Daniil Medvedev has flourished on hard courts this season, winning four tour-level titles, including his fifth ATP Masters 1000 crown in Miami earlier this month.

Competing on clay at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters this week, Medvedev is ready to adapt his game for the clay-court swing.

“I definitely have to change my game because my strokes are too flat and clay does not let the ball go through the court as much,” Medvedev said in his pre-tournament press conference. “My opponents can use those [shots against me].

“At the same time, you can’t change what you do in nine months or a year drastically, so I have to find a good balance where I still play my game, with a little change, with some shots in the right moment.”

The third seed, who holds a 29-3 record on the year, has won 18 of his 19 tour-level trophies on hard courts. In contrast, he has never claimed an ATP Tour trophy on clay, with his best result in Monte-Carlo coming in 2019 when he reached the semi-finals.

The 27-year-old has made no secret of his love for hard courts in the past, but acknowledges the variety of surfaces is good for the sport.

“I wish we could continue on hard, but I understand that there are different surfaces on Tour and that is good because some people are better on clay, some on hard, some on grass,” Medvedev said. “It is good to have the different surfaces, I think that is good for the sport.”

Medvedev is currently first in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. He will aim for a deep run in the Principality to stay in top spot, starting against Italian wild card Lorenzo Sonego or qualifier Ugo Humbert.

Novak Djokovic is looking to make a fast start to the clay-court swing this week when he leads the field as the top seed at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

The World No. 1 has not competed since he reached the semi-finals in Dubai in early March.

“I have done more training on clay, which is positive if you think about the clay season,” Djokovic said in his pre-tournament press conference. “I have not had much success in Monte-Carlo in the past two seasons. I haven’t played great tennis here, so I am hoping this year I can start the clay season better than in previous years and build my form.”

The Serbian, who suffered an opening-round exit in Monte-Carlo last year, has tasted success at the clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event, lifting the trophy in 2013 and 2015. Djokovic uses the Monte-Carlo Country Club as a training base and is excited to be competing at the prestigious venue again.

“It is a club I know very well. Quite a few top players reside in Monaco and use this club as a training base. The club transforms incredibly during the weeks of the tournament, but it is a great feeling to sleep in your own bed,” Djokovic said. “Being able to have a home feeling of playing in the tournament.

“The atmosphere is amazing, with the club being so intimate and small. It is noisy and great. People are so excited to watch tennis and this is the tournament that has been successful throughout the history of our sport.”

Djokovic is chasing a record-extending 39th ATP Masters 1000 crown this week in the Principality. The 35-year-old will begin his quest against American Mackenzie McDonald or a qualifier.

American Frances Tiafoe completed double duty Saturday to reach the Houston semi-finals.

Two-and-a-half hours after his second-round 6-2, 6-4 victory against Steve Johnson, the top-seeded Tiafoe returned to court and ousted Australian Jason Kubler 6-4, 6-4 in the quarter-finals at the Fayez Sarofim & Co U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship.

“I haven’t played two matches in one day in a long time,” Tiafoe said. “I thought it was unbelievable how I was able to come out here and play so well.

“The ball was going much [faster], it was much warmer [than earlier], I was sweating a lot more. Obviously a totally different player. [Jason] has been playing well, he’s played a lot lately, so I knew he was going to come after me. It was a good match.”

The World No. 15 delivered a strong serving performance, winning 28 of 31 points off his first delivery to down sixth seed Kubler in one hour, 28 minutes. Tiafoe will next meet Houston-born Gijs Brouwer in the last four.

In his first tour-level event as the top seed, Tiafoe is eyeing his second title (Delray Beach, 2018). Should the 25-year-old win the ATP 250 crown, he would rise to a career-high No. 11 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

Brouwer, 27, held a 6-4, 5-6 lead on John Isner before play was suspended Thursday, but the Dutchman put the finishing touches on Saturday to down the fourth seed 6-4, 7-6(4). Brouwer then continued his strong run by upsetting fifth seed J.J. Wolf 6-3, 6-4 to advance to his first tour-level semi-final. Should the lefty reach the Houston final, he would crack the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings for the first time.

After rain cancelled much of play the past three days at the ATP 250, the Houston semi-finals and championship match will be held Sunday. 

Marcelo Demoliner and Andrea Vavassori worked double duty on Saturday to claim the Grand Prix Hassan II doubles title in Marraekch, winning their semi-final and final matches via Match Tie-breaks.

After sealing their final place with a 3-6, 6-3, 10-3 victory against Indians N.Sriram Balaji and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan, the champions beat third-seeded Austrians Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler 6-4, 3-6, 12-10 for the trophy, saving a match point on the way.

“I know it’s really tough to win a final like this. The level was really high,” Vavassori said during the trophy ceremony. After thanking his family, team, and partner, he later added: “For me it was one of the best weeks in my career.”

Demoliner was full of praise for his partner in his remarks: “Amazing to play with you. You’re my hero this week,” he said. “It was unbelievable what you did.”

The Brazilian/Italian team led the title-deciding Match Tie-break 4/0 and 8/4 but had to fight off a match point at 9/10 before sealing the victory on the second match point of their own.

Demoliner and Vavassori first teamed up at the 2023 Australian Open, where they reached the second round. Now 6-3 as a pair, they also reached the semi-finals in Buenos Aires this season.

The Marrakech title is Demoliner’s fifth and Vavassori’s third at tour-level, with the Italian claiming his second title of 2023 (Santiago with Andrea Pellegrino).

Erler/Miedler, who were seeking their third title of 2023, fell to 3-1 in tour-level finals.

Dominic Thiem announced on social media Saturday that he mutually decided with coach Nicolas Massu to end their player-coach relationship.

“What an incredible journey… It all started in early 2019 – you came along with your incredible energy and extreme love for the sport,” Thiem wrote on Instagram. “That’s how we won the US Open and Indian Wells. But we also reached the finals of the Australian Open, the French Open, and twice at the Nitto ATP Finals. I think that shows we’re an incredible team.

“But unfortunately, everything has an end and this end came now.
We have decided together that we will go different ways starting next week.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this incredible and beautiful time Nico. I wish you only the best and our friendship will last forever.”

 

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The pair’s partnership lasted more than four years. They first began working together in early 2019 and Thiem soon thereafter won his first ATP Masters 1000 title at the 2019 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. The Austrian claimed a career-best five titles that season and reached the final at Roland Garros and the Nitto ATP Finals.

In March 2020 Thiem reached a career-high No. 3 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and later that year, he captured his maiden major crown at the US Open.

In June 2021 the Austrian suffered a wrist injury. Since returning last March, Thiem has been working hard to find his best form.

Top seed Frances Tiafoe began his clay-court season and Houston title campaign in convincing fashion Saturday. The American looks to complete double duty tonight, when he returns to court for the quarter-finals at the Fayez Sarofim & Co U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship.

The World No. 15 earned a 6-2, 6-4 second-round win against countryman Steve Johnson, who is a two-time Houston champion (2017, 2018). Tiafoe collected 26 of 31 points off his first delivery and didn’t face a break point en route to his maiden win against Johnson (1-2 ATP Head2Head).

“I played a lot better than I thought [I would],” Tiafoe said. “Honestly it kind of helped me in the end to have some days off… It gave me some time to practise on the clay a little bit.”

After rain cancelled much of play the past three days at the ATP 250, second-round winners will be back in action tonight for the quarter-finals. Tiafoe will meet Australian Jason Kubler, who defeated Daniel Elahi Galan 6-4, 6-2, after suitable rest.

Despite the Houston rain, the 25-year-old Tiafoe was unbothered by not playing his opening match until Saturday.

“I don’t mind chilling around. I can chill all day,” Tiafoe said. “I’m a pretty relaxed guy so it didn’t bother me too much.”

In other action, fifth seed J.J. Wolf defeated Denis Kudla 6-4, 6-1. Wolf will next meet Houston-born Gijs Brouwer, who upset fourth seed John Isner 6-4, 7-6(4). Brouwer, 27, held a 6-4, 5-6 lead before play was suspended Thursday. The Dutchman held his nerve Saturday morning and now looks to defeat Wolf for a second consecutive year in Houston, where Brouwer was a quarter-finalist (l. to Opelka) in 2022.

Four days after Yannick Hanfmann’s first-round victory, the German qualifier returned to action and upset second seed Tommy Paul 7-6(6), 6-2. The 31-year-old converted his seventh match point to advance to his second quarter-final of the season (Santiago). Hanfmann will next face American Marcos Giron or Czech qualifier Tomas Machac.

Cristian Garin, who won the Houston title in 2019, survived two tie-breaks to down lucky loser Zizou Bergs 7-6(4), 7-6(1). The Chilean will tonight meet eighth seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry, who ousted Australian Max Purcell 7-6(5), 6-1.

Casper Ruud survived a stern test from Quentin Halys to advance to his first final of 2023 at the Millennium Estoril Open. The Norwegian progressed to his 16th tour-level final with a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2) victory on Saturday at the ATP 250.

The top-seeded Ruud will play for his 10th tour-level title against his good friend Miomir Kecmanovic in Sunday’s final. It will be the pair’s third ATP Head2Head meeting but first since 2019, with Ruud seeking his first win in the matchup.

Watch Sunday’s final from 4:30 p.m. CET/10:30 a.m. ET

“It was another great match, a long match, a close and exciting match,” said Ruud, who beat Halys 11-9 in the fifth set at the 2018 Australian Open. “I’m just very happy that it went in my favour. It’s just some points here and there that decide a match like this… I’m happy to win a match 7-6 in the third. That’s always a great feeling.

“Quentin has a great serve, great power from the baseline. It was tough for me to find a rhythm in the rallies but in the end I was just trying to stay there and make him play, and luckily it went my way.”

Ruud overcame 16 aces from the Frenchman Halys, who beat Dominic Thiem in the Estoril quarter-finals and had not lost a set prior to Saturday’s match. After each of the first two sets were decided by a single, early break, there were no break chances on offer in the deciding set, with each man battling through deuce once on serve. Ruud took an off-court medical timeout late in the second set as his first-serve percentage dipped, but he showed no signs of wear in the final set.

After clipping the edge of the line with a forehand winner on the first point of the decisive tie-break, Ruud opened up a 3/0 lead and never looked back, wrapping up the win in two hours, 10 minutes. Through to his 12th clay-court tour-level final, and his first title match of any kind since the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals, Ruud passed Daniil Medvedev and returned to No. 4 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings with his semi-final win. 

Halys moved up 15 places to No. 65 this week in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings by reaching his first tour-level semi-final.

Earlier in Estoril, the sixth-seeded Kecmanovic continued his dominant run with a 6-3, 6-1 win against Marco Cecchinato. The Serbian has not lost a set in his four wins this week on the way to his fourth tour-level final and second of 2023 (Delray Beach).

The 23-year-old needed just one hour, eight minutes to defeat Cecchinato, saving both break points against him while converting on four of his eight break chances.

Kecmanovic will play for his second ATP Tour title after his 2020 triumph in Kitzbühel, while Cecchinato was denied a sixth tour-level final and first since 2021. By reaching the title match, Kecmanovic has moved up six places to No. 34 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings this week. He would rise two more places to No. 32 by winning the trophy.

The Serbian also advanced to the Estoril doubles final on Saturday, teaming with countryman Nikola Cacic for a 6-2, 1-6, 10-3 semi-final win against third seeds Gonzalo Escobar and Fabien Reboul.

Looking ahead to the singles final, Ruud shared his excitement about playing his friend in such a big match.

“It’s going to be fun. Miomir is a good friend of mine, one of my better friends on Tour. It’s going to be an exciting match. To play each other in the final is going to be fun, for the first time in our career,” he said. “He’s been playing great, so I have to be prepared for a very tough match. He’s been winning straight sets and killing everyone almost. So I have to be ready and just hoping that I can play well and have fun tomorrow in another final.”

Refreshed and raring to go, two-time champion Stefanos Tsitsipas is excited to chase a third consecutive Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters title this week in the Principality.

The Greek defeated Andrey Rublev in the 2021 final to win his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown, before he overcame Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in last year’s championship match to reign at the clay-court event again.

“It is a pleasure to return to the clay-court swing,” Tsitsipas said in his pre-tournament press conference on Saturday. “It is one of the most fascinating parts of the year, starting the clay-court swing in Monte-Carlo, which is my favourite place in the world.

“I am looking to make it three [titles]. But I won’t take too much time thinking of it. I am feeling refreshed that we are able to start playing on clay again.”

The second seed suffered a disappointing fourth-round exit in Miami last month, but arrives in Monte-Carlo holding a 12-2 record at the event. The World No. 3, who resides in Monte-Carlo, is excited to be back on clay and hopes his fond memories at the event will help him quickly find his range.

“I am enjoying the fact that I have won this event twice. I feel good playing here, I feel good in front of my fans,” Tsitsipas said. “The Monegasque people have showed their love and support and the Italian and French fans. Also the Greek community. They are here and I know most of them.

“It is my home tournament and having won the event twice. It gives me so much happiness that I was able to live and experience those moments. I am hoping to make it more than twice this week.”

Tsitsipas has often produced his best level on clay. Four of his 10 tour-level titles have come on the surface and he reached the Roland Garros final in 2021.

“I really like the tactical analysis of clay-court tennis. I think it is deeper than people think. There is a lot of strategy involved,” Tsitsipas said. “You are not expecting to hit crazy winners on a surface like clay. You are dealing with much patience when you are playing. It involves more around unforced and forced errors. The way you can open the court. The main priority is not to hit a winner, but be precise and open the court.”

Chasing his first title of the season, Tsitsipas will begin his campaign against Benjamin Bonzi or Bernabe Zapata Miralles.

Novak Djokovic returns to the ATP Tour this week at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, where he is chasing a record-extending 39th ATP Masters 1000 crown.

However, before taking to court at the clay-court event, the World No. 1 joined Italian Jannik Sinner on Saturday at Larvotto Beach, where the pair shared jokes and competed in a mini-match in front of fans.

Djokovic and Sinner hit trick shots, posed for photos and chatted with each other as they delighted the supporters in Monte-Carlo ahead of the third ATP Masters 1000 of the season.

The singles stars, who are seeded to meet in the quarter-finals, arrived in the Principality earlier this week and have hit at the Monte-Carlo Country Club.

Djokovic is a two-time champion in Monaco, triumphing in 2013 and 2015. The Serbian last competed at the start of March, when he lost against Daniil Medvedev in the Dubai semi-finals. The seventh seed Sinner, who is making his third appearance in Monte-Carlo, reached his second ATP Masters 1000 final in Miami earlier this month.