Tennis News

Ruud Relishing Return To Action At ATP Cup

Casper Ruud believes Norway is in a good position to have a strong run at the 16-team ATP Cup as he looks to guide Norway out of Group A in Sydney.

Ruud enjoyed a standout 2021 season, winning five tour-level titles and becoming the first Norwegian to crack the Top 10 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. The 23-year-old is the highest-ranked player in Group A and is relishing the opportunity to return to match action.

“I have three good matches to start the year, so I’m just happy to get to play some matches again,” Ruud said in Norway’s pre-tournament press conference. “Hopefully I can bring some wins for the team. I’m not going to think too much about the pressure, but I’m coming here a better player than two years ago, so I will maybe feel some pressure.”

In the inaugural edition of ATP Cup in 2020, Norway played Italy, the United States and Russia. Despite finishing third in the group, Ruud earned two wins. The World No. 8 Ruud and No. 2 singles player Viktor Durasovic both believe they will benefit from their prior experience at this year’s event.

“We were underdogs in every match we played,” Ruud said. I was able to get two good wins in Perth, which was kind of the beginning of a good year for me.”

“[It was] definitely a lot of fun, even though it was hard to enjoy to the max, because of obviously experiencing something new,” Durasovic added. “But I had few experiences like that [at the time], so I’m hoping that those experiences can prepare me a little better this time for the challenges ahead.”

Norway begins its 2022 ATP Cup quest on Saturday against Serbia, before also facing Chile and Spain. Christian Ruud, Norway’s captain, is preparing his squad of son Casper, Durasovic, Lukas Hellum-Lilleengen, Leyton Rivera and Andreja Petrovic for a hard week.

“I think we look very much forward to coming here again and playing for the second time,” captain Ruud said. “Of course we play a strong team in the first round, but I think all the players on the Norwegian team have developed. I think we are coming here with also positive energy and I believe we can win more matches this year also.”

Before arriving in Australia, Ruud’s team was training in colder conditions in Norway, but the former World No. 39 does not feel this has hampered their preparations.

“We have been practicing indoors [in Norway] and it’s cold,” Ruud said “I think only Leyton was playing some tournaments in Doha, so all others are coming from Norway with the winter. So it’s a little bit difficult, but we have done it a couple of times now before, so the players are good at adapting to the heat and outdoors. It shouldn’t be a problem for us.”

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Lajovic Relives 'Amazing Experience', Now Leads Team Serbia At ATP Cup

Dusan Lajovic says that he still gets “goose bumps” thinking about winning the inaugural ATP Cup title in 2020 with Team Serbia.

“It was personally one of the greatest feelings playing in Brisbane and here in Sydney, because Serbian community is huge in both cities, and in Australia overall,” said Lajovic. “It was [an] amazing experience, especially because we won it. I get goose bumps just thinking about it, especially now, practising here in the arena and having all of the memories come back. I think that it was great for us to win [in] the first year.”

This time in Sydney, Lajovic leads Team Serbia, which features Filip Krajinovic, Nikola Cacic, Matej Sabanov and captain Ivan Sabanov.

“We [have all been] giving our best in the past days,” said Lajovic, who will step up this year and play as the No. 1 singles player at the ATP Cup. “I’m looking forward to competing with these guys together by my side. Obviously, there are some tactical differences and pressure-wise, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to go out there, play your match and try to win.”

Krajinovic, Serbia’s No. 2 singles player at the ATP Cup, added, “It’s a good challenge. It’s never easy to open the match, but I’m very excited. I’m ready for that. I knew that I will play the first match. As Dusan says, we are already playing well so far. We have a good team [and] I’m hoping that we’re going to do well here.”

Without the services of World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, World No. 33 Lajovic realises that Team Serbia won’t be in the spotlight as much, which the players are hoping to take advantage of.

“It’s never the same when you don’t have the No. 1 in your team,” said Lajovic. “Obviously, when Novak is in the team, the expectations get much higher. Then everybody is put in the spotlight… and [he is] trying to push the whole team. Right now, maybe, we are on the sidelines a little bit, and it could be good for us. It could be bad. We’ll see.”

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Serbia begins its 2022 ATP Cup campaign against Team Norway on Saturday, then faces Chile on Monday and Spain on Wednesday. With each tie featuring two singles matches and a doubles match, Nikola Cacic recognises the importance of the doubles match.

“Doubles is very important at ATP Cup,” said Cacic. “So we are here also practising some doubles [as it] could be possible that doubles decides the winner… We have a few good players here. Matej has now broken into the Top 100 [of the FedEx ATP Doubles Rankings], and also Dusan and Filip can play good doubles.”

Sabanov added, “I’m very excited, of course. I’m also very honoured to be in this team, and I will do my best to help the team to win some matches. I think we can do some good things here.”

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Novak Djokovic withdraws from ATP Cup amid Australian Open uncertainty

World number one Novak Djokovic withdraws from Serbia’s ATP Cup team in Sydney amid uncertainty over his participation at the Australian Open.

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Emma Raducanu, Cameron Norrie & Andy Murray bring feelgood factor back to British tennis

A stunning year for Emma Raducanu and Cameron Norrie, plus encouraging signs for Andy Murray – BBC Sport assesses British tennis in 2021.

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ATP Cup Updates: France Replaces Austria, Djokovic & Rublev Out

France has become a late addition to the 16-country 2022 ATP Cup, replacing Austria in Group B following the withdrawals of Dominic Thiem and Dennis Novak. World No. 35 Ugo Humbert will lead the Frenchmen as he is joined by Arthur Rinderknech, Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Fabrice Martin in Sydney.

It was also announced Wednesday that World No.1 Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the ATP Cup. Serbia remains in the competition and will be led by World No. 33 Dusan Lajovic.

Russia’s Andrey Rublev, Aslan Karatsev and Evgeny Donskoy have pulled out, and Evgeny Karlovskiy will join the team. Team USA’s Austin Krajicek has also withdrawn, and will not be replaced at this time.

The ATP Cup will begin on Saturday 1 January at 10 a.m. at both Ken Rosewall Arena and Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Olympic Park.

Updated 2022 ATP Cup Rosters (as of 29 December)

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Felix, Stefanos Sharpen Games As ATP Cup Draws Near

With just three days to go before ATP Cup kicks off the 2022 ATP Tour season, Top 10 stars Felix Auger-Aliassime and Stefanos Tsitsipas honed their games on the practice courts at Sydney Olympic Park Wednesday.

Auger-Aliassime leads Canada in Group C, where the 21-year-old will face No. 1 singles clashes with Alexander Zverev, Cameron Norrie and Taylor Fritz.

In his first practise at this year’s event, Tsitsipas worked out under the watchful eye of his father and team captain Apostolos. The World No. 4 spearheads Greece in Group C and is scheduled to meet Hubert Hurkacz, Diego Schwartzman and Nikoloz Basilashvili in group play.

World No. 3 Alexander Zverev practised with his singles teammate Jan-Lennard Struff on an outer court under the gaze of team captain Michael Kohlmann. Zverev, who finished 2021 by winning his second Nitto ATP Finals title, will be determined to improve his disappointing 1-5 match record in the first two years of the tournament.

Struff has returned winning records in the first two editions of the event, boasting a 4-2 match tally, including wins over Auger-Aliassime in 2020 and Milos Raonic in 2021.

Top 10 Italians Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner practised together in cool to mild conditions in Sydney as they work on claiming revenge for their defeat in the 2021 final to Russia. The teams will meet in a blockbuster Group B showdown on the final day of group play on 6 January.

Running 1-9 January, ATP Cup will be staged in the first week of the 2022 ATP Tour season alongside ATP 250 events in Adelaide and Melbourne. The 2022 tournament will feature a 16-team field in four groups and be hosted across two venues in Sydney – Ken Rosewall Arena and the Qudos Bank Arena – both at Sydney Olympic Park. The four group winners will contest the knockout stage – to be played exclusively at Ken Rosewall Arena – from 7 January.

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Kyrgios Receives Sydney Wild Card

Nick Kyrgios has received a wild card into the Sydney Tennis Classic, which will be played at Sydney Olympic Park from 10-15 January.

The Australian, who is beginning his season at the Melbourne Summer Set, has not competed since the Laver Cup in September.

“I’ve been training at home in Canberra and here in Sydney and I feel good after an extended break from the game,” Kyrgios said. “I’m looking forward to the final hit-out before the AO, thanks to Tennis Australia for the opportunity to play.”

Kyrgios went 7-8 in 2021, reaching the third round at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. The World No. 93 has captured one of his six ATP Tour titles on home soil, having triumphed in Brisbane in 2018.

Other players in the field at the Sydney ATP 250 include Alex de Minaur, Kei Nishikori, Cristian Garin, Taylor Fritz, Reilly Opelka and Roberto Bautista Agut.

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Thiem Withdraws From Australian Open

Dominic Thiem announced Tuesday that he has withdrawn from next month’s Australian Open.

The former World No. 3, who also pulled out of the ATP Cup earlier this month due to a non-Covid-19-related illness, has not played a tour-level match since June when he suffered a right wrist injury at the Mallorca Championships.

pic.twitter.com/3NUU1UoZwE

— Dominic Thiem (@ThiemDomi) December 28, 2021

“After the short holidays, my team and I have assessed all matters and we have decided to make some changes to my initial tournament schedule: I will start the season in South America at the Cordoba Open in Argentina, end of January, and therefore I will not play this year at the Australian Open in Melbourne,” Thiem wrote on Twitter.

The Austrian reached the Australian Open final in 2020, losing to Novak Djokovic in a five-set championship match. Last season, the 17-time tour-level titlist went 9-9, with his best coming at the Mutua Madrid Open, where he advanced to the semi-finals.

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Australian Open: Dominic Thiem pulls out with wrist injury

Austrian world number 15 Dominic Thiem pulls out of January’s Australian Open with a long-standing wrist injury.

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Medvedev Among Stars To Hit Practice Court At ATP Cup

World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev doubled up on the practice court in Sydney Tuesday as the countdown began to Russia’s defense of the ATP Cup, which begins on New Year’s Day.

Spearheading Russia’s title defense, Medvedev had a morning practice session on Ken Rosewall Arena with Aussie Alex de Minaur, whom he will meet next week in group play. The 2020 Nitto ATP Finals champion returned to KRA mid afternoon for another session with 20-year-old Australian Rinky Hijikata, who is No. 375 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

Medvedev, who led the ATP Tour with 63 match wins last season, is expected to challenge Novak Djokovic’s stranglehold on World No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings during the 2022 season and will be keen to start the year strong in Sydney. The 25-year-old boasts an 8-1 record at ATP Cup and last year dropped just one set in his four victories, which included three Top 10 wins over Alexander Zverev, Diego Schwartzman and Matteo Berrettini.

Other Top 10 players to hit the practice court yesterday included Italian Top 10 stars Berrettini and Jannik Sinner and World No. 8 Casper Ruud.

Photo Credit: ATP Tour

Running 1-9 January, ATP Cup will be staged in the first week of the 2022 ATP Tour season alongside ATP 250 events in Adelaide and Melbourne. The 2022 tournament will feature a 16-team field in four groups and be hosted across two venues in Sydney – Ken Rosewall Arena and the Qudos Bank Arena – both at Sydney Olympic Park. The four group winners will contest the knockout stage – to be played exclusively at Ken Rosewall Arena – from 7 January.

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