Tennis News

Goffin's Confidence Soaring In Doha: 'I'm Feeling Great'

David Goffin struggled at the end of 2020, losing his final five matches of the season, including his last 12 sets of the year. But the Belgian is off to a hot start in 2021, and that continued on Tuesday at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open.

The sixth seed beat Serbian Filip Krajinovic 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 22 minutes to reach the second round in Doha. He will play American Taylor Fritz for a spot in the quarter-finals.

“I’m feeling great. I’m taking a lot of pleasure on the court. I’m feeling more relaxed, confident in my choices, [confident] with my serve. It’s a huge difference,” Goffin said. “I’m serving well, returning well, I’m solid. I’m feeling sharp for the moment. It’s great.”

At his best, Goffin has been one of the toughest baseliners on the ATP Tour. After winning his first title since 2017 last month in Montpellier, the Belgian’s confidence has soared.

“[It helps] a lot, because instead of going on the side on my groundstrokes, I just cut the angles,” Goffin said. “I’m more confident to cut the trajectory and go more for the line maybe, so I’m more aggressive. I think my opponents, they feel it. They feel more pressure. They feel that I’m more into the court in front of my baseline.”

Goffin hit eight aces and did not face a break point against Krajinovic, who beat the Belgian twice on hard courts in 2019. The sixth seed now leads their ATP Head2Head series 3-2.

“It was a really good match because Filip was playing well. I think he was feeling the ball well from the start. It was not easy. Then I had the first break, so it changed a lot [in] the match,” Goffin said. “I’m happy the way I’m feeling, moving, and playing on the court now.”

The top seed on Goffin’s half of the draw is Roger Federer. They cannot meet in a match until the semi-finals, but the friends already reunited on the practice courts in Doha.

World No. 14 Goffin will next play Fritz, whom he beat in three sets in their only previous meeting at the 2019 Western & Southern Open. Fritz defeated Lorenzo Sonego 7-6(5), 6-4 in the first round.

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Evans On Federer: ‘You Definitely Second-Guess Yourself’

Roger Federer has not competed since the 2020 Australian Open. But the element of surprise will be out the window for his first match back on Wednesday at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. The three-time Doha champion will play frequent practice partner Daniel Evans in the second round.

“We obviously practised for [the] past two weeks [in Dubai], and I thought he was playing pretty well. We played plenty of sets. It was competitive. But it’s all very different when you get on the match court,” Evans said. “It will be a lot different tomorrow. It’s going to be at night, as well, so a little slower. So we’ll see how the match goes.”

It wasn’t the first time Evans has trained with the 103-time tour-level titlist. As always, the Brit had nothing but positive things to say about the experience.

“It’s obvious to say he works hard. Some days we practised for three hours. Other days we practised for an hour and a half. It’s been just like most tennis players, really,” Evans said. “Obviously the level is a lot higher than most, but it’s been good to get some good practise in.

^{Photo Credit: @qatartennis}
Evans needed three sets to defeat Jeremy Chardy on Tuesday. There was a special guest in the stands on Centre Court at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex: Federer.

“He obviously has seen a lot of my game the past few weeks, so I guess I would say it was more out of boredom,” Evans said, cracking a laugh. “He’s probably [was] waiting for his practice [more] than scouting out what’s happening on the court. Let’s put it down to that.”

Federer leads the pair’s ATP Head2Head series 3-0, with the Swiss winning all nine sets they have played. In the past, Evans has pointed to Federer having “every shot” in his arsenal, something the Brit further explained before their fourth clash.

“It’s more the variation. You’re not sure what’s going to come next, different spins, different pace. You definitely sometimes second-guess yourself. He obviously moves very well. So that would be the biggest thing,” Evans said. “I feel like I deal with variation pretty well, and I do feel a bit flustered when practising different things [against him]. I’m sure for the more robotic players out there it’s not ideal with a hell of a lot of variation he’s got.”

Will training with Federer so recently help Evans when they compete for a spot in the quarter-finals? According to the Brit, one of them will have an advantage.

“I think it’s tougher for me by a long stretch. But no, it has been nice to see his game. Obviously it does help I have been able to see it, but it’s still going to be a difficult task,” Evans said. “He looked fit when I practised with him. If he’s fully fit, it’s definitely going to be tough. As well, I should enjoy the occasion.”

Although Federer has not played in 14 months, Evans is expecting a difficult test against the Swiss. But the 30-year-old will challenge Federer, too. He is playing some of the best tennis of his career. In January, Evans claimed his first ATP Tour title at the Murray River Open without losing a set. In February, he reached a career-high No. 26 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

“I’d say I’m definitely a lot better now [than when we last played at the 2019 US Open]. I feel more comfortable. In that sense, obviously he’s not played so much. It will be a little different for him tomorrow, as well. Probably my better chance to get some good tennis out there and trouble him,” Evans said. “I’ll go out there and enjoy it and see what happens. There’s no drama if it goes wrong tomorrow. If I win, it would be great.”

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Qatar Open: Dan Evans to play Roger Federer after Jeremy Chardy win

Great Britain’s Dan Evans will be Roger Federer’s first opponent when he comes back from over a year out of action.

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Watch Federer Practise In Doha

If you’ve missed Roger Federer, you’re certainly getting a good dose of him this week at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open.

The 39-year-old legend practised with Australian Open semi-finalist Aslan Karatsev before beginning his run at the ATP 250. You can watch extended footage of their hit from behind the baseline above.

Federer will play frequent practice partner Daniel Evans in the second round. The 39-year-old leads their ATP Head2Head series 3-0, with all three of their meetings coming at Grand Slams. Federer has won all nine sets they have played.

During his pre-tournament press conference, Federer said, “I have missed the Tour. I have missed the second family, [which is] how I call the Tour.” The 103-time tour-level champion showed that on the practice courts when he greeted good friend David Goffin. The Swiss spotted the Belgian and quickly said, “David Goffin, baby!”

Federer has also been spotted doing his physical warm-up on the grounds of the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex.

The three-time Doha champion owns a 26-3 record at this tournament. Federer has advanced to at least the semi-finals in six of his seven appearances.

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Harris Upsets Idol Wawrinka In Doha; Evans To Face Federer

Lloyd Harris recorded the biggest win of his career on Tuesday night at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. The South African qualifier withstood the power of Stan Wawrinka, the seventh seed and 2008 Doha finalist, in a 7-6(3), 6-7(6), 7-5 victory over two hours and 41 minutes for a place in the second round.

“I don’t have many words right now,” said Harris. “Stan was my idol growing up, so just to play against him was incredible. I was as determined as I could be, really pumped to play. I am proud of how I fought back after losing the second set. I feel like I’ve done really in the past couple of months and I hope to keep the momentum going.”

Wawrinka recovered from 2/4 down in the second-set tie-break, finishing with a forehand approach and two backhand volleys to carry the momentum into the decider. But Harris came within two points of a 3-0 lead in the third set, before Wawrinka clawed his way back – only to be broken in the 11th game. The 24-year-old closed out to love, finishing with his 11th ace.

Harris, who is making his Doha tournament debut this week, will next face last week’s ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament finalist, Marton Fucsovics of Hungary. Fucsovics defeated Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic 7-6(3), 6-3 in one hour and 44 minutes. 

Watch Tuesday Doha Highlights:

Daniel Evans saved 16 of 18 break points to beat France’s Jeremy Chardy 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 in two hours and 55 minutes. The Briton will next face his frequent practice partner of the past two weeks, Roger Federer, in the second round on Wednesday.

“I thought he was playing pretty well,” said Evans, when asked about Federer’s form. “We played plenty of sets. It was competitive. But it’s all very different when you get on the match court, as I found out today. I wasn’t perfect out there, and I had been playing pretty well in practice. It will be a lot different tomorrow. It’s going to be at night, as well, so a little slower.”

Elsewhere, Vasek Pospisil will play fellow Canadian and fourth seed Denis Shapovalov after defeating Australian qualifier Christopher O’Connell 6-3, 6-4 in 83 minutes.

Melo/Rojer Earn First Win As A Team
Fourth seeds Marcelo Melo and Jean-Julien Rojer earned their first victory as a team on Tuesday when they defeated Kevin Krawietz and Reilly Opelka 6-1, 7-6(9). Last week in Rotterdam, Melo and Rojer lost in a Match Tie-break against Krawietz and Horia Tecau.

 

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Secon seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic also advanced with a 6-1, 6-3 triumph against Marcelo Arevalo and Matwe Middelkoop. The Croatians have already won three ATP Tour titles together this year in their first season as a duo.

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'Happy Like A Kid', Tsonga Savours Marseille Win

Three-time champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga came back from the brink against big-serving Feliciano Lopez on Tuesday at the Open 13 Provence to claim his long-awaited first ATP Tour victory since 2019.

The 35-year-old Frenchman was hoping home soil would help bring back the spark after struggling to bounce back from injuries, including left knee surgery. He had to go about things the hard way, recovering from a set down and weathering 13 blistering aces from Lopez on his way to a 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory.

“This is probably one of the best victories of my career, because it was tough for me to play tennis. I had so much pain for so many months,” Tsonga said in an on-court interview. “Today, I won one match. That was one of my goals for these few weeks… I’m happy like a kid.”

Tsonga owned a 5-0 lead over 39-year-old Lopez in their ATP Head2Head record, but the big-serving Spaniard was the first to take control in their first meeting since 2012. Two breaks of serve bracketed the opening set as Lopez took advantage of an error-strewn stretch from Tsonga.

The Frenchman converted his only break opportunity of the second set to take an early lead, and raised his level to hold serve under the lefty’s relentless pressure. Tsonga went toe-to-toe with Lopez on serve, and fired 16 of his 19 aces across the final two sets. He dodged a third-set tie-break after taking a 6-5 lead, and fired his final ace of the day to seal the victory after two hours and eight minutes.

“Both of us, we are almost 80 years old together,” Tsonga joked. “I’ve known him for a long time and I have a lot of good memories with Feli… I’m really pleased that I won against him. For me it’s a good victory; he plays well indoors, he’s a lefty, he’s tall. I’m just happy today.”

Tsonga will face fourth-seeded countryman Ugo Humbert in the second round.

Also in action, Pierre-Hugues Herbert dominated on serve and at the net to beat sixth-seeded Japanese star Kei Nishikori 6-1, 6-4.

“I knew I would need to be aggressive from the start, as I knew Kei would be better than me from the baseline,” said Herbert. “I cannot complain about anything today and I stuck to my game plan from the beginning to the end. I am very happy with the win. I kept moving forwards and did let him play.”

Herbert beat his first seeded player at an ATP tournament since overcoming fifth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Montpellier second round in 2020. The 29-year-old completed his second victory of the year with his 11th ace, having won 25 of 30 first-service points in the 70-minute encounter.

Herbert will next face Cameron Norrie of Great Britain or fellow Frenchman Constant Lestienne. 

Australian qualifier Matthew Ebden recovered from a set and break deficit to beat Benjamin Bonzi of France 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-3 in two hours and 27 minutes. Wild card Bonzi served for the match at 5-4 in the second set. Ebden will next challenge Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori in the second round.

American Mackenzie McDonald will play 2018 champion and third-seeded Russian Karen Khachanov after coming through a 7-6(2), 7-6(1) victory over Italian Stefano Travaglia, last month’s Great Ocean Road Open finalist (l. to Sinner).

Top Seeds Advance In Doubles
Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski, the top seeds in the doubles draw, defeated McDonald and Yoshihito Nishioka 6-3, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals. The British brothers are pursuing their first title together since Budapest in 2019.

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Djokovic Celebrates 311 Weeks At No 1 In Belgrade

Novak Djokovic joined hundreds of fans outside Belgrade’s city hall on Monday night in celebration of setting a new all-time record for most weeks at No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

The Serbian, who has spent 311 weeks in the top spot to overtake Roger Federer tally of 310 weeks, watched a fireworks display in front of the Djokovic family restaurant in Belgrade. Bigger buildings in the city were illuminated with Djokovic’s portrait and there was also a video projection of the best moments of his career.

“Today is a special day for myself, my family as well as Serbia,” said Djokovic, who was joined by his parents, Srdjan and Dijana. “Thank you for the success, which is not only mine, but of the whole nation.”

Earlier on Monday, the 33-year-old had posted “Big day today,” on Twitter. Djokovic also praised his wife, Jelena, daughter, Tara, mother and childhood coach, Jelena Gencic, as part of the International Women’s Day celebrations.

Today we also celebrate @jelenadjokovic, Tara, my mom, Jelena Gencic and all of the incredible women in my life and around the world ❤️ thank you for all you do and who you are ❤️❤️❤️ #InternationalWomensDay pic.twitter.com/hvEzmqkFE1

— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) March 8, 2021

Two weeks ago, Djokovic captured his 18th Grand Slam championship trophy — two shy of joint-leaders Rafael Nadal and Federer (both with 20 major titles) — with a record ninth Australian Open crown (d. Medvedev).

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Roger's Still Got It! Federer Issues Volleying Challenge

It may not have been the flattest or hardest of surfaces, but Roger Federer proved he’s still got it on Tuesday!

Fourteen months after he last competed, the Swiss superstar took to social media in Doha with a new volleying drill against a temporary wall.

Afterwards, Federer told his fans, “I don’t know how many we got, but help me out and be a part of it!”

Still got it, @rogerfederer ?@QatarTennis pic.twitter.com/kq7nmmsD1T

— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 9, 2021

Federer, who will return to action at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Wednesday, issued a similar challenge to fans in April last year, embracing #tennisathome at the start of the global COVID-19 lockdown.

Here’s a helpful solo drill. Let’s see what you got! Reply back with a video and I’ll provide some tips. Choose your hat wisely ??? #tennisathome pic.twitter.com/05lliIqh1h

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) April 7, 2020

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Tiafoe Needs 7 MPs To Edge Jarry In Santiago

Fifth seed Frances Tiafoe dodged a major challenge at the Chile Dove Men+Care Open as he needed three tie-breaks to put away wild card Nicolas Jarry 7-6(7), 6-7(9), 7-6(7) in the first round on Monday. 

In an early test that clocked in at nearly three hours (2 hr, 52 min), Tiafoe and Jarry combined for 42 aces in a high-quality server’s battle. The American improved to 2-2 in deciding sets for 2021 as he claimed his second-ever main draw victory on South American clay. 

“Obviously due to crazy times, [we weren’t] able to have the big crowd here tonight [supporting Jarry], but I hope everyone who was here enjoyed it,” Tiafoe said in an on-court interview. “Me and Nico are great friends. I like him a lot, and I’m happy to see him back. 

“With performances like this, the way he served and everything, I can see him getting back to where he was…” 

There were no breaks of serve in the opening two sets of Tiafoe and Jarry’s second ATP Head2Head clash, and only one break point on offer during that stretch. Tiafoe couldn’t put distance between him and his opponent, a former World No. 38 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.  

The American had to deal with every shot in the big-serving Chilean’s arsenal, including a punishing body serve that clipped him in the shoulder at 5-5 in the first set. Jarry saved four match points in the second set with bold deliveries, including a kick-serve on second serve at 3/6 and a powerful body serve that left the American swinging at 5/6.

With the players deadlocked in the third set at a break apiece and emotions running high, it was Tiafoe who was able to refocus as he converted his seventh match point to seal the match. Tiafoe tallied 13 aces and won 80 per cent of points behind his first serve on his way to victory.

“That’s what it’s about. It doesn’t get more up and down than this match tonight,” Tiafoe said. “The ups and downs were crazy. I was up 6/4 in both breakers. I could have won six and six and I could have been out of here about an hour ago, but Nico played some good points. I’ve got to give it to him. Nico played well tonight, served great when he needed to. He’s a hell of a player.”

Tiafoe will get his second clash with Argentina’s Facundo Bagnis in as many weeks in the second round. Bagnis fought back from a set down against Marco Cecchinato 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-3 to book his shot at avenging his straight-sets defeat to the American in Buenos Aires.

Also in action, Roberto Carballes Baena needed nearly two hours to topple No. 6 seed Salvatore Caruso 6-4, 7-6(5) and reach the second round. He awaits the winner of local wild card Gonzalo Lama and 19-year-old Juan Manuel Cerundolo, who turned heads by winning his first ATP Tour title last month at the Cordoba Open.

Elsewhere, Colombia’s Daniel Elahi Galan withstood 14 aces from big-serving German Daniel Altmaier, and broke him two times en route to a 7-6(2), 3-6, 7-5 victory. Pedro Sousa cruised past qualifier Leonardo Mayer 6-2, 6-4. Galan will face third seed Pablo Andujar while Sousa will face fourth seed Laslo Djere in the next round.

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Five Things To Know About 17-Year-Old Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune

Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune advanced through ATP Tour qualifying for the first time on Monday by defeating Renzo Olivo 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in two hours and 32 minutes to reach the main draw of the Chile Dove Men+Care Open.

Last week, Rune made his ATP Tour main draw debut at the Argentina Open, where he lost in three sets against Albert Ramos-Vinolas. But in Buenos Aires, he was a wild card. In Santiago, Rune made the main draw the hard way.

“It feels incredibly good. Last week I had a tough match against Ramos-Vinolas, losing in three sets. But I managed to get over it pretty fast and took the good things from the match and managed to get them somehow into my game in the qualifying here,” Rune said. “I played three very solid matches. I think I was fighting incredibly good and I’m very happy to be in the main draw.”

Rune will be right back in action on Tuesday when he plays former junior World No. 1 Sebastian Baez, another qualifier. First, ATPTour.com caught up with the #NextGenATP player from Denmark to learn five things you should know about him.

He Is The Junior World No. 1
Rune became the junior World No. 1 on 28 October 2019. The Dane made his biggest splash five months earlier in Paris.

Rune won the Roland Garros boys’ singles title just after his 16th birthday. During his run, Rune only lost one set, and he punctuated his victory by beating Toby Kodat 6-0 in a deciding set.

 

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The Dane Began His Tennis Journey Playing With His Sister
When Rune was six, his sister, Alma, began playing tennis. That led him to try the sport, and Rune has been hooked ever since.

“I went down to try it and I’ve always found it amazing to play tennis. From the beginning I’ve always taken tennis 100 per cent seriously and always enjoyed it and had fun with it,” Rune said. “I’ve always had a big passion for it and here I am still playing and enjoying it, so it’s good.

“We played a lot together because [my sister] is four years older than me and obviously she was better than me at the beginning so we played a lot of points against each other. I always wanted to be better and she wanted to be better than me, so we had some fun and we played a lot together. I think that definitely helped my young career.”

Rune Was A Nitto ATP Finals Practice Partner
After winning the 2019 Red Bull Next Gen Open, which was held in conjunction with the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, Rune travelled to London to serve as a practice partner at the Nitto ATP Finals.

“That was crazy. To be able to play with Roger, Novak and all these guys was a dream come true because you always watch them on TV and you see how they are during tournaments and everything and also see that they’re humans, too,” Rune said. “Sometimes you see them in Grand Slam finals and they’re just playing unbelievable, but you know they have the same issues as normal players have. They just are so professional and very good mentally on the court.

“All of them are very nice. [They are] really good people off the court, so I was enjoying their time there.”

One piece of advice that sticks with him came from former World No. 2 Goran Ivanisevic, one of Novak Djokovic’s coaches.

“He gave me some advice on my serve because he always had a good serve. He was like, ‘Okay, try to do a little bit more of that with the left arm and follow through more,’” Rune recalled. “I didn’t ask the players for advice, they were just very happy to hit with me. I thought it was a great experience for me to be able to have a lot of practice with them.”

 

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Rune Is Following In Wozniacki’s Footsteps
The most famous Danish tennis player in history is former World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, who won the 2018 Australian Open. Rune will try to follow in her footsteps.

“She was an unbelievable fighter on the court and I think we could learn a lot from her,” Rune said. “Tennis is getting bigger and bigger in Denmark, which is good, I think, more focus on it. Hopefully we can also have some tournaments there one day.  I’m just glad we’re doing well.”

Another female Dane, Clara Tauson, won her first WTA Tour title last week in Lyon aged 18. On the men’s side, the only other player in the Top 1,000 of the FedEx ATP Rankings is World No. 190 Mikael Torpegaard. Frederik Nielsen, the world’s No. 61 doubles player, won the Wimbledon doubles title in 2012 alongside Jonathan Marray.

Rune Wants To Be Known For His Competitive Spirit
In the third set of his final round of qualifying against Olivo, Rune cramped. But instead of fading away, the Dane battled until the end, and his persistence was rewarded with a spot in the main draw. That is how Rune wants fans to know him: as a player who will fight until the last point.

“I would like them to see me as a good fighter on the court, which I showed today,” Rune said. “I was cramping a lot, but I managed to get through.”

What else does the teenager want fans know about him?

“I’m in general a happy guy. I love tennis and I love traveling for tournaments,” Rune said. “My game style I like to play aggressive, I like to play on clay, hard court. I don’t mind any surface.”

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