Former world no. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero – winner at the 2003 French Open – has cautioned critics quick to apply pressure on Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz as Rafael Nadal’s successor long-term – instead saying more gradual progression is important for him to have a fruitful career.
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A semi-finalist at the Barcelona Open last week, armed with a new career-high #18 next to his name on Monday, Italian teenager Jannik Sinner – progressing fast – is destined to finally crack the top-10 sooner rather than later per US Open finalist Alexander Zverev’s recent comments.
Australian Open finalist Daniil Medvedev (#2) won’t have the opportunity to improve upon his 2019 result – a semi-final finish in Monaco – after withdrawing from the Masters 1000 tournament, after testing positive for COVID-19 earlier today. Lucky loser Juan Ignacio Londero takes his place, and will play Serbia’s Filip Krajinovic for a place in round three tomorrow. Continue reading
Serena and Venus Williams held their nerve after a few shaky moments, tournament favourite Naomi Osaka was ruthlessly decisive while French Open champion Iga Swiatek was solid en route to a comfortable first-round win. Elsewhere, a three-time Slam winner was knocked out in rather emphatic fashion and more besides as Day 1 of the 2021 Australian Open got underway. Continue reading
Ashleigh Barty capped her long-awaited return with a win over Garbine Muguruza in the Yarra Valley Classic final, while Britain’s Dan Evans has a new career-high world ranking (#26) after beating Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime in his warm-up event final. It’s provided the pair with welcome preparation ahead of the Australian Open, which gets underway in a matter of hours. Continue reading
Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka are just three of the high-profile players who’ve withdrawn from their respective Australian Open warm-up events with niggling injuries as a precaution, just days before the year’s first Grand Slam gets underway in Melbourne. Continue reading
Daniil Medvedev recovered from a set down to beat US Open champion Dominic Thiem and win this year’s Nitto ATP Finals, making history in London on Sunday. Eleven years after his Russian compatriot Nikolay Davydenko won the first edition at The 02, the 24-year-old defiantly rose to the occasion in a way that sets him – and others – up brilliantly for a promising 2021 campaign. Continue reading
Jannik Sinner will wake up to see a career-high ranking upon his name on Monday, after becoming the youngest ATP champion in 12 years with a three-set win (6-4, 3-6, 7-6) over Canada’s Vasek Pospisil in the Sofia final earlier today. It wasn’t his best match, but he finishes the 2020 season on an unforgettable high that he’ll look to build upon in 2021 and beyond. Continue reading
The 20-year-old Canadian talent surprisingly crashed out in straight-sets against world no. 82 Salvatore Caruso during Wednesday’s Sofia ATP event and ends an unprecedented year with a four-match losing streak. However, he’s already reached six ATP Tour Finals without a singles title to show for it, and remains motivated in his pursuit of more consistent success long-term. Continue reading
Diego Schwartzman needed five hours and eight minutes to outlast close friend and US Open winner Dominic Thiem during a gripping five-set encounter, progressing into the first Grand Slam semi-final of his career to date. His reward? Facing 12-time tournament champion Rafael Nadal on Friday, who came through a difficult test against Italian teenager Jannik Sinner. Continue reading
Stan Wawrinka battled hard to come through in just over three hours against Paolo Lorenzi with a 6-4, 7-6, 7-6 victory, booking his place in the last-16 on Sunday: where he will play defending champion Novak Djokovic.
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