Tennis News

Puetz & Zverev Reach Madrid SFs

Alexander Zverev had a winning day on Friday at the Mutua Madrid Open. After taking out Rafael Nadal in the singles quarter-finals, he took to the court with compatriot Tim Puetz to beat Rohan Bopanna and Denis Shapovalov 6-4, 3-6, 10-5 for a spot in the doubles semi-finals.

On Saturday, Zverev will first take on Dominic Thiem and then he and Puetz will face third seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos. Granollers and Zeballos took out the French tandem of Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut 7-6(3), 6-2.

Second seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic advanced with a tight 6-3, 6-7(4), 10-7 win over seventh seeds Wesley Koolhof and Lukasz Kubot. Mektic and Pavic are seeking their sixth title of 2021, and third ATP Masters 1000 crown after winning Miami and Monte-Carlo.

The Croatian pair will play Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen after the Germans upset fourth seeds Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek 6-3, 3-6, 10-5. Gille and Vliegen just reached the Munich final last week and won in Singapore earlier this season for their fifth ATP Tour crown together.

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Zverev Claims Third Straight Nadal Victory

Alexander Zverev earned his third straight victory against Rafael Nadal on Friday to reach his second Mutua Madrid Open semi-final.

The German rallied from 2-4 down in the first set to clinch his first clay-court win against the five-time Madrid champion 6-4, 6-4. Zverev also won the pair’s two most recent indoor hard-court meetings at the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals and last year’s Rolex Paris Masters in straight sets.

“[It is] definitely one of the biggest wins of my career so far, especially on clay against Rafa. It is the toughest thing to do in our sport,” Zverev said in his post-match interview. “Beating him in his house, in Spain, is incredible but the tournament is not over yet.”

Zverev, who is yet to lose a set this week, is two wins away from his second Madrid title. The 24-year-old owns a 13-2 record at La Caja Magica, highlighted by his run to the 2018 trophy when he did not drop his serve throughout the tournament.

Nadal played with consistent depth to extract Zverev errors and gain the first break of the match at 3-2, but Zverev responded immediately to claim four straight games and the opening set. The German caught Nadal out at the net with back-to-back passing shots at 4-2 and, two games later, he used his cross-court forehand to drag Nadal out of position and gain the decisive break.

Zverev Forehand Placement

– Graphic courtesy of Hawk-Eye Innovations/ATP Media
– Take a deep dive into this match with Match Insights powered by Infosys NIA

Zverev continued to pile the pressure on the top seed’s serve in the second set. Nadal was able to escape danger at 1-1 with an inspired drop shot, but Zverev stepped inside the baseline and dictated with his forehand to convert his next chance at 2-2. The World No. 6 maintained his advantage on serve and converted his first match point when Nadal fired a crosscourt forehand into the net.

“I had the match under control at the beginning, playing well for six games, probably playing better than him,” Nadal said. “In the 4-2 [game], serving for 5-2, I [had] a disaster. Another bad game with my game [from] 30/0. Of course, playing against one of the best players of the world, under these circumstances, with this speed of the court, [it] is very difficult to still [feel] confident. I tried, [but it] is true that the serve was difficult to control today. Well done [to] him.”

In a repeat of the 2018 championship match, Zverev will face third seed Dominic Thiem for a place in the final. Thiem recovered from a set down to defeat three-time Madrid quarter-finalist John Isner 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Thiem owns an 8-2 lead in his ATP Head2Head rivalry against Zverev, which includes a 4-1 record in clay-court encounters. In the pair’s most recent meeting, Thiem recovered from two sets and a break down against Zverev to win his maiden Grand Slam title at last year’s US Open.

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“I know that I can do it [against Dominic],” Zverev said. “Everyone remembers the US Open final that we played. I remember it certainly and it is still going to be in the back of my mind when we play tomorrow. I am looking forward to the match.”

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Thiem On Isner's Serve: ‘Like A Goalkeeper Facing A Penalty’

Dominic Thiem has compared facing John Isner’s serve to a football goalkeeper in a penalty shootout after beating the American on Friday for a place in the Mutua Madrid Open semi-finals.

Speaking after his 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win on Friday, Thiem admitted, “I think it’s comparable to a goalkeeper [facing] a penalty. If he places it well, if it has the right speed, there’s just no time to react.

“You either have to guess or hope that he’s missing the first serve. It’s just pure luck actually to return it. It’s like a 50/50 chance. That’s why it’s so, so tough.”

Isner, who has struck 12,582 aces over the course of his career according to Infosys ATP Stats, hit 107 aces in his fourth matches this week at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid.

“It’s not only the first serve, it’s the second as well, which has such a high bounce,” said Thiem. “You go close, return it, which is unbelievably tough, especially here on clay in altitude, or you go five, six metres back behind the baseline. He has a lot of time to come in the net. It’s just incredibly tough to be a returner against him.”

100+ ACES IN A CLAY-COURT TOURNAMENT (since 1991)
It was the third time that Isner had hit 100+ aces in a clay-court tournament.

Third seed Thiem, who has also beaten Marcos Giron and Alex de Minaur this week, is competing at his first tournament since losing to Lloyd Harris on 16 March at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

“I’m pleased with everything [in] my game,” said Thiem. “I’ve played three very different opponents. Everything is working quite well. [My] groundstrokes are working well. The serve was pretty good all the time. The return today, especially in some parts of the game, was very good.

“I guess that I’m on the right [path] definitely. But still many things to improve, getting 100 per cent back in the match rhythm, anticipation and everything… I am surprised to be in the semi-finals.”

Thiem will play top-seeded Spaniard Rafael Nadal, the five-time former champion, or fifth seed and 2018 titlist Alexander Zverev of Germany on Saturday.

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Federer Enters Comic Book World With Globi

Roger Federer fans will be delighted to hear that the Swiss will never stop playing tennis, at least in cartoon form.

This week, Globi released its 92nd edition of the Globi series titled “Globi and Roger”. The iconic blue parrot, who can best be described as Switzerland’s Mickey Mouse, was created by Robert Lips in 1932 as a cartoon strip that later became a picture book. Globi has been most popular in Switzerland and Federer boasts his own comic collection from his childhood.

 

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Globi’s latest adventure might be his biggest ever as he and Federer go to Wimbledon, play tennis together and visit a school in Africa. Globi is well-known for wearing his beret and wide plaid trousers on his many adventures, while the cartoonists stay true to Federer’s style by putting him in matching outfits complete with his signature bandana. Federer’s four children and wife Mirka even make a cameo appearance.

Federer was involved in more than permitting the use of his name and likeness as the 39-year-old offered up his life stories, took part in the conceptualisation of the book and penned the foreword.

The comic is available in German, English and French as well as an audio book CD.

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Thiem Works Hard For Madrid Semi-final Spot

Dominic Thiem worked hard on Friday for a place in his fourth straight Mutua Madrid Open semi-final. The third-seeded Austrian found a way to beat John Isner of the United States 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 55 minutes.

Down a set, Thiem saved four break points at 2-2 in the second set and left it late in the decider, breaking Isner’s serve at 4-4 with a number of superb low returns. The 27-year-old, who is playing in his first tournament since the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in March, finished runner-up in Madrid in 2017 (l. to Nadal) and 2018 (l. to Zverev).

“I think we all know that he is one of the best servers in history and the altitude here in Madrid makes it even tougher to return his serve,” said Thiem. “I was a little bit surprised by his return games. I think he actually attacked both of my serves, the first and the second, and it took me a while to get used to it. If you start a break down against guys like John, it is like starting a set down. I think the momentum of the whole match changed when I saved those four break points in the second [set].”

Thiem will now face fifth seed and 2018 titlist Alexander Zverev of Germany at the Caja Magica on Saturday. Thiem leads Zverev 8-2 in their ATP Head2Head series.

Isner got off to the best possible start, mixing up his game and being aggressive on return of serve to break Thiem in the second game, courtesy of a forehand half-volley winner. Isner could have made it 4-0 in the first set, but was unable to convert two break points, and completed the 31-minute opener with an ace. Isner, who had hit 89 aces in three matches heading into the quarter-finals, lost just three points on serve in the first set.

Nothing gonna stop @JohnIsner doing his thing…

Four aces in a row on the clay! ?#MMOpen pic.twitter.com/9AB16YYLnu

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 7, 2021

The momentum shifted in Thiem’s favour after the Austrian saved four break points at 2-2 in the second set. Thiem had not looked remotely close to breaking Isner’s serve, but with his groundstrokes beginning to fire, the third seed drew Isner to the net to break. The second set, which lasted 42 minutes, ended with Isner hitting a backhand wide.

At 4-4 the deciding set, Thiem stepped up, capitalising on a drop in Isner’s first-serve percentage to strike low returns to the American’s feet. Minutes later he completed his eighth win of the season.

“John’s serve is so tough to return and I had to find a good returning position,” said Thiem. “Luckily, there is a lot of space here in Madrid. I used all of that and the break in the third [set] came at the right time.”

Isner, who hit 18 aces and won 77 per cent of his first-service points (36/47) against Thiem, earned back-to-back third-set tie-break wins over Roberto Bautista Agut and Andrey Rublev to reach the Madrid quarter-finals.

100-MORE ACES IN A CLAY COURT TOURNAMENT (since 1991)
This is the third time that Isner has hit 100+ aces in a clay-court tournament.

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QF Preview: Will Nadal Continue Making History Against Zverev?

Rafael Nadal is into his 15th Mutua Madrid Open quarter-final. And on Friday, the Spaniard will have a chance to continue rewriting the record books at the Caja Magica.

The five-time champion will take on Alexander Zverev to earn a spot in his 75th ATP Masters 1000 semi-final. The legendary lefty will try to ride the support of the Spanish crowd against his German foe.

“It’s always special to player here,” Nadal said. “There is no one place in the world [where] I have the support that I have here. It’s great to have some crowd back with us. We need more, honestly. But at least we have some, and that means everything to us.”

Most ATP Masters 1000 Semi-finals

Nadal leads their ATP Head2Head Series 5-2, but Zverev has won their past two meetings, both on indoor hard courts. The 2018 Nitto ATP Finals champion has the utmost respect for the top seed.

“It’s the toughest thing in our sport to play Rafa on clay, especially I think in Spain it’s the most difficult task that you can do,” Zverev said. “But I’m also somebody that looks forward to these kinds of moments and I’m definitely looking forward to tomorrow’s match.”

The winner will play third seed Dominic Thiem or John Isner. The 36-year-old American has won two consecutive matches in a final-set tie-break — Isner upsetting sixth seed Andrey Rublev 7-6(4), 3-6, 7-6(4) to make the last eight — to earn a shot at the Austrian star. Thiem leads their ATP Head2Head Series 2-1.

“He’s definitely fresh right now. He’s won two matches,” Isner said of two-time Madrid finalist Thiem. “He’s, in my opinion, the second-best clay-courter in the world right now. So it’s going to be a very tough task for me tomorrow, especially on this court. He hits the ball so big. It’s pretty fast. He just does so many things well.”

Thiem, who is playing in his first clay tournament of the season, beat Alex de Minaur 7-6(7), 6-4 on Thursday. The reigning US Open champion’s last tournament was in Dubai, but he has quickly rounded into form in the Spanish capital.

Although all four players on the top half of the draw have competed in at least an ATP Masters 1000 final (the only one who hasn’t won a title at this level, Thiem, is the reigning US Open champion), none of the players on the bottom half had previously played the Madrid main draw.

Eighth seed Matteo Berrettini will take on 16th seed Cristian Garin, who upset second seed Daniil Medvedev on Thursday. They have split two previous ATP Head2Head matches, with Garin triumphing in a final-set tie-break in the Munich final on clay two years ago.

“It’s going to be a really tough match. Cristian is playing well,” Berrettini said. “I’m confident. I’m playing good. I’m enjoying the fight. I’m ready to fight.”

The other quarter-final on the bottom half pits two unseeded players against one another: Alexander Bublik and Casper Ruud.

Bublik, who halted the run of red-hot Russian Aslan Karatsev, is the first Kazakh to reach a Masters 1000 quarter-final. Ruud can make it three consecutive clay-court semi-finals at this level if he is able to get by the World No. 44.

“He’s definitely playing very well here in Madrid. He also won three matches. He’s serving unbelievable. He can do anything with the ball,” Ruud said. “He can play drop shots and winners, the most incredible shots. Underarm serve. I have to be prepared for everything tomorrow.”

Bublik entered the year with a 1-5 record at Masters 1000 events, but he is already 6-2 this year with two quarter-finals at this level.

ORDER OF PLAY – FRIDAY, MAY 07, 2021

MANOLO SANTANA STADIUM start 1:00 pm
ATP – [3] D. Thiem (AUT) vs J. Isner (USA)
Not Before 3:00 pm
ATP – [1] R. Nadal (ESP) vs [5] A. Zverev (GER)
Not Before 7:00 pm
ATP – A. Bublik (KAZ) vs C. Ruud (NOR)
ATP – [8] M. Berrettini (ITA) vs [16] C. Garin (CHI)

ARANTXA SANCHEZ STADIUM
Not Before 4:00 pm
ATP – [3] M. Granollers (ESP) / H. Zeballos (ARG) vs [6] P. Herbert (FRA) / N. Mahut (FRA)
After Suitable Rest – ATP – R. Bopanna (IND) / D. Shapovalov (CAN) vs T. Puetz (GER) / A. Zverev (GER)

COURT 4 start 1:00 pm
ATP – [7] W. Koolhof (NED) / L. Kubot (POL) vs [2] N. Mektic (CRO) / M. Pavic (CRO)
ATP – S. Gille (BEL) / J. Vliegen (BEL) vs [4] I. Dodig (CRO) / F. Polasek (SVK)

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Berrettini's Road From Painful Sneezing To The Madrid QFs

Just a few months ago, Matteo Berrettini felt pain in his abdominal region even when he sneezed. Now, the Italian is on a six-match winning streak and into the quarter-finals of the Mutua Madrid Open.

“I’m really happy. At the same time, it is not something that came so easily,” Berrettini said. “I had to work really hard. I’m still working really hard. Every match is a fight. I’m really putting a lot of effort to be able to be mentally ready.”

Berrettini got off to a strong start in 2021, leading Italy to the ATP Cup final and advancing to the fourth round at the Australian Open. But he did not play that match against Stefanos Tsitsipas due to an abdominal injury, which kept him out until Monte-Carlo, where the 25-year-old lost his opening match.

But then the Italian impressively lifted the Serbia Open title in Belgrade, and he has maintained his momentum in Madrid. Getting to this point, however, has been difficult.

“It’s an injury that I still feel. It’s really tricky. Mentally you have to be strong, because you have to know that you’re fine. But at the same time, you have to be careful. I’m working every day with my team in order to get better, to feel more confident,” Berrettini said. “It’s crazy because after three days [when] I got injured, I could do a crunch with my abs, but I couldn’t turn. When I was getting in the car, when I took flights, I was struggling. I was feeling it. When I was sneezing, I was feeling it.”

Less than a month after getting hurt in Australia, Berrettini was able to hit balls again. It wasn’t straight back to normal, though. His abdominal region would hurt and he would get “really tired” quickly during training.

“I couldn’t serve for a long time. Even in Miami, I wasn’t serving 100 per cent. That’s why I didn’t play,” Berrettini admitted. “It was really tricky, but at the same time, mentally it was great work, a great effort. Now I guess [that is] why I’m feeling good now.”

Berrettini faced a tricky foe in qualifier Federico Delbonis on Thursday. But the eighth seed remained calm in a 7-6(4), 6-4 victory at the Caja Magica, where he had already defeated Fabio Fognini this week.

“I think you could tell today it was a really tough match decided by really [just a] few points. The difference was, I was ready. I was ready to get the important moments, to play and to serve and to return good in important moments. That’s what I was looking for,” Berrettini said. “At the end of the day, that’s what makes you win a match or lose it.”

Less than a month after making his return in Monte-Carlo, Berrettini is looking like the star who qualified for the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals. The highest-ranked player remaining in the bottom half of the draw, the Italian will next play 16th seed Cristian Garin, who upset second seed Daniil Medvedev.

“Obviously I came here with a lot of confidence. I wasn’t expecting like, ‘Okay, I have to make the quarters, semis, whatever.’ I play match after match. Now I have a quarter-final in front of me,” Berrettini said. “It’s going to be a really tough match. Cristian is playing well. I’m confident. I’m playing good. I’m enjoying the fight. I’m ready to fight.”

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Zverev Eager For Quarter-final Clash With Nadal In Madrid

Alexander Zverev is cautiously optimistic about his chances of beating Rafael Nadal on clay. With a 6-3, 7-6(3) win over Daniel Evens on Thursday, the German set up a blockbuster quarter-final against Nadal at the Mutua Madrid Open.

Nadal leads their ATP Head2Head Series 5-2, but Zverev has won their past two matches (on indoor hard courts at the Rolex Paris Masters in 2020 and the Nitto ATP Finals in 2021).

“I’ve beaten him the last few times that we’ve played but obviously beating him on a clay court is very different,” Zverev told ATPTour.com. “I’ve had some tough battles. I think also when you beat him a few times in a row it doesn’t matter where it is he’s going to be more motivated to beat you the next few times.”

Nadal and Zverev’s last clay-court meeting was the 2018 Rome final, which Nadal won in three sets. They have never faced off in Madrid, where Nadal has the home-court advantage but the high altitude favours Zverev’s big serve and aggressive game style.

“There’s a higher bounce, and definitely the serve goes through the court quicker,” Zverev said. “Also the ball flies through the air much faster so you can play more aggressively here than you can play on other clay courts. But still, I think Rafa is the favourite anywhere he goes, that’s not going to change.”

The German, who won the title in Madrid in 2018, says Nadal’s greatest strength on clay may be his movement.  

“He moves better on a clay court than he does on a hard court so it’s not easy to hit winners against him,” Zverev said. “But I have to manage it tomorrow and I have to definitely [hit winners].”

Zverev will be ready to bring his best against the best and he has certainly risen to the occasion before. While the World No. 6 has losing records against Nadal and Novak Djokovic, he has scored two wins against each of them, and he boasts a 4-3 winning record against Roger Federer.

“I feel like when you play against [the Big 3] you play in the later stages of a tournament, you play at the biggest moments,” the 23-year-old Zverev said. “And I feel like you’re playing at your best as well so you’ve got to play your best to have a chance. But I’ve also gotten killed by all of them a few times in my life so I hope tomorrow is not going to be a case like that.”

Zverev enters the highly anticipated showdown on the heels of a composed win over an on-fire Evans. Zverev had to be patient while the Brit switched up his tactics in the second set.

“He’s a great player with a lot of things he can change,” Zverev said of Evans. “You saw it during the match when he all of a sudden starting serving-and-volleying. He has a great variety in his game which can cause a lot of problems to a lot of top guys.”

Evans entered the week at a career-high FedEx ATP Tour Ranking of No. 26 after reaching the semi-finals in Monte-Carlo, complete with an upset of World No. 1 Djokovic.

On Friday, Zverev will be seeking his first clay-court semi-final appearance at the Masters 1000 level since losing to Nadal in the Rome final in 2018. 

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Madrid Open: Alexander Zverev beats Dan Evans to set up Rafael Nadal quarter-final

British number one Dan Evans missed out on the Madrid Open quarter-finals after losing to German fifth seed Alexander Zverev in the last 16.

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Ruud Stuns Tsitsipas In Madrid

Casper Ruud earned one of the biggest wins of his career on Thursday, upsetting red-hot Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6(4), 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals of the Mutua Madrid Open.

The Norwegian had previously been winless against top five opponents in the FedEx ATP Rankings. But the World No. 22 showed no fear against the fourth seed, earning the lone break of serve in the second set to triumph after one hour and 34 minutes.

“He is one of the best players this year on the Tour, one of the ones who has won the most matches. He’s won his first Masters 1000 in Monte-Carlo. Barcelona he was very close to getting the title there, as well,” Ruud said of Tsitsipas. “But the conditions are a bit different here than other clay courts with the fast shots, the ball traveling faster through the air because of the altitude. You get a lot of free points with the serve that you don’t usually [get] on the clay courts. I think that also today went a bit in my advantage.

“I felt like he was doing some mistakes that he doesn’t always do. I was just trying to take care of the chances that I got.”

Ruud is into the quarter-finals of his third consecutive clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event. The 22-year-old made the semi-finals of last year’s International BNL d’Italia and this season’s Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

“It’s given me more and more confidence the more matches I’ve won,” Ruud said. “I’m feeling good, especially here in Europe on the clay.”

Tsitsipas is the leader in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin, having lifted his maiden Masters 1000 trophy in Monte-Carlo and reaching the final in Barcelona, where he held championship point against Rafael Nadal in the final before losing. But he was unable to overwhelm Ruud, who did not face a break point in his victory.

The Next Gen ATP Finals alumnus will have a chance to make the last four in the Caja Magica when he plays Alexander Bublik, who defeated 2021 breakthrough star Aslan Karatsev 6-4, 6-3 earlier in the day. The Norwegian won his only previous ATP Head2Head clash against Bublik in three sets in St. Petersburg two years ago.

“He’s definitely playing very well here in Madrid. He also won three matches. He’s serving unbelievable,” Ruud said. “He can do anything with the ball. He can play drop shots and winners, the most incredible shots. Underarm serve. I have to be prepared for everything tomorrow.”

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