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The Great Eighth For Novak Djokovic at the 2020 Australian Open

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By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

 

It’s the great eight for Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open.

The Serbian dynamo won his record-extending eighth men’s singles title at the Australian Open Sunday with a 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Dominic Thiem of Austria to win his 17th major singles title. Djokovic came back from two-sets-to-one for the first time in a major final.

“Definitely my favorite court, my favorite stadium in the world,” Djokovic said to the crowd at Rod Laver Arena after the match during the trophy presentation.

This win improved Djokovic’s combined record in semifinals and finals in that stadium to 16-0 and means he will return to No. 1 in the ATP Tour rankings, replacing Rafael Nadal in that spot. No other man in the history of tennis has won this hard-court tournament more than six times. Only Roger Federer,  with 20, and Nadal, with 19, have won more men’s Grand Slam singles trophies than Djokovic.

“Amazing achievement. Unreal what you’re doing throughout all these years,” said the No. 5 seed Thiem, who is 0-3 in major finals after losing two final at Roland Garros in Paris to Nadal. “You and also two other guys, I think you brought men’s tennis to a complete new level. I’m proud and happy I can compete in these times and this period of tennis. I fell a little bit short today, but I hope I can get, soon, revenge.”

Djokovic is the third man in history to win at least eight titles at the same Grand Slam event. Nadal, who has won 12 titles at Roland Garros, holds the record for most titles at the same Grand Slam event. Federer is the only other man to have won eight titles at a Grand Slam event, having won eight titles at Wimbledon.

At 32 years 256 days, Djokovic has won his fifth major singles title since turning 30 and equals Nadal’s Open Era record for most major men’s singles titles won after the age of 30. Since celebrating his 30th birthday on May 22 2017, Djokovic has won four major titles – at Wimbledon in 2018 and 2019, the 2018 US Open and at the 2019 Australian Open. The win in Melbourne is also Djokovic’s 78th Tour-level singles title, moving him into sole ownership of fifth place on the Open Era list for most Tour-level men’s singles titles won, ahead of John McEnroe.

Djokovic last played a five-set final at the Australian Open in 2012, when out outlasted Rafael Nadal in a match at tennis historian Steve Flink called the No. 7 match in the history of the sport in his book “The Greatest Tennis Matches of All Time” for sale and download here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0942257936/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_62UnEbM00SNWM

Novak Djokovic as seen on the new "TennisONE" tennis mobile app by Ron Angle
Novak Djokovic as seen on the new “TennisONE” tennis mobile app by Ron Angle

Is Novak Djokovic The Greatest of the Lot?

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by Bob Stockton

There has always been a feeling that Novak Djokovic is playing third fiddle to Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal as he tries his best to keep up with the pace. The narrative focuses squarely on the titanic duel between Federer and Nadal with Djokovic getting an honorable mention from time to time. To be perfectly fair, it’s easy to think that and after all, the Swiss legend and Spanish maestro absolutely deserve the praise that comes there way, but are we all making quite a lazy assumption with regards to Djokovic’s role in all of this?

Unfortunately, the data says, in the most polite way possible of course, that we are being ever so ignorant in our thinking. Let’s start with Grand Slam titles, Djokovic does lag behind Federer’s 20 and Nadals 19 having only won 16, but in the last nine years, the Serb has won 15 Grand Slam titles with Nadal winning 13 and Federer 5.

Djokovic’s head-to-head record against them both is also superior having won 42 and lost only 25, the most notable of late was when he put Federer to the sword to win Wimbledon 2019.

And then you consider that he was the first man since the legendary Aussie Rod Laver to have held all four Grand Slams at the same time and you’re all of a sudden left wondering if indeed Djokovic is the greatest of all time?

But he hasn’t won the most Grand Slams you say and sure, that is true but if he wins all four again in a calendar year then he would have won just as many in the blink of an eye. One must be realistic as well and realize that this is an achievement that only happens every so often, but the omens are good for the first Grand Slam of the year with Djokovic the favorite at 7/4. Punters who feel that Djokovic can win the Australian Open can claim £30 to place on the Serb by reading this article.

This idea that the 32-year-old may be the best of all time will be a hard and maybe even impossible pill to swallow for the legion of fans that Federer and Nadal have. What’s interetsing is that the same argument that is used to defend their right as the game’s greatest – number of Grand Slam titles won – could well come back to haunt them with the Serb now on the charge for ultimate glory.

And as for the longevity needed to overtake his main rivals, both Nadal and Federer have proved that it is possible to win Grand Slams late into your thirties so age shouldn’t be a problem either.

It’s all systems go for Djokovic to finish off his two greatest opponents now that he has put the groundwork in place over the last ten years. There is still another chapter to be written in the history of the Big Three and it may be fair to say that it could be a surprise ending to the one everyone expected.

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic

 

How Will The ‘Big Four’ Fare at the 2020 Australian Open?

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The 2019 tennis season concluded in spectacular fashion, as Spain secured victory at the Davis Cup Finals in Madrid, largely thanks to typically impressive displays from Rafael Nadal, who was instrumental in the success of his country at the tournament.

Currently the best male tennis player in the world, following his inspirational Davis Cup displays, Nadal has now topped the ATP Rankings for more than 200 weeks during his remarkable career. This feat is made all the more impressive given the stiff competition provided by Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray, during a golden generation for men’s tennis.

As we bid farewell to another exciting season of tennis, many of the leading stars of the sport will now take a short break to rest and recover over in December. However, there’s no doubt that for some, the time will be put to good use by training hard for the year to come, given that the first Grand Slam of 2020 will soon be upon us in the middle of January.

The Australian Open in Melbourne has proven to be a fascinating battleground for more than a decade, with the “big four” of Federer, Murray, Nadal and Djokovic typically dominating the prestigious tournament. They will all be competing again at the 2020 tournament, keen to make the final at the Rod Laver Arena and lift the Norman Brooks Challenge Cup, so let’s take a look at their expectations.

Novak Djokovic

There’s a simple reason why Djokovic is favourite to dominate in Melbourne, according to the latest Australian Open odds. The Serbian has won the opening Grand Slam competition of the year seven times, including his victory in 2019  when he beat Nadal in the final, maintaining his excellent record against the Spaniard when the pair have met at the tournament, resuming their fierce on-court rivalry in yet another spectacular display of tennis.

Having won 5 ATP tournament titles in 2019, including the Australian Open and Wimbledon Grand Slam double, Djokovic will be hoping to start the 2020 tennis season with continued success. However, there are lingering concerns about his fitness, given there were constant struggles with injury throughout the year. That said, he seemed in peak shape more recently, claiming to be clear of a shoulder problem that forced his withdrawal from the US Open.

Andy Murray

Ahead of the 2019 Australian Open, Murray held an emotional press conference to explain that the tournament could be his last. Having suffered over recent years with so many injury problems, the British tennis star admitted that continuing to play at the highest level was a constant struggle. Nevertheless, the 32-year-old underwent hip surgery following the tournament and after receiving his knighthood later in 2019, returned to competitive tennis.

Murray boasts an excellent record at the Australian Open having reached the final on five occasions, although he’s never actually won the tournament. Having overcome such difficult injury and fitness problems, Murray has ended the 2019 season playing some inspirational tennis again. Although he won’t be considered much more than an outsider at the 2020 tournament in Melbourne, he will certainly be battling to reach the latter stages.

Rafa Nadal

As the top-ranked player on the ATP tour right now, it’s fair to say that anyone who can get past Nadal probably stands a good chance of winning tournaments. Having won the 2019 French Open and US Open Grand Slam titles, the man from Mallorca demonstrated exceptional form throughout the year, therefore he will undoubtedly be eager to start the new season with victory at the Australian Open.

That said, even though he has often performed very well in Australia, winning the title in 2009 following a marathon encounter with Federer, Nadal has failed to win any of the subsequent four finals he has reached in Melbourne. After losing the 2012 final to Djokovic, he was beaten by Stan Wawrinka in 2014, then Federer in 2017 and Djokovic again in 2019. Don’t be surprised to see the next chapter of the Nadal-Djokovic rivalry being written in 2020.

Roger Federer

The Swiss tennis star may be 38 and very much in the twilight of his professional tennis career, but there’s no sign that Federer is any nearer to contemplating hanging up his racket just yet. “I will never retire,” he joked on the NBC Today show recently, despite rumours that he might well do so after competing at the 2020 Olympic Games in Japan. Still competing at the highest level and capable of reaching major tournament finals, he seems intent to carry on.

Federer also boasts a strong record at the Australian Open, reaching and winning his first Melbourne final back in 2004. The Swiss superstar has won the tournament on six occasions, with the latest triumph on the famous blue courts coming in 2018 against Marin Čilić. That record is only surpassed by Djokovic, although it’s fair to say that Federer will surely be amongst the favourite contenders aiming to triumph in 2020.

Who Will Win?

While the competition from Murray and Federer will be fierce as always, it’s hard to look beyond one of either Nadal or Djokovic being the dominant forces at the 2020 Australian Open. Djokovic will remain the favourite to triumph and land his eighth title at the Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne, although Nadal will certainly be pushing him all the way, such is their rivalry.

The Big Four of Tennis - Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray
The Big Four of Tennis – Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray

The ATP Tour Finals History For Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic

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by Bob Stockton

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic first all competed at the ATP World Tour Finals in 2007. Twelve years on, it’s possible that the 2019 edition of the tournament will be the last one to feature all three of tennis’ greatest players.

Between them, they have delivered 11 titles, but curiously Nadal has failed to win the event even once, probably the biggest title missing off his career resume. We broke down their head-to-head numbers and analysed whether they have dominated the ATP World Tour Finals like they have dominated at major championships.

Federer, the oldest of the trio, had three attempts at winning the ATP Tour Finals (winning twice) before either Djokovic or Nadal were involved, so it is no surprise the Swiss has won the event most often. The 38-year-old has played this event 14 times overall, winning on six of those attempts (42.9 per cent). Djokovic’s numbers are even better, winning the title on five of 11 attempts (45.5 percent). All of those victories came when Federer was competing, though Nadal only featured in two of them. Nadal has played in the year-end championships eight times without a tournament victory. He has lobbied the ATP to have the event played, on occasion, on clay (his best surface) but has failed to convince the ATP brain trust to make serious inroads in that direction.  Federer has won three of the six ATP Tour Finals that the trio have all played in, with Nikolay Davydenko winning the other in 2009.

Djokovic leads Federer 4-2 in match-ups at this event, though this includes the 2014 final when the Swiss pulled out beforehand because of injury. Djokovic also beats Nadal on head-to-head 3-2 in this instance, and has won both of their meetings since 2010. Taking all of this into account, Djokovic should be considered the greatest of the three in the ATP Tour Finals.

Djokovic also boasts a superior head-to-head record against both Federer and Nadal in hard-court majors, suggesting that suitability to the surface is the biggest deciding factor in winning the ATP Tour Finals. The Serb leads Federer 6-4 in head-to-heads at the US Open and Australian Open combined, and is beating Nadal 3-2 across the same events.

The impact of the ATP Tour Finals being an indoor tournament is proved by Federer’s head-to-head record against Nadal, though. The Swiss is renowned for his indoor record. The lack of wind ensures that conditions remain consistent, so hitting through the line of the ball and hand-eye coordination are attributes that flourish. It explains why he is trailing 3-1 to Nadal in hard-court majors but beating him 4-1 at the ATP Tour Finals.

It also seems that Nadal, who has also struggled with injuries most of the three, is the one most affected by the Tour Finals being an end-of-season event. The Spaniard suffers from a disorder called Kohler’s feet – an irregularity in growth and development of the tarsal navicular bone in the foot – as well as suffering from chronic knee issues. He also underwent ankle surgery in November 2018. At the end of a long season, those issues are exacerbated. That explains why he has only competed in eight Tour Finals since he burst on the scene in 2004 – Federer has played in 14 and Djokovic in 11 – and not won any of them.

The domination that Federer and Djokovic have enjoyed in this competition since 2003 is shown by comparing it to the 16 years beforehand. In the period between 2003-2018, just seven players won the ATP Tour finals, with David Nalbandian, Davydenko, Andy Murray, Grigor Dimitrov and Alexander Zverev winning one each. Federer and Djokovic’s superiority was even more impressive after the 2015 edition, when they had won 11 of the last 13 available titles. In the previous 16 years between 1987-2002, there were nine different champions. Pete Sampras won it five times, but defended it just once, while Boris Becker won three of them. Four players won it in five years between 1998-2002, but it took another seven years for another four – Federer, David Nalbandian, Djokovic and Davydenko – to lift the title.

This infographic below was originally designed by Betway Online Tennis.

 

Betway Graphic
Betway Graphic

Lucky Loser Teenager Coco Gauff Captures First WTA Title – Mondays with Bob Greene

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Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Daniil Medvedev beat Alexander Zverev 6-4 6-1 to win the Shanghai Rolex Masters in Shanghai, China

Rebecca Peterson beat Heather Watson 6-4 6-4 to win the Tianjin Open in Tianjin, China

Coco Gauff beat Jelena Ostapenko 6-3 1-6 6-2 to win the Upper Austria Ladies Linz in Linz, Austria

Juan Pablo Varillas beat Federico Coria 6-3 2-6 6-2 to win the Santo Domingo Open in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Christopher O’Connell beat Steve Johnson 6-4 6-4 to win the Northbay Healthcare Men’s Pro Championships in Fairfield, California, USA

Mikael Ymer beat Mathias Bourgue 6-1 6-4 to win the Internationaux de Tennis de Vendée in Mouilleron-Le-Captif, France

 

SAYING

“Everybody is talking that they need new guys, something new, so I gave them something new.” – Daniil Medvedev, after winning Shanghai, his second straight ATP Masters title.

“In the past few months, he’s probably the best player in the world, making it to six finals in a row, winning a Masters (1000), making it to the US Open final.” – Alexander Zverev, speaking about Daniil Medvedev.

“I’ll remember this day for the rest of my life.” Coco Gauff, the 15-year-old American lucky loser who won her first WTA title in Linz, Austria.

“Well done today to Coco. You have a bright future. It was a pleasure to share the court with you today.” – Jelena Ostapenko, who lost to Coco Gauff in the Linz final.

“I got my first title in Nanchang just a couple of weeks ago, and now I’ve got my second title, so I’m obviously enjoying my stay here in China.” – Rebecca Peterson, after winning the Tianjin Open.

“The young guys are knocking on the door big time. It’s exciting, it’s great.” – Roger Federer, noting that four young players – Germany’s Alexander Zverev, Russia’s Daniil Medvedev, Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas and Italy’s Matteo Berrettini – reached the semifinals at the Shanghai Masters.

“I honestly feel like they are more threatened than I am, and that makes me more relaxed on court. I know I just have to hang in there and be able to be more aggressive. Once you get aggressive and they see you going for it, I might even say they get scared. – Stefanos Tsitsipas, saying he isn’t intimated by the Big Three of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

“Yes.” – Novak Djokovic, when asked if Stefanos Tsitsipas has the potential to be ranked number one in the world.

“I think I will be able to put more of my emotion into it by playing for the pride of the country.” – Naomi Osaka, who kept her Japanese citizenship in order to represent Japan in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

 

SHANGHAI CHAMPION

Capturing his second consecutive ATP Masters 1000 trophy and reaching his sixth straight final, Daniil Medvedev is showing off credentials that could take him to the top of the men’s rankings. The Russian’s first victory over Germany’s Alexander Zverev gave Medvedev the Shanghai Masters crown to go with the Cincinnati Masters title. “This one is also amazing because Shanghai, I think, is one of the most prestigious Masters on the Tour,” Medvedev said. “Especially in the past 10 years there were only three players who managed to win this so, so it’s really special to have my photo in the corridor over the next many years.” After splitting the first six games, Medvedev won eight of the next nine to go up 6-4 5-0. Two games later, he fired an ace on his first match point. “It’s something outrageous that I’ve done in the past few months and I have been working for it,” Medvedev said of his winning ways this year, including a runner-up result at the US Open. It was the first Masters 1000 final between two players under the age of 24 since Novak Djokovic defeated Gael Monfils at the Paris Masters in 2009.

This was the first Masters 1000 final featuring two players under the age of 24 since Novak Djokovic (22) defeated Gael Monfils (23) in the 2009 Rolex Paris Masters championship match. “He’s a different player now,” Zverev said of Medvedev. “You can’t compare.”

 

SWEET BEGINNING

Lucky loser, indeed. Coco Gauff, who got a second chance after losing in the opening round of qualifying, capped her week by stopping Jelena Ostapenko and winning her first WTA title. “I’m still overwhelmed and shocked,” Gauff said. The 15-year-old American became the youngest player to win a WTA event since Czech Nicole Vaidisova won her first title in 2004, also at the age of 15. “I guess it’s crazy to say it’s my first WTA title,” the winner said. “This was definitely not on the calendar at the beginning of the year because I didn’t think I’d have a chance to get in, and now I’m the champion, so it’s crazy.” The week didn’t begin well as Gauff lost in the first round of qualifying. But she learned she was in the main draw 40 minutes before her match. She made her opportunity count by beating Stefanie Vogele, Kateryna Kozlova, top-seeded Kiki Bertens and Andrea Petkovic before stopping Ostapenko, the former French Open champion. “My dad told me when I got in, before the first main-draw match, ‘You can’t lose twice in the same tournament.’ I’m sure he never thought it would come this far, to being the champion, but I guess he was right,” the teenager said. Gauff is the youngest American to win a WTA tournament since Jennifer Capriati at Toronto in 1991.

 

SECOND TITLE

Rain forced the Tianjin Open final to be played indoors, which was just fine for Rebecca Peterson. The Swede won her second title in China in two months by beating Britain’s Heather Watson in straight sets. After a five-hour rain delay, the two players took to the court only to have rain begin again during the warmup. Officials then moved to an indoor facility where Peterson rallied from a break down in each set, falling behind 0-2 both times. The winner committed only 26 unforced errors while Watson had 38. Peterson began her Asian swing last month by winning the Jiangxi Open in Nanchang, China. She began her title run in Tianjin by beating Venus Williams. “I think the challenge of this week was just to keep going and try to play my game in every match,” Peterson said. “I think I had some really tough matches, like yesterday, the day before, even in my first round.”

 

SELECTING JAPAN

Naomi Osaka is Japan’s highest-ranked player. Now she’s giving up her American citizenship in order to represent Japan in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Osaka was born in Osaka, Japan, to a Japanese mother and Haitian father, and was raised in the United States. Until now, she had dual citizenship with the United States and Japan, but Japanese law requires that she choose one or the other by her 22nd birthday. That’s this week, so she chose Japan, saying it will give her “a special feeling to try to go to the Olympics to represent Japan.” She currently lives in the USA. A two-time Grand Slam tournament champion, Osaka has won her last two tournaments, the Pan Pacific Open in Osaka, Japan, and the China Open in Beijing.

  

SURPRISE, SURPRISE

Maybe Shanghai was a peek at the changing of the guard. First, 21-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece upset top-ranked Novak Djokovic 3-6 7-5 6-3. Then, almost immediately following that shocker, 22-year-old Alexander Zverev of Germany knocked off Roger Federer 6-3 6-7 (7) 6-3. In one unexpected quarterfinal day, the top two seeded players and two-thirds of the Big Three, were eliminated from the Shanghai Masters. Since 2010, only three players – Djokovic, Federer and Andy Murray – had won the hard court tournament in China’s biggest city.

 

SAYONARA

Belgium’s Steve Darcis has confirmed that he plans on retiring after next year’s Australian Open. “I made a successful comeback in 2019, but after Wimbledon I got problems again with my shoulder,” Darcis said. “Mentally and physically, I’m no longer at my best.” Darcis upset Rafael Nadal in the opening round at Wimbledon in 2013. Two years ago, he reached a career-high in the ATP Rankings at 38th in the world. But he missed the 2018 season due to an elbow injury. He returned this past January and reached his first ATP Tour semifinal in seven years in Pune, India. After 16 years on Tour, Darcis spoke of his retirement plans at the draw ceremony for the European Open, which will be held in Antwerp, Belgium. For his final tournament on home soil, Darcis received wild card entries into both the man draw singles and doubles. “Plenty of strong career moments will stay with me forever and I hope to end the year in a nice way,” he said. “This also goes for my last tournament here in Antwerp.”

 

SWISS FURY

The normally cool demeanor displayed on court by Roger Federer went missing during his three-set quarterfinal loss to Alexander Zverev. The veteran Swiss star twice hit the ball out of the court in anger, engaged in a row with the umpire and was given a point penalty. After saving five match points to force a decisive third set, Federer became engaged in a continual war of words with the chair umpire. He was trailing 3-0 30-15 in the third set when he was assessed a point penalty. When asked in his post-match news conference about his conversation with the umpire, Federer shrugged his shoulders and said: “So you can write something on Twitter, yeah? Next question.”

 

SEES CHALLENGERS

According to Roger Federer, there are eight young players who are ready to challenge the top three men – Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Federer himself. Since Nadal won his first Grand Slam tournament at Roland Garros in 2005, the Big Three have accounted for 51 of the last 59 major titles. They have won the last 12 Grand Slam tournaments, the second longest streak won by the trio. The last player not named Federer, Djokovic or Nadal to win a Grand Slam tournament title was Stan Wawrinka, who captured the US Open in 2016. But Federer now feels the challengers are ready and able. “Not like there were none beforehand, but now they are playing with the big boys, you know, and really able to challenge us, beat us, having good rivalries also within each other, which I think is important for them to improve as players,” the 38-year-old Swiss star said. “I remember when I was coming up and I had (Marat) Safin and (Andy) Roddick and (Lleyton) Hewitt and (Wayne) Ferreira and everybody. You don’t want to be the last guy of that group. … So, I think it really creates good intentions to actually wanting to improve faster, and I see that right now.” Federer named Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Andrey Rublev, Matteo Berrettini, Karen Khachanov, Denis Shapovalov and Nick Kyrgios. “Yeah, they’ve got our attention, no doubt about that,” Federer said.

 

SAYS BABY COMING

Andy Murray and his wife Kim are expecting their family will grow almost any day now. Murray said that while he’s playing at the European Open this week, there’s a possibility he will have to return home in time for the birth of their third child. The Murrays have two daughters, 3-year-old Sophia and one-year-old Edie. After the European Open he is taking four weeks away from the tour before playing in the Davis Cup finals in Madrid, Spain, November 18-25.

 

SMASHED

The USD $300,000 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon belonging to Nick Kyrgios was badly damaged when it crashed into a pole. Australian police said Kyrgios was not driving the car at the time of the crash, and it’s not known if he was a passenger. Kyrgios has not played since Zhuhai and is currently recuperating a shoulder injury.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Fairfield: Darian King and Peter Polansky beat Andre Goransson and Sem Verbeek 6-4 3-6 12-10 (match tiebreak)

Linz: Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova beat Barbara Haas and xenia Knoll 6-4 6-3

Mouilleron-Le-Captif: Jonny O’Mara and Ken Skupski beat Sander Arends and David Pel 6-1 6-4

Santo Domingo: Ariel Behar and Gonzalo Escobar beat Orlando Luz and Luis David Martinez 6-7 (5) 6-4 12-10 (match tiebreak)

Shanghai: Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares beat Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo 6-4 6-2

Tianjin: Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara beat Nao Hibino and Miyu Kato 6-3 7-5

 

 

SURFING

Moscow: https://kremlincup.ru/

Antwerp: http://europeanopen.be/

Stockholm: https://www.stockholmopen.se/

Luxembourg: https://www.bglbnpparibas-open.com/

Suzhou: www.tennis.org.cn

Vienna: https://www.erstebank-open.com/

Basel: https://www.swissindoorsbasel.ch/de/index.php

Brest: http://www.openbrestarena.fr/

Zhuhai: https://www.wtaelitetrophy.com/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

MEN

$922,520 VTB Kremlin Cup, Moscow, Russia, hard

$780,567 European Open, Antwerp, Belgium, hard

$780,567 Intrum Stockholm Open, Stockholm, Sweden, hard

$162,480 Yinzhou International Men’s Tennis Challenger, Ningbo, China, hard

 

WOMEN

$1,032,000 VTB Kremlin Cup, Moscow, Russia, hard

$250,000 BGL BNP Paribas Luxembourg Open, Luxembourg, Luxembourg, hard

$100,000 ITF Suzhou, Suzhou, China, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

 

MEN

$2,696,460 Erste Bank Open, Vienna, Austria, hard

$2,449,490 Swiss Indoors, Basel, Switzerland, hard

$101,556 Open Brest Credit Agricole, Brest, France, hard

 

WOMEN

$2,419,844 Hengqin Life WTA Elite Trophy, Zhuhai, China, hard

$100,000 ITF W100, Suzhou, China, hard

 

Coco Gauff in Linz
Coco Gauff in Linz

Naomi Osaka, Dominic Thiem, Novak Djokovic Grab Titles – Mondays with Bob Greene

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Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Naomi Osaka beat Ashleigh Barty 3-6 6-3 6-2 to win the China Open women’s singles in Beijing, China

Dominic Thiem beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 3-6 6-4 6-1 to win the China Open men’s singles in Beijing, China

Novak Djokovic beat John Millman 6-3 6-2 to win the Rakuten Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo, Japan

 

SAYING

“I accomplished what I set out to do.” – Naomi Osaka, after winning the China Open women’s title.

“I was trying to belt it and I couldn’t crack an egg out there.” – Ashleigh Barty, talking about the cold weather conditions during his China Open final loss to Naomi Osaka.

“It was a fantastic week in every sense. I felt great on the court … didn’t drop a set, played really well, served great. Just overall a great experience.” – Novak Djokovic, who won in Tokyo.

“Your legacy is continuing to build and will just live on long after you’ve finished playing but I’m sure you’ve got a fair few more years left.” – John Millman, complimenting Novak Djokovic after being thrashed by the Serb in the Tokyo final.

“It feels great because today was for me one of the best matches I’ve played in my life.” – Dominic Thiem, who served and volleyed his way to victory over Stefano Tsitsipas in the China Open final.

“It’s my first good tournament after a while. I just need to stay concentrated and not think too big of myself this week,” – Stefano Tsitsipas, who had lost five of his previous six matches before Beijing.

“I forgot how it felt and honestly it sucks. I didn’t miss it.” – Bianca Andreescu, after having her 17-match winning streak snapped in the China Open quarterfinals by Naomi Osaka.

“For me, I just do what I’ve been doing for, like, 21 years, which is play tennis. That’s the main thing for me. That’s the thing that I’ve done every day of my life and what gives me most joy.” – Naomi Osaka.

“It also shows that I (have) played another very good and consistent season. I’m looking forward to it a lot.” – Dominic Thiem, after qualifying for the eight-player, season-ending Nitto ATP Tour Finals.

“I felt that something isn’t right because my mind is there but my body wasn’t following it.” – Sabine Lisicki, 2013 Wimbledon finalist, who is resuming training after being diagnosed and treated for mononucleosis.

 

SECOND STRAIGHT TITLE

Naomi Osaka is sending a message on who’s number one on the WTA tour. Dominating the Asian swing, Osaka captured her second consecutive title, this time battering top-ranked Ashleigh Barty in the China Open final. “Honestly, all I was thinking about was how much I wanted to win so that made me very emotional,” Osaka said after her three-set victory. “In the second set I just tried to rationalize everything and then in the third set just continue what I was doing.” Despite Osaka getting the first break of the match, Barty took control to jump out front by winning the first set. The next two sets were an entirely different story as Osaka overpowered her Australian foe, striking quickly with down-the-line service returns and holding serve. “I still felt like the underdog (against Barty),” Osaka said. “Results-wise, she’s had a way better 2019, I think. She’s ranked higher than me. People look at that going into it.” The match was played in chilly weather, the temperature around 59 F (15 Celsius). Barty said the conditions nullified the zip on her serve and reduced the variety of shots she was able to play. Osaka had a different take on it. “I’m not really too much of an analyst, wo I can’t say whether the colder conditions helped me,” she said. Her Beijing victory came a week after Osaka captured the Toray Pan Pacific Ocean in her birthplace of Osaka, Japan.

Osaka became the fifth player to qualify for the year-ending WTA Finals, joining Barty, Karolina Pliskova, Simona Halep and Bianca Andreescu. Osaka will be playing in her second straight WTA Finals, making her the second Japanese woman to qualify in consecutive years since Kimiko Date did it in 1994-96.

 

SO DOMINANT

Novak Djokovic dominated John Millman in winning his first Japan Open title and the 76th of his career. It was the Serb’s first tournament since he withdrew from the US Open because of a shoulder injury. “It was a fantastic week in every sense,” Djokovic said. “I felt great on the court … didn’t drop a set, payed really well, served great. Just overall a great experience.” Millman, a qualifier, was playing in his first ATP Tour 500 final. And it was really no contest. Djokovic had 23 winners, including eight of his 12 trips to the net. “It sounds silly to say but I hope everyone all around the world realizes just how good you are,” a thorough impressed Millman told Djokovic at the trophy presentation. “You’re an absolute champion and you’re the type of person who’s going to be remembered forever.” Millman will certainly remember. Djokovic won 87 percent of his first service points, slammed six aces, never faced a break point and wrapped up the victory in 69 minutes. He didn’t drop a set the entire week. And he had a good word for Millman, who staved off three match points in his first qualifying match. “He had a great tournament,” Djokovic said. “Considering he was close to losing in the first round of qualies, to get this far, I think he’ll take it. He’s a fighter.”

 

SERVE AND VOLLEY???

Austria’s Dominic Thiem played what he called one of the best matches of his career. It came against Stefano Tsitsipas and in the China Open final. “Game style-wise and also how I came back, it’s definitely one of my biggest titles because the tournament is so strong, the draw was so strong,” Thiem said. “Makes me very happy that I stand as the champion at the end of the week.” It was Thiem’s fourth title in a season where the 26-year-old has posted victories over both top-ranked Novak Djokovic and third-ranked Roger Federer. In Beijing, Thiem and Tsitsipas – both known for their clay-court baseline battles – instead went to the net repeatedly, even serving and volleying on big points. Tsitsipas went to the net 33 times, eight more than Thiem, where he won 19 points, two more than the eventual champion. “I think today I never went so much to the net in one match before. It’s the right thing to do. I think it’s very important to shorten up points, to finish points at the net,” Thiem said. Tsitsipas won the opening set and was one point away from serving for the match. Instead, it was Thiem who prevailed, thanks to a backhand passing shot that clipped the net and fell in. Tsitsipas never recovered as Thiem won seven straight games, leveling the match at a set each and taking a 5-0 lead in the third. “I was so close,” Tsitsipas said. “Literally one point from getting a break, serving for the championship. I just did the wrong thing. I went back, wanted to take some time, in which he played smart. He served and volleyed.”

Thiem became the fifth player to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals. He joins Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Daniil Medvedev in the November 10-17 tournament.

 

START OF RIVALRY?

The last two US Open women’s champions met in Beijing, and it was Naomi Osaka coming out on top while snapping Bianca Andreescu’s 17-match winning streak. Osaka won America’s premier tennis tournament in 2018, while Andreescu captured the crown last month. In their China Open quarterfinal, Osaka fired 10 aces and 31 winners to prevail 5-7 6-3 6-4. It was Andreescu’s first loss since the Miami Open in March.  There were 11 breaks of serve in the match. “I think we’re going to have many matches like this,” Andreescu said. “Our game styles are pretty different, but they level up pretty equally.” Osaka, who went on to win the tournament, noted that she didn’t reach a final on clay or grass this year. “I feel like people counted me out after the Europe thing,” she said. “I’m just like, I still won a Slam this year, I won (Osaka). I’m still here. But there’s a sort of beauty to be underrated.”

 

SITTING ON TOP

Kristina Mladenovic of France is back on top of the WTA doubles rankings. She replaces Barbora Strycova, who had held the top doubles ranking for 12 consecutive weeks. Mladenovic first took over as WTA doubles number one on June 10 of this year after winning her third career Grand Slam tournament doubles title at Roland Garros. She was number one for just five weeks before being ousted by Strycova. Mladenovic is the second French woman to reach the top ranking in doubles, following Julie Halard-Decugis in 2000, and is the 42nd player overall since WTA rankings were introduced in 1975.

Mladenovic and her partner, Hungary’s Timea Babos, also became the third team to secure their spot at the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen, where they will be defending their title.

 

STILL WINNING

Goran Ivanisevic, who was a wild-card entry when he won Wimbledon in 2001, is the fan favorite to enter the International Tennis Hall of Fame next year. The retired 48-year-old Croatian led the way for four candidates in balloting by fans from more than 120 nations. Spain’s Conchita Martinez, the 1994 Wimbledon winner, was second in fan voting, with Sweden’s Jonas Bjorkman, a former world doubles number one, finishing ahead of Spain’s Sergi Bruguera. A candidate must receive 75 percent support from the official Hall voting panel, which includes Hall of Fame members, historians and reporters. Success in fan voting brings bonuses toward that threshold. Next year’s inductees will be announced at the Australian Open in January with enshrinement ceremonies set for next July at the ATP Hall of Fame Classic in Newport, Rhode Island, USA.

 

SKIPPING SHANGHAI

Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the Rolex Shanghai Masters because of an injury to his left hand. It is the same injury that caused him to be unable to take the court for his second singles match at Laver Cup last month. Nadal has never won Shanghai, finishing runner-up in both 2009 and 2017. The reigning US Open men’s champion has won 28 of his past 29 matches, including the last 11. Nadal is next scheduled top compete at the Rolex Paris Masters.

 

SHARAPOVA WITHDRAWS

An ongoing shoulder injury has forced Maria Sharapova to withdraw from the Upper Austria Ladies Linz tournament. Currently ranked 137th in the world, Sharapova has entered only eight tournaments this year, reaching the quarterfinals only once, and that in the first week of the year in Shenzhen, China. In the Australian Open, she reached the quarterfinals where she lost to Ashleigh Barty in three sets. Sharapova has won only eight matches this year.

 

SINO MARK

After 47 years, two Japanese players have reached the quarterfinals of the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships at the same time. Taro Daniel beat Australian Jordan Thompson 6-4 7-6 (3) and Yasutka Uchiyama edged Moldova’s Radu Albot 6-7 (2) 6-3 6-4 in their round of 16 battles. The last time two Japanese players reached the quarters was 1972, when Toshiro Sakai and Jun Kuki did it. At that time, there were 18 Japanese players in the draw; this year, there were five. There has been a Japanese quarterfinalist in Tokyo in seven of the past eight years, with the only exception being 2016. Neither Daniel nor Uchiyama reached the semifinals.

 

SUSPENDED

An Italian umpire was suspended by the ATP after he made sexual comments to a 16-year-old ball girl. Gianluca Moscarella was umpiring an ATP Challenger Tour match in Florence, Italy when he was caught on camera telling the ball girl “very sexy,” among other remarks. He also was heard urging a player to win. A gold badge umpire, the highest level of international certification, Moscarella asked the ball girl later in the match, “Are you OK? It’s hot. Do you feel hot? Physically or emotionally?” The video was shown on social media and the ATP immediately dismissed Moscarella from the event and suspended without pay. The ATP said Moscarella will not work any ATP or Challenger event as a “contracted ATP official” until an investigation is complete.

 

STUDY WHILE WORKING

Tennis isn’t the only thing on Caroline Wozniacki’s mind these days. The Danish star is taking a Harvard University class and said she has been “reading a lot, doing my homework.” Wozniacki said: “It’s been good. It’s the business crossover program. It’s learning business. You know, if you want to start your own business one day, it’s good to know what goes on behind the scenes, what decision are good to make, and how to make the most revenue. You know, just trying to learn the basics.”

 

SKIN COLOR

In laughing off comments about her skin color, Naomi Osaka got in a plug for one of her sponsors. A Japanese comedy duo allegedly joked that the tennis star, born in Japan to a Japanese mother and Haitian father, is “too sunburned.”  Posting on Twitter, Osaka lampooned the comments by noting her cosmetic sponsor Shiseido. “Too sunburned’ lol that’s wild,” Osaka said on Twitter. “Little did they know, with Shiseido Anessa perfect UV sunscreen I never get sunburned.” The duo and their management company apologized for the “inappropriate, hurtful remarks,” but did not refer to Osaka by name. In January, the Japanese noodle company Nissin was accused of “whitewashing” Osaka after being forced to remove an advertisement depicting a cartoon of the tennis star with pale skin and light brown hair. Nissen promised to pay more attention in the future to issues of diversity and racism.

 

SPORTS WRITER

Besides winning matches on court, Andrea Petkovic of Germany is winning awards as a writer. An article in Racquet Magazine written by Petkovic was recognized by Longreads with a Notable Mention in Best American Sports Writing category. Petkovic joined the American indie band “Tennis” on its tour cross the southeastern United States. During the tour, she recorded her musings on the nature of living on the road, both as a professional tennis player and as part of a rock band. She also photographed the experience that accompanied the essay titled, “Tennis vs. Tennis.” “Just a few days ago I was a tennis player on vacation in Mexico, and now I’m a writer on tour with a band, carrying a Polaroid camera with me wherever we go, holding it up and in their faces in their most vulnerable moments, hoping to get something, hoping to see something real, something graspable, something explainable, something wrote writing down,” Petkovic wrote in the essay.

 

STAYS ON ITF BOARD

Mary Pierce and Mark Woodforde have been re-appointed to four-year terms as the athlete representatives to the International Tennis Federation Board. “Mary and Mark have made significant contributions to the ITF Board over the last four years and we are delighted to have them continue another four years to bring the athlete’s voice into our board meetings and help us make informed decisions for the good of tennis and the ITF member nations,” ITF President David Haggerty said. The ITF Board also unanimously appointed four members in senior leadership roles. Rene Stammbach of Switzerland was appointed treasurer and continues in his role as chairman of the finance committee, while three others were appointed vice presidents: Katrina Adams, the immediate past president of the United States Tennis Association; Bernard Giudicelli, president of the Fédération Française de Tennis; and Bulat Utemuratov, president of the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation.

 

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Beijing (men): Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek beat Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo 6-3 7-6 (4)

Beijing (women): Sofia Kenin and Bethanie Mattek-Sands beat Jelena Ostapenko and Dayana Yastremska 6-3 6-7 (5) 10-7 (match tiebreak)

Tokyo: Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin beat Nikola Mektic and Franko Skugor 7-6 (7) 6-4

 

 

SURFING

Shanghai: http://en.shanghairolexmasters.com/

Fairfield: https://www.fairfieldprotennis.com/

Mouilleron-Le-Captif: https://www.internationauxdevendee.com/

Tianjin: http://www.tianjinopen.com/

Linz: https://www.ladieslinz.at/de/news/index_ger.html

Moscow: https://kremlincup.ru/

Antwerp: http://europeanopen.be/

Stockholm: https://www.stockholmopen.se/

Luxembourg: https://www.bglbnpparibas-open.com/

Suzhou: www.tennis.org.cn

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

 

MEN

$8,322,885 Shanghai Rolex Masters, Shanghai, China, hard

$162,480 Santo Domingo Open, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, clay

$108,320 Northbay Healthcare Men’s Pro Championships, Fairfield, California, USA, hard

$100,600 Internationaux de Tennis de Vendee, Mouilleron-Le-Captif, France, hard

 

WOMEN

$500,000 Tianjin Open, Tianjin, China, hard

$250,000 Upper Austria Ladies Linz, Linz, Austria, hard

 

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

 

MEN

$922,520 VTB Kremlin Cup, Moscow, Russia, hard

$780,567 European Open, Antwerp, Belgium, hard

$780,567 Intrum Stockholm Open, Stockholm, Sweden, hard

$162,480 Yinzhou International Men’s Tennis Challenger, Ningbo, China, hard

 

WOMEN

$1,032,000 VTB Kremlin Cup, Moscow, Russia, hard

$250,000 BGL BNP Paribas Luxembourg Open, Luxembourg, Luxembourg, hard

$100,000 ITF Suzhou, Suzhou, China, hard

 

Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka

Kim Clijsters, Tatiana Golovin Announce End To Their Retirements – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Karolina Pliskova beat Petra Martic 6-3 6-2 to win the Zhengzhou Open in Zhengzhou, China

Nao Hibino beat Misaki Doi 6-3 6-2 to win the Hana-cup Japan Women’s Open in Hiroshima, Japan

Rebecca Peterson beat Elena Rybakina 6-2 6-0 to win the Jiangxi Open in Nanchang, China

Jozef Kovalik beat Guido Andreozzi 6-7 (5) 6-2 6-4 to win the Pekao Szczecin Open in Szczecin, Poland

 

DAVIS CUP

First Round

Group I

Americas Zone: Brazil beat Barbados 3-1 at Criciuma, Brazil; Ecuador beat Venezuela 4-0 at Miami, Florida, USA; Uruguay beat Dominican Republic 3-1 at Montevideo, Uruguay

Asia/Oceania Zone: Uzbekistan beat Lebanon 3-2 at Jounieh, Lebanon; Korea beat China 3-1 at Guiyang, China

Europe/Africa Zone: Czech Republic beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-2 at Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Sweden beat Israel 3-1 at Stockholm, Sweden; Austria beat Finland 3-2 at Espoo, Finland; Hungary vs. Ukraine at Budapest, Hungary, suspended, rain at 2-2; Slovakia beat Switzerland 3-1 at Bratislava, Slovakia; Belarus beat Portugal 3-2 at Minsk, Belarus

 

Group II

Americas Zone: Mexico beat Paraguay 4-1 at Asuncion, Paraguay; Bolivia beat Guatemala 3-2 and Guatemala, Guatemala

Asia/Oceania Zone: New Zealand beat Indonesia 3-1 at Jakarta, Indonesia; Chinese Taipei beat Hong Kong 4-0 at Hong Kong

Europe/Africa Zone: South Africa beat Bulgaria 4-1 at Cape Town, South Africa; Turkey beat Denmark 3-2 at Risskov, Denmark; Slovenia beat Egypt 3-1 at Cairo, Egypt; Norway beat Georgia 3-1 at Oslo, Norway

 

SAYING

“The timing was right because I felt like it fitted in with my family life.” – Kim Clijsters, announcing she was ending her second retirement and returning to the WTA Tour.

“I already know what I am going to do (with the winnings). I spoke to my mother about getting a dog if I make the Top 100, so we are buying a dog. My sister already has a name picked out: ‘Terrine.’” – Nao Hibino, after winning in Hiroshima

“I would be happier had I won, but I was able to play in the final having persevered in a difficult first round match and the heat all week.” – Misaki Doi, who lost to Nao Hibino in the Hiroshima final.

“Of course, to get the trophy it’s always special, so it doesn’t matter really which week or how big the tournament is, it’s always good.” – Kristina Pliskova, after winning an inaugural Premier event, the Zhengzhou Open.

“Shenzhen is a very special place for me. It’s where I started my season by winning the singles title, and now I’m looking forward to ending my season there – and hopefully with another trophy.” – Aryna Sabalenka, who with doubles partner Elise Mertens qualified for the season-ending WTA Finals to be played in Shenzhen, China.

“Every tournament, every week, you start from zero.” – Kristina Pliskova.

SURPRISE RETURN

Seven years after she retired for a second time, Kim Clijsters is returning to the WTA Tour. As a player. “I’m 36 years old, I know in four years I’m not going to be able to do this challenge,” Clijsters said in announcing her comeback. “I’ve always followed my instincts. I was very young when I retired to have my first daughter and came back. To do it now is a challenge for me. I’m not afraid of it. I want to see how far I can push myself and what level I can get to – and embrace all the positives and negatives along the way.” Clijsters was 16 when she reached the fourth round in her Wimbledon debut. Four years later, she was ranked number one in the world in both singles and doubles. She won the US Open in 2005 and retired two years later at the age of 23. Following the birth of her daughter in 2008, Clijsters returned to tennis and won the 2009 US Open. She added two more major titles before retiring again in 2012. She and her husband, Brian Lynch, had two more children: Jack in 2013 and Blake in 2016. Two years ago, Clijsters was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. In announcing her second comeback, Clijsters said that tennis-playing mothers Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka had inspired her.

 

SHE’S BACK, TOO

Tatiana Golovin of France is ending her 11-year retirement to play on the WTA Tour again. The French woman announced her return the day after Clijsters’ announcement. “The idea has been taking shape for a year, and since this summer I’ve been really serious about it,” Golovin told French television channel BeIN Sports, where she works as a commentator. “The goal was to be ready early next year, but things are going fast and now I plan to resume perhaps by mid-October.” Born in Russia, Golovin won the 2004 French Open mixed doubles with Richard Gasquet. Now 31, Golovin retired at the age of 20 because of lower back inflammation. She won both of two WTA titles in 2007 and was ranked as high as 12th in the world.

 

SUCCESS IN THE RAIN

Karolina Pliskova overcame rain, an early deficit and Petra Martic to capture the Zhengzhou Open in straight sets. Rain delayed the title match for nearly six hours, then caused play to be stopped twice during the contest. After losing the opening two games, the victorious Czech won 12 of the next 15 games. “I think I played good matches,” Pliskova said of her week. “Of course, not all of the matches were perfect. The week never can be really perfect because it’s so many days and so many things can be just different every day.” Pliskova had lost to Martic in four of their previous five meetings. The first rain delay, midway through the third game, changed the momentum. When play resumed, Martic failed to convert a point for the double break and Pliskova found her game. “The break, which we had when it was 2-0, I think it helped me just to stay calm,” the winner said. It was Pliskova’s tour-leading fourth title of the year.

 

SINO CLASH

When Nao Hibino beat Misaki Doi to win the Hana-cupid Japan Women’s Open, it was the first time in 22 years that two Japanese players had fought for a WTA title. Hibino and Doi weren’t through, however. They then teamed to win doubles in Hiroshima, stopping Christina McHale and Valeria Savinykh in a match tiebreak. In the singles battle, Hibino won 11 of the last 13 games to grab the title. “I was so nervous today, so much more than the semifinals,” Hibino said. “But because I experienced being nervous in the semifinals, I knew what to expect. I was able to stay positive during the match today.” Doi racked up 14 unforced errors in the first set to just eight winners, and was broken in six consecutive service games to fall behind 6-3 4-0. The left-handed Doi won consecutive games, but Hibino captured a title for the first time since the Tashkent Open in 2015. The last time two Japanese women fought for a WTA title was in 1997 when Naoko Sawamatsu defeated Yuka Yoshida in Jakarta, Indonesia.

 

STORMS TO TITLE

Playing almost a perfect match, Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson won her first WTA title at the Jiangxi Open by crushing Elena Rybakina in exactly one hour. Peterson finished with 13 winners to just one unforced error. Rybakina, on the other hand, had just three winners to 11 unforced errors. The winner never faced a break point in the match as Rybakina’s powerful ground strokes repeatedly missed the mark, sailing long or wide or into the net. From 3-2 up in the first set, Peterson would win the next nine games, breaking Rybakina four more times. The loser would never reach a single game point and extended Peterson to deuce only once.

 

SITUATION NOT NORMAL

Political protests in Hong Kong have forced the Hong Kong Open women’s tennis tournament to be postponed indefinitely. The event was scheduled to be held October 5-13 on outdoor hard courts at Victoria Park. “After extensive discussions with our key stakeholders, we conclude that a smooth running of the tournament can be better assured at a later date,” organizers said. Tournament officials said the event would be returned to the schedule, but did not give a new date. Two weeks after the Honk Kong Open was originally scheduled to be played, the Elite Trophy and WTA Finals are to be held. Shortly after that the Fed Cup final between France and Australia will be played.

 

SIGNED AND DELIVERED

All Top 10 players, including Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, have signed up to play in the inaugural ATP Cup in Australia in January. The ATP said the top 18-ranked countries and Australia, as the host country wild card, will be among the qualifiers for the new event which will be held in three Australian cities – Brisbane, Perth and Sydney – January 3-12. The ATP said the top two players for each of the 18 countries have committed to play. Three additional players and five additional countries will also qualify to compete in the 24-country tournament. Group stages of the ATP Cup will be played in the three cities over six days. Eight countries will then play the ATP Cup Final Eight in Sydney. Each match will consist of two singles and one doubles.

 

STREAK GONE IN WIN

Dominic Thiem’s nine-match Davis Cup winning streak was broken, but Austria pulled out a 3-2 Group I victory over Finland when Dennis Novak beat Harri Heliovaara for the decisive fifth point. The fifth-ranked Thiem was upset in the reverse singles by Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori 6-3 6-2. Ruusuvuori, who is ranked 163rd in the world, also won his opening singles match against Austria’s Sebastian Ofner, but, teamed with Henri Kontinen, lost the doubles to Oliver Marach and Jurgen Melzer.

 

SELECTS OLD COACH

Simona Halep and coach Darren Cahill are back together again. With Cahill in her camp, Halep won Roland Garros in 2018 and twice finished number one in the world in the WTA year-end rankings. She also was runner-up at three majors. Cahill took a 12-month break in November 2018, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family. Without him, Halep won Wimbledon in July. But her ranking has dropped to sixth in the world after she lost in the second round of the US Open.

 

SACKS COACH

A two-time Grand Slam champion, Naomi Osaka is searching for her third coach. She fired Jermaine Jenkins after a disappointing US Open finish. “I’m super grateful for the time we spent together and the things I learned on and off the court, but I feel like now is an appropriate time for change,” the 21-year-old Japanese star wrote on Twitter. Before replacing Sascha Bajin as Osaka’s coach, Jenkins was a long-time hitting partner of Venus Williams.

 

SPLITS WITH COACH

Borna Coric of Croatia said he split with his coach, Riccardo Piatti, when the Italian starting working with two other players, including Maria Sharapova. “That was one of the main reasons,” Coric told the Croatian media. “He is following several projects and he could not fully focus on me,” Coric is also coached by Antonio Veic. He had been working with Piatti since December5 2017.

 

STAYING HOME

South African Kevin Anderson is taking off the rest of the 2019 season to recover from a right knee injury. The big-serving Anderson has not played since losing in the third round of Wimbledon in July. “I have spoken with my team, consulted with doctors, and we have decided that the best course of action is to take the rest of the year off and prepare for 2020,” said the 33-year-old Anderson, who was runner-up to Rafael Nadal at the US Open in 2017 and to Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon in 2018.

 

SHANGHAI BOUND

Former world number one Andy Murray received a wildcard entry into the Shanghai Masters in October. Three times a champion in China’s largest city, this will be Murray’s first time back at the Shanghai event since 2016. “I’m really looking forward to be going back to Shanghai, a tournament I have had success at in the past,” Murray said. Currently ranked 415th in the world, Murray has confirmed his entry for two other tournaments in China, Zhuhai and Beijing.

 

STOPPING IN SHENZHEN

Australian Ashleigh Barty and the doubles team of Elise Mertens and Aryna Sabalenka are the first to qualify for the season-ending Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen at the end of October. Barty is the first of eight singles players who will compete in the elite field. “It’s been a goal from the very start of the year to qualify for the WTA Finals in Shenzhen,” Barty said. “I’m proud of the work my team and I have put in to get to this point, and I’m honored to be among the top eight players of the season.” Barty won the Miami Open and her first Grand Slam singles title at Roland Garros. She reached the world number one ranking after Roland Garros, then returned to the top spot following the US Open. She was the only woman to reach the second week at all of the majors this season and will be the first Australian to play in the WTA Finals since Samantha Stosur in 2011.

Mertens and Sabalenka won their first Grand Slam doubles title at the US Open. Earlier in the year the Belgian-Belarusian pair won the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, and the Miami Open, the first team to achieve the feat since Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza in 2015. The top eight doubles teams also will compete in a round-robin format with the singles winner capturing the Billie Jean King Trophy and the doubles champions taking the WTA Finals Martina Navratilova Trophy

 

SKIPPING TOURNAMENTS

US Open champion Bianca Andreescu won’t be playing WTA tournaments in Osaka, Japan, and Wuhan, China, this year. But her schedule still her playing in Beijing and the WTA Finals in Shenzhen – the latter if she qualifies for the elite eight-player field. The Canadian is currently in fourth place and is 800 points in front of Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic, who is in the eighth spot. Bencic, who lost to Andreescu in the US Open semifinals, has also withdrawn from Osaka.

 

STILL SET FOR CHINA

Apologizing to his fans for keeping them “in the dark” about his shoulder injury, Novak Djokovic said he is still planning on playing the Asian hard-court swing. “I’m having a wonderful time with my family and actively working on my recovery so I can be ready for the Asian swing,” Djokovic said on Twitter. “My health is always top priority and as soon as I’m ready, I’ll be back.” The Serb, who withdrew from his US Open fourth-round match against Stan Wawrinka, made no mention of surgery in his Twitter posting.

 

STEPPING DOWN

Richard Lewis will step down as chief executive of Wimbledon after next year’s grass-court Grand Slam tournament at the All England Club. Lewis became CEO in 2012. His departure coincides with Philip Brook stepping down as Wimbledon chairman, a position that will be taken by Ian Hewitt.

 

STANDING TALL

Auburn University paid tribute to tennis player Andreas Mies during the school’s football game against Tulane. Mies, who played at the Auburn, Alabama, USA, school, has had a breakthrough season on the ATP Tour alongside fellow German Kevin Krawietz. The two won the New York Open doubles, then repeated with their first Grand Slam tournament title at Roland Garros. The Germans reached the semifinals at the US Open before losing. “It just means a lot to me,” Mies said of the Auburn University celebration. “They showed our (US Open) semifinal match here on the big screen at Jordan-Hare (Stadium) and it’s just unbelievable,” Mies told Auburn Athletics. “It’s something you dream of as a kid playing in these big tournaments and to get recognized like this at the football game is incredible.”

 

SUSPENDED FOR LIFE

Diego Matos of Brazil has been banned from professional tennis for life after being found guilty of match-fixing. The 31-year-old was also fined USD $125,000 and ordered by the Tennis Integrity Unit to repay illicit winnings of USD $12,000. The TIU said Matos contrived the outcome of 10 matches in 2018 at International Tennis Federation-level events in Brazil, Sri Lanka, Ecuador, Portugal and Spain. He also was found guilty of failing to cooperate fully with TIU investigators.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Hiroshima: Misaki Doi and Nao Hibino beat Christina McHale and Valeria Savinykh 3-6 6-4 10-4 (match tiebreak)

Nanchang: Wang Xinyu and Zhu Lin beat Peng Shuai and Zhang Shuai 6-2 7-6 (5)

Zhengzhou: Nicole Melichar and Kveta Peschke beat Yanina Wickmayer and Tamara Zidansek 6-1 7-6 (2)

Szczecin: Guido Andreozzi and Andres Moteni beat Matwe Middelkoop and Hans Podlipnik-Castillo 6-4 6-3

 

SURFING

Pekao: http://pekaoszczecinopen.pl/

Zhengzhou: https://cubingchina.com/competition/Zhengzhou-Open-2019

Osaka: https://cubingchina.com/competition/Zhengzhou-Open-2019

Chengdu: http://www.chengduopentennis.com/

Laver Cup: https://lavercup.com/

Zhuhai: http://www.zhuhaichampionships.cn/

Orleans: https://www.opendorleans.com/

Tiburon: http://tiburonchallenger.com/

Wuhan: https://www.wuhanopen.org/en/

Tashkent: http://www.tashkentopen.uz/en/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

MEN

$1,248,665 St. Petersburg Open, St. Petersburg, Russia, hard

$586,140 Moselle Open, Metz, France, hard

$162,480 Kaohsiung Challenger, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, carpet

Laver Cup, Geneva, Switzerland, hard

 

WOMEN

$823,000 Toray Pan Pacific Open, Osaka, Japan, hard

$500,000 Guangzhou Open, Guangzhou, China, hard

$250,000 Korea Open, Seoul, Korea, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$1,213,295 Chengdu Open, Chengdu, China, hard

$1,000,000 Huajin Securities Zhuhai Championships, Zhuhai, China, hard

$152,379 Open d’Orleans, Orleans, France, hard

$108,320 First Republic Tiburon Challenger, Tiburon, California, USA, hard

 

WOMEN

$2,828,000 Wuhan Open, Wuhan, China, hard

$250,000 Tashkent Open, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, hard

 

Kim Clijsters
Kim Clijsters

Stan Wawrinka Advances When Novak Djokovic Retires – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

US Open (First Week)

Stan Wawrinka beat top-seeded Novak Djokovic 6-4 7-5 2-1 retired

Wang Qiang beat second-seeded Ashleigh Barty 6-2 6-4

Johanna Konta beat third-seeded Karolina Pliskova 6-7 (1) 6-3 7-5

Thomas Fabbiano beat fourth-seeded Dominic Thiem 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-2

Taylor Townsend beat fourth-seeded Simona Halep 2-6 6-3 7-6 (4)

Andrea Petkovic beat sixth-seeded Petra Kvitova 6-4 6-4

Alex de Minaur beat seventh-seeded Kei Nishikori 6-2 6-4 2-6 6-3

Julia Goerges beat seventh-seeded Kiki Bertens 6-2 6-3

Andrey Rublev beat eighth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas 64 6-7 (5) 7-6 (7) 7-5

Vasek Pospisil beat ninth-seeded Karen Khachanov 4-6 7-5 7-5 4-6 6-3

Yulia Putintseva beat ninth-seeded Aryna Sabalenka 6-3 7-6 (3)

Mikhail Kukushkin beat 10th-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut 3-6 6-1 6-4 3-6 6-3

Elina Svitolina beat 10th-seeded Madison Keys 7-5 6-4

 

SAYING

“She was crying, she won. I was crying. Everybody was crying.” – Coco Gauff, following her third-round loss to top-ranked Naomi Osaka.

“It is what it is.” – Dominic Thiem, after being upset in the first round by Thomas Fabbiano.

“Actually, I’d rather not be tested in every match. But that doesn’t happen, so it’s important for me to have those, like, really rough, rowdy matches. That helps a lot.” – Serena Williams, after being pushed before beating Caty McNally 5-7 6-3 6-1.

“I walked out there and I had the chills. That was the most insane atmosphere. I’ve never played on a court nowhere near that big, especially a night match. I couldn’t have asked for anything better. It was just an unbelievable experience, something that I’ll never forget for the rest of my life.” – Caty McNally, following her loss to Serena Williams.

“Definitely was one of the nicest, I would say, crowd that I played. Of course, they were against me, but I just tried to accept this and tried to actually turn it the other way, to say to myself that, you know, they’re cheering, but they’re cheering for me, which actually was not true.” – Elina Svitolina, after beating crowd favorite Venus Williams 6-4 6-4.

“I’m excited to get to my next matches and sad it had to end early here.” – Venus Williams, following her second-round loss to Elina Svitolina.

“I can get angry with myself by being 6-1 5-3 and missing a ball. But that’s me, and I guess also because of this I’m playing the level I am because I’m not going to give up on any point and I just want to, you know, play every point perfect, which I know it’s not possible.” – Karolina Pliskova, after beating Mariam Bolkvadze 6-1 6-4.

“I haven’t really figured out where I’m going to go from here, like what to think from that match. I don’t even know what my emotions are regarding that match. I don’t know if I should be frustrated, sad. I’m not sure.” – Felix Auger-Aliassime, following his first-round loss to fellow Canadian Denis Shapovalov.

“It’s not an easy road. It’s never been. To find myself playing a night match at the US Open with people excited about the matchup, it’s a pretty big deal. I’m fortunate to be a part of that.” – Maria Sharapova, who lost to Serena Williams 6-1 6-1 in the first round.

“I was happy with today, so I’m not going to ask for more. Whether the win is easy or whether it’s tough, a win is a win.” – Venus Williams, following her first-round 6-1 6-0 win over Zheng, Saisai.

“I hope I can be the one to beat top three, but I feel like those three guys are still at a different level.” – Kei Nishikori, when asked if he felt he could beat Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadar or Roger Federer in a Grand Slam tournament final.

“I feel like I come to the US Open and you feel all the girls can win and they’re playing incredible. Everybody is a threat.” – Garbiñe Muguruza, after being upset by Alison Riske.

“Now you never know what is going to happen during the tournament. Every match is tough, first round, second round, doesn’t matter. It’s the same level.” – Simona Halep, when asked about the parity in the women’s game.

“What I do on court is great, but what really matters is what happens off court, the people who you affect.” – Coco Gauff, at 15 the youngest player in the US Open, when asked about her new-found fame

“It’s tough to put lot of pressure on her now or talk too much about her new. Even if she’s doing amazing things, she is very young.” – Rafael Nadal, when asked about 15-year-old Coco Gauff.

“It’s a combination. I’m definitely bummed out. At the same time I think I do have a new perspective, that it’s not life and death out there. It’s a privilege to be on a court like that against a player like that.” – Nicole Gibbs, who is playing again after conquering cancer.

“I’m just happy to be here. There’s not much to complain about. I’m in New York, playing the US Open, some great weather and playing some great tennis.” – Alex de Minaur of Australia.

“This is tennis, this is sport, and we have to deal with this. I will deal with this as good as I can.” – Angelique Kerber, speaking of her first-round 7-5 0-6 6-4 loss to Kristina Mladenovic

“I’ve always tried to be ready for anything, to have the Plan A, Plan B, maybe even Plan C in my pocket.” – Elina Svitolina, after beating Whitney Osuigwe 6-1 7-5.

“You learn how to play under pressure, you learn how to play on the big stages in front of so many people. Yeah, just focus on your action and what you can control. That comes with experience.” – Elina Svitolina, after beating Whitney Osuigwe 6-1 7-5

“Call Me Coco.” – Printed on Cori “Coco” Gauff’s shoes.

“What people have to understand is how (Althea Gibson) persevered and what she means to our sport. But not just to our sport, to all society, to everyone. I want the young generations to understand what she did for all of us – particularly people of color – but she inspired all of us.” – Billie Jean King, on the unveiling of the Althea Gibson Sculpture Garden at the US Open site.

“(Angela Buxton) was a pioneer in her own right to stand up and say, ‘This isn’t right. Just because you look different doesn’t mean you are different.’” – Serena Williams, acknowledging the role of Buxton, who was Althea Gibson’s doubles partner.

 

STAN’S SHOCKER

Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka grabbed a spot in the quarterfinals when top-ranked Novak Djokovic retired while trailing 6-4 7-5 2-1. It was the sixth time Djokovic has retired in Grand Slam matches, this time apparently because of a problem with his left shoulder. The defending champion retired after dropping his serve in the third game of the third set. He had not lost before the quarterfinals in Flushing Meadows since 2006. Wawrinka won the US Open in 2016, one of his three Grand Slam tournament titles, when he beat Djokovic in the final. This time Wawrinka overpowered the Serb with his serves and huge ground strokes. It was his fifth career win over a player ranked number one in the world. Djokovic was seeking his third major win of this year, having triumphed in the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

 

SUPER SWEET

When top-ranked Naomi Osaka and 15-year-old Coco Gauff met in a third-round battle in Arthur Ashe Stadium, everybody won, including the crowd. Osaka advanced with a marvelously-played, high-quality 6-3 6-0 victory, then shared the spotlight with her young opponent. “I thought about what I wanted her to feel leaving the court,” said Osaka, the defending US Open champion. “Like, I wanted her to have her head high, not walk off the court sad. I want her to, like, be aware that she’s accomplished so much and she’s still so young.” The score didn’t tell how well Gauff played, how many of her well-struck groundstrokes came roaring back with even more mustard. What Gauff did, Osaka did better. “I think I’ll learn a lot from this match,” said Gauff, who was the crowd favorite. “She’s the number one player in the world right now, so I know what I need to do to get to that level.”

 

SMART TACTICS

Playing a game from the past, American Taylor Townsend shocked Wimbledon champion Simona Halep in the second round of the US Open, 2-6 6-3 7-6 (4). “This was a huge, monumental moment,” the 23-year-old Townsend said. “It was a very defining moment for me to realize that I belong here. I’ve had a lot of people doubting me being able to break through. It’s just confirmation more for myself that I’m on the right path, doing the right things.” A qualifier, Townsend pulled off the biggest victory of her career by playing serve-and-volley on nearly every point in the final two sets. It was the style of play that was used when the courts were grass and bumpy. Today, most are either hard, like the US Open, or clay. And smooth. “I know who I am. I know what makes me tick. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t,” Townsend said. “You dust yourself off and you keep going.”

Townsend didn’t stop there. In her third-round match, she beat another Romanian, Sorana Cirstea, 7-5 6-2 to advance to the second week of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in her career.

 

SHOULDER TO STAND ON

Finally, Althea Gibson is getting her due. The first African American to break the color barrier in tennis and winner of 11 Grand Slam tournament titles was recognized at the US Open with a statute. The sculpture – Gibson’s head emerging from a granite block with five blocks on the side – sits on the southeast side of Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest tennis venue in the world. One of Gibson’s shoulders is exposed. It’s the shoulder that “everyone since has stood on,” said its sculptor, Eric Goulder. Gibson was the first black player to win the French Nationals, Wimbledon and the US Nationals, now the US Open. When she retired in 1958, she was the top-ranked woman in tennis, having won more than 50 singles and doubles championships. Then Gibson became the first African American woman to play on the professional golf tour.

At the unveiling ceremony were former players Leslie Allen, Kim Sands, Kyle Copeland-Muse, Katrina Adams, Zina Garrison, Jeri Ingram, Wendy Driver, Renee Blount, Carol Watson, Chanda Rubin, Diane Morrison Shropshire, Billie Jean King and Angela Buxton as well as former US Open winner Sloane Stephens.

 

STICKING AROUND

She hasn’t won the US Open since 2001, but that doesn’t mean Venus Williams has quit trying. The elder Williams sister was not seeded in her 84th Grand Slam tournament singles draw, the most appearances at a major by any player in the Open Era. Her sister Serena is playing in her 73rd Grand Slam tournament, second among women. Roger Federer tops the men’s list by playing in his 78th major singles tournament. This is the 21st US Open for Venus, which ties her with Martina Navratilova as the most by a woman. Jimmy Connors played in 22 US Opens, one more than Andre Agassi among the men. Federer is playing in his 19th US Open.

 

SHE’S IN

Kim Clijsters, who won the US Open three times, is the latest inductee into the US Open’s Court of Champions. Clijsters is the first Court of Champions inductee since Tracy Austin in 2016 and the 28th overall. The Belgian won her first US Open women’s singles title in 2005 before retiring two years later. After having a daughter, she returned, winning two more titles in 2009 and 2010. To be eligible for the Court of Champions, players must have won at least one singles title at the tournament and have been retired from singles at the US Open for at least five years. Clijsters also is an inductee into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, USA.

 

SET FOR DOUBLES

Naomi Osaka is the world’s top-ranked women’s player in singles. Doubles is a completely different game. The 21-year-old was asked if she would possibly join Kei Nishikori in mixed doubles at the next year’s Tokyo Olympics. “I would play,” Osaka said. “I would definitely play with him. I just, I would actually need to practice doubles for the first time in my life.” While she would be proud of representing her country in the Olympics, Osaka also realizes the responsibility. “Because you cannot play mixed doubles with Kei Nishikori and lose in the first round of the Olympics in Tokyo,” she said. “That would be the biggest – like, I would cry.”

 

SPORT OF THE WORLD

Proving tennis is a world-wide sport, 51 nations were represented in the singles competition at this year’s US Open. The United States, as expected, had the most players, 39 – 23 women and 16 men. Fifteen countries were represented by just one player: Austria, Bolivia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Norway, Portugal, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Tunisia and Uruguay.

 

SISTER ACT 

Sisters Venus and Serena Williams won the US Open doubles title in 1999 and again in 2009, the only two times they reached the final at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Their streak of winning every 10 years won’t be repeated in 2019, however. The sisters did not enter the women’s doubles this year.

 

SPECTATORS

There was plenty of star power in her player’s box when Naomi Osaka beat Poland’s Magda Linette 6-2 6-4 in their second-round match in Louis Armstrong Stadium. Watching the action were five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant and former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. “I did want to play well,” Osaka said of her special guests. “It’s just funny to me. Last year compared to this year, there’s no way Kobe would sit in my box. Kaepernick, too. It’s just crazy who you run into in life.” She sped through her victory because of her company, she said. “It was just like I really didn’t want them to sit in the sun too long, honestly. That was the thing that was on my mind.”

 

SUCCESS DOLLAR-WISE

Although she lost to Karolina Pliskova 6-1 6-4 in the second round, her first US Open was financially successful for Mariam Bolkvadze of Georgia. Second-round losers at the year’s final Grand Slam tournament receive USD $100,000. Bolkvadze’s career earnings before qualifying for this year’s US Open main women’s single draw was USD $79,882. By reaching the second round, the 21-year-old also is guaranteed to break into the Top 200 in the women’s rankings for the first time in her career.

 

SPREAD THE WEALTH

Roger Federer is reportedly worth more than USD $140 million, but is concerned about the players who are on the bottom of the earnings ladder. Having recently rejoined the ATP Player Council, Federer said he will work to see that lower-ranked and qualifying-grade players will get a larger share of any prize money increases the players’ organization negotiates in the coming years. “I do believe the Challenger players (those playing on the ATP Challenger Tour, one rung below the main ATP Tour) and also maybe qualifying and second-round loser should get more,” Federer said. “I think if there should be increases, it shouldn’t be at the top any more. I feel like we have reached a pretty good level there.” Both US Open singles champions this will pocket USD $3,850,000.

 

SPECIAL REQUEST

A ball boy was a little bewildered when Venus Williams asked for a cup of coffee. Williams made the request to someone on her team. When it arrived courtside, the coffee was given to the ball boy to deliver it to her. One problem, however. The ball boy watched as Williams left the court and was heading into the tunnel, leaving him holding the cup of coffee. With everyone watching, the unidentified ball boy placed the cup next to her chair for when she returned.

 

SIBLING SETS

Seven sets of siblings played in this year’s US Open, but only two pairs played together. American twins Bob and Mike Bryan played men’s doubles, while Taiwan’s Chan Hao-Ching and Latisha Chang competed in the women’s doubles. Neal Skupski teamed with fellow Brit Jamie Murray, while Neal Skupski paired with Romania’s Marius Copil. The Kichenok sisters from Ukraine have split up, Lyudmyla playing with Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko and Nadia teaming with American Abigail Spears. Mischa Zverev of Germany paired up with Frenchman Benoit Paire, while his brother, Alexander, concentrated on singles only. Not playing doubles were Karolina and Krystyna Pliskova of the Czech Republic and Americans Venus and Serena Williams.

 

SET OF BOYS

Former world number one Ana Ivanovic has a growing family. The 2008 Roland Garros winner tweeted, “We are bursting with love and happiness. Our boy got a little brother.” Ivanovic retired at the end of the 2016 season after marrying Bastian Schweinsteiger, a professional soccer player. She gave birth to her first child, Stefan, last year. The 31-year-old Serbian star currently lives in Chicago, where Schweinsteiger plays for the Chicago Fire.

 

SPANISH PAIN

Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro was fined USD $40,000 for retiring during her first-round match against qualifier Timea Babos of Hungary while trailing 6-2. “After reviewing reports from medical staff and Grand Slam supervisors, the determination was made that Carla Suarez Navarro did not perform to the required professional standards,” tournament referee Soeren Friemel said in a statement, citing the First Round Performance Rule. The 28th seed said on Twitter that she had had “not the easiest weeks” this year due to back pain, but she did not directly refer to the fine.

 

SLEW OF OFFENSES

Playing in the US Open is costing Russia’s Daniil Medvedev. The tournament’s fifth seed was fined USD $9,000 for a slew of offenses during his third-round victory over Feliciano Lopez of Spain. That brings Medvedev’s tally up to USD $19,000 through his first three matches at this year’s event. He was fined USD $5,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct when he angrily snatched a towel from a ball person and was USD $4,000 for giving hi middle finger to the crowd. “I am working on myself and hopefully I will be better next time,” the 23-year-old said. Medvedev was fined USD $7,500 for verbal abuse in the first round and USD $2,500 for throwing his racquet in the second round.

 

STUPID MOVE

American doubles specialist Mike Bryan was fined USD $10,000 for pointing his racquet as if it were a gun during his match. Bryan was called for a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct in the last game of the second set after making the gesture. Mike and his twin brother Bob challenged a call when a lob by their opponents was ruled in. When the replay showed the ball had landed out, Mike Bryan pointed toward the chair umpire and line judge with a finger, then placed the head of his racquet on his shoulder and pretended to “aim” the handle. The match was played hours after a man in Texas fatally shot seven people and injured 22 others. It was the biggest fine given out so far at this year’s US Open. “The gesture warranted that amount,” said United States Tennis Association (USTA) spokesman Brendan McIntyre.

 

SURFING

New York: https://www.usopen.org/index.html

New Haven: http://ww1.oracelchallengerseries.com/

Genova https://www.challengergenova.com/

Szczecin: www.pekaoszczecinopen.pl

Hiroshima: https://www.jta-tennis.or.jp/jwo/tabid/549/Default.aspx

Nanchang: http://www.jxopen.net/

 

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

MEN

US Open, New York, New York, USA, hard (second week)

$162,480 Jinan Open, Jinan, China, hard

$162,480 Oracle Challenger, New Haven, Connecticut, USA, hard

$153,218 Aon Open Challenger, Genova, Italy, clay

 

WOMEN

US Open, New York, New York, USA, hard (second week)

$162,480 Oracle Challenger, New Haven, Connecticut, USA, hard

 

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

 

MEN

$151,601 Pekao Szczecin Open, Szczecin, Poland, hard

 

WOMEN

$1,000,000 Zhengzhou Open, Zhengzhou, China, hard

$250,000 Hana-cup Japan Women’s Open, Hiroshima, Japan, hard

$250,000 Jiangxi Open, Nanchang, China, hard

Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic
Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic

Is Roger Federer’s GOAT Status In Danger?

by

 by Bob Stockton

Roger Federer has established himself as arguably the greatest player of all time, although his legacy alone at the top is coming under threat from his two rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. The Swiss stood alone and well ahead of his contemporaries after clinching the 20th Grand Slam of his career when he triumphed at the Australian Open in 2018.

However, both Nadal and Djokovic have been relentless in their performances since to close the gap to the 37-year-old. Nadal’s dominance of the French Open has lifted him to within three Grand Slams of Federer’s record, while Djokovic’s triumph over the Swiss at Wimbledon has taken him to 16 crowns. Although the Federer has still been outstanding on the court, his levels of excellence at the major competitions have dipped.

He has set an extraordinarily high standard, but the fact remains that Federer has won only one of the last six Grand Slams since the start of 2018. All eyes will be on the 37-year-old at the US Open to see if he can break the recent trend of falling behind his two rivals. Although the latter stages of the event will be headline news, the sport will still fall behind the return of the NFL at the beginning of September with the US Open final, falling on kickoff Sunday.

Given that tennis is a non-marquee sport, there could be opportunities for betting value for the US Open, but it might have to be found outside of the big three. Federer has displayed vulnerabilities in the past at Flushing Meadow, crashing out in the fourth round at the hands of John Millman. There could be a solid bet backing the Swiss for a premature exit once again, which would further increase the pressure on him to solidify his legacy in the Grand Slams in 2020.

Djokovic is currently operating at the peak of his powers, and it would be no surprise to see him triumph at Flushing Meadows. He was relatively untroubled on his march to the final at Wimbledon when he met Federer. The two played out a thrilling duel, which became the longest final in singles history at the All England Club. In the past, Federer would have been able to up the ante to defeat his rival, but it was Djokovic that claimed the decisive tie-breaker after the two men could not be separated in the final set.

The contest could be symbolic for the passing of the torch to Djokovic as the player of the generation. Djokovic is the defending champion at the US Open, having defeated Juan Martin del Potro in New York last year in straight sets. Another triumph would take him to 17 crowns before the first Grand Slam of next year at the Australian Open, where he has been imperious. If Federer has been the master of Wimbledon, then Djokovic has been the king of Melbourne with seven titles to his name to date.

Victories at both the US and Australia Opens would take him to two within Federer’s record. Age is on the side of the Serb at just 32, meaning that he has plenty more opportunities to beat out the Swiss’ record. The pressure is on Federer to respond and he has to make a statement at the US Open to re-establish his reputation as the lone man atop of the sport.

Roger Federer
Roger Federer

It’s High Time People Give Djokovic His Well-Deserved Place In Tennis History

by

Always chasing, that seems to be the world which comes to the mind when people talk about Novak Djokovic, and he has been doing that ever since he burst onto the tennis scene as an inexperienced teenager. He’s been fighting all along in the men’s tennis’ golden age in which public’s affection and his peers’ respect have always been for only two players – Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

He’s been pursuing those two through multiple Grand Slams, but has always been a step or two behind them. Even now Federer leads the list of most Grand Slam wins with 20 titles, followed by Rafael Nadal at 18 and then Djokovic with 16.

But if we look at his Sunday’s win at Wimbledon, Djokovic doesn’t need to chase any more. He scored a career-defining win that should grant him a well-deserved place alongside the twin titans of the modern tennis era. He did it by winning his 16th Grand Slam championship, staring down a couple of match points and getting the better of Federer in a marathon five setter: 7-6 (5), 1-6, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 13-12 (3). People betting on tennis would know how he was the clear favourite going into the final. While the odds for Federer to win his 21st Grand Slam were +178, Djokovic was the favourite at -215. If you convert those odds into probability, the former had a 35.5% chance and the latter 65.5%. Federer being Federer, did what he does best – persevere. But it was Djokovic who came out on top in the end.

Most Mentally Demanding Match

Talking to the press after the match, Djokovic said that it was the most mentally demanding match that he has ever played. He talked about the Australian Open final against Nadal in 2012 as the most physically demanding one, as it went on for close to 6 hours, but he referred to this one as being the most mentally tiring and at a different level altogether, because of….. “Everything.”

This everything that he talked about referring to this 4 hours 57 minutes battle included 2 match points and that historic tie-breaker; and the crowd, which was clearly behind Federer.

He shared that later in the match when everyone was chanting, “Let’s go, Roger, let’s go,” he just tried to ignore it and while it might sound silly, he tried to convince himself that they were indeed chanting, “Let’s go, Novak, let’s go!”

In a nutshell, that is exactly what Novak Djokovic’s tennis career has been in the present Federer-Nadal era. However, now Djokovic has not just caught up to, but even surpassed the two players in many departments, except obviously the number of Grand Slam wins (so far). He leads Federer 26-22 and Nadal 28-26 in the open era.

Before the Wimbledon final, Patrick McEnroe had said that if Federer wins this Grand Slam, he could in a way consider his Grand Slam titles record safe, but if Djokovic came through, it would be very well within the Serbian’s reach. Because at 32 years of age, Djokovic has more number of tennis years in him compared to Nadal and Federer. There’s no need for him to chase anymore as he’s almost neck-to-neck now. The pace at which he’s going, he’s definitely going to get there. So, it is high time that we give him his well-deserved place in the tennis history and among the GOATs.

 

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic

Before Novak Djokovic, The Last Man To Save Match Points In A Wimbledon Final Was Bob Falkenburg

by

By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

 

There was a lot of history in the Wimbledon men’s singles final where Novak Djokivic defeated Roger Federer 7-6 (5), 1-6, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 13-12 (3). However, lost among it being the longest ever men’s final at the All England Club and it being the first championship match at SW19 being determined by a tiebreaker was the fact that Djokovic was the first man to save match points in a Wimbledon final since 1948.

The last man before Djokovic to save match points in a Wimbledon final was New York City-born American Bob Falkenburg, who saved three match points against Australian John Bromwich with Falkenburg serving a 3-5 in the fifth set. The former University of Southern California standout didn’t lose another game in the match after his escape, winning by a final scoreline of 7-5, 0-6, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5.

In his book “Trojan Tennis: A History of the Storied Men’s Tennis Program at the University of Southern California” (available for sale and download here: https://www.amazon.com/Trojan-Tennis-University-Southern-California/dp/1937559823/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Trojan+Tennis&qid=1563197875&s=gateway&sr=8-1 author Mark Young featured Falkenburg, one of the all-time great USC Trojan tennis players who won the NCAA singles and doubles title in 1946. Like Djokovic against Federer, had the Wimbledon crowd cheering against him in the final and in favor of the Australian Bromwich.  “Falkenburg held off three match points to come back and win the fifth set with two aces in a row,” wrote Young. “The crowd, who heavily favored Bromwich, was stunned by the upset. Falkenburg was ranked as high as No. 7 in the world and ended up adding a U.S. and Wimbledon doubles title to his career resume.”

In his authoritative tennis encyclopedia “The Bud Collins History of Tennis” (available for sale and download here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1937559386/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_XeilDb8B7Y5NV) Collins described the run of Falkenburg to that Wimbledon title in the following book except here:

 

Falkenburg, 23, was a 6-foot-3, skinny Californian who dawdled between points, apparently stalling to upset opponents, and threw games or whole sets to grab a breather and pace himself, sometimes actually lying down on the court. He later moved to Rio de Janeiro and played in the Davis Cup for Brazil. Seeded No. 7, Falkie beat 20-year-old Aussie Frank Sedgman in the fourth round, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4. In the quarterfinal, he won 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 over Swede Lennart Bergelin (conqueror of top-seeded Parker in five sets, 5-7, 7-5, 9-7, 0-6, 10-8). An acrimonious conflict was his semifinal win over Mulloy, 6-4, 6-4, 8-6, who objected to Falkenburg’s delays. Then he met Bromwich, 29, in the final. 

Lance Tingay, in his book 100 Years of Wimbledon, described Falkenburg’s topsy-turvy 7-5, 0-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, victory: “Bromwich was a much-loved player. Not only did he have a gentle personality but a persuasively gentle game. Craft and skill and guile were his all, never muscle and pace. His racket was lightweight, the grip small and could have been a girl’s. With a lefty forehand, he was doubled-fisted on the right. His ability to tease pace-making opponents into defeat by the accuracy of his slow returns was entrancing to watch. Falkenburg, having won the first set, 7-5, palpably threw the second at 6-0. The tactics were legitimate but they hardly endeared him to the crowd. He took the third set, 6-2. Bromwich won the fourth, 6-3. By then the effectiveness of Falkenburg’s big serve had declined. And he was missing much with his forehand volley. Bromwich controlled the fifth set decisively, so much so that he led 5-2, 40-15, on his own service. On the two match points, Falkenburg played shots that were pure gambles, screaming backhand returns of service. Bromwich had his third match point at advantage and Falkenburg repeated his performance. The Australian, who thought the last of the match point returns was going long, let it pass rather than volley the ball. When it landed as a winner Bromwich ‘died’ as an effective player. Falkenburg devoured the remaining games. If Bromwich was heart-broken he shared the sentiment with nearly every spectator round the court.”

Falkenburg refused to discuss his highly unpopular tactics of throwing sets and stalling, seemingly unsportingly. But later it came out that he was physically infirm, feeling a frequent need to pause and rest.

He was “diagnosed as suffering from myexoedema: excessive thyroid which prevented him from conserving energy for any length of time,” wrote English author Norman Cutler in his 1954 book, Inside Tennis.

 

Falkenburg’s story – and that of his family – is documented in more detail by Young in his Trojan Tennis book, as he wrote in this excerpt below:

 

Bob, Tom and Eugenia “Jinx” Falkenburg were the children of Eugene (Genie) and Marguerite (Mickey) Falkenburg. Genie was a verysuccessful Westinghouse engineer, whose work took him to Spain, Chile and Brazil. Mickey was an accomplished tennis player who won several tournaments as a young girl in Santiago, and then the state tennis championship in São Paulo when she was 16. The children spent most of their early lives in Brazil, until the family moved to Chile, and then back to Los Angeles in 1935. Almost as soon as they arrived back in Los Angeles, the Falkenburgs became members at the LATC. Bob attended Fairfax High School and in 1942 won the National Interscholastic singles title as well and the doubles title with younger brother, Tom.

In her autobiography Jinx, Eugenia stated that her mother nicknamed her Jinx “as it seemed to her a natural contraction from Eugenia.” Jinx’s tennis career was cut short when Sam Goldwyn discovered her while both were watching the Pacific Southwest tournament at the LATC. The 5’7” brunette became a “Goldwyn Girl,” leading to a career as a fashion model and movie star in the 1930s and 1940s. In 1941, she was the highest paid model in the United States, and was considered by many as the first American supermodel. Jinx starred behind Rita Hayworth and Gene Kelly in the 1944 film Cover Girl. A crowd favorite, she entertained the troops during WWII through the USO, and was commemorated on a USO stamp. Said John Shea, “Jinx used to come to all of our varsity matches at the LATC. She was very beautiful, had a sparkling personality and was an excellent tennis player.”

In the 1950s, (Bob) married Mayrink Veiga Machado, a Brazilian woman, and moved to Rio de Janeiro where he opened up Falkenburg Ice Creams, Ltd. (Sorveteria) serving soft vanilla ice cream. In 1952, his friends encouraged him to expand and “Bob’s” was created. The restaurant served burgers, shakes and hot dogs to customers in Copacabana in Rio. His single location turned into 600 restaurants, including locations in Chile, Portugal and Angola. In 1970, the Bob and Mayrink Falkenburgs moved back to Los Angeles and retired in Santa Barbara. The “Bob’s” restaurant chain was acquired by Libby of Brazil and then later by Nestlé.

Tom Falkenburg’s life did not go as smoothly as his brother and sister’s. In January 1947, he married socialite Beatrice Allred. Within three weeks of their marriage, Beatrice, in a fit of jealousy, attempted suicide by drinking iodine. Fortunately, on the brink of death, she had the foresight to swallow a mixture of flour and eggs—which neutralized the poison—and she survived. In 1949, Tom and Beatrice moved to Mississippi, where her family lived, and Tom played on the professional tour until 1961. Over the course of his career, he won three professional titles, all in Mississippi, but he never made it into the major leagues like his brother. In 1965, The Lewiston Evening Journal reported that Tom Falkenburg was arrested in connection with a bank robbery that occurred on February 25th, just north of Jackson, Mississippi. The paper noted that, “The FBI accused the handsome, 6’3” athlete who had affected a lisp and a limp, of robbing a bank wearing a ski mask and taking $4,080 at gunpoint….” Incredibly, on March 27th, while out on bail, Tom engaged in a second robbery, this time fleeing with over $14,000. Tom was sentenced to two concurrent 15-year terms in the Lewisburg Penitentiary in Pennsylvania and fined $5,000. At Lewisburg, Tom’s incarceration overlapped with infamous Teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa. In an article about Hoffa in the Press and Sun Bulletin, Falkenburg was also mentioned: “In the prison gymnasium…a tall young man booms a tennis ball against a wall volleying endlessly with himself. He is Tom Falkenburg, NCAA Doubles Champion with his brother in 1946. Lewisburg has two tennis courts and Falkenburg is the prison tennis pro, racket stringer, and all-round aide in the recreation department.” While Tom’s family was stunned by this bizarre turn of events, some of his friends and neighbors were not surprised. It was rumored that Tom had been arrested previously in

England, although the reason was unclear. Some noted that he and his family were living well beyond their means, and that Tom had accumulated high gambling debts, speculating that he had robbed the banks to pay off these debts.  Tom was paroled in the early 1970s. It appears that his sentence was commuted by nine years—most likely for good behavior although no records are available about the exact date of his release. In February 1971, the Falkenburg brothers played in a senior doubles tournament at the South Florida Open Tennis Championships. Tom Falkenburg later opened the Buttonwood Tennis Club in Stuart, Florida in 1983. He continued to play in senior tournaments, making headlines again in 1986 when he developed a prototype racket that was shaped like a parallelogram. He claimed that the shape created a larger sweet spot than an oval racket. Tom Falkenburg passed away in Florida in 2005.

Bob Falkenburg (left) and Novak Djokovic (right)
Bob Falkenburg (left) and Novak Djokovic (right)

Novak Djokovic, Simona Halep Are Wimbledon Champions – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

 

STARS

Wimbledon

Men’s singles: Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer 7-6 (5) 1-6 7-6 (4) 4-6 13-12 (3)

Women’s singles: Simona Halep beat Serena Williams 6-2 6-2

Men’s doubles: Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah beat Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-7 (5) 7-6 (5) 7-6 (6) 6-7 (5) 6-3

Women’s doubles: Hsieh Su-wei and Barbora Strycova beat Gabriela Dabrowski and Xu Yifan 6-2 6-4

Mixed doubles: Ivan Dodig and Latisha Chan beat Robert Lindstedt and Jelena Ostapenko 6-2 6-3

Boys’ singles: Shintaro Mochizuki beat Carlos Gimeno Valeno 6-2 6-2

Girls’ singles: Daria Snigur beat Alexa Noel 6-4 6-4

Boys’ doubles: Jonas Forejtek and Jiri Lehecka beat Liam Draxl and Govind Nanda 7-5 6-4

Girls’ doubles: Savannah Broadus and Abigail Forbes beat Kamilla Bartone and Oksana Sclekhmeteva 7-5 5-7 6-2

Men’s Wheelchair singles: Gustavo Fernandez beat Shingo Kunieda 4-6 6-3 6-2

Women’s Wheelchair singles: Aniek Van Koot beat Diede De Groot 6-4 4-6 7-5

Men’s Wheelchair doubles: Joachim Gerard and Stefan Olsson beat Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid 6-4 6-2

Women’s Wheelchair doubles: Diede De Groot and Aniek Van Koot beat Marjolein Buis and Giulia Capocci 6-1 6-1

Quad Wheelchair singles: Dylan Alcott beat Andy Lapthorne 6-0 6-2

Quad Wheelchair doubles: Dylan Alcott and Andy Lapthorne beat Koji Sugeno and David Wagner 6-2 7-6 (4)

 

OTHER

Misaki Doi beat Danka Kovinic 6-4 6-4 to win the Swedish Open in Båstad, Sweden

Katarina Zavatska beat Ulrikke Eikeri 6-4 6-4 to win the Grand Est Open in Contrexeville, France

 

SAYINGS

“I think that if this is not the most exciting final then definitely it’s in the top two or three of my career against one of he greatest players of all time, Roger, who I respect.” – Novak Djokovic, after edging Roger Federer in the longest Wimbledon final ever played

“It was long and it had everything. I had answers, so did he, and we played some great tennis.” – Roger Federer.

“I’m very sure that was the best match of my life, and also on grass against her is never easy. So, I’m really proud of my game of today and the whole tournament.” – Simona Halep, following her straight-set demolition of Serena Williams to win the women’s singles title.

“She played out of her mind. I was like a deer in headlights.” – Serena Williams, after losing the Wimbledon women’s final to Simona Halep.

“We just won Wimbledon for Colombia. It’s huge. I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s huge for our country. I hope everybody enjoys us.” – Juan Sebastian Cabal and he and Robert Farah became the first Colombian players to win Grand Slam title.

“It’s a fairytale. It has been two weeks of amazing moments I will never forget.” – Barbora Strycova, who teamed with Hsieh Su-wei for her first Grand Slam doubles title and also took over as world number one in the WTA doubles rankings.

“Roger Federer, I love watching him on TV, yeah. I don’t want to copy him, but I love watching him.” – Shintaro Mochizuki, who won the Junior Boys singles title.

“It’s definitely going to go down as one of my favorite matches to look back at because it’s Rafa, it’s at Wimbledon, the crowd was into it.” – Roger Federer, on his semifinal win over Rafael Nadal.

“It’s sad because for me I know chances are not forever.” – Rafael Nadal, after losing to Roger Federer in their 40th career meeting,

“I just have to figure out a way to win a final. Maybe it is playing other finals outside of Grand Slams would be really helpful just to kind of get in the groove so by the time I get to a Grand Slam final I’m kind of used to what to do and how to play.” – Serena Williams, who has now lost three Grand Slam tournament finals since returning to tennis after the birth of her daughter.

 

SUPER SERB

When the longest Wimbledon final ever played was over, Novak Djokovic was the winner. “I’m just obviously thrilled and overjoyed with emotions to be sitting here in front of you as a winner,” Djokovic said. “It was one shot away from losing the match, as well. This match had everything. It could have gone easily his way.” Roger Federer, at 37 bidding to become the oldest Grand Slam champion, hit 25 aces to 10 for Djokovic. Federer finished with 218 points, 14 more than his Serbian opponent. And in the fifth set, Federer had two match points at 8-7 40-15. It wasn’t enough as Djokovic triumphed in a marathon title match that lasted a record 4 hours, 57 minutes. He became the first man in 71 years to win the title from match points down as he pulled level with Bjorn Borg as a five-time Wimbledon champion. “Unfortunately, in this type of match someone has to lose,” the winner said. “It is quite unreal to be two match points down to come back and strange to play a tiebreak at 12-12.” He won that tiebreak 7-3, just like he won the first-set tiebreak 7-5 and the third-set tiebreak 7-4. Djokovic has won nine of his last 11 matches against Federer and three of their four Wimbledon meetings. He is now just four Grand Slam titles shy of the all-time record of 20 held by Federer, who is five years older. “I hope I give some other people at 37 the feeling it is not over yet,” Federer said. Djokovic’s win means the Big Three of men’s tennis – Djokovic, Federer and Rafael Nadal – have won the last 11 Grand Slam tournament titles.

 

SPARKLING SIMONA

With such a dominating performance, Simona Halep made sure her Wimbledon victory was about her and not about Serena Williams failing to win a record-equaling 24th Grand Slam tournament title. “I have never played a better match,” Halep said after crushing her opponent. Williams agreed. “I was like a deer ion the headlights,” Williams said. It was the second career Grand Slam tournament title for the 27-year-old Romanian, who won Roland Garros in 2018. And she was almost perfect, making just three unforced errors against 26 by Williams. Eight minutes into the match, Halep led 3-0 and Williams had lost her service twice. By the time Halep led 4-0, Williams had won just six points. Halep had beaten Williams just once in 10 previous meetings, but all three of their previous Grand Slam encounters had gone the distance. This time, Halep didn’t need more than two sets. “My mom said when I was 10 that if I want to do something in tennis I have to play in the final at Wimbledon,” Halep said. “I wanted this badly. I said at the start of the tournament that one of my motivations was to win and become a lifetime member of the club.” The final was a fitting climax to Halep’s fortnight. She beat fellow former world number one Victoria Azarenka, ended the improbable run of teen phenom Coco Gauff and eliminated two players who led in their head-to-heads, Zhang Shuai and eighth-seeded Elina Svitolina. “I felt my legs that are very soft after I won the last point” in the title match, Halep said. “I didn’t know actually how to react. I just did natural what it came in my inside. It’s tough to describe the moment. You just feel light, you feel everything is beautiful, and you just try to enjoy.”

 

SWINGING TOGETHER

Barbora Strycova knew who to thank when she won her first Grand Slam tournament title: her partner Hsieh Su-wei. “I can’t thank (Hsieh) enough to help me pick up number one,” Strycova said. Noting the victory also boosts her to number one in the WTA Doubles World rankings for the first time in her career. “It feels unreal. It’s amazing. It was my goal at the beginning of this year, that I want to become number one. It was a really big goal. It happens right now, especially here at this moment, this tournament, my favorite place.” For Hsieh, who was ranked number one in the world in doubles in 2014, earned her third major women’s doubles title, teaming with Peng Shuai at Wimbledon in 2013 and Roland Garros in 2014. Hsieh and Strycova didn’t lose a set in their rush to the crown. In the final, they won over 70 percent of the points off their opponents’ second serves, and they converted four of their six break points in the match. “From the first moment we step on the court together, we just laughed and we just enjoyed,” Strycova said of their fortnight. “We kept it through the whole tournament. I think that was also the biggest key (why) we were playing the way we played.”

 

SOUTH AMERICAN TRIUMPH

Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah became the first players from Colombia to win a Grand Slam tournament title when they outlasted Frenchmen Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin in a marathon that lasted four minutes short of five hours. With the victory come the spoils: Cabal and Farah’s victory makes the pair number one in the world for the first time. It is the sixth consecutive Grand Slam tournament where the men’s doubles title has been won by a pair of players from the same country.

 

SPLITTING UP THE SPOILS

For the second straight Grand Slam tournament, Latisha Chan and Ivan Dodig won the mixed doubles. Chan was playing her first Wimbledon final in any discipline, while Dodig was runner-up in men’s doubles with Marcelo Melo at Wimbledon in 2015. It was Chan’s fourth Grand Slam title overall, having teamed with Martina Hingis to win the 2017 US Open women’s doubles, then winning Roland Garros the last two years with Dodig. In the Wimbledon final, Chan and Dodig raced out to a 5-0 lead before Jelena Ostapenko and Robert Lindstedt could find their footing. Although Chan was broken while serving for the set, it was just a minor delay in their rush to the title.

 

SET FOR LONDON

The Wimbledon champion, Novak Djokovic, has joined the Roland Garros winner, Rafael Nadal as a qualifier for the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals, which will be held in London in November. It is the 12th time Djokovic has qualified for the season-ending event, which features the top eight singles players and the top eight doubles teams. Djokovic will be seeking a sixth ATP Finals title, which would tie him with Roger Federer.

 

 

SWEEPS TITLES

Misaki Doi captured both titles at the Swedish Open, while Danka Kovinic was the losing in both events. After the Japanese left-hander won her second career WTA 125K series singles title by beating Kovinic, Doi returned to the clay court with partner Natalia Vikhlyantseva to capture the doubles, stopping Kovinic and Alexa Guarachi. Doi earned her victories. En route to the singles final she eliminated fourth-seeded Mona Barthel, seventh-seeded Elena Rybakina and eighth-seeded Aleksandra Krunic. It was Doi’s first singles title in three years.

 

STEADY STROKIN’

Novak Djokovic set a Wimbledon record before he reached the final of the year’s third Grand Slam tournament. In his semifinal against Roberto Bautista Agut, the top-ranked Serb won the longest point ever recorded at Wimbledon. With the two locked in a third-set baseline battle, Djokovic smacked a winning backhand down the line with the 45th shot of the rally. Wimbledon began keeping track of number of strokes in a point in 2005. Other than the length, the rally wasn’t anything special. Both players seemed content with just hitting the ball back over the net and waiting for the other to make a mistake. The previous Wimbledon record was 42 strokes, set in match between Jarkko Nieminen and Dmitry Tursunov in 2006. The women’s record is 39 strokes, set in 2007 in a match between Nathalie Dechy and Elena Dementieva.

 

SNIGUR A CHAMPION

Daria Snigur ended her junior career with a bang. The 17-year-old from Ukraine won the Wimbledon junior girls title, besting American Alexa Noel in the final. “I finish my junior career here (with) very good feelings,” Snigur said. “It’s very good for me, for my career, I think, because I won (two International Tennis Federation) women’s tournaments. I want to win a Grand Slam, of course. It was my dream.” Snigur is the first Ukrainian to win the Wimbledon junior girls since Kateryna Bondarenko in 2004. She is the fourth Ukrainian to win a junior Grand Slam singles title overall, joining Bondarenko, Elina Svitolina (2010 French Open) and Marta Kostyuk (2017 Australian Open).

 

SINO STAR

Shintaro Mochizuki became the first Japanese player to win a boy’s Grand Slam tournament title when he beat Carlos Gimeno Valero of Spain at Wimbledon. Playing in just his third grass-court tournament, the 16-year-old joins 1969 girls singles champion Kazuko Sawamatsu in winning at the grass-court Grand Slam event. Mochizuki said he has had a lot of help from 2014 US Open finalist Kei Nishikori. “He’s really nice, Mochizuki said. “He gives me a lot of advice. Like sometimes I practice with him. I learn from him a lot. Yeah, he’s smart.”

 

SELLING TROPHIES

Trying to get out of debt, Boris Becker raised more than (USD) $854,712 (£680,000) in an online auction sale of his trophies and memorabilia. The 51-year-old German was declared bankrupt by a British court in 2017. The company dealing with his bankruptcy auctioned 82 items from his collection, including his 1989 US Open trophy, which attracted the highest bid of USD $188,854 (£150,250). Other items auctioned off included a replica of the Davis Cup winner’s trophy, Becker’s International Tennis Hall of Fame ring as well as watches and playing clothes. Becker won six Grand Slam tournament singles titles, including three at Wimbledon, and a doubles gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

 

SPANISH PARTY

Once his Wimbledon ended, Roberto Bautista Agut was finally able to get going with the rest of his life. Apparently not expecting to be playing in the latter rounds at Wimbledon, Bautista Agut was scheduled to be in Ibiza, Spain, during the second week of the grass-court Grand Slam tournament for his bachelor party. His friends relocated the party to London when Bautista Agut reached his first Grand Slam semifinal, where he lost in four sets to eventual champion Novak Djokovic. “We had everything reserved from Wednesday or Thursday until Sunday. They all knew before there was a small chance for me to be here, playing in the quarterfinals,” Bautista Agut said. “I think they really had a good plan. They spent Wednesday in Ibiza. They came to watch a good match, the semifinal of Wimbledon. They came yesterday as a surprise. It was really nice to have them in the crowd. They support me so much.”

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Båstad: Misaki Doi and Natalia Vikhlyantseva beat Danka Kovinic and Alexa Guarachi 7-5 6-7 (4) 10-7 (match tiebreak)

Contrexeville: Georgina Garcia-Perez and Oksana Kalashnikova beat Anna Danilina and Eva Wacanno 6-3 6-3

 

 

SURFING

Newport: https://www.halloffameopen.com/

Umag: https://www.croatiaopen.hr/

Båstad: https://men.swedishopen.org/

Nur-Sultan: https://ktf.kz/

Bucharest: http://www.brdbucharestopen.ro/en/

Lausanne: https://www.ladiesopenlausanne.ch/

Hamburg: http://www.hamburg-open.com/

Atlanta: https://www.bbtatlantaopen.com/

Gstaad: https://swissopengstaad.ch/fr/

Jurmala: http://balticopentennis.com/

Palermo: https://www.palermoladiesopen.com/en/home/

 

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

 

MEN

$657,901 Swedish Open, Båstad, Sweden, clay

$657,901 Plava Laguna Croatia Open, Umag, Croatia, clay

$652,245 Hall of Fame Open, Newport, Rhode Island, USA, grass

$135,400 President’s Cup, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, hard

 

WOMEN

$250,000 BRD Bucharest Open, Bucharest, Romania, clay

$250,000 Ladies Open Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland, clay

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$2,090,770 Hamburg European Open, Hamburg, Germany, clay

$777,385 BB&T Atlanta Open, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, hard

$660,463 J. Safra Sarasin Swiss Open, Gstaad, Switzerland, clay

 

WOMEN

$250,000 Baltic Open, Jurmala, Latvia, clay

$250,000 Palermo Ladies Open, Palermo, Italy, clay

 

Novak Djokovic