Nadal Looks Ahead To Rome 2016
Nadal Looks Ahead To Rome 2016
May102016
Britain’s Johanna Konta is through to the Italian Open second round following a 6-1 6-2 win over Sweden’s Johanna Larsson.
More to follow.
Andy Murray is prepared to appoint another former top player as his coach after splitting with Amelie Mauresmo.
Murray decided to part company with the ex-world number one before his run to the Madrid Masters final, citing a lack of time together as a chief concern.
Prior to Mauresmo, Murray, 28, worked with Ivan Lendl, who guided him to US Open, Wimbledon and Olympic success.
“It doesn’t have to be, but it’s definitely possible it could be an ex-player,” the Briton told BBC Sport.
He said coaches who had played at the very top can “help around the Slams, in the big moments, the big matches”.
The world number three added: “They’ve been there and done it and they understand that.”
Murray said he was unlikely to appoint a new coach before the French Open, which starts on 22 May.
Lendl, who won eight Grand Slam singles titles, worked with Murray for just over two years before the partnership ended in 2014.
In that time, Murray became Olympic champion in 2012 before claiming his first Grand Slam – the US Open – later that year.
The Scot added the Wimbledon crown the following year.
Murray is playing at the Italian Open this week but will begin the process of finding a replacement immediately, through talks with his team and via agents.
He recently brought in former player and long-time friend Jamie Delgado to work with him for 35 to 40 weeks of the year, but he still wants a head coach for 25 weeks of the season.
“There’s a week after the French Open finishes and before Queen’s, so possibly at Queen’s I could try something out,” Murray said.
“I’m not going into a full-time relationship with a coach without having tested it and trialled it.
“I’ve done that with all of my coaches over the years and you do need a bit of time on the court together to see how the practice and the communication is going.”
Having spent just one week together since the Australian Open in January, Murray said his partnership with Mauresmo “just wasn’t working”.
After teaming up with the former Australian Open and Wimbledon champion, 36, at Queen’s Club in June 2014, Murray’s ranking dropped to a low of 12 before rising to a career-high of two.
He also won his first clay-court titles in an impressive run last spring but failed to add to his two Grand Slam titles.
“Although I didn’t win a major while working with her, I got back up to number two in the world and had a positive time,” he said.
“It wasn’t perfect, obviously we would have loved to have won a Grand Slam, but some good things happened as well.”
Asked if they had a proved a point about the ability of female coaches on the men’s tour, Murray added: “Not so much me, I think that was more her.”
Monfils, Dimitrov among early casualties
Dominic Thiem, the No. 13 seed and a winner of two ATP World Tour titles this season, will play Joao Sousa in the second round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia after Thiem defeated Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 on Monday. It was his 30th match win of the year. In 2015 he didn’t achieve the mark until the US Open first round in late August.
“I had a very good start to the season, and now its getting a little bit tougher,” said Thiem. “I didn’t play well over the past two weeks, but I had a good win today. I hope it’s a little bit of a turnaround again.”
Sousa, who is at a career-high No. 30 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, got the better of wild card Lorenzo Sonego 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-5.
Thomaz Bellucci broke a three-match losing streak against Gael Monfils, the No. 14 seed, after a 6-3, 7-6(2) win. The World No. 37, who is making his sixth appearance in Rome, is 6-12 on the season and now faces Pablo Cuevas or Nicolas Mahut. Monfils’ best result at the tournament came on his 2006 debut when he advanced to the semi-finals (l. to Nadal).
Alexander Zverev, who is a part of the ATP’s Next Generation, knocked out Grigor Dimitrov, nine spots higher than him at No. 35 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, 6-1, 6-4 in 69 minutes. Zverev hit 15 winners, including six aces on his tournament debut, while 2014 semi-finalist Dimitrov committed 20 unforced errors.
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez notched his first win over Fabio Fognini in more than four years. Garcia-Lopez, who reached the third round in 2010 and 2015, silenced Italian supporters with a 6-1, 7-6(2) win.
Elsewhere, Ernests Gulbis improved his perfect record to 3-0 against Ivo Karlovic after withstanding 23 aces from the giant Croat in a 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-3 win in just under two hours.
Kohlschreiber/Troicki Save Four Match Points
In doubles action, Philipp Kohlschreiber and Viktor Troicki saved four match points against Henri Kontinen and John Peers for a 6-4, 1-6, 15-13 victory. Kohlschreiber and Troicki recovered from the brink of defeat at 7/9, 10/11 and 11/12 in the Match tie-break.
The Italian shares the last time he lost something important, he paid to rent a tennis court and more…
I missed a flight?
I always get on the flight. I never miss it because I’m changing the flight every last second. The good thing, many times I book the flight when I’m in the transportation. So that’s why I was lucky that I didn’t miss it… Many times I have to rush but the good thing is I never miss it.
I lost something important?
I lost my phone in Rio… I was just leaving in the gym and then I went to practice, I went to shower, and then after two and a half hours, I said, “Oh, I forgot the telephone in the gym.” I went there, and they still had it. They put it in a bag, and they gave it back. So I was very lucky.
I paid money to rent a tennis court or buy tennis balls?
Two years ago… Ortisei, Italy… I was with my girlfriend. She wanted to play tennis. It was a holiday. I called the tournament director. They said, “OK, come when you want.” I was booking the court. I went there and paid for the court… €20.
Being famous helped me?
That has happened sometimes in my home city.
I strung a tennis racquet?
It’s never happened. I never string. No, never learned. I think it’s hard to do that. No idea.
I cooked for myself and others?
That’s also another problem, huh? Because we have many restaurants… I think the last time that I cooked was six, seven years ago. I never cook. I go to the restaurant… I love tortellini so I was cooking tortellini. But I’m not cooking so much.
I met a childhood idol?
When I was young, my idol was Boris Becker but now I see him at many tournaments with Novak (Djokovic)… I was watching him many times when I was young. I think the first time I saw him was at Wimbledon.
I shared a hotel room with another player?
I have with a friend in Italy… Many times he has lived with me during the tournaments… The last time that happened was this year in January.
I asked someone famous for an autograph or selfie?
That’s a good question… I don’t do a lot of pictures. I don’t remember.
Nobody in tennis is surprised by Andy Murray’s split from coach Amelie Mauresmo, says Serena Williams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou.
British two-time Grand Slam winner Murray, 28, and Frenchwoman Mauresmo, 36, mutually ended their two-year working partnership on Monday.
“Everyone knows everyone in the locker rooms and players’ lounges,” said Mouratoglou, who has coached Williams to eight Grand Slams since 2012.
“Obviously something was wrong.”
The Frenchman told BBC Sport that tennis has “codes” which “everyone” knows “how to interpret”.
And Mouratoglou pointed to Mauresmo not being in the players’ box at the Miami Open in March, where the Scot went out in the third round while making 55 unforced errors against Grigor Dimitrov.
In a joint statement about the end of their association, double Grand Slam champion Mauresmo, who gave birth to her first child in August 2015, said dedicating time and travel “has been a challenge”.
Murray, who lost his number two ranking to Roger Federer after his defeat by Novak Djokovic in the Madrid Open final on Sunday, credited Mauresmo’s “calming influence” and added: “We will all miss having her around.”
Murray was previously coached by former world number one Ivan Lendl, under whom he won the 2012 US Open and 2013 Wimbledon titles.
“The only time in his career when he could find this extra thing to win those matches against the top three and win Slams, the Olympics, was when he was with Ivan,” added Mouratoglou.
“But even if he’s not able to make that little extra difference, with his level of play he should be most of the time in the top four.”
Since becoming the first leading male player to employ a female coach in June 2014, Murray has won seven titles – including his first two on clay – and led Great Britain to the Davis Cup title – but failed to add to his two Grand Slam titles.
Swedish former world number four Jonas Bjorkman also left Murray’s coaching team in December.
Former GB Davis Cup captain David Lloyd told BBC Radio 5 live he did not think there was another female coach with “the quality he needs” and tipped “solid” current Davis Cup captain Leon Smith as a contender to be Murray’s new coach.
Lloyd said the decision to appoint Mauresmo was a “very, very brave move”, which “worked in a way”, but added that the timing of the split was “not great” before the French Open later this month.
Murray ends successful partnership with former WTA No. 1
Andy Murray announced today that he has parted company with his coach Amelie Mauresmo.
Murray, who had worked with Mauresmo since June 2014, said, “She’s been a calming influence in the team and we will all miss having her around. I’ll take some time to consider the next steps and how we progress from here, but I’d like to thank her for everything she has done. She’s been an invaluable member of the team.”
The announcement comes a day after the 28 year old lost to World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the final of the Mutua Madrid Open, where Jamie Delgado was in his corner. Delgado was brought in by Murray to support Mauresmo, who gave birth to a boy in August 2015, after this year’s Australian Open.
“Working with Andy over the past two years has been a fantastic experience for me,” said Mauresmo. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed being part of the great team of people he has around him. Dedicating enough time along with the travel has been a challenge for me. I wish him and team well and I hope he goes on to win many more titles.”
Since teaming up on 8 June 2014, Murray has gone 7-5 in tour-level finals. In that time, he reached No. 2 in the Emirates ATP Rankings and was runner-up in the 2015 and 2016 Australian Open finals (l. to Djokovic both times).
Former WTA World No. 1 Mauresmo won the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2006.
Murray has been previously coached by Leon Smith (1998–2004), Pato Alvarez (2003–2005), Mark Petchey (2005–2006), Brad Gilbert (2006–2007), Miles MacLagan (2007–2010), Alex Corretja (2010–2011), Ivan Lendl (2011–2014) and Jonas Bjorkman (2015). Murray won the 2012 London Olympics gold medal, 2012 US Open and 2013 Wimbledon titles with Lendl.
Heather Watson reached the second round of the Italian Open with a 6-4 3-6 6-0 win over world number 14 Sara Errani.
British number two Watson, who went through qualifying to reach the main draw in Rome, defeated the 2012 French Open finalist in two hours and 16 minutes.
Italian Errani needed two medical time-outs during the first set, which featured seven breaks of serve.
But she levelled at one set all before Watson powered away in the decider.
It means that Guernsey-born Watson, 55th in the world, will go through to face the Czech Republic’s Barbora Strycova, ranked 36th, in round two.
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Gasquet maintains perfect record against French compatriot
Tenth seed Milos Raonic saved nine of 11 break point opportunities to beat Marco Cecchinato 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in two hours and 9 minutes for a place in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia second round. Raonic also beat the Italian wild card at last month’s Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters.
“I thought he played better today [than in Monte-Carlo],” said Raonic. “The conditions were a little bit difficult. I should have been a little bit more disciplined with myself in certain scenarios, but I’m happy to win and give myself an opportunity to play better in my next round.”
Raonic goes onto face Nick Kyrgios, who recorded his first win at the Foro Italico, with 10 aces in a 6-1, 6-2 victory over wild card Salvatore Caruso in 61 minutes.
“I’m confident going forward, but at the same time Raonic’s got one of the best serves in the world,” said Kyrgios. “If he’s having a lights-out day when he does everything, you can’t really do too much. I’m going to go out there and do what I have been doing and just compete. If I happen to win, I win.”
Looking ahead to the Kyrgios clash, Raonic said, “He has a lot of firepower. He can do a lot of different things. It’s about sort of getting ahead in the points before he does, because that’s where I’d say both of our games excel at is that aggressive tennis. It’s about who can take control of the points first.”
Richard Gasquet, the No. 11 seed and 2011 semi-finalist, got the better of Julien Benneteau for the fourth time in a 6-3, 6-0 win over 74 minutes. He will next face Andreas Seppi, who edged Vasek Pospisil 7-6(5), 7-6(2).
Elsewhere, Jack Sock will challenge No. 12 seed David Goffin after beating Guido Pella 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 in two hours and 40 minutes.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to an adductor injury. “I just stretched my adductor this morning,” explained the Frenchman. “I was sick when I left Madrid for two days, and I came here and I tried to play a little bit to see how it goes, and this morning I just stretched a little bit my adductor. So I will take rest and recover for the next step. I hope it’s going to be all right.”