Tennis News

Felix Says Uncle Toni 'Adds Calm & Confidence, Not Pressure'

Felix Auger-Aliassime garnered plenty of attention at the start of the clay-court season when he announced that Toni Nadal, Rafael Nadal’s uncle and former longtime coach, was joining his team. But even though “Uncle Toni” has plenty of experience helping his nephew lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires, Auger-Aliassime isn’t adjusting his expectations.

“My expectations haven’t changed since I started working with him. I’ve always had very high expectations all my life and Toni hasn’t added to that,” Auger-Aliassime said. “What I’m trying to do is [reach] the Top 10 and try to win Grand Slams, there is nothing better than that. Adding [someone] that has done it before adds calmness and confidence, rather than pressure.”

The #NextGenATP Canadian has often raved about how much respect he has for Nadal, who is on his team alongside Frederic Fontang. Auger-Aliassime’s best result since their relationship became official was in Barcelona, where Felix made the quarter-finals. This will be the 20-year-old’s second Roland Garros main draw.

“I chose to work with him and I believe he can help me reach my goals and my potential. That’s what we’re working on every day,” Auger-Aliassime said. “The preparation isn’t any different from any tournament or Grand Slam. We try to work with very high commitment, intensity and focus, and every day try and do a little better for when the first day of the tournament comes. We have a lot of good work to do.”

The World No. 21 has already proven that when he is on his game, he can compete with the world’s best. Auger-Aliassime owns three victories against Top 10 opponents, and he has reached seven ATP Tour finals. He will try to find his “zone” on the Parisian clay.

“Every player looks to be in the zone. I have found it before and it’s a great feeling. The balance between being aggressive and consistent, a perfect balance and feeling of being in control of the rallies,” Auger-Aliassime said. “[In] your mind, you feel able to play every point as if it’s the last. You’re not affected by the stakes or the shot.

“It starts from practice, consistency and being close to the zone is difficult, but at least attempting to do so every time. And that starts with practice.”

Auger-Aliassime will play Italian veteran Andreas Seppi in the first round.

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Tsitsipas: 'I Want To Be The Surprise'

Stefanos Tsitsipas may lead the FedEx ATP Race To Turin for a spot at the Nitto ATP Finals in November, but he still wants to be the surprise of Roland Garros.

“Whenever I play, I want to be the surprise of the tournament,” said Tsitsipas on Friday. “That’s what I like most about it.”

The 22-year-old Greek star went on to explain how he felt when he broke through the 2018 final at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers in Toronto.

“When I played in Toronto, I really enjoyed that week and enjoyed that no one even considered me as the favourite, and it was a great week… I guess I surprised everyone. I just had to play my tennis and think about nothing else and just felt great overall.”

Tsitsipas, who lost to Novak Djokovic in last year’s Roland Garros semi-finals, comes into the second Grand Slam championship of the year with a 33-8 match record, which includes two ATP Tour titles at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (d. Rublev) and the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon (d. Norrie).

“Consistency has always been at the top of my priorities as a player, and it has been difficult to find that kind of secret recipe where you get all the consistency and you can play consistently week by week,” said Tsitsipas, who reached the Australian Open semi-finals (l. to Medvedev) in February. “But I think it’s something you build up with confidence, with experience, and eventually you just find the pattern. You find the way it works for you.

“It has been in certain cases this year. I’m quite happy with the way I’m progressing, the way I’m generating points, the way I’m able to face the guys at the top of the [FedEx ATP] Rankings. And so far I’m at the top of the [FedEx ATP] Race to Turin. [It] feels great to be there and I wish for plenty more to come.”

Tsitsipas, who will play France’s Jeremy Chardy in the Roland Garros first round, leads Djokovic (2,920 points) by 440 points in the 2021 year-to-date standings for a place at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

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Djokovic Returns To Belgrade Final

A day after achieving an Open Era milestone win at the Belgrade Open, World No. 1 Novak Djokovic marked a more personal milestone on Friday as he reached his first ATP Tour final on home soil since 2011. 

The top seed was made to work against qualifier Andrej Martin, the first player to take a set off Djokovic this week at the Novak Tennis Centre. But Djokovic regrouped and raised his level in the third set to prevail 6-1, 4-6, 6-0 and book a place in the championship match.  

Djokovic will now face qualifier Alex Molcan as he seeks his 83rd tour-level title – and his third in Belgrade. The Serbian claimed two titles on home soil in 2009 and 2011 during the event’s previous four-year run. 

“I’m super excited to play in front of a Serbian crowd. This is my home town. I’m always excited, but also nervous, coming out on the court and playing in front of my home crowd,” Djokovic said in an on-court interview. “It’s a very unique feeling. You feel a lot of pressure and expectations. But I’m just happy to fight for a trophy tomorrow.”

Djokovic was in full flight as he steamrolled through the opening set, but his opponent was by no means rolling over. Martin, who took down third seed Nikoloz Basilashvili and fifth seed Dusan Lajovic en route to the semi-final, did well to hang with the World No. 1 from the first point. 

The Slovakian qualifier went down a double break as Djokovic powered his way to 5-1, but Martin created five break chances in the final game. Martin wasn’t able to convert, but he took that momentum into the second set to break first for a 2-0 lead. 

The top seed continued to shut down the points at the net with inch-perfect drop shots and smart volleys, but the qualifier capitalised on a momentary letdown from Djokovic to take control of the set. Up a break at 4-3, Djokovic struck his only double fault of the match, and followed it up with a spate of unforced errors and a short, attackable first serve – giving Martin the opening he needed. The Slovakian reeled off the last three games to take a frustrated Djokovic into his first deciding set of the week.

But Djokovic regrouped emphatically in the final set, unloading on his returns to keep Martin under pressure. The Australian Open champion did not face a break point across the last six games, and broke three more times to reach the 119th final of his career in Belgrade. 

“I thought I started and finished the match really well, so I’ll try to take those positive feelings into tomorrow’s final,” Djokovic said. “I also had some letdowns in concentration towards the end of the second set, and I’ll try to correct those mistakes for tomorrow.”

Djokovic’s opponent, World No. 255 Molcan, started the week by qualifying for the main draw and recording his first ATP Tour match win. But he didn’t stop there, and after taking down eighth seed Federico Delbonis – an opponent ranked 203 places higher in the FedEx ATP Rankings – 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 he will have a shot at his first tour-level title in Belgrade. 

“I’m really happy about today’s win,” said the 23-year-old Slovakian. “This is the biggest win of my career, of course. I will play my first final at ATP level against Djokovic, and I couldn’t be happier. I will try to enjoy tomorrow’s match [as much] as I can. I will try to have fun, and we’ll see what will happen.”

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Why Thiem Isn't Thinking About Avoiding The Big Three

Two-time Roland Garros finalist Dominic Thiem landed on the opposite half of the draw as the Big Three of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. But the Austrian star is not paying much attention to that.

“Maybe two, three years ago I would have been happy if that would be the case, but I think the way I’m coming into that tournament, the way I also played the past weeks, the only thing I can focus on is the first round,” Thiem said. “I shouldn’t focus at all on who is in my quarter or even who is in my half.

“Of course, I know that Big Three are all in the [top] half and Roger and Novak are even in one quarter. But for myself, it doesn’t matter so much. I just basically focus now on the first round.”

Thiem has proven himself a clay-court stalwart throughout his career, lifting 10 ATP Tour trophies on the surface. But the World No. 4 has not been at his very best leading into the season’s second Grand Slam, going 4-3 on the red dirt this year. The Austrian aims to build up his form as the tournament goes on.

“That’s my hope. First of all, to work myself into that tournament, I definitely need to play better than I did last week in Lyon [where I lost in my opening match]. If I do that, I’m practising and working hard to give myself a chance to play well at least. I hope I can do that in the match as well,” Thiem said. “That’s also what’s necessary. It’s definitely a little advantage for me as I’m sometimes a little slow starter that I have at least three sets instead of two.”

The 27-year-old is still working to find his game after taking nearly two months off following an opening loss in Dubai in March to reset mentally and physically.

“You need time to recover a physical injury or issue; the same sometimes, if you are mentally not in your best shape, you also need time to recover for that,” Thiem said. “That’s why I think it’s pretty normal from time to time to take some time off and to feel fresher after, and that’s exactly what I did now before I came back in Madrid.”

Although Thiem cannot play a member of the Big Three until the championship match in Paris, he reflected on the challenges of facing them before playing Spaniard Pablo Andujar in the first round.

“I think that all of them are super tough to play, and all of them have their favourite surface, as well. But in my opinion, to play Rafa here on [Court Philippe] Chatrier, it’s still the toughest challenge,” Thiem said. “But I guess also outside of tennis, it’s probably one of the most difficult things ever in sports in general to beat him here on this court.”

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#NextGenATP Alcaraz Qualifies For Roland Garros: 'I Think I'm Ready'

If Carlos Alcaraz felt nerves during his final-round qualifying match at Roland Garros on Friday, the 18-year-old certainly did not show them. The #NextGenATP star defeated Chilean Alejandro Tabilo 6-1, 6-1 to reach the main draw on the Parisian clay for the first time.

“I’m really, really happy. It’s a great feeling to play here in my first main draw here in Roland Garros,” Alcaraz said. “Everyone is really hungry to qualify to the main draw, so for me it’s a great feeling. I am feeling really comfortable on court and let’s see who I play in the main draw.”

Alcaraz needed just 58 minutes to dispatch his 23-year-old opponent. The teen is carrying plenty of confidence after winning his fourth ATP Challenger Tour title last week in Oeiras, Portugal. This will be his second Grand Slam main draw after making his major debut earlier this year at the Australian Open, where he advanced to the second round.

“I got comfortable last week in Portugal winning the Challenger 125, then winning these three matches in qualifying,” Alcaraz said. “I’m getting comfortable playing here and it’s not easy to play best of five sets, but I think I am ready. It’s not my first main draw of a Grand Slam, so I am going to improve what I did in Australia. I think I’m more ready than [I was] in Australia.”

The second seed in qualifying, Daniel Elahi Galan, played three times as long as Alcaraz on Friday, but the Colombian also made the main draw with a 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-4 victory against Kimmer Coppejans after two hours and 54 minutes.

Denis Istomin is currently No. 203 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, but he will make his 11th appearance in the Roland Garros field after eliminating German Tobias Kamke 6-4, 7-6(5) after one hour and 52 minutes.

Eighth seed Mackenzie McDonald did not lose more than four games in a set in his three qualifying matches, completing his impressive run with a 6-4, 6-4 triumph against Argentine Marco Trungelliti.

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French Open 2021 preview: Nadal, Djokovic, Federer, Williams, Osaka, Swiatek play in Paris

The French Open returns to its traditional spring setting as Rafael Nadal bids for a 14th title and Iga Swiatek defends her maiden Grand Slam.

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The Last Time: Tommy Paul’s Italian Laundry Job Gone Wrong

Tommy Paul is having a run to remember at the Emilia-Romagna Open in Parma, where he is into his first ATP Tour semi-final of the year. But it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the No. 55-ranked American in Italy – especially when laundry has been involved. 

In the latest installment of our popular series, Paul reveals the last time…

I met a childhood idol?
Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick were my childhood idols in tennis. I got to do a practice week with both of them. I did one practice week in Las Vegas with Agassi and a practice week in Austin, Texas with Roddick. That was really amazing for me. 

I strung a tennis racquet?
Oh man, I had to have been 15 or 16. Actually, when I was really young I used to string all my racquets. But once I turned 14 or 15, I completely stopped doing that. Could I string my racquet now? Yeah, I think so. 

I made my debut at a Tour event?
This week. I’ve never been to Parma, but I actually really like it here. It’s really cool vibes, kind of like a farm town in a way but with a lot of cool restaurants in the city. I’m really enjoying it here so far. 

Visited a new city for the first time for non-tennis reasons?
I went to Cabo [San Lucas, Mexico] a while back for a vacation. I don’t travel too much unless it’s for tennis, but that was probably the last new city I visited. I usually go home every time, but that’s not a new city. I like the beach and tropical vibes, so anywhere with a beach is where I go if it’s not tennis-related.

Shared a hotel room with another player?
It’s been a while… I’ve shared so many rooms, but it’s got to be at least two years now. Me and Reilly [Opelka] or me and [Taylor] Fritz or me and [Alex] Rybakov, we would always share rooms at every tournament that we went to [as juniors], but it’s been a while. 

Usually it’s just a lot of fun. We always have a good time. One time with Rybakov – this was actually in Italy – we were staying at a little bed and breakfast. I remember we were washing our clothes and we put our clothes out to dry on the balcony. But overnight, the wind blew them all off the balcony and when we woke up in the morning our clothes were all over the street! We had to go out and pick them up. 

Being famous helped me?
I never really drop my name anywhere, and I don’t think it would really help too much. Maybe just for getting into restaurants. It helps a little bit in Europe, for example, if you say you’re with the tennis tournament in that city. That can get you a reservation a little easier. In the States? Not so much… that doesn’t get you too far. 

I achieved a personal or professional goal?
Last year, I had my goal of reaching the Top 50. I think I only got to No. 54 [last year], but I came close. I had a pretty good year and I was happy with it. 

I paid money to rent a court or buy tennis balls?
I think back during the off-season. I paid to practise at Delray Beach Tennis Center, actually where the Delray Beach Open is. I’ve definitely rented a court there a few times.

I cooked for myself or others?
I probably cooked breakfast a couple of months ago, but I don’t cook much at all. I’m pretty much eating out for every single meal. [Last year] during [COVID-19] lockdown, we tried a little bit. I think we got some pre-made meals that you heat up – that was our ‘cooking’. I will do breakfast, but other than that I’m not too skilled in the kitchen.

Watched a new TV series?
I’ve started many series since, but I remember at the beginning [of the pandemic] during March or April last year, I started watching Dave. I’m pretty pumped for Season Two to come out, it’s one of my favourite shows right now. It’s about a rapper, and it’s kind of a parody. It’s funny. 

I went to a concert?
Honestly, I’ve never been huge on going to concerts. I went to a music festival in Tampa one time called Sunset Music Festival. I went there at least three years ago. That was a good time. I’m a big music fan, but I don’t know… it sounds better in the headphones for me.

I attended a live sporting event other than tennis?
I have to say it was probably some NBA game. It’s been a while… This is a good question, because I used to go to a lot of NBA games, NFL games, sometimes hockey. Hockey is fun to watch live, even though I don’t really follow it too much. I know playoff hockey is going on right now, but on TV I don’t watch it too much. 

In basketball I’m a Philadelphia 76ers fan and in football I’m an Eagles fan. I love college basketball though. March Madness is my favourite time of the year. I’m a big [University of North Carolina] Tar Heels fan. Those are my three big teams.

I missed a flight?
I actually don’t know if I’ve ever missed a flight in my life. I’m pretty last-second with it, but I don’t think I’ve ever missed one.

I lost something important?
Another one where I’m pretty lucky with that. I always check my tennis bag and I never lose anything. I’ve never lost my racquets, my bags, nothing. I’m pretty good about that. I’ve definitely misplaced my phone a few times or my wallet, but it always works out and I haven’t really lost too much. 

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Erlich/Vasilevski Reach Belgrade Final

Jonathan Erlich reached his first ATP Tour doubles final in Newport 21 years ago. On Thursday in Belgrade, the 44-year-old Israeli made his 44th tour-level championship match.

Erlich and Andrei Vasilevski defeated Serbia Open winners Ivan Sabanov and Matej Sabanov 6-3, 3-6, 13-11 to reach the final of the Belgrade Open at the Novak Tennis Center. The duo will compete in their third ATP Tour final together (also 2020 Pune, 2021 Montpellier).

Erlich and Vasilevski will play Andre Goransson and Rafael Matos for the trophy. The Swedish-Brazilian team battled past Britons Luke Bambridge and Dominic Inglot 7-6(3), 1-6, 10-4.

Arneodo/Paire Beat Fourth Seeds
Romain Arneodo and Benoit Paire advanced to the semi-finals of the Emilia-Romagna Open on Thursday with a 6-2, 7-5 victory against fourth seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Matwe Middelkoop.

The unseeded team will play Oliver Marach and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi for a place in the final. Marach and Qureshi defeated Matt Reid and Michael Venus 6-3, 6-4. In the other doubles match in Parma, Simone Bolelli and Maximo Gonzalez ousted 2020 Australian Open finalists Max Purcell and Luke Saville 6-3, 6-3.

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French Open: Will Naomi Osaka's decision not to speak to media prompt change?

Naomi Osaka is not speaking to the media at the French Open to protect her mental health – will her move change anything?

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Roland Garros: Six First-Round Matches To Watch

With Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal all landing in the same half of the Roland Garros draw, the second Grand Slam of the year is already bringing plenty of drama and promising epic clashes. 

But further down the draw, there are plenty of popcorn matches in the early rounds as heavyweights are set to meet rising stars and top players clash with unseeded threats. 

Here are the top six first-round matches to watch at Roland Garros – and a few potential second-round meetings to keep an eye on this fortnight in Paris. 

Six First-Round Matches To Watch

Alexander Bublik vs [2] Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev already shook up the draw by claiming the second seed position, but he’ll have his work cut out for him as he seeks his first victory at Roland Garros (0-4). The Russian got one of the toughest first-round challenges in the field as he will start against an unseeded Alexander Bublik.

Tennis fans will enjoy the clash between two talented players with unorthodox styles. Bublik will arrive in Paris at a career-high FedEx ATP Ranking of World No. 37, and has claimed wins over Matteo Berrettini, Alexander Zverev and Aslan Karatsev in 2021. 

Australian Open finalist Medvedev owns the 1-0 advantage in ATP Head2Head, but their lone meeting was back in 2016 at St. Petersburg, an indoor hard-court event. The Russian won comfortably 6-4, 6-0 on home turf, but could be in for a bigger battle in Paris.

[3] Rafael Nadal vs Alexei Popyrin
Defending champion Rafael Nadal will start his quest for a record-extending 14th Roland Garros title against Aussie Alexei Popyrin. The Spaniard will pit the weight of his 100-2 record at this event against Popyrin, who has reached the second round once in two appearances. 

But 21-year-old Popyrin has shot up the FedEx ATP Rankings in 2021, peaking at World No. 61 after claiming his maiden tour-level title in Singapore. Nadal, who was pushed to five sets in his opening match against John Isner in 2011, will be aiming to neutralise the Aussie’s own big serve to avoid a repeat in their first-round battle.

Nadal has a 1-0 ATP Head2Head lead, and will be contesting his second match of the season against Popyrin. The third seed claimed a comfortable 6-3, 6-3 victory last month at the Mutua Madrid Open on his way to the quarter-finals. 

Lorenzo Musetti vs [13] David Goffin
The 2016 Roland Garros quarter-finalist David Goffin will get his first look at the fast-rising #NextGenATP Italian Lorenzo Musetti in the first round. 

The 19-year-old will make his Roland Garros debut after turning heads elsewhere on French soil. He will arrive in Paris with momentum on his side after reaching the Lyon semi-finals (l. Tsitsipas). It was the third tour-level semi-final of Musetti’s career, and his second on clay (also 2020 Sardinia). 

Goffin won his fifth ATP Tour title on the indoor hard-courts of Montpellier earlier in the season, but has struggled to get going during this clay season. He reached the quarter-finals in Monte-Carlo (l. Evans) with a win over Alexander Zverev along the way.

[15] Casper Ruud vs Benoit Paire
Casper Ruud will arrive in Paris at a new career-high World No. 16 in the FedEx ATP Rankings after capturing his second ATP Tour title in Geneva. As a result, the Norwegian will enjoy his highest seeding yet at a Grand Slam, but he could have his work cut out for him in the first round as he faces the mercurial Benoit Paire. 

Ruud has the 1-0 lead in their ATP Head2Head record after defeating the Frenchman last year in Hamburg 6-3, 2-0 (ret). Like his father, Christian Ruud, Casper has reached the third round at Roland Garros twice. But he’ll be looking to go one step further and book a place into the second week at a Grand Slam for the second time in a row (also 2021 Australian Open).

[18] Jannik Sinner vs Pierre-Hugues Herbert
#NextGenATP Jannik Sinner has done anything but slow down since reaching his maiden ATP Masters 1000 final in Miami. The 19-year-old Italian posted a semi-final run in Barcelona (l. Tsitsipas) and it took Djokovic and Nadal to defeat him in the second rounds of Monte-Carlo and Rome, respectively. 

Sinner, who reached the Roland Garros quarter-finals last year (l. Nadal), will face home favourite Pierre-Hugues Herbert in his opening match. It will be the pair’s second tour-level meeting, with the Italian prevailing comfortably on the indoor hard-courts of Cologne a year ago. 

Jan-Lennard Struff vs [7] Andrey Rublev
Seventh seed Andrey Rublev has taken great strides on clay this year after reaching his first ATP Masters 1000 final in Monte-Carlo (l. Tsitsipas) and backing it up with quarter-final appearances in Rome and Barcelona. Last year, in only his second appearance at Roland Garros, Rublev powered his way into the quarter-finals before falling to Tsitsipas. 

Rublev will begin his Roland Garros campaign against Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff, and he’ll take a 2-1 ATP Head2Head lead into their third encounter of the year. The Russian triumphed on hard courts at the ATP Cup and on clay in Rome to improve his record against Struff, but both matches were battling, three-set marathons. 

Two Potential Second-Round Matches To Watch:

[8] Roger Federer vs Marin Cilic: Federer, who landed in the same quarter as top seed Novak Djokovic, will start his Roland Garros campaign against a qualifier, and could meet big-serving Marin Cilic in the second round should he navigate past local wild card Arthur Rinderknech. It would be Federer and Cilic’s sixth meeting at a Grand Slam, and a rematch of the 2017 Wimbledon final and 2018 Australian Open final (both won by Federer). 

[5] Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Sebastian Korda: Fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, who starts against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, has been one of the players to beat during the clay-court swing after lifting his maiden ATP Masters 1000 trophy in Monte-Carlo. He could meet Lyon semi-finalist Sebastian Korda for the first time in the second round, should the #NextGenATP American take down Pedro Martinez. 

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