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Dimitrov Delivers A Rotterdam Masterclass

  • Posted: Feb 17, 2017

Dimitrov Delivers A Rotterdam Masterclass

The Bulgarian has only lost one match so far in 2017

Grigor Dimitrov continues to soar in 2017 having booked a quarter-final place at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament with a 7-6(7), 6-1 win over Denis Istomin on Thursday.

Dimitrov, now holding a 16-1 match record this season, continued his impeccable recent form to instantly break the world No.76. However, Istomin duelled in a series of entertaining rallies to force a tie-break. The duo finished the set on 50 points apiece, but with 18 winners and 11/13 successful net points, the Bulgarian went ahead after Istomin’s only double fault.

Watch Full Match Replays At Tennis TV 

A pair of forehand winners secured a 3-0 advantage for the 25 year old and some outstanding retrieval play built on that lead to secure his third straight victory over the Uzbekistani.

World No. 12 Dimitrov will face David Goffin, whom he defeated in the final of the Garanti Koza Sofia Open on home soil last week, for a first Rotterdam semi-final since 2013.

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Nishikori Revisits Junior Glory Days In Buenos Aires

  • Posted: Feb 17, 2017

Nishikori Revisits Junior Glory Days In Buenos Aires

Top seed reflects on Roland Garros boys’ doubles win with Massa

Kei Nishikori’s connection to Argentina goes way beyond his partnership with current coach Dante Bottini. More than a decade after winning the 2006 Roland Garros boys’ doubles title, Kei Nishikori and former Argentine player Emiliano Massa reunited at the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires.

After Nishikori defeated Diego Schwartzman in his opening match on Wednesday, he met up with Massa in the player’s lounge to relive those special memories. What they lacked in verbal communication during their junior playing days, they made up for with a natural partnership on court.

“We almost lost the first two matches. We barely spoke English at the time, so we talked very little to each other,” recalled Massa to the Argentina Open website. “What I remember most is his speed. Not only his movements, but also the acceleration.”

Their careers ultimately went in radically different directions. Massa was forced to retire from competitive tennis at age 23 due to injuries, while Nishikori went on to become a Top 10 fixture and global superstar. But the Argentine showed nothing but happiness for his former doubles partner and even took a picture with Nishikori to remember their reunion.

“I have the greatest memories with him from my junior years. It was the first time I won a Grand Slam and it was a very special moment for us,” said Nishikori. “Emiliano is an extremely nice guy. It’s been almost 10 years since we had seen each other and unfortunately he had so many injuries. [But] it’s been great to see him. All the memories came back.”

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Johnson, Paes Hit The Basketball Court; Rotterdam Rocks With Fans

  • Posted: Feb 17, 2017

Johnson, Paes Hit The Basketball Court; Rotterdam Rocks With Fans

It hasn’t all been about tennis for players this week. ATPWorldTour.com provides a recap of the highlights.

Follow all the latest off-court action on MyATP! Download the app for iPhone or Android or visit MyATP.com.

AMN AMRO World Tennis Tournament – Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Marin Cilic, Dominic Thiem, Gilles Simon and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga were among the stars to treat fans to autograph signings.

Fernando Verdasco took a ride around Rotterdam with Peugeot. Watch

Robin Haase was in the hot seat at a Q&A with young fans on kids’ day.

Lukasz Kubot, Marcelo Melo, Mate Pavic and Alexander Peya participated in a Pro-Am.

Memphis Open – Memphis, Tennessee

Robert Lindstedt, Michael Venus, Brian Baker, David O’Hare and Joe Salisbury made a memorable visit to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital headquarters in downtown Memphis. Read

“Worries you have or problems you think you have are nothing compared to what you see these families and kids going through,” Venus said. “These kids are obviously fighting some pretty huge things here. They’re walking around and they’ve got a smile on their face. It’s pretty special.”

Ivo Karlovic enjoyed an NBA game between the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans and met the league’s oldest player, Vince Carter (age 40). The two professional athletes exchanged pleasantries and traded equipment on the court: Carter gave Karlovic a pair of autographed shoes, size 16.5; Karlovic gave Carter an autographed tennis racquet. Steve Johnson, Leander Paes and Darian King were also in attendance at the game. Read

King paid respect to “The King” by visiting Graceland. The 24 year old, who has made Barbados tennis history in Memphis, visited Elvis Presley’s former residence. Read

Sam Querrey and Johnson played table tennis during a visit to the ServiceMasters offices.

The #NextGenATP stars were in full force in Memphis, with Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe visiting with fans in suites and Jared Donaldson assisting at the tournament draw ceremony.

Salisbury and O’Hare participated in kids’ day, while Oliver Marach was the lucky player to hang out with kids at a School Field Trip Program.

Argentina Open – Buenos Aires, Argentina

Kei Nishikori and David Ferrer took to a different court location ahead of the tournament. The duo had a hit on Puente de la Mujer, a rotating footbridge in the commercial district of Buenos Aires. Read

“It’s a really beautiful place here and [it’s] really fun to have some time with David,” said top seed Nishikori. “I hope I can stay healthy here this week and hope I can enjoy this week.”

Federico Delbonis assisted with the draw ceremony and met local fans, while Pablo Cuevas and Carlos Berlocq participated in Q&As on stage.

Ferrer visited the offices of La Nacion for an interview with Sebastian Fest.

Moet and Chandon off-court news 

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FedEx Express, ATP Continue World Tour Courtship

  • Posted: Feb 16, 2017

FedEx Express, ATP Continue World Tour Courtship

Partnership renewal through to 2019

The ATP and FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX), the world’s largest express transportation company, today announced a partnership renewal which sees FedEx continue as a global Platinum Partner of the ATP World Tour for a further three years, through 2019.

Building on FedEx’ extensive history of sports sponsorships around the world, FedEx will maintain its international ATP sponsorship programme which includes 17 tournaments, across 11 countries.

“With its unique global footprint, the ATP World Tour is the perfect match for FedEx. We share many values with this globally popular sport, such as speed, precision, anticipation and service,” says Rajesh Subramaniam, EVP Global Marketing and Communications, FedEx. “Since the sponsorship began in 2010, we have seen many priceless moments on the court and the passion of the fans has continued. With this year’s addition of the Dubai and Rio de Janeiro tournaments to our sponsorship, we expect to reach an even wider global audience of millions of fans through television and other media.”

“The ATP World Tour has enjoyed tremendous growth in recent years, and our partnership with FedEx has delivered great results since 2010. We’re thrilled that FedEx has had such a positive experience and will continue its sponsorship,” said Chris Kermode, Executive Chairman and President of the ATP. “We look forward to further working with FedEx to continue the growth and impact of the sponsorship.”

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Del Potro In Training Ahead of Season Debut

  • Posted: Feb 16, 2017

Del Potro In Training Ahead of Season Debut

Argentine gives behind-the-scenes insight into his preparations

Ahead of one of the most eagerly awaited returns to the ATP World Tour for 2017, Juan Martin del Potro has released behind-the-scenes footage of his preparations back home in Argentina. The former World No. 4 in the Emirates ATP Rankings announced earlier in the week he would start his season at the Delray Beach Open, the site of his tour comeback last season.

This week, he hit the courts with Gael Monfils and #NextGenATP player Elias Ymer at Crandon Park in Miami to practise for his season-opening campaign. His video footage from Tandil and Buenos Aires was filmed with his physiotherapist Diego Rodriguez before he shifted his preparations to the U.S.

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