Tennis Frontier

Tag: masters

  • Monte Carlo Masters 2018

    Monte Carlo Masters 2018

    monte carlo tennis photo Photo by Fabio Pani

    If awards were given out for the most picturesque venue among ATP tournaments, then the Monte-Carlo Country Club would have few contenders with its stunning views over the Mediterranean.

    Monte Carlo hasn’t been a mandatory masters event since 2009 but still retains it’s allure in attracting top players with good prize money, a fantastic location and rich storied history. Rafael Nadal has won here a record ten times and returns as the defending champion and overwhelming favourite.

    Novak Djokovic, one of only two active players other than Nadal to have won here (Wawrinka being the other) has reunited with longtime coach Marian Vajda and will hope it sparks an upturn in form.

    Dominic Thiem already has seven clay court titles to his name but is yet to win a Masters crown. He’s well placed to start making an impression on the European clay swing but the question mark for him at Monte Carlo is that hasn’t played since injuring an ankle at Indian Wells.

    Grigor Dimitrov, Sascha Zverev, and David Goffin are other contenders who will be looking for a good start to the European clay season. Lucas Pouille will be the primary French flag bearer.

    Strange But True…

    The Monte Carlo Country Club is not actually in Monte Carlo or even Monaco. It’s situated in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, a French commune bordering the city-state.

    One to Watch…

    All eyes will be on Djokovic. The former #1 is in the most turbulent phase of his illustrious career with injuries and coaching changes. Will the real Novak Djokovic stand up?

    Singles Field: 56
    Prize Money: €4,872,105

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  • Back to the Future! Roger reverts to his old racquet and wins in Cincinnati.

    Back to the Future! Roger reverts to his old racquet and wins in Cincinnati.

    Five-time winner of the Cincinnati Masters event, Roger Federer proceeded into the third round of the Western & Southern Open by defeating Philipp Kohlschreiber in straight sets (6/3 7/6).

    Federer had been testing a new 98-square-inch head racquet following an early Wimbledon exit, but reverted to his usual 90-square-inch Wilson for his opening match against Kohlschreiber.

    “I’m going to do more racquet testing when I have, again, some more time after the US Open. I was playing for a month with the black one, but it’s a prototype. At the end, I just felt like, you know what, right now I feel like I need to simplify everything and just play with what I know best,” stated Federer in the post-match interview.

    The former world number 1 and 17-time major winner also announced he’d got through the match without any back pain. He has been suffering from recurrent back spasms during the year.

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