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Fognini Hires Barazzutti For 2020 Season

  • Posted: Dec 08, 2019

Fognini Hires Barazzutti For 2020 Season

Italian shares the news on social media

Fabio Fognini has created a partnership of Italian tennis royalty by bringing on Corrado Barazzutti as his new coach for the upcoming season. Fognini, Barazzutti, Matteo Berrettini and Adriano Panatta are the only four Italians to crack the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings.

”I’m happy to introduce my new Team Fogna!” Fognini tweeted on Saturday. “I’m excited to be working with Corrado Barazzutti as my head coach and with Stefano Barsacchi,
trainer, Giovanni Teoli, physio, and Alberto Giraudo. I can’t wait to start the new season!”

Fognini achieved the best result of his career this April by winning his first ATP Masters 1000 crown at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (d. Lajovic). Two months later, the 32-year-old became the oldest player to break into the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings for the first time since 38-year-old Ken Rosewall and 35-year-old Rod Laver on 23 August 1973, when the ATP Rankings were first established.

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The World No. 12 will kick off next year by representing Italy in the inaugural ATP Cup, held in Australia from 3-12 January. Fognini looks to help the Italian squad advance out of Group D in Perth.

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Wawrinka's Training, Federer's Dad Joke: Best Social Media Posts Of The Week

  • Posted: Dec 08, 2019

Wawrinka’s Training, Federer’s Dad Joke: Best Social Media Posts Of The Week

ATPTour.com looks at the best social media posts of your favourite players

From Roger Federer to Stan Wawrinka, the world’s top players have been busy on and off the court. Check out our roundup of the best social media posts from the past week that show what your favourite players have been up to!

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Stan Wawrinka has begun his preparations for next season and is hard at work with fitness trainer Pierre Paganini.

Swissmint created a 20-franc silver coin to honour Roger Federer, but his dad joke about the notable moment also made headlines.

Dominic Thiem arrived in Miami for his preseason training and wasted no time getting down to business.

Fabio Fognini announced that he’ll have a new coach in 2020 after hiring Corrado Barazzutti.

Nicolas Jarry also revealed a coaching change and confirmed he’ll be working with Dante Bottini. The Chilean is chronicling their preseason training in Florida.

Spanish football club Villareal CF honoured Roberto Bautista Agut for his outstanding year.

Kevin Anderson is enjoying the holidays as he prepares for his first tournament as a father. He’ll kick off next season by leading South Africa in the inaugural ATP Cup, held in Australia from 3-12 January.

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How Tsitsipas, Following In Sampras' Footsteps, Is Inspiring Greece

  • Posted: Dec 08, 2019

How Tsitsipas, Following In Sampras’ Footsteps, Is Inspiring Greece

The Nitto ATP Finals champ will lead Greece in Brisbane

The 2019 season will always be one to remember for Nitto ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas, and not just because of his success on the court.

Tsitsipas met his idol, former World No. 1 Pete Sampras, for the first time at Indian Wells. The Greek and his family got to briefly chat with Sampras, an American of Greek origin with whom he happens to share a birthday.

“That (dreaming) face you make when you meet the first guy that you’ve ever watched play tennis on TV. The person that made you want to go out at the tennis courts in the beach, made you dream about playing on all of the big stages and arenas around the world, winning trophies and titles, becoming an inspiration for others,” Tsitsipas wrote on Instagram. “Despite being at the end of his career, my childhood was filled with @petesamprasofficial matches and battles that I will never forget. This person has given me courage and eagerness to pursue my dream. A dream that felt insanely difficult to reach.

“It’s an honour to be standing next to you Pete. Thank you for filling my childhood with enthusiasm, hope, hard work ethic and… for me to play tennis in the first place. You are an inspiration up to this day, and I hope and inspiration for many generations to come.”

Sampras may have played under the United States flag, but he inspired Greek children like Tsitsipas. Stefanos’ brother, Petros Tsitsipas — who will help Stefanos lead Team Greece in the inaugural ATP Cup next month — is named after Sampras, according to an Instagram post.

With Tsitsipas’ increasing success — he just lifted the biggest title of his career at the Nitto ATP Finals — there will be plenty of people inspired to try to follow in his footsteps. That doesn’t add pressure for the Greek, though. It makes him even more excited for his journey to come.

“I’m super hungry to win matches and get up in the ATP Rankings, to be the best in my country. Pressure about leading Greece? Never,” Tsitsipas wrote in a first-person essay for ATPTour.com. “It’s very motivating to be the one who can create history in Greece and have kids look up to me later. They, like my parents did after my early losses, can be the ones chasing after me and shouting my name. I can inspire them and be the leader of tennis in Greece.”

Top 10 Greek Players In History By ATP Ranking

Player   Career-High
 Stefanos Tsitsipas  No. 5
 Nicholas Kalogeropoulos  No. 108
 Konstantinos Economidis  No. 112
 Vasilis Mazarakis  No. 115
 Solon Peppas  No. 149
 George Kalovelonis  No. 208
 Nicolas Kelaidis  No. 244
 Theodoros Angelinos  No. 251
 Taso Vasiliadis  No. 365
 Arthur Anastopoulo  No. 376

One player who Tsitsipas has motivated is Greek No. 2 Michail Pervolarakis, who will be the country’s second singles player when Greece faces Russia, the United States and Norway in Brisbane in Group D action.

“He’s a really nice guy, so overall it’s just an amazing experience being with him. We talk sometimes. I actually just had a baby, I send him pictures of my baby sometimes,” Pervolarakis told ATPTour.com. “[He has] a very big impact [in Greece]. Everyone now is watching tennis in the most random places. Instead of soccer or basketball they’re watching tennis and the [Nitto] ATP Finals or Grand Slams. I think those kids want to play and connect with Stefanos. They want to start and see what the sport is all about. It’s just becoming bigger in general as a sport.”

Pervolarakis began this season unranked, but he has climbed as high as No. 433 in the ATP Rankings. Part of Pervolarakis’ success this year has come from motivation after watching his countryman compete — and in many instances, beat — the best players in the world.

“It’s really motivating to see what he’s able to achieve. He broke into the Top 100 and that was amazing and now he’s No. 6 in the world,” Pervolarakis said. “I don’t think he has limits. It’s really motivating to me to see that somebody from my country is able to play at such a high level.”

The 23-year-old will now get to compete alongside his countryman. After meeting Tsitsipas earlier this year, he won’t just get to watch the Greek on television, but cheer him on from just feet away and potentially even play doubles with him. Pervolarakis follows Tsitsipas from afar, watching his matches as much as he can.

And now because of Tsitsipas’ success, Pervolakis has a big opportunity to compete on what promises to be one of the sport’s biggest stages, with an entire country behind him.

“Obviously it’s the biggest tournament I’ve ever played and probably will play next year. So being in a tournament with the top guys in the world, the top tennis players, playing as a teammate as Stefanos, that will be an amazing experience for me,” Pervolarakis said. “Also, it’s a new event, and I think it’s really cool. Obviously you represent your country in every event, but in this one specifically you’re a team and you have opponents from different countries. I think people are really going to enjoy this tournament.”

Tsitsipas has already competed under the spotlight against the world’s best. But the Greek knows the inaugural ATP Cup provides a special chance for him to not just play against the best players in the world, but to do it for his country.

“We all have something extra inside of ourselves,” Tsitsipas said. “We’re playing for the country, which makes it very important for us.”

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Maytin Reveals Cancer Diagnosis

  • Posted: Dec 08, 2019

Maytin Reveals Cancer Diagnosis

Venezuelan vows to make full recovery

Three months ago, Roberto Maytin lifted up an ATP Challenger Tour doubles title in California. The 30-year-old Venezuelan is now focussed on his health after revealing he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.

Maytin made the announcement in an Instagram post on 21 November. His family also set up a GoFundMe page to help cover his medical expenses. Maytin said he will undergo chemotherapy treatments and vowed to return to professional tennis.

“After four long days in the hospital, coming to this with the intention of routine checkups, doctors detected a testicular cancer named Germ Cell Tumor (non-seminoma),” Maytin wrote. “They intervened yesterday… Now I feel stable and I only wait for the chemotherapy sessions that will be done to me to end this 100%. For now, I will be in another fight with the support of my family and friends, and with God always by my side, returning to my routine very soon!”

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Maytin is currently No. 136 in the ATP Doubles Rankings. He’s won 14 ATP Challenger Tour doubles titles, including four this season, and reached an ATP Tour doubles final at 2017 Los Cabos (w/Galdos).

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