It was exactly 14 years ago that a precocious 17-year-old Spaniard named Rafael Nadal stood on centre court in Segovia, with both arms clutching the ATP Challenger Tour trophy.

Fast forward to Sunday and another Mallorca native was reveling in the same experience. Jaume Munar celebrated his maiden Challenger title at the Open Castilla y Leon, claiming a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Aussie teen Alex de Minaur. He dropped just one set during his breakthrough week on home soil, which included a signature win over top seed Marcel Granollers in the quarter-finals.

“I’m very happy,” Munar told ATPWorldTour.com. “For me, these last few months were very difficult. I did not win many matches, despite all the work I was putting into my game. To win this tournament at home is very significant, especially in front of my parents. I owe them everything to be where I am today. And now I want to win more. This has just begun.”

.@jamunar_38 lifts his first #ATPChallenger ?, rising 101 spots in the Emirates ATP Rankings to a career-high No. 200. pic.twitter.com/C6Mo4dGbIL

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) August 7, 2017

The 20 year old, who grew up idolising his fellow Mallorcan, is coached by Nadal’s close friend Tomeu Salva at his academy. It is apropos that Munar’s first title came in Segovia, which is one of the oldest and most presitigious tournaments in all of Spain. Held at the Villa de El Espinar and under the guidance of tournament director and former WTA star Virgina Ruano Pascual, it celebrated its 32nd edition last week.

Munar became the eighth Spanish champion in the past 20 years, joining the likes of Sergi Bruguera (2000), Nadal (2003), Fernando Verdasco (2007), Feliciano Lopez (2009) and Pablo Carreno Busta (2013), among others. Juan Martin del Potro also lifted the trophy in 2006.

“This was a very important step for me, because in the end, [the ATP Challenger Tour] is a stage that you have to fight through. When I won my first Futures title, many followed. Now I hope this is the same in Challengers. In tennis, it is very important to believe in yourself. There have been some amazing players who have won here [in Segovia] and have gone on to the Top 100 and higher. It motivates me to continue on this path.”

First #ATPChallenger title! ?? @jamunar_38 is the champion of the 32nd edition of @Tenis_Espinar in Segovia, defeating #DeMinaur 63 64. pic.twitter.com/jSBHhCl1Iv

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) August 6, 2017

Munar’s victory extends a strong stretch for Spaniards on the ATP Challenger Tour, marking the nation’s fourth straight week with a title. Fellow Spanish youngster Nicola Kuhn, aged 17, won in Braunschweig, and was followed by Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in Scheveningen and Roberto Carballes Baena in Cortina.

In addition, the 20 year old vaulted 101 spots in the Emirates ATP Rankings to a career-high No. 200. It was truly a breakout week for the Spaniard, who was mired in a 1-6 run in Challenger events coming into the tournament. Moreover, he had never won a main draw hard-court match in his career at the Challenger level.

“I just want to continue growing every day,” Munar added. “To dedicate myself to being professional and maintain this focus on my game. I know there have been a few tournaments that I showed that I have this level and now I have to stay on this path. Everyone has their own process and I look forward to what is to come of mine.”

1. Rafa Eyes No. 1: Rafael Nadal will retake No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings if he reaches the Coupe Rogers semi-finals. Nadal has not been World No. 1 since 6 July 2014. The Spaniard is making his 11th appearance at Coupe Rogers, where he is 28-7 overall and 18-4 in Montreal.

2. Back at the Top: Nadal and Roger Federer are the top two seeds in Montreal. The Spaniard and Swiss have not been the Top 2 seeds at Coupe Rogers since 2009. That year, Federer was the No. 1 seed, Nadal was No. 2, and both lost in the quarter-finals.

Nadal is a three-time champion (2005, 2008, 2013) and Federer is a two-time winner (2004, 2006). The Big Four have captured 24 of 27 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles since Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won 2014 Toronto (89 per cent). The other non-Big Four champions are Marin Cilic (2016 Cincinnati) and Alexander Zverev (2017 Rome).

3. Remarkable Roger: Federer, who turns 36 on Tuesday, is making his first appearance in Canada since losing to Tsonga in the 2014 Toronto final. He has not played in Montreal since falling to Tsonga in the 2011 third round. Federer is 11-4 in Montreal and 20-5 in Toronto, where he has won both of his Coupe Rogers titles.

This season, Federer is 31-2 with an ATP-best five titles, including his 18th and 19th Grand Slam championships at the Australian Open and Wimbledon respectively. He won his 25th and 26th Masters 1000 titles respectively at Indian Wells and Miami.

4. Milos at Home: Canada’s own Milos Raonic is making his eighth Coupe Rogers main draw appearance (10-7 record). He has reached the quarter-finals or better in four of the past five years, with a runner-up finish in 2013 (l. to Nadal) and quarter-final runs in 2012, 2014 and 2016.

5. Tsonga’s Success: Tsonga is 16-4 at Coupe Rogers, including semi-finals at Montreal in 2009 and 2011. He defeated Federer, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic en route to the 2014 Toronto title.

6. #NextGenATP Invasion: Zverev, the Emirates ATP Race To Milan leader, is joined in the Coupe Rogers main draw by fellow Next Gen ATP Finals contenders Karen Khachanov, Borna Coric, Daniil Medvedev, Hyeon Chung, Jared Donaldson, Frances Tiafoe and Denis Shapovalov.

7. Tale of Two Races: Zverev could qualify for both the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals and year-end Nitto ATP Finals. He entered Washington last week at No. 6 in the Emirates ATP Race To London.

8. Wild Cards: All four singles wild cards are Canadian: 2013 semi-finalist Vasek Pospisil, Peter Polansky, Brayden Schnur and Shapovalov. Schnur, 22, is seeking his first ATP World Tour victory. Shapovalov, 18, earned his first tour-level victory over Nick Kyrgios at 2016 Toronto.

9. Nestor Streak: Less than a month shy of his 45th birthday, Daniel Nestor is expected to make his 29th straight Coupe Rogers appearance. Nestor has a 45-26 tournament record with 12 different partners, winning Toronto titles in 2000 with Sebastien Lareau and 2008 with Nenad Zimonjic.

10. Double Your Fun: Among the direct acceptances in the Montreal doubles draw are eight Grand Slam championship teams, including five-time Coupe Rogers champions Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan.

It’s not often that Roger Federer walks through the grounds of an ATP World Tour event without memories of lifting the trophy. But that is the case this week in Montreal, as the Swiss makes his long-awaited return to the Stade Uniprix.

Appearing for the first time in six years, Federer has reached the final just once in the Canadian metropolis, falling to Novak Djokovic in 2007. The Coupe Rogers has witnessed the 35 year old lift the trophy on two occasions, defeating Andy Roddick in 2004 and Richard Gasquet in 2006, but both victories came in Toronto (the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event alternates between the two cities every year). But Federer says that despite his lack of great success in Montreal, there is one moment – an off-court memory – that stands out above the rest.

“I remember the Djokovic match in the 2007 final and maybe a match against [Gaston] Gaudio where I saved match point,” said Federer. “It feels a little like a blur to be honest. But my most important one was in 2009, when my girls were two weeks old.

“It was our first trip as a family. They just got their passports and traveled here. I remember we had an unbelievable time and I was trying to be a dad for the first time. It was all out of control in the nicest possible way. It was here in Montreal, so it will always be special for me here. This year, I’m here without the family so it’s a bit different and bit more quiet. I’ll plan on resting and sleeping while I can.”

Montreal has been waiting a long time for this. Welcome back @rogerfederer! #CoupeRogers pic.twitter.com/8qXsTqbB5a

— Coupe Rogers (@CoupeRogers) August 5, 2017

The Coupe Rogers is the third-oldest tour-level event on the calendar, behind only Wimbledon and the US Open, and its Montreal venue – the Stade Uniprix – has plenty of history itself. It is the former site of Jarry Park Stadium, where the now extinct Montreal Expos (of Major League Baseball) once played. Much of the core seating and some lighting even remains intact, as a tribute to Montreal’s sporting history.

With fans already flowing into the venue for qualifying and to catch a glimpse of the top stars practising, Federer acknowledged the great energy and excitement around the grounds.

“What I see here is a soul in this tournament and a soul in the Centre Court. It’s not totally symmetrical, which makes it unique as well. They’re either a box or a circle. In most venues, they’re the same, but here they’re not.

“The crowd is full most of the time and there are day and night sessions, which is nice. There’s a great energy in the town and they can sense that tennis is back. They only have this one big tournament during the year and fans make the most of it. I hope we can make it a great experience for fans who show up and pay good money for the tickets.”

With Rafael Nadal seeded first and Federer second, it marks the first time since 2011 that the two legends are leading the pack at an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event. Federer is soaring into Montreal, having won 11 consecutive matches, with title runs on the grass of the Gerry Weber Open and Wimbledon. He has also won 11 straight matches on hard courts, claiming the Masters 1000 crowns in Indian Wells and Miami in March.

Despite Federer and Nadal headlining the tournament, notable withdrawals include Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka, who all pulled out due to injury. The Swiss lamented the absence of three of his biggest rivals from one of the ATP World Tour’s biggest tournaments.

“I hope it’s not going to continue like this, where everyone takes the second part of the season off. Novak and now Stan, who might need to have surgery. Cilic too and the same with Andy. I hope that when they come back, they will be in very good form and when Novak and Stan return next year that they will be in good shape.

“I don’t like to see it, but when you take a few months off in the middle of a 15-20 year career, it might not be that much. Sometimes when you have no choice, it makes it easier. It’s about staying positive in those difficult moments. But I wish all those guys all the strength they need.”

Federer is a global icon, but might have the crowd against him in his opener, facing a Canadian wild card in Vasek Pospisil or Peter Polansky. Fifth seed Kei Nishikori looms large in his quarter of the draw, with third seed Dominic Thiem a potential semi-final opponent.

Montreal fans are among some of the most vocal and passionate on the ATP World Tour, which will create a rock concert atmosphere when home favourite Milos Raonic takes the court at the Coupe Rogers.

The sixth seed will start his Montreal campaign against Adrian Mannarino or #NextGenATP Russian Daniil Medvedev. Raonic has enjoyed success on home soil before, finishing runner-up at this event in 2013 (l. Nadal) and reaching at least the quarter-finals in four of his past five attempts. Most importantly, he has moved past the injuries that plagued him at the beginning of the season and is able to play and practise the way he wants.

“I’ve been healthy physically for a while now, which is nice,” said Raonic. “I’ve also been a lot better over the past few weeks in some of the areas that aren’t necessarily the core of my game, so hopefully I can continue to build on that.

“I haven’t had the freedom of just thinking about tennis at times. I’ve been thinking about a lot of other things in the sense of staying healthy and other areas around my game,” he added. “The beauty of this most recent period is that I’ve been able to get my mind back strictly on tennis.”

Although Raonic is still seeking his first ATP World Tour title of the season, he’s consistently gone deep in the events he’s played. He finished runner-up in Delray Beach (l. Sock via w/o) and Istanbul (l. Cilic), recorded semi-final finishes in Lyon and Brisbane, and reached the quarter-finals at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Rome.

If he’s going to lift his first winner’s trophy this year, there arguably wouldn’t be a better place to do it than Montreal. Raonic spent plenty of time training here as a junior and has reconnected this week with the family that hosted him for years. He’s always received plenty of support from fans here and they’ll be eager to try and lift him to his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title.

“There’s an incredible appreciation for this tournament in Montreal and there’s an amazing turnout year after year,” said Raonic. “There’s an unbelievable atmosphere and energy on the court. I have great memories here from four years ago, so those moments and that familiarity will serve me well.”

Rafael Nadal could reclaim his standing as World No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings at the Coupe Rogers, but the Spaniard said he’s focused on the matches at hand for now.

A semi-final finish in Montreal will allow top seed Nadal to unseat Andy Murray in the top spot, a position he hasn’t held since July 2014. But with several tricky opponents potentially standing between him and the last four, including home favourite Milos Raonic, red-hot John Isner and the always dangerous Juan Martin del Potro, Nadal said he can’t afford to look ahead.

“I don’t even think about that now. I’m trying to have the right preparation now and that’s it,” said Nadal. “I’m going to keep trying to play the way I did in the first part of the season, so if I’m able to make that happen, I hope to have a chance to do well.”

Nadal has enjoyed plenty of success before in Canada, winning here in 2005, 2008 and 2013. His winning record has spanned generations of ATP World Tour legends, but while many of his former peers have long since retired, he’s still going strong in one of the best seasons of his career.

“Early in my career there was Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt, a lot of good players. Roger Federer was there, and Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray came a little later. That was a long time ago already, too,” joked Nadal. “The only difference is that we’re older. In the past year-and-a-half, there’s been a good new generation that increased the number of top players, but that’s sport in general.”

His resurgence in 2017, including the historic “La Decima” at Roland Garros, has been one of the most talked about storylines this season. But perhaps most impressive is that the Spaniard is still as motivated as ever to win after 16 years on tour. The 31 year old believes that the reason he and 35-year-old Federer are continuing to rack up titles this year is not only because they’re fully healthy again, but also that their passion for the sport has never wavered.

“We love what we are doing. We have the passion to compete and play tennis, so that helps us to be professional and do the right things on and off the court. If you are healthy, it’s much easier to keep playing longer,” said Nadal. “The mental aspect isn’t difficult if you love the sport. We’re privileged to work for a living at one of our hobbies.” 

A LOOK BACK

International Challenger Chengdu (Chengdu, China): Top seed Yen-Hsun Lu of Chinese Taipei picked up a staggering 28^th ATP Challenger Tour title by defeating second seed Evgeny Donskoy of Russia 6-3, 6-4. The 33 year old wins his second title of the year and is now 20-3 in Challenger finals since 2008. Donskoy was seeking his second Challenger win of 2017 after prevailing this March in Zhuhai.

Thindown Challenger (Biella, Italy): Fifth seed Filip Krajinovic of Serbia saved his best tennis for the final by defeating local favourite Salvatore Caruso 6-3, 6-2. The 25 year old has won three Challenger titles this year after also prevailing in Heilbronn in May and this past month in Marburg. Caruso was appearing in his first Challenger final.

Open Castilla Y Leon (Segovia, Spain): In an all-#NextGenATP final, Jaume Munar delighted the home crowd by prevailing over Alex De Minaur of Australia 6-3, 6-4. The week was a remarkable turnaround for Munar, who had only won a single main draw match this year at the Challenger level. The Spaniard is currently No. 301 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, but will surpass his career-high ranking of No. 243 when the newest standings are released on Monday.

De Minaur drops to 0-2 in Challenger finals. The 18 year old has already jumped nearly 150 spots in the Emirates ATP Rankings this year and will move inside the Top 200 in Monday.

Kentucky Bank Tennis Championships (Lexington, Kentucky): Fourth seed and #NextGenATP American Michael Mmoh scored an upset 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-3 win over third seed John Millman of Australia. Mmoh served to stay in the match at 5-6 in the second set, but rebounded to win his first Challenger title of the year and second overall. Millman was aiming to prevail again in Lexington after taking the title in 2015.  

Svijany Open (Liberec, Czech Republic): Fourth seed Pedro Sousa of Portugal picked up his second Challenger title of the year by defeating Guilherme Clezar of Brazil 6-4, 5-7, 6-2. The 29 year old also finished runner-up last week in Tampere. Sousa won his maiden Challenger crown this February in Francavilla.

A LOOK AHEAD

There are four Challengers on the schedule this week, with a new $150,000 event in Jinan, China, taking top billing. Lu and Donskoy return as the top two seeds, while #NextGenATP South Koreans Duchkee Lee and Soon Woo Kwon are the third and sixth seeds, respectively.

The $100,000 event in Aptos, California, celebrates its 30^th consecutive year of play. Past champions include Andy Murray, Patrick Rafter and Marcos Baghdatis. Malek Jaziri of Tunisia is the top seed and Jordan Thompson of Australia is the second seed. Six #NextGenATP players are in the draw including Aussie Akira Santilan, Americans Taylor Fritz and Noah Rubin, and Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan. An all-#NextGenATP battle also highlights the opening round as seventh seed Casper Ruud of Norway plays Quentin Halys of France.

The $50,000 Challenger in Floridablanca, Colombia, is back for the ninth consecutive year. Guido Pella of Argentina is the top seed and Victor Estrella Burgos of the Dominican Republic is the second seed. Local favourite and 2014 champion Alejandro Falla is also in the draw.

Lastly, the $50,000 event in Portoroz, Slovenia, returns for the fifth straight year. 2014 champion and local favourite Blaz Kavcic is the top seed, Peter Gojowczyk is the second seed and Krajinovic looks for another title is the sixth seed. An intriguing all-#NextGenATP first-round is also in the draw featuring De Minaur and Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece.

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