Tennis News

Federer: 'It's A Really, Really Positive Return'

Roger Federer suffered the first loss of his comeback on Thursday evening in the quarter-finals of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open against Nikoloz Basilashvili. But the 103-time tour-level champion is not going to struggle mentally to get over the loss.

“No, no, no. This one is super easy. I’m already over it,” Federer said. “I would have loved to play tomorrow, don’t get me wrong. But at the same time, I’m also happy to get a rest. I’m happy how I played today. I’m happy how I did yesterday.

“I’m happy I am back on the Tour. I’m pleased I came here to Doha. So it’s really, really a positive return for me. I’m really happy.”

Federer had a match point against the Georgian, but he was put under pressure to make a difficult backhand passing shot, which he missed. The Swiss played well despite his defeat. The World No. 6 was happy to get two three-setters under his belt in Doha.

“I come from so far away that I’m actually happy that I was able to play back-to-back three-set matches against top players. That’s an important step forward to me,” Federer said. “I’m actually happy how I felt today on court overall. I felt better against Dan [Evans], physically I would think naturally. But I think Basilashvili plays a totally different game to Dan.

“I think from that standpoint today it was a completely different game, and that’s why I also probably struggled a little bit more.”

In his first match, Federer defeated Daniel Evans, who like the former World No. 1 plays with more spins and variety. Basilashvili is a power player who took the action to the Swiss.

“He pushed me much more into the forehand corner whereas against Dan was very much running around with his slice, keeping the ball low, and I think that was a challenge,” Federer said. “Overall, the body is actually fine. I’m happy. It could be much worse.

“There was always a little bit within me that thought, ‘How am I going to feel after a brutal first-round match?’ That’s what I was thinking about going into the tournament, and, ‘How would I feel [in] the second round?’ I was always worried that maybe I couldn’t play it for whatever reason. [But] I felt fine.”

Federer received a lot of messages this week from friends. Coming back aged 39 after more than 13 months off due to injury was a big occasion for the Swiss.

“I think a lot of my close friends and people around me were waiting for this return and that I finally did it and I was able to even win it. I think some people didn’t expect that because they know what I went through,” Federer said. “It was like winning a big tournament. Messages would keep coming in. Whereas normally I don’t respond, I responded to them all basically just because I felt like I was on such a high.

“I was really, really pleased and happy yesterday. It was really a great day for me again to be back on the Tour.”

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Karatsev/Rublev Advance To Doha Doubles Final

Aslan Karatsev and Andrey Rublev, who helped Russia capture the ATP Cup title last month, advanced to the Qatar ExxonMobil Open doubles final on Thursday after they defeated Frenchmen Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin 7-6(5), 7-6(2). The Russian team recovered from 1-4 down in the second set and saved two set points at 4-5.

They will play Marcus Daniell and Philipp Oswald, who defeated top-seeded Colombians Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah 6-3, 6-4 in the semi-finals. Daniell and Oswald captured their first team trophy in October 2020 in Sardinia (d. Cabal/Farah).

Three Seeded Teams Beaten In Marseille
Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara scraped past top-seeded British brothers Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski 2-6, 6-4, 10-8 in the Open 13 Provence quarter-finals.

Americans Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow knocked out second-seeded Britons Luke Bambridge and Dominic Inglot 7-6(4), 7-6(5) and now face Dutchmen Sander Arends and David Pel, who beat Jonny O’Mara and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi 6-4, 7-6(10). Arends and Pel saved three set points at 6/7, 7/8 and 8/9 in the second-set tie-break.

Top Seeds Reach Santiago Semi-finals
Top seeds Raven Klaasen and Ben McLachlan survived a late comeback from wild cards Nicolas Jarry and Leonardo Mayer in a 2-6, 7-5, 10-8 win at the Chile Dove Men+Care Open.

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Federer’s Return Ended As Basilashvili Saves M.P. In Doha

Nikoloz Basilashvili recovered from a set down on Thursday to end Roger Federer’s comeback appearance at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha.

The Georgian played with consistent aggression from the baseline to rush Federer and earn a 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 victory. Basilashvili saved seven of 10 break points, including a match point at 4-5 in the decider, to clinch victory after one hour and 50 minutes.

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Basilashvili entered the tournament on a five-match losing streak but, with his first ATP Head2Head win against Federer (tied at 1-1), the 29-year-old is through to his first semi-final since the 2019 Hamburg European Open.

Federer was attempting to reach his seventh Doha semi-final. The second seed was making his first tournament appearance since the 2020 Australian Open this week. Federer, who underwent two right knee surgeries in 2020, claimed a 7-6(8), 3-6, 7-5 victory in his return match on Wednesday against Daniel Evans.

The World No. 42 will face Taylor Fritz for a place in the championship match. The American outlasted fourth seed Denis Shapovalov 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 to reach his first semi-final of 2021.

Federer stood on top of the baseline and struck multiple forehand winners to earn his first break point of the match in the fourth game. As he did to close his match with Evans, Federer ripped a backhand down the line to convert his opportunity. The Swiss maintained his lead to serve for the set at 5-3, and he clinched a love service hold with an ace out wide.

Basilashvili ripped his returns and guided a backhand past Federer at the net to gain an early break in the second set. The Georgian then fired powerful serves and came to the net to escape a 0/40 position on serve to consolidate his advantage. Basilashvili soon added a second break and clinched the set with a cross-court backhand winner.

For the second straight match, Federer was forced to save break points at 3-3 in the decider. It almost proved to be the crucial moment, but Basilashvili held his nerve at 4-5, 30/40 to save match point with a strong forehand approach shot. The 29-year-old then played with all-out aggression on his backhand to turn the match decisively in his favour. Basilashvili took the shot up the line on multiple occasions to break serve and ripped the stroke cross-court to convert his third match point.

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Federico Coria Ready For The Spotlight, Whether He Likes It Or Not

For most of his career, all Federico Coria wanted to do was to fade into the background.

The younger brother of former World No. 3 Guillermo Coria, Federico felt the pressure of his famous surname every time he stepped onto the court. That feeling got heavier every time he failed to replicate his brother’s prowess and fell short at tournaments that Guillermo, a nine-time ATP Tour titlist and Grand Slam finalist, conquered to earn himself the nickname ‘El Mago’ (The Magician).  

After years of languishing outside the Top 200 and even contemplating hanging up his racquets, the 29-year-old Argentine decided he was ready for a change. Armed with a new coach and a psychologist, Coria has skyrocketed to No. 85 in the FedEx ATP Rankings and reached a milestone first ATP Tour semi-final at the Cordoba Open (l. Cerundolo, eventual champion). 

Late in his career, the Argentine is now just getting started.

“At my house, we absolutely lived and breathed tennis [when I was growing up],” Coria said in an interview with ATPTour.com. “Everything was tennis. When I was little, if I wanted to see my dad I would go to the sports club. 

“I grew up watching my brother Guille on TV… To me, he was like a superhero. He was my idol. I didn’t watch cartoons, I would watch my brother compete all around the world.”

That pride that Coria felt for his older brother’s achievements has never changed, but the way he relates to that weighty legacy has. When the Rosario native speaks about his 11-year career, it carries an unspoken ‘before’ and ‘after’. Back then, Coria struggled to cope with the self-imposed pressure of living up to his brother as he took up professional tennis himself, and fear of failure often kept him from putting in his maximum effort. 

Now, the Argentine feels and acts like a completely different player.

“On my part, there is just 100 per cent more effort that I didn’t put in before for the fear of giving my all and still failing,” Coria admitted. “I got to an age, around 26 or so, when I decided to really give it my all. Just give it one last try at 100 per cent and play without fear. Accompanied by my girlfriend and the people around me, thankfully things started going my way and I began to achieve a lot of my dreams.”

One of those dreams was to compete at Roland Garros for the first time. Coria got the long-awaited opportunity last year after making his Top 100 breakthrough, but that also meant that he would have to make his debut directly into the main draw. While most players would be delighted by that news, for Coria the news only brought anxiety.

Faced with the familiar pressure of contesting the Grand Slam event where his older brother reached the final in 2004, this time Coria called on his team for help.

Try this next time you’re on court ?@chile_open @fedeecoria @juanmacerundolo pic.twitter.com/BSCCrw4R1t

— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 9, 2021

“I had to do a lot of mental preparation with my psychologist, and that went on for months as I kept improving my ranking. I told my psychologist, ‘Pablo, I’m about to play in the main draw of Roland Garros, what do I do about my head?’” Coria recalled.

“The thought of playing was giving me a lot of anxiety, because I had never even played qualifying in Paris and last year I was debuting directly into the main draw. It brought up a lot of fear and doubt in me.”

Working with a psychologist gave Coria the push he needed to deal with his mental hangups, and the result was his career best Grand Slam run to the third round. It followed his previous career-best, a second-round appearance at the US Open just weeks prior.

Coria also credited his girlfriend for helping him gain a mental edge, as well as the work he’s done with coach Andres Schneiter. The pair linked up full time last year after Schneiter, whose players affectionately call him ‘El Gringo’, parted ways with Chilean No. 1 Cristian Garin.

Schneiter’s coaching methods constantly force Coria to reach outside of his comfort zone, and the Argentine is grateful for it. The coach wants his players to be the centre of attention on the tennis court and pump themselves up during the match – the opposite of Coria’s natural instincts to shy away from the spotlight.

“I still have a few hang-ups from the early part of my career, always looking with my head down,” he said. “When I was younger, I didn’t even want to look around when I was on court for fear that someone was watching me. That’s part of my life story, and I needed someone to break through all of that. Someone who could make me lift my head up, puff out my chest and celebrate every point.

“I’m normally not someone who celebrates or pumps themselves up, but this is what we’ve found that is working well now. It does make me a bit embarrassed sometimes to be that way [on court], but I’m fighting hard to find the right balance and find the ‘champion’ identity. It’s a job that I have to work on day in and day out.”

On Tuesday, Coria marked his 29th birthday with his first-ever main draw victory in Santiago, a battling 4-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(4) win over Gianluca Mager that required him to dig deep and stay tough mentally.

He celebrated match point with an unrestrained shout of joy and a double fist-pump – another victory in itself for a player increasingly ready to take centre stage.

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Rune Races Past Paire For Santiago QF Spot

Danish teen Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune earned the biggest win of his career over second seed Benoit Paire on Wednesday to continue his dream week at the Chile Dove Men+Care Open.  

The 17-year-old qualifier played like a veteran against the No. 29 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings to seal his victory 6-2, 6-3 in just under an hour in Santiago. 

“I have a very good feeling right now after beating Benoit Paire, who is such a talented player,” Rune said in his post-match press conference. “I have a lot of respect for him, and I know him very well. 

“It’s been a great tournament so far, going from qualifying and playing a lot of tough matches. I’m expecting it to get harder every match, so I’m just fighting for every round.” 

Rune honed in on the Frenchman’s vulnerable second serve, and as a result Paire was only able to win three points (13 per cent) off of his second delivery during the match. That meant that Rune had plenty of chances to break, and the 17-year-old converted four of eight on his way to victory.

“Today I was going more for his forehand, because I know how dangerous his backhand can be and his serve-and-volley,” Rune said. “I was trying to play heavy with a lot of spin to his forehand, and every time a short ball came I had to come in and take the ball early. His service games were difficult because when he hits a big serve, there is not much you can do about it. I’m super happy  overall with the win today.”

Rune is now into the quarter-finals in just his second ATP Tour main draw, after making his tour debut last week in Buenos Aires. He will face another seed in the next round as he takes on Federico Delbonis next. The eighth-seeded Argentine comfortably defeated Andrej Martin 6-0, 6-3 to advance.

Another Argentine booked his quarter-final spot earlier in the day as Facundo Bagnis toppled fifth seed Frances Tiafoe in a battling two-set match, 7-6(3), 7-6(2). Bagnis will next face fourth seed Laslo Djere, who took down Pedro Sousa 5-7, 7-5, 6-3. 

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10 Out Of 10: Klaasen/McLachlan Reach Santiago Quarter-finals

Raven Klaasen and Ben McLachlan saved all 10 break points they faced on Wednesday to defeat Roberto Carballes Baena and Federico Coria 6-3, 6-2 at the Chile Dove Men+Care Open.

The top seeds held their nerves under pressure and broke serve on three occasions to reach the quarter-finals after 64 minutes. Klaasen and McLachlan are chasing their second trophy as a team, following their maiden title run as a pair at last year’s bett1HULKS Championship in Cologne.

Chilean wild cards Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera and Alejandro Tabilo upset second seeds Austin Krajicek and Franko Skugor 6-3, 6-4. Barrios Vera and Tabilo dropped just four points behind their first serves (27/31) and did not face a break point en route to the quarter-finals.

Chardy/Martin Move Past Mektic/Pavic In Doha
At the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin handed Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic only their second defeat of the year. The Frenchmen overcame the second seeds 6-4, 6-4 to gain revenge for their semi-final loss to Mektic and Pavic at last week’s ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam.

Mektic and Pavic drop to 17-2 this year. The Croatian duo, who are making their team debut this year, have already collected trophies this season at the Antalya Open, Murray River Open and ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament.

Chardy and Martin will meet Aslan Karatsev and Andrey Rublev for a place in the final. The Russians overcame fourth seeds Marcelo Melo and Jean-Julien Rojer 6-2, 6-3 in 59 minutes.

O’Mara/Qureshi Book Quarter-final Spot In Marseille
Jonny O’Mara and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi won 92 per cent of first-serve points (35/38) to beat Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela and Fernando Romboli 7-6(3), 6-2 at the Open 13 Provence.

The third seeds, who are making their team debut this week, will face Sander Arends and David Pel in the quarter-finals. Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara defeated Petros Tsitsipas and Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-5, 6-1 to book a meeting with top seeds Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski.

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Federer Pleased With Match Sharpness After Return Win

When Roger Federer stepped onto Centre Court on Wednesday at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, the Swiss ended his 405-day absence from professional tennis.

During those 405 days, the sport has had to adapt to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and Federer himself has been forced to recover from two right knee surgeries. Despite all the changes, one thing remained the same in Federer’s three-set win against Daniel Evans. Under pressure, he found his best tennis.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion saved a set point at 5/6 in the first-set tie-break and escaped two break points at 3-3 in the decider. According to his opponent, Federer found his best level in the final games of the match to improve to 27-3 in Doha.

“I was very happy with how I was able to handle the tough moments,” said Federer. “I didn’t feel like my game started to wobble the more important the points got. I think I was able to play how I wanted to play, so I think that’s always a great sign and a great feeling to have…

“In practice, it doesn’t matter if you miss a backhand down the line being down break point. But here it matters a lot. I think not serving any double faults in my first match back over two hours and 20 minutes, I think that’s a sign that the knee is doing really well on the serve, which I think is crucial.”

Federer and Evans spent the past two weeks preparing for the tournament together. The pair also took to the court in Doha shortly after the draw was made last Saturday for a one-hour practice session.

One of the challenges for Federer during the match was to work out how to construct points against the Brit. During their pre-tournament training block, Federer and Evans practised in faster conditions.

“I was really excited and happy [with] the way I played. Dan was a tough first round, I thought, but the good thing was I practised with him the past couple of weeks, so I really knew what to expect,” said Federer. “It’s just that when we were practising, the court was faster in the past so this was slower.

“I knew it could be a little bit tricky, [working out] how to construct the point against him on a slow court, but look, it felt great to be out there again regardless of the outcome. Losing in straight [sets], winning in straight [sets], winning in three [sets], it’s going to give me a lot of answers. [It will be] interesting to see how I’m going to feel tomorrow, but right now I feel actually pretty good, so I’m really pleased.”

Federer was pleased that he was able to make this return in front of fans at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex. In line with COVID-19 regulations, the tournament has been able to welcome a reduced number of socially-distanced supporters. The crowd cheered loudly as Federer stepped onto court and they also created a memorable atmosphere throughout the match.

“I am incredibly grateful that I was able to play on my return in front of somebody and the fans were good,” said Federer. “They were into it… In the tie-break, they were really getting into it…

“After a while, I didn’t even feel anymore that there were less people than normal in the stadium, because you’re in the zone and it went very well for me. I’m very appreciative for everybody who came out to support tennis tonight.”

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Medvedev Ready For Marseille Challenge

Daniil Medvedev is ready to return to winning ways this week at the Open 13 Provence in Marseille, where he will attempt to capture a milestone 10th ATP Tour crown.

In his first match since his run to the Australian Open final (l. to Djokovic), the World No. 3 suffered a first-round loss to Dusan Lajovic at last week’s ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam. While that result came as a surprise to Medvedev, it did allow him extra time to prepare for his week in Marseille.

“Rotterdam was not the result I expected,” said Medvedev. “I took some days off after the Australian Open and before Rotterdam, so after Rotterdam… I was practising every day because I didn’t need any more rest.”

Medvedev will attempt to become the third Russian to triumph at the ATP 250 and follow in the footsteps of 2001 champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov and 2018 titlist Karen Khachanov. The Moscow native will be aiming to add to his collection of five indoor titles, which includes last year’s Nitto ATP Finals crown.

“I feel like I have done a good job on the practice court, physically and tennis wise,” said Medvedev. “I honestly feel good coming here. I didn’t have the chance to practise on centre court, which is normal, but the most important thing is I am ready to play good here.”

Medvedev will begin his title bid against Egor Gerasimov, the man who defeated Andy Murray in the Open Sud de France first round just two weeks ago. The Australian Open runner-up owns a 2-0 ATP Head2Head series record against Gerasimov, but he knows the challenge the Belarusian will present when they meet on Thursday.

“[Egor and I have played some] really tough matches,” said Medvedev. “Once we played a decisive tie in Davis Cup. I won, but it was really, really tight. When I won Tokyo, which was the best result for me at the time, he was the only player to take a set from me there.

“I know how tough it is to play him. I know that he is a great indoor hard-court player. I am going to have to show my best [and] play my best to win. It is good to play a first round like this to see where you are and if you are ready for the tournament.”

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Roger Federer beats Dan Evans on return from injury at Qatar Open

Roger Federer beats Britain’s Dan Evans on his comeback after 14 months out through injury to reach the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open.

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Sinner Overpowers Gaston To Reach Marseille Quarter-Finals

#NextGenATP Italian Jannik Sinner reached his second quarter-final of 2021 with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Hugo Gaston on Wednesday at the Open 13 Provence.

Sinner had a battle on his hands as the 20-year-old French wild card mounted a late comeback in the first set. But once he sunk his teeth into the match, he was relentless as he won 89 per cent of points behind his first serve (24/27) en route to a 66-minute win.

“There are some key points in every set, and when he came back [in the first set], I was just trying to stay there mentally,” Sinner said in his on-court interview. “I think I did that, and I’m very proud of that. In the second set, I tried to start strong.”

Photos: Corinne Dubreuil

Sinner had an impressive day on serve, firing five aces and dropping serve only once during the contest. From the baseline, Sinner was able to read the lefty’s variety and stay in control of the points.

“He’s a very difficult player because he is always changing the ball a lot and changing the rhythm,” Sinner said. “I tried to play deep and play my game, but it’s never easy when someone hits quite hard. Matches can change very fast, so I tried to stay there in every point.” 

The 19-year-old had to pass an early test against another Frenchman in the first round with a hard-fought 7-6(3), 6-7(5), 6-3 win over Gregoire Barrere. Now he awaits the winner of top seed Daniil Medvedev and Egor Gerasimov for a spot in the semi-finals.

Sinner began his season with a run to the trophy at the Great Ocean Road Open in Melbourne, and is seeking his third ATP Tour trophy in Marseille.

Fourth seed Ugo Humbert joined Sinner in the quarter-finals with a 6-3, 6-4 win against former champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Humbert sealed the victory with a subdued celebration against his good friend and countryman, who had claimed his first ATP Tour victory since 2019 in the first round.

“It is not easy to play against Jo. It was a bit emotional today, but I tried to stay focussed on what I had to do,” Humbert said. “I tried to put a lot of intensity [into my game] today and I’m very happy to win against Jo.”

Humbert awaits the winner of seventh seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and French qualifier Arthur Rinderknech.

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