Mondays with Bob Greene
STARS
Roger Federer beat David Goffin 7-6 (2) 6-1 to win the Noventi Open in Halle, Germany
Feliciano Lopez beat Gilles Simon 6-2 6-7 (4) 7-6 (2) to win the Fever-Tree Championships in London, Great Britain
Ashleigh Barty beat Julia Goerges 6-3 7-5 to win the Nature Valley Classic in Birmingham, Great Britain
Sofia Kenin beat Belinda Bencic 6-7 (2) 7-6 (5) 6-4 to win the Mallorca Open in Mallorca, Spain
Dominik Koepfer beat Dennis Novak 3-6 6-3 7-6 (5) to win the Ilkley Trophy men’s singles in Ilkley, Great Britain
Monica Niculescu beat Timea Babos 6-2 4-6 6-3 to win the Ilkley Trophy women’s singles in Ilkley, Great Britain
SAYINGS
“I’ve never won a tournament 10 times before, so I will remember forever that I did so here in Halle. I didn’t think about how it would feel until it was all over.” – Roger Federer, after beating David Goffin to win the Halle title for the 10th time.
“I had opportunities, but you have to take them against Roger. This guy is pretty good” – David Goffin, after losing to Federer in the Noventi Open final.
“It’s just been the most incredible journey for myself and my team.” – Ashleigh Barty, after winning the Nature Valley Classic and taking over the number one spot in the WTA rankings.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen next. I hope I can recover well and have my knee healthy again.” – Juan Martin del Potro, who suffered another knee injury.
“She might have heard of this leftie Spanish player, but I’ve not won many matches since we met. Now I can say to her I’m a decent player.” – Feliciano Lopez, talking about his wife-to-be, Sandra Gago, who was watching as he won both the singles and doubles at Queen’s Club.
“These guys are veterans and legends of the game. It’s great to have Andy back out here, and to see what Feli did this week is inspiring.” – Rajeev Ram, who lost the Noventi Open doubles final to Andy Murray and Feliciano Lopez.
“I’m so happy right now. This is my third title in Halle. This place has proven very successful for me. This feeling is hard to replicate in the world, so I’ll enjoy this for sure.” – Raven Klaasen, who teamed with Michael Venus to win the doubles title in Halle, Germany.
“Right now I have to take it one tournament at a time.” – Maria Sharapova, deciding not to add another warm-up tournament ahead of Wimbledon because of concern for her shoulder.
SETS ANOTHER MARK
Even Roger Federer was impressed with his latest victory. “It’s unbelievable,” the Swiss star said. “I never thought when I first played here that I would win 10 titles.” A straight-set victory over David Goffin gave Federer his record 10th title at the ATP event in Halle. It was his 102nd career title and moved Federer to second in the ATP world rankings, jumping over Roland Garros winner Rafael Nadal. “Often when it went well for me here, I also had successful Wimbledon, so this sets me up nicely,” said Federer, giving a warning about the year’s third Grand Slam tournament, which begins in two weeks. Federer is seeking a ninth Wimbledon crown and his record-extending 21st major title. “It’s always good at my age to prove to myself that I can last five matches in six days and tough ones along the way,” the 37-year-old said. Federer saved three break points early in the first set, then prevailed in the tiebreaker. “I thought I started really well, there was great intensity in the first set,” Goffin said. But when he broke Goffin in the opening game of the second set, Federer was off and running, for the first time winning the same tournament 10 times. He has won his home tournament in Basel, Switzerland, nine times and both Wimbledon and the Dubai Open eight times.
SENIOR SEÑOR
Spanish veteran Feliciano Lopez entered the Fever-Tree Championships at Queen’s Club with a wild card. He finished the week with a bang. “I thought the best moment of my career was in 2017, but it was not, it’s right now,” said Lopez, who won the grass-court Wimbledon warmup event two years ago and had not won a singles title anywhere until now. Then the 37-year-old Lopez teamed with Andy Murray to capture the doubles title, becoming the first man since Mark Philippoussis in 1997 to win both titles in the same year at Queen’s Club. In the singles, Lopez outlasted Frenchman Gilles Simon, who is three years younger, in one of the oldest Queen’s Club finals. After Simon captured the second set to knot the well-played contest at a set apiece, the two battled into their second straight tiebreak. Bidding to become the first Frenchman to win at Queen’s Club in the Open era, Simon served his first double-fault of the match at 2-3. Lopez also won the next point with a dipping backhand pass off a lunging volley. The Spaniard became the first wildcard to win the pre-Wimbledon title since American Pete Sampras 20 years ago.
SUPER FEELING
Andy Murray returned to tennis in a smashing way, teaming with Feliciano Lopez to win the Fever-Tree Championships doubles. “I am just happy to be back on the court,” said Murray, who was competing for the first time since undergoing hip surgery shortly after the Australian Open in January. “I felt relaxed at the beginning of the week, but felt more nervous as it went on,” Murray said. “I think my competitive instincts started kicking in. My hip has felt great, pain-free.” It was Murray’s first ATP Tour doubles title since winning in Tokyo with his brother Jamie in 2011. Lopez, who earlier in the day won the singles title, saved his best tennis for the final minutes. He ripped a return up the line for a 5-4 mini-break advantage, then unleashed a series of big serves and winners to give his team five match points. They only needed one.
STOPPING AT THE TOP
Five years ago, Ashleigh Barty left the WTA tour and became a professional cricket player. Three years after her return, she won her second straight title and became the WTA’s top-ranked player. She is Australia’s first world number one since Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 1976. And, a week after winning Roland Garros, she beat her doubles partner, Julia Goerges, to capture the Nature Valley Classic in Birmingham, Great Britain. “I don’t even know if I’d be sitting here talking to you if I was playing tennis (and) if I didn’t step away,” Barty said. “It’s obviously a part of my life that I needed to deal with, and I feel like it was the best decision that I made at the time, and it was an even better one coming back.” It took Barty 88 minutes for her straight-set title win and become the 27th woman to achieve the number one ranking. In the post-match ceremonies, she thanked the loser. “I couldn’t think of a better person to share the court with,” Barty told Goerges. “We had an incredible week in singles and doubles. You’re one of my best friends on tour and you’ve been there for me since I was just a little tacker running around annoying everyone.
SINUOUS FUTURE
Fracturing the patella in his right knee for the second time in nine months, Juan Martin del Potro may not be able to play tennis again. “If the other day was my last match of tennis or not, today I do not know, the 30-year-old Argentine said. He underwent successful surgery in Barcelona, Spain. Del Potro slipped in his first-round match against Denis Shapovalov at the Fever-Tree Championships. Although he won the match, del Potro noticed pain and swelling in the knee, prompting medical tests. The fractured right kneecap is the same injury he suffered last October at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, which cut his season short and limited him to just five tournaments this year. The 2009 US Open champion, de Potro has had his career ravaged by injuries, most notably to his left wrist that saw him sidelined for most of the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
SIGNIFICANT HONOR
Thousands of people attended a ceremony in Richmond, Virginia, USA, for the formal renaming of Arthur Ashe Boulevard. Ashe’s hometown, the capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War, also boasts an athletic center named after the tennis star, and a bronze sculpture of Ashe sits among Richmond’s many Confederate statues. Prior to the ceremony, the street was previously known simply as “Boulevard.” At one end of Arthur Ashe Boulevard sits Byrd Park, which has tennis courts where Ashe was denied access during his childhood because of segregation. The only Black man to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open and the Australian Open, Ashe, who died in 1993, also was a well-known philanthropist who promoted education and civil rights.
SOME MATCHES
To prepare for Wimbledon, Rafael Nadal will play two exhibition matches at the Aspall Tennis Classic in Hurlingham, Great Britain. Several other top players, including Kevin Anderson, Nick Kyrgios, Marin Cilic, Lucas Pouille, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Marco Baghdatis, will use the event for grass court preparation. Nadal has won Wimbledon twice, in 2008 and 2010.
SICK CALL
Katie Boulter has withdrawn from Wimbledon because of an ongoing back injury. The 22-year-old has not played since she suffered the injury in Great Britain’s Fed Cup win over Kazakhstan in April. “The road to recovery has had its ups and downs,” Boulter said. “At various points along the way I’ve been very close to getting back on court and competing, but unfortunately I’m not quite ready in time for Wimbledon.”
SLAMMED
Nick Kyrgios was fined around (USD) $20,000 for his behavior at the Queen’s Club tournament. The 24-year-old Australian accused a line judge of “match-rigging” during his first-round win over Robert Carballes Baena. Kyrgios threatened to walk off the court, then made fun of umpire Fergus Murphy’s hat. He also appeared to los interest in his match by peering over the fence to watch another. Later in the day, he tossed his racquet over the set when Canadian teenager Felix Auger-Aliassime broke Kyrgios to win the third set 7-5 and the match. The ATP supervisor fined Kyrgios USD $7,500 for two separate counts of unsportsmanlike behavior in the first match and USD $10,000 for his behavior in the Auger-Aliassime match.
SHE’S APPEALING VERDICT
American Anna Tatishvili claimed she was the victim of “discrimination” when she was stripped of her entire USD $52,000 Roland Garros prize money for “not playing at a professional standard.” The French Open was Tatishvili’s first competition following a 31-month absence with a serious ankle injury and multiple surgeries. Playing Roland Garros with a protected ranking, Tatishvili lost her first-round match to Maria Sakkari of Greece 6-0 6-1 in just 55 minutes. The American said she was treated unfairly because a male player who competed in qualifying at Roland Garros, also under a protected ranking, lost in 43 minutes but was not sanctioned. Although she did not name the male player, Israel’s Amir Weintraub lost 6-3 6-1 to Lukas Rosol in the first round of qualifying a match that lasted just 43 minutes. It was Weintraub’s first match since losing in the opening round of qualifying at the 2017 Australian Open. “This was my first match played in nearly three years after multiple ankle surgeries and months of intense rehabilitation,” Tatishvili said. “I am proud of my performance against an outstanding opponent. I hold myself to the highest professional standards and will do everything in my power to overturn this unprecedented sanction and restore my name.” The Grand Slam Board introduced the performance rule before the 2018 season to deter players who enter tournaments while injured, then retire during first-round matches to collect prize money. Injured players who withdraw before the tournament, allowing someone who lost in qualifying to get into the draw, received half the first-round prize money.
SPLIT?
Venus Williams has reportedly broken up with her millionaire boyfriend Nicky Hammond. Page Six reported that the 39-year-old Williams and her 27-year-old boyfriend have ended their relationship, but remain friendly. According to the Page Six source, the two weren’t on the same page regarding marriage and children.
STEADY FED
Roger Federer has been ranked in the Top 50 in the world for 1,000 weeks, a record. He has not been ranged outside the Top 20 since April 2001. In second is Andre Agassi, who was ranked in the Top 50 for 960 weeks in his career. The only other player to reach 900 weeks is Jimmy Connors, who finished his career with 918 weeks in the Top 50. If he remains healthy, Rafael Nadal could be ranked in the Top 50 for at least 900 weeks in the spring of 2021.
SHARED PERFORMANCES
Birmingham: Hsieh Su-Wei and Barbora Strycova beat Anna-Lena Groenfeld and Demi Schuurs 6-4 6-7 (4) 10-8 (match tiebreak)
Halle: Raven Klaasen and Michael Venus beat Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo 4-6 6-3 10-4 (match tiebreak)
Ilkley (men): Santiago Gonzalez and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi beat Marcus Daniell and Leander Paes 6-3 6-4
Ilkley (women): Beatriz Haddad Maia and Luisa Stefani beat Ellen Perez and Arina Rodionova 6-4 6-7 (5) 10-4 (match tiebreak)
London: Feliciano Lopez and Andy Murray beat Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury 7-6 (5) 5-7 10-5 (match tiebreak)
Mallorca: Kirsten Flipkens and Johanna Larsson beat Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez and Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-2 6-4
SURFING
Eastbourne: https://www.lta.org.uk/major-tennis-events/british-major-events/nature-valley-international/
Antalya: http://www.antalyaopen.com/
Wimbledon: https://www.wimbledon.com/index.html
TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK
MEN
$2,514,010 Noventi Open, Halle, Germany, grass
$2,514,010 Fever-Tree Championships, London, Great Britain, grass
$155,838 Ilkley Trophy, Ilkley, Great Britain, grass
WOMEN
$1,006,263 Nature Valley Classic, Birmingham, Great Britain, grass
$250,000 Mallorca Open, Mallorca, Spain, grass
$100,000 Manchester Trophy, Manchester, Great Britain, grass
TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK
MEN
$839,098 Nature Valley International, Eastbourne, Great Britain, grass
$568,627 Turkish Airlines Open, Antalya, Turkey, grass
WOMEN
$998,712 Nature Valley International, Eastbourne, Great Britain, grass
TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK
MEN and WOMEN
Wimbledon, London, Great Britain, grass (first week)
