Left-handed. Known to sport a bandana. Speedy around the court. Possesses forehand spin and a crisp, flat backhand. Member of the Top 10. Rafael Nadal might most aptly fit the description, but Cameron Norrie ticks those boxes, too.

He tipped his fellow British left-hander Jack Draper to one day make the Top 10 in the ATP Rankings after their clash at the Miami Open presented by Itau last month, but for Norrie that day arrives today. Anyone who watches the 26-year-old knows he has grown to become one of the game’s fiercest competitors. Indeed, a tough out.

Simply glance at the players to get the better of him this season. Their average rank is 15. Two of the last four to down Norrie won those tournaments, with the other two, Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud, duelling in Sunday’s Miami final.

Norrie’s title at the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com (d. Opelka) in February demonstrated his ability to overcome adversity. He lost his first four encounters of 2022, saying he played “maybe my worst match in the last eight months or so” in a first-round defeat at the Australian Open to one of last year’s NextGen artists, Sebastian Korda. But Norrie edged Korda in a third-set tie-break in the Delray Beach quarter-finals and kept on going.

These boys with me through the thick and thin. TOP 10 Debut – let’s keep going for more 🐆⚡️ @licjulianromero @Faculugones #check pic.twitter.com/i06eF3sqAk

— Cameron Norrie (@cam_norrie) April 2, 2022

Nadal noted Norrie’s immense progress after beating him in the final of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC in Acapulco the following week.

“Winning last week in Delray Beach, now playing the final here, back-to-back is a difficult thing,” Nadal, an avid tennis observer in addition to being the record 21-time Grand Slam champion, said in the winner’s speech. “You had an amazing season last year, improving a lot on the ranking, and of course, in the level of tennis.”

Norrie bobs up and down waiting to receive serve, reminiscent of another Spanish gladiator, David Ferrer. On the subject of Spain, an indication of what was to come for Norrie transpired in Davis Cup action in Marbella in 2018. Ranked 114 at the time, he came from two sets down to beat one of tennis’ most resilient competitors, Roberto Bautista Agut. It remains Bautista Agut’s lone career defeat when leading by two sets.

Norrie earned All-America honours at Texas Christian University in the U.S. in a collegiate stint that drastically shaped his career, more so even than his Davis Cup heroics on the clay.   

Remember a young Ferrer being disciplined by coach Javier Piles for not working hard enough and later entering construction for a very brief spell when he thought tennis wasn’t for him? Norrie, by his own admission, wasn’t fully committed to his tennis at TCU in his early days. A moped accident that required stitches following a night out altered his mindset, he said.

Andy Murray, who knows a thing or two about putting in the work, complimented Norrie after he bagged his first ATP Masters 1000 title at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells (d. Basilashvili) last October.

“I think he’s a great example for not just British players but all tennis players to look at and go, if you put the effort in day in, day out and properly dedicate yourself to the sport, have an attitude like he does, it can take you a long, long way,” said the three-time Grand Slam winner.

Game-wise, similar to Nadal, Ferrer and Bautista Agut, Norrie does not necessarily win quick service points. His average ace count in his remarkable 2021 term — when he appeared in six finals and soared from 71 to 12 in the year-end ATP Rankings — stood at 4.7. He builds points behind the serve and uses his stellar movement to counter returns when stretched.

Meanwhile, Norrie ranked fifth in return games won last year and seventh in return points won on first serve. That combination of spin and loop on the forehand, and flatter backhand, presents rivals with an awkward mix, especially given the dearth of left-handers on tour.

His finals in 2021 came on hard courts, grass and clay, in Europe and North America. Auckland marked the site of his first, special, final in 2019. He grew up in the iconic New Zealand city, where first coach Julia Sim made, perhaps, the first huge decision in Norrie’s career — turning him from a right-hander to left-hander.

Along with being born in Johannesburg and residing in London, Norrie figures to be one of the most cosmopolitan of the 177 players to ever break the Top 10. In a sport where acclimatising to new environments, and quickly, is pivotal, his worldly background would seem to put him at ease on his travails.

With the Asian swing returning this year, Norrie has the opportunity to make a final in another continent.

For now it is the red clay, at a time when his career is at green for ‘go.’

Carlos Alcaraz is not just the future, but the present.

After winning his first ATP Masters 1000 title on Sunday at the Miami Open presented by Itau, the Spanish teen soared to second place in the ATP Race To Turin, which will decide the eight players who compete at the Nitto ATP Finals from 13-20 November.

After last year’s Miami Open presented by Itau, Alcaraz was 110th in the Race. But the reigning Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals champion already has 1,950 points thanks to his title Sunday along with an ATP 500 trophy at the Rio Open presented by Claro and a semi-final run at the BNP Paribas Open among other impressive results. He is 18-2 on the season and pursuing his first berth into the season finale in Turin.

The only player ahead of Alcaraz is his idol and countryman Rafael Nadal, who claimed a record-extending 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. The 35-year-old, who has 3,350 points, enjoyed the best start to a season of his career by winning his first 20 matches. Nadal owns a 1,400-point lead over Alcaraz leading into the clay-court season.

The man who ended Nadal’s perfect start to 2022 was American Taylor Fritz, who is fourth in the Race with 1,520 points after winning his first Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells. Like Alcaraz, the American is also trying to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time.

ATP Race To Turin Standings (4 April)

Daniil Medvedev, who has earned a spot at the year-end championships in each of the past three years, is third with 1,900 points. The 2020 Nitto ATP Finals titlist is 16-5, including a run to the Australian Open final, where he lost against Nadal in five sets.

The fifth through eighth spots in the Race currently belong to 2019 champion Stefanos Tsitsipas (1,440), Felix Auger-Aliassime (1,420), Andrey Rublev (1,390) and Casper Ruud (1,020). Of that quartet, Auger-Aliassime is the one chasing his first Nitto ATP Finals qualification. Ruud climbed 14 spots into eighth after advancing to his maiden Masters 1000 final in Miami.

The top two Italians in the Race are ninth-placed Matteo Berrettini (945) and Jannik Sinner (800).

Did You Know?
Seven of the top eight players in the Race are 26 or younger. The only exception is 35-year-old Nadal, who first competed in the Nitto ATP Finals in 2006, when the event was called the Tennis Masters Cup.

Briton Joe Salisbury today climbed to No. 1 in the ATP Doubles Rankings, passing Croatian Mate Pavic for the top spot. The 29-year-old is the third man from Great Britain to reach ATP World No. 1, joining Andy Murray (singles) and Jamie Murray (doubles).

Salisbury has crafted a highly successful partnership with Rajeev Ram since the start of 2019, winning two Grand Slam championships and an ATP Masters 1000 crown. Now the eight-time tour-level titlist has earned the ultimate doubles achievement.

“It’s always been a goal,” Salisbury told ATPTour.com of reaching World No. 1. “I think we’ve been focussed more on winning tournaments as a team, winning Masters 1000s, winning Grand Slams. But obviously it’s amazing for us that we’re going to be going into tournaments as the No. 1 seed. To have the No. 1 ranking is amazing. It’s a special moment.”

^{Photo Credit: Peter Staples/ATP Tour}
It has been a long time coming for Salisbury, who was born into a tennis family. His parents Matthew and Carolyn played the sport, as did his brother Chris and sister Katie. It did not take Salisbury long to become involved, too.

“I wanted to hit the ball whenever I could,” Salisbury said. “I remember I actually used to play with my brother a bit in the garden. We had a small garden and we put up a makeshift net, put deck chairs up as the net, played mini tennis in the garden when we were quite young. I just loved playing.”

The Briton began competing at a high level early on, playing under-10 international tournaments. Salisbury would travel around Europe and try to hone his craft.

“I guess at that point you always dream of playing the biggest tournaments. From that age, I wanted to be a professional tennis player,” Salisbury said. “But at that point you’re not really thinking about it too much. You’re just enjoying competing and looking up to the top pros and wanting to play those tournaments.”

His journey to the top hit a snag in his late teens. At 15, he contracted mononucleosis, which lingered for about a year. Separately, Salisbury is now 6’3”, but was “pretty small” when he was younger. A one-foot growth spurt led to other injuries, including a stress fracture in his lower back. From the ages of 16 to 18, he barely competed.

Paul Goebel, the head coach of men’s tennis at the University of Memphis, was in London and had a one-hour meeting with Salisbury at the National Tennis Centre following an introduction from Paul Hutchins.

“Honestly, within the hour of talking to [Joe], I could tell he had the drive, passion and belief in himself that could take him to really big things,” Goebel said.

Salisbury decided to attend Memphis, where he was a student-athlete for four years. He ascended to No. 3 in the country in doubles alongside David O’Hare, who has coached him on Tour. But perhaps the Briton’s most memorable moment came in 2014, during his senior season. Salisbury and O’Hare received a wild card into the Memphis ATP 250 event, in which the teammates played doubles legends Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan (see image below). The American twins won 6-4, 6-3.

“I remember the excitement leading up to that, that we were going to play those guys. We ended up having a good match, fairly close,” Salisbury said. “I just remember the feeling of being out there and absolutely loved it. One of my favourite matches that I’ve played, even though we lost. Having the home support and all our teammates there as well [was great].”

^{Photo Credit: Alex Smith}
Salisbury debated during his time at Memphis whether he would turn professional after college. But ultimately, there was nothing else that drove him as much as tennis did. That was always his main passion. Once on Tour, the Briton’s big breakthrough came in 2018. As the World No. 80, he advanced to the Wimbledon semi-finals with 2012 champion Frederik Nielsen. Salisbury has not looked back since, and from the start of 2019 he has competed alongside Ram.

During the stretch that has made Salisbury the 56th man to reach doubles World No. 1, the tandem in 2021 won the US Open, the ATP Masters 1000 event in Canada and advanced to the championship match at the Nitto ATP Finals.

“I feel like this ranking is indicative of Joe’s perseverance, work ethic, and attitude to always strive to improve. He truly deserves it,” Ram told ATPTour.com. “It’s been amazing to share the court with him since 2019 and I look forward to more great experiences in the future.”

Additionally, Salisbury lifted an ATP 250 trophy last season with Neal Skupski, who was quick to praise his friend.

“It’s an amazing achievement for him. He’s a good friend, I’m so happy for him to finally break to the No. 1 position. It just shows that work on and off the court does pay off in the end. He really deserves to be at the top,” Skupski said. “He’s got a great partnership with Rajeev Ram.

“Everyone’s goal is to get to No. 1. When you get there, everyone is looking up to you. The hardest thing now is to try and stay there. I’m sure Joe knows it’s not over and he’s going to put the work in. But it’s great to see a good friend get what he deserves.”

It is difficult to fathom that just a decade ago, Salisbury was not completely sure what his future held, and if professional tennis would be a part of it.

“I guess the time off made me kind of question if I wanted to do it or could do it. That’s why I went to college, and there I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep playing after,” Salisbury said. “But part of me always wanted to see where I could get to.”

Now Salisbury is the No. 1 doubles player in the world.

Jack Draper is making the ATP Challenger Tour his personal playground in 2022. There is no stopping the 20-year-old from Sutton, England, and he would add yet another piece of silverware to his growing haul on Sunday.

In front of a packed crowd at the Open Harmonie Mutuelle, he battled to his fourth title of the year, outlasting Zizou Bergs 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 after two hours and 30 minutes. The victory secures Draper’s place in the history books, becoming the first player to win four Challenger crowns in the first quarter of a season.

Draper, who claimed his maiden title in Forli, Italy, in January, added two more trophies there in February. This week, he proved that his domination of the Challenger circuit extends beyond the Italian border, blitzing former Top 50 stars Illya Marchenko and Robin Haase, as well as Frenchmen Evan Furness and Antoine Escoffier, before edging Bergs.

Sunday’s title puts Draper at a staggering 22-2 mark on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2022. He has soared to a career-high No. 124 in the ATP Rankings and is up to third in the ATP Race To Milan, continuing his pursuit of a debut appearance at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals.

In other action…
Another budding #NextGenATP star added a title on Sunday, as 18-year-old Luca Nardi triumphed on the indoor hard courts of Lugano, Switzerland. The Italian teen rallied from a set down for the second time this week, overcoming home hope Leandro Riedi 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 for the crown.

It is Nardi’s second title of the year, joining Jannik Sinner as the youngest Italians to lift multiple Challenger trophies. He rises to a career-high No. 231 in the ATP Rankings and sits in 10th position in the ATP Race To Milan.

On the clay of Marbella, Spain, victory was sweet for home hope Jaume Munar. The Spaniard finally prevailed at the AnyTech365 Andalucia Open after runner-up finishes in both 2020 and 2021. It was his seventh ATP Challenger title, refusing to drop a set all week.

Gastao Elias also prevailed on home soil, lifting the trophy in Oeiras, Portugal. He became the most decorated Portuguese player in Challenger history with his ninth career title. The 31-year-old did not drop a set in the quarter-finals, semis and final.

Pereira, Colombia, returned to the Challenger circuit this week, with former World No. 28 Santiago Giraldo leading the charge as tournament director. In the end, it was 32-year-old Facundo Bagnis clinching his 15th Challenger title, dominating all week to secure the trophy.

Carlos Alcaraz became the king of Miami with his 7-5, 6-4 win over Casper Ruud on Sunday, becoming the first Spaniard to win the South Florida title in the event’s 37-year history. Playing in his first ATP Masters 1000 final, Alcaraz was able to manage his nerves to overcome a slow start and win the biggest title of his young career.

But he could not hide those nerves when he received a surprise phone call from the King of Spain, Felipe VI.  

“It’s pretty amazing to get the call from the Spanish king. I was more nervous [for] that call than the match,” he said with a grin. “It’s pretty amazing that the Spanish king congratulates you on the hard work that you put every day and your win. It’s something that you never thought you were going to receive, a Spanish king call. It’s amazing.”

When it came to the match, Alcaraz credited coach Juan Carlos Ferrero with helping him stay calm with some words of wisdom.

“He told me that everybody knows it’s going to be my first [ATP Masters 1000] final, but try to think that this is the first match of the tournament, try to manage the nerves like I did in the semi-final, which it was my second one [at the Masters 1000 level, after Indian Wells]. Try to put my game, try [not to] think about the final. Just keep going, keep strong mentally like I did in every match in this tournament.

“Just enjoy the moment, enjoy the match, enjoy my first Masters 1000 final and go for it.”

Ferrero was not in Miami until Sunday’s final after the recent passing of his father, Eduardo. But the former World No. 1 surprised Alcaraz by flying in before the championship match.

“Juan Carlos [is a] very important person for me. In the professional side, on the personal side, he helps me a lot in both sides. When we are together, we will talk about everything in life, everything in our sport, about football, as well.

“Juan Carlos, I consider him a coach and a friend as well. So I can talk to him about everything.”

Their coaching relationship began in 2018, and the fast-moving partnership has now yielded a new high with Alcaraz’s third ATP Tour title.

“When I won the last point, all the times that I dreamed of this came to my mind,” Alcaraz said, describing the match-point celebration during which he collapsed to the court in Hard Rock Stadium. “When I was younger, I dreamed to get a Masters 1000 Alcaraz On Call From King Of Spain: 'I Was More Nervous Than The Match'. When I fell onto the floor, I remembered that. All the dreams, all the hard work, all the training, all the troubles, everything came to my mind in that moment.”

The Spaniard will be knocking on the door of the Top 10 at the start of the spring clay season, his Miami title earning him a new career-high ATP Ranking of No. 11. Alcaraz was asked if he still prefers the surface he grew up on, compared to the hard courts on which he posted a 10-1 record across Indian Wells and Miami.

“All I can say is I’ve got two titles on clay and one on hard court,” he replied. “I feel very comfortable in both surfaces, so I don’t mind playing on clay or on hard court.”

Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest Miami Open presented by Itau champion in tournament history on Sunday, a result that will propel him to a career-high No. 11 in the ATP Rankings. Still only 18, there are plenty of questions about how high the Spanish teen will climb. Is he a potential future World No. 1?

Alcaraz’s coach, former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, wants to protect his charge from those discussions.

“Let him flow. I think the goals and our thoughts about what’s going to be and what he can reach, now it’s very difficult to say. Let him play,” Ferrero said. “I think he’s able to do a great year, even let’s cross [our] fingers [that] Grand Slams [are] maybe [the] next step, to maybe be part [of them] at the end of the second week.

“But of course he has to practise and he has to stay focused, because now I think it’s very easy to unfocus and people around [are] going to [give him] a lot of “Hellos”. So the team [will] make a bubble and [will] let him stay calm at home these days, and then [he will] go back, work normally, and then go to Monte-Carlo and try to give his best, as always, as there is no other way.”

Ferrero was not in Miami through the semi-finals because his father, Eduardo, passed away just before the tournament. But Alcaraz played his way deep into the ATP Masters 1000 event and dedicated his victories to Ferrero. Before the championship match, the former World No. 1 surprised the 18-year-old in Miami. He was proud of how the teen handled the situation.

“After this happened, it was tough for me, it was tough for him,” Ferrero said of not being in Miami. “And even like this he could stay at the same level and trying… to stay even more focussed.”

Ferrero began coaching Alcaraz in 2018. It did not take long for him to notice his countryman had something special.

“I remember when he was practising with some of the players that they were somewhat higher in the rankings than him, he was 16 or 17, and he could adapt his game to the level of the other players,” Ferrero said. “It means that he has something and is going to keep working on that and keep working every day. So his potential was there, and I was only [there] to let it flow and let it play and keep things in a good path.

“So it surprises me not at all, but of course it’s been very, very fast and very quick, so not easy to do it.”

Now Alcaraz will shift his attention to the clay-court season, where more attention will be on his every swing than ever. According to Ferrero, the key to preventing the hype from getting to Alcaraz will be too not think about it at all.

“[It is about being] normal, acting normal. Now we are going to go back, going to play some golf one day or two days, stay relaxed, and then go back to work,” Ferrero said. “It’s the way it has to be. Of course he just won a Masters 1000. It’s very important.

“It means that he’s growing up so fast. So we [are not] going to do anything strange or different than we have been doing in the past few months.”

You will not catch Ferrero talking to Alcaraz about how quickly he has climbed, his goals for him, or anything of that nature. The focus will be on the process, and the rest will take care of itself.

“We talk about the way he has to go the court, the way he has to practise, the way he has to act in these kind of situations, naturally mature, and try to believe in himself and try to understand how things go when you win, when you lose, no drama, as happy as he can be. So be normal,” Ferrero said.

“Of course the level is there, and I think it’s going to happen many times. It’s only prepare a little bit his mind to adapt to all the circus it’s going to be.”

Editor’s Note: Casper Ruud has withdrawn from Houston due to tooth pain. His place in the draw will be filled by a lucky loser on Monday.

The ATP Tour moves to clay this week with ATP 250 events in Houston and Marrakech.

Taylor Fritz, Reilly Opelka and John Isner headline the field at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston, while Canadian star Felix Auger-Aliassime chases his second title of the year at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech. Both tournaments make their return after two years away due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

ATPTour.com looks ahead at five things to watch at each event.

View Draws: Houston | Marrakech

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN HOUSTON
1) Americans Chase Glory At Home: BNP Paribas Open champion Taylor Fritz leads a stacked group of home favourites seeking a strong start on the clay in 2022. There are 13 Americans in the main draw (without qualifiers) and home players make up six of the eight seeds at the event.

Top 20 stars Fritz and Opelka are pursuing a maiden tour-level final on clay, as is eighth seed Jenson Brooksby. More experienced on the surface are three former Houston champions – fourth seed John Isner lifted the trophy in 2013, Jack Sock triumphed in 2015 and Steve Johnson won back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018. 

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2) Will Brooksby Earn Title No. 1? Eighth seed Brooksby is at a career-high No. 36 in the ATP Rankings. The 21-year-old made his second ATP Tour final in February in Dallas and will try to go one step further on the Houston clay. He will be confident after reaching the Round of 16 in both Indian Wells and Miami. This will be Brooksby’s second tour-level event on clay, following his appearance last year at Roland Garros, where he qualified before losing against Aslan Karatsev. The American will begin his tournament against countryman J.J. Wolf, a wild card.

3) Garin Defending Champ: Garin of Chile has had to wait three years to defend his title, but he will try to capture his second Houston crown this week. The five-time ATP Tour titlist, who will begin his tournament against Sock, has earned all of his tour-level trophies on clay. He will hope to gain momentum after a 3-7 start to the season.

Garin’s countryman, Alejandro Tabilo, reached his maiden tour-level final at the Cordoba Open before upsetting Garin on his way to the semi-finals at the pair’s home tournament in Santiago. Tabilo is now in the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings for the first time and a potential second-round meeting with Fritz could provide some early fireworks in Texas.

4) Kyrgios Returns To Clay: Nick Kyrgios appeared back to his best at the ATP Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami in March. The six-time ATP Tour titlist reached the quarter-finals in at the BNP Paribas Open before a fourth-round run at the Miami Open presented by Itau. The Australian now attempts to transfer his form to the clay, a surface he has not played a tournament on since 2019. He opens against American Mackenzie McDonald.

5) Ebden/Purcell Top Seeds In Doubles: After missing out on a maiden tour-level title together at this year’s Australian Open with a championship match defeat to Thanasi Kokkinakis and Kyrgios, Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell will try to win their first tour-level title together in Houston. Kyrgios will hope to derail Ebden and Purcell’s title hopes again as he partners Jack Sock, while the second seeds are Lukasz Kubot and Santiago Gonzalez, with Gonzalez targeting his third ATP Tour title of the season.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN MARRAKECH
1) Felix To Bounce Back?: Felix-Auger-Aliassime’s hot start to 2022 has included ATP Cup glory with Canada and a maiden tour-level title at the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam. Now the 21-year-old will try to find more good form on the clay of Marrakech, where he is the top seed. 

Auger-Aliassime is competing at the Grand Prix Hassan II for the first time. The 21-year-old has proven his ability on the surface before, reaching finals in Rio de Janeiro and Lyon in 2019. He will hope to get the next stage of his season up and running when he faces Moroccan wild card Elliot Benchetrit in the first round.

2) Evans, Goffin Going For First Title Of Year: Second seed Daniel Evans upset Hubert Hurkacz and World No. 1 Novak Djokovic on his way to the semi-finals of the 2021 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, showing his clay prowess. But the Briton couldn’t have asked for a tougher maiden outing on the surface in 2022 than a first-round matchup with three-time Marrakech champion Pablo Andujar.

Another player Evans beat in Monte-Carlo last year is David Goffin. The Belgian is also competing in Marrakech, where he will face a qualifier in his opener. The former World No. 7 is 5-8 for the season, with his best run a quarter-final appearance at the Sydney Tennis Classic in January.

3) Clay-Court Crew: A host of top clay-court performers seek deep runs on their favourite surface in Marrakech. Fourth seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas picked up a fourth tour-level title on clay at the Cordoba Open in February and reached the final in Morocco in 2012, when the tournament was held at its former home in Casablanca.

Fifth seed Federico Delbonis lifted the trophy without dropping a set in 2016, while Andujar is the most successful player in tournament history. The 36-year-old Spaniard won the tournament in Marrakech in 2018 to add to titles picked up in Casablanca in 2011 and 2012. He was only denied a fourth crown by Benoit Paire in the 2019 championship match.

Other experienced dirt-ballers in the field include seventh seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina – the No. 43 ranked Spaniard chasing a maiden ATP Tour trophy – and Laslo Djere, whose two tour-level titles include an ATP 500 crown clinched on the Rio de Janeiro clay in 2019.

4) Trophy Time For Musetti? Lorenzo Musetti will attempt to claim his first ATP Tour title this week in Marrakech on his tournament debut. The Italian has shown his strength on clay, having upset Stan Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori on his ATP Masters 1000 debut in Rome in 2020. He also advanced to the fourth round last year at Roland Garros, where he pushed Djokovic to five sets.

Musetti will need to be at his best from the start in Morocco as he faces a tricky first-round assignment in Ramos-Vinolas. At Indian Wells last year, Ramos-Vinolas defeated Musetti in straight sets, albeit on a hard court.

5) Golubev/Martin Lead Doubles Draw: Kazakhstani/French pairing Andrey Golubev and Fabrice Martin rekindle a partnership which debuted with a semi-final run at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha in February. But the top seeds are up against plenty of experienced doubles stars in Marrakech.

Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen chase their sixth ATP Tour title together, while Uruguayan Ariel Behar and Dutchman Matwe Middelkoop are seeded third with Israeli Jonathan Erlich and Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin rounding out the seeded pairings in Morocco.

Casper Ruud was the first Norwegian man to contest an ATP Masters 1000 final Sunday at the Miami Open presented by Itau. Though he was not able to capitalise on a strong start against Carlos Alcaraz in the title match, he leaves South Florida happy with his overall performance at the event.

“On the results side, I’m very happy with my result here in Miami,” he said following a 5-7, 4-6 defeat. “Of course disappointing that I couldn’t go all the way, but I didn’t expect myself to reach the final in the first place, so I can’t be too upset about it.”

The 23-year-old came out hot against the flame-throwing Spaniard, winning the first three games of the match and leading 4-1 before Alcaraz turned it around in Hard Rock Stadium.

Talk about a breakthrough week 🇳🇴

You’ll be back in many more Masters 1000 finals, @CasperRuud98#MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/AA3CgSuYef

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 3, 2022

Ruud feels both players have improved since that meeting on year ago on the Spanish clay. After crediting Alcaraz’s improved physique, he placed the Miami champion alongside Gael Monfils and Alex de Minaur as one of the best movers on the ATP Tour.

“He has kind of that very quick feet movement but also a lot of firepower in his groundstrokes,” Ruud assessed. “And he serves not incredible but heavy and good enough, and he can mix it up well, going out wide. He goes kick serve sometimes on the first serve.

“I have seen Rafa talk about him, saying that he has all the ingredients to make a good salad, and I think that describes it very well,” he added with a smile.

While Alcaraz became the first Spanish man to win the Miami title, Ruud also made national history by making Norway the 33rd country to be represented in an ATP Masters 1000 final throughout the 33-year history of the series (1990-2022).

“I hope it can be part of putting Norway a little bit more on the map of tennis worldwide,” he said of his Miami run. “It’s a country that doesn’t have too much history in tennis, and we don’t have any big events either.

“I have said before that a goal of mine would be to bring an ATP Tour [event] to Norway one time. I hope we can do it, and when you have big results, maybe someone in Norway could have their eyes up for trying to make a tournament in our country… I think that would be a small dream of mine to play actually a tournament on home soil on the ATP Tour, because I never have the chance to do it. Sweden, they have two, so I hope Norway can have one also in the future.”

For now, Ruud can set his sights on next week’s ATP 250 in Houston. After reaching the championship Miami, the Norwegian will enter the clay swing with a career-high ATP Ranking of World No. 7.

“It’s always good to get a new career ranking. So it will be 7 tomorrow. I might have to call Ronaldo, because CR7 is at risk now,” he joked. I don’t know if we have to do some negotiations and see who can actually have this number.”