One week after his runner-up finish at the Australian Open, Andy Murray has become a father. His wife, Kim Sears, gave birth to an 8lb 10oz girl on 7 February.

“Andy and Kim had a daughter in the early hours of Sunday morning and the family are doing well,” Murray’s agent confirmed.

His hometown of Dunblane commemorated the birth by tying a pink ribbon around a gold post box, painted in the Scot’s honour following his gold medal triumph at the London Olympics.

Dunblane baby love……..xxx pic.twitter.com/Lz8DNIt0Sb

— judy murray (@judmoo) February 9, 2016

Murray and Sears wed last April in Dunblane, 10 years after first meeting.

Marcos Baghdatis has seen his fair share of highs and lows on the ATP World Tour. From reaching a career-high of No. 8 in the Emirates ATP Rankings and playing the Australian Open final in 2006, to enduring a catalogue of injuries and dropping outside the Top 150 a couple of years ago.

But with the support of his wife, former WTA player Karolina Sprem, and his family and team, the ever-popular Cypriot is approaching his 14^th year on tour with a renewed sense of optimism after rediscovering his love for the game. With clear goals for his remaining time on tour, Baghdatis is hoping for big things over the course of the next three years.

Speaking after his first-round win over fourth seed David Goffin on Tuesday at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, Baghdatis told ATPWorldTour.com, “I got tired at one moment. I lost myself a bit, trying different things. That’s what you can’t do. Then injuries came, some health problems that were bothering me. The past four or five years have been a long road for me.

“Karolina was very important because she also played tennis. She also went through a career and she had some injuries herself. She helped me a lot first of all to have someone to listen to me, who has felt what I’ve been through. Having her around was like having an ex-tennis player, like Pat Cash, or a player like that. An important person in tennis. To have her around was very important and she helped me take some decisions towards what we are doing now. It’s great.”

The Baghdatis family welcomed their second daughter, India, in the off-season and the Cypriot explained that having his own family at home has given him a greater sense of perspective when he steps onto the tennis court. It was that perspective and a sense of calm that ultimately made the difference in his close battle with Goffin, which saw him win a 41-shot rally on match point.

“It’s tougher and tougher!” Baghdatis joked at living in a house with three girls. “It’s the best thing that ever happened to me. Everyone’s asking if we’ll go for a third one and try for a boy! We don’t know. We are happy to have two lovely children. They’re healthy and everything is good. My wife is handling it well. She’s healthy and I couldn’t ask for me. For now, we’re just enjoying the time.

“Whenever I get home it’s even nicer for me because I get to spend more time with the older one, Zahara. I get to know her much more. Before it was bit tougher, she wanted mummy all the time. But now mummy’s not so available, I’m more available, so it’s always nice to spend some time with her and do things together.

“I think some pressure comes off [as a father]. Like for example today, I was playing against Goffin. If I lose, I go home tomorrow to my child. So you don’t get too stressed during the match or before it. If I lose today, tomorrow I’m home to hug my daughter, which is one of the best things in the world. Really it takes a lot of pressure off you.”

Last season saw Baghdatis re-establish himself in and around the Top 50, highlighted by a run to the Atlanta final (l. to Isner). Despite frustrating spells out due to injury, it was his most consistent campaign for a long time, but the 30-year-old Baghdatis is hoping for even better this season and over the course of the next three years.

“I learned from it a lot,” said Baghdatis. “I’m looking forward to continuing the same way we did last year, because I think towards Wimbledon and after Wimbledon, I hit my peak and then I got injured again. I feel good, healthy and happy and just enjoying my time now.

“I have some long-term objectives that I would like to achieve before I retire. With my wife, my family and the new people in my team, we’ve put good goals. We managed to balance everything around my tennis, which is the most important thing for my career, to make me go out there and just play tennis and not think about anything else.

“Last year so many 30 and over guys won the tournaments. It’s encouraging to see,” continued the Cypriot. “They’re playing their best tennis and I think I am playing my best tennis. I think I can play even better and be more consistent. That’s what we’re working for. Now it’s a matter of staying fit. I hope to play another year in the Top 50 and maybe make the step to Top 30, which is the goal.

“I think it will help me enormously for the next three years. That’s where I will get more consistent playing matches at this level, like last week I played against Richard Gasquet, a Top 10 guy, against Tsonga in Australia and now against Goffin, a Top 20 guy. So for me it’s very important to play this level very often this year and try to stay there, in the Top 30. Big things will come in the next three years.”

Kei Nishikori is targetting a return to the Top 5 in the Emirates ATP Rankings this year. The Japanese star is currently 90-points behind No. 6-ranked David Ferrer and 645 points behind No. 5-ranked Rafael Nadal.

“I was very happy to be No. 4 last year, although I wasn’t there for a long time,” said Nishikori, who spent six weeks at No. 4 in August and September 2015. “That’s something I have to work on this year, to get into the Top 4 or 5. That will be a big challenge for me, because Novak [Djokovic] is playing amazing, Andy [Murray] is playing better and Roger [Federer] is playing great tennis again. It will be difficult to be there, but if I stay focused I think I have a chance to get there.”

This week, Nishikori is hoping to capture a fourth straight Memphis Open, where he has won 13 consecutive matches. His only loss came against Marcos Baghdatis in 2009.

“I’m really looking forward to playing,” he said. “This is one of my favourite tournaments, winning three years in a row, and I hope to win another one this year. I will try to play one match at a time and concentrate in order to play good tennis. I know it isn’t easy, but I have great confidence playing here and I like to spend time in Memphis. I will try to enjoy this week.”

Nishikori trained with wild card Tommy Paul, one of 13 Americans in the 28-player draw, earlier this week. He plays another American, Ryan Harrison, in his first match.

Gael Monfils launched the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in style on Monday as he played his part in a daring stunt in the city of Rotterdam.

The Frenchman, who is seeded fifth at the ATP World Tour 500 indoor hard-court tournament, took to the roof of a hotel to fire balls across the street to suspended stunt “ball kids”, who were dangling in front of a vertical tennis court.

“It was different, it was fun,” said Monfils. “It was cool that we tried something new. But they didn’t catch the ball, so I’m pretty disappointed! With the wind, it was tough for me to be precise, but I think it’s tough for them to catch it. But it was cool. It was a good try.”

Monfils was joined in the stunt by Tournament Director Richard Krajicek, who did manage to hit one of the balls into the outstretched hand of the ball kid. “I’m happy I’m on this side of the street, because there was talk that I would be there trying to catch the ball! It was great and a good way to start the tournament.”

Monfils opens his campaign on Tuesday evening against qualifier Ernests Gulbis.

Gilles Muller will take on second seed and 2014 runner-up Marin Cilic in the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament second round after beating Andreas Seppi for the first time in their fourth tour-level meeting. Muller, who has already reached two ATP World Tour semi-finals this year, hit 19 aces to beat Seppi 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 in two hours and seven minutes on Tuesday. Last week, Muller lost to eventual champion Roberto Bautista Agut in the Sofia semi-finals.

Another player who performed well in the Bulgarian capital, Philipp Kohlschreiber, improved to 6-0 lifetime against Julien Benneteau with a 6-4, 6-4 win in 90 minutes. Benneteau, the 2013 finalist, struck 14 aces. Kohlschreiber goes onto face qualifier Ivan Dodig in the second round.

Elsewhere, 19-year-old Hyeon Chung battled past Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. He’ll next face Sofia finalist and eighth seed Viktor Troicki or qualifier Andrey Kuznetsov.

Top seed Richard Gasquet withdrew from the ATP World Tour 500 tournament due to viral illness (flu) and was replaced in the main draw by lucky loser Evgeny Donskoy.

A host of past and present Argentine tennis greats gathered at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club on Monday to unveil the newly named Court Central Guillermo Vilas.

Argentina’s most decorated player, Vilas reached a career-high No.2 in the world in 1975 and won 62 ATP World Tour titles, including the Tour Finals in 1974. Vilas won four majors – the Australian Open in 1978 and 1979, as well as the French and US Opens in 1977.

“I have spent many years of my life in this club and I have played a lot of matches on this court. I would like to thank a lot of people who were very important to me throughout my career. Firstly, the person who made me into a tennis player – my first coach, Felipe Locicero,” Vilas said. “I would also like to thank my physio Carlos Belfonte, whose training allowed me to win at the Grand Slam level. I feel very happy and it is an honour to have this court named after me, and I’m very grateful”.

He was joined on court on Monday by current ATP World Tour player Juan Monaco and former greats, including Alberto Mancini, Guillermo Coria, Gaston Gaudio, Jose Luis Clerc and Martin Jaite as well as former WTA Tour players Paola Suarez, Gabriela Sabatini and Norma Baylon.