finals at Indian Wells, Monte-Carlo and Roland Garros, Sinner is now the 29th player to stand at the summit of men’s professional tennis.
“It represents a great result of work ethic. It was one of my goals for myself and my team this year. The most important goal is always to improve as a player and as a person, surrounding myself with great people. I think I can be very happy and pleased with what I am doing as well as my team”, Sinner said. “In the last period I’ve played some really good tennis. I’m very happy to be in this position.”
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Andrea Gaudenzi, ATP Chairman, said: “Jannik’s rise to World No. 1 has been nothing short of remarkable. This is our sport’s most challenging and impressive accomplishment, requiring immense dedication, determination and self-belief. It’s reflected by the exclusive list of tennis greats who have held the top spot, with Jannik becoming only the 29th player to achieve the No. 1 ranking in over 50 years of history. Jannik can be immensely proud of everything he has accomplished. On behalf of the ATP, we are thrilled to join his many fans in celebrating this moment. At just 22 years old, he has an incredible road ahead. It will be fascinating to watch his journey continue.”
Sinner first entered the PIF ATP Rankings on 12 February 2018 aged 16 and less than two years later, on 28 October 2019, he cracked the world’s Top 100. Shortly thereafter, the Italian won the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF at just 18 years of age.
Your new ATP World No. 1 presented by PIF 🏆
ATP Tour Chairman, Andrea Gaudenzi, presented Jannik Sinner with the trophy at the Monte-Carlo Country Club 🙌#S1NNER | #PIF | #ATPRankings | #partner pic.twitter.com/OjQQec3kmm
— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 10, 2024
Over the past 52 weeks, during which Sinner has earned the points that helped him to World No. 1, he has tallied a 15-4 record against Top 10 opponents. Nine of his victories during that stretch have come against current or former World No. 1s: Novak Djokovic (3), Carlos Alcaraz (1) and Daniil Medvedev (5).
Entering last August’s National Bank Open presented by Rogers, Sinner had never lifted an ATP Masters 1000 or major trophy. Since then he has claimed six titles, including Masters 1000 triumphs in Toronto and Miami, as well as his maiden Grand Slam victory at Melbourne Park. His other crowns came at ATP 500 events: Beijing, Vienna and Rotterdam.
[ATP APP]One of Sinner’s biggest highlights came at last year’s Nitto ATP Finals, where he competed for the second time. The Italian won his group with an undefeated record before defeating Medvedev to reach the championship match. His run further boosted his stardom both at home and around the globe.
Immediately following that run, Sinner led Italy to Davis Cup glory for the first time since 1976. It was just the country’s second victory in the event.
Sinner’s rise to No.1 brings Djokovic’s current stint at the top to a close. The Serbian has spent a record 428 total weeks at No.1 to date. Sinner joins a list of six active players who have ascended to World No. 1: Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Medvedev and Alcaraz.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Jannik Sinner says “we go hunting now” after becoming the first Italian to reach the top of the world rankings.
Jannik Sinner is the 29th player to reach World No. 1 in the history of the PIF ATP Rankings.
Ilie Nastase was the first in 1973 and, 51 years later, Sinner has joined the elite group, becoming the first Italian to accomplish the feat.
ATPTour.com is celebrating Sinner’s ascent to No. 1 with a series of profiles of all 29 legends who have climbed to the pinnacle of mens’ tennis.
[ATP APP]Jannik Sinner: The flying fox who climbed to the very top
All smiles: Carlos Alcaraz’s joyful game carried him to No. 1
Daniil Medvedev: No. 1, One of a kind
Andy Murray: The man who ended the Big Three’s No. 1 reign
Novak Djokovic: The complete player
Rafael Nadal: The ultimate competitor
Federer On No. 1: ‘I decided I would like to stay there’
Andy Roddick: The competitive rocket
Juan Carlos Ferrero: The humble mosquito
Lleyton Hewitt: Intense Aussie reached pinnacle at 20
Guga On No. 1: ‘Highlight of my career by far’
Marat Safin: The man of fire
Patrick Rafter: When nice guys finish first
Yevgeny Kafelnikov: The poker-faced workhorse
Carlos Moya: A Spanish pioneer
Marcelo Rios: The first South American No. 1
Thomas Muster: Tragedy to top spot
Andre Agassi: From rebel to philosopher
Pete Sampras: ‘I let my racquet do the talking’
Jim Courier: ‘You have to be extreme to be exceptional’
Boris Becker: From Wunderkind to World No. 1
Stefan Edberg: The No. 1 with grit & grace
Mats Wilander: ‘Every ball comes back’
Ivan Lendl: The monk in the iron mask
John McEnroe: An artist at No. 1
Bjorn Borg: The Ice Man & Elvis, all in one
Connors on No.1: ‘A lonely spot, but it has the best view’
John Newcombe: The man behind the mustache
Ilie Nastase, The first No. 1
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Jannik Sinner today climbed to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, becoming the first Italian to achieve the feat. It is a historic moment for the 22-year-old, who is just the 29th player since the rankings’ inception in 1973 to climb to World No. 1.
Just more than five years ago, Sinner competed in an ATP Tour event for the first time. Looking back at that one event, the ATP 250 in Budapest, it was clear the Italian had a bright future.
It all began when tournament director Attila Richter received a phone call from the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation and Sinner’s team. They told him about the Italian’s talent and asked if the tournament would consider giving him a wild card.
Organisers had already allocated their three main draw wild cards — one for top seed Marin Cilic and two for Hungarians — so they decided to give the 17-year-old a chance with a qualifying wild card.
“This young guy comes over super polite, super nice, very calm and quiet,” Richter recalled. “Plays incredible tennis, wins in the qualies first round, I’m not even sure who he beat but I remember it was a surprise.”
Read ATPTour.com’s Number Ones Series
Sinner had advanced past Lukas Rosol, known for his 2012 Wimbledon upset of Rafael Nadal. Two weeks after losing in the second round of an ATP Challenger Tour event, the Italian was a win away from successfully qualifying for his maiden tour-level main draw.
Those hopes were squashed when German Yannick Maden defeated him 6-3, 6-4.
“I just remember that I played a somewhat straightforward match, a bit more stable than him, but he was already playing pretty fast and somewhat consistent,” Maden recalled. “But it didn’t bother me that day too much. But it was so close. And I remember also my coach said afterwards that the guy hits the ball really clean.”
[ATP APP]It was apparent to Maden, who reached a career-high No. 96 in the PIF ATP Rankings, that Sinner hit with a high average pace and consistently took the ball early. But it was not just the Italian’s physical tools that caught his attention.
“I remember even after beating him, the next day in the morning, I think I had off and we went off site somewhere to practise,” Maden recalled. “I saw him hitting again. So [a] really good, diligent worker, always a really nice guy, even after he really shot up in the rankings.”
Four players withdrew from the main draw due to injury or illness, so all four players who lost in the final round of qualifying were slotted into the field. Sinner took the place of Dusan Lajovic, who withdrew due to an elbow injury. The teen faced wild card Mate Valkusz, a former junior World No. 1.
“They played a pretty incredible first-round match with balls basically shooting from their racquets like a bullet,” Richter said. “Jannik wins in the end, so he not only gets his first wild card into a Tour event, but also wins his first Tour match in Budapest in 2019.”
The rising star triumphed 6-2, 0-6, 6-4 for his first ATP Tour main draw win. Then World No. 314, he would lose in the second round to World No. 33 Laslo Djere 6-3, 6-2. But his actions off court were even more memorable.
Richter had to leave just before the end of the match for an official meeting in the city. About an hour after departing site, he received a call from the players’ desk asking when he would return.
“I said, ‘Listen, I’ve got no idea’. I had to go to the ministry, I had a couple of other things going on. I said, ‘Maybe one, two hours. Why?’
“There’s a young guy here waiting for you.”
“I’m like, ‘Okay, who is it?’ They said it’s Jannik. ‘Okay, what does he want? Is there an issue?’”
“No, no issue at all.”
“He just wanted to talk to me. I’m like, ‘Okay. I can either talk to him over the phone or if he needs me in person, then I’ll probably be back in an hour’.”
Richter wondered what could be so important that Sinner wanted to meet him in person. Approximately one hour later upon his return to the venue, the tournament director went straight to the players’ desk to ask if the teen was still there.
“Jannik was sitting in the players’ lounge already with all his luggage and everything around him in one of the boxes, so I go up to him and say, ‘Hi, here I am, is there an issue?’ He stands up and says no issue at all. He just wanted to thank me for the wild card,” Richter said. “That sort of already then gave me the impression not only seeing him playing tennis, but also it gives you that feeling that you have with Jannik also today — what a really, really nice, nice guy he is, how good he was raised and his manners. So he actually sat there for an hour and a half, waiting for the tournament director.”
A couple of years after the tournament, Richter was at Roland Garros with his son. They were in the lobby of their hotel when he noticed Sinner sitting by himself. The Italian remembered the tournament director and they enjoyed a quick conversation. “He said for him, it was and still is important to remember where he came from,” Richter recalled.
“I remember then thinking to myself, ‘Well, if he becomes a good player, he’ll be a superstar’, because it’s just the personality that he has,” he added. “I always had that memory and I always told a lot of other players since, mainly juniors and up-and-coming players the story about what a difference it makes if you’re not only a good player in terms of playing tennis but also a good person and always being humble and respectful to where you came from.”
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