Raducanu reaches Nottingham quarter-finals but Norrie loses
Emma Raducanu continues her Wimbledon preparations by reaching the quarter-finals of the Nottingham Open with victory over Daria Snigur.
Emma Raducanu continues her Wimbledon preparations by reaching the quarter-finals of the Nottingham Open with victory over Daria Snigur.
Matteo Berrettini added another stylish win to his dominant record at the BOSS OPEN on Thursday afternoon.
The 2019 and 2022 champion at the grass-court ATP 250 defeated Denis Shapovalov 6-4, 6-4 with a rock-solid second-round display. It was Berrettini’s first victory in three Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings between the two players, and he is now 11-1 in Stuttgart.
“I knew that I hadn’t beaten him,” said Berrettini in his post-match interview. “[We played] two really tough matches, but they were a long time ago. I knew that I had to play my best tennis in order to beat him, and I did today.
“I know that so far in my career I’ve been pretty successful on grass. I think it’s my best surface, and I love to play especially here in Stuttgart. I’m really happy to be in the quarter-finals. Now I need to rest a little bit and wait until tomorrow to think about tomorrow.”
Taking care of business 💼@MattBerrettini cruises to a 6-4 6-4 victory over Shapovalov.@boss__open | #BOSSOPEN pic.twitter.com/Ro8X1xXzCO
— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 13, 2024
The 28-year-old Berrettini, who reached the Wimbledon final in 2021, is this week competing for the first time since April’s Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. He missed Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros but has made a strong return on the grass, a surface on which he excels.
“I put a lot of focus on my serve,” said Berrettini, who won 85 per cent (33/39) of points behind his first delivery against Shapovalov, according to Infosys ATP Stats. “Especially here, it is really important to make him feel the pressure. Also when he’s serving, so he knows that he cannot get broken, otherwise he is going to be in trouble.
“Coming in with the slice is [also] something I like to do on grass. Against a left-hander with a one-handed backhand, it’s something that today was really useful. We practised it a little yesterday and this morning, and it worked.”
[ATP APP]Aiming for his seventh win in as many tour-level quarter-finals on grass, Berrettini will next play qualifier James Duckworth, who earned his first Top 20 victory since 2021 by upsetting second seed Ben Shelton 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3.
Despite the American’s 21 aces, Duckworth applied pressure on the lefty’s second serve. Having won 60 per cent of his second-serve return points, the 32-year-old Australian is into his third quarter-final of the season.
Last year’s finalist Jan-Lennard Struff, also advanced to the quarter-finals on Thursday. The home favourite downed Arthur Rinderknech 6-4, 7-6(0) to reach the quarter-finals for the third time in his past four appearances at the event.
Struff will take on Brandon Nakashima in the last eight, after the American overcame Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-4. Having begun the year as the World No. 134, the 22-year-old Nakashima has risen two spots to No. 68 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings as a result of his Stuttgart run so far.
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Rafael Nadal will play in a clay-court tournament in Sweden rather than on the grass Wimbledon this summer.
Rafael Nadal announced on social media Thursday that he will not compete at Wimbledon.
The Spaniard explained that with this year’s Olympics being played on clay at Roland Garros, he does not want to change surface. He most recently played at Roland Garros.
“During my post match press conference at Roland Garros I was asked about my summer calendar and since then I have been practising on clay. It was announced yesterday that I will play at the summer Olympics in Paris, my last Olympics,” Nadal wrote. “With this goal, we believe that the best for my body is not to change surface and keep playing on clay until then.
“It’s for this reason that I will miss playing at The Championships this year at Wimbledon. I am saddened not to be able to live this year the great atmosphere of that amazing event that will always be in my heart, and be with all the British fans that always gave me great support. I will miss you all.”
During my post match press conference at Roland Garros I was asked about my summer calendar and since then I have been practicing on clay. It was announced yesterday that I will play at the summer Olympics in Paris, my last Olympics.
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) June 13, 2024
In the same announcement, Nadal revealed that he has added another tournament to his calendar: the Nordea Open in Bastad.
“In order to prepare for the Olympic Games, I will play the tournament in Bastad, Sweden, a tournament that I played earlier in my career and where I had a great time both on and off the court,” Nadal wrote. “Looking forward to seeing you all there. Thank you.”
[ATP APP]Nadal has competed in Bastad three times, most recently when he won the tournament in 2005. That year he earned wins against four players who reached the world’s Top 10: Juan Monaco, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Tommy Robredo and Tomas Berdych.
New World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings Jannik Sinner is also scheduled to play in Bastad.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Watch highlights as British number one Cameron Norrie suffers a shock defeat in the second round of the Nottingham Open against compatriot Jack Pinnington Jones.
Watch some of the best shots as Emma Raducanu beats Daria Snigur 6-2, 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals of the Nottingham Open.
Wimbledon will have a record £50m prize money pot next month, with singles champions taking home £2.7m each.
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz will form a doubles team at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. The news was officially confirmed on Wednesday by David Ferrer, the captain of the Spanish men’s team, at an event held at the Real Club de Tennis Barcelona. The Spanish line-up in Paris will also include Pablo Carreno Busta, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Marcel Granollers.
“As you all know, one of the doubles teams will be formed by Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal,” Ferrer said of the two former No. 1s in the PIF ATP Rankings, who will also both compete in singles. “The second team is yet to be decided, it’s not 100 per cent certain. There is a clear idea, but we’re going to wait a little to decide it. If nothing happens to prevent it, Rafa and Carlos will be playing together in Paris.”
Talk about a dream duo 🤩 🤝 pic.twitter.com/ie0W5nK9PD
— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 12, 2024
Alcaraz will have to adjust to having a teammate by his side on court; his history in doubles is a short one. In his professional career, the Murcia native has only played nine matches in the team format, none of them coming in the past two seasons. While his meteoric rise to the top of men’s tennis came off the back of very little experience on the big stages, adapting to the team discipline will provide a new opportunity for the prodigy from El Palmar to show off his ability to learn quickly.
For his part, Nadal is one of the most experienced players on Tour when it comes to the Olympics. The Mallorcan is the only active male player to have won a gold medal in singles and doubles, a fitting record at the four-yearly event for one of the sport’s most legendary players.
The Spaniard won gold in Beijing in 2008, shortly before becoming World No. 1 for the first time. At Rio de Janeiro 2016, Nadal completed his set by climbing to the top of the doubles podium alongside his close friend Marc Lopez. This is now a feat he will look to repeat in a few months’ time on the clay of Paris 2024.
Emilio Sanchez-Vicario and Sergio Casal, who won silver in Seoul in 1988, and Alex Corretja and Albert Costa, who clinched bronze in Sidney 2000, are Spain’s only other previous medal-winners in men’s Olympic doubles.
The doubles competition in Paris will consist of a 32-team draw. Croatians Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic are the event’s defending champions after they won the gold medal at Tokyo 2020.
The tennis tournament will take place from Saturday 27 July to Sunday 4 August on the clay of Roland Garros. It will be the first time the Olympic event has been played on clay since Barcelona 1992.
Editor’s note: This article was translated from ATPTour.com/es.
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Spanish tennis legends Rafael Nadal and Carlos Moya delivered inspiring speeches Wednesday at the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar graduation. The 92-time tour-level titlist Nadal shared with the 52 graduates a story about an impactful conversation he had with rival and friend Roger Federer.
Although Nadal and Federer are widely regarded as two of the greatest players to ever touch a tennis racquet, the 38-year-old Spaniard revealed that he and the Swiss agree that there is something more important that they want to be remembered by.
“A few months ago I had the chance to visit the Italian Dolomites in the company of my friend and rival Roger Federer. There in the mountains, we had a very interesting conversation about a word that I think is very important: legacy,” Nadal said in Spanish.
“Both Roger and I agree on something we believe is of the utmost importance. How would we like to be remembered in a few years? How do we want the future generations to think of us? We are both very sure of our answers. It’s great that our achievements, our titles and our records are recognised, but as the years go by it is probable that someone will arrive and do something better.
“What is important, then, is that which will always be remembered. Therefore, both Roger and I agree that we would like to be remembered as good people. We live in a society that highlights the what and the now above all else. But I would like to highlight the importance of the how. When you are at university or on a tennis court, say to yourself occasionally, ‘How would I like my classmates to remember me? And my teachers? My friends?’ I could tell you to try and be influencers in your surroundings, but I prefer the term leaders. The people around you should see you as someone who should be copied because of their values.”
[ATP APP]Moya, former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, served as the academy’s guest speaker, following in the footsteps of WTA star Iga Swiatek, who delivered the keynote speech 12 months ago. Moya shared thoughtful advice about the importance of working hard when it matters most.
“Throughout my career, I managed to achieve very important goals. Goals that I couldn’t even imagine when I was a kid. Of course the easy thing is to watch players winning trophies but nobody sees what is behind there, all the work you have to do every day,” Moya said.
“Days where you don’t feel like going to practice, going to the gym, studying. If you push yourself through those moments, these are the moments that are paying off. These are the moments that if you do it, it’s going to take you to the next level and help you grow in whatever you want to do. So pay attention to those moments.”
Nadal and Moya are not the only former No. 1’s to speak in front of a graduating class this year. Federer delivered a memorable commencement speech at Dartmouth University on Sunday, discussing several key life lessons.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Daniil Medvedev’s sense of humour and thoughtful— sometimes sarcastic — answers always provide entertainment.
The 28-year-old provided plenty of laughs in a new ATP Tour feature, during which Medvedev, Casper Ruud, Holger Rune, Taylor Fritz, amongst others, provided their grass-court predictions. Medvedev delivered the funniest moment of the piece.
“I don’t have a grass-court title, I will try to win Halle this year… No, I have one in Mallorca! Forget it,” Medvedev said with a smile, seemingly forgetting that he won a trophy on the surface in 2021.
Medvedev also delivered a surprise answer, naming a player outside the Top 40 of the PIF ATP Rankings when asked about a dark horse for the grass swing while several others agreed on a lefty inside the Top 20. Can you guess either player?
[ATP APP]Ruud and Hubert Hurkacz chose a fellow Top 10 star to find success throughout the next month while Ben Shelton is eyeing a colleague to relive a standout 2023 run.
“I think he’s going to back up what he did last year,” Shelton said.
Watch the full video above to find out who the 21-year-old American was referring to and learn which player is backing himself to win Wimbledon.
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