2017 ATP Finals Tickets On Sale Watch Federer
2017 ATP Finals Tickets On Sale Watch Federer
Feb072017
Rafael Nadal will join Andy Murray in the Aegon Championships at The Queen’s Club in June. The Spaniard – winner of 69 ATP World Tour singles titles, including two Wimbledon crowns – can’t wait to return to the prestigious grass-court tournament he won in 2008.
“I am very happy to be coming back to Queen’s in June,” said Nadal, who went on to win Wimbledon for the first time nine years ago, just three weeks after his triumph at The Queen’s Club. “Winning the title in 2008 is a great memory for me, the people that organise the event at Queen’s and the British crowds are fantastic, and it is the best way for me to be ready for Wimbledon.”
Nadal’s two Wimbledon titles (’08, ’10) both followed good runs at the Aegon Championships. He reached the Wimbledon final five times between 2006 and 2011, making the quarter-finals or better at The Queen’s Club prior to each one.
Stephen Farrow, Aegon Championships tournament director, was delighted to confirm the World No. 6 in the Emirates ATP Rankings had joined the field. “Rafa is one of the greatest tennis players of all time and one of the most popular ever to play at The Queen’s Club,” he said.
“To be able to add his name to that of the world No.1, Andy Murray, in the Aegon Championships line-up in a year when we are expanding our Centre Court capacity by 30 per cent, and just a week after reaching the final in Australia, is wonderful news for the tournament, our spectators and our sponsors.”
Tara McGregor-Woodhams, head of brand and sponsorship, Aegon UK said: “We are thrilled that Rafael Nadal has committed to playing the Aegon Championships this summer. Everyone loves watching him play, and we look forward to seeing him in June.”
The Aegon Championships will be held from June 19-25 at The Queen’s Club, London.
Frenchman Jeremy Chardy upset seventh seed Marcel Granollers 6-0, 3-6, 6-3 on Monday to start the Open Sud de France in Montpellier. The 29-year-old Chardy saved seven of nine break points against Granollers and now leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 3-2.
Chardy is assured of meeting a fellow Frenchman in the second round, either Paul-Henri Mathieu or lucky loser Vincent Millot.
Dustin Brown, a semi-finalist a year ago, improved to 5-3 lifetime in Montpellier with a 7-6(4), 6-3 victory against Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. The German’s win booked a second-round showdown with top seed Marin Cilic.
Former World No. 8 Janko Tipsarevic took a step closer to returning to the Top 100 on Monday with a first-round win against Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver at the Ecuador Open. The Serbian wild card advanced when Gimeno-Traver retired down 1-4.
The 32-year-old Tipsarevic started the year at No. 144 in the Emirates ATP Rankings but has climbed to No. 101 after winning back-to-back ATP Challenger Tour titles in Bangkok last month. He hasn’t been inside the Top 100 since April 2014 when he was No. 94.
Tipsarevic, who’s playing in his first ATP World Tour tournament since Moscow last October, will meet 2016 finalist Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil in the second round. Austrian Gerald Melzer hit 14 aces to knock off sixth seed Horacio Zeballos of Argentina 6-7(4), 6-3, 7-6(4). Colombian Santiago Giraldo won 77 per cent of his first-serve points to beat German Benjamin Becker 6-4, 6-4.
Wild card Giovanni Lapentti, playing his final ATP World Tour event, rode home-crowd support to take down No. 7 seed Thiago Monteiro, of Brazil, 6-3, 6-2. The 34-year- old from Guayaquil, who reached a career-high No. 110 in 2005, announced his would retire after this tournament and had not won a match in two prior appearances.
Giovanni will team with brother Nicolas in doubles for the final time. Nicolas was ranked as high as No. 6 in the Emirates ATP Rankings in 1999.
Moldovan Radu Albot kicked off main draw play at the 2017 Garanti Koza Sofia Open on Monday with a 7-6(0), 6-2 win against 19-year-old Alexandar Lazarov of Bulgaria. Albot, No. 92 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, converted all four break points against Lazarov, who received a wild card into the main draw.
The 27-year-old Albot will meet second seed David Goffin in the second round. Goffin, No. 11 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, is one of four Top 20 players at the Garanti Koza Sofia Open, along with World No. 8 Dominic Thiem, top Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov and defending champion Roberto Bautista Agut.
Bulgarian wild cards were more fortunate in doubles. Dimitar Kuzmanov and Alexandar Lazov battled past Ariel Behar of Uruguay and Andrei Vasilevski of Belarus 6-4, 6-7(9), 10-7.
Bulgarian not blinking under the glare of national spotlight
Grigor Dimitrov is a man in demand this week at the Garanti Koza Sofia Open. A national hero even before the 2017 Australian Open, his status has only elevated after his exhilarating semi-final with Rafael Nadal in Melbourne. He has turned his whole nation into avid tennis fans.
It makes for perfect timing for a homecoming for the 25-year-old Dimitrov, who is set to play an ATP World Tour event in Bulgaria for the first time. It will be a nostalgic week for the right-hander, who will walk out to the support of 10,000 fans, including his nearest and dearest friends and family, for his first-round match on Thursday night.
“It’s amazing,” Dimitrov told ATPWorldTour.com on Monday, following a practice session with top seed Dominic Thiem. “I think the last time I competed out here I was a junior, playing on the Futures on the clay courts. It’s very special. I don’t get the chance to come home often, so every time I’m here it’s always pretty hectic. But what can I do? It’s part of the game. No excuses. I’m here to play tennis,” added the Haskovo native, who was applauded into his pre-tournament press conference on Saturday before taking a selfie with the assembled media.
pic.twitter.com/fou9IYqKJJ
— Grigor Dimitrov (@GrigorDimitrov) February 4, 2017
“My family have always been by my side and supporting me throughout my career. Even when I’m not doing well they still think I’m the best! Nothing substitutes the love from your family. To play at home, in front of them, it’s a feeling that you can only have as a player.”
Bulgaria came to a standstill as Dimitrov battled Nadal for five sets a week and a half ago on Rod Laver Arena. For a nation starved of a sporting icon since footballer Dimitar Berbatov played in the English Premier League, everyone was behind Dimitrov’s every shot. It was joked that the only Bulgarian at work that Friday was Dimitrov.
When asked his reaction to the level of interest, Dimitrov exclaimed, “I was excited! I actually asked myself that question (‘What was it like back home?’) and wished I could just have a peek at those kind of moments, even though I was performing. I honestly wished I could see it. I appreciate it. Bulgaria’s a small country. We don’t have that many sports right now and if I can bring that to the whole nation it’s pretty amazing.”
Victory was so close for Dimitrov, who had come into Melbourne on a hot streak, winning the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp at the start of the season. But he couldn’t convert two break points in the eighth game of the fifth set, and Nadal eventually prevailed, denying Dimitrov the chance to play Roger Federer in Dimitrov’s first Grand Slam final.
It was a long way from home for the young man who first started playing tennis against a wall when his mother handed him a racquet at the age of three. For someone who describes tennis as “my passion, my love, my work, my best friend,” defeat in Melbourne was difficult to digest.
“I think it was very tough for me,” said Dimitrov. “As soon as the match ended I was in tears in the locker room. I was replaying the match at least 20 times the same night. I slept about two hours. It was not really the most pleasant day after.
“But then I kind of realised that I got that far and I just had to get on with it. That’s the next step. I don’t want to discourage myself and I just need to keep my head high. Keep on working. Stay on the ground, stay humble and keep up the good work.”
Dimitrov is no stranger to pressure, having shouldered national and international expectation on the ATP World Tour throughout his career. It has only increased after Melbourne and as such, it is a steely eyed, calm, focused and determined Dimitrov who is prepared to take on a strong field in Sofia, featuring Thiem, David Goffin and defending champion Roberto Bautista Agut.
“I have to deal with the pressure, with the media, not disappointing at home. I’m aware of all these things and I’m just me. I’m going to do me. I’m going to give myself the best preparation that I can before my first match and hopefully everything unfolds on a positive note for me.”
Great Britain’s Fed Cup captain Anne Keothavong says they can emulate the men’s Davis Cup team and “put women’s tennis on the map in this country”.
They begin their campaign in Estonia on Wednesday in the Europe/Africa Zone.
Johanna Konta, the first British woman to reach the world’s top 10 in 32 years, Heather Watson and Laura Robson are all available for the first time.
“Hopefully Jo’s success and the way she goes about it will inspire the other girls,” said Keothavong, 33.
British number one Konta, 25, reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open before a nine-match winning streak – which included victory at the Sydney International – was ended by Serena Williams.
“They can definitely learn a lot from her,” added Keothavong. “For the first time ever we’ve got a top-10 player so that in itself gives the team a different feel.
“We all know what she’s capable of, but Laura and Heather have also had big wins and they’re still very young.”
World number one Andy Murray inspired Great Britain to Davis Cup victory in 2015 – but his mother, Judy Murray, quit as Fed Cup captain last year frustrated at the competition’s format and Britain’s failure to progress.
Keothavong’s side will play a round-robin in Tallinn and need to win three or four matches to earn the chance of a play-off spot in World Group II, the Fed Cup’s second tier.
“The format doesn’t lend itself to anything – but it is what it is and we have to accept that,” added Keothavong, who played in 39 ties for Great Britain.
“There’s only eight teams in the Fed Cup World Group whereas Davis Cup has 16 so, with the format, it will take us a few years to get there.
“But we can certainly put women’s tennis on the map in this country.”
Rafael Nadal will warm up for Wimbledon by playing in the Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club in London in June.
The 14-time Grand Slam champion will join Britain’s Andy Murray at the event, which Nadal won in 2008 before claiming his first Wimbledon title.
“The people that organise the event at Queen’s and the British crowds are fantastic, and it is the best way for me to be ready for Wimbledon,” he said.
The Spaniard missed last year’s grass-court season through injury.
Tournament director Stephen Farrow said: “Rafa is one of the greatest tennis players of all time and one of the most popular ever to play at the Queen’s Club.”
Earlier this month, Murray committed to the Aegon Championships for the rest of his career and the BBC announced it will cover the tournament until at least 2024.
This year’s tournament will run from 19-25 June.
Watch again: Nadal beats Djokovic at Queen’s 2008
Canada’s Denis Shapovalov has been fined $7,000 (£5,600) after being defaulted from his match against Great Britain’s Kyle Edmund in the Davis Cup.
The 17-year-old was trailing Edmund 6-3 6-4 2-1 when he hit umpire Arnaud Gabas in the eye with a ball struck in anger.
He must pay $2,000 for the default and $5,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct, escaping the maximum $12,000 penalty as it was not deemed intentional.
The International Tennis Federation has said no further action is anticipated.
The World Group first-round tie in Ottawa was poised at 2-2 after Vasek Pospisil beat Dan Evans to set up a decider, but Canada’s hopes ended when Shapovalov was disqualified after letting frustration get the better of him.
He later apologised to Frenchman Gabas in the match referee’s office before the umpire went to Ottwawa General Hospital as a precaution.
No damage to the cornea or retina was found and Gabas will see an eye doctor in France on Tuesday for a further examination.
Shapovalov, who had just dropped serve when the incident happened, said he feels “incredibly ashamed and embarrassed”.
“I just feel awful for letting my team down, for letting my country down, for acting in a way that I would never want to act,” he added.
“I can promise that’s the last time I will do anything like that. I’m going to learn from this and try to move past it.”
ATPWorldTour.com looks at the top Movers of the Week in the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, as of Monday, 6 February 2017.
Ryan Harrison has returned to the Top 70 of the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time since 18 February 2013 (No. 69) after he captured the fourth ATP Challenger Tour title of his career. The 24-year-old American did not drop a set all week at the RBC Tennis Championships of Dallas and clinched the crown with a 6-3, 6-3 win over #NextGenATP Taylor Fritz. Read Report
Harrison jumped 16 places to No. 62 – 19 positions off his career-high of No. 43 on 16 July 2012. The 19-year-old Fritz rose 15 spots to No. 83 in the Emirates ATP Rankings and is also currently No. 12 in the Emirates ATP Race To Milan, with the Top 7 singles players – aged 21-and-under – automatically qualifying for the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan in November
Four other #NextGenATP players Hyeon Chung (No. 70, +3), Yoshihito Nishioka (No. 82, +3), Frances Tiafoe (No. 94, +3) and Jared Donaldson (No. 95, +5) also moved up in the Emirates ATP Rankings.
View Latest Emirates ATP Rankings
Elsewhere, former World No. 27 Adrian Mannarino notched ATP Challenger Tour trophy No. 13 on Sunday by beating German Peter Gojowczyk 6-4, 6-4 in the final of the Open BNP Paribas Banque De Bretagne. As a result, he moved up four spots to No. 56.
View ATP Challenger Tour Section
No Emirates ATP Rankings points were awarded at Davis Cup ties last week.