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Schwartzman Overcomes The Odds To Crack The Top 10 After Paris Run

  • Posted: Oct 12, 2020

One of Diego Schwartzman’s biggest dreams was to crack the Top 10 of the FedEx ATP Rankings. Following his run to the Roland Garros semi-finals, that becomes a reality today as the Argentine moves up six spots to a career-high World No. 8.

“I had good Grand Slam tournaments in the past. But when the year started, I wondered what the difference was to get into the Top 10 and it was to beat the Top 5 [players] here and there. [In the past] I couldn’t,” Schwartzman said. “In Rome and here in Paris I did and that’s why I’m going to be [in the] Top 10 for the first time.

“Now I want to keep improving and stay there.”

The 28-year-old joins 22-year-old Russian Andrey Rublev as Top 10 debutants this week. The Argentine showed great form on clay in recent weeks, making his first ATP Masters 1000 final at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia — defeating Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals — and reaching his maiden Grand Slam semi-final in Paris with a victory in the last eight against two-time finalist Dominic Thiem.

The last Argentine to crack the Top 10 was Juan Monaco on 23 July 2012. He spent eight weeks in the Top 10 (career-high No. 10) across two stints in 2012.

Schwartzman, 5’7”, is the shortest player in the Top 10 since 5’6″ Harold Solomon, whose last week in the Top 10 began on 27 July 1981.

“I honestly think if someone would have told me three or four years ago that there was going to be a guy of his size that was going to be in the Top 10 of the world, I would have told you you were crazy. I just didn’t think it was going to end up happening,” Solomon said. “Just didn’t think that in this day and age that there was going to be somebody that size that would be able to withstand the barrage of the serves — even though he returns great — and be able to hang with guys on the court. I thought eventually they’d get worn down or overpowered, but he’s proven me wrong.

“I just see how great of a position he gets in on the court all the time. The footwork is the key. Just being able to get in such great positions for balls all the time so that even though he’s playing against guys who are bigger and stronger — I wouldn’t say anybody’s faster — he’s able to get himself in a position to use the strength that he has.”

Schwartzman has earned the respect of his peers, including Thiem. The Austrian was disappointed to lose his chance at claiming a second Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, but he was happy to see close friend Schwartzman succeed.

“I’m happy for him. He really deserves it. It’s an amazing achievement by him to break into the Top 10 for the first time in the career,” Thiem said. “Maybe to lose against a friend hurts a little bit less.”

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic also is impressed by Schwartzman, especially with the Argentine’s work ethic and relentless determination on court.

“He deserves to be [in the] Top 10 and deserves to win that kind of match more than many players because he works hard, he’s a super nice person, very friendly guy. Everybody loves Diego,” Djokovic said after Schwartzman upset Thiem. “I’m very happy for him. I’m proud of him. I wish him all the best. Definitely he deserves to be where he is.”

Schwartzman was not a highly touted junior. He lost in the first round of qualifying in the only junior Grand Slam he played (2010 US Open). But ever since, the Argentine has steadily climbed, cracking the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings on 9 June 2014 and the Top 30 on 11 September 2017.

Last year, six players broke into the Top 10 for the first time, the most since 2006. With today’s addition of Schwartzman and Andrey Rublev to the elite group, there have been three so far this year. Denis Shapovalov accomplished the feat following his run to the Internazionali BNL d’Italia semi-finals.

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Rafa’s ‘Moon Landing’ Among Sports’ Greatest All-Time Records

  • Posted: Oct 12, 2020

One hundred wins. Thirteen titles. And a 26-0 record when he reaches the semi-finals. Rafael Nadal proved on Sunday that he still owns Roland Garros. In a year when nothing has been normal, it seemed fitting that Djokovic-Nadal LVI took place in the final of Roland Garros, indoors, on October 10, in front of 1,000 bundled up fans in masks.

Djokovic held a narrow 29-26 ATP Head2Head edge coming into the match, but in major finals, they were even at four wins each. With heavy conditions and balls not to his liking, Nadal’s shots were reportedly jumping three inches lower than usual during the tournament. But none of his victims in the run-up to the final were playing a sad violin for him, as the Mallorcan rampaged through his half of the draw without dropping a set.

And as Nadal bageled Djokovic in the first set, one couldn’t help but wonder if all the supposedly good reasons why this would be the year where Rafa might finally lose a Roland Garros final — the balls, the weather, the closed roof, the lack of preparation — were essentially nonsense. Come on guys, it’s still Nadal at Roland Garros, and he’s still a serial killer on clay at any time of year, in any conditions.

Djokovic had never been bageled in a major final—in fact, it was Nadal who had last whitewashed him in a set in the final of Rome last year. It took the Serb 54 minutes to win a game. After 12 French titles and 99 wins, could anyone have predicted that Nadal was saving perhaps his finest performance for win No. 100? But there he was, looking resplendent in baby blue, dancing around his backhand on the red dirt as though he was still a fresh-faced 19-year-old, blasting those lethal, inside out forehands that have given a generation of players nightmares.

Perhaps the scariest thing for every other player on the Tour to contemplate is that on Sunday on the red clay in Paris, Nadal looked better than ever at age 34 as he dismantled his great rival Novak Djokovic, 6-0, 6-2, 7-5, becoming the first man in the Open Era to win four majors without dropping a set. His form was so sublime that we must now consider the possibility that, if he wants to, the swashbuckling Mallorcan could win his favourite tournament a few more times, perhaps more!

When he finally calls it a career, how many Roland Garros titles will he own? No one in the history of the sport has won 13 times at the same tournament, but now 15 or more Roland Garros title runs doesn’t seem out of the question for the Spaniard. As long as his name appears on the draw sheet at this tournament, he’ll be the favourite. As he said on court after the match, “Roland Garros means everything to me, I’ve spent the most important moments of my tennis career here.”

It was a day for the history books and so we must now contemplate where Rafa’s achievement stands in the broader sporting picture of so-called unbreakable records. In tennis, it’s hard to imagine anyone will ever play an 11-hour match again, as John Isner and Nicolas Mahut did at Wimbledon in 2010. Will anyone have a 643 shot rally again, as Vicki Nelson and Jean Hepner did in 1984? Not a chance.

Nor is it likely that a player will come close to Chris Evert’s mark of 125 consecutive wins on clay, Steffi Graf’s Golden Slam in 1988 or Rod Laver’s two Calendar Grand Slams. Esther Vergeer won an incredible 162 singles and 134 doubles wheelchair tennis titles, a feat that will be nearly impossible to beat.

There are also a number of Olympic records that may never be broken: Michael Phelps’ 23 career medals, Bob Beamon’s 8.9m long jump, Usain Bolt’s sprinting records, Marjorie Gestring winning Olympic gold in diving at age 13, among others.

Usain Bolt is the only sprinter in history to win 100m and 200m gold medals in three consecutive editions of the Olympic Games.
Usain Bolt is the only sprinter in history to win 100m and 200m gold medals in three consecutive editions of the Olympic Games.

Baseball is a sport of numbers with a host of records considered unbreakable: Cy Young’s 749 complete games, Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak, Cal Ripken Jr.’s 2,632 consecutive games — over 16 seasons — played, Hugh Duffy’s .440 batting average in a single season, and Ty Cobb’s lifetime batting batting average of .367 to name several.

In basketball, no one will touch Wilt Chamberlain’s two remarkable records — averaging 50.4 points per game in 1962, and scoring 100 points in a single game on March 2 of that year. Wayne Gretzky has a trio of records in hockey that may never be broken: 92 goals and 215 points in a season, and 2,857 career points. Pele scored 760 official goals and 1,281 goals overall, along with 92 hat-tricks and won three World Cup titles, achievements that are unlikely to be duplicated. (Josef Bican is considered the all-time leading official goal scorer with 805 career goals).

In American football, Jerry Rice’s career mark of 22,895 receiving yards is likely untouchable. Boxing’s Rocky Marciano is the only heavyweight champion to finish his career unbeaten (49-0). And no golfer is ever likely to win the Masters by 12 strokes, as Tiger Woods did in 1997. The Pakistani squash champion Jahangir Khan won the British Open a record 10 times, a feat that will likely stand the test of time. Cricket’s Don Bradman’s test batting average of 99.94 is more than 36 runs better than any other batsman’s average in the history of the sport. No one believes anyone will ever come close to matching that.

Who’s going to best Nadal’s mark of 13 Roland Garros titles? In all likelihood, no one — and remember that the record may not be 13 because he’s not done yet. In order to have a shot at equaling the Spaniard’s achievement, a player would need to start winning the tournament very early in his career, probably by 20 or 21 at the latest. Remember, Nadal started winning this tournament when Facebook was still in its infancy, Twitter was still just a business plan and Capri pants and man purses were cool.

Wayne Gretzky has set records many think will stand the test of time.
Wayne Gretzky has set records many think will stand the test of time.

We haven’t seen youngsters winning majors in the Big 3 Era and given the physicality of the sport, this dynamic isn’t likely to change anytime soon. Roland Garros is arguably the most physically challenging major to win, which makes Rafa’s achievement even more impressive. But it isn’t any more likely that a player will win 13 or more titles at any of the majors either.

Consider a few of the sport’s brightest stars aged 21 or less: Jannik Sinner (19), Alex de Minaur (21), Casper Ruud (21), Denis Shapovalov (21), and Felix Auger-Aliassime (20) are players who will be a joy to watch over the next decade or more. But it’s hard to imagine any of them reeling off 13 or more at the same major as Nadal has.

And what about Carlos Alcaraz? He’s 17 and will be 18 by the start of next year’s Roland Garros. Alcaraz has had some promising results on the ATP Challenger Tour and today in Barcelona won his second Challenger title. He’s already inside the Top 200 of the FedEx ATP Rankings. But only time will tell if he’s ready to tangle with the sport’s heavyweights.

Margaret Court won the Australian Open 11 times but before Nadal came along, the notion of any man winning even 10 of the same major title seemed unthinkable. Even when Nadal won La Decima in 2017, almost no one predicted he’d soon have 13. The beauty of sport is that seemingly unbreakable records do sometimes fall.

But Rafa’s accomplishment is a moon landing for the sport, he’s done the unthinkable — his mark of 13 Roland Garros titles is right there alongside Rod Laver’s two Calendar Grand Slams as the most impressive records in the history of men’s tennis.

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Medvedev On Defending St. Petersburg Title: 'There Is Some Pressure'

  • Posted: Oct 11, 2020

At last year’s St. Petersburg Open, Daniil Medvedev ended a 15-year title drought for Russian players at the event by lifting his first trophy on home soil.

The World No. 5 returns to the ATP 500 this year seeking to successfully defend an ATP Tour crown for the first time in his career. As the top seed and defending champion, the Moscow native is placing some pressure on his shoulders as he attempts to snap a three-match losing streak.

“Naturally, [as defending champion] there is some pressure, of course… If I show good tennis, I will have a good result,” said Medvedev. “I can play tennis, and if something doesn’t go well, then you can lose, so it’s a pressure on myself that you can feel during the match.”

Medvedev is joined in St. Petersburg by a stellar field of ATP Tour stars. The 32-man draw features five members of the Top 20 with each of the eight seeds present in the Top 30 of the FedEx ATP Rankings.

“Judging by the draw, the lineup is very strong… I [have] got a difficult draw, but sometimes it’s better to start a tournament with tough opponents,” said Medvedev. “I will have to show my best game at the tournament from the get-go. In any case, I always have a philosophical attitude towards the draw. I can’t change its results, so I am just preparing for my next opponent. I hope to show a good [level of] tennis.”

Medvedev will open his title bid against former World No. 7 Richard Gasquet. The Frenchman is making his return to St. Petersburg 11 years after losing in the first round to Marat Safin on his tournament debut.

Seven-time tour-level titlist Medvedev will be attempting to claim his first win against Gasquet in his second ATP Head2Head contest against the 34-year-old. Gasquet won their only previous encounter 6-0, 6-3 at the 2018 Open Sud de France in Montpellier.

“I will try to train as much as possible to prepare for the tournament… It seems to me that two or three days are enough to be ready to play the tournament when you are switching from clay to hard, so I feel that I am ready. [We] will see during the matches but I think I’ll be 100 per cent ready.”

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Nadal Clinches Historic Win At Roland Garros

  • Posted: Oct 11, 2020

Rafael Nadal sensationally won a historic 13th Roland Garros crown under a closed roof on Court Philippe-Chatrier on Sunday, which also marked his 100th match win at the clay-court major championship.

The Spaniard superstar won a tactical masterclass against World No. 1 and 2016 titlist Novak Djokovic of Serbia 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 to capture a record-equalling 20th major single trophy, to drawing level with all-time leader Roger Federer.

Nadal combatted Djokovic’s ploy to drop shot and force the Spaniard into the net, with groundstroke depth and a willingness to strike forehand winners on the run to keep the World No. 1 behind the baseline. Through two sets, Nadal had committed just eight unforced errors to put Djokovic under extreme pressure in their 56th ATP Head2Head meeting.

Djokovic first-serve winning percentage improved significantly in a high-quality third set, from as low as 30 per cent in the first set, and he became a different player when he broke Nadal for the first time at 2-3. Djokovic started to mix up his tactics and, on occasion, serve and volleyed, but struck his fourth double fault at 5-5, 30/40, to hand Nadal’s a golden chance for his historic victory in Paris. Nadal finished with an ace, his third of the encounter.

Nadal’s victory in their ninth Grand Slam championship final was his first over Djokovic since May 2019 in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia final in Rome. The 34-year-old, who improves to a 22-4 record on the 2020 season, is now just one match win away from becoming the fourth player to record 1,000 career victories — and joining Jimmy Connors (1,274), Federer (1,242) and Ivan Lendl (1,068).

Djokovic, who had been attempting to clinch his 18th major crown, is now 37-2 on the season, which includes four titles at the Australian Open (d. Thiem), the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships (d. Tsitsipas), the Western & Southern Open held in New York (d. Raonic) and Rome (d. Schwartzman).

FIRST SET
Djokovic’s slice and drop shot was a real weapon, initially, and he led 40/15 in the opening game, but Nadal played close to the lines and worked his way back to break, courtesy of a backhand wide down the line. Nadal settled, appearing to consistently target Djokovic’s backhand to open up the court. The Spaniard’s early sharpness reaped dividends with a second service break for a 3-0 advantage, when Djokovic hit a crosscourt backhand into the net at 30/40.

In a huge fourth game, Nadal dug deep to save three break points through sheer variation of his groundstrokes, forcing Djokovic each time to run the width of the court. Djokovic led 40/15 in his next service game, but Nadal won four straight points and took a 5-0 lead, with a powerful backhand winner on his third break point.

Interestingly, both times Nadal hit a drop shot in the first set, Djokovic re-dropped and won the point. Djokovic, who set the tone with four drop shots in the first game, hit three of his 11 drop shots in the net. In total, Djokovic seven of 11 points in which he hit a drop shot, while Nadal was 0-2 in first set.

SECOND SET
There was no let up for Djokovic, who won 30 per cent of his first-serve points in the first set and came under extreme pressure in the first game of the second set. He managed to save three break points and it appeared a big psychological hold, but Nadal was ruthless on the run in Djokovic’s next service game at 1-1. A sensational backhand slice winner from inside the service box across Djokovic, who hit a drop shot, gave Nadal a third break point.

Nadal broke when Djokovic struck a backhand into the net and soon took a double-break advantage, with a 4-1 lead after a routine forehand from Djokovic bounced off the net and wide. In the sixth game of the second set, Djokovic’s seventh service game, he did not face a break point for the first time. But Nadal wasn’t to be denied, closing out the 47-minute set on his third set point.

Through two sets, 18 of the 21 drop shots in the match have come off the backhand wing. Nadal has hit three drop shots, and lost all three points. Djokovic won four of seven drop shots in the second set.

THIRD SET
Djokovic’s first serve percentage improved, up to 51 per cent in the third set, but mistakes continued to cost the Serbian, who was broken to love at 2-2 after two consecutive forehands errors. Minutes later, Djokovic converted his second break point with a backhand approach winner behind Nadal, for his first service break of the match. The World No. 1 sparked into life, appearing quicker up the court and laterally to wide groundstrokes. On occasion, Djokovic serve and volleyed, but Nadal remained calm and took care of his own serves. Just as the set appeared to be heading to a tie-break, Djokovic struck his fourth double fault to hand Nadal an opportunity to serve for a historic victory.

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Preview: Djokovic, Nadal Chase Grand Slam History At Roland Garros

  • Posted: Oct 10, 2020

When Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal step onto Court Philippe-Chatrier on Sunday, they will be contesting one of the most important matches in their storied ATP Head2Head rivalry.

The top two players in the FedEx ATP Rankings have battled for the biggest titles on the grandest stages in the sport since their first meeting at this event in 2006, but their eighth clash on the Parisian terre battue (Nadal leads 6-1) and their 56th ATP Head2Head encounter (Djokovic leads 29-26) has added importance. Both men are chasing Grand Slam history.

Here’s how to watch from 3pm CEST/9am EDT

On one side of the net, Djokovic is aiming to become the first man in the Open Era to win all four Grand Slam titles on multiple occasions. A win would also see him move just one major title away from Nadal and two behind record holder and 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer.

“I’ve played [Rafa] more than I [have] played any other player in my professional career,” said Djokovic. “Our head-to-head is the biggest head-to-head ever in the history of the sport. The amount of matches we played is almost 60 matches… He’s definitely my greatest rival.”

For the first time, Nadal is one win away from equalling Federer’s Grand Slam titles record. The 19-time major titlist will be aiming to add a record-extending 13th Roland Garros crown to his collection and become the first player to win 100 matches at Roland Garros (99-2).

”To play against Novak, I need to play my best. Without playing my best tennis, [the] situation is very difficult,” said Nadal. “I know this is a court that I have been playing well [on] for such a long time, so that helps. But at the same time, he has an amazing record here too, being in the final rounds almost every single time.”

Grand Slam Titles Leaderboard

Rank Player Titles
1 Roger Federer 20
2 Rafael Nadal 19
3 Novak Djokovic 17
4 Pete Sampras 14
5 Roy Emerson 12

In the early stages of their rivalry, Nadal owned a clear edge. The Mallorcan dominated the centre of the court with his forehand and used his greater experience to claim 14 victories from his opening 18 clashes against Djokovic.

In recent times, Djokovic has mirrored that record. The Serbian has won 14 of their 18 most recent contests by imposing his brand of tennis on Nadal. Djokovic has improved his serve, which has helped push Nadal behind the baseline and into defensive positions. The World No. 1 has also used his backhand to great effect, taking Nadal’s heavily spun forehand in his stride and firing the ball crosscourt and down the line with high levels of consistency.

”[He] is one of the toughest opponents possible. But I am here to keep trying my best,” said Nadal. “I like to play in this scenario. I know I have to make a step forward. I think I did one [on Friday]. But for Sunday [it] is not enough. I need to make another one. That’s what I’m looking for. I [am] going to work hard to try to make that happen.”

Conditions have often played a key part in the outcome of Djokovic and Nadal’s matches. Djokovic has dominated his rival on hard courts, winning all of their past nine meetings on the surface in straight sets.

But Nadal owns the crucial advantage on clay. The 12-time champion holds a 17-7 record against his rival on the dirt, including wins in their past three meetings on the surface at ATP Masters 1000 events in Rome and Madrid.

Rafael Nadal improves to 96-2 at Roland Garros.

Due to the tournament’s position in the calendar this year, the cold conditions in Paris could influence the pair’s record-equalling ninth major final. Djokovic and Nadal both own four victories against each other in Grand Slam championship matches.

“We all know that the conditions and the circumstances are obviously different from what we are used to. It’s going to be interesting to see how his game and my game match up, how it all plays out on Sunday,” said Djokovic.

“Depending on what the temperature is as well. That affects a lot the court, whether it’s heavy, not bouncing much, slippery, windy. All these things can affect I think both of us mentally and our games.”

En route to the quarter-finals, Djokovic claimed four straight-sets victories and spent just seven hours and 32 minutes on court. In his past two matches against Pablo Carreno Busta and Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 2016 champion needed a combined seven hours and four minutes to reach his fifth Roland Garros final (1-3).

Despite struggling with neck and shoulder issues against Carreno Busta, Djokovic expressed confidence on Friday that he would have no issues recovering in time for his third Roland Garros final against Nadal (Nadal leads 2-0).

“I’m not feeling exhausted physically so much after tonight’s match, obviously [the match lasted] almost four hours,” said Djokovic on Friday. “It was a great battle. But I feel fine. I think a day and a half will be plenty of time for me to recover. I’m really looking forward to a great battle with Rafa.”

Novak Djokovic is chasing his 18th Grand Slam title.

Nadal’s path to the final has been more straightforward. For the sixth time, the second seed has made it to the final in Paris without dropping a set. But Nadal has still been tested during the event. In the third set of his semi-final clash against Diego Schwartzman, the 34-year-old twice surrendered a break advantage and was forced to save three break points serving at 5-5.

“Going through these moments playing that aggressive with the forehand, knowing that you can have success like this, makes me feel positive and makes me feel confident. That helps, of course, for the future,” said Nadal.

As one of only two men to have defeated Nadal at Roland Garros, alongside Sweden’s Robin Soderling, Djokovic will use his straight-sets win against Nadal in the 2015 quarter-finals for inspiration. With a 37-1 record this year, the top seed is in peak form. The question is, can he rise to the occasion and overcome one of the biggest challenges in sport for the second time?

“I’m in the last match of the tournament, playing against the biggest rival, the biggest obstacle and challenge that you can have. This is what it comes down to,” said Djokovic.

“I’ve been there. I’ve done it. I understand what needs to be done and how I need to prepare myself. I’m looking forward to it.”

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