Mondays with Bob Greene
STARS
Roger Federer beat John Isner 6-1 6-4 to win the Miami Open men’s singles in Miami, Florida, USA
Ashleigh Barty beat Karolina Pliskova 7-6 (1) 6-3 to win the Miami Open women’s singles in Miami, Florida, USA
SAYINGS
“This is a good phase, a good stretch for me right now. I really feel super healthy. That’s why I have been able to play every day for the last four weeks. That’s something that maybe hasn’t always been the case for the last few years. So, you appreciate these moments.” – Roger Federer, after winning his 101st ATP Tour title.
“You were entirely too good today, entirely too good this whole tournament. You are entirely too good your whole career. It’s absolutely incredible what you’re doing. We’re so lucky to have you in this game, and we all want you to keep playing and literally never retire. So, keep it up, man.” – John Isner, praising Roger Federer after losing to the Swiss great.
“Unbelievable for you to keep winning and playing this level of tennis. It makes me feel like such an underachiever. We’re all just in awe.” – Miami Open tournament director James Blake, a former top-five player, praising Federer at the trophy presentation.
“There were zero expectations coming into this tournament. I just saw it as an opportunity to get better every day, but I have grabbed my chance with both hands. I am proud of myself.” – Ashleigh Barty, after winning the Miami Open women’s singles.
“The first set was key for the match and one I should have won. It was tough to fight in the second.” – Karolina Pliskova, who lost to Ashleigh Barty in the Miami Open women’s final.
“A doctor was cutting me open eight months ago and I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to make it back on court. To win this title is a dream and certainly wasn’t possible eight months ago. This is huge for us.” – Bob Bryan, after teaming with twin Mike to win the Miami Open, their 118th ATP Tour-level title.
“I’ve played so many matches. I guess it’s just my body’s way of telling me it has had enough.” – Bianca Andreescu, the Indian Wells champion who retired from her Miami Open match with a right shoulder injury.
“Yeah, there is definitely a lot of talent coming in. It’s just that point in the ATP, you know, you still have kind of the legends, you know, Rog, Rafa, still there on top, but you have a lot of newcomers with talent kind of gunning for them.” – Denis Shapovalov, one of several young players who played deep into the second week of the Miami Open.
“We’re not robots. I like when players show emotion like Filip did in that instant. It was a weird, strange, ridiculous point that I got very lucky to win somehow.” – Roger Federer, after beating Filip Krajinovic, who, after ending a 17-stroke exchange with a half-volley into the net, grabbed the ball and flipped it to Federer’s side of the court as if continuing the rally.
“The venue is absolutely fantastic. To play in the stadium – the Super Bowl will be here next year – it’s pretty amazing.” – John Isner, a big football fan, on the Miami Open’s new home in the Miami Dolphins’ stadium.
“I have been dealing with this for the past couple of years, so I think in a way that’s why I am able now to have these kind of results, because this extra pressure, this attention that I gave maybe last year or the year before to the outcomes, to the media, that’s a bit behind me now where I’m able really to stay in the present and really focus on what I have to do in the court, finding ways to win. That just keeps me going and just keeps me happy.” – Felix Auger-Aliassime, noting he is experienced in feeling pressure.
“It helps me a lot to get my mind off tennis, off the tennis tournaments, off the stress of the tennis life. It helps me a lot to clear my mind, to enjoy with them, to get a little bit of peace after the tournaments.” – Roberto Bautista Agut, talking about the seven horses he has back home in Spain.
“They’ll carry the sport when we’re long gone, and we’ll be sitting on the couch watching those guys slug it out. They’ll be a joy to watch because not only are they great, great players, but they’re good people, too.” – Roger Federer, talking about young players Stefanos Tsitsipas, Denis Shapovalov, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Frances Tiafoe, all of whom reached the fourth round or better at the Miami Open.
“Roger Federer once said that I take defeats too much to heart, and he was right. I don’t just play tennis, I live the sport. And my emotions have often carried me to victory. That’s just how I am.” – Sabine Lisicki, who returned to the WTA tour at this week’s Volvo Car Open.
SOARING TO VICTORY
Playing masterful tennis, Roger Federer won his 101st career title, crushing defending champion John Isner at the Miami Open. Federer needed only 64 minutes, breaking Isner four times, including the first game of the match. “It was a dream start (to break in the opening game), relaxing my nerves,” Federer said. “What a week it’s been for me. I’m just so happy right now. It’s unbelievable.” It was the fourth time Federer has won in Miami, putting him two behind Andre Agassi and Novak Djokovic for most in tournament history. His 101 tour-level titles moves him just eight back of all-time leader Jimmy Connors. The Swiss master was on the attack in long rallies, pounced on every short ball and disrupted Isner’s rhythm with his superb backhand. Federer needed only 24 minutes to grab the opening set. A left foot injury didn’t help Isner’s cause as the American was unable to hold serve in the final game. “I played here in 1999 for the first time and here I am in 2019,” Federer said. “It means a lot to me.”
The 37-year-old Federer has reached the most Masters 1000 finals in history with 50, winning 28. Spain’s Rafael Nadal has won the most titles, 33, in 49 finals. Federer has an 18-2 record this year, best on the ATP Tour.
SHE’S A WINNER
Five years after quitting tennis, Ashleigh Barty has won the biggest singles title of her career, capturing the Miami Open by besting fifth-seeded Karolina Pliskova in straight sets. “It feels like it’s a long time ago now since I took the break and since I came back,” Barty said. “It’s been a few years now, but I certainly feel like I’m a very different person. I feel like I’m a more complete player, I’m a better player.” The 22-year-old Australian quit tennis to play professional cricket. “I was an average cricketer and I’m becoming a better tennis player,” she said. Barty’s victory means that for the first time there have been 14 different winners in the first 14 WTA tournaments this season. Against an out-of-sorts Pliskova, Barty hit 15 aces and 41 winners compared to 22 by her opponent. “I had to keep it physical, make as many balls as possible and keep my running shoes on,” said Barty, who won junior Wimbledon at age 15. The 27-year-old Pliskova took the early lead, but it was Barty who moved ahead 5-1 in the first-set tiebreak. Barty then broke early in the second set and dominated the rest of the way. “She played well and I was super tired,” Pliskova said. “She served great.”
STILL WINNING
Eight months after having a hip replaced, Bob Bryan joined with his twin brother Mike to win their 118th ATP Tour-level doubles titles, capturing the Miami Open by beating Wesley Koolhof of the Netherlands and Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece 7-5 7-6 (6). “Bob’s been through a lot on the couch,” Mike Bryan said. “To have him back at full strength and winning here in Miami, (our) hometown, with all the friends and family support is unreal. This is a special event for us and to defend it is amazing.” The two won their first title since Bob’s surgery last month at the Delray Beach Open. Their latest was their 39th ATP Masters 1000 title as a team. The Americans struggled to reach the finals, needing a match tiebreak in their second-round win and saving four match points in their semifinal victory over the top-seeded team of Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo.
SHOE-LESS WINNER
Elise Mertens of Belgium and Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus are perfect for March. And that means they added the Miami Open title to the one they won at Indian Wells two weeks ago. Mertens and Sabalenka become the fifth team to capture the Indian Wells/Miami “Sunshine Double,” and the first since Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza in 2015. The winners didn’t even team up until the Australian Open this past January, where they reached the round of 16. Since losing to the top-ranked duo Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova in Melbourne, Mertens and Sabalenka has not lost a match. The winners began the Miami Open final by breaking the serve of Samantha Stosur. The Australian and her partner, China’s Zhang Shuai, battled back to force a tiebreak, which Mertens and Sabalenka won 7-5. They then won the final three games of the match to wrap up the “Sunshine Double” in one hour, 24 minutes.
SICK CALL
Bianca Andreescu, the surprise Indian Wells winner, has pulled out of this week’s Volvo Car Open because of a shoulder injury. Andreescu actually won 10 straight matches, capturing her maiden WTA title before reaching the fourth round of the Miami Open, where she retired while trailing Anett Kontaveit 6-1 2-0. “The physios and the doctor said that it’s nothing too serious, but the pain is there and I couldn’t continue today,” the 18-year-old Canadian said when she retired during the Kontaveit match.
Fifth-ranked Elina Svitolina of the Ukraine announced she will be taking time off of the WTA tour in order to heal a persistent knee pain that has been bothering her recently. Svitolina lost her first match in Miami to Wang Qiang.
SHOCKS DJOKOVIC
It looked like an easy day as Novak Djokovic won the first five games and seven of the first eight against Roberto Bautista Agut. Looks were deceiving. “I played more aggressive,” the Spaniard said after shocking the world’s top-ranked player 1-6 7-5 6-3. “I tried to miss fewer balls, to be really concentrated on the beginning of the point with my serve, with my return. At the end, it worked well.” Definitely. Bautista Agut broke Djokovic’s serve to level the second set at 1-1, then broke the Serb once again to level the match at a set apiece. The Spaniard jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the decisive set before closing out the victory in 2 hours, 32 minutes. “He’s a solid player. Congratulations to him definitely for a great comeback,” Djokovic said. “But this kind of match I should not have lost. So many opportunities. Just way too many wasted opportunities. This is what happens when you don’t capitalize on time.”
SHE’S BACK, PERHAPS
Sabine Lisicki is determined to return to the WTA Tour. “I have unfinished business at Wimbledon, and it would be great if I can be there this summer,” the German said. The 29-year-old reached the Wimbledon final in 2013, losing in straight sets to Marion Bartoli. Since then she has battled a string of injuries, lost in the opening round at Wimbledon in 2017 and failed to qualify for the grass court Grand Slam tournament last year. Her ranking plummeted to 298th in the world. Getting a wild card, Lisicki returns to the WTA tour this week at the Volvo Car Open in Charleston, South Carolina, USA. She will turn 30 this fall, but Lisicki insists that she is not too old to make a comeback. “There are plenty of good players who are older than 30 and are celebrating the biggest successes of their careers,” she said. “Giving up is not an option for me.”
SPECIAL COMPANY
When Felix Auger-Aliassime reached the Miami Open quarterfinals, he joined an elite group of youngsters. With the exception of the Canadian, they all are in the International Tennis Hall of Fame or, in Rafael Nadal’s case, sure to have a spot in the Newport, Rhode Island, USA, shrine. The youngest player to reach the Miami Open men’s quarterfinals was Andy Roddick, who was 18 years, 56 days old when he did it in 2001. Another American, Pete Sampras, was three days older than Roddick when he reached the quarters in 1990. Auger-Aliassime is four days older than Sampras, while Nadal was 18 years, 81 days in 2005 and Sweden’s Stefan Edberg 19 years, 6 days in 1985.
Last fall, a heart condition forced Auger-Aliassime to retire from his first-round match at the US Open. The same problem caused him to retire at the Guadeloupe Challenger in 2015. “It only happened twice when I was competing,” the young Canadian said. He underwent heart surgery during the off-season and is confident the problem is now fixed. “The cardio thing I have dealt with since I was eight, so I wasn’t scared for my health or anything,” Auger-Aliassime said. “It took a lot of years because they couldn’t find where it was coming from, the palpitations. I went on the table again and they were able to find it. It was really easy. I know a lot of people who have done that surgery and it’s pretty common. It’s not something that I even think about any more.”
SCOT BACK TRAINING
Andy Murray is back on a tennis court two months after undergoing hip surgery. While prospects of his making a full recovery remain unclear, those close to the Scottish star says he has progressed so well that he is feeling increasingly optimistic about his chances. A photo of Murray posted on Facebook showed the former world number one player hitting balls against a practice wall in his home village of Oxshott.
STARTER
Andy Murray will participate in this year’s London Marathon, but not as a runner. The tennis star will be the official starter for the race, following in the footsteps of the Queen, who started it in 2018, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, who did the honors in 2017. “It’s such an amazing race that means so much to so many people,” said Murray, who attended the 2014 race when his wife, Kim, took part. “It raises millions each year for charity and helps inspire people to get active. I have nothing but admiration for everyone who runs. I may even run it myself one day.”
SENTENCED
The man who attacked Petra Kvitova in her home has been sentenced to eight years in prison. Radim Zondra, who is currently in prison for another crime was sentenced on charges of serious battery and illegal entry into Kvitova’s apartment in the eastern Czech town of Prostejov in December 2016. The tennis star suffered injuries to her playing left hand as she fought off the intruder. She has fully recovered and reached the Australian Open final in January. The 33-year-old Zondra pled not guilty and, under Czech law, had two weeks to appeal the verdict.
SAYONARA
The Hopman Cup could be over after a 31-year run. Instead of the international mixed team event, Perth will stage the inaugural ATP Cup next January along with Sydney and Brisbane. “The ATP Cup will launch the global tennis season for the men,” Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley said. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) said it was “committed” to the Hopman Cup. “We are in discussions with potential partners to decide where and when this tournament will be next hosted,” ITF President David Haggerty said. “We will keep the Hopman Cup alive.” This past January’s Hopman Cup saw Roger Federer face Serena Williams as Switzerland beat the United States. “If there was a sign off … to way, well, bye bye Hopman Cup, it was the fact that probably the two greatest players in the history of the sport, Roger Federer and Serena Williams, went on court at the Perth Arena and went head-to-head,” said Paul McNamee, founder of the Hopman Cup and a four-time Grand Slam doubles champion.
SHARED PERFORMANCES
Miami (men): Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan beat Wesley Koolhof and Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-5 7-6 (8)
Miami (women): Elise Mertens and Aryna Sabalenka beat Samantha Stosur and Zhang Shuai 7-6 (5) 6-2
SURFING
Charleston: http://www.volvocaropen.com/
Monterrey: http://abiertognpseguros.com/
Davis Cup: https://www.daviscup.com/
Lugano: https://samsungopen.ch/
Houston: https://www.mensclaycourt.com/
Morocco: https://www.frmt.ma/
TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK
MEN
$162,480 Abierto GNP Seguros, Monterrey, Mexico, hard
WOMEN
$823,000 Volvo Car Open, Charleston, South Carolina, USA, clay
$250,000 Abierto GNP Seguros, Monterrey, Mexico, hard
DAVIS CUP
Group II, First Round
Americas: El Salvador vs. Peru at Santa Tecia, El Salvador, hard
Asia/Oceania: Thailand vs. Philippines at Nonthaburi, Thailand, hard
Europe/Africa: Romania vs. Zimbabwe at Piatra Neamt, Romania, hard; Morocco vs. Lithuania at Marrakech, Morocco, clay
TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK
MEN
$662,173 Grand Prix Hassan II, Marrakech, Morocco, clay
$652,245 Fayez Sarofim & Co. US Men’s Clay Court Championship, Houston, Texas, USA, clay
$162,480 Taiwan Santaizi Challenger, Taipei, Taiwan, hard
WOMEN
$250,000 Claro Open Colsanitas, Bogota, Colombia, clay
$250,000 Samsung Open presented by Corner, Lugano, Switzerland, clay
