Tennis News

#NextGenATP Cerundolo Reigns In Rome For First Challenger Title

It was one of the biggest Cinderella stories of all time. Sitting outside the Top 300 of the FedEx ATP Rankings and having previously never competed on the ATP Tour, Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo captured the title at the Cordoba Open in February. The 19-year-old had never even reached an ATP Challenger Tour final when he streaked to his maiden tour-level crown on home soil.

This week, Cerundolo added another piece of silverware to his fast-growing trophy haul – his first at the Challenger level. The surging #NextGenATP star prevailed on the clay of Rome to complete the ATP Tour-ATP Challenger title double.

Cerundolo, who is projected to rise to a career-high No. 152 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, is the first player to win on both tours in the same season since 2019. In addition, his victory makes him the youngest Argentine champion on the Challenger circuit in 12 years, when Federico Delbonis won in Manerbio, Italy, in 2009.

2021 Teen Titlists

It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Cerundolo in Rome. After not dropping a set in reaching the semi-finals, the Buenos Aires native was forced to rally from a set and a break down against home hope Alessandro Giannessi on Saturday. And on Sunday, he would be tested by another Italian, 18-year-old Flavio Cobolli. Competing in just his fourth Challenger main draw, Cobolli pushed Cerundolo to a deciding set, where he battled back from a break down twice.

The Argentine would eventually cross the finish line 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 after one hour and 44 minutes. The final match-up was just the sixth between teenagers on the ATP Challenger Tour since 2007.

With the victory, Cerundolo moves up to fifth in the ATP Race To Milan, as he continues his quest for a debut appearance at the Next Gen ATP Finals.

✅ ATP Tour title
✅ ATP Challenger title@juanmacerundolo is the champion in Rome! The first player to win an @atptour ? and an #ATPChallenger ? in the same season since 2019. pic.twitter.com/kad5SuzJ7V

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) May 2, 2021

Cerundolo spoke to ATPTour.com following his maiden Challenger title…

Juan Manuel, congrats on winning your first Challenger title. Can you describe your emotions? How does it feel?
I’m too happy. I can’t describe it right now. It’s amazing to win my first Challenger. I’m having a great year, winning my first ATP title and now my first Challenger. I just can’t believe it. It’s inspiring for sure. I’m motivated to work even harder.

Winning at this level is never easy. Were you nervous today?
Yes, of course, it was my first Challenger final. I really wanted to win, but I knew Flavio was having a great week. It was a great week for me too, so I was nervous but had a lot of confidence to win.

You were down a set and a break yesterday. Where does your mental strength come from? Do you surprise yourself in those moments?
Well, yesterday was a very tough match. I really don’t know where my mental strength comes from. I just try to take it step-by-step and point-by-point. I am so patient and don’t rush, so I think that is the key to these matches.

After a big week on the ATP Tour, it is not easy to return to the Challengers. Describe that transition for you, after Cordoba.
Cordoba was an amazing week. I’m not used to playing ATPs, but I also haven’t been playing many Challengers. This is all new to me, but I feel I am doing a good job and hope to play even more ATPs in the future. That will give me a better ranking and make a big difference.

Photo credit: Delfina Novillo

When you look back on Cordoba, what is the biggest lesson you learned from that week?
The biggest thing I learned was to keep working hard to get back to that level. And trusting in my team. I need to still work like this every day, because one tournament does not make a career.

You are the youngest champion from Argentina since 2009. How do you manage the pressure and expectations?
It’s not easy, but I think I like it. It’s good to feel like people trust you and have confidence in you. It’s motivating and inspiring and I do like it.

More 2021 #NextGenATP First-Time Winners: Baez | Brooksby | Gimeno Valero | Stricker

You and your brother Francisco both won Challenger titles in the past year. How do you support each other? Describe his impact on you.
He’s my big brother and it’s amazing that we can share the tour together. We have great moments and he supports and helps me with all these things I don’t know yet. I never played these big matches before and he did, so it’s nice to have that. I can learn a lot from him and we support each other in the matches. We both want to win.

Another player from Argentina, Sebastian Baez, is also having a great year. Do you motivate and inspire each other?
Yes, of course, Sebastian is a very good friend on the tour. I talk a lot with him and share some good moments together. We talk a lot during the year and push each other to do even better. We train together at home too. I want him to win too because he’s my friend. It’s a good relation.

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Preview: Alcaraz Tries To Set Nadal Showdown In Madrid

#NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz was only two years old when Rafael Nadal won his first Madrid title in 2005. Now, the 17-year-old is one win away from taking on the Spanish great himself on home soil at the Mutua Madrid Open.

But the wild card knows that he has to focus on the match in front of him to get there. Alcaraz will face Adrian Mannarino on Monday inside Manolo Santana Stadium.

“It [would] mean a lot to me to be able to play against Rafa, but I have to win one match against a great player,” Alcaraz said in a pre-tournament interview. “Let’s see what happens and let’s see if I could win.”

The fast-rising teen has competed at this venue several times as a junior, and he’s hoping that home-field advantage will be the key to booking the blockbuster second-round clash.

“I’ve come here to this tournament when I was young for a lot of years,” Alcaraz said. “I saw a lot of matches and a lot of players playing here. And now, playing here and training with the best players in the world means a lot. I will enjoy every moment.”

The Spanish teen arrived in the capital on a high after reaching his first tour-level semi-final in Marbella (l. Munar). It’s been a season of firsts for Alcaraz, who began 2021 by qualifying for his first Grand Slam at the Australian Open, where he claimed a victory in his main draw debut.

Alcaraz’s early success has drawn plenty of comparisons to Nadal’s own breakthrough as a teen. Nadal has tipped his countryman for even more success, and was generous with praise for Alcaraz’s high level of tennis in a pre-tournament interview.

“Carlos is an amazing player with an amazing level of tennis [already],” Nadal said. “He will probably be one of the greatest players in the world soon.”

Sitting at No. 120 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, Alcaraz would face the biggest challenge of his career should he go on to face World No. 2 Nadal. He’s only played against one Top 10 player to date, falling to No. 7 Alexander Zverev in Acapulco.

But Mannarino is a tough foe himself. The French lefty will be competing in the Mutua Madrid Open main draw for the sixth time, and he has made the second round twice. 

Also in action, unseeded Aslan Karatsev will hope to continue his own fast rise against Ugo Humbert in the opening round. Karatsev reached his first tour-level clay final at the Serbia Open in Belgrade, while Humbert arrived in Madrid after reaching the quarter-finals in Estoril. The winner will take on seventh seed Diego Schwartzman in the second round.

Grigor Dimitrov, the 13th seed, will also feature as he faces Lloyd Harris in the first match of the day at Manolo Santana Stadium. The Bulgarian has advanced to at least the third round at the Caja Magica four times, and he defeated World No. 1 Novak Djokovic at this event in 2013.

The hosts will be well-represented on Monday, with five Spanish men in action including Alcaraz, 10th seed Pablo Carreno Busta and wild card Fernando Verdasco. Marbella champion Carreno Busta will take on Argentine qualifier Federico Delbonis, while former World No. 7 Verdasco will face 16th seed and Santiago champion Cristian Garin.

In doubles, eighth seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares lead the way as they begin their Madrid campaign against Marcelo Melo and Jean-Julien Rojer. Rojer has previously won two Madrid titles (w/ Tecau) in 2016 and 2019, while Melo lifted the trophy in 2017 (w/ Kubot).

SCHEDULE – MONDAY, MAY 03, 2021
MANOLO SANTANA STADIUM start 11:00 am
L. Harris (RSA) vs [13] G. Dimitrov (BUL)

Not Before 1:00 PM
WTA MATCH – [9] P. Kvitova (CZE) vs V. Kudermetova (RUS)
A. Mannarino (FRA) vs [WC] C. Alcaraz (ESP)

Not Before 7:00 PM
WTA MATCH – [1] A. Barty (AUS) vs [14] I. Swiatek (POL)
[16] C. Garin (CHI) vs [WC] F. Verdasco (ESP)

ARANTXA SANCHEZ STADIUM start 11:00 am
J. Isner (USA) vs M. Kecmanovic (SRB)
J. Chardy (FRA) vs D. Evans (GBR)
[Q] C. Taberner (ESP) vs F. Fognini (ITA)

Not Before 5:00 PM
WTA MATCH – [WC] P. Badosa (ESP) vs [Q] A. Sevastova (LAT)
[Q] F. Delbonis (ARG) vs [10] P. Carreno Busta (ESP)

STADIUM 3 start 11:00 am
U. Humbert (FRA) vs A. Karatsev (RUS)
D. Koepfer (GER) vs R. Opelka (USA)

Not Before 3:00 PM
WTA MATCH – O. Jabeur (TUN) vs [8] B. Bencic (SUI)
[Q] P. Andujar (ESP) vs [Q] M. Giron (USA)

COURT 4 start 11:00 am
M. Melo (BRA) / J. Rojer (NED) vs [8] J. Murray (GBR) / B. Soares (BRA)
J. Peers (AUS) / M. Venus (NZL) vs M. Purcell (AUS) / L. Saville (AUS)
[WC] M. Lopez (ESP) / J. Munar (ESP) vs R. Bopanna (IND) / D. Shapovalov (CAN)

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Medvedev's Madrid Goal: 'At Least Win One Match'

Ahead of the Mutua Madrid Open, Daniil Medvedev outlined his goals for the clay season. But the second seed had his eye on something far more straightforward than lofty targets like a 11th tour-level title or a fourth ATP Masters 1000 crown.

For the second-seeded Russian, as long as he wins one match the trip will be considered a success. After years of going winless in Madrid (0-2), Rome (0-2) and Roland Garros (0-4), Medvedev is eager to get out of the red as he works to translate his world-beating hard-court game onto clay.

“That’s the goal. I always said for me it’s always step by step,” Medvedev said in his pre-tournament press conference. “So the goal actually for all three tournaments, Rome, Roland-Garros, and Madrid, is to at least win one match in each of them.”

Coming from a player who has reached two Grand Slam finals and has been ranked as high as World No. 2 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, aiming for one victory might seem a surprising goal. But for Medvedev, keeping things simple might prove the key for a long-awaited clay-court breakthrough.

“Of course, when I come to [a] tournament, the main goal is to win it,” he said. “It’s tougher on clay than on hard courts, so [I] will adjust, try my best, [and] hope to show some good tennis, because that’s the most important. When I show good tennis I can win some great matches.”

There are a few encouraging signs for Medvedev. Most importantly, he’s won ‘some great matches’ on clay already. In 2019, he fought his way into the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters semi-finals with victories over Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas. That same year, he went on to reach the final in Barcelona (l. Thiem) with a victory over two-time champion Kei Nishikori along the way.

Another positive sign? The conditions couldn’t be better for Medvedev. In Madrid, the altitude (667 metres/2,188 feet) has historically made the courts more forgiving for players like Medvedev who prefer faster surfaces.

“I would say it’s more comparable to hard courts here in Madrid because the clay is fast, altitude, serve goes fast,” Medvedev explained. “In the results and in the game, we can see that guys who suffer a little bit on clay can play better here.

“That’s also one of the things that makes me feel more comfortable before the tournament. After, it’s always the same thing that the first match is a first match.”

Medvedev will have to hit the ground running as he contests his first tournament since the Miami Open presented by Itau due to a positive COVID-19 test ahead of Monte-Carlo. He’ll take on either a qualifier or Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in his opening match. Davidovich Fokina recently reached his first Masters 1000 quarter-final in Monte-Carlo (l. Tsitsipas, walkover) and recorded his first Top 10 win over a resurgent Matteo Berrettini.

“Of course [it] will be a little bit tougher [for me] than other guys,” Medvedev said. “For example, I will be playing maybe Davidovich or [a qualifier]. Davidovich played like five tournaments on clay already. I played zero.

“I definitely need to win some matches to just get this feeling of winning matches on clay, because that’s the most important.”

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Shapovalov's Big Swap: A Backwards Hat For A Bandana

When Denis Shapovalov began his clay-court season, he made news that had nothing to do with his game. The Canadian had traded his backwards hat for a bandana.

The 22-year-old has sported the new look in Barcelona, Estoril and now Madrid, where on Sunday he reached the second round of the Mutua Madrid Open with a 6-1, 6-3 win against Dusan Lajovic.

“I don’t know. I was just feeling it,” Shapovalov said, cracking a smile. “Actually, I had a haircut, and it went a little bit too short, shorter than I wanted it. I did want to get it short, but not this short.

“It was definitely the look I wanted to just change [things] up. But it’s tough to wear a bandana when you have long hair. So I have no idea how Rafa was doing it back in the day.”

According to Shapovalov, there was a practical reason to wear a backwards hat.

“The hair always gets in my face. I wanted to cut my hair a bit shorter and just try out the bandana look. I definitely like it. I feel like it’s different,” Shapovalov said. “I wore a bandana when I was really young, so it’s kind of cool to just change it up. I was just bored, I guess.”

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Estoril Open: Cameron Norrie loses to Albert Ramos-Vinolas in final

British number two Cameron Norrie loses the Estoril Open final to Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas in three sets.

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Ramos-Vinolas Captures Estoril Crown

Albert Ramos-Vinolas’ impressive clay-court form in 2021 was rewarded on Sunday when the Spaniard collected his third ATP Tour title at the Millennium Estoril Open.

The 33-year-old rallied from a set and a break down and won 51 per cent of his second-serve return points (19/37) to defeat fellow left-hander Cameron Norrie 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(3). Ramos-Vinolas triumphed in two hour and 44 minutes, and he is now 16-5 on clay this year. The Spaniard owns seven more clay-court victories than any other player on the ATP Tour this season.

2021 ATP Tour Clay-Court Wins Leaderboard

Ramos-Vinolas has won all three of his ATP Head2Head encounters against Norrie. The World No. 46 also beat Norrie on clay in the first round of the 2018 Davis Cup and at the 2019 Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell.

After trailing by a set and a break, Ramos-Vinolas attacked with his forehand to recover the break in a marathon game at 2-1 in the second set and he capitalised on multiple Norrie errors to force the match to a decider. A final-set tie-break was needed to decide the outcome of the match and Ramos-Vinolas trusted his powerful forehand in key moments to dictate rallies, extract errors and clinch victory.

Norrie was aiming to capture his maiden ATP Tour title. The World No. 50, who won the Estoril doubles crown in 2018 (w/Edmund), defeated second seed Cristian Garin and sixth seed Marin Cilic en route to his second tour-level championship match (0-2).

Did You Know?
Norrie and Ramos-Vinolas’ clash was the second ATP Tour final of the season between left-handed players. At the Cordoba Open in February, #NextGenATP Argentine Juan Manuel Cerundolo defeated Ramos-Vinolas in another three-set championship match.

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De Minaur Battles From The Brink: 'I'm Very Proud How I Hung In There'

Alex de Minaur made an impressive comeback on Sunday at the Mutua Madrid Open, rallying for a 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 victory against Jaume Munar to reach the second round.

The Australian No. 1 arrived in Madrid having lost five of his past six matches. But even though Munar led 6-4, 4-2, De Minaur continued to battle and eventually prevailed after two hours and 23 minutes.

“This is one of those wins that really helps your morale, helps build a lot of confidence,” De Minaur told Tennis Channel. “It was about an hour and a half of me not being too comfortable out there, not playing my best tennis knowing I could bring a higher level, but just not executing. I’m just very proud how I hung in there. I just kept going, kept trying to stay positive and eventually kept putting myself in a position to break.

“It finally went my way and I was able to play some much better tennis and tennis that I wanted to play. [I am] very happy.”

Munar, a wild card, got to within two service holds of a victory without dropping his serve. But De Minaur ultimately broke the Spaniard four times on Stadium 3 to set a second-round clash against 13th seed Grigor Dimitrov or South African Lloyd Harris.

“I’m glad that today I told myself that whatever happened, I was going to stay positive the whole way. Even if it didn’t go my way, at least I wasn’t going to lose that match because of my attitude,” De Minaur said. “It worked out today.”

De Minaur now leads Munar 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series. In their only previous tour-level clash, the Aussie triumphed in five sets at the 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan.

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Khachanov/Rublev Roll Past Fognini/Schwartzman In Madrid

Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev overcame a tricky first-round test against Fabio Fognini and Diego Schwartzman 7-6(5), 6-2 to make a winning start at the Mutua Madrid Open on Sunday.

The Russian duo recovered from a 0-2 deficit in the first set against Fognini and Schwartzman, who recently reached the quarter-finals at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. Khachanov and Rublev broke back and took them into a tightly-contested tie-break, where just one mini-break for 2/0 made the difference for the Russians.

Khachanov and Rublev took charge in the second set, creating four break opportunities and converting twice to close out the victory in an hour and 18 minutes. They booked a second-round clash against third seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos.

Also in action, Marcelo Demoliner and Daniil Medvedev reprised their occasional partnership to take down Daniel Evans and Neal Skupski 6-3, 7-6(4) in an hour and 22 minutes. Demoliner and Medvedev saved six of the seven break points they faced en route to victory against the Brits, who arrived in Madrid after reaching back-to-back ATP Masters 1000 finals in Miami and Monte-Carlo (l. Mektic/Pavic).

Demoliner and Medvedev await the winner between seventh seeds Wesley Koolhof and Lukasz Kubot and wild cards Petros Tsitsipas and Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round.

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Felix: 'I Feel Super Privileged & Lucky To Have Toni Nadal'

In an extract from Eurosport’s Players’ Voice series, Felix Auger-Aliassime discusses working with Toni Nadal, Rafael Nadal’s uncle. The #NextGenATP Canadian reveals how their relationship came together, how much respect he has for “Uncle Toni” and more.

I feel super privileged and lucky to have Toni in my team. Throughout my whole childhood I remember him by the side of his nephew, Rafa. He’s been around for a long time and has won everything the sport has to give as a coach so it’s extremely motivating to have him by my side. I think he’s a person I can learn a lot from, both as a person and as a coach.

Growing up, I remember seeing a lot of him on TV when I was watching Rafa’s matches and he just struck me as this very devoted and passionate coach. Of course he was his uncle, but ultimately he’s a coach that was willing to go above and beyond for his player – he seemed to have this vision for Rafa’s career and gave him everything he needed.

The first time we both met was actually at Monte-Carlo two years ago. Each year there’s a players’ party and I was rehearsing for my part, which was a piano performance. He came into the room, saw me and stopped to say that he’d seen me play in Indian Wells and that he liked my attitude and my game.

His words kind of stayed with me and it got me thinking about how great it would be to have somebody like him on my team; somebody who had a different, fresh view to potentially see things that we may be missing.

So at the end of last year when I was back home in Canada, we approached him to see if it could be a possibility. He agreed to talk to us and suggested a trial at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, so we headed out there for two weeks and everything just seemed to work really well. After that, I started my season and we kept in touch before announcing the partnership not long after.

From the feedback I’ve had, I think everyone thinks it’s only a good thing; my coach Frederic, the rest of the team, my family, and other coaches and players on the tour. Will it give me an advantage? We will see, but I think in the end, what happens on the court is most important and I still have to do the work – it’s not like having Toni automatically improves my performances or my ranking right away.

It’s very early days, but so far we’ve been talking a lot about where we see my career heading, which is essentially to reach the highest levels and win the biggest tournaments.

Read Auger-Aliassime’s Full Eurosport Players’ Voice Column

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Shapovalov Superb In Madrid Opener

Denis Shapovalov arrived in Spain on a two-match losing streak, but the dynamic lefty was near his best on Sunday, defeating 2019 Monte-Carlo finalist Dusan Lajovic 6-1, 6-3 to reach the second round of the Mutua Madrid Open.

“Just definitely felt a lot better today. I felt very good on the court,” Shapovalov said. “I’m just happy to get the first win.”

The Canadian was nearly flawless on serve, winning 90 per cent of his first-serve points and saving all three break points he faced. Shapovalov won a higher rate of second-serve points (63%) than Lajovic did first-serve points (50%).

The 11th seed broke the Serbian’s serve in his first return game and he ran away with the momentum from there.

Shapovalov’s Second Serve Location & Speed

^{Graphic courtesy of Hawk-Eye Innovations/ATP Media}
Shapovalov was the aggressor at the Caja Magica, going after his shots to the tune of 21 winners to just five for Lajovic. But the 22-year-old did not overplay, and he was able to advance after 63 minutes.

“Not much can change in the span of a couple of days, but Madrid is a place where I have had a lot of success, from back in juniors, making semis here in the Masters [1000 event] and finals of Davis Cup,” Shapovalov said. “It’s just a place where it kind of feels like home to me and I just feel so comfortable.” 

Shapovalov will next play unpredictable Kazakhstani Alexander Bublik, who battled past Hungarian Marton Fucsovics 7-6(5), 6-3. Fucsovics served for the first set and led the tie-break 5/2, but was unable to take advantage of that lead, and Bublik hit eight aces in the match.

The Kazakhstani defeated Shapovalov in three sets in their only previous ATP Head2Head clash last year in Marseille. This year’s Singapore runner-up and Miami quarter-finalist is making his Madrid debut.

In other action, American Tommy Paul ousted home favourite Pedro Martinez 6-4, 7-5 after one hour and 34 minutes. The World No. 58 will next challenge sixth seed Andrey Rublev. The Russian has won their two previous meetings.

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