Australian Open: Jamie Murray on Bruno Soares, a Melbourne birthday and his brother Andy
British doubles player Jamie Murray on rekindling his successful partnership with Brazilian Bruno Soares for the 2021 season.
British doubles player Jamie Murray on rekindling his successful partnership with Brazilian Bruno Soares for the 2021 season.
Former World No. 1 Andy Murray has taken a wild card into next week’s Open Sud de France in Montpellier, the ATP 250 event announced on social media Monday.
Murray will make his tournament debut in Montpellier looking to build on a strong start to the 2021 season at the Biella Challenger Indoor 1. He won four matches, including eight sets in a row, to reach his first final at any level since 2019.
Murray, currently No. 125 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, will head to Montpellier in search of his third ATP Tour title in France after lifting trophies at Open 13 Provence (Marseille) in 2008 and the Rolex Paris Masters in 2016.
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Andy Murray, previous World No 1, multiple Slam winner and double Olympic Gold medallist, will play in Open Sud de France 2021 ?— Open Sud de France (@OpenSuddeFrance) February 15, 2021
Murray will join a host of Top 100 players in his first ATP Tour tournament of the year. Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut leads the field as the top seed, alongside fellow Top 20 player David Goffin.
France’s Richard Gasquet is also scheduled to hit the court in Montpellier, which begins 22 February. He’ll be joined by fan favourites Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Feliciano Lopez, as well as #NextGenATP Italian Jannik Sinner.
Serena Williams produces a stunning performance to beat second seed Simona Halep and set up an Australian Open semi-final with Naomi Osaka.
Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek ended the run of Aussie wild cards Matthew Ebden and John-Patrick Smith 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 on Tuesday to reach their second straight Australian Open semi-final.
Dodig and Polasek landed 26 winners and won 78 per cent of their first-serve points (40/51) en route to victory. The ninth seeds entered the quarter-finals without dropping a set, but they needed one hour and 50 minutes to overcome Ebden and Smith on Court 3.
Dodig and Polasek, who are through to their third Grand Slam semi-final as a team (0-2), own a 9-2 record this year. The Croatian-Slovakian duo is aiming to reach its second final of 2021, following its runner-up finish at the Antalya Open in January (l. to Mektic/Pavic).
The Antalya finalists will have a chance to gain revenge for their championship match loss on the Turkish south coast. They will face Antalya champions Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic in the semi-finals. Mektic and Pavic survived a final-set Match Tie-break to defeat 2019 champions Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(3).
Mektic and Pavic struck 43 winners, including 10 aces, to extend their unbeaten record as a team to 12-0 after two hours and 24 minutes. The second seeds, who began their partnership in Antalya last month, are chasing their third title of the year. Mektic and Pavic picked up their second trophy of the season at the Murray River Open.
Britons Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid beat Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer to defend their Australian Open men’s wheelchair doubles title.
The best backhand in the business.
Daniil Medvedev may very well have taken over this prestigious mantle as the 2021 season kicks off Down Under. An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of Medvedev’s unbeaten run of eight matches at the ATP Cup through the second week of the Australian Open identifies a backhand par excellence.
Medvedev’s backhand does double duty. It’s equal parts brick wall and frozen rope, able to repel and attack with ease. Sometimes it looks like he is shoveling the shot. It’s ultra-flat, and it’s struck with metronomic, Russian precision.
No bells and whistles. No French flair. It’s ungainly, and it’s unstoppable.
Medvedev’s backhand starts with a simple, scooping backswing and often ends with hands and feet flying in all directions. The stroke looks unteachable. The ball flying off the strings, on the other hand, is struck with impeccable accuracy. Think of an arrow peppering a bullseye 78 feet away close to his opponent’s baseline.
ATP Cup: Backhand Metrics
Medvedev went unbeaten at the ATP Cup, defeating Diego Schwartzman, Kei Nishikori, Alexander Zverev, and Matteo Berrettini. Medvedev’s backhand was a big reason why, as he struck more than double the number of backhand winners his opponents did.
Winners
Medvedev Backhand Winners: 17
Opponent Backhand Winners: 8
Unforced Errors
Think of unforced errors as simply loose shots. They happen all the time — just as much through a lack of focus and concentration as footwork and preparation. Medvedev had precisely the same amount of unforced forehand errors as his opponents (42), but considerably fewer from the backhand side. Why? Medvedev’s backhand is a machine.
Medvedev Backhand Unforced Errors: 44
Opponent Backhand Unforced Errors: 66
Forced Errors
Medvedev once again put up identical error metrics to his opponents from the forehand side with 43 forehand forced errors. His backhand yielded approximately half the amount of forced errors. This is “Exhibit A” for the backhand brick wall analogy.
Medvedev Backhand Forced Errors: 31
Opponent Backhand Forced Errors: 57
2021 Australian Open
If anything, Medvedev’s backhand has stepped up a level at the Australian Open. He has defeated Vasek Pospisil, Roberto Carballes Baena, Filip Krajinovic, and Mackenzie McDonald to reach the quarter-finals. Up next is ATP Cup teammate Andrey Rublev. Medvedev has cleaned house off the backhand wing so far at Melbourne Park, striking almost triple the number of backhand winners as his opponents.
Australian Open Backhand Winners
Medvedev Backhand Winners: 32
Opponent Backhand Winners: 12
Australian Open Unforced Errors
Medvedev has only hit about two thirds the number of backhand unforced errors compared to his opponents so far at the Australian Open. He is once again proving too consistent from the back of the court.
Medvedev Backhand Unforced Errors: 44
Opponent Backhand Unforced Errors: 60
Australian Open Forced Errors
Trying to force a backhand error from Medvedev is fast becoming one of our sport’s toughest tasks. This is another backhand metric that Medvedev has dominated through his first four matches.
Medvedev Backhand Forced Errors: 42
Opponent Backhand Forced Errors: 55
To gain a full appreciation of just how good Medvedev’s backhand is, don’t actually watch it. Focus on the ball that explodes off his strings and the lethal mix of depth, direction and power it produces. Look to see how uncomfortable his opponent is trying to get it back into play.
Then you will understand.
Russia’s tennis monster has steadily grown over the past few years. But at Melbourne Park, it has loomed larger than ever. First, Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev led their country to glory in the ATP Cup. Now at the Australian Open, three Russian men — with World No. 114 Aslan Karatsev joining Medvedev and Rublev — are into the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time in the Open Era.
The country’s stars are not just shining Down Under; they are making history. Back home, former World No. 1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov couldn’t be happier.
“It was really expected that two of them got to where they are. The third one is a big surprise, but a very happy surprise. I’m very happy for Aslan, finally getting his breakthrough,” Kafelnikov told ATPTour.com. “He’s going to play a lot of tournaments now without any pressure for the remainder of the 2021 season in terms of getting into the main draws and a big pay cheque will also be a huge boost for him. I’m really happy for him.”
During the ATP Cup, it was clear Medvedev and Rublev were dominant forces for their country. The stars produced jaw-dropping performances against the best players in the world. They lost a combined two singles sets in the entire event, creating plenty of hype leading into the Australian Open. They have lived up to those expectations during the season’s first Grand Slam, where they will play each other in the quarter-finals Wednesday. But to Kafelnikov, regardless of what happens, this is just the beginning.
“We all know that it’s inevitable that they’re going to win a Slam,” Kafelnikov said. “It’s a question of when and where.”
Kafelnikov was the first Russian man to earn a Grand Slam singles championship at 1996 Roland Garros, and he also triumphed at the 1999 Australian Open. Another former World No. 1 from Russia, Marat Safin, also claimed two major trophies, with his most recent one coming at Melbourne Park in 2005. No man from their country has won a Slam since, but Kafelnikov will be excited for the countryman who changes that.
“To be honest, I would be happy if one of those guys or even both of them surpass me in terms of number of titles and weeks at No. 1 in the world,” Kafelnikov said of Medvedev and Rublev. “I’d be happy. I’m not going to be jealous about it. My career was very successful, and hopefully they will have even better [careers].”
A 53-time titlist in singles and doubles, Kafelnikov says that while Russian children once looked up to him and Safin, they now naturally idolise Medvedev, Rublev and World No. 20 Karen Khachanov. Their success is inspiring future generations.
“It’s a great example for the [Russian] parents who at one stage want to have their kids be on the same level [in sports],” Kafelnikov said. “It’s definitely giving them that kind of opportunity. [It is like] what I did with Marat back in the 1990s and early 2000s when we were coming up and playing well and becoming famous all over the world. I think they are great examples. It’s all up to them what is going to happen in the future.”
Medvedev, Rublev and Khachanov — who was not on the Russian ATP Cup team this year, but reached the third round at the Australian Open — are close friends. They have been on the tennis world’s radar for years, with all three competing at the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals in 2017.
They warned fans and reporters alike that while Karatsev was not getting the attention during the country’s title run, he was one to watch out for, too. According to Medvedev, Karatsev was Russia’s “secret weapon”. The 27-year-old “secret” is out after making the quarter-finals in his first Grand Slam main draw.
“It’s great for our sport [in Russia]. With Andrey, [we are] really happy for Aslan, because he was practising good in the ATP Cup. We felt like he could do something amazing,” Medvedev said. “To be honest, being in your first Grand Slam main draw and making the quarters is something exceptional. [His run is] not over yet. Let’s see how he does tomorrow.”
One Russian is guaranteed to reach the semi-finals because Medvedev and Rublev are playing each other, and two will make the last four in Melbourne if Karatsev upsets former World No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov. But this is not an aberration.
Medvedev at the 2019 US Open became the first Russian man to reach a Grand Slam singles final since Safin won the 2005 Australian Open. He then lifted the biggest trophy of his career at last year’s Nitto ATP Finals. Rublev led the ATP Tour with five crowns last season and he has stormed into the Top 10 of the FedEx ATP Rankings, making Russia the only country with two players in the elite group.
How does the generation these Russians are competing in compare to the challenges that confronted Kafelnikov and Safin two decades ago? Kafelnikov does not want to compare the two, feeling that’s unfair to all the players involved.
“It’s a million-dollar question and it’s hard for me to answer. We would probably say that we played in a way harder generation in terms of average level of player and they would say they played in the Big Three era when those guys won practically every Slam for the past 13, 14 years,” Kafelnikov said. “It’s almost unfair to draw the line between the generations. We all had our tough times playing against guys like Sampras, Agassi, Becker, Edberg, Kuerten, players like that. They would say they had a hard time playing against Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. It’s understandable.”
Kafelnikov simply wants this group to shine, and he will be watching as Russia’s stars try to continue leaving their mark in Australia.
“I’m going to watch Karatsev play against Dimitrov and then on Wednesday I will watch the Rublev-Medvedev match,” Kafelnikov said. “I am very excited, but it’s not only me. All the fans in Russia are excited.”
When you’re chasing history, as Novak Djokovic is, you do whatever it takes to put yourself in a position to compete, to win.
That often means sacrifice. For Djokovic — in pursuit of career-long rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal — that can mean anything from time away from family, adherence to a strict diet and, sometimes, pushing through injury.
When the Serb slipped to the court early in the third set of his third-round matchup with American Taylor Fritz on Friday night, left splayed across the MELBOURNE logo, he knew he had over-stressed, perhaps even torn, an abdominal muscle. He would somehow survive, prevailing, 7-6(1), 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-2, and calling it “one of the most special wins in my life”. But no one, not even Nole himself, knew if he would recover in time to take the court against Canadian Milos Raonic in the Round of 16.
As we would later learn, the top seed and two-time defending champion didn’t so much as lift a racquet the following day. So how did he do it? How did he rebound to oust 14th seed Raonic less than 48 hours later, 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, in what would be his career milestone 300th match win at a major?
“You don’t want to know,” he quipped.
The World No. 1 hinted that he’d had an MRI, spent some time on the table aside physio Ulises Badio and the Tennis Australia medical team, and taken the recommended painkillers, but he wouldn’t get into the nitty-gritty regarding the injury. He knew that to continue was, in his own words, “a gamble,” and that there would likely be some pain, but it was a risk he was willing to take.
Djokovic, who became only the second member of ‘The 300 Club’, the other being Federer (362), said: “It’s a Grand Slam. It matters a lot to me at this stage of my career. I want to do everything possible in this very short amount of time to get on the court.”
Call it a champion’s desperation; an unbending will to win.
Now into the quarter-finals for the 12th time, Djokovic will face sixth seed Alexander Zverev for the second time in a matter of 11 days. They met in Group A play during the ATP Cup, with Djokovic prevailing in three sets, 6-7(3), 6-2, 7-5, his fifth win in seven ATP Head2Head encounters with the German. He’s quite familiar with Zverev’s ability to play first-strike tennis.
“There’s probably going to be gruelling rallies, exhausting, and it’s going to be demanding from my side from back of the court,” said Djokovic, who’s eyeing a record ninth Australian Open title. “He moves very well for his height, his size, but he’s also one of the best servers we’ve got in the game. He’s a very complete, all-around player.
“It’s really in God’s hands where my condition goes from today to the first point against Sascha. I’m just hoping that it’s going to go in the right direction, that I didn’t damage it, whatever is happening in there, too much, and feel even 10 per cent better than I did today. And if that’s the case, I like my chances.”
“You’ve got to play your best tennis, especially here. This is his favourite court, this is his favourite tournament,” said the 23-year-old Zverev, who topped Djokovic, 6-4, 6-3, to capture the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals title. “To be able to have a chance against him, you have to be playing extremely well. You have to be playing aggressive tennis, being the one that dominates. I’m looking forward to the challenge. I think it’s one of the toughest challenges in our sport to be playing Novak at this Grand Slam in the later rounds.”
Despite breaking through to his first Grand Slam final at the US Open last year, the Australian Open has proven to be Zverev’s most successful major championship in terms of matches won. He reached the semi-finals at Melbourne Park last year, dismissing Andrey Rublev and Stan Wawrinka en route to the final four (l. to Dominic Thiem, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(4)). To make it back-to-back trips to the semi-finals, he’ll have to get past Djokovic on Day 9.
After shocking third seed Thiem, 6-4, 6-4, 6-0, Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov is into the quarter-finals in Melbourne for the fourth time in eight years. And yet he’s heading into the unknown. That’s because his next opponent is a player who, until only days ago, most tennis fans, even the hardcore ones, had never heard of: Aslan Karatsev.
Team Russia’s so-called “secret weapon” in its run to the ATP Cup title, Karatsev, ranked No. 114 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, has spent the bulk of his professional tennis career fighting for points on the ATP Challenger Tour. The 27-year-old won 18 of his final 20 matches at that level in 2020, claiming two trophies, but until this week, he’d never made it through qualifying into the main draw at a major.
Karatsev, who rallied from two sets down in the Round of 16 to defeat 20th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, 3-6, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4, becomes first Grand Slam debutant to reach the quarter-finals since Alex Radulescu at Wimbledon in 1996, and the first qualifier to reach the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam since Bernard Tomic at Wimbledon in 2011.
Dimitrov isn’t looking past his inexperienced foe.
“It takes time for everyone to get to somewhere, but the best part is that you treat every player the same way, and I will treat this match no different,” he said. “I will still go through my routines. I’m still going to do my work. It’s just honestly another match. I’m not going to think of what the guy has done, what he has accomplished or what is going on.
“Clearly, in order for him to be here, he’s done something right, and he’s playing great tennis right now. Of course, he’s a dangerous player. You’re entering deep into the second week. It’s a quarter-final match of a Grand Slam. You don’t take any of that lightly.”
During Russia’s victorious run at the ATP Cup, all the attention went to Karatsev’s teammates, Rublev and Daniil Medvedev. How does it feel to finally have the spotlight to himself?
“Fantastic.”
Watch the best shots as former champion Rafael Nadal beats Italy’s 16th seed Fabio Fognini 6-3 6-4 6-2 to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals.
Following his 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 win against Mackenzie McDonald in the Australian Open Round of 16 on Monday, Daniil Medvedev was asked which member of the Big Three he believed to be the superior player.
Earlier in the tournament, when asked a similar question, Nick Kyrgios shared his belief that Roger Federer is the greatest player of all time. Medvedev, however, refused to separate Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic.
“For me, [I pick] all of the three because no matter how many Grand Slams they all have at the end of their careers, what they did in tennis is amazing,” said Medvedev. “I remember when Pete Sampras beat the record [number] of Grand Slams [won], I was really young. I remember all the news, sports news, saying, ‘This record is forever.’ Just like Messi and Ronaldo in football. Then the three guys came, they not [only] beat the record, they destroyed the record.”
For Medvedev, who turned 25 last week, the possibility of reaching the record Grand Slam hauls of Federer and Nadal (20) is difficult to comprehend. If the Russian won the next 20 Grand Slam events, his first opportunity to break Federer and Nadal’s record would come just before his 30th birthday at the 2026 Australian Open. Only two men in the Open Era — Rod Laver (1969) and Djokovic (2015-’16) — have won four consecutive Grand Slams.
”[It] is amazing because, for example, me, I’m 25, I’m playing good tennis. I feel like I’m one of the top players in the world. I have zero slams,” said Medvedev. “Imagine me [getting] to 20, I [would] need to win five years in a row every Slam… against amazing opponents, [in] five-set matches [and] not be injured. [Those are] ridiculous numbers. For me, they’re the three, for sure, greatest players in the history of tennis.”
Medvedev’s bid to capture a first Grand Slam title will continue on Wednesday, when he meets good friend Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park. The pair began the year as teammates, when they each claimed four singles victories for Russia en route to the ATP Cup title.
Medvedev and Rublev will meet for the fourth time in their ATP Head2Head series on Wednesday. The 2020 Nitto ATP Finals champion owns a 3-0 record against Rublev and is yet to drop a set against the seven-time ATP Tour titlist. The fact that he will be looking across the net at a friend will make no difference to Medvedev’s approach to the match.
“It doesn’t make a difference [that Andrey and I are friends]. On the tennis court, we’re going to try to win. [It] doesn’t matter,” said Medvedev. “If you can win 6-0, 6-0, 6-0, you’re going to make it. You’re not going to give two games at the end to say, ‘He’s my close friend, I’m going to give him two games.’ If you have to win 7-6 in the fifth, you’re going to try to make it.
“[It is the] same for him… [At the end of the match], one of us is going to say congratulations to [the] other one. We’ll be disappointed with the result, but we’ll move on and have many more matches to come.”
With Medvedev and Rublev crossing paths in the quarter-finals in Melbourne, Russia is guaranteed a semi-finalist at the Australian Open for the first time since Marat Safin’s title run in 2005. However, the winner of the all-Russian clash may not be the only player from the nation to reach the last four at the opening major championship of the year.
Medvedev and Rublev’s teammate Aslan Karatsev, who is competing in his maiden Grand Slam main draw, will attempt to reach the semi-finals on Tuesday. The World No. 114 has defeated eighth seed Diego Schwartzman and #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime en route to the quarter-finals, where he will meet 2017 semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov.
“We are both really happy for Aslan, because he was practising good at the ATP Cup,” said Medvedev. “We felt like he could do something amazing. To be honest, being in your first Grand Slam main draw and making the quarter-finals is something exceptional. He’s not over yet. Let’s see how he does tomorrow.”
