Novak Djokovic: Judge orders immediate release of tennis star
Anthony Kelly quashes the decision to cancel the player’s Australian visa on Covid vaccination grounds.
Anthony Kelly quashes the decision to cancel the player’s Australian visa on Covid vaccination grounds.
Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov led the celebrations on Monday as Team Canada took to the water in Sydney following its ATP Cup triumph.
Canada overcame Spain 2-0 in the final on Sunday to capture the third edition of the 16-team event, with Shapovalov downing Pablo Carreno Busta, before Auger-Aliassime sealed the win by defeating Roberto Bautista Agut.
To celebrate, the Canadian team enjoyed a boat ride on the Parramatta River, cruising past the Sydney Opera House as they held aloft the ATP Cup trophy and Canadian flags.
Photo Credit: Peter Staples/ATP Tour
It was a victory that had looked unlikely earlier in the week after Canada lost its first four matches and could have been eliminated before playing their third Group C tie. However, Auger-Aliassime earned a vital win against Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie to keep them alive, before Canada earned qualification for the semi-finals by moving past Germany 2-1.
A hard-fought semi-final deciding doubles win over Daniil Medvedev’s Russia saw Canada knock out the 2021 champion to set up a meeting with Spain, where Shapovalov and Auger-Aliassime then sealed victory.
Bendigo International [Bendigo, Australia | Challenger 80]: It had been three long years since Ernesto Escobedo last tasted victory on the ATP Challenger Tour. But that would change on Sunday in Bendigo. The 25-year-old American stormed back to defeat Enzo Couacaud 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 in two hours and 36 minutes, opening the 2022 season with a return to titletown.
After dropping the opening set and having taken a medical timeout early in the second, it appeared that Escobedo would come up short on a sun-kissed Sunday afternoon in Bendigo. But the California native dug deep to find his way to the winners’ circle for the first time since 2019. It marked the fourth Challenger crown of his career.
What a way to start the year! Thank you @javiernalbandian for pushing me everyday to get the best out of me. Now let’s go for more! ? @newbalance @babolat @ Bendigo, Victoria https://t.co/zOHG54jFPL
— Ernesto Escobedo (@netoescobedo) January 9, 2022
“The whole week I felt good and I had a great offseason with my coach,” said Escobedo after the final. “I came into the tournament prepared and happy and it all fell into place for me. I think the last champion here was Steve Johnson and he told me it’s a great town and a great tournament, so I was happy to come here and play. It’s been tough conditions in Australia for the past couple years [with the pandemic], so I’m just fortunate to be here competing.”
Escobedo, who rose to a career-high No. 67 in the FedEx ATP Rankings in 2017, has struggled to find his groove on the court over the years. Now, under the tutelage of Javier Nalbandian (brother of former World No. 3 David Nalbandian), he is slowly working his way back towards the Top 100. Escobedo will rise to No. 141 on Monday.
Having reached the quarter-finals at the ATP 250 in Los Cabos last year, followed by a second-round finish at both the US Open and the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Escobedo has been building towards this moment for many months. He will next seek to qualify for the Australian Open for the first time since 2017, as he kicks off his qualifying campaign on Tuesday.
Traralgon International [Traralgon, Australia | Challenger 80]: If you haven’t already taken notice of Tomas Machac, it’s time to jump aboard the Czech train. The 21-year-old continued his push towards the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings with yet another Challenger title, emerging victorious on Sunday in Traralgon.
Machac lifted the third trophy of his young career, marking the third straight year in which he has triumphed on the Challenger circuit. He capped a dominant week on the hard courts of the Traralgon International with a 7-6(2), 6-3 win over Bjorn Fratangelo. The Beroun native also rallied from a set down to defeat eighth seed Mikhail Kukukshin in the quarter-finals and notched a straight-set victory over fellow 21-year-old Jesper de Jong in the semis.
The second-highest ranked player from the Czech Republic, behind only Jiri Vesely, Machac rises to a career-high No. 130 on Monday. A succssful qualifying campaign at next week’s Australian Open will go a long way in his Top 100 quest. Seeded 20th in Melbourne Park, he opens against Argentina’s Camilo Ugo Carabelli.
Citta di Forli 1 [Forli, Italy | Challenger 50]: Luca Nardi became the first teenage champion of the 2022 ATP Challenger season, as the 18-year-old prevailed on home soil in Forli on Sunday. Nardi won the Challenger 50 title with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Mukund Sasikumar. The Italian was made to work this week, having rallied from a set down in three straight matches. He overcame Lucas Catarina, Evan Furness and third seed Christian Harrison, before downing Sasikumar for the trophy.
Nardi’s victory marks the fourth straight year in which an Italian teen has won a Challenger title. In 2019 it was Jannik Sinner, followed by Lorenzo Musetti in 2020 and Giulio Zeppieri last year.
Recent Italian Teen Titles
| Player | Year | Title(s) Won |
| Luca Nardi |
2022 | Forli |
| Giulio Zeppieri | 2021 | Barletta |
| Lorenzo Musetti | 2020 | Forli |
| Jannik Sinner | 2019 | Bergamo, Lexington, Ortisei |
Dove Men+Care Legion Sudamericana Challenger de Tigre [Buenos Aires, Argentina | Challenger 50]: Santiago Fa Rodriguez Taverna claimed his maiden Challenger title on Sunday, prevailing on home soil in Buenos Aires. He won the Challenger 50 event with a 6-4, 6-2 win over countryman Facundo Diaz Acosta, marking his fourth consecutive straight-set victory of the week.
The 22-year-old continues the run of success for Argentine players on the ATP Challenger Tour, with the South American nation coming off a record-tying 20-title haul in 2021.
The tennis star hopes to play in the Australian Open but instead could be deported.
Andy Murray says he is dismayed at Novak Djokovic’s struggle to gain entry to Australia, saying it is “really not good for tennis at all”.
First it was unclear if Canada could field a team at the ATP Cup. Then it appeared the Canadians would be eliminated from semi-final contention before their third Group C tie. But on Sunday evening, Felix Auger-Aliassime capped a dream week for his country by clinching the third edition of the team event.
“Being so close to being out of the group and then coming out, you’re kind of in that survival mode and I think we just carried that all the way through to today,” Auger-Aliassime said. “As the week went on I think we played some really good matches and we got more and more belief, but I think the trust and the belief never went away the whole week for everybody on the team.”
On 26 December Canada’s No. 2 singles player, Denis Shapovalov, announced he had tested positive for Covid-19 and had to quarantine. It was unclear if the 22-year-old would be able to partake in the ATP Cup. Steven Diez was back home awaiting a negative test himself, and he did not arrive in Sydney until 31 December.
Although the Canadians were able to compete, it did not start well. They lost their first four matches and if the United States defeated Great Britain in their third Group C tie, Canada would not have had a chance at reaching the knockout stages. But all the scenarios went in their favour, giving them an opportunity.
“So many things still had to go our way. We needed the teams to all kind of split the ties. It was super tough for us going down 3-0 the first day so we needed [the] U.S. to lose, and they did in a crazy match,” Shapovalov said. “[It] just seemed like the pieces were all kind of falling into place.”
Once into the last four, Canada faced a tough test against defending champion Russia, led by World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev. Medvedev and Roman Safiullin appeared in control of the deciding doubles early in the second set, but once again the Canadians refused to go away.
After battling through a Match Tie-break to reach the championship tie, the Canadians produced their best performance of the week against Spain. Roberto Bautista Agut and Pablo Carreno Busta are as tough as they come, but Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov had too much firepower and were relentless in pursuit of the crown.
Canadians are champions of the world.
“Really, I hope this inspires kids and people back home in these tough times right now,” Auger-Aliassime said. “A lot of provinces have been going down into lockdown again, not going out much. And I hope this just puts a smile on their face and gives them a little bit of support and hope and then inspires a next generation.”
We interrupt your Twitter timeline with a message from #TeamCanada ???#ATPCup pic.twitter.com/eI61Ki5rWN
— ATPCup (@ATPCup) January 9, 2022
Steven Diez and Brayden Schnur were an enthusiastic presence in Canada’s Team Zone throughout the competition. They both gave all the credit to Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov.
“My back’s pretty sore from carrying this team the past eight days,” Schnur joked. “It’s a privilege to be alongside and be team members with these two guys here, and obviously Steven as well. For me it’s just a privilege and to see them working so hard, they’re getting everything they deserve.”
“Being here today with this trophy and this amazing team, I think it’s something amazing,” Diez said. “I’ll be really grateful to these two, they’re the present and the future, and they’ll probably win this trophy a few more times for sure.”
But this run will be remembered as the event in which two childhood friends, Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov, showed their country what is possible. They were once boys with a dream, and now they have brought Canada to the forefront of world tennis.
“I really hope it was able to be seen in Canada, I’m sure it was. And I hope it just gives belief, more belief to everyone there that we are a summer sport country as well. I just hope a lot of kids will start picking up racquets after seeing us competing,” Shapovalov said. “It’s pretty special, I think, what specifically me and Felix have, playing since we’ve been little, little children at five or six years old, all the way up to here. Just competing alongside and being able to win titles like this together, it’s something truly special.”
Rafael Nadal takes the Melbourne Summer Set title in his first competitive tournament since August as the Spaniard prepares for the Australian Open.
Felix Auger-Aliassime clinched the ATP Cup title for Canada on Sunday evening with a 7-6(3), 6-3 victory against Roberto Bautista Agut to give his country a 2-0 win against Spain.
Canada lost its first four matches of this year’s competition and could have been eliminated before playing the third Group C tie. But thanks to favourable results, the Canadians still had a chance and they seized their opportunity.
Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov won a deciding doubles against Russia on Saturday to knock out the defending champions. And with the trophy on the line, they played their best tennis to defeat two-time finalists Spain.
“The emotions are unbelievable. There’s no better feeling than winning. We left everything out there. We came back from far in this competition, losing our first four matches. But we never stopped believing,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I think that’s very important. We trust each other to the highest level. Denis and I, everybody in the team — Brayden [Schnur] played in singles, Steven [Diez] played in doubles and they’ve been supporting us all week. They’ve got a tournament next week, but they’re here every day ready to practise, ready to support us.
“All their egos are aside and we really trusted each other along the way and it came down to the perfect result. I’m super thrilled for everybody in the whole team and myself, of course.”
Auger-Aliassime, who was also his country’s captain, suffered a disappointing defeat at No. 1 singles on Saturday against Daniil Medvedev, losing the final nine games of that match. But the 21-year-old showed no ill effects from that loss, playing with controlled aggression to down the always tough Bautista Agut in two hours and 10 minutes.
Felix double faulted on his first match point. But the Canadian quickly calmed his nerves and elicited a backhand return error on the next point. Shapovalov and the rest of Team Canada quickly rushed the court to celebrate.
Bautista Agut is one of the toughest opponents for everyone on the ATP Tour. The Spaniard is a baseline machine who rarely misses and takes advantage of the smallest openings. But his issue was that Auger-Aliassime never cracked.
Photo Credit: Peter Staples/ATP Tour
In the first-set tie-break, the World No. 11 hit a sensational forehand passing shot to earn an early mini-break, and he added another with a big forehand from the middle of the court. The Canadian carried that lead through the rest of the tie-break to seal the opener.
With the trophy drawing closer, Auger-Aliassime maintained his composure. Felix saved 10 of the 11 break points he faced and struck 15 aces in his triumph.
“I think the points just come and you try to really dig deep, think about the good things and think how you’re going to win that point. Just on and on and on, I was able to do it every time,” Auger-Aliassime said. “Sometimes it’s a bit of luck and today also I was good in the important moments, so that’s always important. Just tried to stay positive, also.”
Earlier in the tie, Shapovalov captured the No. 2 singles match with a 6-4, 6-3 win against Pablo Carreno Busta, who had led their ATP Head2Head series 4-1.
“Couldn’t have wished for a better start. If it wasn’t for Denis the past two days, we wouldn’t be here right now. I’d like to congratulate him. He’s been unbelievable,” Auger-Aliassime said. “He lost the past few times against Carreno and today he won in straight sets. Not with ease, but the way he can play he won in a good way, so honestly all credit to him.”
Rafael Nadal marked his return to the ATP Tour in style Sunday, downing American qualifier Maxime Cressy 7-6(6), 6-3 to lift the Melbourne Summer Set trophy.
The Spaniard was playing for the first time since August this week after a foot injury curtailed his 2021 season. However, the World No. 6 showed little sign of rustiness in Melbourne, not dropping a set at the ATP 250 event to earn his 89th tour-level crown.
“I want to thank all the organisation here,” Nadal said during the trophy ceremony. “I feel privileged and a very lucky guy to be here again. I am coming back from some challenging moments in terms of injuries, so I can’t be happier. It means a lot to be back and with a trophy in my hands.”
In an entertaining match, Cressy attacked Nadal with his high-flying serve-and-volley game, but the Spaniard returned well throughout and showed great fight. The 35-year-old saved a set point in the first-set tie-break and rallied from a break down in the second set, before eventually triumphing after one hour and 44 minutes.
“This court has always been very, very special for me,” Nadal said. “The Rod Laver Arena is very, very special for everyone and it is more special because of you guys. You guys are a great crowd and I can’t thank you enough.”
Nadal was competing in his first final on Australian soil since losing to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open championship match in 2019. With his victory, the top seed has now continued his run of clinching at least one tour-level title every year since 2004.
In their first ATP Head2Head meeting, little separated the pair in the first set, with Cressy raising his level in the key moments as he saved all five break points he faced to force a tie-break. Nadal looked to penetrate from the baseline with his heavy topspin forehand and tried to find the toes of Cressy on return, but the World No. 112 held firm and moved to set point at 6/5 in the tie-break.
However, he was unable to find another first serve in the set, with Nadal capitalising to move ahead. The Spaniard then rallied from a break down in the second set, firing seven aces in the set to secure his victory.
Cressy was competing in his first tour-level final after standout wins over second seed Reilly Opelka, against whome he saved two match points, and third seed Grigor Dimitrov. Cressy will rise into the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday following his dream run in Melbourne.
Top seed Gael Monfils captured his 11th ATP Tour title Sunday, overcoming Karen Khachanov 6-4, 6-4 in the Adelaide International 1 final to begin his season in perfect fashion.
The Frenchman, who was competing in his first Australian tour-level championship match, played with flair and demonstrated great agility throughout against Khachanov, closing the net effectively and covering the court well to triumph after 80 minutes.
“I want to say thanks to my team,” Monfils said during the trophy ceremony. “We have had some tough moments, we lost a little bit of faith but we came back strong from July last year. It is amazing to play in front of you guys, to play in front of a full crowd with a good spirit and atmosphere, this is amazing.”
Monfils did not drop a set all week in Adelaide and now leads the Russian 1-0 in their ATP Head2Head series. With his victory, it is the World No. 21’s first tour-level title since February 2020 (Rotterdam).
“It is a great tournament,” Monfils added. “I have been training here since 2009. I know the place very well, I love Adelaide and am very happy to win the title here.”
In a tight first set, both players looked to dictate on their forehands and outmanoeuvre each other in front of a lively crowd in Adelaide. After fending off two break points at 2-2, Monfils, who hit 11 winners in the first set, found the decisive breakthrough in the 10th game when Khachanov fired a forehand long to move ahead.
Fuelled by momentum, Monfils remained strong on serve in the second set, winning 92 per cent (11/12) of points behind his first delivery in the set and broke Khachanov at 5-4 to seal his victory.
Second-seeded Russian Khachanov overcame Marin Cilic to reach the final in Adelaide and was aiming to win his first title since he clinched the crown at the Rolex Paris Masters in November 2018.
