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Tribute: Tommy Haas, Defiant & Brilliant

  • Posted: Mar 16, 2018

Tribute: Tommy Haas, Defiant & Brilliant

ATPWorldTour.com pays tribute to the German star who ends his playing career

The competitive fire still burns in Tommy Haas, but the spirit and, importantly, the willingness to train for quick-fire 60-minute or physically demanding encounters has fizzled out. Beginning his career when new string and racquet technology were both dramatically changing the sport, the former World No. 2 called time on his 21-year professional career Thursday night for a new chapter — time with his family, chauffeuring around his two daughters and completing his learning curve as Tournament Director of the BNP Paribas Open.

“I consider myself extremely fortunate that I was able play professional tennis for a living for more than two decades,” said Haas, at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on Thursday. “The sport gave me cherished friendships, an ability to travel the world, and opportunities to create incredible memories. It also taught me a lot about what it means to face challenges, battle back, and overcome them. To my parents, family, wife and children, thank you for all the love and support that you gave me over the years. And, to the fans, thank you for cheering me on throughout my career.”

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Haas in full flow was aesthetically pleasing, harnessing a complete game on all surfaces to become one of the world’s premier stars. He always competed with his heart on his sleeve as was a natural athlete of great intensity, who could often be heard chatting to himself or his camp. There was never a dull moment in watching Haas, who could beat an opponent in so many ways, centred on his technically sound and exceptional backhand, slice and great defence. From his very first tournament at Indianapolis in August 1996 (l. to Sampras in QFs), Haas appeared to be blessed in game, temperament and looks. The sport appeared to come easily and he soon became tennis’ new poster boy, a part of the ATP’s ‘New Ball Please’ campaign. But when setbacks and injuries started to take a greater toll in 2002, when he appeared to be a major force, it was his character and approach to the sport that became his greatest strengths.

For a four-year period between 1999 and the end of the 2002 season, Haas compiled a 252-90 match record, including two Australian Open semi-finals (1999, 2002), a 5-9 record in tour-level finals — the 1999 Grand Slam Cup final (l. to Rusedski), the 2000 Sydney Olympics silver medal (l. to Kafelnikov in five sets) and the 2001 Stuttgart title (d. Mirnyi), in its final year as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 indoor hard-court tournament. He first broke into the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings on 13 September 1999 and rose to a career-high No. 2 in the ATP Rankings on 13 May 2002, after reaching the Internazionali BNL d’Italia final (l. to Agassi). One month later, his parents were seriously injured in a motorcycle accident in Sarasota, Florida, which left his father, Peter, in a coma. Haas, who was already feeling the effects of a shoulder injury, took time out to look after them and in December 2002, when he heard a pop during a practice serve, he was forced into one of his nine surgeries as a professional player.

Haas underwent operations on his right shoulder (2002-03, ‘07, ‘14, 16), right elbow (2010-11), right hip (2010-11), right foot (2016), but there was always a defiance. In adversity, Haas rehabilitated and trained harder, returning each time just as passionate about the sport he loved, and, importantly, with the same feeling of invincibility. Haas spent a total of 82 weeks in the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings from his initial breakthrough in September 1999 to five of his eight total stints among the elite in 2007 (a total of 26 weeks), when he advanced to his third Australian Open semi-final. There were also three periods when he dropped off the sport’s ladder due to injuries in 2003, 2011 and 2016-17. On two occasions, in 2004 and 2012, he was deservedly named the ATP Comeback Player of the Year.

Haas’ journey to life as a professional tennis player started in 1989, when, with his sister Sabine, both German junior champions. They briefly visited Nick Bollettieri’s Tennis Academy, but unable to speak English, Haas decided to return home. Two years later at the age of 13, he started to develop physically and mentally in school and on the Bradenton, Florida, tennis and basketball courts with fellow young prospect Gregg Hill. Brutal, energy sapping sparring sessions with Boris Becker, Bollettieri’s star pupil, at the academy and in Europe, forced Haas to learn and to improve. But, just as Nicolas Kiefer experienced, comparisions to their idol and the title of heir apparent were unkind and unattainable. Haas won junior titles, such as the 1995 Orange Bowl, German and Austrian championships, but in December 1995 he broke his right ankle playing basketball and, one year later, did the same to his left ankle, both requiring surgery. It was a first jolt to a fledgling, but promising career, showing Haas how easily he would lose everything that he had worked so hard for.

Haas always competed with great passion, finishing eight seasons in the Top 20 of the ATP Rankings, highlighted by a year-end best No. 8 in 2001. He recorded 48 victories over members of the Top 10, his 569 match wins is second-most among German players in the Open Era (Becker, 713) and his 15-28 finals record spanned 18 seasons (1997-2014). In 2009, Haas also advanced to the Wimbledon semi-finals (l. to Federer) and he reached three US Open quarter-finals (2004, 2006-07) and at 2013 Roland Garros.

In June 2016, when Haas was diligently recovering from a torn ligament in his right foot, Larry Ellison, the owner of the BNP Paribas Open, CTO and co-founder of Oracle, approached him to become the Tournament Director of the prestigious ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament. With dual German-American citizenship since 2010 and living in Los Angeles with his wife, the actress Sara Foster, and two young daughters, Haas agreed on the proviso that he’d like to return to the ATP World Tour as a player. In what turned out to be the final victory of his career (569-338) in June 2017, Haas beat his good friend Roger Federer on home soil in the Mercedes Cup second round.

On Thursday night, just two weeks shy of his 40th birthday, at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, venue of the BNP Paribas Open, Federer was on hand as Haas stepped into sporting retirement. “I was happy to be there and to share the moment with him, because it was his moment and it was great to be there,” said Federer. Almost 20 years earlier, Haas had been due to play Federer in the Swiss star’s first ATP World Tour match at 1998 Gstaad, but fell ill due to food poisoning and had to withdraw. As the 2018 Indian Wells tournament gets to the business end, Haas will soon begin to solely focus on his life as a tennis administrator and a stay-at-home father in Los Angeles with his two young daughters, Valentina and Josephine.

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Indian Wells: Venus Williams beats Carla Suarez Navarro to reach semi-finals

  • Posted: Mar 16, 2018

Venus Williams registered a straight-set win over Carla Suarez Navarro to reach the semi-finals of the BNP Paribas Open in California.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion won 6-3 6-2 in just 71 minutes.

Williams, ranked eighth in the world, hit five aces as she beat the Spaniard for the fourth consecutive time.

The American will play Daria Kasatkina next after the Russian, ranked 19th in the world, thrashed former world number one Angelique Kerber 6-0 6-2.

Kerber, now 10th in the world, could not create a break point opportunity as Kasatkina won in 58 minutes.

The Russian dominated with her serve, winning 22 of 32 points with her first serve and hitting three aces past the two-time Grand Slam champion.

Kasatkina has already beaten US Open champion Sloane Stephens and world number two Caroline Wozniacki at the event.

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Federer equals season-best start to reach Indian Wells semi-final

  • Posted: Mar 16, 2018

World number one Roger Federer equalled his best start to a season when he beat South Korea’s Chung Hyeon to reach the Indian Wells Masters semi-final.

The defending champion claimed his 16th victory of 2018 with a 7-5 6-1 win over the world number 26 in California.

The Swiss has matched the start he made to the 2006 season, where he went on to win 33 of his first 34 matches.

He faces Borna Coric in the last four after the Croat beat South Africa’s Kevin Anderson 2-6 6-4 7-6 (7-3).

Federer, searching for a record sixth title, broke Chung’s serve four times as he won in one hour 23 minutes.

He won 70% of points on his first serve and hit 12 aces to beat Chung for the second time this season.

The win ensures that Federer will remain number one after the tournament is finished, while Chung will surpass Kei Nishikori as the highest-ranked Asian player.

Federer reached the final of all four Grand Slams in 2006, winning three and only losing the French Open to Rafael Nadal in four sets.

He also won four ATP Masters titles and ended the year with a win loss record of 92-5.

Following the match, Indian Wells tournament director Tommy Haas announced his retirement from the ATP Tour.

The German, who won 15 singles titles, finished eight seasons ranked in the top 20.

“The sport gave me cherished friendships, an ability to travel the world, and opportunities to create incredible memories,” the 39-year-old said.

Analysis

BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller

Unlike their Australian Open semi-final, from which Chung was forced to retire with a nasty blister, this was a proper contest – but only for the first hour.

Federer took the first set on a cool and blustery desert night, and then had to save four break points in the opening game of the second. After that, it was much more straightforward for the champion.

He is now guaranteed to hold on to the world number one ranking until at least the end of the Miami Open, which finishes on 1 April.

Pete Sampras, winner of 14 Grand Slam titles between 1990-2002, is rarely seen at tennis events these days, but made an exception for Federer as he made the journey from his Los Angeles home.

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Zeballos/Cuevas Reach Indian Wells Doubles SFs

  • Posted: Mar 16, 2018

Zeballos/Cuevas Reach Indian Wells Doubles SFs

Pablo Cuevas and Horacio Zeballos nullified the serving threat of Gilles Muller and Sam Querrey for a 6-4, 6-4 win in 73 minutes on Thursday at the BNP Paribas Open. The Uruguayan-Argentinean duo will next face two-time former champions and seventh seeds Bob and Mike Bryan in the semi-finals. Cuevas has won two Masters 1000 doubles titles at the 2015 Internazionali BNL d’Italia (w/Marrero) and last year’s Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (w/Bopanna).

Elsewhere, Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic moved one step away from reaching their first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final. The in-form third seeds saved all six break points they faced to knock out Spaniards Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez 6-4, 6-4 in 74 minutes. The Austrian-Croatian team broke serve in the third game of each set.

Off to a 21-2 start on the year – including a 17-match winning streak that included three titles from four finals, Marach and Pavic will next challenge Americans John Isner and Jack Sock in Friday’s semi-finals. Sock won the 2015 crown with Canada’s Vasek Pospisil.

Marach and Pavic won three straight trophies at start of the 2018 season – at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open (d. Murray/Soares), the ASB Classic (d. Mirnyi/Oswald) and the Australian Open (d. Cabal-Farah). Their 17-match winning streak ended in the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament final (l. to Herbert-Mahut).

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Resilient Coric Comes Through In The Clutch Again

  • Posted: Mar 16, 2018

Resilient Coric Comes Through In The Clutch Again

Croatian through to his maiden Masters 1000 SF

Borna Coric was down and it looked as if he’d soon be out. The 21-year-old Croatian, who had never beaten Kevin Anderson before Thursday, double faulted to lose his serve and go down 2-4 in the third set of their BNP Paribas Open quarter-final.

Until that point, Anderson had been broken only two times in the tournament, and two more holds would have him in his maiden ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final.

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But Coric remained solid and immediately broke back, and in the third set tie-break, the rising star kept up a trend that has propelled him to his first Masters 1000 semi-final this week in Indian Wells. Coric won his second third-set tie-break of the tournament to advance 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(3). The right-hander has now won 11 of his past 12 deciding-set tie-breaks.

In the semi-final, he will next meet top seed and unbeaten Roger Federer or 2017 Next Gen ATP Finals Hyeon Chung in a rematch of their Australian Open semi-final, in which Chung had to retire in the second set because of blisters.

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All signs pointed to Anderson clinching his spot in the last four of the BNP Paribas Open. The right-hander, No. 9 in the ATP Rankings, had beaten Coric in all three of their FedEx ATP Head2Head matchups, and coming into the quarter-final, Anderson had won 97 per cent of his service games in Indian Wells (38/39).

But Coric, who changed his entire team last year and is now working with Riccardo Piatti and Kristijan Schneider, played confidently and never sulked against the big-serving South African. After losing the first set in only 31 minutes, Coric broke to start the second set and fought off the only break point he faced.

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The third set was back and forth before Anderson lifted another forehand long on match point, and Coric crouched near the ground and screamed at his box in jubilation. Anderson, meanwhile, fell to 0-9 in Masters 1000 quarter-finals.

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