Tennis News

Tsitsipas: 'I've Wanted This For A Long Time'

Stefanos Tsitsipas is carrying a lot of momentum going into just his third appearance at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. On Sunday, the World No. 5 captured his first ATP Masters 1000 title at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, and he has more trophies on his mind already.

“It feels like a very big moment,” he said. “It’s in the back of my head that I really enjoy the feeling this title gave me, and I’ve wanted this for a long time.”

On the heels of the Monte-Carlo win and with a 6-2 record in Barcelona, the second seed is going to feel very at home this week. In 2018, Tsitsipas was just one win away from the Barcelona crown in his first ATP Tour-level final appearance.

“My first final here was the beginning of my journey on the ATP Tour and I had a great run,” Tsitsipas said. “I would say back then I was 18, 19 years old. I just got introduced to the ATP Tour and having a run like this was at the top of my appearances.”

Tsitsipas would receive a lesson from Nadal that week, winning just three games in his first showdown against the Spaniard (Nadal currently leads their ATP Head2Head Series 6-2).

“It didn’t go my way, but I think I learned a lot from that match, and he seems to be liking the conditions here in Barcelona, so it’s quite amazing,” Tsitsipas said. “The 11 titles that he has had here in Barcelona [are] very inspiring. I really hope I can get half of that one day.”

Last week in Monte-Carlo, the 22-year-old went 9-0 in sets and dismissed Andrey Rublev in the final after the Russian ousted Nadal in the quarter-finals. 

“That’s the reason I chose this sport: I always wanted to be close to winning these titles,” Tsitsipas said. “It’s also the reason why I love tennis from a young age. I saw all these amazing players like Nadal, [Roger] Federer and [Novak] Djokovic play in these Masters series events and the Grand Slams and I wanted to be like them. To be in that position is more than humbling.”

Tsitsipas is currently in a loftier position than anyone: He’s No. 1 in the Fedex ATP Race To Turin.

“Right now, being in the top position of the Race, that’s very important to me and I think I can somehow take advantage of it and see it as a great thing to have behind me,” Tstisipas said. “I’m going to try to use that and add points week by week. I see opportunities.”

After Barcelona, Tsitsipas will play in Madrid and Rome before heading to Paris. While he has one ATP Masters 1000 in the books, Tsitsipas has his work cut out for him if he wants to catch up to the Big Three—Djokovic holds the record for the most ATP Masters 1000s with 36, with Nadal close behind at 35 and Federer at 28.

At the ATP 500 in Barcelona, Tsitsipas opens against Jaume Munar on Wednesday.

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Musetti Sweeps Past Lopez In Barcelona

Lorenzo Musetti struck 16 winners to power his way into the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell second round on Tuesday afternoon. The #NextGenATP Italian broke Feliciano Lopez’s serve three times and won the final 12 points of the match in a 6-4, 6-3 victory over 69 minutes.

“Me and my coach are really proud of what I did, translating practice to the tournament. That’s what we are working for and I am really enjoying it and I’m really happy with this win,” Musetti said. “Looking forward to playing Felix.”

Musetti, who recorded his first Top 10 win over Diego Schwartzman en route to the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC semi-finals (l. to Tsitsipas), sets up a second-round clash against Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, who is working with Rafael Nadal’s uncle and former coach, Toni Nadal.

“I was pretty curious about this match [against Lopez] before playing it, and with him you don’t have to rush. You have to stay patient and play every point, especially when he’s serving, because he can [hit] a lot of aces, a lot of first serves pretty good and he comes to the net,” Musetti said. “You have to be really calm and not lose focus. That’s what I did. Especially in the second set, the last three games I was playing really good.” 

Later in the afternoon, Frances Tiafoe overcame 17-year-old Spanish wild card Carlos Alcaraz, recovering from a 1-4 deficit in the second set en route to a 6-4, 7-6(2) over one hour and 43 minutes.

“He is a good kid, smart player and well coached by ‘Mosquito’ [Juan Carlos Ferrero], so it got a little complicated at the end of the second set and then it was a war form there,” said Tiafoe, who will next face fourth-seeded Argentine Diego Schwartzman in the second round. “I like clay. I am an athlete and can move. I had a little scare today. It’s physical, it’s fun. I like Diego and we’ve come close to playing before. We’re good friends.”

Alcaraz, who reached the AnyTech365 Andalucia Open semi-finals in Marbella (l. to Munar), is the youngest player in the Top 200 of the FedEx ATP Rankings.

Elsewhere, Australia’s Jordan Thompson saved two match points at 4-5 in the deciding set of a 7-6(5), 4-6, 7-6(3) victory over former World No. 7 Richard Gasquet of France in three hours and 17 minutes. Thompson now plays sixth-seeded Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta.

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Craig Watson, Former Sydney Tournament Director, Passes Away

Craig Watson, a former long-time Tournament Director of the Sydney tournament and CEO of Tennis NSW, passed away on 18 April after fighting a courageous battle with melanoma.

Watson came into the sport as an accountant for Tennis NSW in 1989, progressing to the role of Chief Executive Officer. After a 15-year tenure as Tournament Director, between 1999 to 2014, he assumed the role of Event Director, Legends Tour and New Acquisition.

We are saddened to hear the news of the passing of Craig Watson. Craig loved our game and was always committed to improving it. Our thoughts and prayers are with Anna and their sons.

— Craig Tiley (@CraigTiley) April 19, 2021

“Craig was one of a kind,” said Craig Gabriel, the Australian tennis reporter. “Armed with a ready smile and infectious laugh, he had a great sense of humour, he was very down to earth and a tremendous Tournament Director, who built up relationships across the sport.”

Watson’s wife, Anna, and their two sons, Miles and Matthias, survive him.

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The Change Shapovalov Is Making To His Game On Clay

Denis Shapovalov is beginning his clay-court season this week at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. According to the Canadian, fans will get to see a slight change in his game during this swing.

“I’ve improved standing further back on the returns on the clay court, on the red dirt, just to give myself more time and start the point going a bit heavier, deeper and just moving into the court after that,” Shapovalov said. “I feel like it’s definitely benefitted my clay-court game.”

The 22-year-old added that he does back up “significantly further” for his return on clay compared to his positioning on hard courts, estimating a three-step difference.

“It just gives me time for the ball to come down so I can hit it back up heavy and work myself into the point,” Shapovalov said. “I also feel on clay there are a lot of tough bounces and on the serve. If there’s a little bit of a [tough] bounce, then it’s pretty impossible when you’re standing close. But if you’re far back, you can still react to it.”

Shapovalov is a shotmaker, capable of hitting winners off both wings from anywhere on the court. But the lefty admitted that it’s not always as simple as taking one big swing on clay because of how much the surface slows down the pace of the action.

“I think it just takes time [to adjust to it]. It’s longer points, longer rallies and you really have to get used to the sliding and feeling the surface,” Shapovalov said. “That in itself takes longer to get used to. Usually points are pretty short, but going onto the clay, you’re expecting long points.”

The seventh seed has enjoyed success on clay before. Just seven months ago, he reached an ATP Masters 1000 semi-final on the surface in Rome. This will be Shapovalov’s second appearance in Barcelona, and he will begin his run at the ATP 500 against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, against whom he holds a 3-0 ATP Head2Head advantage.

“It’s definitely just one of those tournaments that I wanted to get in on to get used to the clay,” Shapovalov said. “It’s the first tournament on the surface this year, so I’m just trying to get my feet wet on it.”

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Alcaraz/Carreno Busta Upset Fourth Seeds In Barcelona

Seventeen-year-old Carlos Alcaraz had never played a tour-level doubles match when he walked on Pista 2 on Monday at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. However, the #NextGenATP star and countryman Pablo Carreno Busta still earned an impressive win.

The Spaniards upset fourth seeds Wesley Koolhof and Lukasz Kubot 6-4, 6-1 in 68 minutes to reach the second round at the ATP 500. They will next play one of two all-French pairs: Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin or Adrian Mannarino and Benoit Paire.

Alcaraz and Carreno Busta saved four of the five break points they faced and earned four service breaks against the experienced doubles tandem.

Second Seeds Eliminated In Belgrade
Luke Bambridge and Dominic Inglot ousted second seeds Austin Krajicek and Oliver Marach 6-7(5), 7-6(7), 10-7 to reach the second round of the Serbia Open in Belgrade. The Brits saved one match point at 5/6 in the second-set tie-break. 

Aljaz Bedene and Divij Sharan took a 6-1 lead against Rohan Bopanna and Pablo Cuevas when Cuevas retired due to a left leg injury. Bopanna and Cuevas won titles together in Monte-Carlo and Vienna in 2017.

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Fan Questions: Nishikori Reflects On Federer's Influence, Gives Juniors Advice

Kei Nishikori on Monday advanced to the second round of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, where the Japanese star is pursuing his third title. The former World No. 4, who owns 12 tour-level trophies, triumphed at this ATP 500 event in 2014 and 2015.

Nishikori caught up with ATPTour.com to answer questions that fans recently submitted on Twitter.

What have you been doing during quarantine?
I watch a lot of movies. I’ve been watching many documentaries now. I watch a little bit creepy ones.

Have you had any training changes recently that have helped improve your game?
I started working with Max recently. He tells me good things, how I should come in a little more and play aggressive. Of course also serve, too. He’s very disciplined. From the serve, he’s very good coming in. I’m not trying to come in every time, it’s been taking some time. But I think I’m getting used to it now, so I’m feeling good.

Who was your inspiration when you wanted to become a tennis player?
Roger. Just fun to watch. Of course he’s a great player, but also at the same time he’s very fun to watch. There are not too many players I get excited to watch, but he’s one of the best. He makes great shots that nobody can do and just fun to watch.

What’s your favourite match from over the years?
I really remember that I played David Ferrer the first time. It was the 2008 US Open, I was really young, 18, and I think he was Top 10 at that time. I beat him in five sets. It was one of the emotional matches for me, especially because I was young.

What is your best advice to a young player who wants to become a tennis player?
You have to have good commitment, you have to know that it’s not going to be easy and you’ve got to work hard. Tennis, it’s really fun to play and you get a lot of excitement on the court and if you become good, you can play with 10,000 people or maybe more. There are many fun things waiting.

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Millman Makes Winning Start In Belgrade

John Millman made a successful start to his Serbia Open title bid on Monday with a 7-5, 6-4 victory against Danilo Petrovic.

The seventh seed created 17 break points and converted four of them to overcome the Serbian wild card in one hour and 51 minutes. Millman, who entered the tournament with a 3-8 record this season, is aiming to reach his first quarter-final of the year in Belgrade.

The Aussie will meet Pablo Cuevas or Emil Ruusuvuori for a spot in the last eight. Millman lost his only previous ATP Head2Head clash against Cuevas at the 2016 Miami Open presented by Itau and has not met Ruusuvuori.

Serbian wild cards compiled a 1-2 record on Monday at the Novak Tennis Center. Nikola Milojevic opened the tournament with an impressive 6-4, 6-0 victory against Federico Coria of Argentina, but Viktor Troicki was unable to join his countryman in the second round. Marco Cecchinato, the 2018 Roland Garros semi-finalist, needed 66 minutes to record a 6-1, 6-4 win against Troicki on Center Court.

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Why Djokovic Is 'Very Emotional' In Belgrade

When Novak Djokovic last competed at an ATP Tour event in Belgrade a decade ago, he had only won two Grand Slam titles and had not yet ascended to No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

Now an 18-time major winner and the record-holder for most weeks at World No. 1 in history (317), returning to his hometown to compete at this week’s Serbia Open is a special moment.

“I get very emotional when I’m playing at home, when I’m representing my country,” Djokovic said. “We had this tournament from 2009 to 2012 and I won it two out of four years and I remember these moments very profoundly. Playing in front of family, friends, my people, you don’t get to experience that [often]. I only experienced that maybe a few times in my career, to actually play in my hometown, to actually play in front of my fans, to have that kind of support and backing. It’s definitely special.”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there aren’t throngs of fans following Djokovic’s every move at the Novak Tennis Center. But the two-time tournament champion is still excited to perform at home.

“I’m just trying to enjoy every second I get to be in my country with my family, my parents who I don’t get to see so much nowadays with the restrictions and traveling and so forth,” Djokovic said. “It just brings in lots of memories from the past, my upbringing, of the roots, of how I started. This club where this tournament is played is the club where I used to play a lot when I was a kid, the local tournaments.

“I get to see many people that have seen me develop into the tennis player that I am today and the person I am today. It’s a very particular, very unique feeling that I’m trying to marvel in and feed off that energy so I can do the best I possibly can this week.”

Five of the eight singles seeds are from Serbia, and eight players from the home country began in the main draw.

“I’m really glad to see that the draw is packed with Serbian players, all the best men’s Serbian tennis players are here in this draw,” Djokovic said. “There are going to definitely be some match-ups between us, hopefully I’ll be able to play [in the] quarters against one of the guys.”

Djokovic, who will open against Roberto Carballes Baena or Soonwoo Kwon, could face eighth seed Miomir Kecmanovic in the quarter-finals. Ninth seed Laslo Djere is also in his half of the draw.

“We’re all friends, we have respect for each other, we like each other, we support each other and we give each other backing. We want each other to do well on the Tour,” Djokovic said. “We come from the same country and we obviously have very good relationships on and off the court. But once you’re facing each other, you just see opposite your side of the net an opponent, a rival you want to beat and that’s what it comes down to.”

Last week at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, Djokovic lost his first match of the season against Daniel Evans. Stefanos Tsitsipas went on to claim his first ATP Masters 1000 title.

“I think it’s a positive thing for our sport to actually have new champions, new faces, new brands really that are going to be recognised by tennis fans around the world, that are going to be celebrated. Obviously they will compare them to us and to maybe the results that we historically made, I understand that,” Djokovic said. “But I don’t mind seeing new winners. Of course I would like always to be on the winning side myself everywhere I play, but things are different.

Djokovic admitted that some of the younger stars on the ATP Tour are showing they can compete against the world’s best, and that the Serbian along with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will “have to accept the fact that maybe we will not be in the top ranking spots of the world and some other guys will replace us there and that’s a normal cycle of life”.

“We’re still hanging in there, we’re still trying to compete with these young guys who are strong, they are playing well, they are very motivated,” Djokovic said. “I think so far we’ve been doing pretty well.”

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How Becoming A Father Changed Bautista Agut's Life

In an excerpt from Eurosport’s Players’ Voice series, Roberto Bautista Agut reflects on the importance of family. The nine-time ATP Tour champion discusses how welcoming his first child to the world last year has impacted him after losing his mother in 2018 and father in 2019.

Becoming a father last September has been one of the most incredible experiences of my life so far, if not the best. I feel that the family bond I lost when my parents passed has been recovered by entering this new chapter of life with Ana and my child.

Family has always been the most important thing for me by far; the love you feel for your loved ones is incomparable. I felt this even before my parents passed; every time I came home and noticed they were gradually getting older, I made a mental note to enjoy every little moment I spent with them and that mindset stays with me now.

Recently, Ana and Mini Rober joined me on Tour during the Middle East swing, which was really special. It’s beautiful seeing your child grow because they’re in continuous evolution; day by day they edge one step closer to the person they will become.

 

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If there’s anything I could pass down to him, it would be my stubbornness! I believe that persistence to keep fighting for things is a very good thing and an important way of overcoming difficult obstacles. Those are the times which I think ultimately help you grow as a person.

That can be said for all things in life — both big and small. The fact I wasn’t playing my best tennis in Australia motivated me to train much harder, and as a result, I’m now feeling really good on court, beating Top 10 players and starting to feel those positive sensations that come with winning again.

When I think back to Wimbledon two years ago when I reached the semi-finals, I lived it the way I had always dreamt it; those two weeks were honestly a dream come true.

Emulating that would be incredible, but the most important thing for me right now is maintaining my best level, enjoying my time on court and sharing the success and memories with my family.

Read Bautista Agut’s Full Eurosport Players’ Voice Column

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Nishikori Escapes Early Elimination In Barcelona

Two-time former champion Kei Nishikori survived a major scare on Monday to reach the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell second round.

The former World No. 4 recovered from 4-6, 2-4 down and was forced to break serve to stay in the match at 5-6 in the second set, before he charged to a 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-2 victory against Guido Pella after two hours and 39 minutes. The 2014 and 2015 champion claimed three service breaks in the decider to improve to 23-6 in Barcelona.

“He had the match today at 6-5, serving [for the match],” said Nishikori. “He was much better in the first and second [sets] and 3/0 up in the tie-break. I don’t know how I fought through. [In the] third set, I was playing much better.

“I was making so many unforced errors in the first and second [sets]. Maybe he got a little bit tired and I was playing strong in the third set. I want to take that to the next round… The way I fought today and the way I played in the third set was good.”

Nishikori will face 13th seed Cristian Garin for a spot in the third round. Garin won the pair’s only previous ATP Head2Head meeting at last year’s Hamburg European Open 6-0, 6-3.

“[Garin] is good on clay, but he can play on all surfaces,” said Nishikori. “I thought I was playing good [in Hamburg last year] but I lost pretty easily to him, so I definitely have to change something.”

Egor Gerasimov made a successful debut in Barcelona with a 7-5, 6-1 win against former Top 5 star Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The Belarusian converted four of his five break points to eliminate the 2010 quarter-finalist in 80 minutes. Gerasimov will meet #NextGenATP Italian Jannik Sinner in the second round.

In the opening match on Pista Rafa Nadal, 2015 runner-up Pablo Andujar battled past Gilles Simon 6-1, 3-6, 6-3. Andujar broke serve on six occasions to confirm a second-round clash against fifth seed and countryman Roberto Bautista Agut.

Andujar was not the only home player to reach the second round on Monday. Marbella runner-up Jaume Munar and qualifier Bernabe Zapata Miralles also claimed wins at the ATP 500. Munar saved seven of the eight break points he faced en route to a 6-3, 7-5 win against Thiago Monteiro and Zapata Miralles rallied from a set down to beat Andrey Kuznetsov 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-1.

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