Wimbledon to scrap middle Sunday from 2022 and hopes for at least 25% fans in 2021
Wimbledon will abandon its traditional rest day on the middle Sunday of the tournament from 2022.
Wimbledon will abandon its traditional rest day on the middle Sunday of the tournament from 2022.
Germans Yannick Hanfmann and Dominik Koepfer made a good start on home soil Monday, defeating Denys Molchanov and Franko Skugor 6-7(4), 7-5, 10-5 to reach the quarter-finals of the BMW Open. They saved seven of the eight break points they faced to advance in Munich.
Also moving on were Marcus Daniell and Philipp Oswald, who ousted Nikoloz Basilashvili and Andre Begemann 6-2, 7-5. The fourth seeds will play Hanfmann and Koepfer for a semi-final spot. Daniell and Oswald lifted their first ATP Tour trophy together last year in Sardinia and they will try to add a second team this week.
[WATCH LIVE 1]Third Seeds Move On In Estoril
It wasn’t easy, but third seeds Austin Krajicek and Oliver Marach found a way to win on Monday at the Millennium Estoril Open. They triumphed in their opener in Portugal by defeating wild cards Cameron Norrie and Joao Sousa 6-7(4), 6-4, 11-9.
The American-Austrian duo will next face Luke Bambridge and Dominic Inglot in the quarter-finals. The Brits battled past Rohan Bopanna and Alexander Bublik 6-2, 7-6(1).
Stefanos Tsitsipas fell one point short of winning the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell on Sunday. However, the Greek has extended his lead in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin, which determines the eight players who will compete at the Nitto ATP Finals in Italy from 14-21 November.
The recent Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters champion now has a 350-point lead over Andrey Rublev, who is in second. Tsitsipas is 520 points ahead of third-placed Novak Djokovic, who won this year’s Australian Open. Only 710 points separate Tsitsipas and the fourth-placed man in the Race, reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion Daniil Medvedev.
FedEx ATP Race To Turin Standings
| Player | Points |
| 1. Stefanos Tsitsipas | 2,840 |
| 2. Andrey Rublev | 2,490 |
| 3. Novak Djokovic | 2,320 |
| 4. Daniil Medvedev | 2,130 |
| 5. Aslan Karatsev | 1,505 |
| 6. Hubert Hurkacz | 1,440 |
| 7. Jannik Sinner | 1,220 |
| 8. Rafael Nadal | 1,040 |
This is the first time since 2014 that a player outside the Big Three of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer has led the Race at this stage of the season. Seven years ago, Stan Wawrinka was in first, just ahead of Djokovic.
This year’s Race will determine who finishes atop the year-end FedEx ATP Rankings. Could Tsitsipas have a shot at year-end No. 1? It is not out of the question based on the 22-year-old’s form.
Tsitsipas, the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals champion, is now 26-6 in 2021 and he has shown an impressive level of consistency, reaching at least the quarter-finals in all seven tournaments he has played. He also won both his matches as Greece’s No. 1 singles player at the ATP Cup, and four of his six defeats have come at the hands of Top 10 opponents.
But Tsitsipas is not the only rising star in the mix for year-end No. 1. Russians Rublev and Medvedev, who led their country to ATP Cup glory at the start of the season, are in second and fourth, respectively. Medvedev lifted the trophy in London last year and Rublev made his season finale debut. Rublev and Tsitsipas both have a 26-6 record to lead the ATP Tour this year.
Between those three and six-time year-end No. 1 Djokovic, the race for top spot is heating up, and another man might join the fray shortly to make the battle even hotter.
By winning his 12th Barcelona title on Sunday, Nadal has climbed 10 spots into eighth. The Spaniard is attempting to qualify for the season finale for the 17th consecutive year. With two clay-court ATP Masters 1000 events and Roland Garros coming up, the lefty will try to make it a five-way duel for year-end No. 1.
Breakthrough star Aslan Karatsev is currently fifth in the Race following his run to the final of the Serbia Open in Belgrade, where he upset Djokovic. Two years ago, the Russian finished in 271st place in the Race.
Did You Know?
While the 2021 Year-End FedEx ATP Rankings will continue to potentially include some results from 2020 in a player’s rankings breakdown under the 24-month rankings system due to COVID-19, the 2021 Year-End No. 1 will be based off 2021 results alone (i.e., the FedEx ATP Race To Turin) and will continue until the end of the Nitto ATP Finals. This will ensure that the No. 1 accolade accurately reflects the world’s best performer of the 2021 calendar season.
Since his breakthrough run to the Round of 16 at Roland Garros last year, Sebastian Korda has claimed two ATP Challenger Tour titles, reached his maiden ATP Tour championship match and cracked the Top 100 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.
Alongside fellow #NextGenATP stars Jannik Sinner, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Lorenzo Musetti, the American has already made his mark on the ATP Tour this season. Korda believes one of the keys to his early-season success has been his individuality.
“I have been doing my own thing,” said Korda. “Almost everyone went to Australia to play qualifying and I chose a different path. For my development, it was super big to get a lot of matches under my belt, especially after two months of pre-season which is unusual for us. So far, it has worked out and hopefully I can keep the momentum.”
[WATCH LIVE 1]As part of one of the most successful families in sport, Korda is not immediately known for his individuality. As the son of former World No. 2 Petr Korda and former WTA Top 30 player Regina Kordova, and the brother of Top 25 LPGA golf stars Nelly Korda and Jessica Korda, Sebastian’s achievements are often presented in the wider context of his family.
When asked to define what makes him different from the rest of his family, Korda highlighted how the path he has taken to find success has shaped him as a person.
“I enjoy the little things a little more than most people,” said Korda. “I have been at the lowest tournaments and that has helped me appreciate things a lot more. My sisters jumped right into it. I wasn’t at the top as fast as everyone else, so I think I appreciate things a little bit more.”
Aside from the obvious advantages of growing up in a successful sporting family, Korda noted that the success of his sisters has often provided him with the extra motivation he has needed to climb the FedEx ATP Rankings. The Florida native reached a career-high No. 62 on 12 April.
“[Their success] definitely motivates me. My sister won a tournament the week before I won a tournament, so I was watching her and seeing how fired up she got. It motivated me to play better and she is a big help,” said Korda. “I think me winning a tournament and my older sister winning a tournament motivated my other sister, Nelly, to win her tournament. There is family competition, a little bit and we push each other.”
When he is not watching his sisters make waves on the golf course, Korda can often be found watching his own sport. The Delray Beach runner-up is a keen student of the game and has taken great inspiration from Rafael Nadal, the man who ended his run to the Round of 16 at Roland Garros last year. After their maiden ATP Head2Head meeting in Paris, Korda received a signed match shirt from Nadal.
“I watch a lot of tennis. Pretty much every single day I am watching something on TV,” said Korda. “There is always a lot of inspiration, especially from a guy like Nadal. He has always been an inspiration for me [with] the way he carries himself on court, how professional he is and how humble he is. It is a big inspiration for me. Hopefully he can keep playing tennis. I’d love to get another opportunity to be able to play him.”
After playing @RafaelNadal, Korda got a shirt signed by the man himself ? ?
(via @SebiKorda) #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/tHucYlI2hh
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 4, 2020
One of the events that has caught Korda’s attention on TV has been the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan. This year, the two-time ATP Challenger Tour titlist will attempt to become the fourth American to qualify for the innovative 21-and-under event.
“I would always watch [the tournament] on TV. [There have been] some incredible matches,” said Korda. “One of my favourite years was when Sinner won. He was playing some incredible tennis and that propelled his career.”
Korda’s impressive start to 2021 has put him in a strong position to qualify for the tournament. The 6’5” right-hander is currently in third position in the ATP Race To Milan.
“I’d love to play Milan,” said Korda. “It would be super awesome and it would definitely be a reward for having a good year and a lot of the hard work I am putting in. If I get the opportunity to play in Milan, it would be really cool.”
Korda is not the only American chasing one of seven automatic qualification positions for the tournament. Jenson Brooksby (fifth) and Brandon Nakashima (ninth) are also in the running. Korda and Nakashima played two doubles events as a team last year, including the Western & Southern Open.
“I am pretty good friends with Brandon Nakashima,” said Korda. “We’ve played some doubles as well and we’ll try to play some doubles in the future. He is a super nice person and he is a little bit like me, serious on court and then off the court, he is a really nice guy that I have got to know pretty well. Hopefully, we can play some more doubles together and have a good friendship.”
Aside from a spot in the Milan field, Korda has further targets for 2021 and beyond. While his biggest wish may have to wait for a future season, the American has his sights set on a FedEx ATP Rankings milestone this year.
“I’d love to win a Grand Slam this year, but there is a lot of road ahead,” said Korda. “One of my biggest goals is to finish the year [in the] Top 50.”
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina recorded his 10th match win of the season on Monday at the Millennium Estoril Open. The eight seed battled hard to beat fellow Spaniard Pablo Andujar 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 in two hours and 29 minutes for a place in the second round.
The 21-year-old, who is looking to push higher than his current career-high of No. 48 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, will next face France’s Jeremy Chardy or countryman Jaume Munar, the recent AnyTech365 Andalucia Open runner-up (l. to Carreno Busta).
Davidovich Fokina recorded the biggest win of his career two weeks ago at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, where he beat World No. 10 Matteo Berrettini en route to the quarter-finals.
[WATCH LIVE 1]Later today, sixth-seeded Croatian Marin Cilic takes on 17-year-old Spanish qualifier Carlos Alcaraz and former World No. 5 Kevin Anderson meets American Frances Tiafoe.
In the opening match of the BMW Open main draw, John Millman needed almost three hours to get past countryman Alexei Popyrin 7-6(3), 3-6, 7-5 on Centre Court.
In a match where both men faced a combined 31 break points, Millman was able to secure two service breaks in the decider to reach the second round. The 31-year-old, who is chasing his first ATP Tour quarter-final of 2021 this week, owns a 4-0 record in first-round matches on clay this year.
Millman remains unbeaten in his ATP Head2Head series against the Singapore champion (3-0). The World No. 40 also beat Popyrin on home soil in Sydney and at the Stockholm Open in 2018.
Millman will meet Guido Pella in his next match. The Argentine held a 6-0, 2-0 lead in his first-round encounter against Egor Gerasimov, when the Belrarusian was forced to retire. Millman and Pella are tied at 1-1 in their ATP Head2Head rivalry.
[WATCH LIVE 1]Ilya Ivashka raced through to the second round on Court 1. The Belarusian qualifier, who pushed eventual champion Rafael Nadal to three sets in Barcelona last week, broke Emil Ruusuvuori’s serve on five occasions to record a 6-1, 6-2 win in 67 minutes.
Ricardas Berankis claimed a marathon 22-point tie-break en route to a 7-6(10), 6-3 win against German wild card Maximilian Marterer. The Lithuanian will meet two-time champion and top seed Alexander Zverev in his next match.
Federico Coria also advanced with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 win against Cedrik-Marcel Stebe. The Argentine will meet lucky loser Norbert Gombos in the second round.
Andy Murray is looking forward to playing in front of fans again when Wimbledon gets under way in late June.
No. 2 Rafael Nadal, +1
The Spanish superstar moved up one spot to No. 2 in the FedEx ATP Rankings after capturing a record-extending 12th Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell crown, with a 6-4, 6-7(6), 7-5 victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas in three hours and 38 minutes. It was the longest best-of-three sets final since records started to be tracked in 1990. Daniil Medvedev had replaced the 34-year-old in second position following his run to the Australian Open final (l. to Djokovic).
View Latest FedEx ATP Rankings
No. 50 Cameron Norrie, +3
The Briton has returned to the Top 50 for the first time since the week of 24 June 2019. Norrie, who lost in the Barcelona quarter-finals (l. to Nadal), remains nine spots away from his career-high of No. 41 on 20 May 2019.
Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 12 Pablo Carreno Busta, +1
No. 18 Jannik Sinner, +1 (Career High)
No. 27 Aslan Karatsev, +1 (Career High)
No. 40 John Millman, +3
No. 79 Federico Delbonis, +3
No. 83 Lorenzo Musetti, +4 (Career High)
No. 91 Gianluca Mager, +7
One year ago, Jenson Brooksby was unable to step on a tennis court. In fact, the California native was unable to do much of anything as he hobbled around his home with a boot strapped to his foot. A significant toe injury had kept Brooksby on the sidelines for months and prevented him from practising and training amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
A total of 14 months would pass before the American finally returned to a match court to open the 2021 season. And considering he just turned pro in January, it makes his current run one of the more remarkable stories in recent history on the ATP Challenger Tour.
At the age of 20, Brooksby is already entering historic territory. On Sunday, he triumphed on the clay courts of Tallahassee for his third title of 2021. His 19-2 record not only leads the Challenger circuit this year, but is the best start to a season since Kei Nishikori dominated the early stages of 2010.
“How easy is tennis for you right now?”
Jenson Brooksby with an UNREAL backhand winner in the @TallyChallenger final. pic.twitter.com/8kz8tEHzTs
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) April 25, 2021
To open a Challenger campaign with three titles from four finals is impressive, but to also do it to launch a professional career is stunning. Brooksby went back-to-back on hard and clay in Orlando and Tallahassee, culminating in a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 win over Bjorn Fratangelo on Sunday at the Tallahassee Tennis Challenger. He is the first player to triumph on different surfaces in consecutive weeks since 2016, when Florian Mayer achieved the feat.
And to think that Brooksby would be playing college tennis had he not gotten injured. His decision to turn pro instead of launching his collegiate career at the University of Baylor wasn’t an easy one, but Brooksby is enjoying the journey. The surging #NextGenATP star is the youngest American to win three titles in a season since an 18-year-old Sam Querrey in 2006.
On Monday, Brooksby will be rewarded for his ruthless run with a career-high of No. 166 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. He also ascends to fifth in the ATP Race To Milan, moving into serious contention to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals.
CHAMPION… AGAIN ‼️
Jenson Brooksby claims his third #ATPChallenger title of 2021, prevailing @TallyChallenger. The ?? saves 16 of 19 break points for the ?. pic.twitter.com/V9PU4M5Ut8
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) April 25, 2021
Brooksby spoke to broadcaster Mike Cation following his victory in Tallahassee…
Congrats Jenson. You said you hadn’t played on clay in two years. How did you transition so well from hard courts?
The culture and mindset we train with at home involves not worrying about different conditions. I don’t concern myself with changing my game for hard or clay. I play the same style and just want to stay fresh out there from one week to the next. I keep practising as I’ve been doing and stay focused on what I can control.
Before we talk about today’s match, those first two matches – against a top junior in Martin Damm and the top seed Thiago Seyboth Wild – were not easy at all. Especially as you try to find your legs on clay. How did you adapt so quickly?
I had a lot of confidence coming into the week. And we train really physically back home. We get the legs used to this everyday grind. That’s definitely been improving a lot for me.
Bjorn Fratangelo beat you in Cleveland. It was a very tight match, in straight sets, and very competitive on a surface he really enjoys. What was the mindset today in terms of what you wanted to do against Bjorn?
We played a really good match in Cleveland. I talked with my coaches and looked at what we could take from the first match. I had to have an even better plan going into the match today and I was able to execute it pretty well to get the win.
You faced five break points early in the deciding set, at 2-all. Where were you mentally at that point and how did you hold it together?
In the second set, I mentally got weaker and more tired. But in the third set, I focused on the right things. If I’m going to say something to myself, make it the right thing to do. Just to give it my all mentally. He kept creating break chances, but I think it’s a credit to how mentally tough I was today. No matter how many chances he got, I kept telling myself to stick to the strategy.
Did you see the stats for break points?
No [laughs]
He was 3-of-19 and you were 5-for-5.
Wow, really? I didn’t realize that.
What does that say about your game in big points?
I always have a pretty high break point percentage. Being 100 per cent today is great. It just shows that I was really focused on the strategy and executed really well on the important points.
Photo: Jacob Stuckey
What’s next for you? Obviously the French [Roland Garros] is looming and then Wimbledon quickly after that. How will you structure your schedule?
Well, I’ll rest a bit now. Will definitely talk with my coaches tonight and see what we want to do. We’ll get a good plan going to be ready for those tournaments for sure.
This is your first full year out here. How do you approach scheduling when you’ve never done this before?
It really is about taking it moment-by-moment and day-by-day. We don’t focus on peaking at a certain time. The mindset of getting better every day doesn’t allow for that. It doesn’t matter if it’s a [ITF] Futures event or a Grand Slam main draw. I just want to keep getting better as the year goes on and I feel I’ve done that so far.
At your age and at this level, most players would expect that you’ll lose focus and energy here and there. It’s natural for someone that doesn’t have much experience. But you never do that. Even if it’s 5-1 to your opponent or 40/0 in a game, you’re always competing in that moment. Where does that come from?
It all started with my coach Joseph back home. He engrained that mindset in me. But I feel like I’ve always had that in myself. It’s a great combination. It’s all about never giving up in any point. Even if you’re down two breaks and the set is almost over, you still want to fight. If you feel like you have the right shots and the right plan, there’s still another set to go. And even if you lose the match, there’s always another match to play the next week. It’s important to keep building that confidence and becoming a better player. I focus on those things in those moments and try to not let my emotions get in the way.
How do you sustain that emotional fortitude over time? Have you thought about that?
Not really. Obviously there are areas, mentally and physically, to improve and get better. But my mindset has always been great like this and I know I can compete like this every week. I know my ceiling is pretty high.
Last week, you said that you couldn’t celebrate much because you had a match in two days. Now, you don’t have another tournament coming up. What’s the plan to enjoy this?
We’re driving the car back to Orlando and then we’ll see whether I go home tomorrow morning or do fitness with my trainer for a bit. Either way, we’ll definitely get a nice dinner tonight and celebrate whenever I get home for sure. I’m really happy with these two weeks, so you have to do that.
There will be two ATP 250 events on clay this week in Estoril and Munich, respectively, with future and established stars looking to make their mark.
Denis Shapovalov tops the field at the Millennium Estoril Open in Portugal and Alexander Zverev leads the draw at the BMW Open in his home country of Germany. ATPTour.com looks at 10 things to watch at this week’s tournaments.
Draws: Estoril | Munich
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN ESTORIL
1) Top-Seeded Shapo: Shapovalov will try to win his first ATP Tour title of the season this week in Portugal, where he is the top seed. The lefty is making his tournament debut at the ATP 250, where a Canadian has never lifted the trophy. The 22-year-old has never reached a final on clay, but he will begin his pursuit of achieving that against Marcos Giron or Corentin Moutet in the second round. Last week in Barcelona, Shapovalov reached the third round, in which he lost against countryman Felix Auger-Aliassime.
2) Garin Going For Glory: Second seed Cristian Garin has won all five of his tour-level crowns, including one earlier this year in Santiago, on clay. The Chilean will begin his run against former World No. 7 Richard Gasquet or Argentine Juan Ignacio Londero. Gasquet emerged victorious at this tournament in 2015. Fifth seed Alexander Bublik looms as a potential quarter-final opponent.
3) Former Top 5 Stars In Action: Three players who have cracked the Top 5 of the FedEx ATP Rankings will compete in Estoril. Kei Nishikori is the fourth seed, Marin Cilic is the sixth seed and Kevin Anderson is unseeded. Nishiori is fresh off an impressive performance in Barcelona, where he reached the third round and took a set off eventual champion Rafael Nadal.
4) Home Hopes: There are two Portuguese players in the singles draw. One of the wild cards was awarded to Joao Sousa, who lifted the Estoril trophy in 2018. Sousa became the first Portuguese-born player to claim an ATP Tour title on home soil. Also competing will be Nuno Borges, who battled through qualifying. Borges played college tennis for Mississippi State University, reaching the championship match of the NCAA Singles Championships in 2019.
5) Frenchmen Top Seeds: The top seeds in the doubles draw are Frenchmen Fabrice Martin and Edouard Roger-Vasselin. They are not full-time partners, but Martin and Roger-Vasselin made the Basel final together in 2017 and, more recently, they advanced to the Eastbourne semi-finals in 2019. Former doubles World No. 1 Jamie Murray is also in the field competing with Lloyd Glasspool.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN MUNICH
1) Zverev At Home: Zverev has long spoken about the pride he takes in playing his best at home, and the German will try to do that this week in Munich, where he lifted the trophy in 2017 and 2018. The 24-year-old first competed in this tournament in 2014 as a 17-year-old, and this will be his seventh appearance in the ATP 250, where he holds a 13-4 record. Zverev will begin his run for the title against lucky loser Ricardas Berankis or wild card Maximilian Marterer, with sixth seed Dusan Lajovic a potential quarter-final opponent.
2) Karatsev Still Hot: Aslan Karatsev continued his breakthrough season with an impressive run to the Belgrade final last week. In the semi-finals, the Russian eliminated World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in a tough three-set marathon before falling short in a final-set tie-break in the championship match against Matteo Berrettini. The Australian Open semi-finalist will pursue his second ATP Tour title this week in Munich, where he will play qualifier Cedrik-Marcel Stebe or Argentine Federico Coria in the second round.
3) Ruud Awakening: Second seed Casper Ruud will try to maintain the momentum from his run to the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters semi-finals in Munich, where he will play for the third time. The Norwegian, who last appeared here in 2018, will face a tough opening foe in two-time Australian Open quarter-finalist Tennys Sandgren or Uruguayan veteran Pablo Cuevas. Ruud is chasing his second tour-level crown.
4) Korda Moving Forward: #NextGenATP American Sebastian Korda will attempt to continue his ascent up the FedEx ATP Rankings this week in Germany, where he won an ATP Challenger Tour title in Eckental last November. The 20-year-old, who will play qualifier Daniel Elahi Galan in the first round, is World No. 65, three spots off his career-high mark. He recently made his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final in Miami.
5) Doubles In Deutschland: The top seeds in the doubles draw are Wesley Koolhof and Kevin Krawietz, both of whom competed with different partners at last year’s Nitto ATP Finals. This is their team debut. Koolhof and Krawietz will face a tough test in the first round against veteran doubles standout Marcelo Melo and German lefty Mischa Zverev.
