How do you post consistent results on a surface that is anything but?

Nick Kyrgios believes a sense of on-court freedom is key to mastering the grass-court game. The 28-year-old Australian, who racked up a Tour-leading 12 wins on the surface in 2022, is renowned for enrapturing fans with his unpredictable, imaginative strokeplay.

“I think just the ability to take one hand off the racquet [is vital on grass],” Kyrgios told ATPTour.com last week. “Volleys, slicing, blocking returns, all the intangibles. You get so many bad bounces on grass, and [you have to be] able to slice and drop shot and bring so many different aspects to the game.”

Kyrgios’ homeland has a deep-rooted culture of grass-court tennis. The Australian Open was held on the surface until 1987, and the country’s ATP Tour stars continue to live up to that history. This year has been no exception, with Jordan Thompson (‘s-Hertogenbosch) and Alex de Minaur (at the Queen’s Club) both reaching ATP Tour finals across the opening two weeks of the grass-court season.

“I think you look at some of the best grass-court players in the world, someone like Roger [Federer] was so good because he was able to adapt and hit so many different shots,” said Kyrgios. “I think Aussie’s don’t mind getting a bit dirty and trying to find different ways to win. So that’s why you see so many of us having some good results on [grass].

“Pretty much as soon as we played tennis there were national tournaments in Australia on grass. Under 10s, 12s, 14s. So we all grew up on and we were all very comfortable on it. There’s no surprise when I see other Aussies having good results on it. We all feel really comfy on it.”

Kyrgios announced himself on the world stage as a 19-year-old in 2014 when he downed then-World No. 1 Rafael Nadal en route to the Wimbledon quarter-finals. Eight years later, the Australian charged to his maiden major final at SW19, where he was unable to prevent Novak Djokovic from winning his fourth consecutive title. Despite falling just short of a dream major trophy, Kyrgios holds fond memories of his exploits in London a year ago.

“It was amazing. The fact that it’s only been a year. It’s been crazy,” he said. “Everything off the court and all the attention obviously… It is a tournament where I think every tennis player wants to do well. People that don’t play tennis know about Wimbledon.

“I think it’s the fact that you’ve done all the work over your life to actually post the result of that tournament, that’s going to be remembered for the rest of your life. It’s a pretty special feeling. I think every tennis player, at the end of day, works so hard to have one of those results at a Grand Slam.

“I was one short but I’m not sad about saying I lost to the greatest player of all time and gave him a real match. It’s going to be good walking there for the first time [this year] and there’s going be a lot of media attention around it as well. So let’s see how it goes.”

After missing the first five months of the 2023 season following knee surgery, Kyrgios made his comeback to the ATP Tour in Stuttgart earlier this month. Ongoing issues with his left knee mean his defeat to Wu Yibing in Germany will be his only competitive match before Wimbledon. Far-from-ideal preparation, but Kyrgios is not concerned about any raised expectations on him this time around.

“I think if anything it’s going to help me, the fact that I’ve already posted such a good result there and I know that Centre Court so well,” said Kyrgios, who holds a 20-8 record at the grass-court major. “I know what I need to do to be successful. I think all the pressure is off me, to be honest.

“I think that people always say once you have results, that’s when the pressure starts kicking in. But for me, it’s been the reverse my whole career. When I’ve won tournaments or when I’ve done really well, it’s almost the opposite. It’s almost like you’ve proven yourself and now you can actually just relax and have some fun with it.

“I don’t think I’ve got anything left to prove in my career to be honest. I’ve beaten some amazing players, won some really big tournaments, [made the] final of a Grand Slam, won a doubles Grand Slam. I feel like now, this is why you work. So you can actually have fun and just enjoy it.”

Kyrgios is bidding to follow his countrymen Rod Laver, John Newcombe, Pat Cash and Lleyton Hewitt in lifting the men’s singles trophy on Centre Court during the Open Era (since 1968). Regardless of how far he goes this year, the seven-time ATP Tour titlist will relish being back on one of the most historic sites in tennis at the All England Club.

“I think it’s just Wimbledon in general,” said Kyrgios, when asked about what made him so passionate about the grass-court major. “Just the accommodation, in terms of staying right next to the courts, to just stepping foot on that site. You just feel like that’s tennis.

“Every other tournament is tennis, obviously, but there’s something about Wimbledon that just breathes it. There’s so much culture there and that’s where it kind of began. So, I think I’m really happy that my best result ever at a singles Grand Slam was at Wimbledon. I think that’s just an incredible thing to [be able to] say.”

One of the longest careers in the history of the ATP Tour has reached its conclusion. Feliciano Lopez has said goodbye to the circuit at 41 years of age after 26 seasons as a professional, having lost on Thursday to Yannick Hanfmann at the Mallorca Championships.

He did so at home, surrounded by his family, his fans, and many of the players he has competed with for so long. Fittingly, Lopez’s final match came on the surface that has given him the most joy in his career: He has claimed more wins on grass than any other Spaniard.

Most Tour-level Wins On Grass By Spaniards

Watch Highlights Of Lopez’s Final Match:

That achievement came by virtue of his unique brand of tennis, which came about despite having learnt the game in the same conditions as his fellow Spaniards in a system designed to produce clay specialists. However, his serve, his volleying and an innate touch at the net made him into a more classical grass-court player.

“I was a different player without trying to be, because of my identity as a player, my style and my serve,” Lopez told ATPTour.com. “But I didn’t train to have that style of tennis. I grew up like most Spaniards. I trained in Barcelona, but naturally decided to be this type of player, different to the rest.”

That ‘strange player’ – as he describes himself – was destined to make history. Since picking up his first main draw singles win at a Grand Slam at Roland Garros in 2002, he didn’t miss a single main draw in the category for 20 straight years, until Roland Garros 2022, giving him the all-time record of 79 straight major appearances.

“I feel very proud of having been able to make it through 20 years as a professional without missing one, but also of having left a good impression on my fellow players and on the people I have spent time with,” the Toledo native explained.

Feliciano Lopez” />
_{^{Lopez in action against Lleyton Hewitt during his first Wimbledon quarter-final in 2005. Photo: Phil Cole/Getty Images.}}
It was on the grass of Wimbledon that Lopez produced his first big result at a major with a fourth-round run in 2002. The London major is the only one where he reached the quarter-finals three times. His ability to find a way to win on grass, more than any of his countrymen, earned him his first call up for Spain’s Davis Cup team in 2003.

“I made my debut in a final against Australia, because it was played on grass and at that time I was practically the only player who had good results on the surface,” he revealed. “They dropped a player who had been playing on the team all year and picked me. The experience gave me so many wonderful feelings.”

He enjoyed what he calls his “best week” on the ATP Tour on the same surface. It came in 2019, when he was crowned champion of the singles and doubles at the Cinch Championships at The Queen’s Club.

“It’s impossible to beat something like that,” Lopez said. “At almost 40 I managed to win a tournament like Queen’s, also in doubles, playing 15 hours of tennis in three days. At that age [37], and with Andy [Murray] who had just had a hip operation, in his home country and at a tournament that’s special to me. Everything that happened that week is impossible to replicate any other time.”

There is one statistic that is etched into Lopez’s mind after so long among the ATP Tour’s elite; breaking the 500-win barrier. “I’m not someone who constantly looks at statistics and numbers, but when I saw the list of players who had achieved it, I felt proud because when you see those names you think how amazing it is to be on that list with those people,” Lopez said. “There are players you admire from every era.”

Lopez reached the mark last year in Mallorca, on the same stage where he today hung up his racquet with almost a thousand matches under his belt and a career record of 506-490.

The Spaniard is delighted to have been able to choose how to say goodbye. “I didn’t want to retire with people feeling sorry for me, or playing a level that I wouldn’t have felt comfortable with,” he revealed. “I’m very happy to be able to play how I have so far. I feel competitive and that’s what I wanted.”

Feliciano Lopez” />

_{^{Lopez lifted his third ATP Tour title — his first of four on grass — in Eastbourne in 2013. Photo: Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images.}}
Acapulco, the ATP Challenger Tour event in Murcia, Barcelona, Stuttgart, Queen’s and Mallorca were the six stops in his own personal swan song. “I prepared diligently in every sense,” Lopez said. “I was on a diet, losing weight, even training in the afternoons on some days.

“When I went to Acapulco, I was a little scared, because even if you’ve been playing tennis your whole life, when you stop playing so much it’s a bit frightening. But I was pleasantly surprised, because I competed well and I beat [Christopher] Eubanks. I lost a good match against [Frances] Tiafoe, and that gave me peace of mind for the other tournaments, because I felt competitive and that’s what I wanted.”

On Thursday 29 June, 2023, Feliciano Lopez brought his long career to an end. He leaves the Tour with seven singles titles to his name and a further six in doubles – one of them a major (2016 Roland Garros with Marc Lopez). ‘Feli’ has reason to smile as he says his final goodbye.

“Of course, not everyone loves me,” Lopez said. “That’s normal and not something I aspire to, but I’m proud to have left positive memories, to have been a courteous person, and a bit of a different tennis player.”

Christopher Eubanks’ breakthrough season hit a new height on Thursday in Spain.

The American reached his first ATP Tour semi-final by defeating French lucky loser Arthur Rinderknech 7-6(5), 7-6(4) in the last eight of the Mallorca Championships.

“My serve really came up pretty clutch when I needed it to. I was broken twice today. It was the first time I think I was broken in the tournament, so I had to kind of regroup a little bit after that,” Eubanks said in his on-court interview. “But I was able to kind of regain my composure, get back to playing the way that I can play, playing aggressive, and I think it worked out in the end.

“As far as Mallorca, I’ve been able to get a lot of support here, which has been surprising, so I really appreciate you guys for coming out. I know some of the big names have gone on to Wimbledon, but for you guys to still come out in this type of heat and humidity to support us really means a lot.”

It was Eubanks’ third tour-level quarter-final and he took advantage of his opportunity on the grass. The 27-year-old hit 10 aces and won 82 per cent of his first-serve points to move on after one hour and 58 minutes.

Eubanks is up to a career-high No. 58 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings and has an opportunity to continue climbing. At the beginning of the season, he was World No. 123 and had not yet broken into the Top 100.

Next up will be South African Lloyd Harris, whom Eubanks defeated in three sets last month at a hard-court ATP Challenger Tour event in Gwangju, South Korea.

“It’s going to be fun. Lloyd and I know each other pretty well. We actually played each other a few weeks ago in Korea in the first round of a Challenger,” Eubanks said. “So I think if you had told both of us that we’d be playing in the semi-finals of a 250, we both would take it.”

Harris, a qualifier, eliminated lucky loser Pavel Kotov 7-5, 6-2. The former World No. 31 will try to reach his first ATP Tour final since Dubai in 2021.

Top seeds Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin booked their ticket to the semi-finals Wednesday at the Mallorca Championships.

The Mexican-French duo downed Francisco Cabral and Rafael Matos 6-3, 7-6(3) after one hour, 22 minutes. Gonzalez and Roger-Vasselin, who collected titles in Marseille and Miami earlier this season, will next face Yuki Bhambri and Lloyd Harris after the Indian-South African team ousted fourth seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 6-4, 6-4.

Americans Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow also reached the last four in Mallorca, where they survived second seeds Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen 4-6, 6-3, 10-8. In second-round action, Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni escaped Marcelo Melo and John Peers 7-6(5), 3-6, 10-5.

Top Two Seeds Advance In Eastbourne
Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek defeated home favourites Liam Broady and Jonny O’Mara 6-4, 6-4 to extend their 12-match winning streak and the reach the semi-finals of the Rothesay International. The Croatian-American pair triumphed at Roland Garros and last week at The Queen’s Club.

Second seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury eased past Romain Arneodo and Sam Weissborn 6-1, 6-2 after winning 19 of 21 first-serve points. Fourth seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic also advanced after beating Gonzalo Escobar and Aleksandr Nedovyesov 6-4, 6-4.

Australians Matthew Ebden and John-Patrick Smith rallied to upset third seeds Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski 4-6, 6-3, 10-7.

Taro Daniel is one win from earning his way into the Wimbledon main draw. The Japanese star advanced to the final round of qualifying on Wednesday when he defeated Luca Nardi 6-3, 6-3.

Daniel has competed in the main draw at SW19 four times. The 30-year-old reached the second round at Roland Garros and the quarter-finals in Acapulco earlier this year.

Former World No. 10 Lucas Pouille won his second consecutive three-setter 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3 against Giulio Zeppieri to make the final round of qualifying. Third seed Fabian Marozsan, who stunned Carlos Alcaraz in Rome, eliminated Elias Ymer 6-3, 7-6(1).

Denis Kudla, who advanced to the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2015, beat Tung-Lin Wu 6-3, 6-4 and another American, Michael Mmoh, defeated Dragos Nicolae Madaras 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.

Watch Mmoh Travel Like A Pro Feature:

Two 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals competitors also moved on. Top seed Matteo Arnaldi beat countryman Federico Gaio 7-6(5), 6-4 and 10th seed Dominic Stricker eased past Juan Pablo Ficovich 6-4, 6-3.

In other action, #NextGenATP Serbian Hamad Medjedovic battled past Ricardas Berankis 7-6(2), 6-7(2), 6-4 and fifth seed Radu Albot rallied past Johannus Monday 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-2.

Marin Cilic on Wednesday announced his withdrawal from Wimbledon as he continues his recovery from a right knee injury he suffered at the beginning of the season.

The Croatian reached the final at The Championships in 2017. Cilic owns a 31-13 record at the grass-court major.

“I’m sad to be missing the grass season and especially Wimbledon; this is a highlight of the season for every tennis player, but I know how important it is not to rush the recovery process,” Cilic wrote on Instagram. Things have generally been going well the last few weeks with my post-surgery training so I’m staying positive and focused on my long-term recovery. 💪

“I hope that I’ll be competing very soon. I miss being on Tour, the tournaments and the fans, and I can’t wait to get back to all of that, to feel the thrill of stepping on court & competing. Until then, I’ll keep training and sharpening my motivation. Thanks for your continued support as always! 🙏🏼🎾”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Marin Čilić (@marincilic)

Cilic won his opening match of the season against Roberto Carballes Baena in Pune, but when he stepped on court to warm up for his next match, he felt pain in his right knee and withdrew from the tournament.

The Croatian has not played a match since. Cilic is currently No. 100 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.