Edmund Discusses Winning Battle Of The Brits In Monte-Carlo 2017
Edmund Discusses Winning Battle Of The Brits In Monte-Carlo 2017
Apr172017
Ninth seed Tomas Berdych survived a scare on Monday when he fought past qualifier Andrey Kuznetsov, currently No. 78 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the final match of the day at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. Berdych goes on to face Benoit Paire or 39-year-old Tommy Haas, the oldest player in the draw, for a place in the third round.
Berdych, who is playing at the Monte-Carlo Country Club for the 13th time in the past 14 years, drew on his big-match experience to prevent Kuznetsov recording one of the biggest wins of his career. The 2005 finalist required two hours for his 14th match win of the season.
Having survived one break point in the first set, Kuznetsov broke Berdych to love for a 4-3 advantage courtesy of his rock-solid backhand. While Berdych came through a 20-point hold for 3-2 in the second set, he immediately grew in confidence to break Kuznetsov for the first time. The 31-year-old Czech went on to fire a backhand winner down the line in the third game of the decider to break Kuznetsov, who is now 0-3 lifetime at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament.
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The Russian, who had earned his place in the main draw by beating former World No. 4 Mikhail Youzhny 7-6(5) in a third set tie-break on Sunday, had Top 10 wins over David Ferrer (2014 Wimbledon) and Stan Wawrinka (2016 Miami) to his name. Berdych had previously beaten Kuznetsov 7-6(4) in a deciding set tie-break in St. Petersburg last year.
Elsewhere, Pablo Cuevas, who captured his third straight Sao Paulo title in March, cruised past 2011 quarter-finalist Viktor Troicki 6-3, 6-0 in 78 minutes to break a three-match losing streak against the Serbian.
Petra Kvitova says she has a “chance” of making a shock return from a career-threatening hand injury at the French Open next month.
The Czech suffered damage to tendons and nerves in her left hand after she was stabbed by an intruder at her home in Prostejov in December.
The 27-year-old was initially expected to be out for at least six months.
But on Monday the two-time Wimbledon champion announced that she has submitted her entry for Roland Garros.
In a post on her Instagram page, she said: “My name will appear on the entry list for Roland Garros tomorrow because, as the entry deadline approached, I had made good progress in my recovery process and I want to give myself every last opportunity to be able to compete at one of my favourite events.
“This unfortunately does not mean necessarily that I will be ready to play in Paris, but that I’m doing everything possible to give myself the chance and keep a positive mindset.”
The French Open begins on 28 May.
Undefeated Aljaz Bedene is experiencing a hot-streak of results on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2017, prevailing past all 15 opponents in his path. On Sunday the Brit maintained his success by clinching the Open Citta Della Disfida in Barletta, Italy, for his tour-leading third Challenger trophy of 2017.
The 7-6(4), 6-3 triumph over top seed Gastao Elias backed up his Verrazzano Open title win in France last weekend and improved his impressive record to 14-2 in Challenger finals.
“I am really pleased with the way I played the last two weeks. I have worked hard to get here,” said Bedene. “I stick to my game plan every match, my level of tennis has been consistent this year and I am trying to stay disciplined through every match, and that has brought me success on this level in 2017.”
Playing as second seed in Barletta, Bedene dropped just one set on course to lifting the trophy, adding to his 2011 and 2012 titles at the Open Citta Della Disfida. The Mediterranean country clearly appeals to Bedene, who has now accumulated seven Challenger titles in Italy.
Boom! @AljazBedene wins a second @ATPChallenger ? in a row after beating Elias 7-6, 6-3 in Barletta! #BackTheBrits ????? pic.twitter.com/EtXVDahUPD
— British Tennis (@BritishTennis) 16 April 2017
“I wouldn’t say it’s just Barletta, I am generally very successful in Italy,” joked Bedene. “I love how much the people love tennis here and of course I love the food. However, Barletta was my first Challenger title (2011), so it will always be a special one for me, different to any other.”
A renewed focus and plenty of endeavour have reaped reward for Bedene, but the 27-year-old signals out some misfortune en route to securing the BMW of Dallas Irving Tennis Classic last month for sparking his recent upturn in form.
“It didn’t start well in Irving, I twisted my foot on the Monday and played that tournament injured, but I fought really well there, which I am very proud of,” revealed Bedene. “I think I was playing well at the beginning of the year, lost some tough battles, but I think that foot sprain in Irving changed many things. I showed myself I can play if I stay disciplined, which wasn’t the case in the previous years.”
Bedene has frequently been able to practise and confide in World No. 1 Andy Murray, who was present at the Verrazzano Open to present his countryman with the trophy at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy. Murray’s relentless work ethic has inspired a change in perspective for Bedene.
“Every time I practise with Andy I learned something,” said the 27-year-old. “Just watching him play is very encouraging, he is a very hard worker and sometimes I can’t believe how hard is he working. He’s a pleasure to watch really.”
Back in November 2015 and Bedene was playing at a career-high ranking of No. 45 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. His fortnight of double Challenger titles has seen the Brit surge up 24 places to No. 69, but the Londoner is intent on building on his momentum to reach his season target of being seeded at Grand Slams.
“I have big goals for 2017, to reach the top 32 and to keep enjoying playing the game, I am playing good tennis, changed a few things in my tennis so let’s see what happens,” said Bedene. “I am enjoying it so far. I am playing great tennis at the moment, feeling fit and ready, so if I stay focused on the tasks I have to do, I will be back where I want to be.”
#NextGenATP German Alexander Zverev silenced a pro-Andreas Seppi crowd on Monday with a memorable display of power and touch to oust the experienced Italian 6-1, 6-2 in 68 minutes at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters.
Zverev, the No. 14 seed, saved one break point and broke three times in the 27-minute opening set under sun-kissed skies, executing a number of fine drop shot winners from the baseline. Wild card Seppi held his nerve in a 16-point service hold for 1-1 in the second set of their first FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting. Zverev broke Seppi in the sixth and eighth games for his 12th match win of the year, which includes the Open Sud de France crown (d. Gasquet).
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World No. 20 Zverev, who leads the Emirates ATP Race To Milan, goes on to face Feliciano Lopez or fellow #NextGenATP and Aircel Chennai Open finalist Daniil Medvedev in the second round.
Elsewhere, 22-year-old Kyle Edmund won an all-British battle against Daniel Evans 7-5, 6-1 in 80 minutes on Court des Princes. Edmund will next challenge fourth seed and nine-time champion Rafael Nadal, who has a 58-4 record at the event.
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ATPWorldTour.com looks at the top Movers of the Week in the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, as of Monday, 17 April 2017
#NextGenATP player Borna Coric has risen 30 places to return to the Top 50 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. The 20 year old clinched his first ATP World Tour title on Sunday at the Grand Prix Hassan II following a remarkable final in Marrakech against third seed Philipp Kohlschreiber. Coric, now ranked at World No. 49, stormed back from a break down in both the second and third sets, before staving off five championship points in the 5-7, 7-6(3), 7-5 triumph.
Coric now stands second in the Emirates ATP Race To Milan and is a strong contender to qualify for the inaugural #NextGenATP Finals in November. Read Marrakech Final Report.
Steve Johnson has moved up four places to No. 25 in the rankings following his title triumph on home soil in Houston at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship. The fighting 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(5) victory over Thomaz Bellucci in Sunday’s final captured Johnson’s second ATP World Tour singles title, with his maiden trophy coming in June 2016 on the grass court of Nottingham. The 250 Emirates ATP Rankings points edged Johnson closer to his career-high position of No. 21. Read Houston Final Report.
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Bellucci has been rewarded for his determined run in Houston by moving up 12 places to World No.53 in the rankings. The Brazilian won four three-set matches en route to the final, but he was narrowly edged from claiming his fifth ATP World Tour title and first since Geneva in May 2015.
Stellar performances on the ATP Challenger Tour have continued Aljaz Bedene’s sharp rise up the rankings. The Brit moves up seven places to No. 69 courtesy of a tour-leading third Challenger title in 2017. The 27 year old won 7-6(4), 6-3 against top seed Gastao Elias to land his third Open Citta Della Disfida trophy to remain undefeated in 15 ATP Challenger Tour matches this season.
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Ernesto Escobedo is another #NextGenATP player on the rise. The American launched up 18 places up to No. 73 in the latest rankings on Monday. The 20 year old reached his first ATP World Tour semi-final in Houston (l. Bellucci), prevailing in a three-hour, three tie-break marathon quarter-final against second seed John Isner. Escobedo was ranked outside of the Top 300 just 12 months ago but his strong start to 2017 has moved the American to No. 4 in the Emirates ATP Race To Milan.
Gastao Elias moves up nine places to World No. 88 having reached his first ATP Challenger Tour final of the season in Barletta (l. Bedene).
Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic will return to the tour at the Monte Carlo Masters this week after recovering from elbow injuries.
World number one Murray last played in Indian Wells on 12 March, and will resume against Gilles Muller or Tommy Robredo on Tuesday or Wednesday.
“I would not be playing if I felt I was taking a risk,” said the Scot.
Djokovic, ranked second, said he “feels great” after coming back with a win in the Davis Cup last week.
Like Murray, the Serb missed last month’s Miami Masters with an elbow issue and will play his first clay-court match of the year when he takes on Frenchman Gilles Simon.
“It’s normal for an athlete to go through [injury] ups and downs,” said Djokovic, 29.
“I trust myself and the effort I put into my game. I have to believe I’ll get the results I’m hoping for.
“All of my thoughts next week will be on this event. I won it in 2013 and 2015. I’m hoping this is the place to have a new start to the season.”
Murray returned to the court in an exhibition match against Roger Federer in Switzerland on 10 April, and has since been preparing on the Monte Carlo clay.
“When I started serving again, I had to progress very slowly, but in the last couple of days I’ve been serving pretty much close to the speed that I would normally,” said Murray, 29.
“My elbow has reacted well, so I feel good about it.
“I will have had pretty much five days before my match of serving at the right speed, so I think it will be fine.”
Murray has a lot of points to defend as he looks to extend his time at the top of the rankings – he lost to Rafael Nadal in last year’s Monte Carlo semis before reaching the final in Madrid, winning in Rome and finishing runner-up at the French Open.
Stan Wawrinka is seeded third in Monte Carlo, with nine-time champion Nadal seeded fourth.
Roger Federer has chosen to skip the clay-court season until the French Open, which begins on 28 May.
It has been 14 years since Rafael Nadal first set foot on the hallowed grounds of the Monte-Carlo Country Club.
A precocious 16 year old with immense promise, Nadal would notch his first Top 10 win over countryman Albert Costa in 2003, before falling to Guillermo Coria in the third round, but that was just the beginning of a reign that sent shockwaves throughout the ATP World Tour for years to come. The Spaniard would return to the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters two years later and proceeded to exact revenge on Coria in the final – his first of eight consecutive titles in the Principality.
Nadal has fond memories from his tenure at the prestigious Masters 1000 event.
“Everything was new for me in that moment,” said Nadal. “It was the first big tournament that I played. I started to play Challengers at that time and won the title in Barletta before coming here. So I had a lot of confidence. I played against players that I knew very well from those Challengers.
“I remember I played against Kucera in the first round, my first time here. And then [beating] Albert gave me great feelings. I had nothing to lose and everything to win. There was a lot of adrenaline and that was an important moment for me. After that I cracked the Top 100, which allowed me to play on the ATP World Tour for the rest of the season.”
Nadal returns to Monte-Carlo as the defending champion after downing Gael Monfils for his ninth title last year. He is bidding to become the first player to lift 10 trophies at a single tournament in the Open Era. And with Roger Federer taking a break, No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Race To London is well within his grasp as he embarks on his favourite time of year – the clay-court season.
Records aside, Nadal says he finds motivation in kicking off another clay campaign. Following a runner-up finish ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Miami, momentum is at the Spaniard’s back.
“This is an important event. It’s one of my favourite events of the year without a doubt. Monte-Carlo is unique for me. I’m trying to work as much as I can to be ready for the competition and adjust my game again to clay.
“I am excited to be here. I started slow to adapt to the clay, hitting for 45 minutes, then one hour and one hour and 30 minutes for the first few days. I did what I needed to avoid the risk for injuries. With more practise, I remind myself how to win the points, how to defend and how to move. It’s a process. Things are not that easy. It takes time. I decided to not play on clay in February this year so it’s a little different.”
Nadal will open his quest for No. 10 against a Brit – Kyle Edmund or Daniel Evans. A third-round clash against #NextGenATP star Alexander Zverev looms large, as does a potential quarter-final match-up versus eighth seed Grigor Dimitrov.
“I am happy playing tennis now. When I don’t have injuries and am competitive, I am happy and enjoy it more than winning titles. I am working to try to keep having these feelings in the coming months.”
It’s clay-court season! ?
Last year @RafaelNadal won a NINTH @MCROLEXMASTERS title – will it be the big 1️⃣0️⃣ in 2017?#mondaymotivation pic.twitter.com/YacRV7sACG
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 10, 2017
