Daniil Medvedev improved to 8-2 on the grass this ATP Tour season Wednesday with a strong start to his campaign at the Mallorca Championships. The World No. 1 came from a set down to defeat Aslan Karatsev 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 as he seeks a third final in as many weeks on the lawns.

The defending Mallorca titlist converted on the lone break point of the second set for either man to move ahead late in the neck-and-neck set, then dominated the decider as Karatsev struggled with an apparent leg problem.

“It was tough to play [in] rhythm,” Medvedev said of the windy conditions. “It felt like many points were just whoever managed to put the ball in the court was going to win the point. It was not easy but I’m happy to win because that’s the most important [thing].”

After dropping serve midway through the opening set on the match’s first break point, Medvedev threatened an instant break back but could not convert on four opportunities. Instead, his comeback bid had to wait for set two. Karatsev kept the pressure on by getting to 30/30 or deuce in three straight return games midway through the second, but Medvedev’s strong serving kept him in front until his crucial break in the eighth game.

Medvedev made just 48 per cent of his firsts serves in the opening set, but improved to 68 per cent and 69 per cent in the final two sets as he took control of the match.

The 26-year-old dropped just one set in his 2021 Mallorca title run and could win his first title of the 2022 season with a successful repeat bid.

“Last year was amazing. I played great tennis,” he said. “Hopefully I can do the same this year. I like it here in Mallorca, so hopefully I can stay as long as possible in the tournament.”

Medvedev next faces fifth seed Roberto Bautista Agut, who advanced when Nick Kyrgios withdrew due to injury. Medvedev earned his first victory against the Spaniard in their fourth ATP Head2Head meeting last week in Halle.

“He’s a great player… Really tough to beat him all the time,” Medvedev previewed. “[He’s a] top player and hopefully we can have a good match.”

Event organisers revealed Wednesday that the Laver Cup will be played in Vancouver and Berlin in 2023 and 2024, respectively. The Laver Cup will be held at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena from 22-24 September 2023 and Berlin’s Mercedes-Benz Arena from 20-22 September 2024.

“Our dream for the Laver Cup was to bring together the world’s top players – rivals year-round – as teammates, to honor the great legends of the past and bring spectacular and competitive tennis to new destinations,” Laver Cup Chairman and CEO of Team8 Tony Godsick said in a press release. 

“With the fifth Laver Cup taking place in London in September, and today’s announcement, we are well on our way to realising our vision for what is now a hugely popular event on the tennis calendar.”

The Laver Cup, which will take place from 23-25 September in London at The O2 this year, was first played in 2017. Vancouver’s Rogers Arena is home to the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks, and Berlin’s Mercedes-Benz Arena has played host to various top entertainment events including NBA and NHL games.

“To have Vancouver and Berlin as the host cities now for the next couple of years for the Laver Cup I think is going to be exciting,” Roger Federer said. “Vancouver, being on the west coast, [the people] being huge sports fans [is great]. Obviously we’ve seen it with the Olympics being hosted there, we’re playing in the heart of the city. I think it’s going to be a wonderful atmosphere just because of that and then of course it’s just a beautiful city in itself that everybody always wants to go visit.

“Berlin [is] a hip place, fun, different to a lot of the cities we know in Europe. So I think being in Berlin, in the German market, is also an excellent choice and one I think we could all really look forward to.”

Sometimes we all need to stop, take stock and rethink a few things. Stefanos Tsitsipas, who arrives at the Mallorca Championships as the second seed, is doing just that.

“I’m trying to enjoy tennis from a perspective that I hadn’t done previously,” the Greek said during the build-up to his opener on Wednesday at the Mallorcan ATP 250. “Expectations aren’t so high, to be honest. I’m enjoying my life, and creating amazing memories is the most important thing at the moment.”

After earning a 17-4 record during the clay season — including a title in Monte Carlo, a final in Rome and a semi-final run in Madrid — Tsitsipas’ first outings on grass have been a little less productive. Tsitsipas has won two of the four matches he has played.

“I’m not focussed on any result, which is great,” the No. 6 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings said. “I’ve played in a lot of tournaments recently and I did very well in most, but really I want to enjoy myself and feel that I deserve some fun.”

That fun outside of tennis is certainly something he has found this week in Mallorca. “What I’ve enjoyed is swimming in the morning on the beach,” he said. “I’m not a huge fan of swimming pools, but I spend my time swimming in the sea and on the beach close to the house we’re living in.”

Tsitsipas is using these days to recharge his batteries before returning to competition, while also practising on the Balearic Island’s courts. “It’s absolutely perfect having this while you play on Tour, because it’s not something that happens often,” Tsitsipas said. “Also, it reminds me of my days in the place where I grew up. I had that life before being a tennis player and it makes me feel at home.

“Having the opportunity to play in a tournament like this and having such a familiar feeling, being by the beach with my loved ones, enjoying life, can sometimes be difficult when you’re away from home.”

There was one thing the Greek was not expecting to see when he set foot on the courts at the Mallorca Country Club: “I was surprised about the colour of the courts. It’s a grass court with a much more intense green and it creates more contrast with the ball, I really like that!”

Tsitsipas plays his opening match in Mallorca on Wednesday against Ilya Ivashka.

Spaniards Pablo Carreno Busta and Jaume Munar advanced on home turf Tuesday at the Mallorca Championships, edging third seeds Santiago Gonzalez and Andres Molteni, 7-6(4), 7-6(5).

The home favourites saved all seven break points against them in the contest. Despite not creating a break opportunity, the unseeded duo was at its best during both tie-breaks, in which the Spaniards never trailed.

Carreno Busta is seeking his fifth ATP Tour doubles title, with his most recent coming at the 2020 Western & Southern Open alongside Alex de Minaur. Munar, who reached the Santiago final with Federico Delbonis in 2021, is bidding for his first tour-level title title in singles or doubles. 

Roland Garros champions Jean-Julien Rojer and Marcelo Arevalo were also among the doubles winners on Tuesday in Mallorca, as the top seeds defeated Petros Tsitsipas and Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4, saving two break points while breaking once in each set.

Eastbourne Doubles Action
Luke Saville and Matwe Middelkoop scored the result of the day at the Rothesay International, upsetting second seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah, 6-3, 6-4. The Australian-Dutch duo lost just four points on first serve (28/32) against the Colombians, finishing with an 88 per cent win rate on their first delivery.

Queen’s Club finalists Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara got back to winning ways with a 7-6(3), 6-7(9), 10-4 result against Ben McLachlan and Andre Goransson, while Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares advanced past third seeds John Peers and Filip Polasek, 6-4, 6-7(5), 10-7.

Top seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic avoided an upset despite facing six break points as they posted a 6-4, 6-4 decision over Britons Ken Skupski and Jonny O’Mara, dropping serve just once.

Former champions Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are already working hard at SW19 ahead of the season’s third Grand Slam at Wimbledon. Djokovic, Nadal, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka are among the stars who have been spotted training on the hallowed grass.

Djokovic will pursue his seventh title at The Championships, where he owns a 79-10 record. The Serbian has won 21 consecutive matches at the tournament, having emerged victorious at the past three editions of the event.

Nadal has won the first two majors of the season at the Australian Open and Roland Garros. The Spaniard will try to complete the third step of the Grand Slam at Wimbledon, where he has lifted the trophy twice, in 2008 and 2010.

Daniel Vallverdu, the current coach of Wawrinka and a former member of Murray’s team, posted a photo with both men as they continued their preparation for the grass-court major. Also in the photo was Ivan Lendl, Murray’s coach. 

A few slam 🏆’s and myself.
Today was a good day!@stanwawrinka @andy_murray #Ivan@Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/qlTYtyRfCz

— Daniel Vallverdu (@danielvallverdu) June 20, 2022

Qualifying for Wimbledon began on Monday, with Jack Sock leading seven Americans through to the second round. Main draw action at The Championships will be played from 27 June through 10 July. Prize money for the event will total a record £40,350,000.