Tennis News

Federer Teases Fans Ahead Of Doha Return

It wasn’t much, but after a year, fans will take even a fleeting glimpse of Roger Federer.

On Friday, little more than a week out from his return to the ATP Tour, the Swiss legend tweeted a photo of himself from an undisclosed practice court, leaning on the net with a simple message: “The countdown to Doha begins”

The countdown to Doha begins
???#1weektogo pic.twitter.com/EDAgvqp2Md

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) February 26, 2021

Teasing fans just a little, Federer didn’t reveal in which city he was practising, nor was he holding a racquet in his hand.

In the first hour after it was posted, Federer’s tweet had more than 2,000 retweets, 20,000 likes and a number of creative memes.

“Looking forward to see you King Roger in my country,” tweeted Fahad Imran Butt.

“This week better go by quickly,” wrote Steven Ross. “So happy to see you again. One lovely pic can change your fan’s day,” tweeted “hanay”.

The 39-year-old, 103-time tournament champion has been sidelined for the past 13 months following two surgeries on his right knee, but will make his long-awaited return 8 March at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha.

His last match was a semi-final loss to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the 2020 Australian Open.

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Tsitsipas & Wawrinka On Rotterdam QF Collision Course

The last time that World No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas and three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka clashed, they produced an epic and entertaining battle that went down to the wire. Now, they’re on track for another showdown at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament.

Four of the Top 10 players in the FedEx ATP Rankings, led by World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev, are heading to Rotterdam for the first ATP 500 tournament of the season. There are several mouthwatering first-round matches to watch – not to mention the blockbuster action in store should the seeds win through.

Headlining a stacked bottom half of the draw, Tsitsipas and Wawrinka are on a quarter-final collision course. The pair contested one of the best matches of the 2019 season at Roland Garros, with Wawrinka coming away the victor after more than five hours, 7-6(6), 5-7, 6-4, 3-6, 8-6. But the eighth-seeded Swiss will have to overcome a major test right out of the gate as he drew one of the toughest first-round opponents: an unseeded Karen Khachanov.

Former World No. 1 Andy Murray has also landed in the bottom half of the draw. The 2009 champion returned to Rotterdam with a wild card, and will begin his campaign against Robin Haase. The winner would have to get through No. 4 seed Andrey Rublev in the second round. Rublev will face a qualifier, and could take on No. 6 seed David Goffin in the quarter-finals. 

Top seed Medvedev starts his own campaign against Dusan Lajovic as he seeks his first title in Rotterdam. But a trophy would just be the icing on the cake for the Russian, who is looking to overtake Rafael Nadal and rise to the No. 2 spot in the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time.

Medvedev only has to make the final to become the first player outside the Big Four — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray — to hold a top two spot since Lleyton Hewitt was World No. 2 back in 2005. 

But he could face a stern test in the quarter-finals in the form of seventh seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, should the Canadian get past former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori in his own first-round battle. An Australian will await the winner in the second round, either John Millman or Alex de Minaur. Third seed Alexander Zverev and fifth seed Roberto Bautista Agut have also landed in Medvedev’s half of the draw. 

Did You Know…  The Rotterdam honour roll includes Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, Roger Federer and Andy Murray.

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Medvedev Learns Road To World No. 2, Ending Big Four's Streak

When the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament draw came out Friday, Daniil Medvedev learned his path to becoming the No. 2 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time.

If the Russian reaches the final in Rotterdam, he will become the first player outside the Big Four — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray — to hold a top two spot since Lleyton Hewitt was World No. 2 the week of 18 July 2005. Nadal passed the Aussie the following week and the quartet has not looked back since.

Medvedev will begin his run against Dusan Lajovic, and may face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarter-finals, prior to meeting Alexander Zverev or Roberto Bautista Agut in the semi-finals with World No. 2 on the line.

If Medvedev makes the championship match at this ATP 500, he will add 300 FedEx ATP Ranking points, which would replace the 90 points the 25-year-old earned in Vienna last year. The net gain of 210 points would propel the Russian ahead of Nadal, who currently leads him by 115 points.

FedEx ATP Rankings – 22 February 2021

Medvedev has been playing the best tennis of his career. The World No. 3 has won 20 of his past 21 matches, with his only loss coming against nine-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic, the World No. 1, in the championship match at Melbourne Park. Twelve of Medvedev’s victories during that stretch came against Top 10 opponents.

The reigning Nitto ATP Finals champions owns a 5-3 record in Rotterdam. Medvedev’s best result at the ATP 500 came in 2019, when he reached the semi-finals before losing against Gael Monfils in three sets.

Did You Know?
The last time someone outside the Big Four held a top two spot in the FedEx ATP Rankings, Medvedev was only nine years old.

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Goffin Closing In On Montpellier Final

David Goffin is one step away from reaching his 14th ATP Tour final after beating Lorenzo Sonego of Italy 6-4, 6-4 in 87 minutes on Friday at the Open Sud de France.

The second-seeded Belgian, who reached last month’s Antalya Open semi-finals (l. to De Minaur) and entered the ATP 250 event on a two-match losing streak, will next challenge Belarus’ Egor Gerasimov.

Gerasimov, who beat Goffin 6-4, 7-6(5) at the 2020 Open 13 Provence in their only previous ATP Head2Head meeting, knocked out Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 in two hours and 28 minutes. The 28-year-old Gerasimov struck 16 aces for a place in his third tour-level semi-final.

Later today, top-seeded Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut takes on sixth seed Ugo Humbert of France, while Austria’s Ugo Humbert meets qualifier Peter Gojowczyk of Germany.

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Lacoste Brings Elegance & Performance To New Racquet Line

The iconic French champion Rene Lacoste was also the inventor of both the polo shirt and the modern metal tennis racquet.

So it’s only fitting that after revolutionising the world of tennis apparel and footwear, his namesake brand would set out to conquer the tennis racquet game as well with the launch of the new Lacoste L20 racquet.

Inspired by Lacoste’s innovative spirit and engineered by Tecnifibre, the new L20 features the familiar alligator logo and brings the brand’s signature mix of lifestyle elegance and performance to the tennis court – but now in a tennis racquet as well as head-to-toe apparel.

Made for experienced club players as well as dedicated beginners, the L20 and its lighter companion the L20L are more than just a stylish accessory. The lightweight racquet delivers on both speed and spin-friendly precision for a user-friendly hitting experience.

The L20 also features an updated version of the famous dampening system developed by Rene Lacoste himself, maximizing comfort on every stroke and serve. The innovative string pattern has denser spacing in the center for control, and wider spacing at the edges for a more forgiving response.

Engineered by Tecnifibre and infused with Lacoste’s trailblazing DNA, the L20 and L20L strike the perfect balance between competition and leisure – another game-changing combination from a brand that has made its legacy out of changing the game.

Buy the L20 and the L20L at Tennis Warehouse.

Lacoste in an official supplier of the ATP Tour.

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Gille/Vliegen Sweep Into Singapore Doubles Final

Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen advanced to their sixth ATP Tour doubles team final (4-1 record) on Friday at the Singapore Tennis Open. The top seeds knocked out third-seeded Britons Luke Bambridge and Dominic Inglot 6-4, 6-4.

Gilles and Vliegen, who captured the Astana Open crown (d. Purcell/Saville) in November last year, have yet to drop a set in three matches at the ATP 250 event this week.

Matthew Ebden, who lost to Alexei Popyrin in the singles quarter-finals on Friday, returned to the court to join forces with fellow Australian John-Patrick Smith to beat Americans Robert Galloway and Alex Lawson 6-4, 3-6, 10-5 for a place in the semi-finals.

Ebden and Smith play Luis David Martinez and David Vega Hernandez on Saturday.

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Albot Moves Into Singapore Semi-finals

Radu Albot booked a place in his first ATP Tour semi-final for 19 months on Friday after he beat top-seeded Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 35 minutes at the Singapore Tennis Open.

Albot, who last reached a semi-final in August 2019 at the Abierto de Tenis Mifel presentado por Cinemex in Los Cabos (l. to Fritz), led 5-1 in the second set before Mannarino staged a comeback. He’ll next play fourth-seeded Kazakhstani Alexander Bublik or fifth seed Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan on Saturday.

The 31-year-old Albot, who beat World No. 13 Roberto Bautista Agut en route to the Australian Open third round (l. to Ruud) earlier this month, saved three match points against Yannick Hanfmann of Germany in the Singapore second round on Thursday.

Alexei Popyrin advanced to his first ATP Tour semi-final by knocking out fellow Australian Matthew Ebden 6-4, 7-6(7) in 85 minutes. Popyrin, who hit 14 aces, saved two set points at 4/6 in the second set tie-break and closed out on his second match point. He awaits the winner of third-seeded Croatian Marin Cilic and eighth seed Soowoo Kwon of South Korea.

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Battle of the Brits: Andy and Jamie Murray team up in Scotland v England

Andy and Jamie Murray are to team up on home soil for a ” super exciting” Scotland against England in the latest Battle of the Brits.

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LGBT+ History Month: Renee Richards' journey from tennis outcast to trans pioneer

As part of LGBT+ History Month, BBC Sport explores the story of transgender tennis player Renee Richards, who won a legal challenge to play at the 1977 US Open as a woman.

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Medvedev, Tsitsipas Lead Packed Field In Rotterdam; All You Need To Know

Four Top 10 players will hit the courts at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, the first ATP 500 event of the 2021 season.

Reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion Daniil Medevev and World No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas will headline the action. Both players are searching for their first Rotterdam crown at the 47th edition of the historic ATP Tour event, and the chance to add their names alongside past champions’ including Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg and Roger Federer. Medvedev will make his fourth consecutive appearance at the tournament.

Fellow Top 10 players Tsitsipas, wild card Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev will also join the fray in a stacked Rotterdam field that also features 2015 winner Stan Wawrinka. Andy Murray, the former World No. 1 and 2009 champion, returns with a wild card.

Other players to watch include #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, Belgian David Goffin and Russian Karen Khachanov.

Here’s all you need to know about Rotterdam tennis tournament: when is the draw, what is the schedule, where to watch, who has won and more.

Established: 1974

Tournament Dates: 1-7 March 2021

Tournament Director: Richard Krajicek

Draw Ceremony: Friday, 26 February 2021, time TBA

Are You In? Subscribe To Get Tournament Updates In Your Inbox

Schedule (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: Begins Saturday at 11am
* Main draw: Monday – Friday at 11:00am and 7:30pm, Saturday at 1:00pm and 7:30pm
* Doubles final: Sunday, 7 March at 1pm
* Singles final: Sunday, 7 March at 3:30pm

How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV
TV Schedule

Venue: Rotterdam Ahoy
Surface: Indoor Hard

Prize Money: € 980,580 (Total Financial Commitment: € 1,117,900)

Tickets On Sale: Buy Now

View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown

Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles, Singles: Roger Federer (3)
Most Titles, Doubles: Anders Jarryd, Nenad Zimonjic, Nicolas Mahut (4) 
Oldest Champion: Roger Federer, 36, in 2018
Youngest Champion: Miloslav Mecir Sr., 20, in 1985
Highest-Ranked Champion (since 1990): No. 1 Jimmy Connors in 1978 and Roger Federer in 2005
Lowest-Ranked Champion (since 1990): No. 156 Anders Jarryd in 1993
Most Match Wins: Roger Federer (28)

2020 Finals
Singles: [3] Gael Monfils (FRA) d. Felix Auger-Aliassime (SUI) 6-2, 6-4  Read & Watch
Doubles: [2] Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) / Nicolas Mahut (FRA) d. [Q] Henri Kontinen (FIN) / Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) 7-6(5), 4-6, 10-7  Read More

Social
Hashtag: #abnamrowtt
Facebook: @ABNAMROWTT
Twitter: @abnamrowtt
Instagram: @abnamrowtt

Did You Know…  The Rotterdam honour roll includes Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, Roger Federer and Andy Murray.

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