Miami 2017
Miami 2017
Mar202017
The content of this article took place at Miami Open presented by Itaú
A week after meeting Novak Djokovic in the third round in Indian Wells, Juan Martin del Potro could face another all-time great early at the Miami Open presented by Itaú, which starts on Wednesday in Key Biscayne.
The 29th-seeded del Potro opens with a bye and could meet Dutchman Robin Haase or 18-year-old Swede wild card Mikael Ymer in the second round. In the third round, the Argentine could face BNP Paribas Open champion Roger Federer.
Federer, the fourth seed in Miami, leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 15-5, but the two haven’t played since the round-robin stage of the 2013 ATP Finals. Federer won that three-set battle 7-5 in the third. The Swiss star will be going for his 26th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title and looking to sweep the March Masters for the third time in his career. He also pulled off the Indian Wells-Miami double in 2005-06.
Del Potro, who fell to Djokovic in three sets in Indian Wells, reached the second round in Miami last year, when his comeback was still in its nascent stages. This year, the 6’6” right-hander has a 5-3 record and all three losses have come against Top 5 players – Djokovic twice and Milos Raonic during the Delray Beach Open semi-finals.
Whomever survives that possible third-round match could meet 14th seed Roberto Bautista Agut, should the seeds play out, in the fourth round. Tenth seed Tomas Berdych or sixth seed Dominic Thiem could be waiting in the quarter-finals, with a possible match-up against top seed Stan Wawrinka looming in the semi-finals.
Wawrinka leads a Masters 1000 tournament field for the first time in his 16-year career. His best result in South Florida came in 2009 and 2014 when he reached the fourth round. This week, after a first-round bye, Wawrinka could face Portugal’s Gastao Elias or Argentine Horacio Zeballos in the second round. Buenos Aires champion Alexandr Dolgopolov or 31st seed Feliciano Lopez could be Stan’s third-round opponent.
A fourth-round duel against 18th seed John Isner or 16th seed #NextGenATP star Alexander Zverev would draw a crowd. Twelfth seed Nick Kyrgios, eighth seed David Goffin and 17th seed Ivo Karlovic are among the favourites to meet Wawrinka in the quarter-finals.
In the bottom half of the draw, fifth seed Rafael Nadal, who’s going for his first Miami title, will face a qualifier or Israeli Dudi Sela in the second round. #NextGenATP star Taylor Fritz, who gained his first Top 10 win in Indian Wells (d. Cilic), or 26th seed Philipp Kohlschreiber are possible third-round opponents for the Spaniard, who is a four-time finalist in Miami.
Ninth seed Grigor Dimitrov, a two-time titlist in 2017, and Nadal could meet in the fourth round, with BNP Paribas Open semi-finalist Jack Sock or third seed Milos Raonic the seeded favourites to face Nadal in the last eight.
Japan’s Kei Nishikori, who lives and trains in Bradenton, Florida, is the second seed but hardly has a cakewalk draw. Former Top 10 player Kevin Anderson (second round), 25th seed Fernando Verdasco (third round), 15th seed Pablo Carreno Busta (fourth round) and seventh seed Marin Cilic (quarter-finals) all could stand in Nishikori’s path to his first Miami title. The right-hander reached the Miami final last year before falling to Djokovic.
Britain’s Aljaz Bedene came through the first round of qualifying at the Miami Open with a 6-4 6-3 victory over Federico Gaio of Italy.
But compatriots Naomi Broady and Katie Swan lost in the women’s tournament.
British number three Broady went down 7-5 6-4 to New Zealander Marina Erakovic.
Teenager Swan, the world number 338, was beaten 6-3 6-3 by a player ranked more than 250 places above her, Risa Ozaki of Japan.
Where can you spend time with your fellow players and learn more about the ATP World Tour? ATP University! Classes again commenced in Miami with fourteen players eager to learn more about the ATP World Tour, including giving back, media relations, nutrition, player relations, social media, medical services and personal finance. Outside of their interactive sessions, players also enjoyed delicious dinners and a group trip to a Miami Heat game.
At the end of the three days of sessions, the ATP IQ test was won by Mitchell Krueger, who happily took hope the coveted GoPro prize.
“I think I’ll remember this for a long time,” said Krueger. “It’s good getting together with everyone. I learned a lot.”
“It was great for me,” said Thiago Monteiro. “I learned a lot about the ATP and I’m very happy and proud to be a part of this. I will take this with me for the rest of my career.”
“It was great. I really learned a lot. I was fortunate enough to sit next to Noah Rubin and that really helped me and got me more engaged,” joked Reilly Opelka.
The Miami 2017 graduates included Krueger, Monteiro, Opelka, Rubin, Marcelo Arevalo, Ariel Behar, Ernesto Escobedo, Jason Jung, Nicolas Kicker, Jozef Kovalik, Stefan Kozlov, Michael Mmoh, Jordan Thompson and Andrew Whittington.
“Everyone did a fantastic job. I think it was a well put-together weekend,” said Mmoh.
Petra Kvitova has regained the use of her racquet hand but there is still no “concrete date” for her return after a knife attack at her home in December.
Kvitova, 27, was stabbed by an intruder in Prostejov in the Czech Republic.
Doctors had said the 2011 and 2014 Wimbledon champion would be unable to compete for at least six months.
“Petra’s recovery is continuing as planned, but everything is up in the air as to her return,” her spokesman, Karel Tejkal, told AFP.
Tejkal said Kvitova’s psychological recovery had been “very encouraging” and that she had been fitness training in the Canary Islands.
“Petra uses her hand without problem for daily activities. Of course, the hand is weakened but at first glance you can’t see that she was injured,” he added.
“But at the moment no-one can give a concrete date.”
Swiss superstar keeps rolling in 2017 with another ‘Big Title’
Once a champion, always a champion. Many had written off Pete Sampras as a serial winner, but after a 20-month drought he picked up the 30th ‘Big Title’ of his career at the 2002 US Open, in what was to be the American’s final bow as a professional.
In Roger Federer’s case, a six-month injury layoff in 2016 that saw him drop to No. 17 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, has only increased his appetite for the sport’s greatest prizes. Off to a 13-1 start this year, with Australian Open and BNP Paribas Open silverware already in his trophy cabinet, at 35 years of age he remains a leading power.
In winning his 25th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy over fellow Swiss Stan Wawrinka at the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday, Federer lifted his 49th ‘Big Title’ to extend his lead over celebrated rivals Novak Djokovic (47) and Rafael Nadal (42) in a golden age for the sport. Federer has now reached an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final in 15 of the past 16 years – from his first at the 2002 Miami Open presented by Itau (l. to Agassi) to the Indian Wells desert on Sunday. Incredibly, 49 of Federer’s 90 tour-level titles have come at Grand Slam championships, ATP Finals and Masters 1000s, and only Jimmy Connors (109) and Ivan Lendl (94) have won more career crowns.
When Ivan Ljubicic came on board to coach Federer late last year, the Croatian, a former World No. 3 who had watched hundreds of Federer’s matches in the past, asked his charge: “Why do you net so many backhands?” In identifying areas for improvement, Federer has been given a second lease of life, an Indian Summer, built on taking time away from his opponents by stepping inside the baseline and rolling over his backhand.
Federer has made it an attacking stroke and no longer a defensive shot that keeps him in a point. In January, Federer won his 18th Grand Slam championship at the Australian Open (d. Nadal) – his first major crown since July 2012 at Wimbledon (d. Murray). Today, he sits at No. 6 in the Emirates ATP Rankings – a rise of 11 places in two months. His personal goal to be among the Top 8 prior to the start of Wimbledon is shattered already.
The remarkable consistency of Roger Federer, winning 49 ‘Big Titles’ in 207 events played at this level (4.22 average), can be compared to second-placed Djokovic, the all-time ATP World Tour Masters 1000 leader (30), who has by the far the best conversion rate of any player, past or present, winning one ‘Big Title’ for every 3.3 events played. Nadal, who lost to Federer in the Indian Wells fourth round, is third overall with 42 ‘Big Titles’ from 153 events (average 3.6).
Today, Federer will travel to the East Coast in search of his third Indian Wells-Miami title double, aiming to add to his 2005 and 2006 crowns in Key Biscayne.
Current and Former Champions’ Big Titles Won (Records Since 1990)
| Player | Grand Slams | ATP Finals | 1000s | Total (Avg) |
| Roger Federer | 18/69 | 6/14 | 25/124 | 49/207 (4.2) |
| Novak Djokovic | 12/49 | 5/10 | 30/95 | 47/154 (3.3) |
| Rafael Nadal | 14/47 | 0/7 | 28/99 | 42/153 (3.6) |
| Pete Sampras | 14/52 | 5/11 | 11/83 | 30/146 (4.9) |
| Andre Agassi | 8/61 | 1/13 | 17/90 | 26/164 (6.3) |
| Andy Murray | 3/44 | 1/8 | 14/93 | 18/143 (7.9) |
| Boris Becker* | 2/26 | 2/6 | 5/51 | 9/83 (9.2) |
| Thomas Muster | 1/29 | 0/4 | 8/53 | 9/86 (9.6) |
| Gustavo Kuerten | 3/33 | 1/3 | 5/67 | 9/103 (11.4) |
| Jim Courier | 4/38 | 0/4 | 5/71 | 9/113 (12.6) |
| Stefan Edberg** | 3/28 | 0/4 | 1/24 | 4/56 (14) |
| Marcelo Rios | 0/26 | 0/1 | 5/56 | 5/83 (16.6) |
| Michael Chang | 1/50 | 0/6 | 7/86 | 8/142 (17.8) |
| Marat Safin | 2/41 | 0/3 | 5/87 | 7/131 (18.7) |
| Andy Roddick | 1/46 | 0/6 | 5/75 | 6/127 (21.2) |
| Lleyton Hewitt | 2/66 | 2/4 | 2/75 | 6/145 (24.2) |
| Patrick Rafter | 2/35 | 0/2 | 2/48 | 4/85 (21.3) |
| Sergi Bruguera | 2/33 | 0/3 | 2/63 | 4/96 (24) |
| Juan Carlos Ferrero | 1/45 | 0/3 | 4/84 | 4/132 (26.4) |
| Carlos Moya | 1/47 | 0/5 | 3/76 | 4/128 (32) |
| Stan Wawrinka | 3/48 | 0/4 | 1/92 | 4/144 (36) |
| Yevgeny Kafelnikov | 2/38 | 0/7 | 0/77 | 2/122 (61) |
* Becker’s four other Grand Slam titles came before 1990.
** Edberg’s three other Grand Slam titles came before 1990.
Roger Federer continued his stunning start to the year with a comfortable straight sets win over Stanislas Wawrinka…
The extent of doping in amateur sport – revealed by a poll for the BBC – is a “concern”, says sports minister Tracey Crouch.
A BBC State of Sport investigation found more than a third (35%) of amateur sports people say they personally know someone who has doped.
Half said performance-enhancing substance use is “widespread” among those who play competitive sport.
Crouch said doping was “absolutely unacceptable in any level of sport”.
She added: “I think there is still more that sports governing bodies can do on this front, working alongside UK Anti-Doping, to help promote clean sport.”
The investigation into doping in UK amateur sport also found 8% of amateur sports people said they had taken steroids, while 49% thought performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) were “easily available” among people who play sports regularly.
Nicole Sapstead, chief executive of UK Anti-Doping (Ukad), the body responsible for protecting clean sport, had earlier described the figures as “incredibly alarming”.
She called for more resources to tackle doping, saying it was “fast becoming a crisis” at all levels of sport.
Crouch added: “These findings from the BBC are a concern.
“It is important that all involved in sport play their part in educating participants about the dangers of doping, both in terms of the damage it does to sport’s integrity but also the health risks to individuals as well.”
Ukad has an annual budget of about £7m, which is mainly state funding. A single drug test costs about £350.
Ukad directs the vast majority of its testing to elite sport and does not “have the resources” to test at lower levels of sport, says director of operations Pat Myhill.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the research was “robust” and added: “We see lots of young people, young men in particular, who choose to use these substances for image enhancement, but this creeps across into sport as many of them will be involved in amateur sport.
“I don’t think it’s helpful to criminalise amateur sports people whatsoever – the way forward is to tackle the supply of these substances and take action against those who profit and make criminal money by supplying them.”
Michele Verroken, who ran the UK’s anti-doping organisation between 1986 and 2004, said she was concerned the BBC Sport research could be “turned into a plea for more money” for anti-doping, arguing testing is “quite limited in its effectiveness”.
“Do we want to extend testing down to an amateur level so we could actually be dissuading people from getting involved in sport?” she said on the Victoria Derbyshire programme.
“It would be inappropriate in a society where we have an obesity crisis and a concern with lack of physical activity that we suddenly start testing at an amateur level.
“We don’t know at elite level how much is enough. We tested Lance Armstrong and Marion Jones extensively and never tested them positive. We need smarter testing.”
American cyclist Armstrong, 45, was stripped of his record seven Tour de France titles and banned from sport for life in August 2012 for what the United States Anti-Doping Agency described as “the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme that sport has ever seen”.
Compatriot Jones, 41, won gold in the 100m and 200m at the 2000 Olympics but was sentenced to six months in prison in January 2008 for lying about steroid use and involvement in a drugs fraud case.
Kieran, 30, took steroids for a two-month period when he was an amateur bodybuilder and boxer about 10 years ago.
He says it caused extra male breast growth and is now recovering after breast-reduction surgery two weeks ago.
“I was naive, uneducated, and these tablets were going around the gym,” he told BBC Radio 5 live’s Your Call programme.
“In all honesty it was a cheat and something to get ahead of the other guys in the gym. I looked around the gym and the other guys were getting ahead of me and I wondered why. Peer pressure was one of the reasons I took them.
“The side-effects have been everlasting. It destroyed my life.
“Because I was putting so much testosterone in my body, my own oestrogen counteracted with it. I couldn’t wear certain clothes because, even though I was still training, no matter what I did exercise-wise I could not get rid of these male breasts.
“I went through living hell – the psychological effects were worse than the physical effects.”
An amateur cyclist, who also called the programme, described injecting performance-enhancing drugs.
“I know from within my team it was quite common,” he said. “It was talked about quite openly. It was just the way it worked. It’s what was done.
“I was in a whole world of trying to be a better cyclist. All the choices I was making in my life were about trying to be faster. I would do anything to be faster.”
Professor Ellis Cashmore, sociologist at Aston University, told BBC Breakfast he thinks doping should be made legal as “we will never rid sport of it”.
“You can test over and over again and you can punish violators but you cannot actually control doping,” he said.
“Anything that confers a competitive advantage, athletes will take.
“That leads me to the logical conclusion that maybe we should accept it, that it is part and parcel of modern sport and somehow monitor it to try to regulate it, but not penalise athletes who do dope.”
Have you ever taken a performance enhancing substance? Does your sport have a problem with doping? Get in touch using this link.