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Nadal Begins ATP Cup Preparations In Adelaide, Praises Australia

  • Posted: Jan 29, 2021

Rafael Nadal looks in top form leading into next week’s ATP Cup after he earned a strong win over Dominic Thiem on Friday at the A Day at the Drive exhibition in Adelaide.

Nadal overcame World No. 3 Thiem 7-5, 6-4 in one hour and 24 minutes during the night session. The Spaniard, who broke once in each set and finished the match with a volley winner, praised Australia for the nation’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s been a very hard year for all the world in general,” said Nadal. “I think Australia is an amazing, positive example about how to control the pandemic and do things the right way. Many congratulations to the country… It’s an amazing pleasure to be in Adelaide for the first time.”

Earlier in the day, Novak Djokovic played only one set against Jannik Sinner after developing blisters on his right hand. Filip Krajinovic stepped in to win the first set 6-3 against Sinner, before Djokovic came onto court for the second set, which the World No. 1 won 6-3.

“The emotion was strong in me to come out on the court today, seeing almost full stands,” said Djokovic. “I just had to play. That’s it. I had to play.”

Nadal, Djokovic and Thiem are all preparing to compete at the 12-country ATP Cup, which begins on 2 February and features 12 of the Top 13 players in the FedEx ATP Rankings. Sinner will also play next week in the Great Ocean Road Open, an ATP 250 event, which is also being held in Melbourne.

A Day at the Drive, which is being held at Memorial Drive Tennis Centre in Adelaide, is supporting the Australian Tennis Foundation that aids South Australia’s most disadvantaged communities.

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Korda, Zuk Complete QF Field In Quimper; Play Kicks Off In Antalya

  • Posted: Jan 29, 2021

These are the wins that Sebastian Korda will remember for a long time.

For the second time this week, the #NextGenATP American survived a deciding-set marathon to advance at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Quimper, France. Two wins, both against French opponents and both of the comeback variety have Korda on the precipice of cracking the Top 100 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

Seeded second at a Challenger tournament for the first time in his young career, the 20-year-old is adapting to the pressure of being the player to beat. Two days after saving a match point against qualifier Tristan Lamasine, Korda rallied from a set down to oust Mathias Bourgue 5-7, 7-6(2), 6-4 in two hours and 11 minutes.

Watch Free Live Streaming From The ATP Challenger Tour

The World No. 103 has claimed 11 of his last 12 matches and is riding the momentum from a season-opening final appearance at the ATP 250 event in Delray Beach. He is projected to break into the Top 100 for the first time with a win over another Frenchman, Enzo Couacaud, in Friday’s quarter-finals. Couacaud defeated wild card Evan Furness 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3 to conclude Day 4 at the Open Quimper Bretagne Occidentale.

In other action, qualifier Kacper Zuk is continuing his hot streak on the hard courts of Quimper. The 22-year-old Pole is one to watch on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2021 and has not dropped a set in reaching the quarter-finals this week. Wins over former World No. 39 Peter Gojowczyk and Sunday’s Istanbul champion Arthur Rinderknech have the World No. 267 surging towards the Top 200.

It was sweet revenge for Zuk, who fell to Rinderknech in the semi-finals in Calgary, Canada nearly a year ago. This time, Zuk earned a 7-6(7), 6-2 win over the home favourite to set an encounter with Slovakia’s Filip Horansky. One day after upsetting top seed Lucas Pouille, Horansky rallied past Maximilian Marterer 6-7(6), 7-5, 6-4.

The rest of the quarter-final slate features French wild card Constant Lestienne against 19-year-old Brandon Nakashima and Ukrainian qualifier Illya Marchenko facing an in-form Benjamin Bonzi. Bonzi is coming off a final appearance in Istanbul a week ago and has captured a pair of deciding-set tie-breaks this week in Quimper. Earlier on Thursday, he stormed back to defeat Yannick Maden 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(5).

ATP Challenger Tour 

Clear Skies Welcome Antalya Launch
After nearly five straight days of torrential rain, the clay-court event in Antalya, Turkey kicked off in picture perfect conditions. With tornado-like wind gusts and nonstop rain prohibiting play from Saturday to Wednesday afternoon, qualifying was finally completed on a busy Thursday.

In total, 38 matches were spread across eight courts, with singles qualifying, singles main draw and doubles action getting underway. Top seed Jaume Munar, #NextGenATP star Lorenzo Musetti and Turkish wild card Cem Ilkel all punched their ticket to the quarter-finals. They each won a pair of matches without dropping a set.

In addition, veterans Tommy Robredo, Paolo Lorenzi and Alessandro Giannessi advanced to the second round, joining Portugal’s Joao Domingues and Ecuador’s Emilio Gomez. Domingues needed three hours and 10 minutes to overcome Mohamed Safwat in a deciding tie-break, saving two match points along the way.

On Friday, first and second round play is scheduled to be completed, with second seed Daniel Elahi Galan, 20-year-old Thiago Seyboth Wild and Croatian teen Duje Ajdukovic kicking off their campaigns.

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Shampoo A Pre-condition For Tsitsipas Grooming Deal

  • Posted: Jan 29, 2021

Stefanos Tsitsipas is full of surprises. Two weeks ago, we learned in a Twitter Q & A he hosted with fans that one of his turn-offs is shampoo. A fan who describes himself as an “irredeemable fan of boy bands” asked the Greek to “drop” his hair care routine.

“Never shampoo, only conditioner,” replied the World No. 6, who will spearhead Greece at next week’s ATP Cup in Melbourne.

The fan called it a “smart choice”. But others were scratching their shampooed heads. Was he serious? Let’s not forget that last year Tsitsipas convinced Naomi Osaka that he used Greek olive oil, wasabi, vinegar and mayonnaise in his hair. That was a gag, but perhaps it’s common in Greece to skip the shampoo and go straight to the conditioner? Is a strict conditioner-only diet the secret sauce to becoming an international heartthrob like Stefanos?

In the interest of trying to settle these important questions, we combed the Greek homeland — where all salons are currently closed due to the pandemic — to find hairstylists well versed on Tsitsipas and his locks. We found a pair of brothers, Giorgio and Grigoris Verligas, who are co-owners of Verligas Hair Art Team in Parga, a spectacular resort town on the Ionian Sea. One of their clients, Irene Stankys, a big Tsisipas fan and the owner of Parga’s lovely Petros Penthouse & Studios, served as an interpreter.

The brothers insisted that skipping shampoo is definitely not common in Greece. “Never once did I have a client who doesn’t want shampoo,” said Giorgio, who has been cutting, washing and styling hair in Greece for 30 years. “It’s wrong (not to shampoo). You must shampoo to clean the hair. The conditioner is only for softening.”

Grigoris and Giorgio Verligas at the Verligas Hair Art Team salon in Parga, Greece.
When asked if they would make an exception for Tsitsipas if he came to their salon, the brothers Verligas were steadfast. “No, this is not possible,” Grigoris said. “We must wash hair before we cut it. The only exception might be for someone who has Rasta hair like Bob Marley.”

And so apparently, even a Greek national hero like Tsitsipas is expected to follow the rules, at least at the Verligas Hair Art Team salon. While the brothers were united on the shampoo front, they were at split ends regarding how they would cut, style and colour his hair if he came to Parga.

Giorgio, the older brother, who has a shaved head, insists that Stefanos’ hair is too long and must be cut at least five centimetres. Grigoris, on the other hand, insists that the long locks work well for Tsitsipas as is. “A tall man like him looks very good with long hair,” he maintained. Grigoris said that his vote for keeping the long hair may be influenced by his wife, a Tsitsipas fan who thinks his look is perfect already. On this matter, Stankys was in firm agreement. “It works for him,” she said.

The brothers both like Tsitsipas’ beard and mustache, though they think he could use a trim, but they part company on the colour of his hair. Giorgio wants it darker, Grigoris a bit lighter. “Brothers don’t always have to agree,” Grigoris said.

To their knowledge, Tsitsipas has never been to Parga. “We would know if he came,” Stankys said. He took a recent holiday in Mykonos, where he hung out with NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo, but they think he should spend his next holiday in Parga. Stankys says she would offer him a suite with a lovely view of the harbour and the Verligas brothers would give Stefanos a cut, wash and colour for just €50, a €10 discount off their ordinary price, available only for Greek nationals ranked inside the Top 10 of the FedEx ATP Rankings. But the special offer comes with a catch.

“He must agree to use shampoo,” Grigoris says. “For him, it would be free.”

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Nadal On Federer & Djokovic: 'We Push Each Other To Be Better'

  • Posted: Jan 29, 2021

Rafael Nadal took time out from his ATP Cup and Australian Open preparations this week for a wide-ranging and candid interview with Christiane Amanpour, CNN’s Chief International Anchor. The 20-time major champion was in great spirits, holding court on the pandemic, his Big Three rivals, his motivations, plans for life after tennis, and the secret behind his on-court rituals. Here are some of the highlights of Rafa’s interview.

The Pandemic
Nadal said he looked at the big picture regarding the pandemic and credited Australia for providing a model for combating with the virus.

“The world is suffering, we can’t complain,” he said. “We can only say thanks to Tennis Australia, to the Australian community, to welcome us and to accept us to come because I know they have been under very strict measures for a lot of months. So, for us, it’s good that we can at least keep playing tennis.”

The Mallorcan said that the pandemic has hit close to home for him. “You see how many are dying around the world,” he said. “You see how many people are losing their father, their mum, without having the chance to say goodbye…That’s what’s happening in my country. Close people to me are suffering this situation.

Nadal said he understands how lucky he and other tennis players are, particularly at a time like this. “ I feel that we are privileged people today, having the chance to keep doing our jobs,” he said.

Rivalries and Motivation
Amanpour asked Nadal about his rivals and he insisted that he isn’t “obsessed” with eclipsing Federer in the majors’ title tally.

“The records are important, I’m a competitor, but I’ve never been obsessed with trying to be the best,” said Nadal, No. 2 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. “I did much more than what I ever dreamed in my tennis career. It would be amazing for me to win one more and to be at the end of my career to be the player with more Grand Slams, but that’s not the key for my happiness in the future. It’s not an obsession.”

The Spaniard said that he had good relationships with Federer and Novak Djokovic, who have motivated him to excel.
“We did beautiful things together and important things for our sport,” he said. “We push each other to be better. To have somebody in front of you that’s doing a lot of things better than you, it gives you a clear way about what you need to improve to achieve your goals.”

Plans
Amanpour playfully told Nadal, “I know you’re not going to tell me when you’re going to retire,” but was interrupted by the Spaniard. “I can’t tell you because I don’t know,” he said, laughing.

She asked him for his “vision” of life after competition, and Nadal said he looked forward to devoting more time to his foundation, the Rafael Nadal Foundation, and his academy, the Rafael Nadal Academy. And he mentioned that he looked forward to one day starting a family with his wife, Maria Francisca Perello, whom he married in 2019.
“If kids come, then there’ll be a change,” he said when asked how married life has impacted his career.”[It’s] something that probably will happen in the future because both of us want it.”

On the topic of children, Nadal said it was important for him and other athletes with large platforms to be role models.
“For us, in my personal opinion, it’s mandatory to be a positive example for society,” he said. “It’s important to send the right messages to the world and especially to the young people.”

Rituals and Hopes
The CNN correspondent confessed to Nadal that she was fascinated by his on-court rituals and ticks, and the Spaniard opened up about why he likes to line up his bottles, not step on lines and so on.
“In some way it’s stupid,” he said of his rituals, blushing just a little. “On the other hand, for me I am not doing this stuff in practice or normal life… It’s a way to make a difference between practices and matches. When I’m doing all these routines, I feel 100% focused on what I’m doing, no? The routines help you to be focused and more secure about yourself.”

Nadal, who will play an exhibition match in Adelaide against Dominic Thiem on Friday night, said he looks forward to competing in the ATP Cup and is focused on winning the Australian Open this year.
“I like what I’m doing, I like the competition,” he said. “I know it’s not forever… I’m in the last part of my career because I have 34 ½ years… I feel very lucky to be where I am today and keep doing what I’m doing. I accept that and say thanks to life for these great things that have happened to me.”

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Nadal-Tsitsipas, Djokovic-Shapovalov Lead Blockbusters To Watch At ATP Cup

  • Posted: Jan 28, 2021

With 12 of the Top 13 players in the FedEx ATP Rankings competing in the ATP Cup, this year’s edition of the innovative team tournament will be packed with quality and high-profile matches.

Last year’s tournament featured shock results, decisive doubles clashes and a meeting in the championship match between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. Ahead of the second edition of the event, ATPTour.com looks at five blockbuster matches to watch during this year’s group stage.

Rafael Nadal v Stefanos Tsitsipas (Group B)
Nadal owns a combined 9-1 ATP Head2Head record against the other No. 1 singles players in Group B, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alex de Minaur, but he will be wary of the threat both men pose. When the Spaniard takes to the court against Greece, he will meet Tsitsipas for the eighth time in their budding rivalry (Nadal leads 6-1). Nadal may own a commanding advantage against the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals champion, but, in their recent matches, the margins have been fine.

Three of the pair’s four most recent clashes have gone to a deciding set. Tsitsipas’ lone victory against Nadal came when the odds were stacked against him. Playing on clay in front of Nadal’s home fans in the 2019 Mutua Madrid Open semi-finals, the Greek overcame five-time champion Nadal in three sets to reach the championship match.

As a player who wears his national pride on his sleeve, Tsitsipas will step onto the court with added motivation when he meets Nadal in Melbourne. When they played last November, Nadal battled past Tsitsipas 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 for a place in the semi-finals of the Nitto ATP Finals. Now, the Greek will try to get his revenge.

Novak Djokovic v Denis Shapovalov (Group A)
This Group A showdown will be a repeat of a classic from last year’s ATP Cup. One year on from their epic quarter-final battle, Djokovic will face Canadian No. 1 Denis Shapovalov for the sixth time in their ATP Head2Head rivalry (Djokovic leads 5-0).

The Serbian entered his match against Shapovalov at last year’s event with confidence, having dropped just one set in his opening four matches against the left-hander. On the other side of the net, Shapovalov was seeking his third Top 10 win of the tournament after group-stage wins against Tsitsipas and Zverev. After failing to serve out the match at 5-4 in the third set, Djokovic needed a final-set tie-break to finally overcome the Canadian in two hours and 40 minutes.

That meeting proved to be the springboard for Shapovalov’s most successful season. Despite the loss, Shapovalov went on to crack the Top 10 in the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time later in the year. This ATP Head2Head match-up features a classic showdown of Shapovalov’s dynamic offence against Djokovic’s unrelenting defence. The question is, now that the Canadian is flying as high as ever, will he be able to dent Djokovic’s perfect record against him?

Dominic Thiem v Matteo Berrettini (Group C)
It’s safe to say there will be some massive hitting when Dominic Thiem and Matteo Berrettini meet in Group C action. The pair did not meet on the ATP Tour in 2020, but perhaps they deserved a short break from each other after playing in three of their final four ATP Tour events of 2019.

More than a year after Thiem won their opening ATP Head2Head (now tied 2-2) match at Roland Garros in 2018, Thiem and Berrettini contested a trilogy of hard-court matches at the 2019 Rolex Shanghai Masters, the Erste Bank Open in Vienna and the Nitto ATP Finals. Berrettini won two of those encounters in straight sets and pushed Thiem deep into a third set at the Austrian’s home event.

Thiem will be keen to improve on his 1-2 record at the ATP Cup and he has form on his side. The World No. 3 finished his 2020 campaign with wins against Djokovic and Nadal, as he advanced to his second straight Nitto ATP Finals championship match (l. to Medvedev). Berrettini is the highest-ranked player to have already competed on the ATP Tour this year. The World No. 10 opened his 2021 campaign with a run to the Antalya Open quarter-finals. He will be eager to make a splash in Melbourne after not reaching a semi-final last year.

Daniil Medvedev v Diego Schwartzman (Group D)
Daniil Medvedev produced a high level at last year’s ATP Cup, as he led Russia to the semi-finals with an unbeaten 4-0 singles record before falling against Djokovic and Serbia. But Diego Schwartzman tested the Russian along the way.

Across two hours and 20 minutes, Schwartzman created 10 break points and claimed his first set against the Russian in three ATP Head2Head meetings. Medvedev was the more clinical player in crucial moments, as he saved eight of those break points and broke serve on three occasions to book Russia’s spot in the semi-finals.

Medvedev takes a 5-0 record — which includes four straight-sets wins — into their sixth clash. Schwartzman, however, climbed to a career-high World No. 8 last October. The Argentine will try to show how much he has improved when he tries to avenge last year’s ATP Cup defeat against Medvedev.

Novak Djokovic v Alexander Zverev (Group A)
When Serbia meets Germany in Group A, fans will be treated to the seventh edition of one of the highest-profile ATP Head2Head rivalries of the past few years. Djokovic owns four wins from six matches against Alexander Zverev, but both of the German’s victories have come on the big stage.

In their first meeting, Zverev stunned Djokovic in straight sets to capture his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown at the 2017 Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome. Djokovic responded with back-to-back victories in 2018, but Zverev ended that season with the biggest win of his career. After losing to Djokovic in the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals round-robin stage, Zverev landed 10 aces and broke Djokovic’s serve on four occasions in the championship match to capture the trophy in London.

Djokovic has won both of the pair’s encounters since that final clash and enters this year’s ATP Cup with an 8-0 tournament record across singles and doubles. Whether Zverev can spring a third surprise on the World No. 1 remains to be seen, but the 6’6” German has already proven he has the tools required to make it happen.

*Match schedule is subject to change in line with ATP rules and regulations

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For My Next Trick… Roger-Vasselin's Quarantine Countdown

  • Posted: Jan 28, 2021

With players soon to come out of quarantine in Australia, the countdown is on for the start of the 12-team ATP Cup, in addition to two ATP 250 events, the Great Ocean Road Open and the Murray River Open, which all begin next week.

Edouard Roger-Vasselin, who set off for Melbourne on 14 January, has kept his mind occupied during the 14-day quarantine in his hotel room by reading, texting friends, watching films and producing countdown videos.

Roger-Vasselin, who will represent Team France at the ATP Cup alongside Gael Monfils, Benoit Paire and Nicolas Mahut, has kept himself and Twitter fans entertained. Using tennis balls and his equipment, water bottles, a pack of cards and assorted fruit, the Frenchman has taken up to three hours to perfectly construct elaborate runs, which he captured on short videos for fans.

On 20 January, Roger-Vasselin posted this video, which took approximately 50 attempts to perfect.

With five days left in quarantine, Roger-Vasselin posted a different attempt on 25 January.

Today, he posted a far simpler video, which he promises to clean up.

The Great Ocean Road Open and Murray River Open begin in Melbourne on 1 February and the ATP Cup, featuring 12 of the Top 13 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, gets underway on 2 February.

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