Wawrinka Beats Coric In Chennai Final
Wawrinka Beats Coric In Chennai Final
Jan112016
| Australian Open 2016 |
|---|
| Venue: Melbourne Park Dates: 18-31 January |
| Coverage: Live commentary on Radio 5 live and text commentary on the BBC Sport website |
ATPWorldTour.com pays tribute to Daniel Nestor’s 1,000 doubles match wins achievement.
Only three singles players – Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl and Roger Federer – have passed the 1,000 match wins milestone in the 44-year history of the ATP World Tour. Today, the sport’s first doubles player, Daniel Nestor, 43 years young, has achieved the feat.
The cut and thrust nature of professional doubles does not lend itself to patience, so when a team experiences a string of losses morale inevitably suffers and each player begins to look elsewhere. So it is incredible that over the past 23 seasons, the Canadian has won matches with 33 partners – from his very first victory with Sebastian Lareau at Auckland in January 1993 to today’s win with Marcelo Melo in the Apia Sydney International first round.
Nestor has ranked among the finest doubles players for the past 20 years, a product of his dedication, commitment, longevity and, most importantly, desire to adapt and evolve. In 15 of the past 20 seasons, he has been among the Top 10 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings – including two year-end No. 1 finishes in 2004 and 2008.
“When I first started playing with Mark Knowles [in 1995] that was my best season and when I felt I was a top player,” Nestor told ATPWorldTour.com. “It was king of sporadic. I’d had big wins with Sebastian Lareau, some good tournaments but confidence wise it took longer in singles than in doubles. When I played against the best players I felt confident immediately.”
His greatest success have come with four partners: Knowles (464 wins, 40 titles, including three majors); Nenad Zimonjic (227 wins, 27 titles, including three majors); Max Mirnyi (90 wins, eight titles, including two majors) and his compatriot Lareau (60 wins, five titles, including the 2000 Sydney Olympics gold medal). He has lifted 88 doubles titles overall – third in the all-time list.
“It’s an incredible achievement,” Knowles told ATPWorldTour.com. “He has had a remarkably long career and has been able to achieve tremendous success throughout. I was fortunate to be on the same side of the net with Daniel for so many of those victories. He continues to adapt to a changing environment and finds motivation where others might not. One thousands wins is nothing short of spectacular. Congratulations!”
Laconic and laid back, with a sharp sense of humour, Nestor has never taken himself too seriously. But the stress to remain among the elite takes its toll. “I am competitive, I have always felt the losses more than enjoyed the wins,” said Nestor.
“You have these tough losses that you deem are far worse, if you deem to get better. I have tried to be the best I can be. I have regrets in singles, but in doubles, I have felt I have done everything that I could. It takes a lot out of you, the stress. I’m one of the guys who is a perfectionist, so little things bother me; when I haven’t played so well at big tournaments; leads to fatigue later in tournaments.”
Nestor has never possessed a big weapon: a devastating serve or blistering forehand, like so many in the modern era, yet his all-round game has been consistently spectacular. Only in humid conditions does his body react, as he experienced with Knowles en route to the 2002 Rogers Cup final. “I have had to work the most on my physical strength as my fitness and footwork was always an issue,” said Nestor. “So I’ve always worked hard off-court, rather than tennis stuff.”
“His longevity is pretty amazing,” Mike Bryan told ATPWorldTour.com. “He’s been one of the top players in the world for so long and he’s the only guy to beat us 25 plus times. We hate playing the guy he makes life tough. He’s one of the most talented players to ever play the game of doubles – his slinky lefty serve, his hands around the net, great return, great athlete and he’s still playing at age 43.” Bob Bryan told ATPWorldTour.com, “He will be in the Hall of Fame soon, it’s an incredible career. We congratulate him on all he’s done for the sport tennis and for doubles.”
“It’s amazing that he still plays at a really high level, and to get to 1,000 wins is something that very few guys will achieve in their careers,” Zimonjic told ATPWorldTour.com. “He’s won pretty much everything, a legend of our sport. He’s an example to the rest of us that if you stay professional, if you still enjoy it, if you love the game you can try to do the same. I’m really, really happy for him.”
In May last year, Nestor was sure that Mike Bryan (970 wins) or Bob Bryan (956) would achieve the match wins milestone before him. He never expected to play tour-level events for 28 years, and five years after indicating his desire to compete at the 2016 Rio Olympics, he keeps mixing it with the world’s best. Today, he assured himself of sporting immortality.
DANIEL NESTOR – BY THE NUMBERS (As of 11 January 2016)
MATCH WINS AND TITLES BY PARTNER
| Rank |
Player
|
Wins
|
Titles
|
Majors
|
| 1 |
Mark Knowles
|
464
|
40
|
3
|
| 2 |
Nenad Zimonjic
|
227
|
27
|
3
|
| 3 |
Max Mirnyi
|
90
|
8
|
2
|
| 4 |
Sebastien Lareau
|
60
|
5
|
–
|
| 5 |
Sandon Stolle
|
22
|
2
|
–
|
| 6 |
Edouard Roger-Vasselin
|
19
|
1
|
–
|
| 7 |
Frederic Niemeyer
|
14
|
–
|
–
|
| 8T |
Robert Lindstedt
|
13
|
–
|
–
|
| 8T |
Leander Paes
|
13
|
1
|
–
|
| 10 |
Rohan Bopanna
|
12
|
2
|
–
|
| 11 |
Vasek Pospisil
|
8
|
–
|
–
|
| 12T |
Grant Connell
|
6
|
–
|
–
|
| 12T |
Kevin Ullyett
|
6
|
1
|
–
|
| 14T |
Mahesh Bhupathi
|
5
|
–
|
–
|
| 14T |
Paul Haarhuis
|
5
|
–
|
–
|
| 16T |
Mariusz Fyrstenberg
|
4
|
1
|
–
|
| 16T |
Julian Knowle
|
4
|
–
|
–
|
| 16T |
Lukasz Kubot
|
4
|
–
|
–
|
| 16T |
Alex O’Brien
|
4
|
–
|
–
|
| 20T |
Frank Dancevic
|
3
|
–
|
–
|
| 20T |
Jacco Eltingh
|
3
|
–
|
–
|
| 20T |
Anders Jarryd
|
3
|
–
|
–
|
| 24T |
Wayne Black
|
2
|
–
|
–
|
| 24T |
Justin Gimelstob
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
| 24T |
Simon Larose
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
| 24T |
Brian MacPhie
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
| 24T |
Marcelo Melo
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
| 24T |
Alexander Peya
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
| 24T |
Milos Roanic
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
| 24T |
Jocelyn Robichaud
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
| 24T |
Greg Rusedski
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
| 24T |
Adil Shamasdin
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
| 24T |
Cyril Suk
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
| Total |
33 Partners With Wins
|
1,000
|
88
|
8
|
1,000 MATCH WINS CLUB
| Rank |
Player
|
Event |
Wins
|
Titles
|
Majors
|
| 1 |
Jimmy Connors
|
Singles |
1,254
|
109
|
8
|
| 2 |
Ivan Lendl
|
Singles |
1,071
|
94
|
8
|
| 3 |
Roger Federer
|
Singles |
1,062
|
88
|
17 |
| 4 |
Daniel Nestor
|
Doubles |
1,000
|
88
|
8
|
MOST DOUBLES MATCH WINS
| Rank |
Player
|
Wins
|
Titles
|
Majors
|
| 1 |
Daniel Nestor
|
1,000
|
88
|
8
|
| 2 |
Mike Bryan
|
970
|
111
|
16
|
| 3 |
Bob Bryan
|
956
|
109
|
16 |
| 4 |
Todd Woodbridge
|
782
|
83
|
16
|
| 5 |
Mark Knowles
|
744
|
55
|
3 |
MATCH WINS AND TITLES BY COUNTRY
| Rank |
Player
|
Wins
|
Titles
|
Majors
|
| 1 |
United States
|
256
|
40
|
1
|
| 2 |
France
|
123
|
7
|
4
|
| 3 |
Great Britain
|
111
|
8
|
2
|
| 4 |
Australia
|
108
|
9
|
1
|
| 5 |
Canada
|
61
|
2
|
–
|
| 6 |
Spain
|
59
|
9
|
–
|
| 7 |
Italy
|
35
|
4
|
–
|
| 8 | China |
32
|
4
|
–
|
| 9 | Germany |
31
|
4
|
–
|
| 10 | Switzerland |
29
|
4
|
–
|
| 11T | Netherlands | 22 |
2
|
–
|
| 11T | United Arab Emirates | 22 |
2
|
–
|
| 13T | Monaco | 20 |
2
|
–
|
| 13T | Qatar | 20 |
2
|
–
|
| 14 | Austria | 18 |
2
|
–
|
| 15 | Russia | 11 |
2
|
–
|
| 16 | Sweden | 7 | 1 |
–
|
| 17 | Colombia | 6 |
1
|
–
|
| 18T | Hong Kong | 5 |
–
|
–
|
| 18T | Mexico | 5 |
1
|
–
|
| 20 | Japan | 4 |
1
|
–
|
| 21T | Eduador | 2 |
–
|
–
|
| 21T | New Zealand | 2 |
–
|
–
|
| 21T | Singapore |
2
|
–
|
–
|
| 24T | Bahamas |
1
|
–
|
–
|
| 24T | Greece |
1
|
–
|
–
|
| 24T | Haiti |
1
|
–
|
–
|
| 24T | India |
1
|
–
|
–
|
| 24T | Israel |
1
|
–
|
–
|
| 24T | Peru |
1
|
–
|
–
|
| 24T | Romania |
1
|
–
|
–
|
| 24T | Serbia |
1
|
–
|
–
|
| 24T | Venezuela |
1
|
–
|
–
|
| Total |
33 Countries With Wins
|
1,000
|
88
|
8
|
DOUBLES MATCH WINS MILESTONES
| Rank |
Partner
|
Opponents
|
Tournament Round
|
Score
|
| 1 |
Sebastien Lareau
|
Eisenman/Mercer
|
1993 Auckland 1R
|
57 76 76
|
| 100 |
Mark Knowles
|
Ferreira/Muller
|
1997 Indian Wells 2R*
|
75 63
|
| 200 |
Max Mirnyi
|
Adams/de Jager
|
2000 Hamburg 1R
|
64 76 |
| 300 |
Mark Knowles
|
Eagle/Stolle
|
2002 Indian Wells QF*
|
64 62
|
| 400 |
Mark Knowles
|
Arnold Ker/Hood
|
2003 Basel F*
|
64 62 |
| 500 |
Mark Knowles
|
Almagro/Robredo
|
2005 Vienna QF*
|
63 61
|
| 600 |
Mark Knowles
|
Berdych/Kiefer
|
2007 Montreal 2R
|
63 64
|
| 700 |
Nenad Zimonjic
|
Delgado/Marray
|
2009 Wimbledon 3R*
|
75 64 64 |
| 800 |
Max Mirnyi
|
Monfils/Ouanna
|
2011 Roland Garros 1R*
|
75 63
|
| 900 |
Leander Paes
|
Hanley/Peers
|
2013 Winston-Salem QF*
|
64 64 |
| 1,000 |
Marcelo Melo
|
Chardy/Paes
|
2016 Sydney 1R
|
64 64 |
* indicates went on to win the title
MATCH WINS BY YEAR
| Year |
Wins
|
Titles
|
Majors
|
| 2016 |
1
|
0
|
– |
| 2015 |
41
|
3
|
– |
| 2014 |
48
|
4 | – |
| 2013 |
33
|
1 | – |
| 2012 |
47
|
5 | 1 |
| 2011 |
49
|
4 | 1 |
| 2010 |
58
|
7 | 1 |
| 2009 |
58
|
9 | 1 |
| 2008 |
49
|
5 | 1 |
| 2007 |
55
|
4 | 1 |
| 2006 |
50
|
5 | – |
| 2005 |
43
|
4 | – |
| 2004 |
63
|
5 | 1 |
| 2003 |
58
|
6 | – |
| 2002 |
67
|
6 | – |
| 2001 |
40
|
4 | 1 |
| 2000 |
41
|
4 | – |
| 1999 |
31
|
2 | – |
| 1998 |
45
|
2 | – |
| 1997 |
32
|
2 | – |
| 1996 |
34
|
4 | – |
| 1995 |
35
|
1 | – |
| 1994 |
15
|
1 | – |
| 1993 |
7
|
– | – |
| Total |
1,000
|
88
|
8 |
Statistical assistance courtesy of Graham Agars, Josh Rey and Greg Sharko and Josh Rey
| Australian Open 2016 |
|---|
| Venue: Melbourne Park Dates: 18-31 January |
| Coverage: Live commentary on Radio 5 live and text commentary on the BBC Sport website |
Andy Murray says he may need number one Novak Djokovic’s form to dip to have a chance of victory in the Australian Open, which starts next week.
The Briton has lost four finals in Melbourne – three to Serbia’s Djokovic.
“You just have to keep trying to learn, watch his matches, see if there are any weaknesses you can capitalise on,” said Murray, second in the ATP rankings.
“Maybe he has a drop-off. It’s very difficult to maintain that level for such a long period.”
Murray, 28, lost the 2010 final to Roger Federer, before suffering defeat by Djokovic in 2011, 2013 and 2015.
The Serb, also 28, holds three of the four Grand Slam titles, having won Wimbledon and the US Open in addition to the Australian Open.
He prepared for the first major of the season, which runs from January 18 to 31, by beating Rafael Nadal in straight sets to win the Qatar Open last week.
Murray has indicated he will leave Melbourne to return home if his wife Kim goes into labour early with their first baby, who is due in mid-February.
He said, though, that his priorities on the court are to win the Australian Open and to defend his Olympic title in Rio later this year.
“I’ve been close many times and that’s my number one goal,” he said.
“I won the gold in London four years ago so to try to defend that is another big goal for me. They would be the two main ones for me.”
Italian into second round
Fifth seed Andreas Seppi, who is making his 11th consecutive trip to Sydney, kicked off his tournament with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 win over Denis Istomin on Monday.
The 2013 semi-finalist (l. to Tomic) improved his FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Istomin to 8-3. The Italian overcame a slow start to secure the first set, then saw the Uzbek fight back from a break down in the second set to force a decider.
Seppi, whose only hard-court loss to Istomin came in a five-set thriller at the 2013 US Open, then took over the match, racing to a 4-0 lead before closing out the win in one hour and 42 minutes.
Aussie wild card Jordan Thompson, making his Sydney main draw debut, earned his first ATP World Tour main draw victory on Monday when Martin Klizan retired while 6-2, 4-0 down. The 21 year old, No. 149 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, fired five aces and did not face a break. In the second round, Thompson will face top seed and countryman Bernard Tomic.
British number one Johanna Konta is out of the Hobart International after a first-round defeat to third seed Dominika Cibulkova.
Konta, 24, was beaten 7-6 (8-6) 7-5 after failing to convert five first-set points in the tie-break.
“It doesn’t happen every day that you win a tie-break from 1-6 down against such a good serving player,” said Slovak Cibulkova, 26.
Defending champion Heather Watson faces Teliana Pereira in the first round.
American cruises into second round
Jack Sock wasted no time in advancing to the second round of the ASB Classic in Auckland on Monday, disposing of Victor Estrella Burgos 6-0, 6-4 in 49 minutes. Sock improved his FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Estrella Burgos to 2-0, having eliminated the Dominican in straight sets at the 2015 US Open. Sock only lost two points on his first serve (20/22) and did not face a break point during the match.
In the second round, Sock will meet the winner between doubles partner and good friend Vasek Pospisil, and seventh seed Ivo Karlovic. The pair is set to square off Monday night.
Other players in action included American Donald Young, who eliminated New Zealand wild card Finn Tearney 6-2, 6-3 in 66 minutes. The 25 year-old Tearney, No. 365 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, was making his ATP World Tour main draw debut.
Sock and Young’s compatriot Steve Johnson did not have a successful outing on Monday, falling to Australian qualifier Matthew Barton 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. Barton, ranked No. 299, hit 13 aces and saved five of six break points to earn his first ATP World Tour main draw victory.
A LOOK BACK
City of Onkaparinga ATP Challenger (Happy Valley, Australia): The meteoric rise of Taylor Fritz continued, with the 18-year-old American claiming his third ATP Challenger Tour title on the hard courts of Happy Valley. Fritz turned aside top seed Dudi Sela 7-6(7), 6-2 on Sunday, denying the Israeli veteran a historic 20th Challenger title. It marked the second straight year that an 18 year old had clinched his third crown, with Fritz joining Hyeon Chung. One of 10 teens in the Top 200 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, the Rancho Santa Fe native rises to a career-high position of World No. 153. He will seek his first Grand Slam main draw berth when he battles in Australian Open qualifying this week.
Champion at the Happy Valley Challenger? Starting off the year right in Australia? ??? #AnothaOne #TitleTown #HappyValleyCH
— Taylor Fritz (@Taylor_Fritz97) January 10, 2016
Watch Interview (video courtesy Tennis Australia)
Bangkok Open (Bangkok, Thailand): Third seed Mikhail Youzhny waited a record 15 years, five months from claiming his first ATP Challenger Tour title to lifting his second trophy in Eckental in early November. It seems the former World No. 8 has rediscovered his winning groove. Youzhny earned his second title in as many months, defeating Go Soeda 6-3, 6-4 in Bangkok. The 33-year-old Russian is now on the precipice of a return to the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, rising to World No. 106. Soeda, meanwhile, was bidding for his 18th Challenger title.
Challenger BNP Paribas Noumea (Noumea, New Caledonia): Top seed Adrian Mannarino streaked to his second Noumea title in four years, topping second seed and 2014 champion Alejandro Falla 5-7, 6-2, 6-2. It was Mannarino’s 11th ATP Challenger Tour title, extending his winning run in finals to six straight. He previously prevailed in Noumea in 2013 (d. Martin). The World No. 47 is coming off a career year, having reached his first ATP World Tour finals in Auckland and Bogota and first Round of 16 at a Masters 1000 event, in Indian Wells.
Torneo de Mendoza (Mendoza, Argentina): The lone event on clay was held in Mendoza, Argentina, where eighth seed Gerald Melzer rallied from a set and a break down to defeat Axel Michon 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 in the final. The Austrian reeled off 10 of the last 11 games to claim his second Challenger title, having previously triumphed on the hard courts of Morelos, Mexico two years ago. The highlight of Melzer’s 2015 season was a surprise run to the semi-finals at the ATP World Tour 250 event in Munich as a qualifier.
WHAT’S AHEAD
The Australian summer of tennis continues in Canberra, where nine Top 100 players are in the draw. In 2015, only five events featured all seeds in the Top 100. Paolo Lorenzi is the top seed, joined by Santiago Giraldo and ATP Challenger Tour Finals runner-up Daniel Munoz-de la Nava. Young guns Yoshihito Nishioka, Noah Rubin and Stefanos Tsitsipas are also present.
For the second straight week, Bangkok hosts an ATP Challenger Tour event, where top seed Mikhail Youzhny looks to go back-to-back. Also, on the clay of Buenos Aires, Gerald Melzer seeks a second title in as many weeks.
View Draws & Watch Free Live Streams
ATP CHALLENGER TOUR ON TWITTER: New in 2016, the ATP Challenger Tour has launched a dedicated Twitter account for the latest news and information about players and events. Follow @ATPChallengerTour at twitter.com/ATPChallengerTour.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga may have been hard at work preparing for the start of his 2016 campaign, but the No. 2 seed at the ASB Classic took some time out on Sunday for a trip and a snack.
Tsonga visited Sky Tower, the tallest man-made structure in the Southern Hemisphere. After creating his own sundae at the Kapiti Sky Café, he ventured up to the observation level and explored Auckland from 328m above street level.
The 12-time ATP World Tour title-winner is making his Auckland debut. He has a first-round bye and will face either Philipp Kohlschreiber or Benjamin Becker in the second round.
After a busy opening week of the 2016 season with seven of the Top 10 in action, 11 of the Top 25 (as of Jan. 4 ranking) are playing this week with Bernard Tomic the top seed in Sydney and David Ferrer the highest-ranked player in Auckland.
ASB Classic (Auckland) – There are eight Top 25 players in this year’s ASB Classic Open, led by World No. 7 David Ferrer, who took a wild card into the draw after a 1R loss in Doha. The 33-year-old Spaniard is a four-time champion in Auckland (2007, ’11-13). Rounding out the seeds are: No. 2 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, No. 3 John Isner, No. 4 Kevin Anderson, No. 5 Benoit Paire, No. 6 Fabio Fognini, No. 7 Ivo Karlovic and No. 8 Roberto Bautista Agut. There are three other former winners in the field: defending champ Jiri Vesely, two-time titleholder John Isner (2010, ’14) and Philipp Kohlschreiber (2008).
Ferrer Top Seed Again – Ferrer comes in as the top seed for the sixth time since 2008. He was the top seed last year but withdrew. As the top seed, Ferrer has compiled a 16-2 match record. He put together a 14-match winning streak from 2011-14, capturing the title three straight years (2011-13) before falling in the semi-finals to Yen-Hsun Lu two years ago. Here is a look at his results as the top seed:
2014: l. in SF to Yen-Hsun Lu
2013: Winner d. Philipp Kohlschreiber
2012: Winner d. Olivier Rochus
2011: Winner d. David Nalbandian
2008: l. to in SF to Julien Benneteau
Reigning Champion – Jiri Vesely qualified into the main draw last year ranked No. 63. He won two qualifying matches and five in the main draw to capture his maiden ATP World Tour title. He defeated Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in an all-left-handed final. Afterwards he jumped from No. 63 to No. 39 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Later in the season Vesely reached the final in Bucharest (l. to Garcia-Lopez). He finished as the No. 2 player from the Czech Republic with a 24-30 match record and No. 41 ranking.
Tsonga Makes Debut– No. 2 seed Jo-Wilfred Tsonga makes his Auckland debut and he is one of two Frenchmen in the draw along with Benoit Paire. Tsonga is coming his sixth Top 10 ranking finish in the last eight years at No. 10 (except ’10 & ’14). He captured his 12th career ATP World Tour title in Metz and was runner-up at ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai.
One to Watch – No. 1 German Philipp Kohlschreiber has compiled an impressive 24-8 match record in Auckland, winning the title in 2008, reaching the final in ’13, the semi-finals in 2010, ’12 and the quarter-finals four other times. The six-time ATP World Tour winner has won four titles on home soil, one in Kitzbuehel and one in Auckland. Kohlschreiber opens against a qualifier and if he advances, he would meet Tsonga in the 2R.
Americans Lead the Way – The top five Americans in the Emirates ATP Rankings are in the draw, led by World No. 11 John Isner, who is a two-time champion (2010, ’14) and owner of a 12-2 record in Auckland. No. 2 American Jack Sock, who reached the quarter-finals two years ago in his debut, is coming off a career-best No. 26 ranking in 2015. Other Americans are: Steve Johnson, Donald Young and Sam Querrey, who reached the final in 2009. Johnson reached the quarter-finals the last two years and Young was a quarter-finalist a year ago.
Kiwis in the Draw – There are two local wild cards in the main draw: No. 1 Finn Tearney at No. 363, and No. 44 in doubles Michael Venus, who reached the 2R last year in the singles draw. Tearney is making his ATP World Tour main draw debut. He played in the qualifying draw three previous times, losing in the 1R in 2009, ’14-15. Venus beat Colombian Alejandro Gonzalez last year in a third set tie-break before losing to Lucas Pouille.
Apia International (Sydney) – No. 1 Aussie Bernard Tomic leads the 28-player field and is making his fifth appearance in six years at the Apia International. He won the title in 2013 and reached the final the following year. The other seeds are: No. 2 Dominic Thiem, No. 3/reigning champion Viktor Troicki, No. 4 Grigor Dimitrov, No. 5 Andreas Seppi, No. 6 Jeremy Chardy, No. 7 Leonardo Mayer, and No. 8 Alexandr Dolgopolov.
Tomic Top Seed – Tomic is the top seed on the ATP World Tour for the first time in his career. A year ago he came in ranked No. 71 and he reached the quarter-finals (l. to Muller). He owns an 11-3 career record at the tournament. Tomic has a 36-17 career record in ATP World Tour level events in Australia, including 31-11 from 2012-16. He is coming off a semi-final showing in Brisbane where he beat No. 8-ranked Nishikori before losing to Raonic 76 76.
Defending Champion – A year ago, Viktor Troicki qualified into the main draw ranked No. 92. He won three qualifying matches and capped off his title run by defeating fellow qualifier Mikhail Kukushkin in the final. After winning his second career ATP World Tour title, the Serb climbed to No. 54 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. He went on to compile a 35-28 match record and he finished the season ranked No. 22, equaling his year-end best in 2011.
Aussies In The Draw – Tomic is one of five Aussies in the main draw. He is joined by Sam Groth and wild cards James Duckworth, John Millman and Jordan Thompson, who is making his main draw debut. Besides Tomic, Millman is the only player in the group to win a main draw match. He reached the 2R in 2013. Duckworth and Groth are both 0-2.
Coric Eyes Maiden Title – Borna Coric, who improved from No. 91 in 2014 to No. 44 last season in the Emirates ATP Rankings, is making his Sydney debut. He opens against Gilles Muller in the 1R. On Sunday, the 19-year-old Croat tries to capture his maiden ATP World Tour title in Chennai against World No. 4 Stan Wawrinka. Coric, the youngest player in the Top 50, is attempting to become the first teenager singles winner on the ATP World Tour since countryman Marin Cilic won New Haven in August 2008.
Benneteau Returns – Frenchman Julien Benneteau, who reached the final in 2012, returns to the ATP World Tour for the first time since Indian Wells last March Benneteau has been sidelined with an abductor injury. He underwent surgery on June 9. He opened the 2016 season by reaching the quarter-finals at the Noumea, New Caledonia, Challenger. He is in the draw with a protected ranking of No. 39.
Nestor Eyes 1,000 Wins – Daniel Nestor is closing in on a historic doubles milestone. The 43-year-old Canadian is one match win away from becoming the first player in the Open Era to register 1,000 career doubles match wins on the ATP World Tour. Nestor is playing for the first time with No. 1 Marcelo Melo. Nestor has a 33-11 career record in Sydney, winning the title five times (1999, ’01, ’10, ’14-15).
Top Two Teams in Draw – Last year’s top two teams in the Emirates ATP Doubles Team Rankings headline the doubles draw. Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau, who finished No.1 and were finalists in Sydney, are the top seeds. The No. 2 seeds are Bob and Mike Bryan have won the Sydney title three times (2009, ’12-13) while reaching the final three other times (2004, ’08, ’11). The Bryans have a 26-8 career tournament record. In addition to the top two teams, the No. 1 doubles player, Marcelo Melo, who is playing with Nestor, is in the draw. Melo won a career-high six titles last season, including his first Grand Slam crown at Roland Garros (w/Dodig).
In Case You Missed It
Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal in the Doha singles final. Read
Feliciano and Marc Lopez win the Doha doubles title, almost 12 years after their last final as a team. Read
Milos Raonic avenged his 2015 final loss to Roger Federer in Brisbane by winning the 2016 title in straight sets. Read
John Peers and Henri Kontinen captured the Brisbane doubles title. Read
Stan Wawrinka now has four Chennai titles in six years after downing Borna Coric in the final. Read
Oliver Marach and Fabrice Martin won their first team title in Chennai. Read
Potential Milestones
Sydney – Doubles
Daniel Nestor: 999 wins
Marcin Matkowski: 399 wins
Birthdays:
January 12: Paul-Henri Mathieu (34)
January 17: Albert Ramos-Vinolas (28)