Highly touted Bulgarian star-in-waiting Grigor Dimitrov has won his first tournament on the ATP World Tour by defeating Spanish veteran David Ferrer, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, at the If Stockholm Open.
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Cover Photo: Carinoe06, Creative Commons License
Tag: atp
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Richard Gasquet Seizes Moscow Title
Richard Gasquet strengthened his chances of making the ATP World Tour Finals by defeating Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Kukushkin, an unseeded qualifier, had already disposed of seeds Andreas Seppi and Alexandr Dolgopolov, and proceeded to push Gasquet to the limit in a toughly contested final. The 25-year-old Kazakh broke Gasquet in the seventh game of the opening stanza to lay claim to the first set.
Gasquet responded by breaking twice in the second set to put himself back on level terms.
The deciding set saw Kukushkin break again to put himself in striking distance of taking the tournament. Again, Gasquet responded. This time with two breaks of his own to win three consecutive games, the set, and the title.
The tournament victory ensures Gasquet overtakes compatriot Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the race to London.
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Cover Photo: Marianne Bevis, Creative Commons License
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Tommy Haas Wins the Vienna Open
German veteran Tommy Haas won his second Vienna Open title in Austria defeating Dutchman Robin Haase, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, in two hours fifteen minutes. His first Vienna title was twelve years ago.
Haase is a two-time former winner of the Vienna Open himself and pushed his near namesake all the way in a toughly contested encounter.
It was the fifteenth career title for Haas, who has enjoyed a rich vein of form since returning to the tour after a long-term injury. He is positioned 12th in the ATP race and still hopeful of gatecrashing the end-of-year World Tour Finals.
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Cover Photo: karlnorling, Creative Commons License
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The Big Cub: Mecir, Jr., Debuts on the ATP Tour
The son of Olympic Gold medalist Miloslav Mecir is enjoying a successful ATP Tour debut at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna.
Miloslav Mecir, Jr., defeated Pablo Andujar in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 to set up a clash with Tommy Haas in the following round to be played on Thursday.
Mecir, Sr., nicknamed “The Big Cat”, won the 1988 Olympic Gold and also made the finals of the US and Australian Opens. His highest world ranking was No. 4.
“I always wanted to be better than my Dad,” said Mecir, Jr. “I have a pretty similar playing style.”
He has some way to go before achieving that ambition, but it’s a promising debut on the tour after a frustrating period where injuries nearly forced him to quit the sport.
“I didn’t think that this dream to come true as two years ago I thought about quitting tennis. I had inflammation of the elbow ligaments and I did not play for four months.”
Now injury-free, Mecir is enjoying a rise up the rankings and currently sits at No. 240 after winning six Futures events and progressing onto the main tour.
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Annacone: Federer Split Was a Mutual Decision
Roger Federer’s coaching split with Paul Annacone has been described as a mutual parting of ways by Annacone in an interview with the newspaper USA Today.
“After a number of very good, heartfelt, and really thoughtful conversations about what’s best in timing for Roger and also for me,” they concluded it was best to move on, said Annacone. “I think we both feel good about it. I know I do.”
Annacone still believes 32-year-old Federer has another Major title in him. “I can’t imagine anything other than success coming his way. For me, it’s not a matter of if. It’s a matter of when.”
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Cover Photo: Marianne Bevis, Creative Commons License
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Federer and Annacone Part Ways
Roger Federer and coach Paul Annacone have parted ways. The 32-year-old Swiss superstar revealed the news in a statement posted on his official website. The break comes after a poor run of form for the world No. 1, including an early exit at the Shanghai Masters to Gail Monfils.
Federer’s statement on the split:
After a terrific 3 ½ years working together, Paul and I have decided to move on to the next chapter in our professional lives. When we started together we had a vision of a 3 year plan to win another Grand Slam title and get back to the number #1 ranking. Along with many other goals and great memories, these 2 main goals were achieved. After numerous conversations culminating at the end of our most recent training block, we felt like this was the best time and path for both of us. Paul remains a dear friend, and we both look forward to continuing our friendship. I want to thank Paul for his help and the value he has added to me and my team.
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Talk about the split in the Tennis Frontier Forum[divider]
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Down the T #3: Michael Chang Interview
We’re joined on our latest installment of “Down The T” by Michael Chang, the 1989 French Open champion, and winner of multiple singles titles on the men’s tour. A big thank you to Rebecca Brown of the Chang Family Foundation for helping to facilitate the interview.
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Owen (Tennis Frontier): Michael, Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed by the Tennis Frontier. We really appreciate you taking the time out. I took the opportunity to ask members of our online tennis community if they would like to contribute some questions and we had a big response. I narrowed it down to ten, as I know your time is valuable!
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Q1. You rose through the ranks alongside a particularly strong peer group of American tennis players including Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, and Jim Courier.
In his autobiography, Sampras identified you as his personal measuring stick for his progress and level of play. How did you look upon the other members of your peer group and who (if anyone) did you compare your progress with when coming through the junior ranks and moving into the pros? (A Question from Britbox)
I think the reason Pete said that was because I had a very good record against him in our latter junior years, as well as the first couple of years playing him as pros. My results were pretty high up there during that time and we obviously competed against each other a lot.
As far as my peers, I can’t say I really compared myself to anybody just because everyone was in the same boat and no one player really accomplished any real breakthroughs until Andre’s year in 1988 and my French Open win in 1989.
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Q2. You were the “youngest-ever” to do a lot of things in your career, most notably, win a Major. What do you think the unique pressures are to winning things at such a young age? (A Question from Moxie629)
I actually don’t think there are too many pressures at that young of an age if they are playing professional. No one expects anything and the only pressures might be coming from sponsors or media hype.
For me, I really didn’t feel pressure until after winning the French Open because who would really expect a 17 year old to win on the ATP Tour, much less a Grand Slam?!
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Q3. Why do you think the transition from juniors to pros is taking much longer in the current era, and do you think we’ll see teenage Major winners again? (A Combined Question from Didi, Moxie629)
I think the transition is much more difficult today because tennis is a lot more physical. Guys are hitting harder and playing more physically demanding tennis. On top of that, the technology of the current rackets and strings allow players to generate so much more spin and power.
It’s tough for a teenager to compete with that now from a strength perspective. Obviously, it can still be done but it’s certainly much more difficult.
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Q4. Winning the French Open Final against Stefan Edberg was a stunning breakthrough. Tell us a little bit more about the day – your ritual before and after the match, and how you felt as the match unfolded. (A Question from britbox)
I didn’t change anything before the final at Roland Garros. The only thing I made sure of was to hydrate a bit more because I had serious cramping issues in two prior matches. It was a warm day on that final so hydration was important, especially as it ended up being another five-setter.
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Q5. The match with Lendl at Roland Garros earlier in the tournament has been described as one of the most memorable in tennis history. The underarm serve, moving up to the service box to receive, and the various strategies to unsettle Ivan, while at the same time dealing with cramps. Did you decide on the tactics beforehand or during the match, and have you ever discussed the match with Lendl since? (A Combined Question from 1972Murat, Jesse Pentecost, JLLB)
I have never discussed the match with Ivan although I have talked to him about many other things since. I don’t plan on bringing it up with him either!
The underhand serve was never planned (not sure how you could plan that actually) and in fact, the thought to do it only occurred moments prior to me hitting it.
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Q6. You were on the tour at the same time as some great players – Sampras, Courier, Agassi, Edberg, Becker, Lendl, just to name a few.. Who did you enjoy playing the most and which players were you “friendliest” on a social level with during your career? (A Question from Denisovich)
I enjoyed playing against all those players through the years. I have beaten them all but I have lost to every one, too!
To know that I played against so many tennis great through my career was pretty exciting though. It didn’t make it easier to win titles but it was fun and exciting!
If you think about it, how many players get to compete against so many Hall of Famers in one span of a career. And that is still not including McEnroe, Connors, and Federer.
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Q7. One of our contributing writers, Scoop Malinowski, is currently penning a book on Lleyton Hewitt. How did you find playing Lleyton? And what was your most memorable match or anecdote? (A Question from Scoop)
I only played Lleyton twice in my career and unfortunately, it was toward the end of my career.
He is a great champion and certainly one of the toughest competitors out there. He has a great game but we all know he’s won even more matches because of his tenacity.
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Q8. Do you think the physicality of the modern game poses a disadvantage to smaller players such as Kei Nishikori? This question is really twofold: How do you think you’d have adapted your game in the current era, and what kind of advice would you give Kei? (A Combined Question from Broken Shoelace, Masterclass)
I would never say a smaller player has a disadvantage in tennis.
They may not be able to hit as hard or serve as big but tennis is not all about that. Being one of the smaller players on tour, there are always ways to beat the bigger players and being smaller and quicker has its advantages. I do think a smaller player does need to be able to play different styles, though, because it keeps bigger players off balance and guessing.
I do believe I could have adapted to this current era as well just because the same questions were asked of me when I first played on tour. I would get plenty of comments like, he’s too small, his serve isn’t big enough, he doesn’t have enough weapons, etc.
You believe what you want to believe but for me, I know where my strength is, and I would never listen to what other people think I can or can not do. If I did that, I never would have even turned pro.
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Q9. There has been plenty of discussion about the homogenization of surfaces, strings, racquet technology in the current era. What do you like and dislike about today’s game? What kind of changes would you make, if any? (A Combined Question from Arienna Lee, Front242, Riotbeard, Denisovich, Moxie629)
Homogenization will never truly happen.
The simple reason is because there are way too many differing factors in different places where pros play around the world. They tried to do that with something as simple as balls being played each week and it couldn’t be done.
Weather conditions, altitude, humidity already make each city different in playing conditions. I think it’s exciting and fun that players play with different equipment, and surfaces are changing during the seasons. Everyone is unique and special and that should be celebrated!
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Q10. Of the players in the current era, who do you particularly like watching and why? (A Question from Denisovich)
It’s fun watching the top players like Rafa and Novak go at it but also, it’s great watching the players in general, playing at their best.
I would hope a few more Asian players would succeed and do well, though, especially on the men’s side. I think that would be great for tennis and for the growth of tennis in Asia.
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Finally, please tell us about your Foundation work in recent years, integrating tennis, family, and faith, and the meaning this has brought to your own life. (A Question from Masterclass)
The Chang Family Foundation has been a wonderful way to not only give back to the community but also to share the Gospel message through sports like tennis, basketball, and volleyball.
It has been very rewarding and we have the opportunity to touch many lives along the way! When you think about sports, its real purpose is to bring people together, and through various events and leagues, we can use those opportunities to encourage others in life while sharing the love of Christ. To do both of those things through sports, particularly tennis, is satisfying knowing that you’re touching hearts and making a difference. That’s what our Foundation is all about.
Find out more about the Chang Family Foundation at mchang.com
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Discuss Michael’s Interview on the Tennis Frontier Message Boards
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Cover Photo: maartmeister, Creative Commons License
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Monfils Stuns Federer in Shanghai
Gael Monfils recorded only his second career victory over former world No. 1 Roger Federer to progress to the quarterfinals of the Shanghai Masters. The Frenchman prevailed 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3 in just over two hours.
Federer pushed the match to a third set coming back from 3-5 down in the second set to break Monfils and take the eventual tiebreak.
Monfils was not to be denied, breaking Federer again in the fourth game of the deciding set. It proved to be crucial, as the remainder of the match went with serve.
Monfils will now meet the winner of Novak Djokovic and Fabio Fognini in the next round.
Federer will now have increased concerns about qualifying for the World Tour Finals following a poor run of form.
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Discuss the Shanghai Masters with fellow tennis fans in the Tennis Frontier Forum.
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Photo: Christian Mesiano, Creative Commons
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Johan Kriek on Character in Tennis
As an owner/operator of an elite tennis academy in Charlotte, NC, I would like to talk about character. It matters the most in my book. We all make mistakes, but it is the person with character who realizes they have made a mistake and can fess up and truly feel sorry, say so, and apologize and try not to make the same mistake again. That is a person with good character.
Character also plays a huge role in becoming successful in tennis. It is so refreshing to see our kids listen and truly try new things which we coach all the time because tennis coaching is a step-by-step process with ever increasing demands in “execution” of shots as well as the building of maturity in the mental side of the game. Needless to say, there are so many “boxes” to check off to learn to play this game at the best of our ability, it takes a lot of time, huge effort, and dedication coupled with a limitless “thirst” to do better every day. It would be easy for me to try and focus on getting a “player” from the top ranks in the world. Would be a great “feather in my cap”, however, I truly enjoy seeing a kid start to bloom from a very early age and create their own “look” and build their tennis character. That, to me, is by far the most satisfying aspect of the academy business. I can’t wait to see where some of these 8-16 year olds will be in the next decade, etc.
So how does one break out of the “pack” of all these boys and girls playing ITF Futures and Challenger events, such as the older boys we are working with the past few weeks? There are thousands of very good players out there, all trying to make it on the ATP or the WTA tours. It takes one tough character to “stand out”. Having talent and weapons is great, but if you are not one tough character, talent will only take you so far. It is the person with a strong character who will leave no stone unturned to achieve their goals. Setbacks will be there, no doubt. Failures will pop up aplenty. Losing will make one feel like a failure. But it is the person with a strong-willed character, a never-say-die attitude, even if the odds seem overwhelming, that eventually makes it.
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David Nalbandian Retires from Tennis
David Nalbandian has retired from the ATP Tour. The 31-year-old Argentine announced it at a press conference Tuesday, citing long-term injuries as the main reason.
Nalbandian is a former world No. 3 who won 11 ATP singles titles and represented Argentina in three Davis Cup finals. He also reached the semifinal of all four Majors, and won the runner-up trophy at the 2002 Wimbledon championships.
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Discuss with fellow tennis fans on the Tennis Frontier message board forums.
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Cover Photo: Carine06 (Creative Commons License)