ATP Cup: Rafael Nadal pulls out of opener with back problem as Novak Djokovic wins
Rafael Nadal pulls out of Spain’s opening ATP Cup tie with a lower back problem less than a week before the Australian Open.
Rafael Nadal pulls out of Spain’s opening ATP Cup tie with a lower back problem less than a week before the Australian Open.
Nick Kyrios worked hard on his ATP Tour return Tuesday at the Murray River Open. The Australian breathed a huge sigh of relief after overcoming the incredible fight of France’s Alexander Muller in a 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(4) victory over one hour and 52 minutes in Melbourne.
Kyrgios, who hadn’t played a tournament since the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC in February last year, struck 22 aces among 34 winners.
“When I lost the first set I never really panicked,” said Kyrgios, who will next challenge fellow Australian Harry Bourchier in the second round. “I was actually just still finding my feet honestly. I actually thought I was serving reasonably well. I wasn’t serving anywhere near my best. I wasn’t playing anywhere near my best. But I thought my attitude was okay. I kept that pretty calm.
“I’m actually happy the way I dealt with it and I just drew from experience. I was nice to myself. I was like, ‘Look, you lost a set, your first set back and you’re playing a guy who has nothing to lose really’. He came out swinging. I actually think that he would have beaten a fair few guys in the draw today. All around, [I] just believed, really.”
[WATCH LIVE 3]Muller capitalised on Kyrgios hitting a double fault at 3-4 in the 23-minute opener. But Kyrgios raised his game in the second set, rushing Muller into errors. While Kygrios called for on-court treatment of a left knee injury, the 25-year-old held firm in the deciding set tie-break, when he saw Muller recover from a 1/4 deficit. The match ended when Muller hit a backhand into the net.
Two others Australians, James Duckworth and Alexei Popyrin, also reached the second round of the ATP 250 tournament in Melbourne. Duckworth won 26 of 30 first-service points in a 6-3, 6-4 win over Czech Tomas Machac and now faces seventh-seeded Frenchman Ugo Humbert.
Popyrin saved six match points in his 6-7(8), 7-6(2), 7-6(7) victory over Borna Gojo of Croatia. Popyrin failed to convert one set point at 6/7 in the first set tie-break, saved four match points on serve at 4-5 in the second set and another two at 5/6 and 6/7 in the deciding set tie-break. The 21-year-old now faces American No. 15 seed Tommy Paul.
“I think when the first three came along, it was three in a row… on my serve,” said Popyrin. “I was just taking it one point at a time, trying to get my first serve in, trying to hit a big first serve and get a good opportunity to finish the point as quick as possible, because I knew when I would get in a rally I didn’t feel quite as comfortable today. I think the conditions were also quite hard. It was quite windy so rally, so it was important to get those first serves in and all the match points, and that’s what I did.”
Roger Federer says he hopes to return from a long-term knee injury at the Qatar Open in March after missing the Australian Open.
Britain’s Katie Boulter claims one of the biggest wins of her career with a three-set victory over Coco Gauff in the Gippsland Trophy second round.
Rafael Nadal announced on Twitter that he will not compete on Tuesday evening in Team Spain’s opening tie against Team Australia at the ATP Cup due to a stiff lower back.
“Hi all, we have decided with Team Spain and my team to not play today [in] the first match of the ATP Cup here in Melbourne since I have a stiff lower back,” Nadal wrote. “Hopefully I’ll be better for Thursday. We have a strong team.”
Hi all, we have decided with #TeamSpain and my team, to not play today the first match of the @ATPCup here in #Melbourne since I have a stiff low back. Hopefully I’ll be better for Thursday. We have a strong team, all the to @pablocarreno91 @BautistaAgut & @M_Granollers #vamos ??
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) February 2, 2021
Roberto Bautista Agut, who went 6-0 at last year’s ATP Cup without losing a set, will play Alex de Minaur in the No. 1 singles match, and World No. 16 Pablo Carreno Busta will step in to compete at No. 2 singles against John Millman.
Spain advanced to the championship match at last year’s inaugural ATP Cup, falling 2-1 against Serbia.
Tennys Sandgren and John-Patrick Smith were college teammates at the University of Tennessee a decade ago, and on Tuesday they were across the net from one another in the first round of the Great Ocean Road Open.
It was a tough battle at Melbourne Park for the former Tennessee Volunteers, but it was ninth seed Sandgren who prevailed 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 after two hours and 15 minutes. This was the first ATP Head2Head meeting for the pair, who had previously split four professional meetings.
Sandgren, a two-time Australian Open quarter-finalist, saved 11 of the 15 break points he faced and won 71 per cent of his second-serve return points to advance. The American will next play Italian Salvatore Caruso.
#NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz also advanced Tuesday. The 17-year-old was tied at 2-2 against Attila Balazs when the Hungarian retired due to left heel pain. Alcaraz will next play top seed David Goffin.
Carlos Alcaraz will next play David Goffin. Photo Credit: Tennis Australia
Uruguayan shotmaker Pablo Cuevas moved into the second round with a 6-4, 6-2 victory against 14th seed Pablo Andujar. This was the pair’s first meeting since the 2011 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.
Cuevas broke serve four times and won 50 per cent of his return points to triumph after one hour and 26 minutes. The World No. 70 is pursuing his seventh ATP Tour singles title.
Former World No. 3 Milos Raonic served up a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Dusan Lajovic on Tuesday to give Canada a crucial first point over defending champion Serbia at the ATP Cup.
Raonic, Canada’s No. 2 singles player, had to hit the ground running in his tournament debut as Canada was dealt a tough draw, landing in Group A with Serbia and Germany.
The 29-year-old was in command against Serbian No. 2 Lajovic, who won four of his six singles matches en route to the trophy last year. Raonic dropped only three points on serve in the first set and five in the second, keeping Lajovic in check as the Serbian tried to jam him with body serves of his own.
Raonic grew in confidence as the match unfolded, converting the lone break opportunity to finally pull away at 5-3 before sealing the set with an ace. He continued to apply the pressure against Lajovic in the second set, and claimed the victory after an hour and 20 minutes.
[WATCH LIVE 1]“I think I was sharp. I was there in a lot of return games. I kept putting pressure,” Raonic said. “I missed a few break point opportunities, but I kept sticking around and took care of my serve, which is always important.
“This is the first time playing in this event for Canada… It’s a lot of fun to be here. It’s a great honor as well to represent Canada.”
With the victory, Raonic puts Canada ahead 1-0 against Serbia. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Denis Shapovalov are set to take the court at Rod Laver Arena in the No. 1 singles match.
More to follow…
BBC Sport brings you live radio and text coverage plus TV highlights of the second week of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park.
When Sebastian Korda embarked on his professional journey four years ago, this moment became a matter of when, not if. After all, sporting greatness is ingrained in the Korda family’s DNA.
For all players striving to reach the upper echelons of the game, reaching the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings is that first major milestone. It is one that signals your arrival and confirms the belief that you belong on the same stage as the game’s best players.
But not all journeys are created equal. Korda’s path to the Top 100 was not quite as straightforward he had hoped – or many expected.
“It’s a little longer journey than the guys in the Top 100 right now, but I always say that I prefer mine over everybody else’s,” Korda told ATPTour.com. “With what I’ve experienced, I can appreciate things more.”
On Monday, Korda celebrates his long-awaited debut among the 100 best players in the world. The 20-year-old has ascended to a career-high of No. 88 after lifting his second ATP Challenger Tour title in Quimper, France. The youngest player to break into the Top 100 since Jannik Sinner two years ago, he is also the youngest American to join the club since Frances Tiafoe in 2016.
Recent #NextGenATP American Top 100 Debuts
| Player | Age | Debut Date |
| Sebastian Korda |
20 years, 6 months |
1 February 2021 |
| Michael Mmoh | 20 years, 8 months | 1 October 2018 |
| Ernesto Escobedo | 20 years, 8 months | 3 April 2017 |
| Frances Tiafoe | 18 years, 8 months | 10 October 2016 |
| Jared Donaldson | 19 years, 11 months | 12 September 2016 |
| Taylor Fritz | 18 years, 4 months | 29 February 2016 |
The 20-year-old has embraced the idea that his road to the top is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s the philosophy that his father – former World No. 2 Petr Korda – instilled in him from the onset of his professional career. And it’s one that helped him navigate through an 0-7 start to his tenure on the ATP Challenger Tour, as well as an 0-8 record in his first eight professional finals.
With a family pedigree that includes two sisters inside the current Top 20 of the LPGA Women’s World Golf Rankings, a father that ascended to No. 2 in the FedEx ATP Rankings and a mother that peaked at No. 26 on the WTA Tour, expectations have always been high. But it’s that support system that has kept Korda focused and always looking forward, even at his lowest point.
“I always knew I had the game to do this,” Korda added. “It’s just been about getting my body right and really having some good people around me that push me every single day. I know how hard it is to climb the rankings and always being in these tough places. Playing the Challenger level was never easy and I had to battle through that mentally. It really helped me.
“I’ve always been super tough and mentally strong and I try to go back and learn from those experiences. I never take a loss for granted and I always learn from it and build from it. At the time, I put my head down and grinded through it. I’ve come a long way.”
The Korda men – Petr and Sebastian – are now part of an exclusive club, as one of just six father-son duos to appear in the Top 100 in the history of the FedEx ATP Rankings (since 1973). What started with Fred Stolle and Sandon Stolle in the 1970s and 1990s has since included Leif Johansson and Joachim Johansson, Phil Dent and Taylor Dent, Christophe Roger-Vasselin and Edouard Roger-Vasselin and most recently Christian Ruud and Casper Ruud.
Father-Son Duos In The Top 100 (since 1973)
| Father (Career-High) |
Son (Career-High) |
| Petr Korda (No. 2) |
Sebastian Korda (No. 88) |
| Christian Ruud (No. 39) | Casper Ruud (No. 25) |
| Christophe Roger-Vasselin (No. 29) | Edouard Roger-Vasselin (No. 35) |
| Phil Dent (No. 17) | Taylor Dent (No. 21) |
| Leif Johansson (No. 51) | Joachim Johansson (No. 9) |
| Fred Stolle (No. 30) | Sandon Stolle (No. 50) |
“I think the biggest thing was being in New York [for the 2020 US Open] and being around all the guys,” Korda reflected. “They made me feel comfortable in my own skin, just being able to practise with them and learn from them. Understanding what they’re doing and how they’re doing it was a super big help for me. You can play professional tennis for 15-plus years if you’re healthy and everything is going ok. It’s a long road and a long journey for sure.”
As he began to ascend the FedEx ATP Rankings following a stellar junior career that included a title at the 2018 Australian Open, Korda struggled to win a match on the Challenger circuit. From the hard courts of Indian Wells to the clay of Panama City, he would spend a full year developing his game and finding his confidence, before finally notching his first victory. As he says, cutting his teeth at the lower levels was an integral part of his maturation and growth. One year later, the Florida native was rewarded with his maiden title, as he watched his winless run in finals come to an triumphant conclusion on the indoor hard courts of Eckental, Germany.
Now, fresh off a first ATP Tour final appearance in Delray Beach and a second Challenger title in Quimper, France, Korda cannot be stopped. A run of 14 wins in 15 matches has him firmly cemented inside the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings.
“I started the week super stressed because my sister Jessica won her first tournament in 2-3 years last Sunday. I was watching from here and was stressing the whole time. But to see her lift the trophy was inspiring and she was saying, ‘ok, it’s your turn’. I had to step it up a little bit.
“I had it on my mind for the first few days this week, and it was just a relief when I knew I had finally made it. I had worked so hard for this. Since I first started playing tennis, one of my biggest goals was getting to the Top 100. It’s a dream come true, but hopefully I can go a lot higher than this and keep enjoying the journey.”
Jeremy Chardy saved five match points to scrape past No. 11 seed Marin Cilic of Croatia on Monday night at the Murray River Open.
Chardy recovered from 3-6 down in the deciding set tie-break and saved two further match points at 6/7 and 7/8 in a 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(8) win over former World No. 3 Cilic in two hours and 32 minutes. It was Chardy’s first win over Cilic in almost four years (2017 Miami) and he next challenges French compatriot Gilles Simon or Sweden’s Elias Ymer.
[WATCH LIVE 3]Alex Bolt beat fellow Australian and pre-season training partner Thanasi Kokkinakis, who was playing his first tour-level match since the 2019 US Open, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 in one hour and 54 minutes.
“It’s always tough,” said Bolt, who will next face American Mackenzie McDonald in the second round. “We basically trained all pre-season together. So it’s not the best when you have to play someone you know really well. I probably started off a little bit erratic, not as good as I’d like to.”
World No. 265 Jason Kubler will play Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis after he knocked out ninth seed Lorenzo Sonego of Italy 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in two hours and eight minutes. “It’s good for my confidence that after injury I’m heading in the right direction,” said Kubler. “It’s probably my second best [win] ever I reckon. I had a good win [in the 2018] US Open first round [over Roberto Bautista Agut].”
Elsewhere, French No. 10 seed Adrian Mannarino defeated Mikael Ymer of Sweden 7-5, 6-2 in one hour and 32 minutes. It was Mannarino’s first win of the season after he lost to Cameron Norrie in the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com first round last month.
