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Andy Murray On Indian Wells, Making Progress & Emma Raducanu

  • Posted: Oct 07, 2021

Former World No. 1 Andy Murray sits fifth on the all-time list of ATP Masters 1000 titles leaders, with his 14 triumphs spread across seven of the nine tournaments in the elite series, which debuted in 1990. With 34 of his 46 titles coming on hard court, it’s a little surprising that the Scot never took the final step at the BNP Paribas Open, the only non-clay 1000 that he hasn’t won.

Ranked outside the Top 100 and needing a wild card into the main draw, the Scot isn’t dreaming of an elusive title this time around, but he is hoping that a new date and different conditions will allow him to build on the gains made during the recent US Open Series.

“The conditions have changed a bit this year,” Murray said. “Not the speed of the court or the air, but before the balls were extremely light, and combined with the very light air I struggled with that and my results were inconsistent.

“But the balls are getting much heavier, which I really like. I like playing with slow balls in fast conditions. I’m feeling it a lot easier to control the ball.”

Most Masters 1000 Titles

Pos.  Player  Titles 
 1T  Novak Djokovic  36
 1T  Rafael Nadal  36
 3  Roger Federer  28
 4  Andre Agassi  17
 5  Andy Murray  14
 6  Pete Sampras  11

Murray, who has a 216-85 record at Masters 1000 level, including a victory over World No. 4 Alexander Zverev in Cincinnati in August, has a 9-9 record on the year as he continues to work his way back from hip surgery. And many of those losses have come against Top 20 opposition, including Matteo Berrettini (Queen’s), Denis Shapovalov (Wimbledon), Hubert Hurkacz (Cincinnati and Metz), Stefanos Tsitsipas (US Open in five sets) and San Diego champion Casper Ruud last week.

“I’ve had opportunities in those matches that I haven’t taken. Top players snuff out opportunities but there were also things I could have done better,” Murray said.

“The positive is that I haven’t been losing to guys I should be winning against and in the matches I have lost I don’t feel that I have been outclassed or that it wasn’t possible I could win against those players in the future.”

Murray is making his 13th appearance at the event, which was cancelled in 2020 and pushed back from March to October this year due to the pandemic. The World No. 121 has a 25-12 record at the BNP Paribas Open, highlighted by a run to the 2009 final (l. Nadal) and two semi-finals. He last played the event in 2017.

The 2016 year-end No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings will open against French lefty Adrian Mannarino, whom he twice beat in 2015 in their only two ATP Head2Head encounters.

“He is a very tricky player, quite unorthodox and plays differently to most of the guys on Tour,” Murray said. “The majority of players play with heavy topspin and have big, long swings to generate power and spin. He hits very flat off both sides and on the forehand he has probably the shortest swing on Tour. He plays a lot with his timing. His quick lefty serve is difficult as well. It won’t be an easy match.”

The winner will play 18-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, a recent US Open quarter-finalist, who is seeded No. 30 in the desert.

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During Wednesday’s pre-tournament media conference, Murray was asked about Great Britain’s breakthrough WTA star Emma Raducanu, who last month won through qualifying to win the US Open title.

Although noting that he had not spent a lot of time on court with the 18-year-old, Murray said that her rapid rise did not surprise him.

“Often what separates the elite athletes from that level just below is that ability to learn quickly and process information. Not everyone can do that, but the top players and the really elite athletes are able to do that,” Murray said.

“I haven’t spent loads of time with her on a tennis court but it wouldn’t surprise me if she picked things up extremely quickly.

“The last 18 months prior to the grass season and Wimbledon she didn’t compete a whole lot, which in some ways allowed her to make some technical changes to her game and develop. Usually around that age, 17 and 18-year-olds are competing a lot. They are on the junior tour and drip feeding into senior tournaments as well. Maybe that period gave her the opportunity to fix some technical issues in her game. She does seem to have improved her serve and forehand.”

Murray has not been beyond the third round of a Masters 1000 tournament since winning the Rolex Paris Masters title in 2016 as part of a 24-match winning streak that culminated in his defeat of Novak Djokovic in the Nitto ATP Finals title match, which decided the year-end No. 1 FedEx ATP Rankings.

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Medvedev, Tsitsipas & Other Seeds See Opportunity In Indian Wells

  • Posted: Oct 06, 2021

A new champion will be crowned from one of the most wide-open fields in many years at this year’s BNP Paribas Open. A wrist injury has sidelined defending champion Dominic Thiem, while the four men before him who prevailed in the desert – Juan Martin del Potro, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal – are all absent.

Not since 2010, when Federer’s coach Ivan Ljubicic defeated Andy Roddick, has another name triumphed. US Open champion Daniil Medvedev is the top seed ahead of Rolex Monte Carlo Masters champion Stefanos Tsitsipas, but of the top eight seeds, only one has reached the quarter-finals in the desert before.

Here is a rundown on the top eight seeds…

1. Daniil Medvedev: The Russian was ruthless in his sole match on Laver Cup duties in Boston less than a fortnight ago, allowing Denis Shapovalov just four games. It was a rested and reassured Medvedev who returned to competition following his breakthrough maiden major in New York (d. Djokovic). Medvedev, who also boasts titles in Marseille, Mallorca and the ATP Masters 1000 trophy in Toronto this year, is yet to shine at Indian Wells, arriving with a modest 3-3 record, following round of 32 appearances in 2018 and 2019.

2. Stefanos Tsitsipas: The 23-year-old scored a first victory over Nick Kyrgios in three ATP Head2Head meetings in Boston in his first match since a five-set third-round exit at the US Open, where he fell to #NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz. The Greek has reached the quarter-finals in five of his six Masters 1000 events this season, winning in Monte-Carlo, but only has a 1-2 record in the desert, which includes a loss to Felix Auger-Aliassime in his opening match of the 2019 edition.

3. Alexander Zverev: Medvedev may have landed the silverware in New York, but Zverev bagged the gold at the Tokyo Olympics as part of a 16-match winning streak, which Djokovic ended in the US Open semi-finals. Victory over John Isner at the Laver Cup has the German at 17-1 since Wimbledon, but he stands at 5-4 at Indian Wells, where he has reached the round of 16 just once, in a 2016 defeat to Nadal.

4. Andrey Rublev: After reaching his eighth semi-final of the season at the weekend in San Diego (l. to Norrie), the Russian continues his California campaign at Indian Wells where he holds a 1-2 record, including a round of 32 run in 2018 as a lucky loser. Rublev has reached two Masters 1000 finals this year (Monte Carlo and Cincinnati) and pursues his first trophy since Rotterdam in February.

5. Matteo Berrettini: The Italian backed up his maiden run to a Grand Slam final at Wimbledon with his third straight major quarter-final where Djokovic again had his number in New York. The 25-year-old, a champion at Belgrade and the Queen’s Club, beat Auger-Aliassime in his sole Laver Cup singles outing, but arrives at Indian Wells having never won a match from two main draw appearances.

6. Casper Ruud: The first five-time titlist of 2021, Ruud is on a roll since his second-round loss at the US Open (l. to van de Zandschulp). The Norwegian beat Reilly Opelka in his Laver Cup debut and went on to win his first hard-court title at the San Diego Open (d. Norrie).  He has twice contested qualifying at Indian Wells, where he failed to make the main draw both times.

7. Felix Auger-Aliassime: Despite a defeat to Berrettini in Boston, the 21-year-old returns for his third appearance at Indian Wells on the back of a maiden Grand Slam semi-final showing at the US Open (l. to Medvedev). Sitting 11th in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin, the Canadian will be keen to stamp his claim for a Nitto ATP Finals berth in the desert, where his 3-2 record includes a win over then No. 10 Tsitsipas to reach the round of 32 in 2019.

8. Hubert Hurkacz: The Pole added the Metz trophy less than a fortnight ago for his second title of 2021, following his Masters 1000 triumph in Miami. The only top-eight seed to have reached the quarter-finals at Indian Wells (4-1 record), the Pole did so on debut two years ago, when he defeated three Top 30 players in succession – Lucas Pouille, Kei Nishikori and Shapovalov – before falling to eventual runner-up Federer.

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Indian Wells Draw: Rublev, Zverev, Berrettini Press Turin Claims

  • Posted: Oct 06, 2021

World No. 5 Andrey Rublev may get an early shot to avenge last week’s loss to Cameron Norrie following the release of the BNP Paribas Open draw Tuesday.

The Russian could meet the lefty in the fourth round as the Indian Wells Tennis Garden looks to host its award-winning ATP Masters 1000 for the first time since March 2019 due to the pandemic. Fourth-seeded Rublev, who fell to Norrie last week at the San Diego Open, will be looking to shore up his place at the Nitto ATP Finals with a deep run in the desert, as will the likes of Alexander Zverev and Matteo Berrettini.

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Rublev will open against the winner of Spaniards Carlos Taberner and Jaume Munar and is seeded to meet Serb Dusan Lajovic in the third round.

Zverev, who seeks a third Masters 1000 title of the season, has a challenging draw that potentially pits him against two of the brightest young starts in the game. The Olympic gold medallist will open against a qualifier or 20-year-old Jenson Brooksby, who took a set from World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in his most recent match in the fourth round of the US Open. In the third round, the German is seeded to meet 18-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, himself a recent quarter-finalist at Flushing Meadows.

But Alcaraz, who as the 30th seed has a first-round bye, first must navigate a tough opener against former World No. 1 Andy Murray or wily French lefty Adrian Mannarino.

Sixth seed Matteo Berrettini, who is sixth in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin, more than 1000 points clear of his next Turin challenger Casper Ruud, begins his campaign against American Denis Kudla or a qualifier. He could meet 31st seed Taylor Fritz in the third round and countryman Jannik Sinner, himself chasing a Turin berth, or John Isner in the fourth round.

Top seed Daniil Medvedev, who can pull within 1000 points of Djokovic in the Race should he win his second Masters 1000 of the season, will open against the winner of Mackenzie McDonald and James Duckworth. He is seeded to meet Serb Filip Krajinovic in the third round and either Reilly Opelka or Grigor Dimitrov in the fourth round.

Men’s main draw action begins Thursday, one day after the women’s main draw commences.

Read: Clijsters returns, Raducanu debuts as Indian Wells draw is revealed

Did You Know?
Players voted The BNP Paribas Open as the best Masters 1000 tournament for six consecutive years between 2014-2019. The award was not given in 2020 due to the pandemic.

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FedEx ATP Rankings Logic Updated

  • Posted: Oct 05, 2021

The ATP has announced an adjustment to the FedEx ATP Rankings logic following prior calendar changes due to COVID-19.

Effective immediately and retroactively, ATP Tour-level tournaments with a ranking drop off date after 9 August 2021, including tournaments played during the revised ranking period (17 August 2020 – 9 August 2021), will be included in a player’s ranking breakdown for 52 weeks, regardless of when the next edition of the tournament commences. The change addresses situations in which a player does not keep his ranking points for 52 weeks due to the earlier scheduling of the same event in the following year.

Due to the adjustment’s impact on players who competed at the 2020 ATP 250 tournament in Nur-Sultan, the first tournament affected by the outlined scenario, and the implications for subsequent entry lists, the ATP, in consultation with the ATP Player Council, has decided to re-run the entry lists that closed in the week of 27 September. This has been done to ensure all acceptances for upcoming tournaments operate under the same entry principles aligned with the latest FedEx ATP Rankings logic.

This adjustment aligns with the traditional FedEx ATP Rankings approach taken prior to the introduction of COVID-19 modifications. Since the Tour’s return from suspension in August 2020, the ATP has remained flexible in its approach towards the FedEx ATP Rankings and will continue making adjustments where necessary to maintain a fair merit-based system for players.

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Scouting Report: Medvedev, Tsitsipas, Zverev Head Indian Wells Field

  • Posted: Oct 05, 2021

The ATP Tour returns to Indian Wells for the penultimate ATP Masters 1000 event of the season at the BNP Paribas Open, where in the absence of the past five champions the favourites arrive with little previous success in the desert. Following its cancellation in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was rescheduled this year to be held in October.

The top two seeds are Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas and both are bidding for a maiden Indian Wells trophy. The FedEx ATP Race To Turin heats up in the Californian desert with a string of contenders desperate to strengthen their claim to a Nitto ATP Finals berth. ATPTour.com looks at 10 things to watch this week in Indian Wells.

1) Newest Major Champion Medvedev Leads Pack: Hot on the heels of the biggest title of his career at the US Open and subsequent team success at the Laver Cup, the Russian looks to maintain his momentum on US soil and claim his second Masters 1000 trophy of the season.

The World No. 2, who defeated Reilly Opelka for the Toronto Masters 1000 trophy, has also claimed titles in Marseille and Mallorca. He will attempt to add another at Indian Wells as the top seed, where he will attempt to build on a modest 3-3 record.

2) Tsitsipas Circling: In only his third appearance in the BNP Paribas Open, the Greek star arrives as the second seed. The 23-year-old has shown great consistency at Masters 1000 events this season, advancing to at least the quarter-finals in five of the first six events at this level.

Tsitsipas won his first Masters 1000 title in Monte-Carlo, where he did not lose a set, and will try to claim his second in Indian Wells, where success has eluded him in the past (1-2 record). The second seed fell in the third round of the US Open before helping Team Europe clinch the Laver Cup in Boston.

3) FedEx ATP Race To Turin Heats Up: Several players are trying to stake their claim to one of the remaining spots at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at the Pala Alpitour in Turin from 14-21 November. Following his maiden hard-court title and his fifth trophy of the season in San Diego, Norway’s Casper Ruud moves into eighth in the Race.

As a result of seventh-placed Rafael Nadal’s absence in Turin due to injury, the cut is effectively ninth in the Race, with recent Metz champion Hubert Hurkacz, US Open semi-finalist Felix Auger-Aliassime and Sunday’s Sofia champion Jannik Sinner keen for a strong showing in Indian Wells to stay in contention.

4) #NextGenATP Debuts: Since the BNP Paribas Open has not been held since 2019, there are several #NextGenATP stars who will make their debut at the Masters 1000 event. Umag champion Carlos Alcaraz and Parma titlist Sebastian Korda lead the bunch.

Alcaraz reached his maiden Grand Slam quarter-final in New York last month, following a five-set upset of World No. 3 Tsitsipas, while Korda advanced to the fourth round at a major for the second time at Wimbledon in July. Newport finalist Jenson Brooksby, his compatriot Zachary Svajda, Danish teenager Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune and Italian Lorenzo Musetti are the other #NextGenATP names set to make their main draw debuts at Indian Wells.

5) New Champion Incoming: A first-time BNP Paribas Open singles champion is guaranteed in 2021. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is not playing and 2019 finalists, reigning champion Dominic Thiem and five-time champion Roger Federer, are injured. Thiem announced in August he would miss the remainder of the season due to a right wrist injury. Will Cincinnati titlist Alexander Zverev, Russian star Andrey Rublev or Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini seize the opportunity to make their mark in the desert?

6) Zverev Poised For Deep Run: Another player integral to Team Europe’s Laver Cup triumph, Zverev has been on a red-hot run since his fourth-round Wimbledon departure. The German went on a 16-match winning streak – capturing a Tokyo Olympics singles gold medal (d. Khachanov) and his fifth Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati (d. Rublev) – before Novak Djokovic stopped him in the US Open semi-finals. While yet to pass the Round of 16 in the desert (5-4 record) Zverev has won 17 of his past 18 matches.

rublev

7) Rublev Chases First Masters 1000: The star of Team Europe’s dominant Laver Cup triumph in Boston, World No. 5 Rublev made a quick transition outdoors with a run to his eighth semi-final of the season in San Diego at the weekend (l. to Norrie). The Russian seeks his first title since winning Rotterdam in February, but has reached his first two Masters 1000 finals since (Monte Carlo and Cincinnati). He arrives with a 1-2 record at Indian Wells, having won through qualifying to reach the Round of 32 in 2019.

8) Fans Relish Return To The Desert: After the cancellation of Indian Wells in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic also forced the postponement of the 2021 edition from March to October. It makes for a welcome return for fans, given the event has been voted by players as the Masters 1000 Tournament of the Year for the past six years it was held.

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9) Doubles Field Stacked: Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic have already won nine titles together this season including Masters 1000 trophies in Miami, Monte Carlo and Rome, as well as Wimbledon and a Tokyo Olympics gold medal. The top seeds in Indian Wells head a loaded doubles draw ahead of second seeds, US Open champions Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury.

This year’s Halle Open runners-up Felix Auger-Aliassime and Hubert Hurkacz reunite, while Doha-winning Russians Rublev and Aslan Karatsev and Italians Jannik Sinner and Berrettini team up. World No. 13 Denis Shapovalov joins forces again with former World No. 3 in doubles Rohan Bopanna, while Reilly Opelka and Alex de Minaur are a first-time pairing.

10) Murray Leads Wild Cards Into Battle: In his first outing at Indian Wells since 2017, the 2009 runner-up Andy Murray is one of the five main draw wild cards. Murray has compiled a 25-12 record in the desert since his debut in 2006 and reached his first tour-level quarter-final in nearly two years two weeks ago week in Metz.

The other wild cards are #NextGenATP Americans Brooksby and Zachary Svajda, 2017 semi-finalist Jack Sock and #NextGenATP Dane Rune. Former World No. 8 and four-time ATP Tour titlist Sock reached his first tour-level quarter-final since 2018 in Newport last month.

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Thiem Announces No Need For Wrist Surgery

  • Posted: Oct 05, 2021

Dominic Thiem will not require surgery to overcome a right wrist injury, the former World No. 3 has revealed on social media on Monday.

The Austrian has not played since he sustained the injury during his first-round match against Adrian Mannarino at the Mallorca Championships in June. He missed the chance to defend his maiden Grand Slam trophy in New York last month and his first ATP Masters 1000 trophy from 2019 in Indian Wells this fortnight as a result, but held hopes he could begin training as soon as the wrist was strengthened.

“I had a very important thing today. I was in Belgium to decide if I need surgery on my wrist or not and luckily I have very, very good news. I won’t need the surgery,” Thiem said on social media. “It’s really stable and it’s looking good, my wrist.

“The next week I have to make it more flexible and strengthen my wrist, do everything to prepare to slowly start playing tennis again. I’m really looking forward to it. It’s been a pretty long time without a racquet and I honestly miss it.”

The 28-year-old announced in August he would miss the remainder of the season due to a detachment of the posterior sheath of the ulnar side of his right wrist. Thiem owns a 9-9 record on the season, with his best result coming at the Mutua Madrid Open, where he reached the semi-finals.

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