Spaniards Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer are back in Brazil this week, to a city they have already tasted title success – Rio de Janeiro. They are the tournament’s top two seeds with each looking to add a second Rio crown to their collection.

World No. 5 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, Nadal is making his fifth career appearance (17-1 record) in a Brazilian tournament on the ATP World Tour. He won titles in Costa do Sauipe in 2005 (d. A. Martin), Sao Paulo  in 2013 (d. Nalbandian) and Rio in 2014 (d. Dolgopolov). The 29 year old’s only loss came last year to Italy’s Fabio Fognini in the semi-finals.

“I came to Rio because I always had good results here,” Nadal said. “My first time I ended as champion and last year I made the semi-finals. I’m very happy to be here in Rio and willing to play my fisrt match now.”

Nadal comes off a run to the Argentina Open final in Buenos Aires where he fell in a third-set tie-break to rising Austrian Dominic Thiem. The Spaniard paid tribute to his conqueror and another youngster making waves during the same week, 18-year-old Taylor Fritz, who reached his first ATP World Tour final in Memphis.

“It is a generation that for a few years we have been waiting for it to arrive,” Nadal said. “Last week also saw an American (Fritz ) played the final in Memphis, which is very good for the circuit and for everyone in general the fact that there are new players, young players. I’m happy about it.

“Thiem is a player who has great potential. He is a player that if he can maintain the level and keep improving a Little, he is a candidate to do great things. We must congratulate him for the great week in Buenos Aires.”

The Spaniard will open against countryman Pablo Carreno Busta, a player he carries a 2-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against. Nadal beat Carreno Busta here last year in the Round of 16 and most recently in three sets in the Round of 32 in Doha to start his season.

Defending champion Ferrer enters with an 8-1 career record in Rio, having reached the semi-finals two years ago (l. to Dolgopolov) before winning the title last year (d. Fognini). The 33 year old Spaniard is off to an 8-4 start this season, highlighted by a semi-final finish in Auckland (l. to Sock), a quarter-final appearance at the Australian Open (l. to Murray) and a semi-final run in Buenos Aires last week (l. to Nicolas Almagro).

“This year and last year I came here playing well,” Ferrer said. “In 2015, I won Doha and made the quarter-finals in Australia. This season, I made the quarters in Australia and reached the semis in Buenos Aires. So I come to Rio wanting to have a good tournament  and hopefully win again.”

Ferrer begins his title defence against Chilean wild card Nicolas Jarry, a 20 year old who stood as high as No. 172 in the Emirates ATP Rankings last May.  One of the game’s fittest players, Ferrer spoke of the need to be in peak condition physically to compete in South and Central America.

“It’s tough for all the players. Sometimes it ends up being a physical battle rather than a tennis one, because it is about who is physically stronger or better hydrated,” Ferrer said. “It has always been the case in Buenos Aires , Rio and Acapulco. They are very tough tournaments physically because of the heat and humidity. You have to be prepared for these conditions.”

Eighth seed Benoit Paire made a winning start to the French contingent’s campaign on Monday at the Open 13 Provence in Marseille. Paire, one of 10 Frenchmen in the singles draw, defeated Italian Simone Bolelli 6-4, 7-5 as he converted four of his 16 break point chances.

The World No. 22, who opened the season with a semi-final run in Chennai, snapped a four-match losing streak. He awaits a countryman in the second round: Nicolas Mahut, a semi-finalist last week in Rotterdam, or qualifier Vincent Millot.

Since 2006, there have been six French singles champions at this ATP World Tour 250 indoor tournament. Gilles Simon, the fifth seed this week, claimed the title in 2007 and ’15.

Belgian David Goffin, the No. 6 seed, rebounded from last week’s first-round exit in Rotterdam (l. to Baghdatis) as he defeated Korean Hyeon Chung 6-3, 6-1. 

Robin Haase notched his first match win in four tries at the Open 13 Provence, dismissing Joao Sousa 6-4, 6-0 in 63 minutes. The Dutchman will look to reach his first quarter-final of the season when he next meets No. 4 seed Marin Cilic.

Three Frenchmen – Julien Benneteau, Kenny De Schepper and Millot – and German Mischa Zverev all won in the final round of qualifying Monday. Mischa is in the same quarter of the draw as his younger brother, Sascha Zverev. 

A LOOK BACK
Trofeo Perrel – Faip (Bergamo, Italy): The €42,500 event in Bergamo was thrust into the spotlight last week, as Dustin Brown went behind-the-back for a stunning hot shot in his first-round meeting with Aldin Setkic. Brown may have stolen the headlines, but it was France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert who took home the trophy, claiming his third ATP Challenger Tour title 6-3, 7-6(5) over Egor Gerasimov on Sunday. Herbert, who is in the midst of a strong start to the 2016 season following a run to the third round at the Australian Open as a qualifier, earned his first Challenger crown in 16 months. The Frenchman is closing in on a return to the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, rising to World No. 111.

The tournament, in its 11th year, welcomed 20,000 fans during the week, including a sold out final.

Milex Open (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic): Argentina’s Guido Andreozzi vaulted more than 60 spots to No. 172 in the Emirates ATP Rankings after capturing his third ATP Challenger Tour title Sunday in Santo Domingo. Andreozzi dominated the all-Argentine final against Nicolas Kicker 6-0, 6-4 in 73 minutes, following a five-hour rain delay. It was his first title in three years. Meanwhile, fresh off his title defence at the ATP World Tour 250 event in Quito, native son Victor Estrella Burgos fell in the second round in his tournament debut.

What The Players Said
Herbert: “It was really tough because Gerasimov played unbelievable this week, didn’t lose a set before the final. I knew that it was going to be a difficult match and I’m very happy to be able to win in two sets.

“The surface helped me because it was very fast, almost like carpet. I’m happy to serve and volley and go to the net. The surface was quite fitting to my game. Last year, I played very well in doubles with Nicolas Mahut and I really like to go the net. My game is a more aggressive now and the key is to put my opponent in bad situations.

“This title means a lot. I started the season well at the Australian Open. After Melbourne I said to Nico [Mahut] that I’m not going to play doubles and I’m going try to have a higher singles ranking. For me, February will be a “Challenger month” and to start with a title is very good. I hope to continue like this in the next weeks.

“Last year, I made it into the Top 100 at No. 92 in the world, but I had some issues with my fitness, some injuries. I played a lot of doubles and couldn’t play some singles. I hope that this year my [singles] ranking is going to be higher. If I have weeks like this, for sure I will have the chance to come back to the Top 100 and even better.”

WHAT’S AHEAD
There are three tournaments on three continents this week, with Evgeny Donskoy leading the field in Wroclaw (Poland), Horacio Zeballos the top-ranked player in Morelos (Mexico) and 2015 runner-up Yuki Bhambri the top seed in New Delhi (India). In Wroclaw, Herbert looks to keep the momentum rolling when he faces defending champion Farrukh Dustov in the first round. In Morelos, third seed Gerald Melzer won the title in 2014.

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ATP CHALLENGER TOUR ON TWITTER: New in 2016, the ATP Challenger Tour has launched a dedicated Twitter account for the latest news and information about players and events. Follow @ATPChallengerTour at twitter.com/ATPChallengerTour.

Rio Headlines Week #7  – The busiest month of the season continues with three tournaments, highlighted by the third year ATP World Tour 500 level event in Rio de Janeiro. World No. 5 Rafael Nadal and No. 6 David Ferrer headline an outstanding field in Rio. In Marseille, the top two seeds are No. 4 Stan Wawrinka and No. 8 Tomas Berdych leading the way. In Delray Beach, the first outdoor tournament in North America features Top 20 performers Kevin Anderson and Bernard Tomic as the top two seeds. Overall, 14 of the Top 20 in the Emirates ATP Rankings are in action in the three tournaments.

RIO OPEN presented by CLARO (Rio de Janeiro) – The first of two Brazilian tournaments on the ATP World Tour takes place in Rio, with the venue the beautiful Jockey Club Brasileiro featuring eight clay courts, including a 6,200-seat stadium. This is the second (of 13) 500 level tournament of the season. Seven of the Top 25 in the Emirates ATP Rankings (as of Feb. 8) are entered. The top three seeds are Nadal, Ferrer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who is making his tournament debut. The other seeds are: No.  4 John Isner, No. 5 Dominic Thiem, No. 6 Jack Sock, No. 7 Fabio Fognini and No. 8 Thomaz Bellucci. Four of the seeds – Tsonga, Isner, Thiem and Sock – are making their tournament debut.

Rafa in Brazil  – Nadal is making his fifth career Brazilian tournament appearance (17-1 record) on the ATP World Tour, winning titles in Costa do Sauipe in 2005 (d. A. Martin), Sao Paulo (d. Nalbandian) in 2013 and Rio in 2014 (d. Dolgopolov). Nadal’s only loss came last year to Fognini in the semi-finals. The Spaniard will open against countryman Pablo Carreno Busta.

Ferrer Reigning Champ – Ferrer enters with an 8-1 career record in Rio, reaching the semi-finals two years ago (l. to Dolgopolov) and winning the title last year (d. Fognini). The 33-year-old Spaniard is off to an 8-4 start this season, highlighted by a semi-final in Auckland (l. to Sock), quarter-final at the Australian Open (l. to Murray) and semi-final in Buenos Aires (l. to Almagro).

Brazilian Title Hopes  – There are three Brazilians in the main draw – No. 30 Thomaz Bellucci, No. 143 Joao Souza, and No. 338 Thiago Monteiro. Bellucci has four career ATP World Tour titles. He reached the quarter-finals two years ago.  Souza is coming off a quarter-final showing in Rio last year and the 21-year-old Monteiro is making his ATP World Tour main draw debut.

Countrymen Reunite – Brazil’s top two doubles players, No. 1 Marcelo Melo and No. 10 Bruno Soares – are teaming together for the first time on the ATP World Tour since the ATP Masters 1000 Miami event last year when they advanced to the semi-finals. Both players are appearing in their first home country tournament since winning Grand Slam titles (Melo at Roland Garros in June last year and Soares at the Australian Open last month).They did play together in a World Group Davis Cup tie last September. They have a 78-53 career record together, including a 4-5 mark in finals. Their last title together came in Stockholm in October 2012.

OPEN 13 PROVENCE (Marseille) – The second of five French tournaments on the ATP World Tour is led by World No. 4 Stan Wawrinka and No. 8 Tomas Berdych, who reached the final in his last appearance in Marseille in 2013. The strong field includes seven of the Top 20 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. The other seeds are: No. 3 Richard Gasquet, No. 4 Marin Cilic, No. 5 Gilles Simon, No. 6 David Goffin, No. 7 Gael Monfils and No. 8 Benoit Paire. There are two former champions in the field – reigning & 2007 champ Simon and 2014 winner Ernests Gulbis.

Stan the Man – Wawrinka, who is making his first appearance since reaching the 4^th Round at the Australian Open last month (l. to Raonic in five sets), is appearing in Marseille for the third time (2-2 record). Last year he reached the quarter-finals (bye, l. to Stakhovsky). He opened the season by winning his third straight title (fourth overall) in Chennai (d. Coric). The No. 2 Swiss player has a 7-1 record on the year.

Berdych is Back – Berdych is playing in Marseille for the first time since 2013 when he reached the final (l. to Tsonga). The No. 1 player from the Czech Republic has a 5-5 career record in Marseille. He is off to a 7-2 start this season, reaching the semi-finals in Doha (l. to Djokovic) and the quarter-finals at the Australian Open (l. to Federer). 

The Defending Champ – Reigning champion and No. 5 seed Simon comes in with a 21-7 career record in Marseille. He won the title in 2007 (d. Baghdatis) and last year he captured his second title (d. Monfils). He also advanced to the semi-finals in 2009 and ’13. He opens in the 1R against top Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili. 

Monfils on the Move – After reaching the quarter-finals at the Australian Open last month (l. to Raonic), last year’s Marseille finalist Gael Monfils, has advanced to his 23^rd career ATP World Tour final in Rotterdam (vs. Klizan). Monfils is trying to capture his sixth career ATP World Tour title, the first at the 500 level. Coming into Marseille last year, the 29-year-old Frenchman had an 1-6 career record before turning things around by reaching the final.

Teenage Trio – Two of the four teenagers to finish in the Top 100 Emirates ATP Rankings last season are in the draw: Hyeon Chung, who is making his Marseille debut, along with wild card Alexander Zverev, who lost in the first round last year. The 18-year-old Zverev is coming off a quarter-final in Rotterdam (l. to Monfils). He will improve from his career-high No. 70 ranking on Monday. The other teenager in the draw is 19-year-old wild card Quentin Halys. He plays Monfils in the first round.

Kyrgios Returns – No. 2 Aussie Nick Kyrgios returns to action after missing Rotterdam with an elbow injury. The 20-year-old opened the season last month by reaching the third round at the Australian Open (l. to Berdych). He is making his Marseille debut against Vasek Pospisil.

DELRAY BEACH OPEN (Delray Beach) – The first outdoor North American tournament of the season is highlighted by the top four seeds of Kevin Anderson, Bernard Tomic, defending champion Ivo Karlovic and Grigor Dimitrov. The other seeds are: No. 5 Jeremy Chardy, No. 6 Steve Johnson, No. 7 and last year’s runner-up Donald Young and No. 8 Adrian Mannarino. Overall, six players in the Top 30 Emirates ATP Rankings are in the draw. Anderson, who won his second ATP World Tour title in Delray Beach in 2012, was runner-up in 2014 (l. to Cilic). Karlovic, Anderson and Juan Martin del Potro (2011) are the former champions in the draw.

Anderson Top Seed – Top seed Anderson, who lives in nearby Gulf Stream, just minutes from Delray Beach, finished last season a year-end best No. 12. He is making his seventh straight Delray Beach appearance (14-5 record). He made his debut in 2010 as a qualifier (ranked No. 133) and in four of the past five years has advanced to the quarter-finals or better: 2011 (QF), 2012 (winner), 2013 (QF), 2014 (runner-up) and 2015 (2R). The 29-year-old South African has been bothered by a left knee injury. He retired in the first round at the Australian Open vs. Ram, his last outing.

Delpo Returns – Wild card entry Juan Martin del Potro is making his return to Delray Beach for the first time since 2011. This is the 27-year-old Argentine’s second appearance in Delray Beach. Five years ago he came in ranked No. 166 and won the title without dropping a set (d. Tipsarevic). It was his fifth tournament that year after returning from right wrist surgery, which he underwent on May 4, 2010. Last year the former World No. 4 played in two tournaments – Sydney (QF) and Miami (1R) before undergoing left wrist surgery on Jan. 20 and on June 18. He is a winner of 18 career titles on the ATP World Tour, including the US Open in 2009. He is currently No. 1,045 in the Emirates ATP Rankings.

Ivo Eyes 300 – Reigning champion Ivo Karlovic, who was not broken last year, is one win away from 300 in his career. The 36-year-old Croat is playing in his first tournament since retiring in the first round at the Australian Open due to a right knee injury.

All Eyes on Fritz  – Special exempt entry 18-year-old Taylor Fritz, who is appearing in his first career ATP World Tour final on Sunday in Memphis (vs. Nishikori), is the youngest player in the draw. The Rancho Santa Fe, California native is playing in only his fourth career ATP World Tour level tournament. He is expected to jump from No. 145 to around No. 103 and to around No. 82 if he wins the title. In his young career he has already won three Challenger titles. He finished as the No. 1 junior in the world last year, winning the US Open and reaching Roland Garros final.

Bryans are Back – Four-time Delray Beach champions Bob and Mike Bryan return to the tournament for the ninth time (19-4 record). The 10-time year-end No. 1 team won the title in 2009-10 and ’14-15 and also were finalists in ’08. They have won a record 109 titles together. They are looking to win their first title since last August at ATP Masters 1000 Montreal.

Birthdays

21 February – Andreas Seppi (32)

In Case You Missed It

Dominic Thiem captured his fourth ATP World Tour title in Buenos Aires. Read

Martin Klizan capped off a magical week in Rotterdam with a final win over Gael Monfils. Read

Kei Nishikori won a record fourth straight title in Memphis. Read

Kei Nishikori hit the high note once again in Memphis, completing a historic four-peat with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over American teen Taylor Fritz on Sunday.

The Japanese joined Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic as the only active players to win four consecutive titles at a single tournament, turning in another efficient performance at the Memphis Open presented by ServiceMaster.

Nishikori found the right chord in the musical metropolis of Memphis, overcoming nine aces and turning aside five of six break points faced. The top seed ended Fritz’s Cinderella week after the World No. 145 18-year-old streaked to his first ATP World Tour final in just his third tour-level event.

Active Players To Complete A Four-Peat

“It’s amazing to win four in a row,” said Nishikori. “I tried not to think about it too much this week. I didn’t feel a lot of pressure. It was a tough start again today, but I managed it better. I played better tennis as the match went on and I’m happier with the second set. I only gave him a few points on my serve in the last few games.

“We practised five or six times the past few years in California, so I know how he plays. I never beat him before, so I was happy to beat him in a match. I tried different tactics to make him move more. He has very good reach so it’s not easy to hit winners, especially on these slow courts. I had to finish the points strong with my legs. He was tough play.

“I felt a lot of support even here in the US against an American. A lot of Japanese came out today.” 

Fritz got off to a roaring start, claiming 12 of the first 14 points. A hammered backhand return drew a Nishikori error and handed Fritz the break for 2-0 in the first set, but the more experienced Japanese would withstand the barrage of offensive blows to break back for 2-2 and turn the momentum. Behind a strong defensive display and superior movement, Nishikori claimed the first set and snatched the decisive break in the second for 3-2. Fritz did well to escape from a 0/40 hole in the opening game and had an opportunity for a break of his own with a pair of chances three games later, but Nishikori dug in his heels. A rifled forehand winner sealed the win on his third match point after one hour and 19 minutes.

Nishikori notched his 11th ATP World Tour title and first since prevailing at the Citi Open in Washington last August. He is just the second player in Memphis history to lift four trophies, joining Jimmy Connors (1978-79, ’83-84). The 26 year old takes home $109,950 in prize money and 250 Emirates ATP Rankings points.

Fritz, meanwhile, capped a stunning week on the indoor hard courts of the Racquet Club of Memphis. He will rise to the precipice of the Top 100 in the Emirates ATP Rankings after becoming just the fifth 18-year-old American to reach an ATP World Tour final in the past 30 years (Agassi, Chang, Roddick, Sampras). The second teenage finalist on the circuit this year, following Borna Coric‘s run in Chennai (l. to Wawrinka), Fritz was bidding to become the first teen titlist since Marin Cilic in New Haven in 2008.

“I definitely didn’t expect to get to a [ATP World Tour] final so quickly,” Fritz said. “It’s a great accomplishment to get here despite losing in the final. I had a great week and I have to be happy with the result. I have a lot of confidence moving forward. I need to get my body stronger and I can continue to play at this level.

“He started off a little tentative and was leaving some balls for me to step in and hit. He was making some mistakes, but he loosened up and started playing much better. After a couple games, the balls get heavier and are tough to put away. Kei’s such a fast player and incredible from the baseline and when I don’t have that to put the ball away, he got extremely tough.”

Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Santiago Gonzalez have found a second home in Memphis, successfully defending their doubles title with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Americans Steve Johnson and Sam Querrey.

Fyrstenberg and Gonzalez claimed their first team title last year at the Memphis Open presented by ServiceMaster and nearly failed to retain the trophy, having faced three match points in a marathon 28-point Match Tie-break on Saturday. The Polish-Mexican duo would survive the test from Oliver Marach and Fabrice Martin and needed just 55 minutes to dispatch their fourth seeded American opponents on Sunday.

“It’s amazing,” said Gonzalez. “It’s not every day you can come back to the same tournament and win it again. It’s a tough tournament with great players. We are very happy to have the title again for confidence going into the next one.

“I have two kids, so one guitar for each kid. Hopefully next year I can come back and win another.”

The winning team secured the lone breaks of the match in the seventh games of both sets. Johnson and Querrey fought off two match points while serving down 5-3 in the second and another in the following game, but were unable to fend off a fourth. They fired eight aces and won 85 per cent of first serve points, while not facing a break point.

“It’s great to never lose matches here in Memphis,” added Fyrstenberg. “It’s nice, especially after last season with the injuries. I had three injuries and Santiago had two. Hopefully this year will be injury-free and we’ll be going up in the [Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings].”

It was Fyrstenberg’s 18th ATP World Tour doubles title in his 43rd final. He has now won at least one title in 13 of the last 14 years. For Gonzalez, it was title No. 11 in 16 finals. They split $33,400 and earn 250 Emirates ATP Rankings points.

Johnson, meanwhile, was contesting his second ATP World Tour doubles final, having finished runner-up with Querrey in Atlanta in 2014. Querrey dropped to 4-6 in what was his 10th final. He was bidding to win his first title since Houston 2012 (w/Blake).

Fabio Fognini and his fiancée, Flavia Pennetta, enjoyed an experience afforded only to a lucky few on Saturday evening in Rio de Janeiro as they climbed to the top of the Christ the Redeemer statue.

The Italian couple climbed 11 flights of stairs at the iconic statue to take a picture on the arm, just as the helicopter bearing John Isner, Jack Sock and Thomaz Bellucci flew past.

“I’m a little bit scared of heights, but this is something amazing and unique,” said Fognini. “Not many people get to have the opportunity to do this. I’m very thankful and happy.

“It’s a beautiful city, one of the best in the world. They are going to host the Olympic Games here and that is very big.”

Fognini defeated Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals of this ATP World Tour 500 clay-court tournament last year, before finishing runner-up to David Ferrer in the final.

“It was a great tournament for me when I beat Rafa for the first time,” said Fognini, who is seeded seventh this year. “I remember that the tournament had a great crowd. I hope I will play well here and do a good job.”

Fognini is set to open his campaign against Great Britain’s Aljaz Bedene.