Injured Murray 'not made decision' on Wimbledon farewell
Andy Murray has not made a decision on whether he will be fit enough to make a planned Wimbledon farewell next week.
Andy Murray has not made a decision on whether he will be fit enough to make a planned Wimbledon farewell next week.
Are you more of a Carlos Alcaraz or an Emma Raducanu? Maybe you’re just like Andy Murray? Take our quiz and find your match!
Less than a year had passed since Dominic Thiem claimed his first major title at the 2020 US Open, when in June 2021 he hurt his wrist at the Mallorca Championships presented by Waterdrop and was forced to withdraw during the first set of his opening-round match against Adrian Mannarino.
Three seasons on, the Austrian is back at the venue where he picked up the injury. That moment led to a slump from which he would never return to the form that helped him reach No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Now, at 30 years of age, Thiem is enjoying the Spanish grass courts at one of the last events of his career. He has said he will retire following Vienna later this year.
“I’ve had an amazing career, I’ve always put a lot of passion into it and I’ve given my all, but now that I’ve announced my retirement, I’m very happy, because it’s relieved a lot of stress,” admitted Thiem before his opener against Gael Monfils in Mallorca.
“I can’t wait to play my last tournaments, but also to do everything that comes afterwards. I’m trying to enjoy my last months as much as possible.”
Thiem forms part of a group of accomplished players on Tour who are close to saying goodbye to professional tennis.
“It’s a very emotional year, I’d say, because Diego [Schwartzman] and I have announced our retirement, Rafa [Nadal] and Andy [Murray] are coming to the end and it’s very emotional,” said Thiem, the current No. 134 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
[ATP APP]However, despite the ever-nearing end for those players, the Austrian also had a few words for the most nostalgic of fans. “Even so, there are some players from the old generation who are still playing incredible tennis and we have an incredible new generation.”
This new generation, of course, includes two of the youngest talents on the ATP Tour, who are no longer just promising prospects, but fighting head-to-head at the pinnacle of world tennis.
“Now there are two guys who have been No. 1, Sinner and Alcaraz, who are incredible and play great tennis,” Thiem said. “I love watching them and probably all the fans like watching them, so tennis is in very good hands.”
There is no doubt that Thiem has done everything in his power to avoid an early retirement. However, as much as he battled since his fateful injury, the results have not come. Since his return, he has suffered more defeats than victories (39-44). Regardless of the results, he always tried to take inspiration from some of his peers on Tour.
“Luckily, I had my first big injury three years ago. I’d been lucky with my body before that,” he explained. “Rafa [Nadal], Juan Martín del Potro, [they] had injuries when they were very young, so it’s very inspiring to see how they came back so many times. They’ve been a great inspiration and I’ve also tried to give everything.”
Despite his efforts, the time finally came to bring his professional career to an end, leaving a great legacy in his wake.
“I think the most important thing is that I hope a lot of children, particularly in Austria — because I’m from Austria, and that’s probably where I’m best-known, in my own country — start to play tennis because of me. That would be the most important legacy,” Thiem stated.
“I also hope that people remember me as a good person on Tour, that people have enjoyed my game, that’s also important. I hope it’s a good legacy.”
Given the number of messages he has received since announcing his retirement, Thiem can surely be happy he has fulfilled his objectives.
“I’ve had so many messages. Too many to thank each person, but I’m very, very happy about all of them,” Thiem said. “There have also been people I don’t know so well and they’ve still sent messages, they’ve even asked other players for my number to send me really amazing messages. Of course, every time I’ve received something like that from a player, it’s made me happy.”
Thiem is leaving with a smile on his face, with the peace of mind that he has always given his all on court, that he tried everything possible to be able to compete on the ATP Tour and, of course, in the knowledge that he is leaving the Tour in good hands.
Editor’s note: This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Alex Michelsen made history on Sunday in Mallorca.
The #NextGenATP American earned his first grass-court win of the season at the Mallorca Championships presented by Waterdrop, where he defeated Nuno Borges 6-3, 7-6(4). By doing so, the 19-year-old became the youngest player to win a main draw match at the event.
“That’s pretty cool,” Michelsen said. “I had no idea that that was going to be a statistic, so I’m super happy with that and super happy with the win today.”
[ATP APP]One year ago, Michelsen entered the Mallorca main draw as a lucky loser and nearly defeated Christopher Eubanks, who won the match 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-5. Eubanks went on to win the tournament.
“The island, there are not many places that you go on Tour that are better than this,” said Michelsen, who will next play third seed Adrian Mannarino. “The tournament is very well run, one of the best clubs I’ve ever been to. The courts suit my game. I almost beat Eubanks last year and he won the tournament, so just really enjoy being here and hopefully I can come here for many years.”
The 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF competitor has enjoyed success on grass before, reaching his first ATP Tour final last year on the surface in Newport.
In other action, home favourite Roberto Bautista Agut ousted Japan’s Taro Daniel 6-1, 6-0 in 53 minutes. The 36-year-old converted all five of his break points and won 60 per cent of his return points according to Infosys ATP Stats.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Watch highlights as Neal Skupski and Michael Venus win the men’s doubles final at Queen’s.
Watch highlights as American Tommy Paul beats Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets to win the men’s singles title at Queen’s.
Neal Skupski and Michael Venus captured their first title as a team on Sunday at the cinch Championships, where they clawed past singles stars Taylor Fritz and Karen Khachanov 4-6, 7-6(5), 10-8.
The seventh seeds played fearlessly in the crucial moments, closing the net and striking heavy returns. Skupski and Venus won 88 per cent (37/42) of their first-serve points and raised their level in the Match Tie-break to triumph in London after 77 minutes.
“It has been very special,” Skupski said. “First time winning at Queen’s, first time winning with Mike. We went to University together and we go back a long way. We have never been able to play on Tour much together, so this was nice to play with him.”
[ATP APP]The Briton and Kiwi, who were teaming in just their third tour-level event together, were impressive throughout their run at the ATP 500. They defeated second seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury in the quarter-finals and downed 2023 champs Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek in the last four, not dropping a set in either match.
Skupski, 34, is the first Briton to win the doubles title at Queen’s since Andy Murray won with Feliciano Lopez in 2019. Venus, 36, is the first player from New Zealand to win the title in the Open Era (since 1968).
“I think every match, especially with the doubles scoring format, if you’re not switched on for a couple minutes, it can change very quickly,” Venus said. “Those Match Tie-breaks, one or two shots can make a huge difference. I mean, before today, we managed to get through other matches in straight sets, had won three tie-breaks in the previous three matches. Won another tie-break today and then the [Match] Tie-break.
Fritz and Khachanov were teaming for the first time. Fritz also lost in the final at Queen’s last year. Khachanov won his only tour-level doubles title in 2023 at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid with Andrey Rublev.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Tommy Paul captured his third ATP Tour title and first on grass Sunday at the cinch Championships, where he overcame Lorenzo Musetti 6-1, 7-6(8) in the final at Queen’s.
The fifth seed played with intensity and aggression throughout the 88-minute clash. After racing ahead, Paul recovered from failing to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set, and he rallied from 1/4 in the tie-break, saving one set point at 6/7 against Musetti, who was competing in his third tour-level final.
“Hearing about the names [of previous winners] in the locker room, it is unbelievable. It was my goal to put my name next to them,” Paul said. “Thank you to my whole team.”
King of Queen’s 🏆@TommyPaul1 outlasts Musetti 6-1 7-6(8).@QueensTennis | #cinchChampionships pic.twitter.com/7BP6feczHD
— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 23, 2024
With his 27th tour-level win of the season, Paul ensured he will surpass Taylor Fritz and become American No. 1 for the first time in his career on Monday. The 27-year-old is set to rise to No. 12 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
Paul has been impressive all week on the lawns in west London, where he dropped just one set. The American clinched his first tour-level title in Stockholm in 2021 before he won this February in Dallas. His Queen’s Club crown is his first at ATP 500 level.
[ATP APP]In front of a packed crowd, Paul raced out of the blocks, surging into a 3-0 lead in the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting. He did not let up in the first set, clinching it after 32 minutes. The American then recovered from failing to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set, sealing victory on his second match point when Musetti misfired off the backhand. Paul shared complimentary words for Musetti.
“Watching him play on grass the past two or three years has been really cool. I think everyone kind of thought of him as a clay-court player, and he’s kind of proven everyone wrong,” said Paul, who converted three of his four break points according to Infosys ATP Stats. “He’s obviously a force on the grass courts and is comfortable on it and plays very, very well on it.
It was really cool to finally play each other, and to play each other in the final of a tournament like this was amazing.”
Paul, who committed just six unforced errors, raised his arms in the air following his triumph and shared a smile with girlfriend Paige Lorenze and the rest of his team. The champion explained during his press conference that he had received a motivational text message from countryman Frances Tiafoe on Saturday evening.
“All the Americans are pretty close. We push each other with results, I would say. I mean, it’s definitely a healthy competition between us,” Paul said. “Frances texted me last night and he sent the funniest message, actually. He was, like, ‘Finish your food’, because every time he’s playing, he always says, ‘Eat’, kind of like motivation. He said, ‘Finish your food’, last night. I took that and kind of ran with it.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Watch the moment American Tommy Paul wins the 2024 Queen’s Club Championship beating Lorenzo Musetti 6-1 7-6 (10-8).
Jannik Sinner claims his first title as world number one with victory at the Halle Open, while Tommy Paul triumphs at Queen’s.