Tennis News

Medvedev Learns Road To World No. 2, Ending Big Four's Streak

When the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament draw came out Friday, Daniil Medvedev learned his path to becoming the No. 2 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time.

If the Russian reaches the final in Rotterdam, he will become the first player outside the Big Four — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray — to hold a top two spot since Lleyton Hewitt was World No. 2 the week of 18 July 2005. Nadal passed the Aussie the following week and the quartet has not looked back since.

Medvedev will begin his run against Dusan Lajovic, and may face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarter-finals, prior to meeting Alexander Zverev or Roberto Bautista Agut in the semi-finals with World No. 2 on the line.

If Medvedev makes the championship match at this ATP 500, he will add 300 FedEx ATP Ranking points, which would replace the 90 points the 25-year-old earned in Vienna last year. The net gain of 210 points would propel the Russian ahead of Nadal, who currently leads him by 115 points.

FedEx ATP Rankings – 22 February 2021

Medvedev has been playing the best tennis of his career. The World No. 3 has won 20 of his past 21 matches, with his only loss coming against nine-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic, the World No. 1, in the championship match at Melbourne Park. Twelve of Medvedev’s victories during that stretch came against Top 10 opponents.

The reigning Nitto ATP Finals champions owns a 5-3 record in Rotterdam. Medvedev’s best result at the ATP 500 came in 2019, when he reached the semi-finals before losing against Gael Monfils in three sets.

Did You Know?
The last time someone outside the Big Four held a top two spot in the FedEx ATP Rankings, Medvedev was only nine years old.

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Goffin Closing In On Montpellier Final

David Goffin is one step away from reaching his 14th ATP Tour final after beating Lorenzo Sonego of Italy 6-4, 6-4 in 87 minutes on Friday at the Open Sud de France.

The second-seeded Belgian, who reached last month’s Antalya Open semi-finals (l. to De Minaur) and entered the ATP 250 event on a two-match losing streak, will next challenge Belarus’ Egor Gerasimov.

Gerasimov, who beat Goffin 6-4, 7-6(5) at the 2020 Open 13 Provence in their only previous ATP Head2Head meeting, knocked out Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 in two hours and 28 minutes. The 28-year-old Gerasimov struck 16 aces for a place in his third tour-level semi-final.

Later today, top-seeded Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut takes on sixth seed Ugo Humbert of France, while Austria’s Ugo Humbert meets qualifier Peter Gojowczyk of Germany.

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Lacoste Brings Elegance & Performance To New Racquet Line

The iconic French champion Rene Lacoste was also the inventor of both the polo shirt and the modern metal tennis racquet.

So it’s only fitting that after revolutionising the world of tennis apparel and footwear, his namesake brand would set out to conquer the tennis racquet game as well with the launch of the new Lacoste L20 racquet.

Inspired by Lacoste’s innovative spirit and engineered by Tecnifibre, the new L20 features the familiar alligator logo and brings the brand’s signature mix of lifestyle elegance and performance to the tennis court – but now in a tennis racquet as well as head-to-toe apparel.

Made for experienced club players as well as dedicated beginners, the L20 and its lighter companion the L20L are more than just a stylish accessory. The lightweight racquet delivers on both speed and spin-friendly precision for a user-friendly hitting experience.

The L20 also features an updated version of the famous dampening system developed by Rene Lacoste himself, maximizing comfort on every stroke and serve. The innovative string pattern has denser spacing in the center for control, and wider spacing at the edges for a more forgiving response.

Engineered by Tecnifibre and infused with Lacoste’s trailblazing DNA, the L20 and L20L strike the perfect balance between competition and leisure – another game-changing combination from a brand that has made its legacy out of changing the game.

Buy the L20 and the L20L at Tennis Warehouse.

Lacoste in an official supplier of the ATP Tour.

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Gille/Vliegen Sweep Into Singapore Doubles Final

Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen advanced to their sixth ATP Tour doubles team final (4-1 record) on Friday at the Singapore Tennis Open. The top seeds knocked out third-seeded Britons Luke Bambridge and Dominic Inglot 6-4, 6-4.

Gilles and Vliegen, who captured the Astana Open crown (d. Purcell/Saville) in November last year, have yet to drop a set in three matches at the ATP 250 event this week.

Matthew Ebden, who lost to Alexei Popyrin in the singles quarter-finals on Friday, returned to the court to join forces with fellow Australian John-Patrick Smith to beat Americans Robert Galloway and Alex Lawson 6-4, 3-6, 10-5 for a place in the semi-finals.

Ebden and Smith play Luis David Martinez and David Vega Hernandez on Saturday.

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Albot Moves Into Singapore Semi-finals

Radu Albot booked a place in his first ATP Tour semi-final for 19 months on Friday after he beat top-seeded Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 35 minutes at the Singapore Tennis Open.

Albot, who last reached a semi-final in August 2019 at the Abierto de Tenis Mifel presentado por Cinemex in Los Cabos (l. to Fritz), led 5-1 in the second set before Mannarino staged a comeback. He’ll next play fourth-seeded Kazakhstani Alexander Bublik or fifth seed Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan on Saturday.

The 31-year-old Albot, who beat World No. 13 Roberto Bautista Agut en route to the Australian Open third round (l. to Ruud) earlier this month, saved three match points against Yannick Hanfmann of Germany in the Singapore second round on Thursday.

Alexei Popyrin advanced to his first ATP Tour semi-final by knocking out fellow Australian Matthew Ebden 6-4, 7-6(7) in 85 minutes. Popyrin, who hit 14 aces, saved two set points at 4/6 in the second set tie-break and closed out on his second match point. He awaits the winner of third-seeded Croatian Marin Cilic and eighth seed Soowoo Kwon of South Korea.

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Battle of the Brits: Andy and Jamie Murray team up in Scotland v England

Andy and Jamie Murray are to team up on home soil for a ” super exciting” Scotland against England in the latest Battle of the Brits.

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LGBT+ History Month: Renee Richards' journey from tennis outcast to trans pioneer

As part of LGBT+ History Month, BBC Sport explores the story of transgender tennis player Renee Richards, who won a legal challenge to play at the 1977 US Open as a woman.

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Medvedev, Tsitsipas Lead Packed Field In Rotterdam; All You Need To Know

Four Top 10 players will hit the courts at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, the first ATP 500 event of the 2021 season.

Reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion Daniil Medevev and World No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas will headline the action. Both players are searching for their first Rotterdam crown at the 47th edition of the historic ATP Tour event, and the chance to add their names alongside past champions’ including Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg and Roger Federer. Medvedev will make his fourth consecutive appearance at the tournament.

Fellow Top 10 players Tsitsipas, wild card Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev will also join the fray in a stacked Rotterdam field that also features 2015 winner Stan Wawrinka. Andy Murray, the former World No. 1 and 2009 champion, returns with a wild card.

Other players to watch include #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, Belgian David Goffin and Russian Karen Khachanov.

Here’s all you need to know about Rotterdam tennis tournament: when is the draw, what is the schedule, where to watch, who has won and more.

Established: 1974

Tournament Dates: 1-7 March 2021

Tournament Director: Richard Krajicek

Draw Ceremony: Friday, 26 February 2021, time TBA

Are You In? Subscribe To Get Tournament Updates In Your Inbox

Schedule (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: Begins Saturday at 11am
* Main draw: Monday – Friday at 11:00am and 7:30pm, Saturday at 1:00pm and 7:30pm
* Doubles final: Sunday, 7 March at 1pm
* Singles final: Sunday, 7 March at 3:30pm

How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV
TV Schedule

Venue: Rotterdam Ahoy
Surface: Indoor Hard

Prize Money: € 980,580 (Total Financial Commitment: € 1,117,900)

Tickets On Sale: Buy Now

View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown

Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles, Singles: Roger Federer (3)
Most Titles, Doubles: Anders Jarryd, Nenad Zimonjic, Nicolas Mahut (4) 
Oldest Champion: Roger Federer, 36, in 2018
Youngest Champion: Miloslav Mecir Sr., 20, in 1985
Highest-Ranked Champion (since 1990): No. 1 Jimmy Connors in 1978 and Roger Federer in 2005
Lowest-Ranked Champion (since 1990): No. 156 Anders Jarryd in 1993
Most Match Wins: Roger Federer (28)

2020 Finals
Singles: [3] Gael Monfils (FRA) d. Felix Auger-Aliassime (SUI) 6-2, 6-4  Read & Watch
Doubles: [2] Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) / Nicolas Mahut (FRA) d. [Q] Henri Kontinen (FIN) / Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) 7-6(5), 4-6, 10-7  Read More

Social
Hashtag: #abnamrowtt
Facebook: @ABNAMROWTT
Twitter: @abnamrowtt
Instagram: @abnamrowtt

Did You Know…  The Rotterdam honour roll includes Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, Roger Federer and Andy Murray.

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How The Andy Roddick Foundation Has Helped Texans Following Winter Storm

The Andy Roddick Foundation focusses on supporting underprivileged children by providing high quality out-of-school learning and enrichment opportunities for families that wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford them.

But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the foundation has pivoted to support those same families in new ways over the past year. And last week, when millions in Texas were left without electricity, heat and running water following a devastating winter storm, the Foundation again sprang into action.

The Andy Roddick Foundation gathered donations from local partners to support more than 100 of the families it serves year-round to help them in the storm’s aftermath. They secured goods to create grocery bags filled with non-perishable items, packs of Richard’s Rainwater, gift cards to Walmart for groceries, gift cards to Torchy’s Tacos, hot meals from Rudy’s BBQ and blankets to stay warm in the cool conditions. This week, the Foundation is distributing Yeti insulated sleeping bags.

“The effects of COVID-19, systematic racial injustices and the recent weather storms do not fall evenly across our community. The students and families the Foundation serves have been hardest hit by all of these crises,” Roddick said. “Not only is it the Foundation’s obligation to ensure that these students and families have access to high-quality educational opportunities during normal times, but that obligation increases during unprecedented times, such as these.

“That’s why we pitch in and try to help however possible, from providing assistance to meet basic needs like food and shelter to a text or phone call so they know they’re not forgotten. Though this is beyond the scope of our normal focus of providing educational excellence outside the classroom, we will never abandon our families when they need us most.”

Donate To The Family Emergency Fund

The Andy Roddick Foundation’s Family Emergency Fund has raised more than $235,000 since its inception last April. Nearly $10,000 was donated last weekend alone. The Fund has helped support families by supplying them with basic needs, community and educational resources — including for social and emotional health — and at-home learning tools such as tablets.

Separately, Roddick and his wife, Brooklyn Decker helped provide 4,000 tacos to local healthcare workers after the storm.

Another familiar face in the tennis world, Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, who promoted the Tennis Masters Cup in Houston in 2003 and 2004, also helped those in need. McIngvale opened up his furniture stores for Texans who needed shelter and food.

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From Champion To Director: Marrero Leads Challenger Return In Gran Canaria

It is one of the novelties of life on the ATP Challenger Tour. More and more former players have made the transition to a different role, stepping into the office as tournament director.

From Top 10 stalwarts Arnaud Clement (Aix-en-Provence) and Andres Gomez (Guayaquil), to the likes of Luis Horna (Lima), Rik De Voest (Vancouver) and Nicolas Escude (Brest), past champions are giving back. Each of these players’ careers were launched on the Challenger circuit. Now, they are returning to their roots.

This week, David Marrero is the latest to enter the fray. The Spaniard has embarked on a new career as tournament director in his hometown of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. It marks the return of the ATP Challenger Tour to the Canary Islands for the first time since 2009.

“Until now, I was not aware of the responsibility that comes with running a tournament,” said Marrero. “Bringing tennis back to my city of Gran Canaria gives me great pride. I am very happy to have accepted the offer to do this, because in the future I would love to continue being linked to the world of tennis as a director, as a coach or as an organizer. Tennis is my passion and my life.”

Marrero, who ascended to No. 5 in the FedEx ATP Doubles Rankings, is one of two former Top 10 stars who have transitioned to a leading role on the ATP Challenger Tour, along with Poland’s Mariusz Fyrstenberg. The former doubles No. 6 Fyrstenberg is the tournament director in Sopot, Poland.

Marrero has enjoyed a decorated career on the ATP Tour doubles circuit, lifting a total of 14 trophies, including the 2013 Nitto ATP Finals (w/Fernando Verdasco) and 2015 ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome (w/Pablo Cuevas). The Gran Canaria native also made five Grand Slam quarter-final appearances.

Despite all his success, Marrero believes his contributions to tennis in his hometown are the most rewarding part of his tennis career.

“I was at home doing my preseason training and I received a call from [tournament organizer] Marcello Marchesini to ask me about the option of doing ATP Challengers in Gran Canaria,” Marrero added. “The weather and the COVID-19 situation made it a desirable place. Obviously, I told him it was a fantastic idea. I was even more excited when he suggested that I be the director.”

#NextGenATP star Lorenzo Musetti is the top seed at the Gran Canaria Challenger 1. Photo: Marta Magni Images.

The back-to-back ‘Challenger 80’ tournaments are being held at El Cortijo Club de Campo in the town of Las Palmas. One of the more renowned sports facilities in the region, it includes 4600 square feet of tennis and padel courts, a golf course, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, horseback riding area, reception hall and offices.

“I know what players look for in a good Challenger venue. I’ve always liked having open spaces, and in that sense our club is spectacular. We have many spacious areas to relax, a restaurant with amazing views and an incredible warm-up area.

“My main function is to communicate with the players and offer the best service within our facilities and a good hotel that is comfortable for them in the bubble. Above all, my goal is to try to make the players happy during these two weeks.”

The Gran Canaria Challenger 1 features Lorenzo Musetti as its top seed, while fellow #NextGenATP star Carlos Alcaraz will headline at the Gran Canaria Challenger 2.

We are back in Gran Canaria ??!

This week, for the first time since 2009, the Canary Islands host a tournament on the ATP Challenger Tour.

? @meftennisevents pic.twitter.com/5NCbj7wwgf

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) February 22, 2021

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