There’s plenty of buzz surrounding Canadian stars Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov throughout the world, and that excitement is no more apparent than in Montreal this week at the Coupe Rogers. Earlier this year, the #NextGenATP sensations both made the semi-finals at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Miami, and they have each cracked the Top 25 of the ATP Rankings.

But on Monday afternoon, the crowd inside Court Central roared to life as the stadium’s emcee read out another player’s resumé, which includes a run to the 2013 final here in Montreal. It was the first main draw match of the tournament, but the fans were plenty energetic in their support of this 6’5” right-hander, who boomed 16 aces en route to a 6-4, 6-4 win against Lucas Pouille.

While the hype surrounding Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov has clearly been warranted by their results, it was former World No. 3 Milos Raonic who led the surge of Canadian tennis nearly a decade ago, breaking onto the ATP Tour in 2011. The 28-year-old says that the love his home nation shows him never gets old.

“It’s exciting. It’s one of the most exciting parts about this whole journey. Obviously being here, it’s definitely magnified in that perspective. But I think there’s a lot of Canadians and a lot of support throughout other parts of the world,” Raonic said. “That has changed significantly from 2011, when I broke through, to how it is now, how many Canadians come out all over the world to watch and support tennis.

“I think once tennis is done for me, that’s probably the thing I’ll miss the most.”

Raonic has consistently shown his ability to compete against the best players in the world, lifting eight ATP Tour trophies, finishing inside the year-end Top 20 of the ATP Rankings six times, and advancing to at least the quarter-finals at nine Grand Slam championships. So although Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov are certainly helping the tennis boom in this country, Raonic was one of the keys to getting it started.

“It’s nice to have more and more people engaged throughout the whole calendar year,” Raonic said. “I think generally for the growth of tennis in Canada… now with different broadcasters picking up the tennis, to have that kind of consistency of a Canadian contingency on TV week in, week out, I think that’s all very healthy, very positive. To have two young guys with very high prospects, as well, it’s nothing but positive for Canadian tennis.”

When Auger-Aliassime was only 12 years old, Raonic made the championship match here at the Coupe Rogers, defeating countryman Vasek Pospisil in the semi-finals. Two Canadians making their way to the bookend of such a big tournament was inspiring to an entire nation’s youth hoping to one day fill those shoes.

“I grew up watching him. He’s been great. I think he gave us a lot of belief that it was possible,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I think for the country also it was great when he would play Davis Cup. He was a solid player, just like Vasek. I think these guys played well every time they play for the country. That was good to see.”

Pospisil has not yet reached the same heights as Raonic since their run at the Coupe Rogers, climbing as high as World No. 25. But the 29-year-old has been inspired by his compatriot’s efforts nonetheless.

“He’s obviously done a lot of things right over the years to stay at the high level. We were rivals through juniors. We’re the same age. I know Milos extremely well. I think for sure his original push up the [ATP] Rankings definitely motivated me,” said Pospisil, who came up about a year after Raonic. “I’m sure in some ways that was motivating. I think it had a positive effect on my career, as well. So I think… he’s done really well. Definitely helped Canadian tennis, for sure.”

Recently-retired Canadian tennis legend Daniel Nestor, who won 1,062 tour-level doubles matches, has not lost sight of Raonic’s accomplishments during this #NextGenATP Canadian surge. Although he’s thrilled with the buzz surrounding the sport in this country, Nestor knows a lot of it has to do with Raonic, too.

“I think he’s doing really well. I think we’re all amazed at how well he does considering how little he plays… every time he plays he seems to be in the semi-finals or doing fairly well,” Nestor said. “I think he’s obviously got goals of winning a Grand Slam… so I think if people have taken him for granted, that’s too bad because I think he still has the best chance of all of them to win a Grand Slam for now.”

This Masters 1000 event alternates cities between Montreal (odd years) and Toronto (even years). And perhaps surprisingly, Raonic had not won a match in Montreal since his 2013 final run entering Monday. But the veteran didn’t show any weight on his shoulders to move to 4-1 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head series against Pouille.

“It wasn’t something on my mind by any means. I’m aware of it. I remember my matches quite well. So it’s not something that I just miraculously forgot,” Raonic said. “It was good. It was a positive thing for me. It was a tough first round against Lucas, who beat me in the quarters this year in Australia. To come out, to play well, to sort of get the wheels going in a positive way, I have to be happy with that.”

All of Canada was, too.

It was as if it was 2017 all over again. Denis Shapovalov had the Montreal crowd roaring again on Monday night during his Coupe Rogers opener.

The #NextGenATP Canadian, who made his breakthrough two years ago at the ATP Masters 1000 event, brought some of his best tennis to snap a five-match losing streak and advance 6-3, 7-5 against Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

Shapovalov broke four times, including in the final games of both sets as the 20-year-old ramped up pressure against the serve-and-volleying right-hander. Shapovalov was swinging freely from the back of the court and never missing a moment to engage the red-and-white faithful in the stands.

More From Montreal
Raonic Rolls In Opener
Kyrgios Returns To Top 30, Set For Montreal Opener
10 Things To Watch In Montreal
How Losses Set Khachanov On A Path To The Top 10

He donated eight double faults – and 32 unforced errors – but lost his serve only once, at the start the second set. But Shapovalov broke back immediately.

The left-hander is looking to reignite his 2019 at home. Shapovalov made his third Masters 1000 semi-final in March at the Miami Open presented by Itau (l. to Federer), but since, he hasn’t won two consecutive matches.

He will next meet World No. 4 Dominic Thiem, who’s also trying to end an unfavourable streak. Thiem has never won a match at the Canadian Masters 1000 (0-5). He won his third ATP Tour title of the season on Saturday at the clay-court Generali Open in Kitzbuhel.

Two years ago in Montreal, Shapovalov made his first Masters 1000 semi-final, beating Juan Martin del Potro and Rafael Nadal en route to becoming the youngest Masters 1000 quarter-finalist and semi-finalist in series history (since 1990). Shapovalov, a wild-card entry and No. 143 at the time, captivated the Canadian crowd with his fist pumps, shouts of “Come on!” and aesthetically-pleasing game.

Save for his his bumpy ride of late, the left-hander has steadily climbed the ATP Rankings since then, reaching a career-best No. 20 on 1 April.

In other action, 10th seed Roberto Bautista Agut went three-for-three on break points against Aussie Bernard Tomic and advanced 6-3, 6-2. The Spaniard will next meet Los Cabos titlist Diego Schwartzman or Italian Marco Cecchinato. Frenchman Richard Gasquet ousted countryman Benoit Paire 7-6(2), 6-4 and awaits fifth seed Kei Nishikori.

Did You Know?
Two years ago, Shapovalov also became the lowest-ranked Masters 1000 semi-finalist since 2003 (No. 191 Pavel).

It’s the toughest stat in tennis. It’s basically a one out of 100 shot in the dark…

This specific situation is so rough for players in the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings that achieving it just once in half a season is considered a success. Quite a few players at the elite level of our sport actually fail to even get on the board.

What statistic could be so diabolical? Breaking serve from a 40/0 scoreline.

An Infosys ATP Insights deep dive of the Top 50 players breaking serve from 40/0 from the start of the 2019 season up to this current week uncovers that they average breaking serve from this black hole just 1.38 per cent (84/6072) of the time. It’s such a dire situation that eight Top 50 (16%) players have failed to accomplish it even once so far in 2019.

Who is the leader of the pack in climbing out this incredibly precarious situation? None other than Rafael Nadal, who is the only player in 2019 to break serve from 40/0 five times. The 10 leading players in the Top 50 who have the best break percentage when returning at 40/0 are highlighted in the table below.

2019 Season: Top 50 Current To This Week – Percentage Breaking From 40/0

Special mention must go to Taylor Fritz, who is in the group of players who have broken three times from 40/0 this season. But he has done it from 172 attempts, which drops his overall win percentage down to 13th best, at 1.74 per cent.

The only two players to break more than three times from a 40/0 hole so far in 2019 are No. 18 David Goffin and No. 37 Laslo Djere, who have both broken four times this season. Below is a breakdown of how many times the current Top 50 have broken from 40/0. The most abundant total is two times, accounting for 16 players.

Top 50 Analysis: Total Players Breaking From 40/0
5 breaks from 40/0 = 1 player
4 breaks from 40/0 = 2 players
3 breaks from 40/0 = 8 players
2 breaks from 40/0 = 16 players
1 break from 40/0 = 15 players
0 breaks from 40/0 = 8 players

The moral of the story is to never give up, no matter how much the odds are stacked against you. There is always a way out of the darkest hole.

Nick Kyrgios proved he’s still one of the world’s elite players by taking the title last week at the Citi Open. He now looks to show that he can back up big results when he headlines Tuesday’s night session against Kyle Edmund at the Coupe Rogers in Montreal.

“I’ve had people behind me, backing me, and they never lost faith in me even when I lost faith in myself,” said Kyrgios after winning the title in Washington, D.C. “It’s great to get the win, but I’ve proved to myself and the people backing me that I can still produce at the highest level.”

Who will win the latest @FedEx ATP Head2Head clash between these players?#CoupeRogers

— ATP Tour (@ATP_Tour) August 6, 2019

The Aussie scored back-to-back Top 10 wins last week over Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev to clinch his sixth ATP Tour crown. However, Kyrgios has struggled with consistency this year. His outstanding run to the title this March in Acapulco, which included wins over Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev, was followed by a 5-7 record heading into the North American hard-court swing.

But Kyrgios is taking a day-by-day approach to his recent success. He’ll need to bring his best against Edmund, who he leads 1-0 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. The 24-year-old Brit has shown improved form in recent weeks, reaching the semi-finals on grass in Eastbourne and recording a quarter-final finish in Washington, D.C.

More From The Coupe Rogers
* View Draw
* Felix On Canadian Rivalries: ‘We’re not At War’
* Nestor On Felix, Shapovalov & Raonic
* 10 Things To Watch In Montreal

Third-seeded German and 2017 champion Alexander Zverev returns to the site of his first hard-court ATP Masters 1000 title when he faces Brit Cameron Norrie. Zverev defeated Norrie in their lone FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting this year in Acapulco.

Although Zverev’s form hasn’t been as strong as his previous two seasons, he prevailed this year in Geneva (d. Jarry) and is currently in ninth place in the ATP Race to London. The 22-year-old is optimistic that the positive memories he has of Montreal will rekindle his best tennis.

“It helps going back to places where you know you have done well, where you have won the tournament and you feel comfortable,” said Zverev. “I hope this will be the case. I hope this place will help me on court and we will see how it goes.”

All eyes will be on Montreal native Felix Auger-Aliassime when he takes on Vasek Pospisil in an all-Canadian clash. The #NextGenATP star leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head series with Pospisil 2-0, including a win last month at Wimbledon.

Auger-Aliassime has jumped more than 100 spots in the ATP Rankings since playing here last year and reached his first three ATP Tour finals this season in Rio de Janeiro, Lyon and Stuttgart. Pospisil missed the first half of this year after undergoing back surgery in January.

“I’d be lying if I said that I’m going on the court and it just feels like any other tournament,” said Auger-Aliiassime. “It feels special. Hopefully I can use that energy and that support in a good way.”

Other notable matches on Tuesday include No. 11 seed Borna Coric of Croatia taking on German Peter Gojowczyk, No. 12 seed John Isner of the United States battling Aussie Jordan Thompson and No. 14 seed Marin Cilic of Croatia squaring off with American qualifier Bradley Klahn. Andy Murray also hits the doubles court with Feliciano Lopez as they face second seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo.

ORDER OF PLAY – TUESDAY, 6 August 2019

Court Centrale start 12:00 noon
[14] Marin Cilic vs [Q] Bradley Klahn
NB 2:00 pm
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs [WC] Vasek Pospisil
NB 6:30 pm
Nick Kyrgios vs Kyle Edmund
[3] Alexander Zverev vs Cameron Norrie

Banque Nationale start 12:00 noon
[12] Jordan Thompson vs John Isner
[15] David Goffin vs Guido Pella
[11] Borna Coric vs Peter Gojowczyk
NB 6:30 pm
[13] Nikoloz Basilashvili vs Jan-Lennard Struff

Click here to view the schedule for all other courts.

Stan Wawrinka will try to push his FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Karen Khachanov to 3-0 when the two meet in the second round of the Coupe Rogers in Montreal.

The 34-year-old Wawrinka beat Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-4 on Monday to set up his third meeting with Khachanov, the sixth seed at the Canadian ATP Masters 1000 event.

More From Montreal
Raonic Rolls In Opener
Kyrgios Returns To Top 30, Set For Montreal Opener
10 Things To Watch In Montreal
How Losses Set Khachanov On A Path To The Top 10

Wawrinka hit 12 aces and won 86 per cent of his first-serve points (31/36) to win for the sixth time in 10 tries against the Bulgarian. Wawrinka is playing for the first time since he fell in the second round of Wimbledon to American Reilly Opelka. The Swiss won the 2014 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters for his only Masters 1000 title.

“It was a great match. I’m really happy. It’s always difficult to play against Grigor, but I think I served really well. I was aggressive on the court. I’m happy with the match and with the atmosphere. It’s always amazing to come back to Montreal,” Wawrinka said. “I did a lot of practice, I put in a lot of hard work to be at a great level… I’m happy with where I am right now.”

German Jan-Lennard Struff continued his strong season with a 6-2, 6-2 victory against wild card and 2014 champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Struff dominated on serve, saving the only break point he faced, and the World No. 35 won 51 per cent of his return points, breaking four times.

Struff will play No. 13 seed Nikoloz Basilashvili, who fought past Monte-Carlo finalist Dusan Lajovic 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. Basilashvili has won six consecutive matches after celebrating his second Hamburg European Open title last month.

Fans in Montreal roared as their home favourite Milos Raonic walked on Court Central to kick off the Coupe Rogers, Canada’s ATP Masters 1000 tournament. The former World No. 3 did not leave his fans disappointed.

Raonic dismissed Frenchman Lucas Pouille 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 12 minutes. Pouille defeated Raonic earlier this year in the Australian Open quarter-finals, but the Canadian got his revenge to take a 4-1 lead in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series.

“Overall today I have to be happy with the way I did things,” said Raonic. “I thought I came out, I executed on the things I wanted to do. I knew it was going to be a difficult match. I found a way to sort of get a hold of it and play on my terms.”

The No. 17 seed is guaranteed to face one of his countrymen in the second round. He will play #NextGenATP star Felix Auger-Aliassime or 2013 Montreal semi-finalist Vasek Pospisil, whom Raonic defeated in the last four that year.

“I think when I started out on tour, it was something obviously more rare,” Raonic said. “Now with six of us on tour, now especially this week, six of us being in the main draw, it was bound to happen to some extent… Obviously I wish as players, for everybody, everybody could be more evenly spread out. They play first round, then I await the winner of that match. That’s just how it plays out sometimes. It’s unfortunate it played out that way at home.”

German Jan-Lennard Struff continued his strong season with a 6-2, 6-2 victory against wild card and 2014 champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Struff dominated on serve, saving the only break point he faced, and the World No. 35 won 51 per cent of his return points, breaking four times. Struff will play No. 13 seed Nikoloz Basilashvili or Monte-Carlo finalist Dusan Lajovic.

American qualifier Tommy Paul needed only 65 minutes to get past Canadian wild card Brayden Schnur 6-1, 6-2, while Brit Cameron Norrie battled from a set down to defeat Hungarian Marton Fucsovics 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 after two hours and seven minutes. Chilean Cristian Garin, who has captured two ATP Tour titles this season, ousted Serbian Laslo Djere 6-2, 7-6(4) after one hour and 41 minutes. 

More From #CoupeRogers
* Monday Schedule
* Facts & Figures
* Tsonga’s Four Days Of Shock & Awe In Canada
* Test Your Montreal Knowledge

#NextGenATP Canadian star Denis Shapovalov, who made a magical run to the Montreal semi-finals in 2017, begins his tournament during the evening session against Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert. His countryman, Auger-Aliassime, partners Pospisil against Frenchmen Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin in the first round of doubles.

While the singles and doubles fields at this year’s Nitto ATP Finals still have a number of spots waiting to be filled, the final list of FedEx ATP Ball Kids to feature at The O2 in November is almost complete following the FedEx ATP Ball Kids Trial on 30 June.

With more than 250 kids applying for 24 positions, applicants were tested on their agility, balance and coordination at the Royal Berkshire Club. The trials were open to any child based in the United Kingdom aged 12 to 16.

There will be a total of 30 FedEx ATP Ball Kids who will feature over eight days in the English capital, with six kids from three FedEx sponsored tournaments — the Rio Open presented by Claro, Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and Rolex Shanghai Masters — joining the 24 successful applicants from the United Kingdom.

Raissa Martins Pereira and Joao Gabriel Felix Torres took the two spots in Rio de Janeiro, while Steffi Bojica from Romania and Coumba Ben from the Maldives claimed the two available positions in Dubai. The final two FedEx ATP Ball Kids will be selected from the ATP Masters 1000 event in Shanghai.

The group of 24 FedEx ATP Ball Kids from the United Kingdom will meet in October for a training week in Southampton to improve their skills and bond as a team.

The atmosphere at the Coupe Rogers is always special, but there’s even more excitement in the air of Montreal this year with three of the top 32 players in the world hailing from Canada. For every practice and appearance, crowds gather en masse to catch even a peek of #NextGenATP stars Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov as well as former World No. 3 Milos Raonic.

“It’s great. The sport is doing really well at all levels. Participation is very high. It’s just very popular. It has a lot to do with our pros playing really well,” former doubles World No. 1 Daniel Nestor told ATPTour.com. “There are so many great results and so much to look forward to. There’s high expectations, too, which is pretty unique for Canadian tennis.”

Nestor, who competed at the Canadian ATP Masters 1000 tournament 30 times before retiring last year, was long an icon for tennis in this country, capturing 91 tour-level doubles titles. But he is excited about what is to come, with Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov in particular not only taking Canadian tennis by storm, but the ATP Tour as well.

Two years ago, Shapovalov went on a magical run in Montreal, where he advanced to his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final thanks to victories over Rafael Nadal and Juan Martin del Potro. Felix, on the other hand, has reached his first three ATP Tour finals this season and advanced to his first Masters 1000 semi-final in Miami, where Shapovalov also made the last four. That has only increased the expectations from the public.

“I think it will be tough for both of them, because obviously Denis, it’s going to be hard for him to duplicate what he did. I don’t think he’s playing his best. So it’d be nice to see him just come out here and perform well, keep his head up and play the level he’s capable of,” said Nestor of Shapovalov, who is on a five-match losing streak. “For Felix, it’s his first time really with a little more expectations on his shoulders now. He’s Top 25 and he’s playing at home, so people obviously have big hopes for him. But it’s important just to go out there and play, put all that aside when you’re out there and really focus on your goals and what you have to do. It’s easier said than done, but if they’re capable of doing that, then I think everyone will be happy.”

It’s easy to group these #NextGenATP stars together, especially considering they are close friends and just more than one year apart. But they bring different assets to the court, presenting different challenges to opponents.

“Felix is playing more of a defensive-minded game style, but with the ability to attack, too,” Nestor said. “Denis is more of the aggressive type and the shot-maker. He’s going big and hopefully he gets hot and when he gets hot, he’s a Top 5 player. Hopefully, it’ll be this week and this summer for him.”

Nestor didn’t know Auger-Aliassime too well when he was younger, but he did know Shapovalov, having first met him in 2015. The doubles legend was hitting with his fellow lefty and afterwards, when speaking to Martin Laurendeau, who was then Shapovalov’s coach, he asked if he was 18, when he was actually 15.

“I was very impressed,” Nestor said. “That was a pretty big game for a 15-year-old. I remember practising with him later that year indoors. We were playing in December in Toronto and I still, at that time, was playing pretty well. If I’m playing well indoors on fast courts I still consider myself a pretty good player, whether it’s singles or doubles. He was just playing so well and I was like, ‘I can’t believe how good this kid is.’ I was very impressed with him right away. And obviously hearing about how good Felix was from a young age, nobody was surprised to see him do well.”

This year’s Miami Open presented by Itau was the first time two Canadians reached the semi-finals of the same Masters 1000 tournament since 2013 Montreal, when Raonic and Vasek Pospisil did it. It’s giving Nestor and other Canadians reason to believe an even bigger breakthrough could come sooner rather than later.

“The ultimate goal is to have an all-Canadian Grand Slam final, so that’ll be what everyone wants to see. Obviously, we’d like to have a Grand Slam singles champion. That’s the ultimate goal,” Nestor said. “I foresee in the near future perhaps an all-Canadian Grand Slam quarter-final, semi-final, maybe even a final.”

With the #NextGenATP stars shining bright, it’s easy to forget that Raonic is still doing well, too, remaining the Canadian No. 1. The 28-year-old has remained in the Top 50 since entering in February 2011, and much of that time has come inside the Top 20.

“I think he’s doing really well. I think we’re all amazed at how well he does considering how little he plays… every time he plays he seems to be in the semi-finals or doing fairly well,” Nestor said. “I think he’s obviously got goals of winning a Grand Slam and he’s going to be very careful about his body in some of the tournaments that may not be as important to him. So I think if people have taken him for granted, that’s too bad because I think he still has the best chance of all of them to win a Grand Slam for now.”

Nestor, who won 1,062 tour-level doubles matches in his career, says he had a lot of success with a sports psychologist who helped him stay in the present. The 46-year-old knows that’s not something that can be done all the time, but that’s part of the advice he’d give these #NextGenATP stars.

“For sure to be patient, especially when you’ve had that much success. If you’ve had that much success early on, they probably expect a lot from themselves and maybe put too much pressure on themselves,” Nestor said. “Just do the right things every day, make the right decisions and try and get better every day. Then, when you go into matches, you’re prepared for everything and you just go out there, try to put the emotions aside and just play tennis and play their game style and know what their game style is, and just go for it.”