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How Preparation Is Different For Djokovic & Serbia At The ATP Cup

  • Posted: Jan 10, 2020

How Preparation Is Different For Djokovic & Serbia At The ATP Cup

World No. 2 speaks about how the members of Team Serbia help one another.

Each week on the ATP Tour, players prepare for their matches with their personal coaches. But the ATP Cup is a team competition, and World No. 2 Novak Djokovic revealed how having the ability to huddle up with countrymen makes the tournament different.

“We do get together and speak in the hotel before our matches every day, and each one of us shares his thoughts on maybe the opponent that he’s going to have or for the other guys’ match or doubles or whatever it is,” said Djokovic. “It’s quite, I think, open in terms of everyone really having an opportunity to share what they feel like, maybe some advice or things that they have noticed, their observations.”

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One of the positives that Djokovic noted about the ATP Cup is that each country’s Team Zone is right on the court, so he could interact with his fellow Serbians throughout the match. While Nenad Zimonjic is the Serbian captain, every player could share their thoughts with whoever is playing. On Friday, Viktor Troicki was doing just that for Djokovic.

“They are literally behind you,” Djokovic said. “So you get to interact and talk and ask them about things that they see that you can’t really see, what you’re doing right or wrong or what the opponent and the other player on the court is doing.”

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The group element could present the potential for too much information. So while Djokovic said that he and his teammates happily swap ideas about an opponent, they don’t go overboard.

“Everyone is slightly different, so you don’t want to interfere with someone’s routine,” Djokovic said. “Someone likes to talk more, someone likes to talk less, someone doesn’t like to talk at all. So we all respect each other’s trajectories in a way in preparation, and so far it’s been working well.”

Most players remaining in Sydney have their personal coaches with them. So while former World No. 1 Marat Safin says that he does not overstep, he is happy to give his opinion to those coaches to get on the same page and potentially deliver those messages to the players.

“We match with the coaches. We are talking about same things,” Safin said. “But they might say [it] with the different words. So it can get closer to the center of attention in some moments. Mainly it’s the same things. It might be fresh words”.

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ATP Cup: Novak Djokovic puts Serbia through to semi-finals in Sydney

  • Posted: Jan 10, 2020

Novak Djokovic fought back to beat Canada’s Denis Shapovalov and ensure Serbia reached the ATP Cup semi-finals.

World number two Djokovic rallied to beat Shapovalov 4-6 6-1 7-6 (7-4) and give Serbia an unassailable 2-0 lead in the tie after Dusan Lajovic beat Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4 6-2.

Serbian pair Viktor Troicki and Nikola Cacic then beat Peter Polansky and Adil Shamasdin 6-3 6-2 in the doubles to secure a clean sweep in Sydney.

They will play Russia in the last four.

Australian Open champion Djokovic has won all of his singles rubbers at the ATP Cup but was made to work hard by Shapovalov.

  • Live scores, schedule and results
  • Williams through to Auckland semi-finals

Shapovalov, who has beaten top-10 players Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev at the tournament, broke Djokovic in the penultimate game of the first set before serving it out.

However, Djokovic blasted through the second, converting all three of his break opportunities to force a decider.

Djokovic served for the match at 5-4 in the third set and had a 30-0 lead when a spectator was taken ill in the stands and play was halted.

The Serb gave the fan a bottle of cold water as she was escorted out of the stadium but he lost the next four points when play resumed and Shapovalov broke back.

Shapovalov saved four match points, including two off the Djokovic serve, but the Canadian sent a forehand long as Djokovic secured victory in two hours and 41 minutes.

“This was the closest match I have ever played against Denis. It was so close, it could have gone a different way easily,” Djokovic said.

“He was playing some terrific tennis and I want to give a huge round of applause and credit to him.”

Spain will play Belgium later on Friday, with the winner playing hosts Australia in the second semi-final.

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Djokovic, De Minaur To Lead Charge In Adelaide; All You Need To Know

  • Posted: Jan 10, 2020

Djokovic, De Minaur To Lead Charge In Adelaide; All You Need To Know

Draw, schedule, tickets & more about the 2020 Adelaide International

Serbian Novak Djokovic and Australian Alex de Minaur have enjoyed a memorable start to 2020, battling to clinch their countries’ spots in the semi-finals at the ATP Cup. Next week, the pair will headline the field at another inaugural tournament, the Adelaide International.

World No. 2 Djokovic has enjoyed plenty of success in Australia. Last season, he became the first man to win seven titles at the season’s first major. Djokovic also visited Adelaide 13 years ago for the Next Generation Adelaide International, held through 2008, and claimed his third of 77 tour-level titles with a victory over Chris Guccione in the final.

The 20-year-old De Minaur enters Adelaide as Australia’s No. 1 player, climbing to a career-high No. 18 FedEx ATP Ranking after winning three ATP Tour titles in 2019. He celebrated his maiden title last January on the eve of the Australian Open at his hometown tournament, the Sydney International.

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The combined ATP and WTA tournament will also feature #NextGenATP star Felix Auger-Aliassime, 22-year-olds Andrey Rublev and Taylor Fritz, and Great Britain’s Daniel Evans, who won an epic match against De Minaur in the ATP Cup quarter-finals after three hours and 24 minutes.

Here’s all you need to know about the Adelaide tennis tournament: when is the draw, what is the schedule, where to watch, how to buy tickets and more. 

Established: 2020

Tournament Dates: 12-18 January 2020

Tournament Director: Alistair MacDonald

Draw Ceremony: Saturday, 11 January at 9am

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Schedule (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: Saturday at 10:00am and Sunday at 12:00pm
* Main draw: Sunday and Monday at 12:00pm, Tuesday at 12:00pm and 7:00pm, Wednesday – Friday at 1:00pm and 7:00pm
* Doubles final: Saturday, 18 January at 3:00pm
* Singles final: Saturday, 18 January at 7:00pm

How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV  
TV Schedule

Venue: Memorial Drive Tennis Club
Main Court Seating: 5,000

Prize Money: US $546,355 (Total Financial Commitment: US $610,010) 

Tickets On Sale: Buy now at bit.ly/AI2020Tickets

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

Social
Hashtag: #AdelaideTennis
Facebook: @AdelaideInternationalTennis
Twitter: @AdelaideTennis
Instagram: @adelaideinternational

Did You Know… The Adelaide International Rally for Resilience, held on 12 January, will raise funds for bushfire relief in South Australia. “The night will feature support from the WTA and ATP Tours, Tennis Australia, Tennis SA, the Roger Rasheed Sports Foundation and Australian Tennis Foundation and the players to raise money to help those communities affected,” said Tournament Director Alistair MacDonald. “We encourage South Australians to get behind this initiative and we will continue to support the Aces for Bushfire Relief program operating throughout the summer of tennis.”

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After ATP Cup, Medvedvev, Khachanov Headed To Auckland; All You Need To Know

  • Posted: Jan 10, 2020

After ATP Cup, Medvedvev, Khachanov Headed To Auckland; All You Need To Know

Draw, schedule, tickets & more about the 2020 ASB Classic

Daniil Medvedev and Karen Khachanov have been unbeatable to start the 2020 ATP Tour season, going a combined 8-0 in singles action at the inaugural ATP Cup to carry Team Russia into the semi-finals. The two 23-year-olds, who will go up against either Team Serbia or Team Canada on Friday for a place in the final, will look to continue their success next week at the ASB Classic in Auckland. 

World No. 5 Medvedev is set to be the top seed in his first appearance at this ATP 250 tournament. Khachanov returns for the third time, and reached the quarter-finals on his most recent visit in 2018 (l. to Del Potro).

The 2020 field includes three other Top 20 players: Italian Fabio Fognini, Canada’s Denis Shapovalov and American John Isner, a two-time champion in Auckland (2010, 2014). Hubert Hurkacz, who went 3-0 for Team Poland with wins over Dominic Thiem, Borna Coric and Diego Schwartzman at the ATP Cup, will look to maintain his perfect start to the season.

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

Established: 1956

Tournament Dates: 13-18 January 2020

Tournament Director: Karl Budge

Draw Ceremony: Saturday, 11 January at 12pm

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Schedule (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: Saturday and Sunday at 11am
* Main draw: Monday – Thursday at 12:30pm and 7:00pm, Friday at 3:30pm
* Doubles final: Saturday, 18 January at 12:30pm
* Singles final: Saturday, 18 January not before 2:30pm

How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV  
TV Schedule

Venue: ASB Tennis Arena
Main Court Seating: 3,500

Prize Money: US $546,355 (Total Financial Commitment: US $610,010) 

Tickets On Sale: Buy now at ASBClassic.co.nz/tickets

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

Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles, Singles: David Ferrer (4)
Most Titles, Doubles: Patrick Galbraith, Chris Lewis (4)
Oldest Champion: John Alexander, 31, in 1983
Youngest Champion
: Bjorn Borg, 17, in 1974

2018 Finals
Singles: Tennys Sandgren (USA) d [WC] Cameron Norrie (GBR) 64 62   Read More
Doubles: Ben McLachlan (JPN) / Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) d [3] Raven Klaasen (RSA) / Michael Venus (NZL) 63 64  Read More

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Social
Hashtag: #ASBClassic
Facebook: @asbclassic
Twitter: @ASB_Classic
Instagram: @asbclassic

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Lajovic Puts Serbia On Brink Of ATP Cup SFs

  • Posted: Jan 10, 2020

Lajovic Puts Serbia On Brink Of ATP Cup SFs

World No. 2 Djokovic could close out the tie against Shapovalov

Dusan Lajovic gave Serbia a 1-0 lead against Canada in the Final Eight of the inaugural ATP Cup on Friday, defeating #NextGenATP star Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 6-2 in one hour and 40 minutes.

There were dozens of Serbian flags flying throughout Ken Rosewall Arena, with a large Serbian contingent backing its man in the first match of the day. The fans were loud in their support of the World No. 34, who dominated rallies of eight shots or less 66-49, mostly by playing more consistent tennis. 

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Auger-Aliassime was not firing at his best against the Serbian, spraying his forehand at key moments. The Canadian made 32 unforced errors.

Lajovic, who went 2-1 in Group A play in Brisbane, gives World No. 2 Novak Djokovic a chance to send their country into the semi-finals when he faces Denis Shapovalov in a rematch of the 2019 Rolex Paris Masters final.

Serbian Crowd

Djokovic leads Shapovalov 4-0 in their ATP Head2Head series. But one thing Shapovalov has going for him is that the only country in which he has taken a set off Djokovic is Australia, doing so at last year’s Australian Open. Djokovic has won nine of the pair’s 10 sets by a margin of 6-4 or greater.

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Kecmanovic Beats Fucsovics, Rain In Doha; View Friday Schedule

  • Posted: Jan 09, 2020

Kecmanovic Beats Fucsovics, Rain In Doha; View Friday Schedule

Wawrinka, Rublev to resume quarter-final matches Friday

#NextGenATP star Miomir Kecmanovic secured his place in the semi-finals of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open before rain washed out the remainder of play on Thursday in Doha. Kecmanovic raced to 6-2, 6-0 win over Hungarian qualifier Marton Fucsovics in 56 minutes. 

“It was pretty good timing. Good thing that I was able to finish before this happened,” said Kecmanovic. “I’m feeling good. I’m playing good. Hopefully I can keep it up.”

The 20-year-old Serbian has yet to drop a set this week, including a second-round win over 2012 Doha champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Wednesday. Kecmanovic, who finished 2019 with a semi-final run at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan (l. to Sinner), said his off-season training in Dubai with Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Karen Khachanov has already made a difference. 

“It was definitely a good group of guys to practise with,” he said. “And I definitely think I’ve maybe sped up my game a little bit because they take time away for you so much. I think I’ve kind of got a little bit used to it and maybe it’s now a little bit easier to play against some of the other guys.

“But it’s definitely something I still have to work on and definitely something that will, if I can, let’s say perfect or let’s say be my normal game, that I could take it far if that happens.”

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Kecmanovic awaits the winner between second-seeded Russian Andrey Rublev and Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert, who will resume their quarter-final match on Friday. Kecmanovic prevailed against Herbert in a third-set tie-break last year at the Citi Open, but has never faced the 22-year-old Rublev at the tour level.

“I played him a long time ago in juniors, but I haven’t played him since then,” he said. “It would definitely be an exciting match, but he still has to win tomorrow…. I’m definitely looking forward to coming out again and to playing my best game.”

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ORDER OF PLAY – FRIDAY, 10 JANUARY 2020

CENTER COURT start 1:00 pm
[Q] C. Moutet (FRA) vs F. Verdasco (ESP) 
[1] S. Wawrinka (SUI) vs A. Bedene (SLO) 00
M. Kecmanovic (SRB) vs P. Herbert (FRA) or [2] A. Rublev (RUS) 
[1] S. Wawrinka (SUI) or A. Bedene (SLO) vs [Q] C. Moutet (FRA) or F. Verdasco (ESP) 

COURT 1 start 12:30 pm
P. Herbert (FRA) vs [2] A. Rublev (RUS) 11
Possible Court Change – F. Nielsen (DEN) / T. Puetz (GER) or L. Bambridge (GBR) / S. Gonzalez (MEX) vs [3] R. Bopanna (IND) / W. Koolhof (NED) or [2] H. Kontinen (FIN) / F. Skugor (CRO) 
COURT 2 start 12:30 pm
F. Nielsen (DEN) / T. Puetz (GER) vs L. Bambridge (GBR) / S. Gonzalez (MEX) 62 02

COURT 3 start 12:30 pm
[3] R. Bopanna (IND) / W. Koolhof (NED) vs [2] H. Kontinen (FIN) / F. Skugor (CRO) 00

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Anderson Receives 2019 Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award In Brisbane

  • Posted: Jan 09, 2020

Anderson Receives 2019 Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award In Brisbane

South African received his award in Brisbane

Kevin Anderson was presented with his Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award from the 2019 ATP Awards on Wednesday in Brisbane during the ATP Cup ahead of South Africa’s tie against France.

“It means a lot. Obviously we spend a lot of time out here on the court and it’s very competitive, but I think it’s really important to try to give back as much as you can and fortunately as my career has gone on I feel I’ve been able to create a bit of a platform and I’ve tried to use that time as much as I can to give back,” Anderson told the crowd. “I couldn’t do this without my wife [Kelsey] as well. She’s been instrumental and we share the same vision. Hopefully as the years go by we’ll be able to increase our efforts off the court.”

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Anderson Receives Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award

Anderson also received a 2020 ATP ACES For Charity grant worth $/€15,000 to support First Serve, for which he is an ambassador. Headquartered in South Florida, First Serve is an after-school program that serves children from impoverished and high-crime areas, with the goal of engaging, educating and empowering students and helping develop them into leaders in their communities.

“I think we can all do better. I certainly challenge myself every day. There are a lot of great causes you can get involved with,” Anderson said. “I just try to do better each and every single day.”

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Medvedev, Khachanov Push Unbeaten Russia To SF

  • Posted: Jan 09, 2020

Medvedev, Khachanov Push Unbeaten Russia To SF

Russians to next face Serbia or Canada

Team Russia sent a clear message to the rest of the ATP Cup field on Thursday night: Look out.

The young and powerful squad, led by two 6’6” 23-year-olds – No. 5 Daniil Medvedev and No. 17 Karen Khachanov – beat Argentina in the Final Eight in Sydney behind two more wins from their top singles players, who both improved to 4-0 in singles at the inaugural ATP Cup.

We made our job. All the matches were won in singles, which is amazing, and I think only Spain did the same so far,” Medvedev said. “It’s really great. We played great with Karen. Hopefully we can go all the way, but I’m really happy with the way ATP Cup is going for Team Russia.”

Medvedev clinched the tie victory with a gritty 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win against Diego Schwartzman, improving to 3-0 against the 5’7″ right-hander in their ATP Head2Head series. But the match wasn’t without its tension.

Medvedev was given a point penalty after striking the umpire’s chair with his racquet at 6-4, 3-4 and earned a lengthy chat from the usually soft spoken Marat Safin, the Russian captain, during the following changeover. And as Schwartzman ascended, the Argentines in the crowd showered him with “Olé, olé, olé, olé, Diego, Diego!”

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“It was important for him to stay mentally strong, just hold on to what he can. Give the best and see what’s going to come. Not to go too crazy and not to rush with the approach shots, with hitting the ball too hard,” Safin said. “You have to be smart and sometimes squeeze yourself together and maintain yourself calm and see what’s going to come.”

But Medvedev refocused in the third set and broke Schwartzman in the eighth game with a whipping crosscourt backhand winner. The semi-final singles match was played on the baseline, which at times favoured Schwartzman’s speed and patience to construct points. Medvedev, however, had too much power and too many angles after two hours and 22 minutes.

“It was a super tough match,” Medvedev said. “Physically, [it] was really tough. I felt like I was not getting the balls I can. I was not hitting as strong as I can usually. So it made me problems. But that I won this match is the most important, and I’m really happy about it.”

Khachanov gave Russia a 1-0 lead in the tie by beating Argentina’s Guido Pella 6-2, 7-6(4). Khachanov saved five of six break points and controlled play against the left-hander.

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/karen-khachanov/ke29/overview'>Karen Khachanov</a> looks to push Russia to the inaugural <a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/atp-cup/8888/overview'>ATP Cup</a> title in Sydney.

I started to get really pumped, aggressive, and basically making the shots, not missing. That’s important when you want to play aggressive. And I think that was working pretty well,” Khachanov said. “Overall, I’m really happy with my performance today.”

Khachanov raced through the opener, breaking three times and dropping only one first-serve point. Pella regrouped in the second set, but the Russian No. 2 clinched it with his sixth ace.

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De Minaur: ‘It’s One Of The Best Days Of My Life’

  • Posted: Jan 09, 2020

De Minaur: ‘It’s One Of The Best Days Of My Life’

Kyrgios also calls tie, “probably one of the best moments in my career”.

Alex de Minaur suffered an excruciating defeat on Thursday in the Final Eight of the ATP Cup, losing to Briton Daniel Evans in the longest match of the tournament, which lasted three hours and 24 minutes.

But the beauty of the ATP Cup is that when you lose one match, you don’t go home. It’s all about the team and representing your country, and De Minaur got another crack at glory, partnering Nick Kyrgios past Jamie Murray and Joe Salisbury 3-6, 6-3, 18-16, saving four match points to help Australia reach the semi-finals.

“After I got called up for the doubles, I had already forgotten about the singles,” De Minaur said. “With the doubles win, it’s one of the best days of my life. Not gonna lie.”

Throughout the deciding doubles match, De Minaur and Kyrgios fired up themselves with chest bumps and enthusiastic high fives with their countrymen in the Australian Team Zone. After Salisbury missed a return on match point, the close friends fell to the court and rolled around embracing one another. And when they got up, Kyrgios picked up De Minaur and put the 20-year-old over his shoulder.

“It was unreal. The adrenaline has kind of worn off and I’m exhausted after that match,” Kyrgios said. “It was awesome. Today was probably one of the best moments in my career, definitely. Just making it through to the semi-final, the first-ever ATP Cup in that type of fashion, was pretty special. The whole team, we genuinely care for each other, and they were genuinely just so ecstatic to get through.”

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All the players on the court — those competing, and those in their respective Team Zones — were emotionally invested in the match. The likes of Evans, John Millman, and captains Lleyton Hewitt and Tim Henman were on their feet every point, screaming at the top of their lungs in support of their countrymen.

“Players want to play for their country. There is no doubt about that. Tennis is such an individual sport throughout the year,” Hewitt said. “So for these guys to get the opportunity to play for their country, it’s pretty special for these guys. I said before we started this event we are very fortunate and lucky that it’s in our backyard, and we get the opportunity to play as a team for our country on our home courts. We feel privileged to be able to do that.”

There was news before the match started, as Hewitt made the decision to change his doubles line-up, swapping Chris Guccione and John Peers for De Minaur and Kyrgios. De Minaur had just lost a heartbreaker, and Guccione and Peers learned they would not be playing in the tie. But everyone chipped in to a memorable moment that will go down in ATP Cup history.

“I’m going to do anything for the team. I mean, I knew that if I was going to step out on the doubles court, then I was going to make sure that I was going to be fired up, ready to go, and full of energy,” De Minaur said. “It’s just amazing to see what Nick just brings day after day. He’s come back from an epic win against Stefanos, and today he just played clinical in the singles and doubles. I had a match that didn’t go my way, but still, I couldn’t have had a more supportive person after the match and even on the doubles court. So it was great to be on the same side of the court as Nick, and hopefully there is plenty of more times.”

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Kyrgios constantly speaks about how much he enjoys the team environment. After his singles win to start the day against Cameron Norrie, Kyrgios was back in Australia’s Team Zone cheering on De Minaur by the end of the first set. After every great shot in the doubles, Kyrgios waved at the crowd to get them involved.

“It was so much going on. The crowd was amazing. The atmosphere. There was so much going on. I just tried to stay in the moment,” Kyrgios said. “We had a match point, and we didn’t take it, and I didn’t even bother thinking about that again. It was just such an epic match that I was just always thinking of the next point. The stars aligned on that doubles for us. I thought Evo got pretty lucky in some cases in their singles match. Some luck had to go in our way in that doubles.”

All of this happened as the players were competing for more than themselves. Throughout the year when a player loses, they disappoint themselves. At the ATP Cup, they play for the love of country. De Minaur and Kyrgios certainly embraced that on Ken Rosewall Arena.

“When you’re playing for your country, you’ve always got those added nerves. And it’s tougher when things don’t go your way. I was just incredibly proud of the whole team, and everyone out there had my back for the whole match and even after the match,” De Minaur said. “[John] Peersy and [Chris] Gucc[ione], they were coaching us on the bench, telling us what to expect and what to be ready for, and what happened today was just completely a team effort. We couldn’t have done it with anybody else.”

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