In a special ceremony at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) honored Vittorio Selmi by presentation of the 2016 Golden Achievement Award in recognition of his outstanding service to tennis. The award was presented by International Tennis Hall of Fame President Stan Smith and Francesco Ricci Bitti, immediate past president of the ITF and a countryman and longtime colleague of Selmi’s.

The Golden Achievement Award is presented annually to an individual who has made significant contributions internationally to tennis in the fields of administration, promotion, or education, and who has devoted long and outstanding service to the sport.

“Vittorio has been one of the great ambassadors of our sport for as long as I can remember. He always welcomed players to the ATP events with great hospitality and enthusiasm. His passion for the game and his desire to serve the sport and to see it succeed at all levels is tremendous. We are glad to be able to thank him and to honor his 40-plus years of service to tennis with the Golden Achievement Award,” commented Smith.

Of the honor, Selmi stated, “I am very pleased and honored to receive this award at Foro Italico in Rome, the place where I fell in love with tennis and by the hands of Stan Smith, who was a very top player when I was just a simple tennis fan. Obviously there are many people I have to thank for this and I hope to be able to do so personally but I want to openly express my gratitude to my father Antonio, who introduced me to the game of tennis, and to Jim McManus who brought me to the ATP.”

Selmi has been a staple of the international tennis community since the mid-1970s. He is admired by players and colleagues alike for his enthusiasm for the sport and his commitment to growing and promoting tennis worldwide.

Selmi’s tennis industry career started in 1974 when he was the Player Relations Manager at the Italian Open Championships and Director of Italian Satellite Circuits, positions he held until 1978. In 1975, Selmi took on the role of Manager of the Associations of Professionals of Tennis in Italy. In 1976, he joined the Federezione Italiana Tennis (FIT), where he held several leadership roles until 1979. In his work for the federation, Selmi oversaw the rules and regulations in the national tennis circuit and managed player rankings, among other roles. Selmi embarked on a career with the ATP World Tour in 1979, serving as Tour Director for the ATP International Circuit until 2006. He continued to stay involved in the tour through 2010, working in player relations. In addition to his work with players and associations, Selmi has served as writer for Match-Ball, the Italian tennis magazine.

The Golden Achievement Award is selected from a pool of nominations submitted by tennis federations and individuals from the around the world. The annual honoree is selected by the Golden Achievement Award Committee, which is comprised of tennis administrators.

Past recipients of the Golden Achievement Award are Mark Stenning of the United States (2015); David Jude of Great Britain (2014); Geoff Pollard of Australia (2013); Shamil Tarpischev of Russia (2012); Tim Phillips of the United Kingdom (2011); Heinz Grimm of Switzerland (2010); Peachy Kellmeyer of the United States (2009); Juan Maria Tintore of Spain (2008); Nancy P. Jeffett of the United States (2007); James R. Cochrane of Great Britain (2006); Eiichi Kawatei of Japan (2005); John Curry of Great Britain (2004); J. Howard “Bumpy” Frazer of the United States (2003); Enrique Morea of Argentina (2002); Pablo Llorens Renaga of Spain (2001); Gil de Kermadec of France (2000) and Brian Tobin of Australia (1999).

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Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open – Geneva, Switzerland

David Ferrer and John Isner played some tennis on a mini court nearby Lake Geneva and the famous Jet d’eau fountain. View Photo 

Stan Wawrinka visited HUG hospital with the Let it Beat Foundation, which helps children with heart disease.

“This is a cause I care a lot about,” said Wawrinka. “I want to thank the hospital and the doctors for all the great work and effort. I enjoyed visiting those kids who are fighting hard and doing much better after the treatment they get here. It’s a pleasure to see them smile.” 

Marin Cilic, Matwe Middelkoop, Wesley Koolhof, Marcus Daniell, Artem Sitak, Julian Knowle and Oliver Marach were among the stars to attend the tournament party at the Swissotel Sunday night.

Mariusz Fyrstenberg, Santiago Gonzalez and Pablo Carreno Busta participated in kids’ day activities.

Cilic, Federico Delbonis, Steve Johnson, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and Albert Ramos-Vinolas met with fans and sponsors on site. 

Open de Nice Cote D’Azur – Nice, France

Second seed Gilles Simon attended the FFT Centre inauguration with Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi.

Defending champion Dominic Thiem and NextGen star Taylor Fritz visited with many children from local schools at the Promenade des Anglais for a clinic. View Photo

Kevin Anderson visited the Emirates booth as he went on a tour of the site with ATP World Tour Uncovered. View Photo 

Anderson, Alexander Zverev and Quentin Halys met with their young fans to sign autographs.

Juan Sebastian Cabal, Robert Farah, Johan Brunstrom and Andreas Siljestrom participated in kids’ clinics.

Lukas Rosol withstood 29 aces and outlasted John Isner in two hours and 22 minutes to spoil the American’s return to the ATP World Tour on Wednesday at the Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open. Rosol prevailed 5-7, 7-6(5), 7-6(5).

Fourth-seeded Isner gained the match’s only service break at 6-5 in the first set, but the unseeded Rosol took the second set to even the contest. At 5-all in the third set tie-break, Isner sailed a forehand long to give Rosol a chance to serve for the match. The Czech capitalised on his first opportunity with a service winner.

It was Isner’s first match since April 10. The 6’10” 30 year old missed the season’s three earlier ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events on clay because of a knee injury.

Rosol, No. 68 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, will face Andrey Kuznetsov in the quarter-finals. The Russian defeated seventh-seeded American Steve Johnson 7-5, 6-4. The 25 year old Kuznetsov improved to 18-9 and has now reached four quarter-finals this season, including the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, the Open 13 Provence and the Barcelona Open BancSabadell.

Marin Cilic enjoyed a more pleasant return to tour-level play. The Croat dismissed Ernests Gulbis 6-4, 7-6(5). Cilic had been out since March 27 because of an injury to his right knee. “Very happy to be back, especially after such a long break. I didn’t play any tournaments on clay, and considering this is the first match, I feel that I played a very high level of tennis,” Cilic said. “I’m extremely happy with the way I was moving on the court.”

Cilic will play the sixth seed Federico Delbonis, who swept Thomaz Bellucci 6-3, 6-0. Delbonis, currently a career-high No. 33 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, is trying to reach his third consecutive semi-final (BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy, TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open). Cilic won their lone previous FedEx Head2Head meeting, on clay in 2012 in Hamburg.

Denis Istomin was up 6-3, 3-2 on No. 2 seed David Ferrer when the Uzbekistani had to retire because of a right buttock strain.

After a long period of not writing, I recently posted on my Facebook page about the ups and downs of life on tour and about all the places I never thought I’d ever get to. When I am on the road, I have plenty of time to think and reflect on my career to date, my attempt to return from injuries and about life in general.  

Last week, I was in Uzbekistan playing both singles and doubles at an ATP Challenger Tour tournament in Samarkand. I know many people are curious about life on tour and a behind the scenes look. I thought I’d share some of my thoughts, experiences and funny stories.

I will begin with my injury. In a 2014 Davis Cup match against Slovenia, on clay, just towards the end of the fifth set, I felt my leg hurting badly in my groin area and heard a “click.” I knew right away that something was not right, but I had no idea just how bad! I played on for two more points and won the match. It was a good thing my opponent didn’t see what had happened or he would surely have taken advantage and won.

From that moment, I have been fraught with crises and bad luck but, as they say, “Everything comes together”—and it really does.

I was newly married at the time of my injury and suddenly I was home with no idea what is happening to me. I had my first operation in Israel and went through a long recovery period which included a lot of physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, acupuncture, chiropractors and other treatments.  After about six months, I still didn’t feel totally fine.

I next flew to Belgium to see a very famous doctor and professor. I wasn’t able to escape having a second operation.  It was so frustrating undergoing all of the same post-op treatments again and sitting at home all day, not knowing what will be with me and if I will ever return to playing tennis.  My wife and my whole family had to suffer through my periods of frustration.

I endured 19 shots in the groin, two surgeries and a divorce until I finally returned to playing tennis exactly 12 months later. I came back with the realisation that I am 28 years old, my ranking had fallen and that I have to start over from scratch.  

My first tournament back was the Raanana Challenger in Israel.  Just my luck! I had to face my friend and countryman Dudi Sela in the first round. Even though it is not the way I would want to win a match, I guess luck smiled on me—Dudi got sick and had to retire.

My leg still didn’t feel right and I began thinking that I might need another surgery. I decided to wait a bit more before making a decision. I rested for about two weeks after the tournament in Raanana and suddenly I began to feel better.

I almost don’t believe what amazing things have happened to me in the past 13 months since returning to the tour. I would have never believed that I could reach No. 190 in the Emirates ATP Rankings so quickly. My coach, Shlomo Zoreff, was with me every step of the way, and through all the hard times, and he made sure that the return to tennis was quick and seamless. With Shlomo’s help, I have changed my training and my game a bit in order to protect my leg—and it almost never hurts.  

My family, my close friend, Tal, and my other friends were with me every step of the way. They believed in me and made me believe in myself. The support of the Israel Tennis Association in general, and with respect to the treatments I received helped, me get back on my feet. Finally, the right mental attitude was a big factor in my return.  

I won five Futures tournaments In Israel, but the big turning point was reaching the final of an ATP Challenger Tour event in Nanchang, China—after three years of not reaching a final. The Israel Tennis Association helped me with coaching support (providing me with the coach who had been with me every step of the way). With their support, I reached the Challenger final in China, which was my fourth. I have still never won a tournament in my career. It remains a big goal of mine.

And now, I just keep going! Life on the ATP Challenger Tour is filled with challenges and funny stories. For example, the trip from Taipei City to Karshi, Uzbekistan, via Hong Kong and Moscow was torture!  I had to decide between spending a few hours at a hotel in Hong Kong for $400—or sleeping on a park bench—before my next flight! I landed in Tashkent at 2:45 am on a Sunday, had to wait hours to get a visa, pick up luggage and get on the road—and drive seven hours in a scary cab to Uzbekistan! Then, I went right to the practice court on Sunday, in preparation for my first match on Monday!

Visit Amir’s Facebook page for behind-the-scenes videos

And there are many funny moments. At our most recent tournament in Samarkand, it rained on Wednesday. My friend from Israel, Bar Tzuf Botzer and I were both in the main draw. In fact, we were lucky to make it here alive!  Once there, it was raining all day for two days and we had no gym to work out and practice—so we both were running from place to place for practice—praying we’d get there on time.

I reached the quarter-finals of the $50,000 event in Samarkand and I am looking forward to the spring and summer tournaments. I hope and pray that I will qualify for the French Open at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open.

I will cover a lot of miles, sleep in a lot of hotel rooms, eat in a lot of restaurants, and get to see a lot of amazing cities. And when I have a few minutes of down time, I look forward to talking to friends and family on WhatsApp, catching up with a few of my favourite TV series on the computer, and taking videos of funny things from the tour.

It’s amazing that I’m rising up the rankings, but I try not to look at it too much and worry about where I will be in a day, a week, a month or a year. I am just happy that I am I’m doing the work that I love most and will keep doing so with love—as long as my body holds out!

Speaking during last month’s ATP Challenger Tour event in Tallahassee, Florida, American Ryan Harrison reveals the last time… 

I missed a flight?

It was about a month ago. We were on our way to the airport and the airport in Austin [Texas] is not too big, so usually an hour before is pretty safe. We were a mile away from the airport and there was a massive construction stop with only one lane and we couldn’t get through. We just barely missed the flight.

I lost something important?

I was flying back two years ago from Wimbledon and I left my driver’s license at a restaurant, but someone actually mailed it back to me. I’m not sure how, but it was someone from Chicago. I had the return address, so I sent them a Wimbledon towel in return.

I paid money to rent a court or buy tennis balls?

I have to do that every time I go home. I know the guys really well at the club I practise at and they’ve always been great about courts, but we always buy the balls.

Being famous helped me?

Probably last week at Bonefish Grill. We went for dinner for my fiancee’s birthday. Someone who had affiliation with the [ATP Challenger Tour] tournament in Savannah snuck us ahead on the waitlist.

I strung a tennis racquet?

I do that pretty frequently too. I have a stringer at the house.

I cooked for myself or others?

Last week. I have a grill at the house and all of our friends are pretty good about knowing that when I’m off the road, I usually don’t really want to go out but still would like to see them. Every time I’ve been gone for three or four weeks, we’ll have our friends over and I’ll grill and get something together.

I met a childhood idol?

I met Phil Mickelson at the PGA event in Austin. He was playing against a friend of mine at a match play event, so it was just briefly in passing. I watched Phil growing up, though, so that was pretty cool.

I shared a hotel room with another player?

Austin Krajicek and I shared housing, if that counts. It was the ATP Challenger Tour event in Winnetka last year.

I asked someone famous for an autograph or selfie?

I can honestly say that I’ve never done that.

I went to a concert?

I saw Jake Owen and Jason Aldean and Thomas Rhett for my 21st birthday almost three years ago.

I got upgraded on a flight?

I got upgraded coming from Australia back to Los Angeles this year. I was very, very lucky. We were trying to buy the flight upgrade and the woman at the ticket counter couldn’t get it processed in time because something happened with her computer, so she just printed the upgrade and gave it to us. 

Day two of qualifying at Roland Garros saw a trio of #NextGen stars win their opening round matches on Tuesday, including Elias Ymer of Sweden, and Russians Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev.

No. 11 seed Ymer moved into the second round of qualifying by defeating Dmitry Popko of Kazakhstan, 6-3, 6-3. The Swede successfully qualified for all four Grand Slams last year and will look to replicate that feat this year at Roland Garros. Next up for Ymer is Matteo Donati of Italy.

No. 12 seed Khachanov made his debut at Roland Garros a memorable one by scoring a convincing win over Australian Brydan Klein, 6-3, 6-3. The Russian won his first ATP Challenger Tour title of the year last week in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. He’ll now play Jordi Samper-Montana of Spain for a place in the final round of qualifying. 

Rublev, also making his debut at Roland Garros, came out on the winning end of a lengthy battle against Jan Satral of Czech Republic, 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4. The 18-year-old has good memories of France, having won his first ATP Challenger Tour title this February in the city of Quimper. Rublev has another tough match waiting for him on Thursday when he plays No. 4 seed Jan-Lennard Struff. 

Both the upset and comeback of the day went to 17-year-old French wild card Geoffrey Blancaneaux, who saved two match points in defeating Hiroki Moriya of Japan, 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-1. Federico Gaio of Italy prevailed in what was by far the longest match of the day, hitting a backhand lob winner on match point to advance past Uladzimir Ignatik of Belarus, 7-6(3), 6-7(6), 9-7.

All second-round qualifying matches will take place on Wednesday, with one of the feature matches pitting former Top 10 player Radek Stepanek of Czech Republic against Australian Matthew Barton.