Rafa Nadal Collects Incredible 10th Title In Monte Carlo

Mondays with Bob Greene

STARS

Rafael Nadal beat Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-1 6-3 to win the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters in Monte Carlo, Monaco

Yen-Hsun Yu beat Tatsuma Ito 6-1 7-6 (4) to win the Santaizi Challenger in Taipei, Taiwan

Janko Tipsarevic beat Oscar Otte 6-3 7-6 (9) to win the International Challenger 2017 Qingdao in Qingdao, China

Wang Qiang beat Peng Shuai 3-6 7-6 (3) 1-1, retired, to win the Biyuan Cup Zhengzhou Women’s Tennis Open in Zhengzhou, China

Frances Tiafoe beat Tennys Sandgren 6-3 6-4 to win the Elizabeth Moore Sarasota Open in Sarasota, Florida, USA

FED CUP

World Group Semifinals

United States beat Czech Republic 3-2 at Wesley Chapel, Florida, USA

Belarus beat Switzerland 3-2 at Minsk, Belarus

World Group Playoffs

France beat Spain 4-0 at Roanne, France; Belgium beat Russia 3-2 at Moscow, Russia; Germany beat Ukraine 3-2 at Stuttgart, Germany Netherlands beat Slovakia 3-2 at Bratislava, Slovakia

World Group II Playoffs

Italy beat Chinese Taipei 3-1 at Barletta, Italy; Romania beat Great Britain 3-2 at Constanta, Romania; Australia beat Serbia 4-0 at Zrenjanin, Serbia; Canada beat Kazakhstan 3-2 at Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Group II

Europe/Africa Zone round-robin at Siauliai, Lithuania: Slovenia and Sweden promoted to Europe/Africa Zone Group I in 2018; Lithuania and Egypt relegated to Europe/Africa Zone Group III in 2018

SAYING

“I feel lucky to keep playing tennis, being healthy all those years, to compete in one of the most beautiful events of the year, without a doubt. Very happy to win another one. For me is a very important day in my career.” – Rafael Nadal, after winning a record 10^th Monte Carlo Masters.

“We expected a patriotic crowd for the Romanian team, but we don’t expect abusive language to be used … What he said directed to both Johanna (Konta) and myself is … language that is not appropriate for anyone to speak to any other human. – Anne Keothavong, British Fed Cup captain, on comments made by Romanian Fed Cup captain Ilie Nastase that caused him to be ejected from the tie.

“This is unacceptable behavior by a Fed Cup captain. No player, official, member of the media or fan should have to endure any kind of abuse, and Mr. Nastase will rightly play no further part in this tie.” – David Haggerty, president of the International Tennis Federation.

“I’m happy to confirm Serena is expecting a baby this fall.” – Kelly Bush Novak, a spokeswoman for Serena Williams confirming the pregnancy.

“I don’t know. I don’t know. I’m doing everything that I can to play well.” – Novak Djokovic, when asked why he has been losing matches this year.

“You never win a tennis match by chance – football sometimes, but not tennis – so there is no doubt that Belarus was the better team. It seems to me that in key moments they were a little bit more courageous than we were, and this sport does reward the courageous.” – Heinz Guenthardt, Fed Cup captain of Switzerland’s team that lost its semifinal tie against Belarus.

“We all came together when it mattered most, and that’s what you expect out of a Fed Cup tie. We deserve to be in the finals.” – CoCo Vandeweghe, after leading the United States to a Fed Cup semifinal win over the Czech Republic.

“We were the underdog here. They are much better ranked, but I repeat from Day One: ‘We have to take our chance to win.’ I think the girls believed that.” – Dominique Monami, captain of the Belgium Fed Cup team that beat Russia 3-2.

“I never expected to beat Jo. I certainly didn’t expect to beat him on clay. But I tried not to think he was on the other side of the net. I just focused on what I had to do.” – Adrian Mannarino, after upsetting Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at Monte Carlo.

“I really want to congratulate him. He played a very good match. He was better than me today.” – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, on Adrian Mannarino.

“Today I did everything (right). I was very focused. I was really motivated after yesterday, and I’m really motivated to win this tie.” – Simona Halep, after beating Johanna Konta 6-1 6-3 and leading Romania to a 3-2 Fed Cup win over Great Britain.

SAME OLD NASTY

Ilie Nastase has once again lived up to his nickname “Nasty.” Nastase was kicked out of Romania’s Fed Cup tie against Britain for “unsportsmanlike conduct” following comments he made about Serena Williams’ unborn child, to British player Johanna Konta and visiting captain Anne Keothavong as well as aiming abuse at the umpire. “Mr. Nastase was also removed from the grounds due to his serious misconduct,” the International Tennis Federation (ITF) said in a statement. His accreditation was removed and he will play no further part in the tie.”

Nastase, captain of Romania’s Fed Cup team, was overheard at the official draw telling one of his team members about Williams’ baby. “Let’s see what color it has. Chocolate with milk?” he was quoted by Romanian and some British media as saying. At the official pre-match dinner, Nastase put his arm around Keothavong and asked for her room number, which the British captain said made her feel “uncomfortable.” Then, during the first day of play, Nastase was booted from the court by the umpire after a tirade of abuse left Konta in tears, causing play to be suspended briefly. “The ITF has launched an investigation into this matter as well as previous comments made by Mr. Nastase during the week,” the ITF said.

Now 70 years old, Nastase won the US Open in 1972 and the French Open in 1973.

Romania won its World Group II playoff tie, edging Great Britain 3-2. With the loss, Great Britain falls back to Europe/Asia Zone Group I play in 2018.

SPANISH SOVEREIGN

Rafael Nadal is back on clay, which means the Spaniard is back grabbing the biggest trophies at the end of tournaments. Nadal crushed fellow Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas to win Monte Carlo for the 10^th time – the first time any player has won the same ATP tournament 10 times. Yet, Nadal can duplicate that remarkable feat at Barcelona this week and at the French Open next month. “Is really unbelievable, no?” Nadal said. “Win 10 times in such an important event like Monte Carlo is something difficult to describe the feeling. Yeah, is a little bit of luck; lot of things together should happen to make this 10^th title in an event like Monte Carlo.” Against Ramos-Vinolas, Nadal never faced a break point as he won a record 50^th clay title and his 70^th career crown. “The next step is not Roland Garros,” Nadal said. The next step is Barcelona. That’s the real thing. Today is a good start of the clay court season.”

SERENA EXPECTING

Announcing she is pregnant, Serena Williams has stepped away from tennis to await the birth of her first child. Williams has not played since winning the Australian Open in January, her record-breaking Open Era 23^rd Grand Slam tournament singles title snapping a tie with Steffi Graf. Margaret Smith Court of Australia has won 24 major titles, but 13 came before the Open Era began in 1968. In December, Williams announced that she and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian were engaged. She announced on Snapchat that she is 20 weeks pregnant, which means she was pregnant when she won in Melbourne, Australia. The 35-year-old Williams withdrew from two hard-court events in Indian Wells, California, and Miami, Florida, citing a knee injury.

The news of her pregnancy also came just before she returned to the number one spot in the WTA rankings. Her stay will be short, however. Angelique Kerber can regain the top spot by reaching the semifinals this week in Stuttgart, Germany. Williams has been ranked number one for 317 weeks, the third longest in the WTA Rankings history behind Stefanie Graff (377) and Martina Navratilova (332).

SERB SHOCKER

Novak Djokovic’s 2017 campaign took another step backwards at the Monte Carlo Masters, thanks to David Goffin. The Belgian finally prevailed 6-2 3-6 7-5 on his fifth match point to post his first career victory over Djokovic in six meetings. Goffin trailed 4-2 in the final set before breaking Djokovic in the eighth game, then held in a tight 11^th game. In the next game, Djokovic was hit with a time violation for taking too long to serve. “That’s fair from the chair umpire to tell me that I’m taking a little bit too much time,” the Serb said. “It was just in a very awkward moment to give me a warning. It’s just that sometimes there should be maybe a little bit more tolerance and understanding for certain situations like that one, where it was very long point at 6-5 in the third.” After Djokovic saved four match points, he committed a sloppy error to give Goffin a fifth chance. The Belgian hit a deep forehand to Djokovic netted. “I’m really happy with the way I finished the match,” Goffin said. “It was a great feeling, great atmosphere.”

Goffin failed to duplicate that performance in the semifinals, falling easily to Rafael Nadal 6-3 6-1.

SET FOR NEW CHAMPION

CoCo Vandeweghe had a hand in all three points as the United States eliminated three-time reigning Fed Cup champions Czech Republic to grab a spot in the final of the international team competition. The Czechs had won five of the last six Fed Cup trophies, but were no match for Vandeweghe, who has now won her last nine Fed Cup matches, including singles and doubles. “It was an amazing day as a team, and it shows that every point counts in this event,” said Vandeweghe, who won both of her singles matches, then teamed with Bethanie Mattek-Sands to capture the decisive doubles match. The victory will send the United States to surprising Belarus in November for the title. It is the first time in seven years that the Americans have reached the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Final.

SASNOVICH AND SABALENKA

Two young players – Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Aryna Sabalenka – teamed up to give Belarus a surprising victory over Switzerland and a spot in the Fed Cup final against the United States. Sabalenka, a hard-hitting 18-year-old, downed Viktorija Golubic 6-3 2-6 6-4 to clinch the Belarus semifinal victory. That came after the 23-year-old Sasnovich surprised Timea Bacsinszky 6-2 7-6 (2). Sasnovich is ranked 96^th in the world, 74 spots below Switzerland’s top player. “She was better than me today,” Bacsinszky said. “She played amazing and was there at the right moments.” Belarus reached the Fed Cup final without former world number one Victoria Azarenka, who has recently indicated she is close to returning the WTA tour after giving birth to her first child.

SIGNS FOR PARIS

A two-time Wimbledon champion is keeping her options open to play this year’s French Open. Petra Kvitova, who has been sidelined since she was cut in the hand by an intruder in her home, has entered the Paris Grand Slam tournament. “My name will appear on the entry list for Roland Garros .. because, as the entry deadline approached, I had made good progress in my recovery process and I want to give myself every last opportunity to be able to compete at one of my favorite events,” Kvitova wrote on Instagram. “This unfortunately does not mean necessarily that I will be ready to play in Paris, but that I’m doing everything possible to give myself the chance and keep a positive mindset.”

SURPRISING WIN

A qualifier reached the third round at the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters by upsetting seventh-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-7 (3) 6-2 6-3. Adrian Mannarino used his powerful backhand and surprising forays to the net to post just his second career victory over a Top 10 player. “It is an important victory for me, beating Jo in a big tournament,” Mannarino said. “I’m very satisfied with the match. I had the right attitude.” Tsonga won the first three games of the match and had a 4-1 lead in the tiebreak before winning the opening set before Mannarino forced a tiebreak. Mannarino surged to a 5-0 lead in the second set, then broke Tsonga to move in front 3-1 in the decider. “He played a really good match,” Tsonga said of his conqueror. He’s one of the players who are really giving it their all on the Tour. He’s improving a lot.” Tsonga was playing his first match since the birth of his son, Shugar, last month. The Frenchman also celebrated his 32^nd birthday at the clay court tournament.

SUPERB MERTENS

Playing brilliantly, Elise Mertens won both of her singles matches and helped capture the doubles, leading Belgium to a surprising win over Russia in their Fed Cup World Group playoff tie staged in Moscow. “It means a lot to me,” a visibly exhausted Mertens said after the clinching doubles win. “If it didn’t I wouldn’t come here.” After the teas finished the opening day knotted 1-1, Mertens gave Belgium a 2-1 lead by defeating Elena Vesnina 6-4 1-6 6-2. Daria Kasatkina pulled Russia level again with her win over Maryna Zanevska, setting up the decisive doubles match. And it was the Belgians who prevailed as Mertens and An-Sophie Mestach beat Vesnina and Kasatkina in straight sets. “I had nothing to lose,” Mertens said. “We came all the way to represent Belgium.”

STAYING HOME

Nick Kyrgios won’t begin his clay-court campaign until next month. The 21-year-old Australian, fresh off a brilliant Davis Cup performance against the United States, will begin his French Open preparation at Estoril, Portugal, which begins May 1. While Kyrgios did not give a reason for pulling out of last week’s Monte Carlo Masters, it is believed he is suffering from fatigue.

SEXY TENNIS

It definitely was a love match, although it didn’t take place on the court at the Elizabeth Moore Sarasota Open. The first-round match between Frances Tiafoe and Mitchell Krueger was interrupted by loud noises made by a couple enjoying themselves in a nearby condo. The moaning, which could be heard throughout the James T. Driscoll Stadium, caused Krueger to hit a ball in the direction of the noise. One point later, Tiafoe shouted at the couple, “It can’t be that good,” drawing laughter from the crowd, some of whom covered their ears with their hands. Tournament director Tony Driscoll said: “It’s quiet while you’re playing, obviously. You could hear a pin drop and it was, yeah, interesting.” Tiafoe won the match 6-3 6-2. He went on to win the title, stopping fellow American Tennys Sandgren in the final 6-3 6-4.

SPECIAL HONOR

Rod Laver will be honored during the 117^th Ojai Valley Tennis tournament this week. The native of Australia, who won 11 Grand Slam singles titles, including all four in both 1962 and 1969, will be the tournament’s special guest on Friday at the California club. “To have a player the stature of Rod Laver chosen as our tournament honoree is absolutely a dream come true,” said Mark Weil, an organizer of the event. “A true living legend of the game, we are so excited to honor him this year at the 117^th Ojai.” Among others participating in the ceremony will be fellow International Tennis Hall of Famer Tracy Austin and actor Malcolm McDowell.

STADIUM PROJECT

The Australian Open will build a 5,000-seat stadium in an effort at keeping the year’s first Grand Slam tournament at its current site. Work on the new facility will begin in 2019 and will be used for basketball, concerts and other sports besides tennis. The Australian Open has been played in Melbourne since 1988, but there have been suggestions in the past few years that the event, known as the “Grand Slam of the Asia Pacific,” be shared with Sydney, Australia, as well as Shanghai, China, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Tim Pallas, Victoria state treasurer, said the Australian Open is staying put in Melbourne. “It is a pretty good facility, but we want the best facility, not only in the nation but in the world,” Pallas said.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Monte Carlo: Rohan Bopanna and Pablo Cuevas beat Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez 6-3 3-6 1-4 (match tiebreak)

Qingdao: Gero Kretschmer and Alexander Satschko beat Andreas Mies and Oscar Otte 2-6 7-6 (3) 10-3 (match tiebreak)

Sarasota: Scott Lipsky and Jurgen Melzer beat Stefan Kozlov and Peter Polansky 6-2 6-4

Taipei: Marco Chiudinelli and Franko Skugor beat Sanchai Ratiwatana and Sonchat Ratiwatana 4-6 6-2 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Zhengzhou: Han Xinyun and Zhu Lin beat Jacqueline Cako and Julia Glushko 7-5 6-1

SURFING

Barcelona: www.barcelonaopenbancsabadell.com/es

Budapest: www.huntennis.hu/

Stuttgart: www.porsche-tennis.de/

Istanbul: http://istanbulcup.kozawos.com/

Anning: www.tennis.org.cn