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Korda: 'I Was Kind Of Just Praying That It Would Stop Hurting'

  • Posted: Oct 12, 2023

Korda: ‘I Was Kind Of Just Praying That It Would Stop Hurting’

American reflects on comeback from wrist injury

At his best, Sebastian Korda’s game appears effortless. The American crushes the ball with smooth strokes and often takes the racquet out of his opponent’s hand. It is that aggressive tennis that has helped the 23-year-old reach his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final this week at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

But finding this level has not been easy for Korda, who has struggled throughout the year with a wrist injury.

“My injury actually started last year, probably around this time. I was battling with a wrist, then it was okay, then it got progressively worse during the training block right before the Australian Open,” Korda said. “I played in Adelaide, it was okay. As I started playing best-of-five, a lot of matches, against a lot of really big servers, especially going to the forehand, it was difficult. It started hurting a lot.

“Then, it was just a super long journey from there. I was out for three months, and just had to re-learn, basically, all the tennis stuff that I did, especially with the wrist. Basically every single practice, every single forehand that I hit, I was kind of just praying that it would stop hurting, and it just never would.”

Korda admitted that occasionally he still has some issues, especially on the forehand side.

“I just don’t have a lot of reps, you could say, on my forehand side — on my forehand, on my forehand volleys, returning,” Korda said. “It’s just something that will come. I’ve just got to play a lot more matches, a lot more practices and hopefully it becomes normal again.”

The American is 21st in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin despite all the time he has missed this year. At the beginning of the season, he held championship point against Novak Djokovic in the Adelaide final and defeated Daniil Medvedev en route to the Australian Open quarter-finals.

“Missed three months, but I also missed another four months of kind of re-learning how to do everything,” Korda said. “I lost a lot of time this year with my injury, and, yeah, it’s definitely sucked, but right now I’m starting to really get back into it, playing some really good tennis again, some high-level tennis, and hopefully the results will follow.”

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Korda Outlasts Shelton In Shanghai Thriller

That has been the case this week in Shanghai, where last week’s Astana finalist Korda has defeated Medvedev, Francisco Cerundolo and Ben Shelton en route to the semi-finals. He needed a final-set tie-break to oust Shelton — with whom he shared a nice post-match moment at the net — for a place in the last four.

“It was definitely a really good moment. Ben’s a really good guy. He’s got a great family. We’ve started to know each other really well these past couple months. We have a great relationship together. We played doubles one time, will definitely play again in the future,” Korda said. “I think we just talked about the tie-break and we were just kind of laughing.

“He’s an incredible player, he’s electric, he’s fun to watch. He’s fun to play against, honestly. I had a lot of fun during the match today. Honestly, just shows also the type of person that he is. He’s incredibly nice, always has a smile on his face, and just a really great guy all around.”

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Korda Outlasts Shelton In Shanghai Thriller

  • Posted: Oct 12, 2023

Korda Outlasts Shelton In Shanghai Thriller

American will play Hurkacz in maiden ATP Masters 1000 semi-final

Two of the bright lights of American tennis clashed for the first time on Thursday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. Sebastian Korda and Ben Shelton’s quarter-final meeting did not disappoint.

Korda prevailed 6-7(10), 6-2, 7-6(6) against his #NextGenATP countryman Shelton in the first all-American ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final since 2017. Shelton was energetic on court as always and sent down 17 aces with his booming lefty serve, but it was the calm and collected 26th seed Korda who held firm to win despite letting slip five match points from 6/1 in the deciding-set tie-break.

“It’s super cool,” said Korda, when asked about reaching his maiden Masters 1000 semi-final. “I played a really high level. Ben did as well, so I think it was a really high level. We had a lot of great points out there and hopefully it’s the first of many battles that we play against each other.

“He’s such an electric tennis player and it was a lot of fun to share the court with him today.”

The thrilling climax was the second tie-break of a pulsating encounter under the closed roof of Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena. Shelton had clinched an opening set in which Korda started more confidently but could not make inroads against Shelton’s serve. The 21-year-old Shelton saved a set point at 8/9 in the tie-break before converting his fifth set point to deflate Korda after his positive start.

That disappointment did not deter the World No. 26, however. Korda raced to the second set, breaking three times, as Shelton began to show signs of fatigue. That pattern continued into the decider, when Korda surged 4-2 ahead, but Shelton maintained power and accuracy with his forehand to rally and set up the closing tie-break drama. He was unable to complete the comeback, however, as Korda advanced having converted five of 16 break points he earned.

“I’m just thankful to stay calm,” said Korda after staving off Shelton’s late charge. “I played some bad points but I always believed in myself, even at 6/6. I just thought about putting the return in the court, somehow getting my racquet on it and luckily I finished it off then.”

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Bulking Up: Korda Building The Body For Big Time Tennis

With his two-hour, 55-minute triumph, Korda became the first semi-finalist from the United States in Shanghai tournament history and improved to 7-5 against Top 20 opponents this season. The 23-year-old, who upset World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev in the third round, will take on 16th seed Hubert Hurkacz in his maiden Masters 1000 semi-final after the Pole earlier defeated Fabian Marozsan 4-6, 6-1, 6-3.

“I’ve been playing some really good tennis the past couple of weeks,” said Korda, who is now 26-13 for the season. “I had a good result in Zhuhai, then went to Astana and made the final and now the semis here. I’m playing some good tennis now and hopefully I can keep it going and keep playing the way I’m playing.”

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Doumbia/Reboul Upset Koolhof/Skupski In Shanghai

  • Posted: Oct 12, 2023

Doumbia/Reboul Upset Koolhof/Skupski In Shanghai

Chengdu champions reach maiden ATP Masters 1000 semi-final

Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul’s success on Chinese soil continued Thursday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, where the French duo downed second seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski 7-6(5), 6-4 to reach the semi-finals.

Doumbia and Reboul, who lifted their maiden ATP Tour title in Chengdu two weeks ago, delivered a top-class serving performance against Koolhof and Skupski to reach the last four at an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time. They won 81 per cent (38/47) of points behind their first delivery for a one-hour, 48-minute triumph.


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The sixth seeds Doumbia and Reboul are now 26-18 for the season. The pair has won two ATP Challenger Tour titles this year, alongside its Chengdu triumph, and is currently 16th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings. Lifting the biggest title of their careers in Shanghai would boost Doumbia and Reboul as they look to make a late charge at qualification for the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals.

Their semi-final opponents in China will be the winner’s of Thursday’s night-session match between fourth seeds Rohan Bopanna/Matthew Ebden and eighth seeds Marcelo Arevalo/Jean-Julien Rojer.

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Hurkacz Rallies To End Marozsan Run, Reach Shanghai SFs

  • Posted: Oct 12, 2023

Hurkacz Rallies To End Marozsan Run, Reach Shanghai SFs

Pole to face Shelton or Korda in last four at ATP Masters 1000

Hubert Hurkacz kept his cool in the face of an early Fabian Marozsan onslaught to book a semi-final berth Thursday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

The 16th-seeded Pole prevailed 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 to end Marozsan’s dream run at the ATP Masters 1000 event. After twice dropping his serve in the opening set as his Hungarian opponent made inroads with clean baseline hitting off both wings, Hurkacz dialled in behind his delivery and lost just nine points on serve across the second and third sets for a one-hour, 43-minute triumph.

“He came with some really great shots, and I just needed to stay positive and keep committing to the gameplan,” said Hurkacz after his win. “To be aggressive, because if I dropped anything short he was just taking advantage of it and coming with some really incredible shots. I knew I had to stay on point today.”

Hurkacz converted five of 11 break points he earned overall in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Hungary’s Marozsan, who had upset Alex de Minaur and Casper Ruud en route to his first Masters 1000 quarter-final. The six-time ATP Tour champion Hurkacz finished with 39 winners, including 18 aces, to improve to 6-5 in Masters 1000 quarter-finals.

It was a Tour-leading 21st deciding-set victory of the 2023 season for Hurkacz, who is five clear of second-placed Francisco Cerundolo in that category. Now into the last four for the first time in three Shanghai appearances, he will meet 19th seed Ben Shelton or 26th seed Sebastian Korda next as he chases his second Masters 1000 crown (after Miami 2021).

Thursday’s comeback win could also prove crucial in setting up the Pole for a late charge towards Nitto ATP Finals qualification. The 26-year-old Hurkacz, who made his only appearance at the prestigious season finale in 2021, is currently 15th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. He is 975 points behind eighth-placed Holger Rune but could close that gap to 335 points by lifting the trophy in Shanghai.

Despite defeat, Marozsan can look back on another breakthrough run in Shanghai. The 24-year-old, who upset Carlos Alcaraz in May en route to the fourth round as a qualifier in Rome, has risen 26 spots to No. 65 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings as a result of his exploits in China. The Hungarian will comfortably improve on his previous career high of No. 82 in Monday’s update of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

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Alcaraz: ‘You Can Improve More From Defeats Than Wins’

  • Posted: Oct 12, 2023

Alcaraz: ‘You Can Improve More From Defeats Than Wins’

Spaniard reflects on his performance during Asian Swing

Carlos Alcaraz does not plan on dwelling too much on his three-set defeat to Grigor Dimitrov in the Round of 16 at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. Instead, the Spaniard is eager to return to the practice court after tallying a 5-2 record during the Asian Swing.

“I always say that you can improve more from the defeats than the wins. After this trip, I took a lot of lessons to improve, to be better,” Alcaraz said in his press conference. “As I said in Beijing, I have to work on a few things to beat the best guys and after this loss, it [happened] not too much time ago, so I have to think about it. But I will take a lot of lessons to improve in practice before the tournaments that I have ahead.

“I think I’m playing great tennis. Even if I didn’t make the quarter-finals [in Shanghai] or lost in the semi-finals [in Beijing], I think I’m playing great tennis. So I have to practise at my 100 per cent in the weeks before Basel. That is the next tournament for me, so I’ll try to make my best in that tournament.”

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Dimitrov Upsets Alcaraz In Shanghai

The No. 2 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings appeared in good position to battle through against the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion after winning the first set. But Dimitrov maintained his level and Alcaraz was never able to find the answers he so often does to turn the momentum back in his favour.

“Probably I had to start the second set better. I think I made a few mistakes in the first game that I shouldn’t do. That is the truth,” Alcaraz said. “It was a little bit of a surprise for me as well, the way that he started the second set after let’s say a tough first set for him.

“He didn’t make up and downs in his game after a really good first set. He started really well the second set, and kept that level, that intensity during the second set and the third set. He didn’t let me put my game on the match. I was all the time fighting to find a way to put the match on my own game, but I couldn’t. And I think that was the key of the match.”

Although Alcaraz lamented a missed opportunity in Asia to make up ground on Novak Djokovic in the battle for ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone, he made sure to credit Dimitrov for his performance to earn his first win in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

“I think he played great. He played a great match since the beginning until the last ball. No up and downs in his game,” Alcaraz said. “Comparing to the matches that we’ve played before, he was on another level today. So congratulations to him and I have to be better if I want to beat this Grigor.”

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With Alcaraz Loss, Djokovic Still Leads Battle For Year-End No. 1

  • Posted: Oct 12, 2023

With Alcaraz Loss, Djokovic Still Leads Battle For Year-End No. 1

Shanghai loss could prove costly for Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz had an opportunity to seize control of the battle for ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone in Shanghai. Instead, Novak Djokovic remains in pole position to claim the honour.

Had Alcaraz reached the final of the Rolex Paris Masters, the Spaniard would have passed Djokovic for first place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, which serves as a barometer for the year-end No. 1 battle. However, the 20-year-old lost in the Round of 16 to Grigor Dimitrov.

Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin Standings

 Player  Points
 1) Novak Djokovic  8,945
 2) Carlos Alcaraz  8,445

That result leaves Djokovic in the lead by 500 points with one month to go until the Nitto ATP Finals. There is time for Alcaraz to bridge the gap, but his defeat to Dimitrov could prove an important moment in the battle.

“With this loss, I’m a little bit farther and it’s going to be tougher if I want to be No. 1,” Alcaraz said. “I have a few tournaments ahead, so I will try to do my best. I will try to win them if I want to have a chance to end the year as No. 1. I don’t know, but right right now I lost a lot of opportunities to make it.”

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Dimitrov Upsets Alcaraz In Shanghai

Djokovic owns the record for most ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone finishes with seven, the most recent of which came in 2021. Alcaraz last year became the youngest player in history to achieve the feat.

Alcaraz is next scheduled to compete in the Swiss Indoors Basel, an ATP 500 event at which he could earn 500 points and tie Djokovic by winning the title. Both men are set to play in the final ATP Masters 1000 event of the year, the Rolex Paris Masters, the following week.

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Federer Among Forbes' Top 10 Highest-Paid Athletes

  • Posted: Oct 11, 2023

Federer Among Forbes’ Top 10 Highest-Paid Athletes

The Swiss is ninth on the star-studded list

Roger Federer was named by Forbes as one of the world’s 10 highest-paid athletes, a list led by football superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

According to Forbes, the 20-time major champion Federer earned $95.1 million dollars between 1 May 2022 and 1 May 2023. Federer’s lone on-court appearance in that 12-month period came at the Laver Cup. Federer, who is ninth on the list, earned the most ‘off-field’ out of the Top 10 athletes.

The 42-year-old played his final match at last year’s Laver Cup, where he partnered longtime friend and rival Rafael Nadal in a doubles match against Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe. Last month in Vancouver, Federer returned as a spectator at the Laver Cup, an event the Swiss co-founded and also competed in four times, lifting the trophy with Team Europe in its first three editions from 2017-19. 

The exclusive highest-paid athletes list also includes icons such as Kylian Mbappé and LeBron James. Ronaldo topped the list at $136 million, with Messi not far behind at $130 million.

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Paes Wins International Tennis Hall Of Fame Fan Vote

  • Posted: Oct 11, 2023

Paes Wins International Tennis Hall Of Fame Fan Vote

Class of 2024 to be announced later this year

Indian Leander Paes topped the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Fan Vote for the Class of 2024 while Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic finished second in the vote and Spain’s Carlos Moya placed third, the International Tennis Hall of Fame announced Thursday.

Fan Voting is one of two steps in the Hall of Fame’s election process. In addition to the Fan Vote, an Official Voting Group comprised of tennis journalists, historians, and Hall of Famers, vote on the Class of 2024 ballot. By winning the Fan Vote, Paes will receive an additional three percentage points added to his vote total.

During the 10-day voting window, tens of thousands of fans representing 145 countries cast their ballots for candidates in the Player Category. Fans were able to vote for as many of the nominees they believe are deserving of induction into the Hall of Fame.


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To be elected into the Hall of Fame, a candidate must receive an affirmative vote of 75 per cent or higher on combined results of the Official Voting Group and any bonus percentage points earned in the Fan Vote. Once voting is complete, the Class of 2024 will be announced later this year.

Paes is the first Asian man and the first individual from India to be nominated for the Hall of Fame in the Player Category. He is a winner of 18 major titles, including eight in doubles and 10 in mixed doubles, and is one of only three men in tennis history to achieve a career Grand Slam in both disciplines. Paes topped the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings for 37 weeks, and spent an additional 462 weeks inside the Top 10.

Paes, who retired in 2020, competed for India in on the international stage for three decades, finishing his Davis Cup career as the record-holder for the most doubles tie victories (43). He competed in a record seven Olympic games, capturing the bronze medal in singles at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

Paes, Ivanovic and Moya join Zimbabwe’s Cara Black, Canada’s Daniel Nestor, and Italy’s Flavia Pennetta on the ballot in the Player Category. Vijay Amritraj and the United Kingdom’s Richard Evans are nominated in the Contributor Category, which is not considered as part of Fan Voting and is determined by the Official Voting Group only.

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Rock Solid Rublev Reaches Shanghai QFs

  • Posted: Oct 11, 2023

Rock Solid Rublev Reaches Shanghai QFs

The 25-year-old will next meet Humbert

Fifth seed Andrey Rublev produced a clean performance Wednesday to down Tommy Paul 7-5, 7-5 and reach the Rolex Shanghai Masters quarter-finals.

The 25-year-old Rublev struck the ball with weight, crushing 23 winners as he forced the American to play defence throughout the one-hour, 35-minute battle. Rublev earned a pivotal break in the 11th game of the second set before closing the match on his serve. The 14-time tour-level titlist improved to 5-1 in his Lexus ATPHead2Head series with Paul.

“I was able to be a bit more calm, [not] get frustrated, especially when he broke me in the first set,” Rublev said when evaluating what made the difference in the match. “I was playing really well. I was a bit unlucky that I had 15/40 in the beginning and he played two points really good. Then he broke me and I was able to keep the same level. That’s why I was able to break him back and in the end, I was able to be a bit more lucky and play a bit better at the end of both sets.”

Shanghai marks the second time this season that Rublev has reached the last eight at an ATP Masters 1000 event, with the first coming at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, where he claimed his maiden trophy at that level. At World No. 7 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Rublev is the highest-ranked player remaining in China, where he will next meet 32nd seed Ugo Humbert.

“I’m playing really well since the US Open,” Rublev said. “I felt that in practice but it just takes time to transfer to tournaments and to get confidence. But this week I’m feeling really well so we’ll see what happens next.”

Rublev’s deep run in Shanghai also boosts his chances for Nitto ATP Finals qualification for a fourth consecutive year. Having won two titles this season, Rublev is fifth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin.

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