Lindstedt Interviews Thiem & More At Antalya Party 2017
Lindstedt Interviews Thiem & More At Antalya Party 2017
Jun262017
| Eastbourne 2017 |
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| Venue: Devonshire Park, Eastbourne Date: 26 June -1 July Coverage: Live across BBC TV, radio and online |
Serena Williams would struggle to be in the world’s top 700 if she was on the men’s circuit, according to seven-time Grand Slam champion John McEnroe.
And the male player ranked 701 in the world – Dmitry Tursunov – believes he could beat her too.
Speaking to US radio station NPR, McEnroe said of world number one Williams, who has won an Open-era record 23 Grand Slams: “If she played the men’s circuit she’d be, like, 700 in the world.”
He qualified the comments by saying: “That doesn’t mean I don’t think Serena is an incredible player, and I suppose anything’s possible; maybe at some point a women’s tennis player can be better than anybody.”
But he added: “I just haven’t seen that in any other sport, and I haven’t seen it in tennis. If she had to just play the men’s circuit, it would be an entirely different story.”
Williams later responded on Twitter: “Dear John, I adore and respect you but please please keep me out of your statements that are not factually based.
“I’ve never played anyone ranked “there” nor do I have time. Respect me and my privacy as I’m trying to have a baby. Good day sir.”
Tursunov, 34, was once ranked as high as 20th in the world.
The Russian told BBC World Service Sport he did not think McEnroe was “trying to talk women’s tennis down” but said “the reality” was that “men are stronger in general”.
“I would hope that I would win against Serena,” he added.
“It would be a similar argument to: who would run faster, the fastest woman or the fastest man? Tennis is becoming more and more a physical sport, so it’s going to be hard for a woman to beat the men.
“It’s not black and white, there are lots of factors to take into account. Physically I might not be in the best shape of my life but as an overall package I’m much better than my ranking would suggest. She is pregnant, and I’m not.
“I’ve never heard John say anything absolutely stupid – he knows his stuff. What he said about her being an incredible player is correct – explosive, powerful and she puts in a lot of work. But I would hope that I would win.”
Top seed plays opening match on Tuesday
Novak Djokovic hasn’t played an ATP World Tour event on grass leading into Wimbledon since 2010, but he’s ready to try something new in hopes of a big run at the Aegon International in Eastbourne.
After more than a decade at the top of the sport, Djokovic’s tournament schedule has reflected that of a man who thrives on routine and familiarity. But in his first visit to Eastbourne, the Serbian has already been enjoying the tournament amenities and charm of this seaside town.
“It’s great to visit a new place and be part of a new event. We more or less have the same schedule each year, so I don’t get to experience that too often,” said Djokovic. “There are a lot of matches and a lot of people coming out to watch and support the players. You can feel the appreciation for tennis that they have here. They love this event, so it’s obviously a pleasure to be here.”
Comparatively short on match play compared to recent seasons, Djokovic took a late wild card and believes the on-court time this week can only benefit him. The World No. 4 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, who plays qualifier Vasek Pospisil in his opening round, has never won a grass-court event outside of Wimbledon. He reached the Queen’s Club final in 2008 (l. Nadal) and Halle in 2009 (l.Haas).
“I was fortunate to have lots of matches and lots of success in the first part of the year over the years, especially on the clay courts and always reaching the final stages of Roland Garros. And because of the old schedule, we had a week less (on grass), which was a bit challenging obviously coming from the slowest to the fastest surface in the sport. It’s a big shift in only a few days,” said Djokovic. “I knew I wanted to play one this year, but thought Queen’s and Halle would be too early for me. That’s the reason why I came to Eastbourne. And it’s a new place, so it does give me that extra motivation to be here.”
Djokovic won’t have Andre Agassi in his camp for Eastbourne, but the 1992 Wimbledon champion will be with him at SW19 for as long as he remains in the tournament. The Serbian believes they got off to a positive start in their coaching arrangement for Roland Garros and is eager to see it continue.
“The eight or nine days that we spent together at Roland Garros were very valuable for me to get to know him and learn from him. We shared a lot of experiences on and off the court. Having him around is not only great for myself, but also for tennis,” said Djokovic. “I can see how much he cares about the game and how much he knows it. It was very interesting to hear his perspective on tennis before and now, how he analyses my game and what he sees with things to improve moving forward. I’m just looking forward to spending as much quality time with Andre as I can.”
#NextGenATP brigade thrives on Monday
Last year’s Wimbledon fairytale story Marcus Willis moved closer to another round of heroics on Monday, advancing into the second round of qualifying on Monday along with eight #NextGenATP players.
The Brit took time off from his tennis coaching job last year to play Wimbledon pre-qualifying and earn a wild card into the qualifying draw. He then qualified for the main draw and won his first-round match before falling to Roger Federer on Centre Court.
This year in Roehampton, Willis produced more memorable moments with a qualifying wild card by scoring a 7-5, 7-5 win over 31st seed Andrej Martin of Slovakia. Next up for him is a fellow British wild card in Liam Broady.
In an all-#NextGenATP battle, Elias Ymer of Sweden defeated Duckhee Lee of Korea 6-3, 6-2. It was Ymer’s first match on grass since qualifying for the Wimbledon main draw two years ago.
“If I’m playing a top-ranked guy, I really don’t know what to expect. But the (#NextGenATP) guys, I’ve seen (Duckhee) since I was 12, so it’s kind of a family kind of feeling. You relax more,” said Ymer to Wimbledon.com. “It feels like it’s on my level if I’m playing one of the young guys.”
#NextGenATP player Stefanos Tsitsipas scored the upset of the day by defeating second seed Santiago Giraldo of Colombia 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. The 18-year-old from Greece will take on Yannick Hanfmann of Germany in the next round.
Fifth seed Andrey Rublev continued his grass-court prowess with a convincing 6-3, 6-3 victory over Joao Domingues of Portugal. The 18-year-old #NextGen ATP Russian reached his first ATP World Tour quarter-final last week in Halle.
Other #NextGenATP players to move into the second round of qualifying are 12th seed Stefan Kozlov of the U.S., 19th seed Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan, 21st seed Taylor Fritz of the U.S., 25th seed Quentin Halys of France and Alex De Minaur of Australia.
All second-round qualifying matches will be completed on Tuesday. View full Monday results here.
American Donald Young advanced with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over local hope Kyle Edmund on Monday at the Aegon International to set a second-round clash with compatriot Jared Donaldson. The #NextGenATP player saved one match point at 4-5, 30/40 in the deciding set of a 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-5 victory over eighth seed Diego Schwartzman in two hours and 47 minutes.
Former World No. 10 Kevin Anderson struck 11 aces and won 24 of his 26 first-service points to beat Thomaz Bellucci 6-3, 6-1 for a second-round match against seventh seed Richard Gasquet or #NextGenATP American Frances Tiafoe.
Top seed Novak Djokovic will open his Eastbourne campaign against qualifier Vasek Pospisil, who reached the second round with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Jiri Vesely. Robin Haase, who defeated Nicolas Mahut 6-4, 7-6(4), and Bernard Tomic, who topped Norbert Gombos 7-6(3), 6-3, also advanced.
Cameron Norrie claimed his first victory on the ATP World Tour, a 6-4, 7-6(4) win over Horacio Zeballos. “It feels great… I couldn’t be more excited to have won my first match at the ATP level,” said the Brit, who will take on second seed Gael Monfils in the second round. “It was quite nice to know I didn’t play my best today. It’s nice to know that I can hang with these guys even if I’m not playing my best tennis. I can just build on that.”
"He's nailed it!"
How good is this winner by @cam_nozza? #AegonInternational #hotshot pic.twitter.com/dT6UlXC5eU
— British Tennis (@BritishTennis) June 26, 2017
In doubles, top seeds Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan reached the quarter-finals with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Donald Young and Nenad Zimonjic, while Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and Matt Reid ousted third seeds and Roland Garros champions Ryan Harrison and Michael Venus 6-3, 3-6, 10-7.
Watch the best five shots as British number three Heather Watson beats defending champion Dominika Cibulkova in the second round of Eastbourne
| Eastbourne 2017 |
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| Venue: Devonshire Park, Eastbourne Date: 26 June -1 July Coverage: Live across BBC TV, radio and online |
Twelve-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic says this year has been his toughest in tennis, as he prepares for his first match at Eastbourne.
World number four Djokovic has slipped out of the top two in the rankings for the first time since 2011.
Eastbourne will be the first grass-court tournament the 30-year-old has played before Wimbledon since 2010.
“I’ve been struggling with the level of tennis,” he told BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller.
The Serb, who will face Canada’s Vasek Pospisil on Tuesday in the second round, added: “I’ve never experienced this particular situation since I started playing professional tennis. I was very fortunate to experience upwards direction in terms of results and improving the game.
“It’s the first time now in a stretch of seven or eight months that I haven’t won any big tournament.”
Djokovic won the Qatar Open on 8 January but then lost to world number 117 Denis Istomin in the second round of the Australian Open.
He parted with his coaching team – including long-time confidante Marian Vajda – before the French Open in a move he described as “shock therapy”.
But he was beaten at Roland Garros in straight sets by Dominic Thiem, which led seven-time Grand Slam singles champion John McEnroe to question Djokovic’s desire.
Djokovic last year became the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time, but he now holds none.
He has won 24 and lost seven of his 31 singles matches this year, with the Qatar Open his solitary title in 2017.
“I’m not playing at my best and I’m aware of that. But I’ve got to stay positive about myself and my game,” he said.
“It had to happen sooner or later and I’m really glad it did – it made me start asking myself certain questions.
“I know that things change: I’m 30, not 20 and I have to adjust to that. Things evolve each year and you have to adjust and get the best out of yourself.”
Djokovic is a three-time champion at Wimbledon, winning in 2011, 2014 and 2015, but lost in the third round last year to American Sam Querrey.
He alluded to “personal issues” following that match, and struggled with injuries for the remainder of the year.
“I literally went with my head through the wall many times when I felt so confident and I kind of ignored the signals from my body and mind to take a little bit of a rest,” he said.
Djokovic teamed up with eight-time Grand Slam winner Andre Agassi after his defeat in the final of the Italian Open in May.
The duo will continue to work together throughout Wimbledon, which begins on 3 July.
“He’s an extraordinary person, someone that cares a lot about this sport and cares a lot about values in life,” said Djokovic. “Every day is a lesson learned with Andre.
“Having him around is obviously great not just for myself, but for the tour – for tennis – and everybody can benefit from it.”
Djokovic said he is “excited” to be playing at Eastbourne.
“I wanted a little bit more time to spend with my family and to rest, but I still wanted to have a couple of matches coming into Wimbledon,” he said.
“We have pretty much the same schedule every single year, over and over again, so it’s great to be visiting new places.”
Russell Fuller, BBC tennis correspondent
Large crowds gathered around Djokovic’s practice court. Devonshire Park has been spoiled over the years by the quality of the women’s field – Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters are all former champions – but Djokovic’s arrival has sparked a lot of excitement.
And, after completing his session, he took advantage of a gap in the fence around court 3 to watch his second-round opponent Vasek Pospisil in action.
The charms of Eastbourne on a sunny day were not enough to attract Andre Agassi, but he will be at Wimbledon.
And beyond? “We’re going with the flow,” Djokovic replied.
| Eastbourne 2017 |
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| Venue: Devonshire Park, Eastbourne Date: 26 June-1 July Coverage: Live across BBC TV, radio and online |
British number three Heather Watson shocked defending champion Dominika Cibulkova in the second round at Eastbourne.
Watson, ranked 126th in the world, beat fourth seed Cibulkova 7-5 6-4 in an enthralling contest.
In the men’s draw, British number two Kyle Edmund was beaten by 6-4 3-6 6-3 American world number 47 Donald Young.
Compatriot Naomi Broady was beaten 6-2 6-7 (7-9) 6-1 by Czech Kristyna Pliskova, ranked 44th in the world.
Cibulkova battled until the end, saving three match points and breaking Watson’s serve late in the final set.
Watson claimed the second best win of her career in terms of ranking as she stunned world number nine Cibulkova in one hour and 42 minutes.
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She sent down eight aces and 69% of total points on her first serve to set up a meeting with either Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or Belgian Elise Mertens.
“The atmosphere was incredible, I was getting goosebumps at the end. I got a little nervous but I’m pleased I got through it in that last game,” Watson told Eurosport.
“She’s a hard worker and a fighter so I knew it was never going to be easy. She’s very aggressive but I’m OK with that. I have some wheels so I’ve got to use them.”
Edmund began strongly on Centre Court, with the Briton’s forehand firing in particular, but it was Young who broke first to go 5-4 up and then went on to serve out the set.
The Briton hit back in the second, securing the first break at 1-3 and winning four consecutive points in the final game to force a deciding set.
However, Young proved too strong as Edmund lost his rhythm in the closing stages of the match.
Edmund, who was stunned in the first round at Queen’s by teenager Denis Shapovalov, has lost 13 of his past 16 matches on the grass courts.
| Wimbledon qualifying |
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| Venue: Bank of England Sports Centre, Roehampton Date: 26-29 June |
| Coverage: 11:00-17:00 BST on BBC Red Button and 11:00-19:00 BST on Connected TV and online |
Britain’s Marcus Willis produced an impressive display to beat Andrej Martin of Slovakia in the first round of Wimbledon qualifying.
Willis, 26, won 7-5 7-5 against Martin, a player ranked 226 places higher at 148 in the world.
He will next face fellow Briton Liam Broady, with three wins required to qualify for the main draw next week.
Willis won six matches last year to get through qualifying, then reached round two before losing to Roger Federer.
Twelve months on, he was the centre of attention on the opening day of qualifying at Roehampton, with his match scheduled on the new televised show court.
Asked if he felt any pressure amid all the interest surrounding him, Willis said: “I’m not putting any on myself.”
He added: “It feels very different. Last year, I came here and no-one really knew what was going on, I was happy to be here.
“I’m happy to be here again, obviously, but after what I did last year, doing less could be disappointing.”
Willis became the surprise star of week one at last year’s Wimbledon, after coming through the pre-qualifying and qualifying competitions ranked 772nd, before finally ending his run against Federer on Centre Court.
He has since married wife Jennifer and become a father to Martha, both of whom were courtside to watch him on Monday.
Find out how to get into tennis in our special guide.
Despite injury problems, he has moved up to 374th in the world, but still required a wildcard to get into the qualifying event.
His grass-court skills came to the fore once again as he saw off Martin with breaks in the 11th game of each set, serve-and-volleying his way to a straight-set win without dropping serve.
“I enjoy playing on grass, I like playing in front of the home crowd,” said Willis. “I like playing tennis, that’s about it.
“You just have to focus on the tennis ball. I’ve been knuckling down and training quite hard.”
Broady, 23, will take on good friend Willis for the eighth time and only the second on grass.
“It’s obviously a fantastic opportunity for us both playing wildcards in the second round of qualifying,” said Broady, who beat Canadian Frank Dancevic 6-2 6-3.
“There will probably be more people rooting for Marcus. He’s a loveable guy and fantastic to watch.”
British teenager Jay Clarke was an early winner on day one – the 18-year-old from Derby seeing off El Salvador’s world number 232 Marcelo Arevalo 6-3 6-4.
Clarke, ranked 360th, recently spent time with the British Davis Cup squad and was invited to practise with Andy Murray at the French Open.
“The first few times you step on court with them, it’s big thing, but you get used to it,” said Clarke.
“I’m just taking it day by day here because a lot can happen.”
Alex Ward, ranked 854th, was another British winner with a 1-6 7-5 6-3 victory over Belarusian seventh seed Egor Gerasimov, the world number 163.