Tennis News

No Overnight Success For Karatsev: ‘It’s A Long Process’

After taking it to Novak Djokovic in every point of a three-hour, 25-minute epic at the Serbia Open on Saturday, Aslan Karatsev just couldn’t get across the finish line Sunday to lift the trophy.

Second seed Matteo Berrettini routed Karatsev in the opening set at the Novak Tennis Center, but he needed his very best to hold on for a 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(0) victory at the ATP 250 event against the Russian.

With his second ATP Tour final appearance in Belgrade, Karatsev added another fascinating chapter to one of the breakout stories of the year. The 27-year-old Russian turned heads at the start of the season with a run from the Australian Open qualifying to his first Grand Slam semi-final (l. Djokovic). He continued to impress by winning his maiden tour-level title at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships a few weeks later.

Karatsev was ranked World No. 253 in the FedEx ATP Rankings at this time last year, and now eyes a spot inside the Top 20 (currently No.27). But Karatsev is adamant that his rapid rise is not overnight success. Rather, it’s the result of years of hard work with his coach and on the ATP Challenger Tour.

“It’s not just happening right now, there is [a lot of] work that was done before [to get here],” Karatsev said. “I had some injuries before and some troubles, and now we’re doing a good job with my coach. It’s been two and a half years and it’s just paying off in 2021.

“It’s not like it’s coming all of a sudden from nowhere. It’s coming from the hard work every day, and it’s a long process. You have to be there every day and work hard.”

Despite the bittersweet ending, Karatsev is pulling a lot of confidence from his memorable run in Belgrade. In his opening match, the third seed had to save match point against an inspired Aljaz Bedene to win 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(5). It wouldn’t get any easier, taking down Gianluca Mager before booking an Australian Open semi-final rematch with Djokovic.

“Here, I’ve been playing a really good level in all my matches,” Karatsev said. “From the beginning it was a three-set match, and from match to match that gave me more and more confidence. But it’s also a process, you have to work and be in practice every day and improve your game, mentally and physically. It’s not like it’s all arriving right now and that’s it.”

Though Karatsev admitted to feeling the effects of his pyrrhic semi-final victory on Sunday, he refused to take any credit away from his opponent. The Russian struggled to read Berrettini’s serve, and found himself regularly outhit from the baseline.

“I think it could be from the match yesterday, I wasn’t there in every point,” Karatsev said in his post-match press conference. “But all credit to him, he played fantastic in the end and served really well. I couldn’t really serve or go for the big shots, going around the forehand.

“At the tie-break, he was serving unbelievable. I wasn’t there. There were some points where I wasn’t there, and he did well in the tie-break as well, pushing me to the limit.”

Karatsev is next scheduled to compete at the BMW Open in Munich, the Mutua Madrid Open and Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome ahead of Roland Garros.

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Nadal: ‘I Have Room To Keep Improving’

If Rafael Nadal’s epic final victory against Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell on Sunday was not a strong enough message to his ATP Tour rivals, the Spaniard made it clear in his post-match press conference that he is capable of achieving greater results in the remainder of this year’s European clay swing.

Nadal saved a championship point against Tsitsipas to earn a memorable 6-4, 6-7(6), 7-5 victory on Pista Rafa Nadal, ending the Greek’s unbeaten start to the clay season. Tsitsipas entered the championship match with a 9-0 record on clay in 2021, and had won all 17 sets he had played on the red dirt this year.

“It is important for me. It is important for my confidence. It is important for the title, by itself,” said Nadal. “It is an important title in my career, achieving another ATP 500 {title] and, additionally, one of the best ATP 500s in the history of our sport with a big tradition in Barcelona. It is great.”

“I think I have been able to play better and better during the whole week [in] every single match and today was a little bit better than yesterday. I have room to keep improving. I was not perfect,” said Nadal. “I really believe that I can play better than what I am doing on clay and I really hope that the victory of today is going to help me to raise a little bit [my] level that I need today to fight for the next couple of events that I am going to play.”

One of the most impressive aspects of Nadal’s victory was his ability to outlast Tsitsipas in the longest best-of-three-set ATP Tour final since statistics started being tracked in 1991 (3h38m). The Spaniard was competing in just his third tournament of the season, after recovering from a back injury ahead of last week’s Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

“I have not been able to play a lot of competitive matches for the past couple of months. It is true that matches like today make me feel better physically and more ready for the long battles,” said Nadal. “I felt quite well on the court about my physical performance. I have been working hard at home to be ready for this stuff.”

Nadal also took a moment to praise his opponent, who was seeking his first ATP 500 title. The top seed also defeated Tsitsipas in the 2018 championship match and has been impressed by the 22-year-old’s development over the past three years.

“He is a player that plays with a lot of passion. He is young. He feels the sport,” said Nadal. “He has the talent and the motivation to be better and better, so it is normal that he is improving in all aspects of his game. He is one of the candidates to win every single tournament that he is playing.”

It is 18 years since a 16-year-old Nadal made his tournament debut in Barcelona in 2003 and 16 years since he first lifted the trophy at the tournament. During his career, the 34-year-old has compiled an extraordinary 66-4 record at the event, which renamed its Centre Court after him in 2017.

Nadal will now turn his attention to another home tournament — the Mutua Madrid Open — which will take place from 2-9 May. The 35-time ATP Masters 1000 champion is a five-time titlist in Madrid, with his most recent triumph coming in 2017.

“It means a lot to me [to win the title]. It is difficult to imagine something like this 10 or 15 years ago, but here we are,” said Nadal. “I went through some tough moments during all my career in terms of injuries but I always held the passion and the love for the sport to keep going.

“It is true that I had a great team and a great family next to me that has been so important for holding the passion and the motivation and [they have] helped me in the low moments. I am super happy to be where I am today. It is an important achievement for me and an achievement at the right moment of the season. Another week is coming, playing at home in Madrid, and I am excited about that.”

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Tsitsipas On Nadal: 'He Hates To Lose More Than Anyone'

Stefanos Tsitsipas has played difficult matches against Rafael Nadal before. But their Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell final was another example of why it is so difficult to put the Spaniard away.

Tsitsipas earned a championship point at 5-4 in the deciding set, but by the slimmest of margins Nadal staved off defeat and eventually triumphed 6-4, 6-7(6), 7-5 for his 12th Barcelona title.

“He’s a real competitor on the court. He hates to lose,” Tsitsipas said. “He hates to lose more than anyone else.”

It wasn’t necessarily the Spaniard’s shots that impressed the World No. 5 the most. It was Nadal’s resolve under the greatest of pressure. For three hours and 38 minutes — marking the longest ATP Tour match this season — Tsitsipas went after the top seed and tried to take it to him, but Nadal never cracked mentally.

“I haven’t seen anyone fight like this. He makes my life really difficult on court,” Tsitsipas said. “I’m there to accept those terms and play based on his desire to fight. It also makes me a better player and I can see myself reaching my limits. It’s definitely something good to have for my personal development and growth.”

Although at times Nadal was not at his flying best, when it mattered most, he refused to give anything away. Tsitsipas said: “He always gets an extra ball back. You never know for certain that the rally will be over. There is always one more ball coming back and there were a few [key] shots that I missed.”

Despite that, Tsitsipas was on the doorstep of glory. Nadal was well behind the baseline on defence on the Greek’s championship point. The legendary lefty struck a backhand that barely squeaked over the net, but found a way to turn around the point and, eventually, the match. Tsitsipas felt he was in control.

“I was able to stay patient and wait for my turn. That [5-4] game [when] I had the match point, I felt like I had it for some reason. It was the sensation that I could get that one,” Tsitsipas said. “I think I made the right choice [and] I went to the right place… it was the right decision and [I] just got a bit unlucky.”

The positive for Tsitsipas is that following his impressive run to the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters title last week, he maintained his level and reached the final of this ATP 500 without dropping a set.

“That’s great news, it’s great stuff. I was looking for a win today. I felt like I was close and I felt like there were opportunities that I had and for some reason I didn’t take [them],” Tsitsipas admitted. “I felt I could have pulled off better tennis today, but I’m happy that I brought him so close. I was a match point up… that ball on the match point, I was literally two centimetres from winning that match.”

Although the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals champion would have preferred to depart Barcelona with the champion’s trophy, he will leave with an important lesson.

“That the match is never over. It’s never over until the very last point. That’s what I learned today,” Tsitsipas said. “It’s very close, but you have to sometimes maybe do something extra.”

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Rafael Nadal battles past Stefanos Tsitsipas for 12th Barcelona Open title

Rafael Nadal beats Greece’s world number five Stefanos Tsitsipas in three sets for his 12th Barcelona Open title.

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Nadal Saves M.P., Makes It A Dozen In Barcelona

Rafael Nadal saved one championship point on Sunday to defeat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-7(6), 7-5 and collect a record-extending 12th Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell trophy.

The top seed was one point from defeat at 4-5, 30/40 in the decider and he carried the momentum from that moment to win three straight games and overcome the Monte-Carlo champion in the longest ATP Tour match of the year (3h38m). This is the second tournament where Nadal has captured 12 or more titles. The 13-time Roland Garros champion, who failed to convert two championship points at 5-4 in the second set, will return to No. 2 in the FedEx ATP Rankings on Monday.

Rafael Nadal – Most Titles By Tournament

For the first time, Nadal has lifted the Barcelona title after dropping more than one set (3). The 34-year-old, who also needed three sets in his opening two matches, raised his game as the tournament progressed and fought hard to get past Tsitsipas, who entered his second Barcelona final (0-2) with a 9-0 match record (17-0 sets) on clay in 2021.

The five-time year-end World No. 1 gained revenge for his loss to the Greek in the Australian Open quarter-finals this February. On that occasion, Tsitsipas joined Fabio Fognini and Roger Federer as only the third man to beat Nadal from two sets down.

Nadal extends his ATP Head2Head advantage against Tsitsipas to 7-2. The 20-time Grand Slam champion also beat Tsitsipas in the 2018 final in Barcelona, where Tsitsipas made his debut in an ATP Tour championship match. This was only the third final meeting between Top 5 players in tournament history.

Top 5 Barcelona Final Meetings

Nadal also improved his unbeaten record to 12-0 in Barcelona finals. The Mallorcan now owns an Open Era record 61 tour-level trophies on clay, placing him 12 titles clear of second-placed Guillermo Vilas (49).

Nadal found himself under consistent pressure on serve in the first set with Tsitsipas stepping inside the baseline to take short balls early and force his opponent into defensive positions. The top seed was able to find big serves and powerful forehands under pressure to save five of the six break points he faced and he won four consecutive games from 2-4 to become the first player to take a set off Tsitsipas this year on clay.

Nadal once again recovered from a break down in the second set and earned two championship points on Tsitsipas’ serve at 5-4. The 2019 Nitto ATP Finals champion charged the net to stay alive and rallied from 2/4 in the tie-break to force a decider. Tsitsipas defended well in the tie-break, introduced drop shots to break up play and benefitted from a Nadal double fault at 6/6 to prolong his hopes of a maiden Barcelona trophy.

In a tight third set, Nadal was forced to save the first break point — a championship point — at 4-5. The Spaniard clipped the net with a defensive backhand early in the rally and he drove a forehand up the line to remain in contention. Nadal piled the pressure on his opponent in the next game and extracted back-to-back errors with depth on his returns. Nadal clinched the title on his third championship point when Tsitsipas narrowly missed the target on his forehand. Nadal fell to the clay and roared in celebration.

Tsitsipas, who leads the FedEx ATP Race To Turin, was aiming to lift his maiden ATP 500 trophy. The 22-year-old claimed his first ATP Masters 1000 title last week at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters and tied Andrey Rublev’s Tour-leading mark of 26 wins this season by reaching the Barcelona championship match.

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Berrettini Battles Past Karatsev For Belgrade Title

Second seed Matteo Berrettini completed an emphatic return to form with a 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(0) victory over Aslan Karatsev on Sunday to clinch the Serbia Open title.

Playing in his first final since Stuttgart in 2019 (d. Auger-Aliassime), Berrettini improved to 4-1 in ATP Tour championship matches after taking down Karatsev. The World No. 10 fired nine aces and broke Karatsev three times during the two-hour, 30-minute battle.

After the victory, Berrettini dedicated the trophy to his family. His parents were among the few in attendance at the Novak Tennis Centre, the first time they’ve gotten to see their son win a title in person.

“It was something that I really wanted to happen, because my dad came once in Munich when I lost the final (l. Garin). And my mom has never come for a final,” Berrettini said. “So I was like, okay this is the right moment. And I think with a match like this it’s going to stick in our minds forever. It’s something special.

“I remember this same kind of match, 7-6 in the third, in the finals of an Under-16 in Germany. And it’s crazy, because in the end it’s the same feeling. I was a kid and now I’m a pro, but it’s the same feeling. They [have] supported me since the day I was born, so it’s a great honour to bring them to these kinds of stages.”

Berrettini was competing in just his second tournament since the Australian Open after an abdominal strain kept him off the courts. Last week, he bowed out in his opening match at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (l. Davidovich Fokina). But he bounced back in Belgrade to claim his fourth ATP Tour title.

“Today I proved to myself that I can fight and I can digest tough situations,” he said. “I’m able to handle really tough moments. There are moments that all athletes in general have, but I really put myself in the struggle without any fear. I came back stronger…  Sometimes it feels nice to feel [that struggle] because I remember that I’m strong. I’m a good player, but I think I’m a stronger person.”

Dubai champion Karatsev was seeking his second ATP Tour title of the year, and looking to back up his marathon victory over World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals. 

After winning one of the longest ATP matches of the year to topple the 18-time Grand Slam champion, Karatsev looked understandably sluggish in the opening exchanges against Berrettini and struggled with the Italian’s heavy pace. The Russian saved 23 break points on Saturday in his victory against Djokovic, but went 0/2 in the first set as Berrettini took control.

But Karatsev found a way back in the second set, taking advantage of a brief dip in form from Berrettini. The Italian struggled to connect with his first serve as Karatsev went after the returns, taking the ball early and putting pressure on Berrettini. Breaking early for a 2-0 lead seemed to galvanise Karatsev, who raised his level to send them into a decider. 

With both players fully settled into the contest, there was little to separate Berrettini and Karatsev. The Italian took the first break for a 3-1 lead, but Karatsev pegged him straight back to stay on serve. After fighting off two break points – including a match point at 5-6 – Karatsev seemed ready to pull off another unlikely comeback in Belgrade. But Berrettini reeled off all seven points in the tie-break to take down the Russian and seal the victory.

“I respect [Aslan] a lot. I have practiced with him once and I know that he can play great tennis. I think he did a great match today,” Berrettini said.

“The mental part was that he deserved to be in the final, but I deserved it as well. In the end when you’re in a final, it’s [about] who wants it more. Yes, you have to play good tennis, you have to be tough. But at the end of the day the Rankings don’t count, the Race doesn’t count. It’s just who wants it more or who is more ready, and I guess today I was better than him.”

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17-Year-Old Alcaraz Qualifies In Estoril, To Play Cilic

#NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz earned his spot in the Millennium Estoril Open main draw on Sunday with a 7-5, 6-3 win against countryman Carlos Taberner. The 17-year-old will play former World No. 3 and sixth seed Marin Cilic in the first round of the main draw.

This will be the first time that Alcaraz faces a Grand Slam champion. Cilic triumphed at the US Open in 2014, and the Croatian is pursuing his 19th tour-level singles title this week.

VIEW ESTORIL DRAW

It has been a breakthrough season for Alcaraz, who has earned wins against Top 30 stars David Goffin and Casper Ruud. Former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero’s protege reached his first ATP Tour quarter-final and semi-final in Marbella.

The other qualifiers in Estoril are Spaniards Jaume Munar and Pedro Martinez as well as wild card Nuno Borges of Portugal.

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Stuttgart Open: World number one Ashleigh Barty beats Aryna Sabalenka in final

World number one Ashleigh Barty beats Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the Stuttgart Open to clinch her third WTA title of 2021.

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Cabal/Farah Capture Second Barcelona Crown

Juan Sebastian Cabal celebrated his 35th birthday in style on Sunday when he captured his second Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell trophy alongside Robert Farah with a 6-4, 6-2 win against Kevin Krawietz and Horia Tecau.

The Colombians saved all four break points they faced to successfully defend their 2019 title and extend their unbeaten streak at the ATP 500 to eight matches. Cabal and Farah did not drop a set en route to the trophy and lost just 25 games across their four matches. During the trophy ceremony, Farah sung with the crowd to celebrate his doubles partner’s birthday.

“It took two years to defend the title, but it feels good to back,” said Farah. “We love this city. We love the club. This club is amazing. You breathe tennis here… It is nice to be back. We have always played good here and this week we were able to perform at our best.”

Cabal and Farah have captured 18 tour-level trophies as a team. This is the pair’s second title run this season, following its triumph at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in March.

“We just love Spain. We just love Barcelona. We just love the food. It just feels like home,” said Cabal. “We just love it. We [have been] here forever and hopefully we will come [back for] many [more] years to come.”

Krawietz and Tecau were aiming to clinch their first team title. The German-Romanian tandem was appearing in its second final of the year after reaching the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament final in Rotterdam last month.

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Karatsev On Belgrade Marathon: ‘I Put Everything On The Court’

The breakthrough story of the 2021 season just added another chapter at the Serbia Open, and this one is proving the most epic yet.

Up against World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and in his opponent’s home tournament, Aslan Karatsev survived the longest ATP Tour match of the year to pull off a 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 stunner. The Russian improved to 1-1 in his ATP Head2Head record against Djokovic, avenging his semi-final defeat at this year’s Australian Open.

“I stepped on the court to win. I was believing [in myself], and I said to myself that I would play every ball no matter what,” Karatsev said in a post-match press conference. “I tried to keep this strategy that we spoke about with the coach. You have to fight for every ball, that was the key to success.”

In Djokovic’s Melbourne Park home-away-from-home court, Karatsev was not able to apply pressure on his opponent en route to a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 defeat. But at the Novak Tennis Centre in Belgrade, the World No. 28 turned the tables.

“This is definitely [the biggest win of my career], it’s the World No. 1,” Karatsev said. “I’m really happy, I put everything on the court. The match was long. I’m really happy with my performance today.”

Even more eye-catching than the result or the three-hour and 25-minute match length, a look down the stats sheet showed one astonishing key to Karatsev’s victory. Up against one of the best returners of the game in Djokovic, Karatsev faced 28 break points and saved 23 of them – including all 10 in the deciding set – in an emphatic display of mental fortitude.

“There’s not much that I can say was going on in my mind [during those break points],” Karatsev admitted. “You have to be aggressive against these kinds of players. If you’re not playing aggressive, it’s like you’re hitting against the wall. Everything is coming back, deep, and he moves you a lot. Once you give him the opportunity, he starts to move you and then you run [a lot]. That was my main goal, staying aggressive.”

Through to his second ATP Tour final, the reigning Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships winner will be seeking just his sixth main draw victory on clay when he faces second seed Matteo Berrettini, ranked World No. 10, in Belgrade.

The 27-year-old has recorded an endless list of ‘firsts’ in his breakout season, from first Grand Slam semi-final to first ATP Tour title and, now, first win over a World No. 1. After starting the year at World No. 114 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, Karatsev is rapidly closing in on his own personal goal.

“First I have to be Top 20, and then I will put another goal,” he said. “But first I have to reach the Top 20, because it’s big difference in points. I have to prepare every single tournament that I play to be there always.”

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