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First-Time Winner Spotlight: Nuno Borges

  • Posted: Jul 23, 2024

Nuno Borges earned his debut ATP tour title with victory over Rafael Nadal in the final of the Nordea Open.

The 27-year-old Portuguese player spoke to ATPTour.com about the path to his maiden title, his pre-match routines, and his passions off the court.

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What does it mean to win your first ATP Tour title? Not only did you win the title, but you beat an all-time great in Rafa. How special is that for you?
To be honest, I don’t think I’ve processed it yet. It feels amazing, it’s like I was saying, it’s when you least expect it sometimes – tennis is crazy. I came here this week without winning a match for a few weeks, coming from the grass where it was a tricky week, and all of a sudden, I come out playing great and winning the whole thing, and not just winning the title, but beating Rafa in the final on clay, a place where he has won before. Just beating the King of the Clay means a lot to me, it feels surreal to me, and it already feels like it wasn’t yesterday, it feels so long ago and I’m still in disbelief.

This is a milestone moment in your career. How will you celebrate this victory?
Yeah, for sure a milestone. It was something that I wanted to do, I was already aiming for my first semis and once I did that then my first final and then winning the title for sure. It was something that I dreamed about for a long time, and I didn’t think that it would happen this week but again it’s when you least expect it and taking one match at a time can really do these things for you. I celebrated a little bit with the other players last night, with the staff, they provided us with an amazing dinner, and [we went on] a night out just to enjoy it. I was able to have my girlfriend out in town, she flew in just for that so that was awesome too. I wish I had all my friends and family, but it wasn’t possible this time. I’ll go back home today, and I don’t have really too much time to waste. I’m going straight to Paris after, getting ready for the Olympics, not too much time to celebrate, but tennis is like this.

Could you take a moment to acknowledge some of the key figures in your life and career who have helped you to reach this milestone?
Yeah, I’ve now acknowledged some people starting with Australia this year and even before that just being on the Davis Cup team. I think all of those that make me look back and think about all the coaches that helped me throughout my career and my process even before I was a professional and all the friends that were part of my whole journey. Obviously, my sponsors, my family, everybody on my team that without them it wouldn’t be possible. I know they’re celebrating with me right now.

How would you describe yourself as a player, and how would you describe yourself off the court?
I would describe myself as competitive and emotional, but at the same time kind of timid off court. I think tennis and just competing brings a side of me that you don’t see off the court. I don’t like to bring attention or dress fancy, I keep things simple. I don’t like to go out and party, I like to stay in with friends and chill and just chat about life. It’s something that I honestly don’t have too much time to do so I really appreciate those moments maybe more than some other people. I surprise myself with how I act sometimes on court and how I bring that fierceness and competitiveness that I don’t really show too much off court.

Do you have any specific pre-match routines that help you prepare for big matches like today’s final? Perhaps a specific song to listen to while you warm up that helps you get into the zone?
Specifically, for this week my pre-match routines and post-match routines would be to soak my feet in the seawater at the beach. It’s not something I get to do every week but whenever I would have the time, I would put my feet in the sand and enjoy a little bit of the calmness of the sea and a bit of calm before the storm, and after the match the same thing. It would be before warmup and before any routines to get me going for the match, and I would go after recovering in the gym or with the physio and enjoy my time. Besides that, I don’t really do anything special, just get the body going – no special songs, I don’t even listen to songs before the match. That’s something I could actually do more often I think that would be cool.  But I try to keep it simple, even before the big matches I try not to switch my routine and just keep it all the same.

You won the big Challenger 175 event in Phoenix back-to-back and beat Berrettini in the final this year. How did those title runs help prepare you for your first ATP Tour final?
I think playing those big matches against Berrettini for example, and not just those, but other big matches I’ve played, [it’s about] just keeping building on that confidence and knowing I can compete against the best on the big stages as well, and knowing that when I’m playing my best, I’m a dangerous player for them too. I think it is fun, looking to all that, playing those big guys at the highest level on the big stages is really cool. All the success that comes with it is great and it really makes you look back and appreciate all the efforts – the highs and lows. Especially going to an ATP final, it makes you look back a lot.

What do you consider to be your biggest passion outside of tennis and can you tell us a little bit about that interest?
I don’t know if it’s my biggest passion, but I would love to do handcrafts. I guess it’s a little sign maybe, my mum taught me and grew up doing a lot and I don’t mind getting my hands dirty. Right now, I do more puzzles and Legos, which you don’t really need to get your hands dirty. I love baking cakes, I did it a lot over Covid when I had the time to do it and the time to eat them.

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Berrettini cuts through tie-break tension in Kitzbühel opener

  • Posted: Jul 23, 2024

Matteo Berrettini arrived in Kitzbühel with a title-winning confidence, and the Italian needed every bit of it to avoid an early exit on Tuesday at the Generali Open.

The Italian, who on Sunday clinched his second ATP Tour crown of the season in Gstaad, overcame Pavel Kotov 7-6(6), 7-6(5) at the Austrian clay ATP 250. Berrettini rallied from a break down in the opening set and also saved a set point in the first-set tie-break before going on to seal a two-hour, 16-minute first-round triumph.

“A really tough match. I expected that,” said Berrettini after his win. “It’s still clay and at altitude, but it’s completely different [to Gstaad]. It took me some games to get used to the conditions, but the most important thing is that the more I was playing, the more I was feeling good. I’m really happy for my win and looking forward to my next match.”

The No. 50 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Berrettini won 86 per cent (49/57) of points behind his first serve against Kotov, according to Infosys ATP Stats. Now 13-1 on clay since the start of the 2023 season, the Italian will take on second seed Alejandro Tabilo in the second round in Kitzbühel. It will be the second Lexus ATP Head2Head clash between the pair, and the first on clay.

“He’s having a great season. He won two titles and went deep in Rome as well,” said Berrettini of Tabilo. “He’s definitely feeling confident, but I am as well, so I think it’s going to be a great match. We played once in Indian Wells, so completely different conditions and different moments in our careers. I expect a battle, but I am ready for it.”

In other action Lukas Neumayer edged Sebastian Ofner 6-4, 4-7, 7-6(3) in a battle of home favourites, while Hugo Gaston outlasted Daniel Altmaier 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-4. Facundo Diaz Acosta and Daniel Elahi Galan also advanced and will face off in the second round. Diaz Acosta downed his fellow Argentine Federico Coria 2-6, 6-3, 6-0, while Galan defeated lucky loser Hamad Medjedovic 6-4, 5-7, 6-3.

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Murray confirms he will retire after Paris Olympics

  • Posted: Jul 23, 2024

Andy Murray will bring his illustrious playing career to a close after the Paris Olympics, the 37-year-old confirmed on Tuesday morning via social media.

The former World No. 1 and 46-time tour-level titlist will represent Great Britain at an Olympic Games for the fifth time in Paris, where the tennis event runs from 27 July to 4 August. A two-time Olympic men’s singles gold medallist, Murray will then call time on his 20-year pro career.

“Arrived in Paris for my last ever tennis tournament @Olympics,” Murray wrote on X. “Competing for Great Britain have been by far the most memorable weeks of my career and I’m extremely proud to get to do it one final time!”

Murray is set to compete in singles and in doubles (alongside Daniel Evans) in Paris. He won his first Olympic gold by defeating Roger Federer in the final at London 2012, before defending his crown by edging Juan Martin del Potro in an epic final at Rio de Janeiro 2016.

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First-Tme Winner Spotlight: Marcos Giron

  • Posted: Jul 23, 2024

Marcos Giron claimed his first ATP Tour title on Sunday at the Infosys Hall of Fame Open, where he saved a championship point to defeat #NextGenATP Alex Michelsen in the final.

The 30-year-old American spoke to ATPTour.com about his journey to his first title, those who have helped him along the way, his relationship with Andre Agassi and more.

What are the emotions that you felt when you won championship point?
It’s really special. For me this has been years of hard work, years of dedication and years of support from family, friends and coaches. And so I couldn’t have done this without them. My childhood coach from when I was six or seven, Scott Christie, who believed in me from the beginning. My coach from when I was 16 to 22, I called him Frenchie, but [his name is] Amir Marandy. Max Tabatruong, who’s traveled with me for quite some time on Tour. Nick Meister, who traveled with me a little bit a few years ago, and then he’s joined me again on the grass. It’s been really special.

And my family, all the support throughout the years, whether I’ve wanted to play or not, they’ve always been supportive. And so I think for me winning it is really special, because I feel like it’s everybody’s doing, and not just mine. But it’s cool, it’s pretty fun to go and win the last point of the tournament.

Your mom used to toss you balls at the park when you were a little kid. What are your memories of that?
I can’t say I would have thought that I would be doing this for a living [laughs]. But it’s pretty funny. It’s pretty funny how life goes. I was talking with one of my friends earlier this week about how you can go down crazy rabbit holes of all the different possibilities that have gone on through the world, different relationships that kind of came to be out of different interactions. It’s all kind of led to this, which is really cool. It’s really special to win of course. I’m 30 years old, turning 31 next week. Would I have liked to have won it maybe seven years ago? Probably. But I wouldn’t change it. It’s to my personality.

When I was 12 years old playing tennis, I never dreamed that I was going to be a Top 10 player in the world or a Top 50 player in the world or Top 100 player in the world. I never had that dream. But every level I’ve gotten to — 12s, 14s, 16s, 18s, college, I’ve always after leaving a court or when I’m on court, I’m like, ‘Hey, I have the game, I can actually beat the other guy’. And so I feel like it’s been a massive progression.

Even when I got to school, my freshman year in college, I finished the year about 70. As I finished my third year, I won NCAAs. It’s taken me some time, but I feel like my game keeps improving. I keep on moving up in the rankings overall, and so it’s cool. It’s my first time winning a title. Hopefully it’s not my last time either. I’m going to be at a career high in the 30s and I want to keep moving forward. This sport is tough. If you don’t keep improving, you move down.

 

Almost 10 years ago, you had two hip surgeries. How crazy is it to think about that now you’re here?
What’s actually kind of fitting is that when I won NCAAs in 2014, I got ITA Player of the Year and I accepted my award here in Newport, Rhode Island. I had never played the tournament until this year, 2024, which is kind of wild. So it’s weird. It’s weird to think about that. First time playing the tournament, first time winning a Tour event.

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And most American guys have played it by now.
Most times I’ve been too tired after the whole European swing. And so it’s amazing, better late than never!

After you went through the hip struggles, and you were a volunteer assistant at UCLA, and you pushed through that, and at 30 now you’re playing the best you ever have, how much did you have to persevere to get through those tough moments and make it here?
It’s crazy. There were a couple times that I didn’t want to continue.

When I had the hip surgery, I was actually optimistic. But then after finishing the hip surgery and coming back, it still took me a bit of time to to improve, to kind of get through challenges. It took me four years after that to actually really break into the Top 100, and so it took a while…

It’s crazy, but I feel like that’s always a testament to who I am. I’m a hard worker and I persevere. I see things glass half full overall and I’m a pretty optimistic guy and I’m a high energy guy. I typically don’t feel sorry for myself and I never like to feel sorry for myself. The only thing that you can really do is try and solve, find a solution and try and keep getting better. I think it’s just really a testament to who I am as a person as well.

I don’t think too many people knew about the Andre Agassi connection before this week. What are your memories of watching him growing up and this week, what was it like having him in the crowd for a match?
It’s been such an amazing relationship for me, really. Growing up when I was young, I remember that my early first memories of tennis were really him and Pete Sampras playing in the 2002 US Open final. That was my first memory of watching tennis. And so it was amazing. And then my coach when I was younger said that you’re going to serve like Pete and you’re going to play from the baseline like Andre.

Time went on and he was an absolute idol of mine. He was absolutely one of my favourite players growing up. He’s 5’10”, 5’11”, about the same size. Good off both wings, kind of hits pretty flat. So if there’s somebody that I look up to and also kind of play similar to almost, it’s him. You cannot compare careers by any means and so it’s kind of a funny thing.

It was so crazy, fate, kind of random events that made it. I was practising with a junior, almost at the very end of Covid and Andre was there. And so we met there briefly. Again, this title is also so much thanks to him. He helped my game so much. He saw my game, he made me see my game in a whole new light and made me a way better player. More aggressive, but also overall, just seeing so many different ways to actually [see] the layers of the game, and how to really influence a match and the different ways there are to be the one controlling what’s happening, and so he really changed my trajectory for sure.

If we didn’t meet four years ago, I don’t know if I’ve won a title or not. And so I would credit a lot to him as well with the help he’s done to my game and his vision and the time and effort. But again, he’s a super busy guy. He’s got so much going on. And honestly, we’ve been in touch quite a bit. I was always looking at it like, if he could be there, that would be amazing. But also realistically, who knows when that’s actually going to work with the schedules. I’m traveling all the time. He has so many things, his foundation.

He messaged me day of [the match he watched in Newport] saying, ‘Hey dude, any chance you have an extra seat in the box today?’ I couldn’t believe it. I was so hyped and I came out absolutely juiced and so it’s amazing. First tournament he’s sitting there at the match and I won the tournament, so it’s pretty cool. It’s pretty special. And it’s so special for me to have that relationship.

You used to play video games a lot, but not as much lately. What are your hobbies these days?
It kind of depends on where I’m at. When I’m back home, I always go to the beach. I play Spikeball, beach tennis, go [to the beach]. It depends, sometimes I like to go for some fun drives. I like to play board games with friends and family. I love to go hiking when possible.

I grew up skiing. I can’t really do that much anymore, even though I’ve got some legs to do it [laughs]! I don’t want to to pop the ACL! I don’t know, I just like being in nature and just being around people and having fun.

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Goffin beats Shapovalov in Atlanta battle of former Top 10 stars

  • Posted: Jul 23, 2024

David Goffin won a battle of former Top 10 stars on Monday at the Atlanta Open, where he clawed past Denis Shapovalov 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 to reach the second round.

“It was not easy, especially the first match of the U.S. summer. That kind of surface can be different if the sun comes out or not, with the humidity, with the heat,” Goffin said. “It’s not easy to find a good rhythm in the first match [of the swing], but I’m really happy that I managed to win that one. It’s great for my confidence, especially on the first tournament and first time I’m coming here in Atlanta.”

The former No. 7 in the PIF ATP Rankings qualified for Wimbledon before losing a heartbreaker in the first round of the main draw. Tomas Machac eliminated the Belgian in a final-set tie-break.

Goffin bounced back against Shapovalov, against whom he now owns a 2-1 Lexus ATP Head2Head advantage. The 33-year-old is the first Belgian to win a match in Atlanta since Ruben Bemelmans in 2012.

“I was quite focused in my match with the set and a break up in the second. And then he started to make me play a little bit, [was] a little bit more solid, and then he came back with some great shots,” Goffin said. “But I knew if I just stayed consistent, stayed calm to manage my service games at the beginning of the third set, that was the key. As soon as I broke him at the beginning of the third I felt that he was a little bit more nervous and started to make more mistakes. I tried to stay focused until the end and that’s what I did. I’m happy.”

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Earlier in the day, fifth seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina also made a successful debut in Atlanta.

The Spaniard, who accepted a wild card into the ATP 250 event, ousted Frenchman Arthur Cazaux 6-2, 7-6(4). Davidovich Fokina won 83 per cent of his first-serve points and saved all five break points he faced according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Another Monday winner was Japanese lefty Yoshihito Nishioka, who defeated American qualifier Zachary Svajda 7-6(4), 6-3.

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Mensik, Cobolli make winning starts in Umag

  • Posted: Jul 22, 2024

Czech teen Jakub Mensik continued his push towards a place at December’s Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF with a convincing win over Alexei Popyrin at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag Monday.

Mensik, who reached the Doha final in February, improved to 13-10 on the season with a 6-3, 6-2 win over the Australian (13-13), who recently pushed Novak Djokovic to four sets at Wimbledon.

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In the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting, 18-year-old Mensik saved all four break points he faced according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Mensik, who is now 8-4 in first-round matches in his career, next faces the winner of fifth-seeded Italian Luciano Darderi and home hope Duje Ajdukovic, who last week pushed Rafael Nadal to three sets in the Bastad semi-finals.

In another good result for the ATP’s emerging stars Monday, 22-year-old Italian Flavio Cobolli upset sixth-seeded Argentine Mariano Navone 6-2, 6-3. The win lifted Cobolli to a career-high No. 46 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

Brazilian Thiago Monteiro defeated seventh-seeded Czech Tomas Machac 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to set a meeting with Hungarian Fabian Marozsan.

 

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‘Bu’ strengthens claim on Chinese Challenger history

  • Posted: Jul 22, 2024

Two months after claiming his second ATP Challenger Tour crown and becoming the youngest Chinese player to earn multiple titles at that level, Buyunchaokete is back in the winners’ circle.

The 22-year-old on Sunday was crowned champion at the Les Championnats Banque Nationale de Granby, where he prevailed against Frenchman Terence Atmane 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-4 in the final. Despite relinquishing three match points in the second set, Buyunchaokete quickly rebounded to lift the trophy after two hours, 36 minutes.

‘Bu’, up to a career-high World No. 147 in the PIF ATP Rankings, is among a trio of Chinese players to capture three ATP Challenger Tour titles (Wu Yibing, Zhang Zhizhen), having won in Wuxi two months ago and in Seoul in 2023. He is now the holder of a 27-10 Challenger-level season record after recovering from last week’s heartbreaking defeat in the Winnipeg semi-finals. ‘Bu’ held a match point before falling to eventual champion Benjamin Bonzi.

In other Challenger action, August Holmgren became the fourth Danish champion in the past 20 years at that level. The 26-year-old rallied from a set down in both his semi-final and final match, clawing past top seed Antoine Escoffier 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to seal his maiden Challenger title at the Open de Tenis Ciudad de Pozoblanco.

“I’m so grateful that I could play well this entire week. I’ve had a good past few weeks and I’m just keeping the momentum going,” Holmgren said.

<img src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/07/22/14/28/holmgren-pozoblancoch-2024.jpg” style=”width:100%;” alt=”August Holmgren wins the Pozoblanco Challenger.” />
August Holmgren wins his first ATP Challenger Tour crown in Pozoblanco, Spain. Credit: Open de Tenis Ciudad de Pozoblanco

A 2022 graduate of the University of San Diego who fell to Ben Shelton in that year’s NCAA singles championship match, Holmgren is up to a career-high No. 245 in the PIF ATP Rankings. The Espergaerde native arrived at the Pozoblanco Challenger following a title run at the ITF M25 in Nottingham. Holmgren is the first Danish Challenger titlist since Holger Rune in 2022.

Dimitar Kuzmanov captured his second ATP Challenger Tour title and first since 2021 with a dominant run at the President’s Cup in Astana, Kazakhstan. The 30-year-old dropped one set across five matches, downing Georgia’s Saba Purtseladze 6-4, 6-3 in the final. Kuzmanov is the oldest Bulgarian champion in Challenger history (since 1978).

“It feels amazing. I’m really, really happy, I cannot hide it,” Kuzmanov said. “It’s been a long wait. I’ve lost my last couple finals. I was really nervous. It didn’t happen in the last couple finals, but today I was really nervous. Coming back from an injury this year, a difficult period for me. Also a lot of physical struggles during the whole week with my whole body, so I was really glad to win.”

<img src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/07/22/14/29/kuzmanov-astanach-2024.jpg” style=”width:100%;” alt=”Dimitar Kuzmanov wins the Astana Challenger.” />
Dimitar Kuzmanov wins the Challenger 50 event in Astana, Kazakhstan. Credit: President’s Cup

Chilean Tomas Barrios Vera went one step further than last week’s runner-up finish at the Trieste Challenger, securing his fourth title at that level by winning the Van Mossel KIA Dutch Open in Amersfoort. The 26-year-old, who cracked the Top 100 for the first time in January, defeated Alexey Zakharov 6-2, 6-1 in the final.

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Did You Know?
Arthur Fils and Nuno Borges added their names to the list of players who have won a title on the ATP Challenger Tour and ATP Tour this season. Fils, who triumphed at the ATP 500 in Hamburg on Sunday, was crowned champion at the ATP Challenger 175 event in Bordeaux in May. Bastad champion Borges successfully defended his 175 crown in Phoenix in March. Luciano Darderi, Alejandro Tabilo and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard have also earned titles at both levels in 2024.

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