Tennis News

Back in 2007, a 20-year-old Andrew Murray stepped out on court in Flushing Meadows to challenge Jonas Bjorkman, who was playing his penultimate season on the ATP World Tour. The two contested a thrilling five-set affair that saw Murray prevail 6-1 in the fifth.

Now, eight years later, Bjorkman wants Murray to find that aggression in his game once again, only with a few modern adaptations to his style as well.

“When I lost to him in the US Open when he was young, I think he was more aggressive at the time,” Bjorkman explained to The Tennis Podcast (transcript via The Telegraph).“But the game has changed, everything has changed. Hopefully together with Amelie [Mauresmo] we can work our way to a position where he will feel more comfortable. When you have your position right, you will hit better volleys. So it is all about coming in a little bit more and that was something I always tried myself. I didn’t have big weapons from the baseline so I had to chase the net as soon as I could.”

Ranked No. 3 on the ATP World Tour, Andy Murray compiled a 15-1 record on clay this season, which included two title wins in Munich and Madrid before he reached the semi-final stage at Roland Garros. There, he lost to Novak Djokovic in five sets during a match that was played over two days. Now, with Joras Bjorkman by his side, Murray will attempt to recapture his former glory on grass and carry his current momentum and form forward.

“It’s quite easy because with Andy he has so many big weapons, such a huge game, and he is so professional on and off the court,” said Bjorkman, who has not coached on the tour before.”You get very inspired as well, being part of this team.”

Murray himself has grown in confidence, as he believes he has regained the form that helped him win Major championships back in 2012-13 before his surgery.

“From the beginning of this year I’ve felt ready to win major competitions again,” said Murray, who was searching for his best form in 2014 following back surgery. “It’s been huge, huge progress from where I was this time last year. I’ve played extremely well so far this year so I have to be happy about that.”

Andy Murray’s 2015 grass court campaign will commence with a contest against a player whom he faced during his historic run to the Wimbledon Championships crown back in 2013: Yen Hsun Lu. During that time, Murray was an unstoppable sensation on grass – a motivational force on a one-track course to capture the title denied to Brits for over seven decades. However, this time around, all eyes will be on the Scot as he attempts to follow up on an impressive clay court season. Of their three previous meetings on the professional tour, Murray leads the head-to-head series 2-1.

Ranked No. 3 on the ATP World Tour, Andy Murray compiled a 15-1 record on clay this season, which included two title wins in Munich and Madrid before he reached the semi-final stage at Roland Garros. There, he lost to Novak Djokovic in five sets during a match that was played over two days. Now, with Joras Bjorkman by his side, Murray will attempt to recapture his former glory on grass and carry his current momentum and form forward.

“From the beginning of this year I’ve felt ready to win major competitions again,” said Murray, who was searching for his best form in 2014 following back surgery. “It’s been huge, huge progress from where I was this time last year. I’ve played extremely well so far this year so I have to be happy about that.”

Murray’s upcoming opponent Yen Hsun Lu has already played three matches on grass so far this season, including two wins in the qualifying round here at Queen’s Club. Prior to that, he lost his opening match on the surface this season when Adrian Mannarino at the TopShelf Open ousted him.

This marks the fourth time that Murray and Lu will meet on the professional tour but also the first time since the 2013 Wimbledon Championships. Murray leads the head-to-head series 2-1 and has not lost a match to Lu since 2008. Given that he is the stronger and more comfortable player on this surface, Murray should be able to work his way into the second round of the tournament.
 

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal and Alexandr Dolgopolov with cross paths once again on the professional tour in what is scheduled to be their sixth meeting to date. The Nadal vs Dolgopolov head-to-head stands at 5-1, yet they have not met since the Indian Wells tournament, which took place last season.

After losing just his second match ever at the French Open last week, Rafael Nadal fought valiantly all week in Stuttgart to arrive in a final against Viktor Troicki. While he needed three sets at various points throughout the week, he managed to claim the title following a straight sets victory. He won the match 7-6(3), 6-3 to earn his third title at the Mercedes Cup. It was his first title on grass since the 2010 Wimbledon Championships.

“It’s a very special title,” said Nadal. “Since 2011 I didn’t play a final on grass, so win a title here is very good news for my game and for my mentality too. Congrats to Viktor for a great tournament. He’s playing great and will have some positives for the week.

“At this point of the season, every victory is important and every title means a lot to me. I’m happy for that… Thank you very much for all the support here in Stuttgart.”

Nadal will come up against Alexandr Dolgopolov, who is coming off a opening round loss to Philipp Kohlschreiber at the Mercedes Cup.

This marks the sixth time these two competitors will meet on the professional tour, with Nadal leading the series with a 5-1 score. The first and last wins came on clay, while the remaining ones took place on hard courts. However, Dolgopolov actually won their most recent encounter at Indian Wells. While this may be the case, Dolgopolov is not as capable on grass courts and will likely not put up the same fight here.
 

In his first grass court match of the season, Roger Federer will come up against Philipp Kohlschreiber for the ninth time on the professional tour and leads the series with a perfect 8-0 head to head record against the German. Their last meeting on the tour took place at the Paris Masters in 2013 and he holds three wins against Kohlschreiber at Halle already.

Following a solid clay court showing, which ended with a quarter-final round of the French Open after a loss to eventual champ Stan Wawrinka. He will now look to secure an eighth title in Halle ahead of the Wimbledon Championships at the end of the month.

“I’ve been playing great for the last 12 months,” he said. “I had the feeling that everything went well after I played at Halle last year, except in Australia where it didn’t go so well. But I was confident everywhere else, so I hope I can play well here.”

“Of course at this stage of my career I want to have the perfect preparation for Wimbledon,” said Federer. “That means a victory here. I want to defend the title in a tough field of competitors. That’s exactly what I need right now.

Unlike his upcoming opponent, Kohlschreiber is coming off a week on grass already, as he performed at the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, where he lost to Gael Monfils in the quarter-final stage of the tournament.

In all eight of their previous meetings, Kohlschreiber has only taken a set or more off Federer on one occasion: the 2009 Wimbledon Championships, where they went four thrilling sets. While Kohlschreiber has had more practice on the grass court surface so far this season, Federer should have little trouble working his way into the second round of the tournament.

An exciting contest between Lleyton Hewitt and Kevin Anderson takes place in the opening round of the Queen’s Club tournament in London. This marks the third time they meet on the ATP World Tour, with the series tied at 1-1. Anderson won their most recent encounter during last year’s Indian Wells Masters event.

Currently on a four-match losing streak, Lleyton Hewitt has played selective tournaments this season. Following his loss at the Australian Open, he suffered opening round losses in Miami, Houston and most recently at the Topshelf Open. He will look to snap that streak when he moves to a tournament he has historically performed well in.

“I’m definitely a dangerous floater,” Hewitt told News Corp. “The biggest thing is to get as many balls back as possible, put some kind of pressure on him. Obviously it’s going to be a bit greasy out here for the first couple of days. If you’re not 100 per cent sure of your footing on this surface, it can be a little bit detrimental to your game. Every match is going to be bloody tough here with the quality of field. Even if a seed loses there’ll be a quality player coming through that section — no easy matches.”

Unlike his upcoming opponent, Kevin Anderson has played an entire clay court season and is coming off a third round loss to Richard Gasquet at the French Open. His opening round match in London will be his first grass court contest of the season.

This marks the third time that Hewitt and Anderson meet on the ATP World Tour, with head-to-head series tied 1-1. Hewitt won their first meeting in Stockholm in 2012, while Anderson won their most recent encounter during last year’s Indian Wells Masters event. It will be interesting to see who holds the advantage this week in London event, as it will be their first ever meeting on grass, which is Hewitt’s favourite surface. Anderson has all the physical traits required to defeat Hewitt and he should be considered the favorite for tomorrow’s match-up.

The grass season is in full swing and one of the showpiece grass events on the Men’s tour begins this week in London. The AEGON Championships was previously a 250 event but has been upgraded to 500, meaning that the draw has now been reduced to a 32 player draw rather than the usual 56. Sixth seed Grigor Dimitrov looks to defend his title, with an in-form Andy Murray his biggest threat. The Scot is a three time champ at the event, winning in 2009, 2011 and 2013

Murray can meet Dimitrov in the quarter finals if seedings hold. An incredibly flat performance last year at Wimbledon saw him sent packing by the Bulgarian in straight sets, coming as a major shock despite Dimitrov’s perceived potential. Before that, Murray must first defeat former Wimbledon quarter finalist Yen Hsun-Lu. The qualifier can often be tricky on grass but lost in straight sets to Murray last time they faced on grass, at Wimbledon in 2013. A Spaniard awaits in round two, be it Fernando Verdasco or Roberto Bautista Agut. Verdasco notably held a two set lead over Murray in the quarter finals the year he won the tournament, showing he can be a tough out on the surface while Bautista Agut has a grass title to his name in ‘S-hertogenbosch 2014.

Defending champion Dimitrov will probably need to navigate two tricky big servers to make the quarters. Sam Querrey’s serve will be a massive weapon on the surface although Dimitrov has won their only meeting. Gilles Muller will be full of confidence coming off a semi final in the Netherlands while already boasting a win over Dimitrov this year in Rotterdam. Mikhail Youzhny will hope to spoil proceedings but the 2012 Wimbledon quarter finalist’s form in 2015 has been disastrous.

Marin Cilic famously won this event in 2012 after David Nalbandian’s disqualification for hitting a line judge. He tried to win it the conventional way in 2013, falling to Andy Murray in the final. The Croatian will have been disappointed to have not made his first grass final at the weekend, losing from a break up in the final set in his semi final match. He will open against Adrian Mannarino while the other seed while another Frenchman is a possible second round opponent in qualifier Paul Henri Mathieu. More likely though, Cilic will have the chance to avenge his loss against Troicki in the second round.

Last year’s losing finalist Feliciano Lopez has always proven a tricky player on grass with his lefty serve and following volley and has three Wimbledon quarter final appearances to his name. He opens against Joao Sousa while a tiebreak festival could be on the cards in round two if John Isner can win. Lopez played 9 tiebreaks in total at last years tournament. Isner faces the highly touted American prospect, Jared Donaldson, who qualified after getting a wildcard.

Gilles Simon was scheduled to open his tournament against -s’Hertogenbosch finalist David Goffin although the Belgian had neck pain his defeat to Nicolas Mahut so may rest up rather than make the journey to London for this event. Thanasi Kokkinakis stands between a possible all-French second round with Jeremy Chardy. The Australian now has received six main draw wildcards this year, although being from a slam country will account for at least two of them. It will be Kokkinakis’ first main draw match on grass so will be interesting to see how he goes.

After skipping the French Open, Milos Raonic should be raring to go and is in a section of the draw that he will fancy his chances in. Raonic begins against home wildcard James Ward while Richard Gasquet should await in round two if his head to head over Simone Bolelli is extended to 6-0. Gasquet is 1-2 against Raonic although he did win a marathon five setter at the US Open in 2013.

What a difference a week has made for Rafael Nadal, with the doom and gloom surrounding him after his loss to Novak Djokovic at the French Open. Fast forward 10 days and the Spaniard is celebrating a title at the new event in Stuttgart after beating Viktor Troicki in the final. His stats were mightily impressive in the final, winning 42/49 on first serve and saving his only break point faced. Nadal will begin against Alexandr Dolgopolov while a second round against Pablo Andujar or Guillermo Garcia-Lopez is awfully kind for such a stacked draw.

Stan Wawrinka will play his first match since the French Open and will be ripe for an upset against Nick Kyrgios if the Australian can bring his grass form of last year to the table. Kyrgios made the quarter finals, memorably beating Rafael Nadal on the way there. Wawrinka’s grass form has never been all that great although he was a quarter finalist at last year’s Wimbledon. It could be a meeting between Australia’s old and new hopes in round two if wildcard Lleyton Hewitt can surprise Kevin Anderson. Hewitt is winding down his career and was given a wildcard for what should be his last Queens event. Hewitt is a four time winner at Queens as well as a one time champion at Wimbledon, taking the title in 2002.

Much like Queens, the Gerry Weber Open in Halle has had an upgrade to an ATP World Tour 500 tournament. The German event has been dominated by Roger Federer who has seven titles from nine finals while Tommy Haas is a two time winner with victories in 2009 and 2012.

Federer begins his quest for number eight against Philipp Kohlschreiber, one of the tougher non seeds in the draw. Kohlschreiber is a one-time Wimbledon quarter finalist at Wimbledon while also winning this event in 2011, taking advantage after Federer withdrew via injury. He was also the losing finalist in 2008, one loss of his eight total to Federer in his career. Federer’s suffered his first week one loss at Wimbledon in 2013 in thirteen years when he played potential round two opponent Sergiy Stakhovsky. The Ukranian will play Ernests Gulbis in round one, assuming he has recovered from the injury that saw him retire down 5-3 in the final set against Samuel Groth last week.

Seventh seed Bernard Tomic looks to get back to winning ways in Halle when he faces Steve Johnson. The Australian took Rafael Nadal to three sets in a Stuttgart loss last week and is fairly handy on grass, having one Wimbledon quarter final to his name. Johnson is 4-5 on grass in his career with one of those wins coming on a retirement. The winner of this clash will play a German, be it wildcard Jan Lennard Struff or Florian Mayer, who uses his protected ranking to secure entry.

Also amongst those who made multiple finals is Tomas Berdych who takes his place as third seed. The 2007 champion had been remarkably consistent this year, never losing to a player outside the top 10 in 2015 prior to his French Open loss to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. There doesn’t seem much in the way of competition to see that record extended to two losses, especially with Victor Estrella Burgos first up. Borna Coric’s first foray on to grass this year was dire, with the youngster winning just two games to Viktor Troicki.

Ivo Karlovic can cause trouble for Berdych as eighth seed but beyond that, it is slim pickings in the second quarter of the draw. Karlovic plays Santiago Giraldo while young wildcard Alexander Zverev will face Jarkko Nieminen. Karlovic has made 4 grass finals in his career, with both titles coming at Nottingham.

After a lengthy injury lay off, Tommy Haas will play his second tournament in just over a year. He managed to win his opening match in Stuttgart last week over Mikhail Kukushkin. The two-time champion would be a live outsider with a bit more match sharpness but it seems too early for him to launch a run. He opens against Andreas Seppi with Tommy Robredo the first possible seed. Robredo plays his first non-Wimbledon grass court tournament since 2010, where he was a round two loser in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.

Fourth seed Gael Monfils has a 25-17 record but has never made a final on the surface. He matched his best of a SF for the third time in Stuttgart, losing to eventual winner Rafael Nadal. Czechs Lukas Rosol and likely Jiri Vesely stand between him and the quarter finals, with Vesely having beaten Monfils in the second round of Wimbledon last year. Vesely must first beat Mikhail Kukushkin to advance.

Alejandro Falla looks set for a major points loss, with the 2014 finalist unlikely to repeat his run of last year. The Colombian first had to qualify although he is fortunate enough to draw another qualifier in Lukas Lacko. Sixth seed Pablo Cuevas is there for the taking given he has played just three main tour matches on grass, going 1-2. 2013 Wimbledon semi finalist Jerzy Janowicz has a chance to make a run here with the way the draw has fell for him with both of these matches very winnable for the Pole.

Kei Nishikori may prove a step too far as the Japanese star looks set to bounce back from what was a disappointing French Open for him, with many touting this week’s second seed as a dark horse to win the trophy. He faces Dominic Thiem in round one, who lost to Mischa Zverev in Stuttgart. Meanwhile, another Austrian could await in round two but it seems unlikely that Andreas Haider Maurer can defeat Dustin Brown if the German brings his form of last year that saw him defeat Rafael Nadal.