#NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime was taken by surprise at his first practise ahead of the Coupe Rogers last Friday evening. There were fans… lots of fans. The Montreal faithful wanted to get a look at the teenage sensation whenever they could, even if that meant showing up even before the start of qualifying at the sixth ATP Masters 1000 tournament of the year.

“The sound of the crowd, the people, the support they gave me was crazy. From the first practice I had here, then all the way to this match today was just crazy. It really is a dream come true,” Auger-Aliassime said after losing to Karen Khachanov on Thursday. “The atmosphere in the tie-break of the first set, at the end of the first set, was pretty surreal. I’ll for sure keep great memories of that.

“I never heard a stadium yell like this, sound like this, an atmosphere like this. It was incredible. At the changeover at 6-All, I could see the people there. I was raising my fist, and I felt energy coming up my legs. It was the first time I ever felt that. It was incredible.”

The newly-turned 19-year-old even got emotional as he stood on court after his loss. The crowd wasn’t done supporting him yet, singing happy birthday to the Canadian. Every time he walked through crowds during the week, fans chanted his name.

When players prepare to walk onto Court Central, what the cameras don’t always catch is that countless fans line the path — separated by ropes — to support the athletes on their walk to the court. And even after players sign autographs on the court before heading back to the locker room, they sign dozens more for the many fans waiting.

The crowd has supported all the players though, not just Canadians. One of the languages Russian Daniil Medvedev speaks is French, which the fans have appreciated throughout the week.

“It’s a beautiful atmosphere. It is, indeed, close to a Grand Slam. Every time we take the little cart to go and practise or go to the match, the cart can’t go through because there are too many people,” said Medvedev, a semi-finalist. “The first day I was surprised because normally on the first or second day of a tournament, Monday or Tuesday, there are not too many people because they’re working. Here it was crowded, especially in the evenings. It’s great.

“For my matches, there were many people. But they are very fair with every player. That’s great.”

Gael Monfils has played on the biggest courts in the world. But even as home favourites Auger-Aliassime squared off on Court Central, the bleachers surrounding Court 5 were packed to watch Monfils during his second-round win against Ilya Ivashka, providing a hair-raising atmosphere for the player.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling. I’m just saying it’s sometimes great to play on a smaller court with the crowd very close,” Monfils said. “We can feel their energy, the passion, the love in it. I love it, to be honest. It’s great.”

Dominic Thiem beat home favourite and 2017 semi-finalist Denis Shapovalov in the second round. And as you’d might expect, there was no shortage of energy in the crowd.

“For me there is nothing nicer than to play in front of a full stadium. I think it’s normal if you play a Canadian or if you play a local that the whole crowd is against you. I think you should accept it and still enjoy the atmosphere. That’s how I see it,” Thiem said. “But in general the crowd here is amazing. They love tennis. They are enjoying it [being] back after two years.”

Thomas Johansson retired long ago, but fans in Montreal certainly did not forget him, having won the title here in 1999. In fact, Johansson said that fans approached him around the grounds daily as he coached Belgian David Goffin.

“It’s one of the few places that when you walk around, people actually come up to me and say, ‘I remember the final. I remember that you won here in ‘99.’ Every time I come to Montreal, I almost feel like I’m at home,” Johansson said. “It’s a lot of fun because some people, they remember the matches, they don’t remember just the final.”

In a battle of contrasting styles between two of the most talented young stars on the ATP Tour, sixth seed Karen Khachanov and eighth seed Daniil Medvedev face off on Saturday in the Coupe Rogers semi-finals. Top seed and defending champion Rafael Nadal is also in the last four and will play No. 10 seed Roberto Bautista Agut or No. 16 seed Gael Monfils.

Khachanov and Medvedev’s match guarantees a Russian finalist in Canada for the first time since Marat Safin took the title at 2000 Toronto. It also marks the first-ever all-Russian semi-final at this event. Both men made history earlier this year by joining the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings together, Khachanov in June and Medvedev in July, marking the first time two Russians are in the Top 10 since October 2010.

Who will win the third @FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting between these players?

The series is tied 1-1. | #CoupeRogers

— ATP Tour (@ATP_Tour) August 10, 2019

“It’s never easy to play against a friend from the same country,” said Khachanov. “We’ve grown up together. We played all the tournaments since [age] 12 or 14. We know each other pretty well.

“It’s nice to make history. Still, it’s a long way [to go]. If we can make some records or make more history, it would be just great for us and great for the country, of course.”

Despite Khachanov’s banner season, he hadn’t reached a semi-final this year prior to arriving in Montreal. The 23-year-old stepped up in a brutal draw that saw him beat Stan Wawrinka, Felix Auger-Aliassime and third seed Alexander Zverev. When his lethal serve-and-forehand combination are firing, he’s a player that no one wants to face.

Medvedev’s season has provided a stark contrast to Khachanov’s in that he’s been a weekend staple. The eighth seed is competing in his eighth semi-final of the year (4-3) and has won 12 of his past 15 matches. The Russian counterpuncher has also scored four Top 10 wins this season, including a comprehensive quarter-final victory on Friday over Dominic Thiem. But with his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry with Khachanov tied 1-1, he looks to take the lead and move into his first Masters 1000 final.

”He’s from the same country and a good friend,” said Medvedev. “Of course, first we play for ourselves. I am sure that even if Karen wasn’t there, I could also be in the Top 10. But it’s a good competition between us two.”

Nadal awaits the winner of Friday’s rain-delayed quarter-final between Bautista Agut and Monfils. Regardless of who he plays, the Spaniard has history on his side. He leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry with Monfils 14-2 and has won their past six matches. Nadal hasn’t lost a set against Bautista Agut in their three previous meetings and only dropped seven games in their past five sets.

”I have been solid… happy with the way I am competing and enjoying,” said Nadal. “Let’s see tomorrow. Another opportunity to be in another final. Will be great if I am able to make that happen.”

Monfils leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head series with Bautista Agut 3-1, but the Spaniard won their latest meeting two years ago in Montreal. Bautista Agut is in the form of his life, having reached his maiden Grand Slam semi-final last month at Wimbledon, and is projected to crack the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings on Monday if he can defeat the Frenchman.

If Roger Federer is looking for a happy place to move beyond his near-miss at Wimbledon, then he need look no further than the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio. Home of the Western & Southern Open on the outskirts of Cincinnati, the event first held in 1899 is the Swiss legend’s most successful ATP Masters 1000 tournament.

The 38-year-old has won seven titles here, more than at any of the other eight Masters 1000 tournaments. Federer, who has spent a record 310 weeks at No. 1 in the ATP Rankings during his career, had his first practise in Cincinnati Friday, the same day the draw was made.

Set to play his first match since falling 13-12 in the fifth set to Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final, during which he held two match points, Federer resets his focus and begins his pursuit of his fourth title of the season.

A finalist last year in his first appearance for three years in Cincinnati, Federer next week will open against Italian Matteo Berrettini or Argentine Juan Ignacio Londero in the second round at the seventh Masters 1000 tournament of the year. He has not lost in his first match at this event since 2004, when he fell in three sets against Dominik Hrbaty.

The third seed is in the top half of the draw, where he may get another shot at last year’s champion Djokovic in the semi-finals. Djokovic and Rafael Nadal currently have a significant lead over Federer in the ATP Race to London, but a title in Cincinnati would elevate Federer into the conversation for the year-end World No. 1 ATP Ranking.

Federer has advanced to the final here in six of his past eight appearances, improving his record to 46-9. The Swiss star has earned 11 victories against opponents inside the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings in Cincinnati. He won the title in 2005, ’07, ’09-10, ’12, and ’14-’15.

Federer leads the ATP Tour with an 88.4 winning percentage (38-5) in 2019 , emerging victorious in Dubai, Miami and Halle. All of his losses came against players who are currently ranked in the Top 10.

Did You Know?
This is the 16th season in which Federer has earned at least three tour-level titles. The most trophies he has lifted in a single year is 12, which he accomplished in 2006.

How much do you know about the Western & Southern Open, the seventh ATP Masters 1000 tennis tournament of the 2019 season?

You may be aware that the Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic faced off in the 2018 final, and that the Big 4 – Federer, Rafael Nadal, Djokovic and Andy Murray – are all former champions. But do you know which of these players has successfully defended the title or who Andy Roddick defeated in the last all-American final? We test your knowledge in this quiz!

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Novak Djokovic has his work cut out if he wants to defend his title at the Western & Southern Open. The top seed faces a challenging draw in Cincinnati that will test him from the start.

The World No. 1, who completed his Career Golden Masters in Cincinnati last year, starts his week against American Sam Querrey or Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert. Looming in the third round is No. 13 seed and 2013 runner-up John Isner. The big-serving American defeated Djokovic in the quarter-finals that year.

Should Djokovic come through those early encounters, he could face eighth-seeded Russian Karen Khachanov or Australian Nick Kyrgios in the quarter-finals. Khachanov is currently in the semi-finals at the Coupe Rogers, while Kyrgios prevailed last week at the Citi Open (d. Medvedev).

Second seed and 2013 champion Rafael Nadal kicks off his Cincinnati campaign against Chilean Cristian Garin or Frenchman Adrian Mannarino. Sixth-seeded Japanese star Kei Nishikori awaits as a potential quarter-final opponent. Although Nadal leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 11-2, both of Nishikori’s victories against the Spaniard came on hard courts.

Third seed Roger Federer is the most decorated champion in Cincinnati history, with seven titles to his name. The Swiss begins his quest for another crown at the year’s seventh ATP Masters 1000 tournament against Italian Matteo Berrettini or Argentine Juan Ignacio Londero. Federer could meet No. 15 seed Nikoloz Basilashvili, a qualifier, former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka or 2017 champion Grigor Dimitrov in the third round, with a possible quarter-final clash against fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas also lurking.

Uncovered: Behind The Scenes In Cincinnati

Fourth-seeded Austrian Dominic Thiem is no stranger to hard-court success, having won his maiden Masters 1000 crown this year at the BNP Paribas Open. He could start his week with a high-profile match against two-time champion Andy Murray, who makes his return to singles action for the first time since the Australian Open. The Brit must first get past Richard Gasquet, who he leads 8-3 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series and defeated in the 2015 Cincinnati quarter-finals.

Thiem could face No. 13 seed and 2017 champion Marin Cilic of Croatia in the third round and seventh seed Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals. The German must get through his own challenging section of the draw that includes No. 11 seed Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain, #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime and Frenchman Gael Monfils.

Notable first-round matches include outside of Murray-Gasquet and Wawrinka-Dimitrov include Gael Monfils against Frances Tiafoe, No. 10 seed Fabio Fognini playing #NextGenATP Canadian Denis Shapovalov and No. 11 seed Roberto Bautista Agut facing 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals qualifier Hubert Hurkacz.

Editor’s Note: This story was updated to reflect Murray’s draw.

Andy Murray will make his return to singles action next week at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, where he is a two-time champion. The former World No. 1 received a wild card into the ATP Masters 1000 tennis tournament, and he will face Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the first round.

Murray, 32, will be making his first singles appearance since undergoing hip resurfacing surgery in January following the Australian Open. In June, he returned to tour-level action in doubles and won the title at London’s Queen’s Club with Feliciano Lopez in his first tournament back.

More On Murray
* Metal Hip, More Enjoyment For Murray
* Murray Optimistic About Return To Singles Action
* Murray’s Fighting Spirit Shines In Emotional Melbourne Exit

The Scot will face a familiar opponent in his first singles match in seven months, as he leads the Frenchman 8-3 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, with Gasquet last beating him at 2012 Rome. The 14-time ATP Masters 1000 titlist has won five consecutive matches against the World No. 66, who did not compete this season until the Mutua Madrid Open in order to recover from groin surgery.

If Murray defeats Gasquet, he will face fourth seed and BNP Paribas Open champion Dominic Thiem in the second round. Murray has won two of their three meetings, with his only loss coming on clay at 2017 Barcelona.

The Scot, who made his Cincinnati debut in 2005, claimed his first Masters 1000 title here in 2008 with victory over Novak Djokovic in the final. He also defeated Djokovic for the title in 2011.

The Western & Southern Open also awarded wild cards to Americans Sam Querrey and Reilly Opelka, as well as Argentine Juan Ignacio Londero. 

The Impressive field at the seventh Masters 1000 tennis tournament of 2019 will be led by former champions Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Djokovic and Federer will be playing in their first tournament since facing off in the Wimbledon final.

We’ll just leave this here…

It’ll be great to have you back, @andy_murray ?#CincyTennis | @CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/a5AEVFf3mw

— ATP Tour (@ATP_Tour) August 9, 2019

Rafael Nadal appeared to break Fabio Fognini’s serve in the Italian’s first service game of the match when a backhand from the seventh seed was called long. A challenge showed it was a line-clipper, and Fognini seized that momentum, cruising through the first set.

But four-time ATP Masters 1000 Canada champion Nadal cut down his mistakes and battled hard for a 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory, advancing to the semi-finals of the Coupe Rogers in Montreal.

“It was an up-and-down match, but a positive match for me,” Nadal said. “I have been playing better and better.”

The top seed entered this match with a 11-4 FedEx ATP Head2Head series lead against Fognini. However, the Italian took confidence from defeating Nadal in this year’s Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters semi-finals, and he also came from two sets down to oust the Spaniard in the third round of the 2015 US Open.

But Fognini was unable to maintain his level to match Nadal’s significant improvement after the first set, and the Italian also received treatment on his foot during the 2-1 changeover in the decider. The Spaniard moves into the last four in Montreal for the first time since lifting the trophy here in 2013. He also triumphed in this city in 2005 as a 19-year-old.

Nadal made an uncharacteristic number of unforced errors in the early going, giving Fognini the confidence to play aggressively. The Italian, who cracked the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings for the first time in June (he is currently No. 11), used that moment as a boomerang, breaking the legendary lefty for 2-1, and not relinquishing that advantage in the opener.

Fognini shuffled into the court and cracked a backhand winner down the line to close out the first set after 40 minutes, oozing with confidence in a city where he had never made the quarter-finals.

“I lost [the first set] 6-2 with the feeling I was not playing bad, no negative feelings on the ball, just things [were] going too fast,” Nadal said. “Honestly, the beginning of the match [was] difficult because I [was] playing probably a little bit better than him, but then the score was against me. I felt that I had a big chance to be 3-Love for me. then it was 3-1 for him.”

The Italian could not get off to as quick of a start in the second set, though, and that proved pivotal. The 32-year-old double faulted into the net to give Nadal his first break of the match and a 2-0 lead in the set. Nadal settled his game down and slowly began pushing Fognini behind the baseline, winning 12 of the final 15 games in the match.

The air came out of Fognini’s resistance at 1-3 in the final set, when Fognini fired a forehand long to give Nadal double-break advantage. And after one hour and 57 minutes, the World No. 2 launched an unreturned serve to triumph, setting a meeting in the last four against countryman Roberto Bautista Agut, the No. 10 seed, or No. 16 seed Gael Monfils. That match was suspended due to rain after two points and will resume Saturday at 1:00 pm local time.

“Everybody knows that he’s one of the big talents on Tour. It’s true that during his career he had some up and downs. When he’s playing well, these kind of players that can produce amazing shots from everywhere. He’s a big opponent for everyone,” Nadal said of Fognini. “He’s having a great season already winning a Masters 1000 and playing some great matches all around. Just well done for him. I wish him all the very best.”

Did You Know?
Last year in Toronto, Nadal also lost the first set of his quarter-final 2-6 before rallying for a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory against Marin Cilic. He went on to defeat Karen Khachanov in the semi-finals and Stefanos Tsitsipas in the championship match.

Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury continued their top form on Friday at the Coupe Rogers, prevailing in a tight 6-4, 6-7(5), 10-7 encounter with Roland Garros finalists Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin to reach the semi-finals in Montreal. For the first time since 1969, all four semi-final teams at this event are unseeded.

Ram/Salisbury won 83 per cent of their first-serve points en route to advancing in one hour and 49 minutes. They’ll play Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos for a place in Sunday’s final.

Robin Haase and Wesley Koolhof continued their dream run by advancing in a wild 6-7(8), 7-6(5), 10-5 clash with seventh seeds Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan. A victory would have given the Bryan brothers 1,100 tour-level doubles wins. Bob achieved that feat individually after their second-round match on Thursday, joining Mike as the only players to reach that milestone in doubles.

Haase/Koolhof couldn’t take advantage of three set points in the first-set tie-break, but regrouped strongly by taking the last five points of the Match Tie-break. The Dutch pair upset top seeds and reigning Wimbledon champions Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah in the opening round.

Next up for Haase/Koolhof are Rohan Bopanna and Denis Shapovalov, who received a walkover against Benoit Paire and Stan Wawrinka.

Coaching Russian Daniil Medvedev, who dropped only four games on Friday against Dominic Thiem to reach the Coupe Rogers semi-finals in Montreal, can be similar to managing an artist, says Gilles Cervara, his coach for the past five years. You don’t always understand what he’s doing or why he’s doing it, but sometimes, you just have to let him be.

Take, for instance, Medvedev’s third-round match last year at Wimbledon. The Russian fell behind two sets to love against Frenchman Adrian Mannarino.

Medvedev was trying to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time, so in this pivotal moment, he decided to try something he had never before attempted. Before he served, Medvedev stepped far to his right and far to his left, standing where doubles players often serve, closer to the alley than to the T.

“He was returning everything. So I thought I needed to change something, to change the rhythm,” Medvedev told ATPTour.com. “I decided to do these crazy serves.”

Cervara remembers thinking at the time, “No, no, no.”

But the unconventional tactic worked. Medvedev evened the match and forced a fifth set, although he eventually fell in five.

You could argue it was smart of Medvedev to mix it up, to try something new rather than continuing what wasn’t working. But few would recommend introducing new shots in the third round of a Grand Slam.

Cervara? Whether it be Medvedev’s serving, his unorthodox backhand or his unusual off-court diet, the coach has made peace with whatever his pupil does.

“Sometimes you just don’t understand them. They see, they feel stuff that you don’t even understand,” Cervara told ATPTour.com. “You have to understand that they can see or feel this, and you have to trust them also. And with him, that’s what I feel.”

More On Medvedev
Medvedev Sweeps Past Thiem, Into Montreal SF
Behind Renewed Mindset, Medvedev Cracks The Top 10
Tiafoe Learns Lesson: Don’t Turn Your Back On Medvedev
Elite Company: Medvedev Joins Federer, Djokovic, Nadal & Thiem In This Category

No matter how Medvedev has arrived at the results, it’s hard to argue with his success. He’s tied with Stefanos Tsitsipas for fourth on the ATP Tour in wins this year with 37, behind only Rafael Nadal (39 through the Coupe Rogers quarter-finals) and Roger Federer (38).

View The FedEx ATP Win/Loss Index To See The Complete Leaderboard

The 23-year-old Russian has won four ATP Tour titles in the past 20 months, including his biggest to date last October in Tokyo, when he beat Milos Raonic, Denis Shapovalov and Kei Nishikori for the ATP 500 title.  And Medvedev cracked the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings for the first time last month.

“I’m just going to continue thinking, ‘OK, now I need to reach Top 5 or even higher’,” Medvedev said.

To reach the Top 10 and two ATP Masters 1000 semi-finals this season (Monte-Carlo), he has had to change much about his tennis. At the end of 2017, then No. 65 in the ATP Rankings, Medvedev committed himself to taking his career more seriously.

He trained harder – 100 per cent at all times – and built a team around him that includes a mental coach and a physio. Medvedev also pledged to take better care of his body, going out less often and cutting back on sweets, including his favourite panna cotta, a creamy Italian delicacy.

He’s had to limit snacking on his other favourite desserts as well. “Skittles, teddy bears, gummy bears. They’re really not good for health and for muscles, but I love them,” Medvedev said.

He used to devour them during the week, even hours before a match. Now, however, Medvedev abstains from sweets until the end of a tournament or when he’s not playing.

“Otherwise you’d probably see me jumping out of the balcony,” he said. “Because as soon as a tournament is finished, I’m happy about one thing, I can take a frickin’ dessert!”

Other parts of his game, however, have remained the same during his ascent. The Russian continues to surprise with his wide serve, even deploying it during his Winston-Salem Open title run – his third of 2018 – last August and against Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open earlier this year.

A few circumstances can make him want to stand by the doubles alley. “If you feel like you cannot serve an ace to a guy who returns everything or just to change the rhythm sometimes, or if you are tight, it can be a good serve because it has a little margin,” he said.

The tactic has become so successful, Cervara said, they even practise it. “It’s a real weapon so when he tries to do it he needs to feel confident on it,” he said. “Of course, it’s strange also for the returner… So why not to practise it if it can be a useful serve?”

The 6’6” Medvedev also hits one of the flattest backhands in tennis, a shot he naturally has had since he was a child. Sometimes Cervara will spot Medvedev hitting a backhand with his right elbow pointing to the sky and he’ll think, “’This ball is straight into the fence,’” but, again, his pupil surprises: “It’s in the court, and it’s a winner.”

The two are working on adding more topspin to the shot, but unconventional – something different – has its advantages. The pancake-flat shot can reach its strongest potency on hard courts, where Medvedev has posted his best results. The Russian has won 66 per cent (81/123) of his matches and all four of his titles on the surface. He’s trying to make his first Masters 1000 final on Saturday against countryman Karen Khachanov.

Medvedev admits his game is unorthodox, but in a good way. “I think it’s really unconventional, and that’s my strength also, because it’s one part of the story if your game is unconventional, and you’re not good at it. And since I manage to put the balls in the court, it’s a strong thing,” he said.

Eventually, he and Cervara will improve his backhand. But some hard to understand parts about Medvedev will remain, like how he can never find his coach when they’ve agreed to eat together in a tournament cafeteria.

Cervara will buy his food and find a table for them. Minutes later, he’ll see Medvedev sitting somewhere else, only a few tables away but oblivious to his coach’s location.

Sometimes Cervara will snap a photo of Medvedev and send it to him, other times he won’t say anything. The coach will eat his lunch alone and shake his head. By now, he knows better.

“Sometimes,” Cervara said, “you don’t understand him, you’re just like, ‘Wow’.”