Tennis News

Former Challenger ballkid Dzumhur revamping career at that level: 'I'm not done yet'

Damir Dzumhur was a perennial Top 100 player in the PIF ATP Rankings from 2015-2020. He reached as high as World No. 23 and claimed three tour-level trophies in a two-year span. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020 and put the Tour on pause, Dzumhur would not have guessed he would need to wait four years to return to the Top 100.

“At the time, it’s not easy to accept it,” Dzumhur told ATPTour.com. “Knowing that you’ve been in the Top 100 for almost six years, playing at the highest level tournaments, playing the Grand Slams and then suddenly you are not there, you have to play in qualies, you have to play more Challengers. [You think], ‘I’m going to get back,’ but it’s not that easy. Then certain things are happening, you can’t perform at your best level, you’re not there and it’s not easy to accept it.”

The 32-year-old, who hails from Bosnia-Herzegovina, has quietly been climbing on the ATP Challenger Tour, the circuit on which he has claimed three titles this year: Barletta, Italy; Ostrava, Czech Republic; Zagreb, Croatia.

Never give up 💪

Damir Dzumhur comes back from 1-5 down in the third set to beat Squire 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 and claim the title in Ostrava!#ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/QJc5RS2URt

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) April 28, 2024

One of six players to win a trio of Challenger titles this season, it was that level that first exposed Dzumhur to pro tennis when he was nine.

Dzumhur grew up volunteering as a ballkid at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Sarajevo, his birth city. In 2003, the first year of the tournament, Dzumhur was retrieving balls for a 16-year-old Richard Gasquet, who went on to win the tournament in record-breaking fashion. To this day, Gasquet is etched in Challenger history as the youngest player to win multiple titles at that level. The Frenchman won in Montauban the year prior.

“I was like, ‘Wow! Me winning a Challenger in seven years? That’s not easy!’” Dzumhur said with a laugh. “But it was good to see that.”

Ironically, Dzumhur and Gasquet have played each other four times across all levels, including this year in the Manama Challenger semi-finals. “Once when we were practising, I told him, ‘Do you know that I was a ballboy to you in Sarajevo?’” he recalled.

Dzumhur saw several other young stars before they became household names and climbed inside the Top 10, including Tomas Berdych, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Ernests Gulbis and Janko Tipsarevic.

Dick Norman, who reached the Top 10 in doubles, hit with Dzumhur in 2003, the same year the Belgian reached the final and lost to Gasquet.

“I had a chance to hit for the first time with a professional player — a player that was Top 100 — I got my chance to ask if I could hit a few balls with him. He was so kind, so we did,” Dzumhur said. “That time when I was a ballkid was definitely the best time of the year for me. Because you could see some of the best players.

“It was a happy time for us kids. I really appreciate that I had the chance to do it. It’s a dream of every tennis player when you are young to meet other tennis players who are professionals.”

Now Dzumhur has built a 12-year and counting professional career of his own. And after a difficult four-year stretch, he climbed back in the Top 100 on Monday for the first time since 10 February 2020.

“At some moments I felt my game was there, but I was just missing part of the puzzle and then there were also some tough moments, especially 2022,” said the World No. 100, who retired in the final round of Wimbledon qualifying this year with a ruptured abdominal oblique muscle.

“I dropped to 260 at one point and there I was thinking, ‘What’s going to be next? Am I going to come back or is it just going to be a struggle?’”

Dzumhur’s career-best stretch came from 2017-2018, when he won ATP 250 titles in St. Petersburg, Moscow and Antalya. The tour veteran is hoping his recent form is just the beginning of a tide change.

“I’m not done yet. This is not where I want to stop. I just want to go step by step,” Dzumhur said. “I’m definitely more motivated [knowing] that I got back to the Top 100. It’s definitely nice to see your name among the Top 100 players.

“At the age of 32, I still feel good. Actually, this is the year that I felt the best in the last few years physically. I don’t think that 32 is old for tennis and I still think that I can prove something in tennis. I’m pretty sure that I can do even more and I can get even better results.”

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Musetti withstands Jarry's 43 winners to advance in Cincy

Paris Olympics’ bronze medallist Lorenzo Musetti made a successful transition from clay to hard court Tuesday at the Cincinnati Open when he survived a third-set tie-break to defeat Chilean Nicolas Jarry

World No. 18 Musetti, who has reached five consecutive quarter-finals, including a career-best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals, edged Jarry 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(4) in his first hard-court match since Miami in March.

“I’m really happy to get the win today. I couldn’t find my game in the fast conditions at the beginning,” said Musetti, who won 85 per cent of first-serve points according to Infosys ATP Stats. “Coming from clay to hard is not the easiest thing to do. But I won two tie-breaks against a great server like Nico, so I’m really proud of the fight.

“It’s been more than three months since I’ve played on hard in Miami, but I’ve made so many results and achievements, so I’m trying to keep this consistency in my work.”

Jarry was valiant in defeat, crushing 25 forehand winners among 43 total winners and saving both break points he faced.

Musetti is 14th in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin, hoping to make up enough ground between now and the end of the season to join countryman Jannik Sinner at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

Musetti next faces American Frances Tiafoe. The players are locked at 2-2 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

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Medjedovic on Djokovic vs. Alcaraz: 'Every street was empty'

Serbia’s capital city Belgrade is home to roughly 1.6 million people. Historical landmarks, museums and attractions maintain a steady flow of traffic throughout the city. But Hamad Medjedovic will never forget the way Belgrade was during the Paris Olympics gold-medal match when Novak Djokovic secured his career Golden Slam.

“I remember when he was playing, every street was empty. You could only hear the shouting, the voices of people screaming,” Medjedovic told ATPTour.com at this week’s ATP Challenger Tour 100 event in Cary, North Carolina.

“I think in the past few years, sports-wise, I think this is the biggest result that we’ve had. Everybody was waiting for him to win it. Obviously he did it all, except that one. We were all so happy after he won it.”

Djokovic, who has spent more than eight years as World No. 1 the PIF ATP Rankings, has been instrumental in Medjedovic’s journey to professional tennis. The 37-year-old has offered advice and provided resources to help his countryman, whether it be facilities, coaches or financial assistance.

Medjedovic earned one of his biggest rewards at the end of last season, when he won the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, which has featured past champions such as Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas. “I think I’m going to remember that week for the rest of my life,” Medjedovic said.

The youngest of four siblings to retired parents, Medjedovic acknowledges that “it will be tough to do anything after Novak”, but he too wants to turn his early success into a storied career that inspires Serbian children to begin playing tennis. Perhaps starting with his nephews and niece, with whom Medjedovic especially enjoys spending time when he is home.

“It’s one of the most beautiful things that I love to do off the court, spending time with them. One sister has three kids, twin boys who are two years old and a girl that is four years old. They watch sometimes when I’m on TV, my sister puts it on,” Medjedovc said. “It’s just so cute seeing the videos after that. I’m melting whenever I see them watching me.”

The four-time ATP Challenger Tour champion suffered a virus at the beginning of the year, keeping him sidelined except for four tournaments in as many months. He has since shown flashes of his best level, pushing Daniil Medvedev to three tight sets in Rome and qualifying for Roland Garros for the second consecutive year.

Medjedovic this week returns to hard courts for the first time since March on the ATP Challenger Tour.

“I think the Challenger Tour is the level that everyone has to go through in order to get to the ATP, the level we are all aiming for. I think the level on the Challenger Tour is pretty scary,” Medjedovic said. “Hopefully I’m going to get to the Top 100 and better so that I can play all the ATP tournaments, but definitely, the Challenger Tour is the key for every player that wants to develop and be a better player.”

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Home hopes Tiafoe, Michelsen advance in Cincinnati

American hard courts often bring out the best in Frances Tiafoe.

That much was true on Tuesday afternoon at the Cincinnati Open, where the home favourite put together a high-quality first-round display to down Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3, 7-6(6). Tiafoe produced some moments of magic, particularly off his forehand wing, to improve to 9-2 in opening-round matches on hard courts this year.

The No. 27 in the PIF ATP Rankings and a former US Open semi-finalist, Tiafoe reached the quarter-finals in Atlanta and the semi-finals in Washington before a first-round exit in Montreal last week. He was in trouble early on his return to home soil in Cincinnati but reeled off six straight games from 1-3 in the first set to take control against Davidovich Fokina.

Tiafoe looked set to seal a routine victory in the 10th game of the second set, when he carved out three match points. Yet Davidovich Fokina held firm on serve, and even earned a set point of his own in the subsequent tie-break before Tiafoe found a final three-point streak from 5/6 to complete a one-hour, 44-minute victory.

“I thought he played some pretty good points. Other than the return I had on my racquet, the other two he played some good points,” reflected Tiafoe when asked about his difficulties closing out the match. “He’s a Spaniard and they fight until the end, so I kind of knew that going in and wasn’t too surprised.

“Obviously, you want to get it done there. It’s a good first-round win for me. Quality player, been around for a while, and he wins a lot of matches out here on the Tour, so it was a good win.”

Fully Focused Foe 💪

Solid display from @FTiafoe to take down Davidovich Fokina 6-3 7-6(6)!@CincyTennis | #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/I9sLiX3mzX

— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 13, 2024

With his win, Tiafoe improved to 2-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. The 26-year-old’s next opponent in Ohio will be 14th seed Lorenzo Musetti or Nicolas Jarry.

“I haven’t played well here at all,” said Tiafoe, when asked about his desire to improve on his 7-7 career record in Cincinnati. “I think I’ve made one third round. I’ve lost on this court a lot. But just going day by day, having fun. It’s time for me to get back to winning matches more consistently. I lost two in a row, so this was big to not lose three in a row.”

Tiafoe’s #NextGenATP countryman Alex Michelsen also overcame staunch resistance from his first-round opponent to book a crunch clash against top seed Jannik Sinner. Having come through qualifying at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, the 19-year-old defeated Tallon Griekspoor 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 on his Cincinnati main-draw debut.

Michelsen powered 36 winners, including 10 aces, against Griekspoor according to Infosys ATP Stats. After notching his third Masters 1000 match win of the year, the big-serving American has risen six spots to a career-high No. 51 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, while he has also consolidated second place in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah. Michelsen is chasing his second straight appearance at the season-ending Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.

<img src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/08/13/20/25/michelsen-cincinnati-2024-tuesday.jpg” style=”width: 100%;” alt=”Alex Michelsen” />

_{^{Alex Michelsen in action against Tallon Griekspoor on Tuesday at the Cincinnati Open. Photo Credit: Mike Lawrence/ATP Tour}}

Zhang Zhizhen, Sebastian Baez and Jiri Lehecka also booked their second-round spots on Tuesday. Zhang overcame the big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-3, 7-6(4) to become the first Chinese main-draw match winner in tournament history. He will next take on Montreal finalist and sixth seed Andrey Rublev.

The World No. 20 Baez downed Marcos Giron 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(6), while Lehecka triumphed 7-6(3), 6-3 against Mariano Navone in his first competitive match since he retired from his maiden Masters 1000 semi-final in Madrid in early May. The Czech will face fourth seed Daniil Medvedev in the second round.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

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Djokovic receives hero’s welcome in Belgrade

Novak Djokovic celebrated his gold medal victory at the Paris 2024 Olympics in his native Serbia with the rest of the Serbian Olympic team, as huge crowds of Serbians received their athletes with a warm welcome Monday evening.

Thousands of onlookers congregated in the capital at Belgrade City Hall to celebrate the efforts of Djokovic and the rest of the Serbian Olympic team, following an Olympic campaign where Serbia accrued five medals overall, including three gold medals. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic was present to warmly greet Djokovic and the rest of the Serbian athletes.

Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(3), 7-6(2) in the Olympic final to claim a long- awaited Olympic gold medal and complete the career ‘Golden Slam’. The Serb was visibly emotional after his victory, stating that winning the elusive gold medal was “the biggest sporting achievement I have had”.

“I have had the honour and pleasure of being on this special [City Hall] balcony several times in my career, but each time you surprise and inspire me more and more,” Djokovic told the crowd. “This is the most beautiful feeling that an athlete from Serbia can experience.”

Djokovic was joined on the Belgrade City Hall balcony by the rest of the Serbian Olympic team, which included basketball star, Nikola Jokic, a staple figure in the national team as they secured the bronze medal with victory over Germany.

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Popyrin wins maiden Masters 1000 title in Montreal

Alexei Popyrin beats world number six Andrey Rublev in the final of the Canadian Open to claim his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title in Montreal.

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Rublev reflects on emotional growth after Montreal run

Andrey Rublev may have fallen one match short of winning his third ATP Masters 1000 title on Monday night at the Omnium Banque Nationale présenté par Rogers, but the 26-year-old is proud of how he controlled his emotions throughout his run in Montreal.

“It’s a very positive and a really good week. A really big step forward I think. I feel proud of myself that I was able to be really good all week mentally,” Rublev said. “If we took me back a couple of months ago or even one month ago or even compare my match against [Popyrin] at Monte-Carlo when I was losing, I was behaving ten times more and it was the first round.

“Here it was a final. Much more pressure. I still showed a bit of emotion today, but compared to the matches when I was losing the same way, I think I did a much better job. That’s why I had a little chance in the second set.”

Rublev has struggled to control his emotions at times in the past, with fans becoming accustomed to seeing the 26-year-old show a full range of feelings when on court.

However, the No. 6 player in the PIF ATP Rankings was calm throughout his run in Montreal, where he upset World No. 1 Jannik Sinner en route to the final. The 16-time tour-level titlist is keen to build on his emotional progress in the weeks ahead.

“I know which lesson I need to take from this match and just to keep moving,” said Rublev, who lost to Alexei Popyrin in straight sets in the final. “I’ve been [trying to be] more clear in my head since Bastad and every week I’m doing better and better.

“This week no one expected that I [would reach] the final and I did it. So I’m back in a good position in terms of ranking. So I want to focus, keep improving. I just need to take the right lesson and keep going.”

Rublev, who the week before reached the semi-finals in Washington, improved to seventh place in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin, as he seeks to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the fifth consecutive year. The 26-year-old was looking to claim a second Masters 1000 title of the season after he won Madrid during the clay swing.

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Popyrin shares Hewitt advice following Montreal title

Alexei Popyrin delivered for Australia at the Omnium Banque Nationale présenté par Rogers in Montreal on Monday when he became the first Aussie ATP Masters 1000 winner since Lleyton Hewitt triumphed in Indian Wells 21 years ago in 2003.

Popyrin defeated Andrey Rublev in the final to claim the biggest title of his career and revealed that former World No. 1 Hewitt offered him important advice ahead of the hard-court event that gave him a boost in Canada.

“Lleyton was actually with me at the Olympics last week and he helped me so much in the Olympics and has helped me so much throughout my career. He gave me some good advice after my match against Zverev at the Olympics,” said Popyrin, who lost to the German in Paris. “He said, ‘You took one of the best players in the world, one of the more informed players in the world, to kind of play some unbelievable tennis to beat you’. I was a break up in that match, so serving for the [first] set and kind of choked it.

“He kind of flipped the switch on it and kind of told me a positive overlook on that match and then gave me the confidence coming into this week.”

Popyrin played with a renewed sense of belief all week in Montreal and thundered 18 forehand winners in the final. The 25-year-old believes his attacking display against Rublev was one of the best performances of his life.

“I would say it’s one of the best matches I’ve played in my life. I think it’s not a level that I haven’t seen myself produce in practise or an occasional match here and there, but considering the occasion, considering what we were playing for, I think with the level that I played, it probably is the best match that I’ve played in my life,” Popyrin said.

“For me, I’m not kind of most proud about how I played in this final. It’s more how I played throughout the whole week. The level that I produced the whole week to play these top guys. To beat them with the level of tennis that I showed was really a testament to everything.”

Popyrin earned three Top 10 wins en route to the title in Montreal, while he defeated five Top 20 players in total to become the first player to achieve that feat at a Masters 1000 event since Holger Rune in Paris in 2022.

The 25-year-old overcame Sebastian Korda to reach the final and then showed little nerves in the title match against Rublev. The Australian is pleased with how he handled the occasion on Court Central.

“I felt pretty calm. What I work for is to play in matches like this, and there’s no point in going out there nervous or scared of the occasion when you’ve worked your whole life to play matches like this,” Popyrin said.

“For me, I really enjoy playing big matches. I really enjoy playing finals and semi-finals and big tournaments in front of a big crowd on a big court. For me that’s where I feel like I play my best tennis. I came out there. I wanted to put a statement in the first game and I think I did that.”

Popyrin arrived in Canada at No. 62 in the PIF ATP Rankings but has climbed 39 spots to a career-high No. 23 after winning his third tour-level title. The Australian feels his victory is a reward for the hard work.

“At the early start of my career it was to not get injured and just play and just not get injured. Now it is building a body, building an athlete that we’ve been doing for two years now,” Popyrin said.

“I felt it out there. Especially the last three matches the past two days. Coming off two tough matches yesterday and to come out and feel the way I did on the court, it just shows that all of the work that we’re putting in we’re building an athlete. I don’t think we’re done yet. My fitness coach is telling me I’ve got a lot of work to do still. I’m not looking forward to it, but I’m going to do it. That’s for sure.”

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Popyrin soars to career-high after Montreal title, Mover of Week

The North American hard-court swing continued at the Omnium Banque Nationale présenté par Rogers , where Alexei Popyrin powered to the title. ATPTour.com looks at the movers of the week in the PIF ATP Rankings as of Tuesday, 13 August.

No. 23 Alexei Popyrin, +39 (Career High)
The Australian has soared to a career-high No. 23 in the PIF ATP Rankings after he won his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title in Montreal. Popyrin earned five Top 20 wins en route to the title, including a final win against Andrey Rublev.

“It means the world, for all the hard work I’ve put in over the years, all the sacrifices I have made,” said Popyrin, who is the first Australian Masters 1000 winner since Lleyton Hewitt won Indian Wells 21 years ago in 2003.

No. 6 Andrey Rublev, +2
Rublev has jumped two spots after he reached his sixth Masters 1000 final and second of the season. The 26-year-old, who won in Madrid earlier this season, upset World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals but could not overcome Popyrin, who saved match points in his third-round win against Grigor Dimitrov.

No. 15 Sebastian Korda, +3 (Career High)
The 24-year-old continued his recent rise with a semi-final showing in Montreal. The American, who captured his maiden ATP 500 title in Washington earlier this month, upset World No. 4 Alexander Zverev in the quarters for his second Top 5 win.

No. 30 Matteo Arnaldi, +10 (Career High)
The Italian has jumped to a career-high after he reached his maiden Masters 1000 semi-final in Montreal. Arnaldi dropped just one set to reach the last four.

Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 8 Casper Ruud, +1
No. 9 Grigor Dimitrov, +1
No. 39 Nuno Borges, +4 (Career High)
No. 59 Arthur Rinderknech, +6
No. 65 Rinky Hijikata, +9 (Career High)
No. 67 James Duckworth +13
No. 83 Borna Coric, +11

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Can't eat, can't see: Dellien's bizarre path to a Challenger Tour hat-trick!

The pain was sudden. There was a pounding in his head. Hugo Dellien was awake in the middle of the night. To make matters more frustrating, the Bolivian was competing that week in qualifying for Roland Garros, the clay-court major where in 2022 he beat two-time finalist Dominic Thiem in the opening round.

But this year’s trip to the Parisian clay for Dellien was the beginning of a difficult period for the 31-year-old, who has since turned around his misfortune for three ATP Challenger Tour titles in the past month. Dellien fell in the first round of Roland Garros qualifying and quickly returned home to South America to address the immense pain in his mouth that pain pills could not subside.

“It was a tough time because I had a lot of things with my wisdom teeth. I took out three wisdom teeth,” Dellien told ATPTour.com. “So much pain in my head. I couldn’t eat anything, just ice cream. If you take out just one wisdom tooth, you can eat. But not with three.

“I chose to get the three out because it’s one time and then no more. It was a hard moment.”

Two days after competing in France, Dellien underwent wisdom tooth extraction. And in his first tournament back, the Santa Fe Challenger, adversity hit once again in a freak accident.

In his second-round match, Dellien was struck in the eye with the ball, which deflected off his racquet frame while he was at net.

“I didn’t see anything in my right eye. No inflammation or anything, but I could not continue because I couldn’t see good and I had a lot of pain in my head and in my eyes too,” Dellien recalled. “Bad luck this time.”

In a raw moment, Dellien visibly grew frustrated as he tried to continue the match. His hard work was being crushed by events out of his control. He retired shortly after suffering the eye injury and proceeded to see a doctor in Buenos Aires, where he has lived since moving from Bolivia at age 17.

“The doctor said to me, ‘You have to close your eyes 20 hours [a day], because the eye will get better alone. You don’t need a pill or medical treatment, it will get better naturally. But you have to close them as much time as you can. Because when you open them, it’s not recovering’.

“He said it, but of course I cannot do it. I tried to do it the most time that I could, but not 20 hours!” Dellien said.

After two weeks away from tournament action, it did not take long for Dellien to find his best form. He has won 17 of his past 19 Challenger-level matches, including three titles: Iasi, Romania; Liberec, Czech Republic; and in Bonn, Germany this past Sunday. Dellien is close to returning to the Top 100, which he has not been a part of since March 2023.

<img src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/08/12/16/27/dellien-bonnch-2024.jpg” style=”width:100%;” alt=”Hugo Dellien wins the Challenger 75 event in Bonn, Germany.” />
^{Hugo Dellien wins the Challenger 75 event in Bonn, Germany. Credit: Bonn Open}

Currently World No. 107 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Dellien, who has been as high as No. 64, is reaping rewards for his dedication and perseverance.

“I’m very happy because for the last six, eight months I wasn’t playing good. I didn’t have good results. I worked a lot and the results weren’t coming,” Dellien said. “But I think the support of my family, my team, all the people that follow me, gave me the power to change the moment. I think now I’m playing a little bit better. I won tough matches, got some confidence to play better. I won Iasi and it changed.”

Dellien lifted the Iasi Challenger title one week removed from his brother Murkel Dellien claiming his maiden trophy at that level in Romania. “This is so special for us,” said Hugo, whose nickname is, ‘La Pantera’, translated as ‘The Panther’.

A 12-time Challenger champion, Dellien credits his family and team for their support in helping him regain confidence. His wife Camila gave birth to twin girls in January, making them a family of five. Their first child, Mila, was born in 2020.

“My wife knows the life of tennis because she was a professional tennis player too. She knows how the work is,” Dellien said. “She said to me, ‘You can do it, just take it easy and work hard.’ The support of my family is the most important thing in my life. If I don’t have this support, I cannot do anything.”

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