In Houston for the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship, #NextGen star Frances Tiafoe shares the last time…

I missed a flight?
Last year, first week in November going to the Knoxville Challenger. I was just joking around on my phone, and then I got into a (Friday Night Lights) episode on Netflix, and I was literally right next to the gate and right next to the flight agent and just missed it, didn’t even hear it. That was pretty embarrassing… (I said to the flight agent), “There’s no way you said it,” and they were like, “Of course I did. I said it a million times. Everyone’s on the flight.” It was pretty embarrassing… Then I just went home and then told my mom and she was pretty upset. She said, “You’re just not a smart kid.”

I lost something important?
Actually today, I can’t really find my credit card. Ha, ha. But then I just found it… I lose stuff all the time so that’s an everyday occurrence… I was about to cancel it but it turned out it was just in my pants.

I paid money to rent a tennis court or buy tennis balls?
Never… I don’t think I’ve ever paid to play tennis… back home sometimes you have to buy balls but never have to pay to play on a court.

Being famous helped me?
I’m starting to get decently known in (Washington) D.C. and… I was at (an Outback Steakhouse in late December) and one woman said she’s going to pay for my dinner. So that was pretty cool. I was with my brother…I got the bill and the (waiter) said the woman over there paid for it. So I went over and said thank you and hugged her, and said, “You didn’t have to do that, really”… I had no idea who she was. I’d never seen her in my life… She said, “I’m a big fan,” and then I said, “Is there anything I can do?” (She said), “No, just keep doing you.”

I strung a tennis racquet?
Never strung a tennis racquet. I did the crosses once (about a year ago), but it just takes too long, and I just got lazy, and then said screw it. I just never cared to learn. It’s too much of an effort for me, I think… (The crosses) took me about 45 minutes. I was trying to be all precise with it. Because there were already mains on it and to do the crosses, you have to keep weaving, keep weaving, I said, “Nah, this is too much of a grind.”

I cooked for myself and others?
The last time I cooked for myself it went pretty bad. It was in (December) and I was in my apartment. I was with a bunch of friends. And I said, yeah, I got this. My mom does this at home all the time. I watched her, and it just started going bad, everything was burnt. I was like, “Oh my God. Any takeout?”… I’ve never doing that again… No fires, so that was good… I was trying to make some lasagna and I just overcooked it, and just so bad… It was a goner… We said, “McDonald’s sounds good!”

I met a childhood idol?
I met Paul Pierce at a Washington Wizards game during the playoffs last year. That was unbelievable. I couldn’t believe I met Paul Pierce. Obviously his legacy and the big three – him, Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett. It was unbelievable seeing him.

I shared a hotel room with another player?
Maui… in January was the last time. It was me, Stefan Kozlov, Michael Mmoh, and we had a blast… We were just joking around, would go on the beach every day. I felt like I wasn’t even playing a tournament… It was the three of us, two beds. I would sleep with Koz most of the days. Mmoh moves too much, so we just gave him his own bed. It was fun. It’s probably the most fun I’ve had at a tournament in a long time… I slept well. Stefan’s a heavy sleeper. I’d sometimes wake up with his arm around me. I’d try to move him, and he just doesn’t move, he’s like a stone.

I asked someone famous for an autograph or selfie?
I saw Dwyane Wade in the locker room of the Miami Heat (in December). We had a connect there… I took a selfie with him, I was with my girlfriend. It was unbelievable.

Next Generation star Borna Coric, former Grand Prix Hassan II champion Paul-Henri Mathieu, Italian Simone Bolelli and local wild card Reda El Amrani took some time off on Sunday to enjoy Marrakech, visiting the famous Menara Gardens.

The players were picked up from their hotel and driven to Menara in a horse-drawn carriage. Menara Gardens is a former weekend residence of the royal family. It includes a large swimming pool and offers panoramic views of the Atlas Mountains.

“It’s nice to see something of the city and the landscape,” said Bolelli. “Marrakech is a beautiful city and I’m looking forward to playing here.”

Mathieu, who won the tournament in 2007 when it took place in Casablanca, is happy to be back in Morocco. “I really had fun today. [Tournament Director] Hicham [Arazi] arranged a really nice tour for us and it was nice to get to see a bit more of the city.”

View Marrakech Draw

The Grand Prix Hassan II, inaugurated in 1986, is entirely funded by Morocco’s King Mohammed VI. Marrakech, newly relocated from Casablanca in 2016, is the only ATP World Tour stop on the African continent. Two Moroccans have won the title in their home country: Hicham Arazi in 1997 and Younes El Aynaoui in 2002.

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, Joao Sousa and Coric are the top three seeds at the 2016 edition of this ATP World Tour 250 clay-court tournament.

Spring Clay Season Commences: The focus shifts to the red clay in April with eight tournaments on the ATP World Tour taking place. The lone North American clay tournament in Houston and the only African event of the season in Marrakech, which is a new stop, kick off the swing. There are 12 clay court tournaments in the next seven weeks, leading into Roland Garros, which begins on May 22.

Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship (Houston): This year’s event will mark the 82^nd tournament hosted at River Oaks Country Club. The last four winners are in the 28-player field, with reigning champion Jack Sock, 2014 titlist Fernando Verdasco, 2013 champ John Isner, who is the top seed for the second time in three years, and 2012 titleholder Juan Monaco. The other seeds are: No. 2 Benoit Paire, No. 3 Feliciano Lopez, No. 4 Sock, No. 5/two-time finalist Sam Querrey, No. 6 Steve Johnson, No. 7 Marcos Baghdatis and No. 8 Denis Kudla. Overall, there are seven players in the Top 50 Emirates ATP Rankings in the draw.

Reigning Champion: Last year Sock defeated countryman Querrey 76(9) 76(2) to earn his maiden ATP World Tour singles crown. It was the first all-American final in Houston since 2003 (Agassi d. Roddick). Sock came in unseeded and ranked No. 46 before winning his last 10 sets (lost the opening set). Sock went on to reach the 4R at Roland Garros (l. to Nadal), his best career Grand Slam singles result. He finished a year-end best No. 26. This season he opened with a runner-up in Auckland (ret. vs. Bautista Agut) and afterwards reached a career-high No. 22 on Jan. 18.

Milestone Watch: Isner is four match wins away from reaching 300 in his career (296-183). The 30-year-old American comes in with an 8-6 match record on the season. He helped the U.S. to the Davis Cup quarter-finals (vs. Croatia) with a pair of wins in Australia. His last four losses have come in a third-set tie-break. He is 9-9 in tie-breaks on the season. Isner is making his ninth straight appearance in Houston (11-7 record) and he won his first clay court title in 2013 (d. Almagro). The last two years he lost in the opening round (after bye to D. Brown, Gabashvili). Last season Isner finished a year-end best No. 11 in the Emirates ATP Rankings.

Next Generation in Draw: There are three members of the ATP World Tour’s Next Generation in the main draw: last year’s ATP Most Improved Player of the Year, 19-year-old Hyeon Chung of Korea along with 18-year-old wild cards Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe. Paul won the Roland Garros boys’ title last year and was runner-up at the US Open boys’ tournament. He is expected to crack the Top 200 (from No. 215) after qualifying at the Miami Open. Tiafoe is ranked a career-high No. 167.

Querrey Starts Strong: No. 3 American and 2010 & last year’s runner-up Querrey is off to a 12-6 start this season, having captured his eighth career ATP World Tour title in Delray Beach (d. Ram) in February. Querrey has an 11-6 career record in Houston and along with his two runner-up finishes, he advanced to the SF in 2014.

Spaniards Return: Madrid natives Lopez and Verdasco are both playing in Houston for the fourth time. Lopez has a 4-3 record, reaching the SF in his 2012 debut while Verdasco won the title two years ago and SF last year. Verdasco has an 8-2 record at River Oaks Country Club.

Bryans Back: Five-time U.S. Clay Courts champions Bob and Mike Bryan, who      have finished No. 1 on the ATP World Tour in 10 of the last 13 years, are making their 12th appearance in Houston. They have won five titles (2007, ‘09’-10-11, ’14) in their last seven visits (DNP ’08, ’12) and have compiled a 24-2 mark since 2007. They are looking for their first title of the year. Their best result is a runner-up in Delray Beach. Their last title came at ATP Masters 1000 Montreal last August.

Grand Prix Hassan II (Marrakech): The only African tournament on the ATP World Tour, the Grand Prix Hassan II, inaugurated in 1986 in Casablanca, takes place at the newly relocated Royal Tennis Club de Marrakech. Leading the way is top seed and 2014 champion Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, No. 2 Joao Sousa, No. 3 Borna Coric, No. 4 Federico Delbonis, No. 5 Teymuraz Gabashvili, No. 6 Albert Ramos-Vinolas, No. 7 Pablo Carreno Busta and No. 8 Jiri Vesely.

Spanish Success: A Spaniard has hoisted the Casablanca trophy in five of the last seven years, with Stan Wawrinka lifting the trophy in 2010 and Martin Klizan last year. The Spanish winners are Garcia-Lopez (2014), Tommy Robredo (2013), Pablo Andujar, who won back-to-back titles in 2011-12,  and Juan Carlos Ferrero (2009). There are a tournament-high eight Spaniards in the main draw, including three former finalists: Daniel Gimeno-Traver (2015), Albert Ramos-Vinolas (2012) and Albert Montanes (2007).

Garcia-Lopez Top Seed: Garcia-Lopez, who won the title two years ago, is the top seed in the tournament for the second straight year. The 32-year-old Spaniard is making his fifth straight tournament appearance and eighth overall (10-6 record). Along with his title, Garcia-Lopez has reached the QFs three times. This season he has compiled a 6-8 match record with his best results the QFs in Chennai and Sofia. He also advanced to the 3R at the Australian Open.

Almagro on the Move: Former World No. 9 Nicolas Almagro is making his third tournament appearance and last year he returned for the first time in 10 years to reach the quarter-finals. In February, he reached the final in Buenos Aires with wins over No. 9 Tsonga (QF) and No. 6 Ferrer (SF) before losing to Thiem in a 3^rd set TB.

Morocco’s Hope: The are three local players in the draw: wild cards Amine Ahouda, Reda El Amrani and Lamine Ouahab. The 31-year-old Ouahab is the No. 1 Moroccan player at No. 315 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Moroccans won titles in 1997 with current tournament director Hicham Arazi and Younes El Aynaoui in 2002.

Next Generation Star: No. 3 seed Borna Coric, who is making his tournament debut, is the only teenager in the Top 50 Emirates ATP Rankings at No. 46. The 19-year-old Croat opened the season by reaching his maiden ATP World Tour final in Chennai (l. to Wawrinka).

Defending Champ Out: Reigning champion Martin Klizan withdrew from the tournament due to an ongoing foot injury. The No. 1 Slovak Republic player won the biggest ATP World Tour title of his career at the 500 level tournament in Rotterdam in February (d. Monfils).       

In Case You Missed It

Novak Djokovic downed Kei Nishikori in Miami to win a record 28^th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title. Read

Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut captured their second consecutive ATP World Tour Masters 1000 doubles title. Read

Birthdays

4 April – Dudi Sela (31)

6 April – Robin Haase (29)

7 April – Pere Riba (28) 

Ranking Movers

13 – David Goffin (+2, career-best)

20 – Nick Kyrgios (+6, career-best)

79 – Taylor Fritz (+2, career-best)

Milestones

Houston Singles

Marcos Baghdatis – 297 wins

John Isner – 296 wins

Benjamin Becker – 148 wins

Houston Doubles

Philipp Petzschner – 148 wins

Marrakech Singles

Albert Montanes – 248 wins

Albert Ramos-Vinolas – 97 wins

Marrakech Doubles

Maximo Gonzalez – 49 wins

Michael Venus – 46 wins

The tennis family is rallying around former player and coach Ricardo Acuna, who is battling Alzheimer’s disease.

A pro-am was held Wednesday to raise funds for the Chilean former Top 50 player, ATP and USTA national coach. Chilean gold medallists Fernando Gonzalez and Nicolas Massu, along with current and formers players Brian Baker, Brian Gottfried, Tommy Paul, Reilly Opelka, Giovanni Lapentti, Diego Moyano and Raleigh Smith took part in a pro-am at the Royal Palm Tennis Club in Pinecrest, just south of Miami.

Additionally, a Go Fund Me page has been set up to raise funds for his care.

Former player Andres Pedroso, who helped to set up the pro-am, said that Acuna was a mentor when he worked as a USTA national coach in Boca Raton, Florida. “Ricardo took me under his wing, taught me a lot and helped me become a better coach for the players I was working with,” Pedroso said.

“He was always very loyal and an important lesson he taught me over dinner once is that true friendship involves staying in touch with people, asking how they are doing, keeping up with their lives, asking about their families. It wasn’t just about the tennis; he exposed me to another side of life. He taught me to invest in people and I have never forgotten that. I have tried to live that way.”

Acuna, now 58, played college tennis at Northwestern State University in Louisiana, where he was an all-American in 1979. As a pro he reached a career-high singles Emirates ATP Ranking of 47 in 1986 and he won three doubles titles. One of his most memorable runs came at Wimbledon in 1985, when he defeated David Pate and future champion Pat Cash en route to the quarter-finals. Acuna also served on the ATP Player Council during his career.

Brian Gottfried, who played Acuna just once in 1983, said: “He was an unusual player to hail from Chile; he was one of the few South Americans who played better on a faster surface. He was a good serve and volleyer and an accomplished doubles player.”

Gottfried spent much more time with Acuna after both retired when they worked side by side at the ATP Tennis Club at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. When the club opened in 1989, Acuna was the club’s first head pro and he later became tennis director when Gottfried was promoted to general manager.

“Ricardo showed tremendous loyalty and work ethic and was always a great team player, covering whatever needed to be done,” Gottfried said. “He did a lot of teaching for us and he had clients who would stay with him for so long that we joked that those clients were his college trust fund for his kids.

“He brought in pros to train at the ATP club and he still could handle most of them even when he stopped playing professionally. He kept himself in great shape and was always doing something physical, whether it was tennis, golf or soccer, and he was always smiling.”

J. Wayne Richmond, a former ATP executive and now the general manager of the Emirates Airline US Open Series, says that he treasures his friendship with Acuna. “I was fortunate to meet Ricardo during his great quarter-final run at Wimbledon in 1985 and we continued our friendship through when we both came to work at the ATP in Ponte Vedra.  He loved the sport and made friends with everyone he met along the way. A true pro in every sense of the word. Ricardo was so much fun to be around on and off the court.”

American player Brian Baker said that Acuna was instrumental in his development: “He was the first coach I worked full time with from the USTA. I met him when I was 14 or 15 and in my last couple of junior years he would travel with me. When I turned pro he’d travel with me, Amer Delic, Bobby Reynolds and a little bit with Rajeev [Ram].

“Ricardo was a great coach but also a really good friend. He had a no-nonsense approach to practice which I enjoyed; although practices were hard you felt like you accomplished a lot. He took his job seriously and he worked hard and stayed in shape. He remained a really good player and early on he’d beat us pretty bad when we played.

“He could also easily flip roles from on court to off the court, where he had a lively personality and he could joke around with the best of us. He was always up for doing something. When he lived in Ponte Vedra I would come down to train with him and stay with him and his wife and kids (Rachel and Christian).”

As Acuna’s family, friends and colleagues coalesce to support him during his battle with Alzheimer’s, Gottfried best sums up the feeling within the tennis family. “This is something we want to do for Ricardo, not for charity, but to say thank you for touching our lives.”