Tennis News

Following a less-than-stellar opening to his season at an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi, Chennai defending champion Stan Wawrinka will look to right his earlier wrongs with a solid showing in his tournament opener against rising star Borna Coric. This marks the first time these two competitors will meet on the professional tour and could be a remarkable opportunity for Coric to start his year with a massive upset of a Grand Slam champion.

At the Mubadala World Tennis Championships last week, Stan Wawrinka needed just 61 minutes to dispatch Nicolas Almagro 6-3, 6-2. It was a no-nonsense performance from the world No. 4, as he served with sublime accuracy and had no issues with his one-handed backhand on this occasion. However, faced with the task of fending off world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, Wawrinka failed to win a single set and eventually lost the contest in straight sets. He would even lose the battle for third place against Rafael Nadal, who defeated him 7-6(1), 6-3 after his thrashing at the hands of Andy Murray the previous day.

Already in Chennai, 18-year-old Borna Coric began his season with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Robin Haase. It was a fantastic performance from the youngster in his debut that lasted a total of 66 minutes and sets him up for an entertaining second round encounter against Wawrinka. The Croatian is a formidable force, as he made a memorable impact on the tour when he upset Nadal at the Swiss Indoor Open before reaching the semi-final round of the event.

While this marks the first time that Wawrinka and Coric meet on the professional tour, it has the makings of an intriguing and competitive affair. Wawrinka is yet to find his top form ahead of his Australian Open title defense, while Coric is brimming with confidence and looking for an early upset to turn the tides in 2015.

Prediction: Borna Coric in Three Sets

Following a breakthrough year on the ATP World Tour, Kei Nishikori will look to carry that momentum forth into 2015 as he commences his season at the Brisbane International. The Japanese No. 1 will begin his tournament campaign against Steve Johnson, whom he has only encountered once previously on the professional circuit. Nishikori leads the head-to-head series 1-0.

After reaching the final of the US Open and finishing his season amongst the elite-eight at the World Tour Finals, Nishikori finally believes that he belongs amongst the upper echelon of the competitors on the ATP World Tour. Although he did not manage to win a Grand Slam in 2014, he hopes to duplicate his US Open efforts and also win a Masters 1000 title in the coming season.

“I had great preparation in Florida this off-season,” he said at the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp on Tuesday. “I think the first couple of tournaments of the year are very important [in order] for me to gain a little more confidence.

“I want to do well in the Grand Slams, maybe get to a semi-final or a final if I can. Maybe win a [ATP World Tour] Masters 1000 title. That’s the next goal for me.”

World No. 27 Steve Johnson began his season in Brisbane on Monday, where he defeated local favourite Marinko Matosevic 2-6, 7-6(0) 7-5 in a scrappy comeback effort. The American hit 14 aces and won 78% of his first service points to finish the contest on a high note. He also saved 4 crucial break points during the match.

This marks just the second time that Nishikori and Johnson will meet on the professional tour, with the Japanese No. 1 leading the head-to-head series 1-0. That lone encounter took place at Halle last season, which makes this their first ever hard court meeting. Given Nishikori’s success on this surface, he should have the advantage against Johnson on Wednesday.

Prediction: Kei Nishikori in Three Sets

After taking part in a turbulent year on the professional tour, where his results were as mixed as the expectations placed on his shoulders, Grigor Dimitrov will look to make the most of his potential in 2015. The Bulgarian star will begin his season in Brisbane, where he will face France’s Jeremy Chardy in the second round of the tournament. Having met twice previously on the tour, the pair split those matches and are left with a 1-1 head-to-head record going into their third ever professional meeting.

Currently ranked at world No. 11, Dimitrov is on the cusp of becoming a mainstay member of the upper echelon on the ATP World Tour. He complied a 50-18 record on the tour last season, including three titles and nearly $3million in prize money. He reached the semi-final of two Masters events (Rome, Canada) as well as the final four at the 2014 Wimbledon Championships. After a poor showing at the Paris Bercy, he failed to qualify for a spot in the ATP World Tour Finals and rejected the offer to become an alternate in the draw.

France’s Jeremy Chardy began his season in Brsibane with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Andrey Golubev of Kazahkstan. He needed just one break in each set to secure the victory and reach the second round of the tournament, where he will contest a battle against the No. 4 seed.

This marks the third time that Dimitrov and Chardy will meet on the tour, with the series tied at 1-1. Both their previous encounters took place at Grand Slam events, with Chardy winning on home soil at the 2013 French Open, while Dimtrov rebounded with a win at the Australian Open the following year. Given that the Bulgarian is better on hard courts, he should find his way into the quarter-final round of the tournament.

Prediction: Grigor Dimitrov in Three Sets

Following a surprising withdrawal in the final of the Mubadala World Tennis Championships in Abu Dhabi with an illness, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic will look to kick off his professional season on a higher note after a weekend’s rest. The Serbian star will begin his week in Doha against fellow countryman Dusan Lajovic, whom he has never faced on the professional tour.

Before he was forced to withdraw from the event, Djokovic put on an entertaining showing in his first match of 2015. He stormed through his encounter against Stan Wawrinka, as he won 10 of 11 games to lead 6-1, 4-0 without even breaking a sweat. He would drop just two more games in the entire match to defeat his rival 6-1, 6-2 and secure his spot in the final against another one of his noted adversaries. Sadly, he was unable to contest the final against Andy Murray.

“Unfortunately I am not to be able to play in the final in Abu Dhabi tonight,” Djokovic announced. “I’ve been sick today with a fever and I’m not fit to play. I said after my match last night, the crowds here have shown their love of tennis again this year and always inspire me to play my best, so I am hugely disappointed not to be able to play for them.”I’ve had another great weekend in Abu Dhabi, meeting fans and coaching young players, and played some great tennis against the best players in the world.”

World No. 68 Dusan Lajovic has been on a steady rise through the ATP World Tour ranks after compiling a 16-19 record on the tour in 2014. Strong showings in Bastad and Hamburg were particularly beneficial to his ranking points.

This marks the first time that these two countrymen will meet on the professional tour and will likely make for a one-sided contest favouring the top seed. Although Djokovic is coming off a fever, should he decide to play, he won’t have much trouble against Lajovic.

Prediction: Novak Djokovic in Straight Sets

After taking part in an exhibition event to warm up ahead of week one on the tour, Czech no. 1 Tomas Berdych will meet Denis Istomin in the opening round of the Qatar Exxon Mobil Open tournament in Doha. Berdych remains undefeated with a 3-0 record in the head-to-head series.

Last week, Berdych took part in the inaugural exhibition tournament, the World Tennis Thailand Championships in Hua Hin, alongside five other players on the tour. In the final, Berdych defeated Milos Raonic 7-6(4), 6-3 to lift the title. He will now look ahead to Doha, where he is faced with a draw that includes world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and world No. 3 Rafael Nadal.

World No. 48 Denis Istomin compiled a 28-26 record on the tour in 2014, with notable performances in Sydney, Montpellier, Dusseldorf and Eastboure. He even reached the third round of the Wimbledon Championships, where he lost to Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka in straight sets.

This marks the fourth time that these two competitors will meet on the professional tour, with Berdych leading the head-to-head series 3-0. The Czech star won two of those matches in 2010 – one on hard and one at Wimbledon – while the more recent encounter took place on clay at the Rome Masters event in 2013. Unless Berych is weary from his travels over the weekend, he should manage to secure a spot in the second round of the tournament.

Prediction: Tomas Berdych in Three Sets

20-year-old Laura Robson will officially miss the Australian Open due to a wrist injury suffered at the start of 2014.

The BBC first reported the news.

The former British No. 1 was forced onto the sidelines in January with a left wrist injury and watched her hard work and ranking deteriorate whilst other competitors rose to prominence over the year. She has not played a match since her first round loss to Kirsten Flipkens in the opening round of the Australian Open.

Robson reached a career-high of No. 27 on the tour and reached the fourth round of Wimbledon Championships, as well as the third rounds of the Australian Open the French Open and the U.S. Open. However, since her absence from the tour, she has dropped from No. 27 to No. 916.

After parting ways with coach Miles Maclagan in the fall of 2013 and having Nick Saviano snatched full time by Bouchard, Robson has been working with coach Mauricio Hadad, and plans to continue working with him for the foreseeable future. He previously worked with Heather Watson and works for Nick Bolletteri in Florida.

While her ranking is low, Robson will likely get wildcard offers into events when she plans to return in February. She will also take part in ITF events to boost her ranking.