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The WTA announces the immediate suspension of all tournaments in China amid concern for Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai.
Johanna Konta retires hoping she can inspire those who feel too old or not talented enough to chase their dreams.
Nominees have been announced in the 2021 ATP Awards for all player-voted categories — Comeback Player of the Year, Most Improved Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award — and for Coach of the Year.
Casper Ruud and his coach, father Christian Ruud, have picked up a total of three nominations following a season in which the Norwegian won five tour-level titles and broke into the Top 10 of the FedEx ATP Rankings. Casper, 22, is up for Most Improved Player of the Year and the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award, while Christian is one of five nominees for Coach of the Year.
Carlos Alcaraz, Aslan Karatsev and Cameron Norrie round out the Most Improved Player of the Year candidates, while Felix Auger-Aliassime, Rafael Nadal and Frances Tiafoe have been shortlisted alongside Ruud for Sportsmanship. Nadal has been voted by his peers as winner of the award for three straight years.
ATP Awards winners, including Fans’ Favourite, will be revealed later this month. Fans can vote for their favourite singles player and doubles team through Tuesday, 7 December.
View the complete list of 2021 ATP Awards nominees:
Voted By Players
Comeback Player of the Year: The player who has overcome serious injury in re-establishing himself as one of the top players on the ATP Tour.
Thanasi Kokkinakis
Mackenzie McDonald
Andy Murray
Jack Sock
Most Improved Player of the Year: The player who reached a significantly higher FedEx ATP Ranking by year’s end and who demonstrated an increasingly improved level of performance through the year.
Carlos Alcaraz
Aslan Karatsev
Cameron Norrie
Casper Ruud
Newcomer of the Year: The #NextGenATP player who broke into the Top 100 for the first time in 2021* and made the biggest impact on the ATP Tour this season.
Sebastian Baez
Jenson Brooksby
Juan Manuel Cerundolo
Hugo Gaston
Brandon Nakashima
Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award: The player who, throughout the year, conducted himself at the highest level of professionalism and integrity, who competed with his fellow players with the utmost spirit of fairness and who promoted the game through his off-court activities.
Felix Auger-Aliassime
Rafael Nadal
Casper Ruud
Frances Tiafoe
Voted By Coaches
Coach of the Year: Nominated and voted on by fellow ATP coach members, this award goes to the ATP coach who helped guide his players to a higher level of performance during the year.
Craig Boynton (Hubert Hurkacz)
Gilles Cervara (Daniil Medvedev)
Juan Carlos Ferrero (Carlos Alcaraz)
Facundo Lugones (Cameron Norrie)
Christian Ruud (Casper Ruud)
* Previous Newcomer of the Year nominees are not eligible
Britain’s former world number four Johanna Konta announces her retirement from professional tennis.
Johanna Konta should be proud of all she achieved in a phenomenal career, writes Russell Fuller after the former British number one announces her retirement.
During the 2021 season, Filip Krajinovic earned his 100th career tour-level win in Indian Wells and reached his fourth ATP Tour final in Hamburg. Off court, the Serbian has stories to tell, from meeting his idol Pete Sampras to his struggles in the kitchen.
In the latest installment of our popular series, Serbia’s Filip Krajinovic reveals the last time…
I missed a flight?
I cancelled a flight last minute in June because Novak [Djokovic] called me to tell me he was going to do something to celebrate his Roland Garros victory. I was meant to go to Montenegro and then at the last minute I just cancelled and went to see him. I am always last minute, but to miss a flight, I don’t think I have.
I lost something important?
I lose my wallet so much. I am quite good on that also though. I don’t think I have lost something very important ever. I have lost the keys to my car, but they can be easily replaced. So far, so good.
I paid money to hire a court or buy tennis balls?
I paid before I came to Wimbledon. There is one tennis club in Serbia and I was a little bit surprised when they told me, ‘Hey, man, you have to pay’. It was €15 per hour, and I paid for four hours and needed four hours and was with my coach.
Being famous helped me?
It has helped me out a lot. Back in Serbia, people follow tennis a lot because of Novak and the rest of us are second league, but they are still following. I always try and say I am a tennis player. If need a reservation, I try to always have my tennis racquet next to me. I am hoping they know who I am. Serbia is a very small country, so we all know each other.
I strung a tennis racquet?
I have never done that in my life. I don’t think I can do it. I need time to learn a little bit, but I am really not interested in that! It takes at least 25 minutes. I have never watched the whole racquet being done either.
I cooked for myself or others?
No, I am really bad! All I do is make a tea, I do not go to the kitchen at all, I am really really bad at that. I can make the coffee though with a machine, you press the button and magic. When I am playing the tournaments I always eat in the restaurants. Even when I am home, I like to go to the restaurant. I love to eat steak and spaghetti, Europe and Italian food. My kitchen, when you go to my apartment, is totally new.
I met a childhood idol?
My idol when I was young was Pete Sampras, and 10 years ago I had the chance to go to his house. My sponsor was IMG, and he was in touch with IMG needing someone to hit with him, so they told me to go to his house and hit for a couple of days. I was really happy I was able to meet him. I was young and it was fun. I was too scared to ask for advice, I was in shock. At that time, my English was not very good, so I didn’t want to get into that many conversations.
Photo Credit: Adam Pretty/Getty Images
I asked someone for a selfie?
Today I asked my coach, let’s do a selfie on the court.
I went to a concert?
Over a year ago, when everything was normal. I went to see some Serbian star, a big star. He is about 70-years-old, he is the most famous singer in Serbia. I went there and it was amazing, about 20,000 people there. I had a great time; he plays pop music. I am really in love with music, I like to listen to music all the time.
I attended a live sporting event other than tennis?
I watch soccer lots in Serbia. I watch Red Star [Belgrade], and I also watch the NBA when I am in America. I like to watch Nikola Jokic, the Most Valuable Player. For me, soccer is the main sport, I like to go to the stadium and cheer my team. The crowd is amazing, unbelievable, one of the best in the world.
I made my debut at a Tour event?
I played in Madrid for the first time this year at the tournament. I had never played in Madrid before, but every other tournament I have played.
What is the ATP Cup?
The ATP Cup is an annual country teams competition staged in Australia by Tennis Australia in partnership with ATP.
When will the 2022 event be played?
Running 1-9 January, ATP Cup will be staged in the first week of the 2022 ATP Tour season. The 2022 tournament will feature a 16-team field and be hosted across two venues in Sydney – Ken Rosewall Arena and the Qudos Bank Arena – both at Sydney Olympic Park.
What is the format of the 2022 event?
The 2022 ATP Cup will feature a 16-team field with four groups of four teams. The winners of each group will advance to the semi-finals.
When will the draw and schedule be released?
The draw will be made 4 December, when the 16 countries will be allocated to the four groups. The schedule will be released 6 December.
How do entries work?
The top-placed countries in the ATP Cup Standings gain acceptance into the event based on the singles FedEx ATP Ranking and entry of the country’s No. 1 singles player at the entry deadline. Host country Australia will be granted a wild card into the event if it doesn’t gain acceptance based on the ranking of its No. 1 singles player.
A minimum of three ATP-ranked players, including two members with singles FedEx ATP Rankings points, are required for a country to be eligible to qualify.
Rankings to be used for entries are the FedEx ATP Rankings. A Protected Ranking can be used to enter provided the player’s Protected Ranking is valid through the entry deadline. Protected Ranking will not be used for team seeding.
What are the ATP Cup Standings?
The ATP Cup Standings is a provisional entry list for the ATP Cup, ordered by the FedEx ATP Ranking (or Protected Ranking) of a country’s highest-ranked singles player. ATP Cup Standings also show which players within each country would qualify for a place in their country’s team, subject to player entry rules.
View ATP Cup Standings
How many players will be in each team?
Competing teams will have a maximum of five players – three selected based on singles FedEx ATP Ranking, with fourth and fifth position decided by best (singles or doubles) ranking. Teams with less than five players will have their third and fourth (if applicable) player(s) decided by best (singles or doubles) ranking.
What points and prize money are on offer?
The 2022 ATP Cup will feature US$10 million prizemoney and award a maximum of 750 FedEx ATP Rankings points in singles and 250 in doubles.
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How did previous editions of the tournament work?
The inaugural event in 2020 saw 24 countries divided into six groups in three Australian cities — Brisbane, Perth and Sydney — for six days of round-robin play. The six group winners and the two best second-placed teams advanced to the knockout Final Eight in Sydney. Novak Djokovic took Serbia to victory over Spain, led by Rafael Nadal, in a fairytale final in year one.
In 2021, due to COVID-19 restrictions, ATP Cup featured 12 countries playing exclusively at Melbourne Park in the lead-up to the Australian Open. The four groups contested the semi-finals, with Russia beating Italy in the final.
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What is the format?
Each tie will be comprised of two singles matches and one doubles match. The country that wins two matches will win the tie. Singles will be best-of-three tie-break sets. Doubles will feature No-Ad scoring and a Match Tie-break in lieu of a third set.
What is the order of play?
There is a day session and an evening session each day. The No. 2 players will play first in each tie, followed by the No. 1 players, with the doubles to follow. All doubles matches will be played regardless of whether the tie is decided after the two singles matches, except if the final is decided after the two singles matches. In that event, the doubles will not be played.
Is on-court coaching allowed?
Yes. Coaching will be permitted by the team captain, the competing player’s individual coach or fellow player team members. Coaching advice is not limited to changeovers and set breaks, but it shall not interfere with the speed of play.
Can a player play singles and doubles?
Yes. The team captain decides who plays doubles. The on-site FedEx ATP Ranking order must be respected for singles matches. For example, the No. 1-ranked player on a team based on on-site FedEx ATP Rankings at the start of the competition cannot play No. 2 singles. Protected Ranking will be considered the official ranking for line-up position.
*All the above information is subject to change by the ATP rules and regulations.
