Tennis News

Simona Halep withdrew from the event citing a gastrointestinal illness.

“We’re sorry to receive the news that Simona has had to withdraw from the tournament due to illness and we wish her a speedy recovery in time for the Australian Open,” Alistair MacDonald, the Tournament Director in Sydney, said. “We look forward to welcoming her back to Sydney next year.”

Halep, who lifted the Shenzhen title last week, was due to begin her Sydney campaign with a contest against Karolina Pliskova. She was eventually replaced by lucky loser Nicole Gibbs.

“During the tournament in China I got this problem in my stomach,” said Halep, who, after winning the title in Shenzhen three days ago, mentioned she was feeling a little bit sick before the final.

“I didn’t play for three days. I was waiting until today to see if I was ready to play again, but I feel like I cannot play. It’s tough to play a tournament like this so unfortunately I decided to withdraw.”

However, Halep does not expect this to impact her preparation or participation in the Australian Open.

“You never know with the stomach, but hopefully in two or three days I’ll be ready to play again,” she said. “Right now I just need to think about recovering, then I will worry about matches later.”

The Romanian is the third seed at the tournament, behind Serena Williams and aria Sharapova. As a clear favourite at the event, she will look to play her best and aim for her maiden Grand Slam title.

“I’m confident now,” Halep said. “Last year I did some good results but now it’s another year and another start, and I’ve had a good start, winning in Shenzhen and playing better match by match.”

The ATP announced on Thursday afternoon that they intend to increase prize money in an attempt to further enhance the ATP Challenger Tour.

The tour, which comprises of approximately 150 events annually, is the stepping-stone for elite competitors who want to head to the ATP World Tour. With that in mind, the increases will take place at the lower end of the spectrum of events – a predicted 100% increase in minimum prize money within the next 10 years.

“Men’s professional tennis is enjoying one of the most successful periods in its history, however it is essential that we see growth across all levels of the game,” said Chris Kermode, ATP Executive Chairman & President. “Almost every player earns their stripes on the Challenger Tour before they make it on the ATP World Tour and every bit of extra prize money helps as they look to forge a career in men’s professional tennis. The ATP is committed to making that career path as viable as possible.”

In 2007, the minimum prize money was $25,000 + hospitality. By 2014, the minimum was $40,000 + hospitality. This will rise to $50,000 in 2015. The tour also plans to offer additional umpires, physiotherapists and other PR staff to help players with accessibility.

The ATP also announced that they will look to alter the Challenger schedule so that it resembles the World Tour one, thus reducing travel costs.

‘We need to get the right Challenger events in the right weeks, reducing travel costs and improving the medical services, player education, officiating and marketing at these events,” added Kermode. “We are taking a holistic approach as we look to make the time players spend at the Challenger level more sustainable.”

After several false starts, Juan Martin del Potro will finally make his long-awaited comeback to the professional tour on Tuesday afternoon at the Apia Sydney International. The Argentine will begin his campaign against crafty Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky, whom he has never encountered on the ATP World Tour.

After withdrawing from a scheduled return to professional competition at the Brisbane International, the ‘Tower of Tandil’ Juan Martin del Potro has announced that he is prepared to return to the tour this week, even though it appeared as though his wrist was still bothering him.

“[The wrist] hurts a little bit. It bothers me sometimes when I hit backhands but I am trying to hit harder because I need to hit harder if I want to play this tournament. Sometimes the pain is high, sometimes it is low,” del Potro said. “It’s much better than [it was] three or four weeks ago and the doctor says that I can’t make it worse by playing at a high level, so I am very positive for that. I need to do a lot of treatment every day. I do a long warmup before practice and matches, which takes a lot of time. That is my life at the moment.”

Del Potro, who is currently ranked No. 138 but will use a protected ranking of 7 in 2015, prepared his training both on and off the court in Argentina. He has not played a match since February 25. He managed to win the Apia international in Sydney at the start of the season, then struggled from then on and eventually opted for surgery after failed bids in Rotterdam and Dubai.

“It will be a big challenge to play this tournament and see if I can start the season healthy and play for the whole year.”

World No. 69 Sergiy Stakhovsky began his year at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open last week, where he reached the second round of the tournament before losing in straight sets to Novak Djokovic. He will now look to earn an upset victory over a former Grand Slam champion to build momentum heading into the Australian Open.

This marks the first time that these two competitors will meet on the professional tour. Given Del Potro’s current state and long layoff, it is unlikely that he will manage a victory against Stakhovsky. However, if he can make the match slightly competitive, he will be well on his way to making a full recovery.

Prediction: Sergiy Stakhovsky in Straight Sets

What a remarkable way to begin 2015.

17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer claimed his 1000th match win on Sunday afternoon when he defeated Canada’s Milos Raonic in three sets to lift the Brisbane International title for the first time in his career.

Federer, who now joins Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl as one of three men to reach that number, defeated Raonic 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-4 in he final and was later joined by Rod Laver and Roy Emerson after the match to celebrate his achievement.

“It’s a little bit tough standing here, in front of so many Grand Slam champions; it’s an honour,” said Raonic in the on-court ceremony. “We all know today was a significant milestone for Roger. When we were warming up, I heard all those titles; I honestly thought he was playing for 2000 match wins today! I think he needs to step it up!”

Federer captured his 83rd title on the ATP World Tour, but it was not a straightforward encounter against the Canadian. Raonic rallied back in the second set and forced a riveting decider between the two players. In that final set, Federer saved five break points while Raonic saved four before succumbing to Federer’s resilient pressure.

“It’s a special moment, no doubt about it,” said Federer upon receiving a commemorative award from Laver. “I’ve played a lot of tennis over the years, so to get to 1000 wins tonight really means a lot to me. I’ll never forget this match.”

With the loss, Raonic drops to a 1-8 record against Federer and a 6-8 mark in finals.

“It was a great tennis match. I stayed out there, competed, gave it my all,” said Raonic. “I gave myself a chance after being down a set and a break. I think it just shows the development I’ve been able to make over the last little while. You put me in that same situation few months and weeks ago and I think I could be out of that stadium pretty quickly.”

For the second consecutive season, 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer will have an opportunity to lift the Brisbane International title. Last year, he suffered a three-set loss to Lleyton Hewitt in the final and will now come up against the big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic. This marks the ninth time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour, with Federer leading the head to head series 7-1.

Watch the final live here: Federer v Raonic

For the third consecutive time, Roger Federer was able to dispatch his younger namesake Grigor ‘Baby Fed’ Dimitrov without dropping a set. He defeated the world No. 11 6-2, 6-2 in less than an hour of court time. Federer remained dominant on serve throughout the match, as he served 82% of his first service points and saved all four of the break points he faced during the encounter. He is now one win away from the remarkable 1,000 win mark in his career.

“I was able to play straightforward tennis, like yesterday, just really aggressive,” said Federer. “Against a really good player, it’s a great result. Happy I didn’t waste much energy like this. I’m fresh for the finals. Probably got a slight advantage over Milos in that regard.”

He certainly does. Raonic, unlike Federer, was put through a grueling three-set encounter against Kei Nishikori and barley edged the Japanese No. 1 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 7-6(4). The entire match took 2 hours and 33 minutes, where Raonic struck 34 aces and won 86% of his first service points to close out the contest. He will now face Federer in his first ATP final of the season.

While Federer leads the overall head-to-head series 7-1, Raonic managed his first ever win over the Swiss star last November at the Paris Masters. However, he was unable to remain competitive against Federer in their most recent encounter at the ATP World Tour Finals. Therefore, given Federer’s energy conservation over the past few days, he will likely have the advantage against the Canadian on Sunday.

Prediction: Roger Federer in Three Sets