Tennis News

'Sometimes In Sports It’s Shock Therapy': Dodig/Polasek Split

Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek won this year’s Australian Open and competed in the Nitto ATP Finals in their first season as a team in 2019. But after Wimbledon, the Croatian-Slovakian duo ended their two-year partnership.

“What we achieved in two years was simply amazing. We had unbelievable success. We won an ATP Masters [1000], we won a Grand Slam, we played the [Nitto ATP] Finals. It was simply great results,” Dodig said. “We won a lot of tournaments together, and we always have it with us. Nobody can take that. We have great memories and we are still great friends. We still support each other.”

After reaching the Miami semi-finals, Dodig and Polasek did not win consecutive matches together again. They sat down to discuss their partnership and mutually decided it was best to move forward with new partners.

Dodig is competing with India’s Rohan Bopanna and Polasek is playing with Australia’s John Peers. Bopanna and Dodig made the Montreal final together in 2017, while Polasek and two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion Peers competed as a team for the first time last week in Washington.

Filip Polasek and John Peers competed together for the second time this week in Toronto. Photo: Peter Staples/ATP Tour

“We did unbelievable things together that we both appreciate,” Polasek said of his accomplishments with Dodig. “We weren’t winning as much and we didn’t do the results that we would like to do. We were still playing a very solid level, we were just losing the close matches that we were winning before.”

Considering earlier this year they won a major title together in Melbourne, neither man expected to split in the middle of the season. But they felt it could spur positive change for both.

“Sometimes in sports it’s shock therapy,” Dodig said. “When you change something, it can help you to get back in a winning state and we just made that decision. It was not an easy decision, but we made it and we have to go on.”

Dodig and Polasek are in fourth in the FedEx ATP Doubles Team Rankings. They have agreed to compete together in this year’s Nitto ATP Finals, to be held in Turin from 14-21 November, should they qualify, so long as they do not do so with their new partners.

“We decided we’d rather split earlier than later and in a good way. We are still very good, there are no hard feelings from either side,” Polasek said. “It’s never a good time to split, but if you have to do it, it was a good time.”

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Bautista Agut Saves 3 MPs In Schwartzman Epic

Roberto Bautista Agut won in thrilling style on Thursday, saving three match points against Diego Schwartzman to advance to the quarter-finals at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers.

The World No. 17 recovered from a 3-5 deficit in the third set, winning the final four games to take a 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 victory.

All three of Schwatzman’s match points came in the tenth game of the final set, but three untimely unforced errors from the eighth seed kept the match alive.

Bautista Agut required two match points of his own to win the match, ultimately taking the dramatic third set after a Schwartzman backhand went long. The Spaniard now owns a 2-1 ATP Head2Head lead over Schwartzman, having beaten the Argentine in the same event in 2019.

Bautista Agut is chasing his first ATP Tour title of the season, having reached the final in both Dubai and Montpellier in 2021. Coming into Toronto the 33-year-old was on a three-match winless run, but has turned his fortunes around this week with impressive victories over Schwartzman and American Tommy Paul.

He will next face Reilly Opelka in the quarter-finals, after the big-serving American won a three-set thriller of his own against Lloyd Harris.

Bautista Agut has now reached nine ATP Masters 1000 quarter-finals in his career. It is also the third time that he has reached this stage at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers, appearing in the quarter-finals in Montreal in both 2017 and 2019.

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Canadian Open: Johanna Konta pulls out of WTA event with knee injury

British number one Johanna Konta pulls out of the Canadian Open with a knee injury.

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Tsitsipas On Birthday Buddy Sampras: 'We Saw Him As A Big Legend'

Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas remembers spending countless hours with his father watching Pete Sampras play. Tsitsipas would serve, slice, volley and do everything to follow in the footsteps of Sampras, an American of Greek descent.

“He was always there,” Tsitsipas said of Sampras. “We always saw him as a big legend of our sport.”

That makes it even more special that they share a birthday. On Thursday, Tsitsipas turned 23, and Sampras turned 50. After advancing to the quarter-finals of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers, Tsitsipas spoke about what he admires most about his birthday buddy.

“His flamboyant game. I enjoyed watching his serve-and-volley game,” Tsitsipas said. “People say Roger Federer is effortless. I also feel like Pete Sampras was very effortless and just making the game so beautiful to watch.”

In a way, Sampras has always been part of Tsitsipas’ life. When his father, Apostolos Tsitsipas, began tennis in his late teens, he always watched the American legend.

“[Pete] was a player that he really liked to watch and he passed it on to me,” Tsitsipas said. “Both of us grew up watching him. I grew up being given Pete as an example.”

Stefanos was too young to watch Sampras during his career. When Tsitsipas was born, ‘Pistol Pete’ was already an 11-time major winner. But one thing that sticks out to the Greek about the former World No. 1’s career is that he went out on top by lifting the trophy at the 2002 US Open, which was his final tournament.

“That was the best ending of someone’s career, to be honest with you, to win a Grand Slam title and just call it a day,” Tsitsipas said, cracking a smile. “He did it in unbelievable style. Doesn’t get any better, I think.”

Tsitsipas got excited when he recalled meeting Sampras two years ago in Indian Wells. The third seed was almost as thrilled when tournament officials brought a birthday cake onto the court Thursday following his victory against Karen Khachanov.

 

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A post shared by Stefanos Tsitsipas (@stefanostsitsipas98)

“[It was] the best feeling, one of the best feelings that you can experience on a tennis court,” Tsitsipas said. “I’m glad they remembered. It also reminded me my age, which I like to think is five years less sometimes.”

The Greek admitted that name days — a day of the year associated with a given name — when are even bigger than birthdays for his family. But Tsitsipas was happy to get a win this time considering he lost against Rafael Nadal in the Toronto final three years ago on the day he turned 20.

“Birthdays are the best, because people remember you, people send you nice presents and messages,” Tsitsipas said. “It’s always a beautiful day when it’s your birthday.”

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Isner Serves Up Rublev Upset To Reach Toronto QFs

John Isner maintained his perfect record against World No. 7 Andrey Rublev as he took down the Olympic mixed doubles gold medalist in a 7-5, 7-6(5) upset on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers. 

The 6’10” American has found his best tennis on the North American hard courts in recent weeks. Isner claimed the doubles title in Los Cabos (w/ Hach Verdugo) and lifted his sixth trophy at the Truist Atlanta Open. 

In Toronto, Isner extended his winning streak to eight consecutive matches as he defeated Rublev in straight sets. The American claimed his second Top 10 victory of the year after also defeating Rublev in Madrid in May, improving to 3-0 in their ATP Head2Head. 

“I think I have taken care of myself very well. I rarely take a day completely off, and that’s even if it’s a travel day after playing lots and lots of tennis,” Isner said. “I’m not afraid to take time off the tennis court, but I’ve got to keep my body moving other ways, whether that’s on a stationary bike… or go to the gym and lift weights with my trainer.

“At 36, I really do feel every bit as good as I did eight, ten years ago.”

Isner, the No. 30 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings, was dictating play with his booming serve from the start of the match. He fired 29 winners, including 20 aces, and saved all four break points he faced en route to victory. 

Rublev worked hard to defend his own serve, but was constantly under pressure from Isner. The American returned with confidence, creating six break chances in three of Rublev’s service games in the opening set. Rublev was the first to blink, as a double fault at 6-5 handed the opening tilt to Isner.  

Isner continued to erase the few opportunities that Rublev was able to create. In the second set, the American faced four break points at 3-3. From 0/40, he fired three aces, and outrallied Rublev to keep them on serve. Isner rallied from a 0/3 deficit in the tie-break to seal the victory after an hour and 44 minutes.

“The conditions were a bit tough on centre court. It’s been a little bit swirly,” Isner said. “I did know that Andrey was struggling with that. He was a little bit off kilter from the very get-go, I think. I could tell he was exhibiting some frustration out there.

“When I knew that he was a bit rattled early on, I just told myself I had to be the one to keep a cooler head. I think that helped me prevail in the end.”

Through to his 18th ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final, Isner will take on 11th seed Gael Monfils, who defeated lucky loser Frances Tiafoe 6-1, 7-6(2) to reach his first tour-level quarter-final since 2020. This is Isner’s third quarter-final appearance in Canada, having reached this stage in Toronto in 2012 and in Montreal in 2015.

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Ruud Defeats Lajovic, Continues Winning Streak

Casper Ruud’s impressive winning run remained intact at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers on Thursday, as he defeated Dusan Lajovic in straight sets.

The World No. 12 eased past 2019 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters finalist Lajovic 6-4 6-3 to win his 13th consecutive match. Ruud has won his past three tournaments (Bastad, Gstaad and Kitzbuhel), and his record in 2021 now stands at 37-9.

There were no breaks in the opening set until the final game, when Lajovic hit four unforced errors to donate the break to Ruud. The Norwiegen had no such trouble on serve in the opener, winning 20 of his 22 service points and 100 per cent of his second-serve points.

There was little to separate the two players in the second set, but it was the sixth seed who again gained a crucial break in the latter stages of his victory over the Serbian.

Ruud moves on to the quarter-finals of an ATP Tour event for the 11th time this season as he continues his pursuit of a first ATP Masters 1000 level title.

The 22-year-old will next play third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals. Ruud won their only previous ATP Head2Head meeting this year in Madrid.

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Tsitsipas Celebrates 23rd Birthday With Khachanov Win

Most people celebrate their birthday with cake and presents. Stefanos Tsitsipas took in his 23rd by earning a spot in the quarter-finals of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers.

The Greek star defeated Tokyo Olympics singles silver medalist Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-2 to reach the last eight in Toronto for the second time. Fittingly, the crowd at the Aviva Centre sang “Happy Birthday” to the winner after he completed the match, and tournament officials presented the 2018 finalist with a cake.

The 2019 Nitto ATP Finals champion will next play red-hot Norwegian Casper Ruud, who eliminated Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic 6-4, 6-3.

“Casper is a player that has been developing very good recently. He had an amazing clay-court season,” Tsitsipas said. “He’s someone that serves very well, has a very good serve-and-first-ball pattern that works really well for him. I think he’s probably one of the best players out there to have the serve and first ball inside the three first shots that he hits.

“It’s definitely something that I’m going to have to pay attention to, and apply more pressure towards that.”

Three years ago in Toronto, Tsitsipas’ birthday was not as joyful. Rafael Nadal beat the 20-year-old Greek in the championship match. But this time, the third seed was in full control against his Russian opponent to triumph after one hour and 19 minutes.

Tsitsipas saved the two break points he faced, and was never under threat. The seven-time ATP Tour titlist did well to take the first aggressive strike in rallies and keep the powerful Khachanov from dictating play. The World No. 28 grew frustrated as he got stuck behind the baseline and was unable to consistently step into the court. Khachanov is more comfortable when he has time, a luxury his opponent did not afford him.

The only times Tsitsipas faced difficulty was at the end of each set. As the 23-year-old served for the opener, he faced his first break point, but responded with a booming forehand winner. Khachanov earned his second chance as Tsitsipas served for the match, but the Greek was too solid from the baseline.

Tsitsipas did not serve consistently, only making 50 per cent of his first deliveries. But the World No. 3 won 93 per cent of those points, relieving pressure during his service games to take a 4-0 ATP Head2Head lead against Khachanov.

Tsitsipas lost his only previous ATP Head2Head clash against Ruud earlier this year in Madrid.

“[I am] looking forward to that battle,” Tsitsipas said. “We have played each other in the past. Not an easy guy to play against. Looking for a change, looking for a switch-up this time.”

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ATP & WTA Join Forces With Popular Mobile Game Tennis Clash

ATP and WTA are teaming up with Tennis Clash, the world’s most popular tennis game for mobile platforms, developed by Wildlife Studios, to launch a new co-branded in-game tournament, Tennis United. All participating Tennis Clash players will be able to compete in the Tennis United tournament from 19-23 August.

The tournament gives participants the chance to compete, show off their skills and win prizes in a brand-new virtual arena. The event is the latest in a series of co-branded marketing initiatives between the Tours and runs parallel to the 2021 Western & Southern Open, an ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 combined tournament in Cincinnati.

Qualifying rounds of Tennis United will be held from 19-21 August, when players will compete in 10 matches to reach the finals. The top 50 per cent of players in each bracket will advance to the final round, which will be held from 21-23 August. Every player who reaches the final round will be awarded an in-game prize. These prizes will become increasingly rare the higher the tier-level the players compete in.

Dan Ginger, SVP Brand and Marketing for the ATP and WTA, said: “Tennis and gaming both have communities that are incredibly passionate and engaged. We are excited to bring those worlds together with Tennis Clash, creating a compelling virtual experience and bringing our united storytelling to younger generations of fans.”

Mark Panelo, Wildlife’s Vice President of Business Development, said: “Tennis Clash is the world’s most popular tennis game, so there are synergies working with the ATP and WTA.”

Ana Costa, Game Director of Tennis Clash, said: “Tennis Clash has had inclusivity as a pillar since its ideation, so creating a Tennis United tournament with the sport’s governing bodies supports our vision and provides a uniquely appealing experience for our players.”

Developed by Wildlife and based on in-depth studies of the sport, Tennis Clash offers an experience that is very close to that of a real match. As a result, it has become highly popular not just with mobile gamers, but also tennis fans. Easy to learn but hard to master, Tennis Clash is consistently ranked in the top five in the sports games category in the App Store, and was selected as one of the five best competitive games of 2019 in Google Play.

To download the game, visit the App Store or Google Play.

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Don't Forget Duckworth! Aussie Proving A Point In Toronto

Australian James Duckworth was watching top seed Daniil Medvedev’s second-round match against Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik on Tuesday at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers when he was taken by surprise. The commentary team was building anticipation for a third-round blockbuster between Medvedev and Washington champion Jannik Sinner.

Duckworth was having none of it. Sinner still had to beat him!

“The commentators were getting ready for this really good Sinner-Medvedev match next round and I just wanted to prove a point,” Duckworth told ATPTour.com. “It pissed me off listening to them say that.”

Less than 10 months ago on an indoor hard court in Cologne, Duckworth won just three games against Sinner. But with plenty of motivation on Wednesday, the Australian qualifier upset the 16th seed 6-3, 6-4 in 76 minutes.

“I knew obviously I had to play well, but there were certain tactical things that I changed a little bit — my serving spots and a couple of things on return,” Duckworth said. “I watched a fair bit of his match against Christopher O’Connell [in Atlanta] and took a few things from that and obviously had to execute today. I was able to do that in the key moments, which was a big help.”

The 29-year-old is into the third round at an ATP Masters 1000 event for the second time this year (also Miami). Before 2021, he had never made it this far at this level.

“I’m really pumped,” Duckworth said. “I was able to play well today, by far my best match of the week. Just trying to keep it going.”

Duckworth is playing some of the best tennis of his career, but he has had to overcome adversity to get to this point. The World No. 85 has undergone eight surgeries, most recently having a procedure to clean out his right shoulder last March.

“Been through a fair share of injuries, eight surgeries. To come out the other end and to be playing my best tennis currently is really rewarding,” Duckworth said. “I guess all the time doing rehab and on the operating table has paid off.”

Duckworth’s surgeries read like a grocery list: three on his right elbow, three on his right foot and two on his right shoulder between the end of 2012 and March 2020. But the Aussie has remained positive and persevered through them all.

“I’ve had a very good support team around me. I’ve got a bunch of physios up in Brisbane that I work with and just my family and close friends have been super supportive and really encouraging and helped me through times when I wasn’t sure if my body would allow me to play at this level,” Duckworth said. “That support network has been huge for me.”

Watch Duckworth On Tennis United

Duckworth avoids looking at the FedEx ATP Rankings during tournaments, but he is well-positioned to climb past his career-high of World No. 71 with his performance in Canada.

“At the start of this year, I had a bit of a goal to reach at least the third round of a Slam and I did that at Wimbledon,” Duckworth said. “A bit of a running goal [is really a] joke with my coach, Wayne Arthurs: to get higher than his career-high [singles] ranking of No. 44. That would be the goal right now.”

The best thing is that Duckworth is able to focus on his tennis rather than recovering from a surgery.

“It’s always going to be a part of who I am going through all those brutal periods. I guess I’m sort of proud that I was able to get through it,” Duckworth said. “I’m trying to show now that I can play some good tennis when my body allows me.”

The veteran has played solid tennis throughout 2021. In addition to his maiden third-round appearance at a major at Wimbledon, which came in his 25th Grand Slam main draw, Duckworth also made the second round at the Australian Open and Roland Garros.

But for now, his sights are solely set on his next opponent: World No. 2 Medvedev. This will be their first ATP Head2Head clash. Although Duckworth knows how tough the Russian is, he is embracing the opportunity.

“It’s awesome. You want to test yourself against the best guys in the world,” Duckworth said. “That’s what it will be tomorrow. It’s another big test and I’m looking forward to it.”

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Tiafoe Dashes Home Hope Shapovalov In Toronto

Lucky loser Frances Tiafoe made good on his second shot at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers main draw as he stunned home favourite Denis Shapovalov 6-1, 6-4 on Wednesday evening. 

The 23-year-old American was the top seed in qualifying in Toronto, but fell to Emil Ruusuvuori in straight sets. After receiving a lucky loser spot, the American has yet to drop a set with victories over Yoshihito Nishioka and World No. 10 Shapovalov en route to the third round. 

Tiafoe came into the matchup trailing Shapovalov 1-4 in their ATP Head2Head, with Shapovalov winning their previous four encounters. But the American turned the tables on Stadium court, dominating throughout two sets with 14 winners to advance in 76 minutes. 

“This is the sixth time we have played. It’s not too crazy,” Tiafoe said. “I came with a much more relaxed approach the last couple times we played. You know, joking with him before the match. [I] was much more serious today. I really wanted to win. I definitely approached it in a different way… It was just my night tonight.”

Tiafoe did not face a break point against Shapovalov, the last Canadian standing of the four who started in the Toronto main draw. The 22-year-old Canadian struggled on serve in the windy conditions in the opening set, frequently catching his ball toss and allowing Tiafoe to take control of the points. 

The No. 52 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings kept his opponent contained, not allowing him to hit a single winner in the first set. Tiafoe reeled off the last five games as he broke twice to take it 6-1.  

He faced a bigger challenge in the second set as Shapovalov harnessed his home crowd’s support and willed himself to a higher level. He found all of his 13 winners in the second set, using his lefty strikes to pull Tiafoe out of position. But he was unable to create any break opportunities in either set, with Tiafoe winning 88 per cent (23/26) of points behind his first serve.

“It was very windy, especially early on. I thought it was going to favor me. Denis likes to swing big and really go for his shots. With conditions like that, [it] makes it a little tough,” Tiafoe said.

“He was definitely flustered with that. He was a little out of sorts. I definitely used it to my advantage. I was able to be solid, I was able to serve well, come to the net and kind of just make it super awkward for him.”

Tiafoe clinched his second Top 10 victory of the year to reach the third round in Toronto, where he will face 11th seed Gael Monfils. The Frenchman passed the second round at an event for the first time since the tour resumed a year ago, following a come-from-behind triumph against John Millman under the lights.

In a showdown between two supreme movers, Millman started the more assured before the Frenchman eked out a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory. Having struggled to find his range in the opening set, the 11^th seed upped his aggression and was working the Australian around as he drew level at the 66-minute mark.

Millman was under the pump on serve throughout the third set, surviving break points in his opening three service games to keep his nose in front, but the 32-year-old visibly appeared to be struggling as he clutched at his right ankle at the change of ends. He had committed only 14 unforced errors in the first two sets but had already hit as many in the first five games of the deciding set as he attempted to keep the points shorter. Monfils reeled off the last four games to advance after one hour and 54 minutes.

“It was a good battle. I was a little bit lucky at the end because I think he got injured, hurt himself… so he went even more for his shots so I just drained the energy from the crowd. I’m just very happy and very excited about this win,” Monfils said in his on-court interview.

“It’s tough, you know. At the end it’s back to the old school, the Monfils defence. I was, I don’t know, maybe 10 metres out, grinding a little bit but sometimes I tried to go for my shots, go for the big serve.”

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