Tennis News

Challenger First-Time Winner Spotlight: Brandon Nakashima

On Sunday, Brandon Nakashima had his moment in the spotlight. After a tumultuous and unprecedented 2020 season, it was the 19-year-old who seized the opportunity and concluded his campaign with a maiden ATP Challenger Tour crown.

Nakashima was the last man standing in Orlando, prevailing at the USTA National Campus. The California native did not drop a set all tournament, capping a dominant week at the Orlando Open with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Prajnesh Gunneswaran.

Nakashima is building his reputation around a steely resolve and unflappable determination. An elite problem solver on the court, nothing rattles the teenager, regardless of the score, situation and opponent. This was on full display on Sunday, as he saved all eight break points faced to cross the finish line. With Gunneswaran pressing to draw level deep in the second set, Nakashima emerged from a 0/40 deficit and did not look back.

At the age of 19 years and three months, Nakashima is the youngest American champion since Frances Tiafoe in 2017. In addition, his victory marks the sixth time that a teenager has lifted a trophy this year. He joins Tomas Machac, Lorenzo Musetti and three-time champion Carlos Alcaraz in the teen winners’ circle.

Nakashima soars 36 spots to a career-high No. 166 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. He is one of two #NextGenATP Americans closing in on the Top 100, along with Sebastian Korda. Korda is also coming off a maiden Challenger triumph, prevailing two weeks ago in Eckental, Germany.

Nakashima spoke with broadcaster Mike Cation after taking the title in Orlando…

Brandon, you don’t show a lot of emotion, but you dropped your racquet and raised your arms after match point. It seems like this one means a lot to you to get that first Challenger title.
It definitely does. Playing all these Challengers the past couple years was all leading up to this moment, to win my first title. I couldn’t be happier right now.

It’s been a very interesting progression for you, in terms of what you’re trying to do. I know there’s that long-term expectation of getting to the Top 100, Top 50 and beyond. How are you managing that while still focusing on these Challenger tournaments?
Ever since I started playing, I’ve always wanted to play tennis at the highest level and eventually become No. 1 in the world. I think this is just a great stepping stone in that direction. It shows that all my hard work throughout the past couple years is paying off. I’m happy to get my first Challenger under my belt and this will give me a lot of confidence for any future ATP Tour tournaments in the future.

You had a couple of rough weeks in Europe, before coming back to the states. What did you learn from those tournaments where you had some early losses and how did that translate to these weeks in the U.S.?
Those tournaments in Europe were on clay. I hadn’t had much experience playing on the surface. But it was great to go over there for the first time as a professional and play Roland Garros qualies and then some Challengers all over Europe. It was just a great experience, no matter my results. I know I gained a lot and learned a lot and that eventually helped me in these past couple weeks back in the states. And it will definitely help me when I’m back over there in the future.

I think you are universally applauded for your problem solving. What are the things you are working on, to take this to the next level and beyond?
I always try to improve every part of my game as much as possible. During the [COVID-19] shutdown, I was definitely trying to improve my serve a lot and get some more free points from it. I am working on being more solid from the baseline and also add more variety to my game. It’s a good progression throughout the past few months. I’m definitely heading in the right direction. After this, I’m just ready to get back to the practice court and continue improving all aspects of my game. And especially fitness. That’s important and something I want to focus on more.

2020 Teenage Winners

I want to get back to that shortly, but regarding today, you saved all eight break chances. What does that say about what you’ve been doing over these last several months?
I think that saving all those break points shows my mental ability and being able to play one point at a time. I know I can come back from any situation when I’m out there. It just shows how mentally tough I am and we’ll see where that takes me in the future.

When I speak to other people in the media, everyone is in awe of your mental and emotionally stability. Do you actually have a good understanding of how different that is from so many players?
[Laughs]. Yes, I’ve definitely heard that from a lot of people, that I’m really strong mentally. It definitely helps me get through these tough matches and to win these critical points. I’m always trying to improve that.

How do you set up your offseason, with so much uncertainty surrounding the start of 2021? How do you plan what you’re going to do for the next few weeks?
As all players do, we’re just going to get back on the practice court and focus on what we can do to improve. I’m going to work on the stuff that I’ve built the past couple weeks. I know what I need to do to improve. It’s great that we have a little break, but as always I’m looking forward to competing again, no matter when it is.

I’ve been watching some of your practices and this guy over here [coach Dusan Vemic] has been pretty tough on you. Is he going to allow you to celebrate a little bit? [laughs]
I hope so. Maybe he’ll allow me to have a treat tonight, but we’ll see. I’m going to take a few days off and enjoy it as much as possible.

More 2020 #NextGenATP First-Time Winner Spotlights: Alcaraz | Musetti | Korda

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Brandon's Breakthrough: 19-Year-Old Nakashima Claims Maiden Title In Orlando

A LOOK BACK
Orlando Open presented by Nemours (Orlando, Florida, USA): The ATP Challenger Tour has its newest teen titlist. On Sunday, Brandon Nakashima celebrated his maiden crown on home soil in Orlando, dominating all week at the USTA National Campus. The 19-year-old did not drop a set from start to finish, culminating in a 6-3, 6-4 final victory over Prajnesh Gunneswaran.

At the age of 19 years and three months, Nakashima is the youngest American champion since Frances Tiafoe in 2017. In addition, his victory marks the sixth time that a teenager has lifted a trophy this year. He joins Tomas Machac, Lorenzo Musetti and three-time winner Carlos Alcaraz in the teen winners’ circle.

2020 Teenage Winners

Appearing in his first Challenger final, the California native left it all on the court with an impressive performance against Gunneswaran. An unflappable force throughout Sunday’s championship, Nakashima would save all eight break points faced during the one-hour and 18-minute encounter. Leading by a set and a break, he overcame a 0/40 deficit deep in the second set and never looked back.

Nakashima soars 36 spots to a career-high No. 166 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. He is one of two #NextGenATP Americans closing in on the Top 100, along with Sebastian Korda. Korda is also coming off a maiden Challenger triumph, prevailing two weeks ago in Eckental, Germany.

Challenger Ciudad de Guayaquil (Guayaquil, Ecuador): The longest-running tournament in South America crowned Francisco Cerundolo as its champion on Sunday. The Argentine triumphed on the clay of Guayaquil, defeating Andrej Martin 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 for his second Challenger title.

It has been a ruthless run for Cerundolo in recent months, posting a 13-2 record since mid-September. After lifting his first Challenger trophy in Split, Croatia, the 22-year-old has not looked back. He earned consecutive wins over clay-court talents Jaume Munar, Roberto Carballes Baena and Martin to secure his second title.

Cerundolo was presented with the trophy by tournament director and former World No. 4 Andres Gomez. The final was broadcast on ESPN’s digital platform in Latin America and was watched by thousands in the region.

Sparkasse Challenger 80 (Ortisei, Italy): Cerundolo isn’t the only player carrying serious momentum in 2021. Ilya Ivashka also claimed his second Challenger title of the restart, fighting to the finish line on the indoor hard courts of Ortisei. Ivashka defeated fifth seed Antoine Hoang for the title, prevailing 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(3) on Sunday.

The Belarusian triumphed after two hours and 19 minutes, improving to 13-1 since mid-October. Also the champion in Istanbul a month ago, Ivashka rises to No. 107 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. The Minsk native, who reached a career-high of No. 80 in 2019, has closed out his season in dominant fashion, dropping just four combined sets in his last 14 matches.

A LOOK AHEAD
The ATP Tour season might be over, but two weeks remain on the ATP Challenger Tour. A pair of clay-court stops on South American soil include tournaments in Lima, Peru and Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Cerundolo and top seed Federico Coria lead the charge in Lima, while Thiago Monteiro is the top seed in Sao Paulo. Brazil’s #NextGenATP star Thiago Seyboth Wild is also competing on home soil.

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Medvedev: ‘It Was The Toughest Victory In My Life’

With eight ATP Tour titles, including three ATP Masters 1000 triumphs, Daniil Medvedev entered his maiden Nitto ATP Finals championship match on Sunday with an already stellar list of career achievements. But after winning his biggest title to date at The O2 with a comeback win against Dominic Thiem, the Russian ranked his ninth final victory as the toughest match of his career.

The World No. 4 had already beaten the top two players in the FedEx ATP Rankings — Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal — en route to the championship match, but it was his win against the Austrian that the 24-year-old will be most proud of when he looks back on his title run in years to come.

”It was the toughest victory in my life because Dominic is a really tough player to play,” said Medvedev. “I think today he was at his best… That’s what I felt during the match. He was really close to winning it [in the] second set. I managed to stay there. I felt in the third set that I was really tired physically, for sure, but I felt like he started to miss some balls, he started to run a little bit slower because he was tired.

”To make Dominic tired in a three-set match, not a five-set, I think is a great achievement. All these small things, Dominic is playing as [of] today [as] one of the best players in the history [of the sport], not yet maybe by the titles and Grand Slams, but as I say, playing [with the form of] today.”

Medvedev’s win against Thiem made history at the Nitto ATP Finals. No player had defeated the top three players in a single edition of the tournament until Sunday. The Russian is only the fourth player, alongside Boris Becker (1994 Stockholm), Djokovic (2007 Montreal) and David Nalbandian (2007 Madrid), to achieve the feat at any event since the start of the ATP Tour in 1990.

”It is amazing [to beat the Top 3 here]… In the group I beat Novak, then Rafa in the semi-finals and Dominic in the final, [the] best players in the world… [It] means a lot,” said Medvedev. “[It] shows what I’m capable of when I’m playing good, when I’m feeling good mentally, physically. I know what I’m capable of. I just need to produce it more and more and hopefully more matches like this.”

Medvedev’s title run provided a fitting end to London’s 12-year reign as the host city of the season finale. The first edition held in London in 2009 was won by his countryman Nikolay Davydenko, who commentated on the 2020 final for Russian TV. Medvedev was happy to follow in his idol’s footsteps and end the last chapter of the event in London in the same way the story began at The O2: with a Russian holding the trophy.

”[Starting and finishing London with Russian champions] is super cool. I actually didn’t know, but Nikolay Davydenko commented on my match on Russian TV. He was a commentator during this match, and then I managed to talk to him just after the match,” said Medvedev.

”I was so surprised and so happy because he was one of my idols when I was growing up when I was actually already starting to play tennis not so bad, he was there and he was playing unbelievable.”

Just one month ago, Medvedev was far away from the form that saw him win 10 consecutive matches to sweep titles at the Rolex Paris Masters and the Nitto ATP Finals. The Moscow-native, who beat seven Top 10 players across the two events, arrived in Paris with just three wins from his past eight matches. Medvedev was also searching for his first trophy in 13 months.

”The tournaments I played before [Paris], they were not bad. I was playing good tennis… I lost to Reilly Opelka in St. Petersburg… Same in Vienna, playing Kevin Anderson, tough, tough opponent, which I had in Paris-Bercy… In Paris, I just was fighting. I was fighting in Vienna and St. Petersburg also and I knew [my level] might come back but maybe not this year. Finally, it was the case in Paris. I started playing better, started playing amazing, I should say.”

”When you have this sort of confidence, you just need to know how to keep it. And I think I do know how to do it, especially looking back at last year also where I had six finals in a row. So now the question is how to find it faster sometimes.”

Medvedev will be aiming to carry the confidence he has found over the past few weeks into the 2021 ATP Tour season. The Russian, alongside two-time runner-up Thiem, will be hoping to continue his successful run and put even greater pressure on Djokovic and Nadal at the top of the FedEx ATP Rankings.

Medvedev and Thiem became the first players since Roger Federer in 2010 to beat Djokovic and Nadal in the same edition of the Nitto ATP Finals this week. The question for both players will be whether they can gain similar success against the two dominant forces of the past decade next year.

”My level of game here, especially [in] the last two matches I won [was] just unbelievable. It can give me a lot for my future career,” said Medvedev. “To beat Dominic the way he played today and to manage to beat him is probably my best victory of my life. Not even talking about the title itself. I mean, to win the Nitto ATP Finals, being undefeated, honestly I know I can play good, but I would not believe it if you would tell me this before the tournament. So [this is] a great boost of confidence for all the Slams coming up and all the tournaments. Hopefully I can continue this way.”

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ATP Finals 2020: Why Daniil Medvedev did not celebrate London win

Daniil Medvedev claims the biggest win of his career at the ATP Finals but does not celebrate and says he never will.

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Brain Game: Why Daniil Is Russian To Net

It was Russian roulette on a tennis court. The Russian won.

Daniil Medvedev threw caution to the wind and courageously served and volleyed seven times behind his second serve against Dominic Thiem in the final of the Nitto ATP Finals in London Sunday. He won six of them.

Medvedev’s 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 victory was stunning in several ways, with his commitment to come forward in the big moments behind his second serve a driving force behind the biggest win of his career.

Pivotal moments in the match seemed to be constantly unfolding, but none moreso than Medvedev serving at the precarious scoreline of 3-3 30/40 in the second set. He misses his first serve down the T and then hit a heavy, 83mph kick second serve out wide that Thiem was sitting on with a potent run-around forehand return. The Austrian uncorked it at Medvedev’s feet but the Russian somehow managed to get it up and over the net and short in the court. It was pure desperation on both sides of the net.

Thiem raced forward looking to rip another forehand but the ball stayed low and Thiem was forced to slice it with his topspin grip. As is prone to happen, the wrong grip forces the ball wide and Medvedev won the point.

Two points later, Thiem had another break point, and Medvedev reached into his serve and volley bag of tricks once more, this time hitting an ace with his first serve as he sprinted straight to the net. No desperate volley needed this time.

Overall, Medvedev served and volleyed 16 times in the final, winning 13 of them. In the previous game at 2-2 in the second set, Medvedev also trailed 30/40. He served and volleyed behind a first serve on and struck another ace right down the T.

The bigger the moment, the more chance you had of finding the Russian stalking the net.

Another pivotal moment in the match came in the second set tie-break with Thiem serving at 2-3. Medvedev got a look at a 100mph second serve straight to his backhand return where he could step into the shot. He surprised everyone with his only return approach of the match. The bold tactic caught Thiem off guard and his backhand slice passing shot only made it half way up the net. Medvedev won the next three points in quick succession to take the second set.

Overall, Medvedev came to the net a staggering 48 times (including serve & volley), winning an impressive 38 (79%) of them. In set two alone, he won 21 of 27 points (78%). From 3-3, Ad Out in the second set to 2-2, 15-15 in the third set, Medvedev came to the net 16 times and won every single point. Thiem must have felt like he was running away from an avalanche.

Medvedev’s successful serve and volley strategy is right out of the Patrick Rafter playbook. The key is to hit the second serve with copious amounts of topspin that moves slow through the air but explodes off the court to kick up high around the returner’s shoulders. The slower serve is actually an advantage for Medvedev because it gives him more time to get in tight to the net. And when you factor in that Thiem stood way back against second serves – quite often five to six metres behind the baseline – then that provided Medvedev even more time to close in and cut off angles.

This is not Medvedev’s first time to showcase serve and volley on the big stage. He served and volleyed 29 times against Rafael Nadal in the 2019 US Open final, winning a very healthy 76 per cent (22).

Medvedev’s modern game style is a lethal mix of aggressive baseliner and short-ball hunter. It’s a swarming all-court strategy that just collected one of the biggest prizes in our sport.

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ATP Finals 2020: London says goodbye to season-ending tournament

As the ATP Finals tournament moves from London to Turin, BBC Sport looks at the memorable moments from 12 years of tennis.

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Medvedev To Monfils & Murray: 'I'm The Happiest Man In The World'

Straight after Daniil Medvedev left the trophy ceremony in celebration of his Nitto ATP Finals victory, his first stop was joining Gael Monfils and Andy Murray’s Twitch stream. It’s safe to say the Russian was thrilled after capturing the biggest title of his career.

“It’s just unbelievable, because it’s 10 matches I’ve won in a row and two of the biggest tournaments at the end of the year. I remember my first match against [Kevin] Anderson in Paris where he retired at 5/2 in the tie-break. I couldn’t put one return in the court. I was sometimes on the ball, but it was going 10 metres out and in my mind I was like, ‘I’m playing so bad right now. I’m playing so bad,’” Medvedev said. “Then just by fighting, by keeping in the matches I started to raise my level and just played unbelievable.

“Today was probably the best victory of my life, not in terms even of the title, in terms of the match. To beat Dominic when he is playing like this, he is really tough. I think he actually likes the way I play, so it was really tough mentally. I’m just the happiest man in the world at this moment.”

Watch Replay Of Twitch Stream

Murray was quite amused that Medvedev did not show emotions after championship point, also adding that he noticed the 24-year-old’s coach, Gilles Cervara, didn’t get overly excited either.

“My coach can have emotions, but I think they maybe turned the camera when it was the wrong moment,” Medvedev said. “But also when I don’t have emotions, it’s tough for him. He’s alone there, and he will not be screaming alone.”

Medvedev said that the lack of celebration doesn’t mean he’s not pumped.

“It started last year at the US Open more or less when I had some problems with the crowd. I think every player at one moment in his career decides maybe one thing special he wants to do [with his] tennis, something like this,” Medvedev said. “I know how to keep my emotions, not all the time, [as] especially the bad ones are tough to control. But I know how to control them and [that] lets me [do] this thing.

“They showed the 12 winners of the London [Nitto ATP] Finals. Everybody was lying on the ground, crying, screaming. And me they couldn’t even show the celebration. They just showed how we shook hands… if they would just show me walking, it would be stupid. In a way, it’s special. I know it’s not in any way cocky, I don’t try to be cocky or anything. But [it’s] just my style that I will keep for all my career.”

The first-time season finale champion was quick to point out that off the court, he has celebrated plenty. He turned his attention to Monfils.

“One of my best victories in my life is also when I beat you 3-0 in FIFA!” Medvedev said, as the Frenchman began laughing hysterically. “[That was] something special. I was celebrating, I was not even calm there. I was celebrating, Andy! I was celebrating this.”

“He’s always telling me he’s the best on the Tour on PlayStation and he’s unbelievable,” Murray said. “But I know about 10 people who have killed him!”

“Daniil I will get you back, no worries brother,” Monfils said as he continued to laugh.

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Thiem Targeting New Heights After ‘Intense’ 2020 Season

Dominic Thiem is determined to continue targeting the top of the FedEx ATP Rankings and keep perspective after being denied the Nitto ATP Finals title for a second year in a row, falling in a thrilling three-set clash against Daniil Medvedev on Sunday night.

The World No.3 led the Russian by a set and held break chances in two of his opponent’s service games in the second set. But just as Stefanos Tsitsipas did to Thiem in last year’s final, Medvedev fought his way back and roared to a 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 victory at The O2.

Having had time to reflect on the ‘would have’, ‘could have’ and ‘should haves’, Thiem said that there’s not much he would have done differently against Medvedev in their fifth FedEx Head2Head clash. If the Austrian was going to go down, he was happy he did it while playing his game.

“Honestly, I would do the same again, play a lot of slice,” Thiem reflected in his post-match press conference. “The way he broke me in the third set was an unreal game. He put great returns in. I had [a] few chances to convert that game. He played some great rallies there.

“Probably if you look at the whole tournament, he was the best player,” Thiem added. “He didn’t lose a set in the group stage. Beat No. 2 and No. 3 players in the world in the semis and in the final, so he definitely deserved that title.”

The loss will surely sting after leading by a set in the final – and having to fight past two heavyweights in Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, the two top-ranked players in the world to even reach that stage. But the Austrian was quick to put things in perspective after a rollercoaster 2020 season that saw him reach the biggest title of his career at the US Open, playing under unprecedented ‘bubble’ conditions due to COVID-19.

“When the tennis world, our job came back – I mean, luckily it came back – everything was different with life in the bubble, playing without [a] crowd. There were many, many new experiences,” Thiem reflected. “I think it is still a very tough year for many, many people. We athletes, and I’m speaking of tennis players, we are very privileged to do our jobs.

“If I speak about the tennis, if I speak about my job, I mean, it has been an outstanding year. I have reached one of my big lifetime goals with winning that Grand Slam.

“So even though it’s a tough year, it will always have a special place in my heart this year, 100%.”

Last year, Thiem responded emphatically to his Nitto ATP Finals defeat by playing some of the best tennis of his career. The defeat seemed to galvanise him as he started the year with first Grand Slam final at the Australian Open, and after the Tour’s six-month break he continued to reach new heights with his US Open title, reaching his career-high FedEx ATP Ranking.

What could lie ahead in 2021? Far from satisfied with his No. 3 spot, Thiem said he’s determined to narrow the gap between him and the world’s best.

“It was still a very intense year, since the Tour returned [it] was super intense, so I haven’t set myself any goals yet for next year,” he mused. “But of course I want to climb up the Rankings.

“I mean, this year and also [last] year has been amazing. I was playing great and had deep runs in many, many big tournaments. That’s what I want to do as well next year. If I’m able to do that, I think I will also get chances to climb the Rankings.”

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ATP Finals 2020: Daniil Medvedev fights back to beat Dominic Thiem in London – watch best shots

Watch the best shots as Daniil Medvedev fights back to beat US Open champion Dominic Thiem 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 and win the biggest title of his career at the ATP Finals in London.

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ATP Finals 2020: Daniil Medvedev beats Dominic Thiem to take title

Daniil Medvedev fights back to beat US Open champion Dominic Thiem and win the biggest title of his career at the ATP Finals.

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