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Sportradar Launches 'Future Of Tennis Betting' With ATP

  • Posted: Dec 12, 2023

Sportradar Launches ‘Future Of Tennis Betting’ With ATP

ATP Service+ unlocks deep data to support global growth and fan engagement

Sportradar and Tennis Data Innovations (TDI), a specialist joint venture vehicle of ATP and ATP Media, have entered into a multi-year agreement providing the sports technology company with global data and streaming rights for betting, and media data rights, for all ATP Tour and ATP Challenger Tour events. The partnership will focus on driving commercial growth for the sport and enhancing fan engagement opportunities for the downstream market through the development of new betting and media products.

Commencing in December 2023, Sportradar’s ATP Service+ purpose-built suite of solutions offers new and dynamic ways for fans and bettors to engage with tennis via next-generation, value-add products and services which utilize previously unavailable deep data. ATP Service+ features include augmented streaming, transforming live streams with immersive 3D animations, expanded in-play betting markets, short-form video highlights for registered users and an extensive range of personalized and targeted betting products, to drive sportsbook performance for Sportradar’s global network of operator clients.


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Sportradar will also work with TDI to create products for media, showcasing more in-depth statistical analysis and insights to inform and entertain fans, as well as utilize Sportradar’s OTT solution to stream live match coverage of the ATP Challenger Tour, via ATP’s Challenger TV. Additionally, the creation of a joint Tennis Innovation Lab will address emerging opportunities to support ATP’s vision to establish tennis as the most technologically advanced sport in the world.

Sportradar will supply Integrity Services for all ATP Tour and ATP Challenger Tour events to safeguard competitions against the threat of betting-related match fixing and corruption, including monitoring and addressing integrity threats and risks through due diligence and investigation support.

David Lampitt, TDI CEO, said: “This is a landmark opportunity to realise our growth ambitions and deliver on our commitment to take the fan experience to the next level. In partnership with Sportradar, we will develop and integrate advanced technologies to provide fans with a more immersive and entertaining experience.

“The partnership will be a catalyst for innovation to create unique growth opportunities across new global markets. Our aim is not only to deliver great enhancements for our existing fans but also attract a generation of new fans to the game.”

Carsten Koerl, Sportradar CEO, said: “As the leading sports technology company, we are ideally positioned to deliver against ATP’s ambitious growth plans. This truly collaborative partnership will result, through the application of technologies, such as computer vision and AI, in the creation of engaging products and services as part of our ATP Service+ offering. This will allow us to effectively monetize the relationship, while delivering new ways for bettors and fans to experience the sport of tennis.”

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Nadal Trains In Kuwait Ahead Of Comeback

  • Posted: Dec 12, 2023

Nadal Trains In Kuwait Ahead Of Comeback

Spaniard completed training session with Fils ahead of Brisbane return

Rafael Nadal’s return to the ATP Tour is drawing ever nearer, and the road toward his comeback at the 2024 Brisbane International presented by Evie, which takes place from 31 December to 7 January, included a stop in Kuwait.

Nadal travelled to the Rafa Nadal Academy in Kuwait, which opened in 2020 at the Sheikh Jaber Al-Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah International Tennis Complex. There, he shared a training session with Arthur Fils, the 19-year-old Frenchman who recently reached the title match at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM.

“It’s great to be here in Kuwait to train for a few days. Everyone has been so welcoming. Thank you for everything,” wrote the Spaniard on his official social media accounts.


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The Mallorcan travelled to Kuwait in search of temperatures and conditions similar to those he will find in a few weeks in the Australian summer.

Nadal, surrounded by his team, shared an image on social media of one of his habitual group activities, a game of ludo with Carlos Moya, Marc Lopez and his physio Rafael Maymo.

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Nadal Reflects On Comeback & ‘Unexplored Terrain’

The Spaniard, who recently posted a message of cautious excitement about his return, is preparing to compete for the first time since he took to the court on 18 January this year, in the second round of the Australian Open against Mackenzie McDonald.

“I still think what I said in the last press conference, that I do not deserve to end my sports career in a press room.” he said. “I would like to finish in a different way, and I have fought and kept the illusion for that to happen, with doubts, with bad moments, very bad or better moments.”

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Higueras Honoured With 2023 Tim Gullikson Career Coach Award

  • Posted: Dec 11, 2023

Higueras Honoured With 2023 Tim Gullikson Career Coach Award

Spaniard is third coach to receive honour

Jose Higueras, who worked with ATP Tour greats like Pete Sampras, Jim Courier, Roger Federer and Michael Chang during his coaching career, has been named the recipient of the Tim Gullikson Career Coach Award in the 2023 ATP Awards. 

The Spaniard coached Chang to his 1989 Roland Garros title, when the American was 17, and also spent time with Americans Jennifer Capriati and Mary Joe Fernandez.

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The 70-year-old Spaniard, who also worked with USTA Player Development, has been selected as the third winner of this award, following in the footsteps of Australians Tony Roche (2019) and Bob Brett (2020). The recipient exemplifies excellence, leadership, respect, and a true love for the sport of tennis and the art of coaching.

Named after the late Tim Gullikson, the award showcases someone who has inspired generations of young players and fellow coaches to grow the sport of tennis.

Higueras, who reached a high of No. 6 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings as a player, won 16 ATP singles titles and reached the Roland Garros semi-finals in both 1982 and 1983. He also received the ATP Sportsmanship Award in 1983.

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L'Équipe Wins 2023 Ron Bookman Media Excellence Award

  • Posted: Dec 11, 2023

L’Équipe Wins 2023 Ron Bookman Media Excellence Award

Media outlet wins award for a third time

French media outlet L’Équipe has been recognised with the Ron Bookman Media Excellence Award in the 2023 ATP Awards.

“It is a great honour for us, the journalists of L’Équipe, to receive the Ron Bookman Media Excellence Award from the ATP,” L’Équipe said. “Winning the award for the third time, after 1999 and 2010, suggests that the baton is being passed from one generation of journalists to the next.”

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Recognised for excellent coverage of tennis on all their platforms (newspaper, magazine, digital, TV), L’Équipe prides themselves in being present on the Tour all year round, boasting a list of writers whose sole focus is tennis reporting: Lucile Alard, Vincet Cognet, Bertrand Lagacherie, Romain Lefebvre, David Loriot, Quentin Moynet, Franck Ramella and Julien Reboullet. Journalists Anne-Sophie Bourdet and Bruno Garay also play a key role for the magazine.

“Our commitment is to covering tennis as well as possible and be consistent in an attempt to write about everything that makes this sport so complex, from the game itself such as technique, tactical evolution, and history to the human side of the game,” L’Equipe said. “We appreciate the fact that we are receiving this award collectively, because it is a real ‘Equipe’ [team] effort throughout each season.”

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Khachanov & Rublev Named Fans' Favourite Doubles Duo In 2023 ATP Awards

  • Posted: Dec 11, 2023

Khachanov & Rublev Named Fans’ Favourite Doubles Duo In 2023 ATP Awards

Pair won its first team title in 2023

Long-time friends Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev have been voted as the Fans’ Favourite doubles team in the 2023 ATP Awards. The duo captured its maiden team title at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid and were semi-finalists in Beijing.

“I just want to say a big thanks to you guys for voting for me and Karen,” said Rublev. “For us it means a lot. Thank you so much one more time. See you soon, happy new year.”

 
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Khachanov and Rublev had lively fan support throughout the season, including in Madrid when they earned Match Tie-break wins in four of their five matches en route to the trophy. Known for the powerful baseline games, Khachanov and Rublev also won fans’ hearts over with constant energy and frequent smiles on the doubles court.

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Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov share a laugh at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome. Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Khachanov and Rublev also met twice this season on the singles court. Rublev won their third-round match in Monte-Carlo en route to his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title, but three weeks later Khachanov earned revenge in the Madrid fourth round. 

Winners for the 2023 ATP Awards will be announced throughout the coming week. 

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Best ATP Tour Upsets Of 2023: Maroszan, Pecotic Produce Stunners

  • Posted: Dec 11, 2023

Best ATP Tour Upsets Of 2023: Maroszan, Pecotic Produce Stunners

Lajovic, Nardi, Diallo also feature

The Pepperstone ATP Rankings provide a perfect way to measure the size of upsets in the men’s game. For many of the matches selected here, the shocks were off the charts.

As we continue our look back at the 2023 season, ATPTour.com counts down the five most seismic upsets of the year. On Tuesday we’ll look at the biggest upsets at the Grand Slams.


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5) Toronto R1: Diallo d. Evans 7-6(4), 7-5
Canada’s Gabriel Diallo, then 21, roared to his first ATP Tour win on home soil by beating one of the game’s most in-form players.

Two days prior, Daniel Evans lifted the Washington title behind a run of 10 consecutive sets won. But in Toronto, he had his hands full just to keep Diallo from running away with the match.

After the Canadian claimed a tight opening set, he led by a break on three separate occasions in the second. A double fault ended his first attempt to serve out the match, but despite seeing Evans level at 5-5 from 3-5 down, Diallo regrouped to win the next two games.

“Words cannot really describe how I feel right now,” the then-World No. 141 said after the dramatic two-hour victory. “I hope that everyone in this planet can feel what I’m feeling right now, this level of happiness.”

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Photo: Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images

4) Madrid R2: Arnaldi d. Ruud 6-3, 6-4
Next Gen alum Matteo Arnaldi picked up his first Top 10 win the hard way by beating then-World No. 4 Casper Ruud on the Norwegian’s favourite surface. After saving a match point to earn his first ATP Masters 1000 win against Benoit Paire in the Madrid opening round, the qualifier swung freely to produce what was a landmark win in multiple ways.

In addition to being his best career win by measure of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, the result also lifted the Italian into the Top 100 for the first time. He continued to soar up the rankings in the following months, finishing the year at World No. 44.

Perhaps the most surprising part of Arnaldi’s Madrid upset? After a strong run on the Barcelona clay the week before, he was not feeling comfortable in the altitude of the Spanish capital.

“The ball bounces so high and I didn’t like it at first. I struggled a bit,” he explained. “But today, I don’t know, maybe the stadium, maybe the pressure on him, but I played the best match of my life.”

3) Banja Luka QF: Lajovic d. Djokovic 6-4, 7-6(6)
This all-Serbian battle, played out in front of a “home” crowd in neighbouring Bosina and Herzegovina, proved to be a milestone moment for the then-32-year-old Dusan Lajovic. After winning just four combined games in two previous meetings against Novak Djokovic, Lajovic stunned his countryman at the clay-court ATP 250.

Lajovic fought off 15 of 16 break points against him and saved three set points in the second set tie-break, ultimately clinching victory by winning the final five points of the match from 3/6 in the tie-break. His aggressive play made Djokovic pay for a poor serving day, and he repeatedly found his best tennis in the clutch moments against a man who has built a legendary career by doing exactly that.

“I’m overwhelmed, it is the biggest win of my career,” Lajovic said after earning his first win against a World No. 1. “The emotions are very mixed because I’m playing here in front of the home town and I’m also playing against Nole who is a good friend and he’s a hero of our country. Beating him, it’s something that I didn’t even think is going to be possible, but it happened.”

Lajovic made the most of his victory by going on to win the title in Banja Luka, beating Miomir Kecmanovic in an all-Serbian semi-final and second seed Andrey Rublev in the final.

2) Delray Beach R1: Pecotic d. Sock 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
Matija Pecotic was already one of the most intriguing stories of the season before he met the former No. 8 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. The 33-year-old Croatian, who holds a full-time job in finance, qualified for his ATP Tour debut at his local tournament in South Florida. But it seemed likely his dream run would end against home favourite Jack Sock.

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Instead, with his boss in the stands, the then-World No. 784 made even more headlines by recovering from a slow start to decisively beat the American in the final two sets. He hit 30 winners, including 10 aces, to knock off Sock, turning the match around after starting in a 0-4 hole and later fighting off a break point to start the second set.

“I certainly didn’t expect to win, but certainly didn’t come into the match thinking that I’m definitely going to lose,” said Pecotic, who represented Croatia at the inaugural United Cup earlier in the season. “I certainly figured if I could sink my teeth into the match and work on the two or three patterns that I prepared before, that I’m going to have a chance. And then let’s see… if I was going to fall under pressure or not be able to serve it out at some point. But I didn’t and I got the win.”

1) Rome R3: Marozsan d. Alcaraz 6-3, 7-6(4)
Fabian Marozsan produced the biggest shock of the season with an authoritative victory against Carlos Alcaraz. Playing in his first ATP Tour main draw, the flat-hitting Hungarian qualifier played with supreme quality to hand his opponent his third defeat of the season.

Marozsan succeeded by beating Alcaraz at his own game, mixing deep and powerful ground strokes with well-timed drop shots to keep the Spaniard guessing. Just when Alcaraz seemed to find an answer, building a 4/1 lead in the second-set tie-break, Maroszan reclaimed the initiative with his bruising ground game to win the final six points of the match.

“I couldn’t imagine this. It was my dream last night,” said Maroszan, who hit 30 winners to Alcaraz’s 15. “Now it’s true, I am very, very happy about this… I just tried to do something special, maybe winning a few games or a set or something like this, and now I just beat the [World No. 2].”

Then the World No. 135, the Hungarian became the first player outside the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings to beat Alcaraz since 2021, and the eighth player outside the Top 100 to defeat an opponent ranked World No. 1 or No. 2 since 2015.

Later in the season, he earned more ATP Masters 1000 success by reaching the Shanghai quarter-finals, beating Alex de Minaur and Casper Ruud along the way. By the end of October, he hit a career-high Pepperstone ATP Ranking of World No. 61.

Read all stories in our Best Of 2023 review.

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Djokovic On 60 MINUTES: The Young Guys 'Awaken A Beast In Me'

  • Posted: Dec 11, 2023

Djokovic On 60 MINUTES: The Young Guys ‘Awaken A Beast In Me’

World No. 1 dives deep into the mental side of tennis

During his appearance on CBS’ 60 MINUTES on Sunday evening, Novak Djokovic made clear that the rising stars of the sport are keeping him on his toes aged 36.

“I think the young guys who are very hungry and very inspired to play their best tennis against me is an additional motivation,” Djokovic told reporter Jon Wertheim. “I think they kind of awaken a beast in me.”

That was evident earlier this year when he lost a heartbreaking Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz. The Spanish star has quickly become a big rival for Djokovic, who used that defeat as a source of energy for the rest of the season.

“Yes, absolutely, it was,” Djokovic said. “That pissed me off so much that I needed to win everything on American soil, which I did.”

The Serbian laughed as he made that comment. But his feelings showed in his reaction to the loss on the court. In Cincinnati, Djokovic refused to lose to Alcaraz, saving a championship point en route to winning the longest best-of-three-set final in ATP Tour history (three hours, 49 minutes). He went on to win the US Open, the Rolex Paris Masters and the Nitto ATP Finals.

The 98-time tour-level titlist also provided insight into the mental side of the sport and how closely he pays attention to everything his opponent does, not just during points.

“Even though there is no physical contact in tennis, there’s still a lot of eye contact,” Djokovic said. “When we are changing ends, when we’re sitting on the bench, and then the big screen shows him how he drinks his water. And then I’m looking at him. How is he drinking water? Is he sweating more than usual?

“Is he breathing deeply or not deeply? And then I look how he’s communicating with his team. You have all these different elements that are in play that really affect the performance and the game itself.”

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Djokovic said that his mental game is not a gift, but a craft he continuously works on. Despite how calm he looks under pressure, the World No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings explained that is not always the case.

“I might appear maybe locked in,” Djokovic said. “But trust me, there is a storm inside. And the biggest always battle is within, right?”

Djokovic added: “You are a human being. The difference, I guess, between the guys who are able to be biggest champions, and the ones that are struggling to get to the highest level is the ability to not stay in those emotions for too long. So, for me, it’s really relatively short. So as soon as I experience it, I acknowledge it. I maybe, you know, burst. I scream on the court, whatever happens. But then I’m able to bounce back and reset.”

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