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With An Eye To Giving Back, Dimitrov Looks To The Future

  • Posted: Mar 20, 2021

In an extract from Eurosport’s Players’ Voice series, Grigor Dimitrov shares his excitement for the future, both on and off the court. The 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion, who will celebrate his 30th birthday in May, reflects on the short career span of an athlete and reveals his plans for his new foundation.

Soon I’ll be turning 30 and I can’t say I have put too much thought into that, but the one thing I can say for sure, though, is that I’m excited. It’s not young, it’s not old but it feels like you’re entering a new phase of life where you start looking at yourself differently, you understand yourself a little bit more and you can start to cut the unnecessary things that surround you; you don’t want to waste time on things that really don’t add to your life.

Physically I’m feeling good, mentally I don’t feel 30, which is a good thing, but I still feel like I’m maturing a lot in my head. So who knows what’s going to happen? Only time will tell. I would love to keep on playing for as long as my body allows me to compete at the highest level. However, tennis is just a temporary thing, it’s not going to be forever. We’re athletes and every athlete has an expiration date, that’s just how it is. Right now we’re just living our dream but after that, the real life begins.

So aside from tennis, having family in the future is hopefully on the cards as well as working on other things that I’ve always wanted to do. Then one day, when it’s time to say goodbye to one thing, I’ll be ready for the other one with open arms and excited for the next chapter in my life.

I recently set up my own foundation which I hope will play a big part in that. It’s something that has always been at the back of my mind, I just wanted to wait to find the right time. When I was a kid growing up in Bulgaria, my mum used to pick me up from school and we would pass kids who basically had no chance of help around. I remember asking her if anyone was going to help them and she was very honest with me and said, “I’m not going to lie to you, son, they’re in a very difficult position but if you want to do something one day, why don’t you keep on playing tennis?”

That stuck with me ever since and I’ve actually appointed my mum as the foundation’s director. We both definitely remember that conversation so it symbolises a lot. She thinks differently from anyone I’ve ever met in my whole life, and I think it’s because of her that I’ve always thought outside the box. She has this infinite positivity and an aura about her that really speaks a language that isn’t foreign to me. It pushes me to want to find that next step and purpose so I couldn’t have thought of a better person, and I believe she will do a great job, I do not even doubt her for a second.

We are still structuring those final pieces and it’s taking a little bit of time because I want us to cover a broad spectrum and not just focus on one certain thing. We are trying to find a way to support as many areas as possible, whether it’s families, kids or adults, essentially whoever needs the necessary help to progress in life, so I’m excited about it, but it’s challenging because I’m having to go really deep within myself.

I feel like I was one of the few lucky ones who was able to have a family like the one I had. Each member has contributed in a very different and significant way in my life. I learned a lot from each of them and I just want to give something back, so I see this as a way to make up for my absence from my family and country.

Read Dimitrov’s Full Eurosport Players’ Voice Column

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Karatsev Completes Stunning Run, Lifts Maiden Title In Dubai

  • Posted: Mar 20, 2021

Aslan Karatsev reached another milestone in his fairytale start to the 2021 ATP Tour season on Saturday, when he beat Lloyd Harris 6-3, 6-2 to claim his maiden ATP Tour title at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

The 27-year-old ripped 27 winners and saved the two break points he faced to become the third Russian champion on the ATP Tour this season. Karatsev joins Daniil Medvedev (Marseille) and Andrey Rublev (Rotterdam) on that list. All three players were a part of the title-winning Russian team at last month’s ATP Cup.

“I am super happy. It was a tight match. [I was] really nervous,” Karatsev said in an on-court interview. “I want to congratulate my opponent for the final [run]. He did a great week… I am happy that I won.”

Karatsev started this season with a 3-10 record at tour-level. The 6’1” right-hander, who reached the Australian Open semi-finals as a qualifier last month, has compiled a 12-2 record this year. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic (Australian Open) and World No. 4 Dominic Thiem (Doha) are the only two players to have defeated the Russian in 2021.

“You never know when [success] is coming,” said Karatsev. “I did a good job with my team, with my coach and it has happened now.”

Karatsev has solidified his place in fifth position in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin. Medvedev (second) and Rublev (third) also feature in the Top 5 qualification positions for the Nitto ATP Finals.

The World No. 42 is the third wild card to win this ATP 500 event. Karatsev, who beat four seeded players en route to the final, joins Wayne Ferreira (1995) and Thomas Muster (1997) in the exclusive club.

Karatsev made the perfect start to his first ATP Tour final, as he ripped groundstrokes into Harris’ forehand corner to break serve in his first return game. The Russian opened the court well and struck 12 winners in the first set. Karatsev dominated behind his second serve return throughout the match (10/12) and clinched the trophy with an overhead winner.

Harris was also aiming to lift his first ATP Tour trophy. The South African won seven matches in as many days from qualifying to reach his second tour-level championship match (0-2). En route to the final, Harris earned the two biggest wins of his career against World No. 4 Dominic Thiem and World No. 12 Denis Shapovalov.

Did You Know?
Karatsev and Harris’ encounter marked the first meeting between a qualifier and a wild card on the ATP Tour since [WC] Fabio Fognini beat [Q] Yannick Hanfmann in the 2017 Swiss Open Gstaad championship match.

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Cabal/Farah Capture Dubai Trophy

  • Posted: Mar 20, 2021

Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah clinched their first title in 18 months on Saturday, when they defeated Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic 7-6(0), 7-6(4) to win the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Cabal and Farah saved a set point at 5-6 the second set and dominated both tie-breaks to lift their first trophy since the 2019 US Open. The Colombians improved their team record in tour-level finals to 17-20.

“It feels great… We have been playing good this year,” said Farah. “We struggled a little bit in Australia and got the level back to where we needed to be to win this title. We are very happy for that.”

[WATCH LIVE 1]

Across the two tie-breaks, Cabal and Farah won the opening 12 points. The top seeds found their best level in high-pressure moments throughout their week at The Aviation Club. En route to the championship match, Cabal and Farah survived two Match Tie-breaks and saved a match point in their quarter-final clash against Lorenzo Sonego and Andrea Vavassori.

“That is what practice does,” said Cabal. “You keep [putting in] the hours on court and off court and that’s what gives you the confidence to play like that in those moments.”

Mektic and Pavic were attempting to lift their fourth title of the season. The Croatian pair, which owns a 20-3 record this year, has already captured trophies at the Antalya Open, the Murray River Open and the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in 2021.

“Those guys are dragging so much confidence with them after winning that many tournaments and winning that many matches,” said Farah. “Clearly they have been playing really well and we just wanted to go out there, enjoy, [play] our game and bring the energy.”

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Tsitsipas Grateful For Acapulco Support: 'Crowd Show Me Love & Dedication'

  • Posted: Mar 20, 2021

Stefanos Tsitsipas says his record against Alexander Zverev will mean little when he faces the German on Saturday in the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC final.

Tsitsipas, who was speaking after he beat qualifier Lorenzo Musetti 6-1, 6-3 in the Acapulco semi-finals on Friday night, leads Zverev 5-1 in their ATP Head2Head series.

“It means something, but it doesn’t mean anything for tomorrow,” said Tsitsipas. “I’ve been playing good tennis and I’ve been feeling well on the court. He’s had the same route as me to get to where he is right now. I see it as a fresh, new start. I try not to think about the Head2Head.

“For me every single match counts and no matter if I am 10-0 up or 0-10 down, I try and reassess, and each match acts as a lesson. I think it’s the first time we’ve faced each other in a final, so I will try and bring some good tennis.”

Watch Acapulco Semi-final Highlights

World No. 5 Tsitsipas, who is competing in Acapulco for the first time this week, has won his past five matches against Zverev and is hoping to draw upon the support of the crowd. The 22-year-old Greek, who will be bidding to capture his sixth ATP Tour trophy on Saturday, has yet to capture an ATP 500 (0-5 record).  

“The crowd show me their love and dedication,” said Tsitsipas. “I love them back. We feel one another. I think Mexicans share a lot in common with Greeks, we are passionate people and we appreciate high quality sport. The fans have been the key part of my route to the final.

“I want the crowd to be as one with me. I feel the people [and] I feel the need to give [them] as much positivity as I receive.”

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Musetti: 'I Will Never Forget This Week' In Acapulco

  • Posted: Mar 20, 2021

Lorenzo Musetti was disappointed not to reach the Acapulco final on Friday night, but admitted he “will never forget this week” at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC.

The #NextGenATP Italian star, who qualified for the ATP 500 event, played his seventh match of the week, but fell to top-seeded Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-1, 6-3 in the semi-finals.

“It was an incredible run and week for me,” said Musetti. “Tonight, Stefanos was too good for. I was really tired from the past six matches. I felt it in my legs and stomach, and I couldn’t breath. I enjoyed the crowd and the emotion this week.

“I didn’t expect to reach the semi-finals. It was a dream week and I couldn’t believe what I did. Every day was different and a big emotion for me. I will never forget this week.”

The 19-year-old will the third-youngest semi-finalist in Acapulco tournament history, following in the footsteps of Xavier Malisse (1998) and Rafael Nadal (2005).

Musetti now plans to compete in qualifying for the Miami Open presented by Itau, but fully intends to return to Acapulco in the future. He had been seeking his first tour-level final in his fourth ATP Tour event.

“I will definitely come back,” said Musetti. “I really enjoyed playing here, the people, the beach and the sea.”

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Tsitsipas Ends Musetti's Dream Run, Reaches Acapulco Final

  • Posted: Mar 20, 2021

Stefanos Tsitsipas ended the dream run of qualifier Lorenzo Musetti on Friday night for a place in the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC final.

Top seed Tsitsipas didn’t let the #NextGenATP Italian settle and completed a 6-1, 6-3 victory in 79 minutes for a place in his 13th ATP Tour final (5-7), where he will face second-seeded German Alexander Zverev. The Greek will now attempt to capture his first ATP 500 trophy.

“Matches like this are really important and I’m happy to be playing well,” said Tsitsipas. “Acapulco has been treating me really well and the fans have been giving me love and support. We’ll definitely see a lot from Lorenzo in the future, he has a wonderful one-handed backhand and creates lots of opportunities. He showed his level this week.”

Tsitsipas leads Zverev 5-1 in their ATP Head2Head series, with their last match coming at the 2020 ATP Cup. Zverev beat fellow German Dominik Koepfer 6-4, 7-6(5) earlier in the day.

“I am really looking forward to the final,” said Tsitsipas. “Sascha is someone I’ve played against in the past and it’s never easy. We’re both really hungry and we’re both very competitive.”

It will be the first time that the top two seeds have contested the Acapulco final since 2015, when No. 2 seed David Ferrer of Spain defeated top-seeded Japanese star Kei Nishikori 6-3, 7-5.

[WATCH LIVE 2]

Tsitsipas ran through the first set, not allowing Musetti to play his own free-flowing game. The Greek won five straight games from 1-1 and at the end of the 33-minute opener, Musetti received on-court treatment.

Musetti continued to use the drop shot as an offensive weapon and attempted to draw Tsitsipas to the net as a target to strike past, but after seven matches this week, the Italian continued to make costly errors. At 3-3 in the second set, Tsitsipas broke serve after Musetti could not control a powerful forehand at the net.

Tsitsipas extended his stay in Acapulco, completing his fourth victory, when Musetti hit a short backhand into the net. The Greek, who barely put a foot wrong, won 22 of his 26 first-service points and struck 17 of his 23 winners off his forehand. He will now look to capture his sixth ATP Tour crown on Saturday against Zverev.

Musetti, who was playing only his 12th tour-level match, beat World No. 9 Diego Schwartzman in the Acapulco first round, and followed it up with victories over Frances Tiafoe in the second round, and Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-finals. The 19-year-old will break into the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday.

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Acapulco Earthquake Can't Shake Zverev

  • Posted: Mar 20, 2021

Not even an earthquake was able to stop Alexander Zverev in his semi-final on Friday evening at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC.

With Dominik Koepfer serving at 40/15 in the first game of the second set, there were tremors that shook the stadium. It turned out to be a 5.7 magnitude earthquake in the state of Guerrero, according to the United States Geological Survey.

“I didn’t know what happened. Neither did Dominik. We just heard the crowd. I guess the lights started shaking and the crowd felt it more than we did. We were running around the court, so we had to play a point during the earthquake,” Zverev said. “We didn’t feel much, but still obviously I know it happens here in Acapulco. I’ve witnessed it here before, so I guess it’s normal for Acapulco.

“Last year we had a similar thing during my match or during my practice. I don’t remember. It was bigger though, because I saw the lights shaking. I didn’t see anything today. But I guess it happens in this area. Everything is proved to be stable… I hope everyone is fine at the area that is closest to the earthquake.”

Zverev fell behind by a break in the second set, but he wasn’t ultimately rattled by the earthquake. The World No. 7 defeated his countryman 6-4, 7-6(5).

Players who were off court felt the earthquake to a greater extent. Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski had recently won their doubles semi-final against Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury. Neal had just laid down on the massage table when the quake hit.

“It was really strange, that,” Neal said. “I actually thought it was some massage technique that he was doing, because the bed was shaking. I just thought it was normal. Then an alarm went off on his phone and that’s when I thought, ‘This is a bit strange.’ Then he said, ‘We’re going to go outside because of an earthquake.’ I couldn’t put my clothes on quick enough to get out of the building.

“I [experienced] one before many years ago in Italy throughout the night, but not as big as that one. Really weird and I don’t want to be in one of them again.”

Ken was waiting to get a massage himself, sitting nearby one of his opponent’s in Saturday’s final, Horacio Zeballos.

“It didn’t last necessarily that long, but it was long enough to look at each other and realise that it didn’t seem right. There are a couple people working here who also said, ‘That’s an earthquake,’” Ken said. “It got bigger and bigger. It only lasted maybe five seconds, but it was enough to feel like the whole building was shaking… It was enough to freak you out, because I’ve never experienced one. I’m hoping that this is the only one that they’re going to have here because obviously there’s a fear of bigger and stronger ones in the coming hours or days.”

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Zverev Moves One Win From First Acapulco Title

  • Posted: Mar 20, 2021

Acapulco was rocking on Friday evening, and the semi-final action at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC was only part of the story. Second seed Alexander Zverev didn’t let an earthquake rattle him on his way to a 6-4, 7-6(5) victory against Dominik Koepfer to reach his 23rd ATP Tour final. 

Zverev will play second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas for a shot at his 14th ATP Tour title. The German has reached the final here previously in 2019, and made the semi-finals in his debut the year prior. He has not dropped a set en route to this year’s championship match, including a quarter-final walkover from Casper Ruud.

Zverev took a fast lead in the opening set, going up a double-break to lead a nervy Koepfer 4-1. But once his countryman settled into the match, Zverev was in for a battle. Koepfer got the break back and earned two break points that would have levelled the score at 4-4. Zverev responded by raising his level and taking the set.

The Germans had to briefly halt play when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake in the state of Guerrero suddenly shook Cancha Central for about a half minute during Koepfer’s service game.

“The lights started shaking and the crowd felt it more than we did,” Zverev said in his post-match press conference. “We were running around the court, so we had to play a point during the earthquake. We didn’t feel much, but still obviously I know it happens here in Acapulco.”

After they got their bearings, Koepfer didn’t miss a beat as he broke first to take a 3-1 lead. But Zverev again responded in style. He created break opportunities in each of Koepfer’s next three service games and finally converted at 5-4 to send them into a tie-break, where he claimed victory after two hours and 10 minutes.

“He’s a very tough player to play right now. He won some incredible matches,” Zverev said. “Beating [Milos] Raonic on a hard court the way that he did is very tough. I think he showed that he is somebody who can play extremely well on this level. Today, honestly, I thought I played a not bad match and he gave me a tough time.”

Zverev trails Tsitsipas 1-5 in the ATP Head2Head series, with their last match coming at the 2020 ATP Cup. The top two seeds will meet off in the Acapulco final for the first time since 2015 when No. 2 seed David Ferrer of Spain defeated top-seeded Japanese star Kei Nishikori 6-3, 7-5.

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Granollers/Zeballos Set Skupski/Skupski Clash For Acapulco Crown

  • Posted: Mar 20, 2021

Top seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos edged past French duo Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut 6-3, 7-6(6) to reach their first final of the season at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC.

Playing in just their second tournament together in 2021, Granollers and Zeballos recovered from an early break in the opening set and needed a tie-break to seal the second set against the third seeds. The Spanish-Argentine team saved five of seven break points faced to claim victory in an hour and 35 minutes.

Granollers and Zeballos are seeking their fourth trophy as a team in Acapulco. They will contest their first championship match since their run to the final in Rome last year.

In the second semi-final, Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski toppled fourth seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury to book their meeting with Granollers and Zeballos.

[WATCH LIVE 2]

The British brothers also needed to win a second-set tie-break, fighting through 6-4, 7-6(5) after an hour and 31 minutes. The Skupski siblings will be aiming for a third title together in Saturday’s final, and a win would mark their first trophy since 2019 in Budapest.

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