Novak Djokovic deals with pain, Roger Federer faces deficit at US Open

NEW YORK — Maybe, just maybe, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are feeling some lingering after-effects of their historic Wimbledon final last month.

For Djokovic, it’s in the form of a left shoulder that is hurting right now and probably contributed to slower-than-usual serves in the U.S. Open’s second round Wednesday night.


For Federer, it’s in the form of slow starts: He’s lost the opening set each of his first two matches at Flushing Meadows for the first time in 19 times he’s entered the Grand Slam tournament.

If they’re going to reprise their rivalry late next week in the semifinals, both will need to improve.

Djokovic was repeatedly visited by a trainer for shoulder massages at changeovers during a ragged 6-4, 7-6 (3), 6-1 victory over 56th-ranked Juan Ignacio Londero of Argentina. Djokovic is a righty, of course, but he uses his other hand both for ball tosses on serves and on his two-fisted backhand — and both were less effective for stretches.

“I was definitely tested. This is something I’ve been carrying for a quite a while now,” said Djokovic, who repeatedly shook his left arm between points while serving in his first-round match Monday and did that again this time. “It wasn’t easy playing with the pain and you have to fight and hope you get lucky with some shots.”


Even though he won for the 35th time in his past 36 Slam matches, including in a fifth-set tiebreaker against Federer at the All England Club on July 14, the Serb looked uncomfortable and went away for stretches, including trailing 3-0 in the second set.

Asked how he plans to prepare for his next match Friday, Djokovic replied with a laugh: “I’ll probably freeze my arm for 48 hours, not do anything with it, and then see what happens.”

Federer, meanwhile, is not about to start trying new tricks now, despite needing to come back twice already.

He got to the third round by beating Damir Dzumhur 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 on an afternoon when rain postponed all but nine scheduled singles matches and every doubles contest.

Still, it’s not as if the guy is going to seek some sort of magic solution. Working up more of a sweat in the gym before heading to the court, say. Or playing an extra practice set.


What he chose to focus on, instead, is looking on the bright side: “Can only do better,” Federer said, “which is a great thing, moving forward.”

At a Flushing Meadows flush with surprises so far — half of the top 12 seeded men already were gone by the time Federer stepped into Arthur Ashe Stadium — he cleaned up his act quickly.

Indeed, Federer was one of the lucky ones who will stay on the usual play-one-day, get-a-day-off Grand Slam schedule. Only matches at Ashe or Louis Armstrong Stadium, the event’s two arenas with a retractable roof, were held.

That included a loss by two-time champion Venus Williams to No. 5 seed Elina Svitolina, and victories for No. 2 Ash Barty, No. 3 Karolina Pliskova and 2017 runner-up Madison Keys on the women’s side, and a win for No. 7 Kei Nishikori on the men’s.

The night program included Williams’ younger sister, Serena, against 17-year-old American Caty McNally.

“You go through a little phase where you don’t start so well and everybody asks you right away, ‘What are you going to do?’ You’re like, I don’t know. Just go back to the drawing board. Just do the same things again. You hope for a better outcome,” said Federer, owner of a total of 20 major trophies, four ahead of Djokovic. “I don’t think there is, per se, a secret to a good start, other than warming up well, being well-prepared mentally, not underestimating your opponent. I did all of that. You know me, I will always do that.”

He also ceded the first set to 190th-ranked Sumit Nagal of an eventual four-set victory Monday.

Federer called that pattern “just a bit frustrating, more than anything, especially when the level is that low and there is that many errors and the energy is not kind of there.”

Against Dzumhur, who is ranked No. 99 now but has been as high as No. 23, Federer fell behind 4-0 after all of 15 minutes. He was sluggish and his shots were off-target, to the tune of 12 unforced errors within the match’s first 19 points.

“Basically,” Federer concluded, “the entire set, just sort of donated.”


Hardly ideal, on this particular day or in the big picture: Never in the 107-year history of the tournament has a man gone on to claim the trophy after losing the first set in both of his first two matches.

What matters right now, of course, is that Federer is still in the draw.

Borna Coric, who was seeded 12th, was the latest to exit, withdrawing because of a lower back strain before he was supposed to face Grigor Dimitrov on Wednesday. That followed losses Tuesday by a quartet of top-10 men all on Rafael Nadal’s half of the bracket: No. 4 Dominic Thiem, No. 8 Stefanos Tsitsipas, No. 9 Karen Khachanov and No. 10 Roberto Bautista Agut.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Federer beats Thiem to get back on track at ATP Finals

LONDON — Sometimes no practice makes perfect — for Roger Federer anyway.

After cancelling his training session a day earlier, Federer produced a much-improved performance to get his campaign for a seventh ATP Finals title back on track with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Dominic Thiem on Tuesday.

Having lost his opening round-robin match to Kei Nishikori, the 20-time Grand Slam champion was still some way from his fluent best but dropped just six points on serve and took advantage of a wayward display from Thiem to break twice in both sets.

“(It) was not about my forehand or my backhand or my serve or anything,” Federer said. “I guess it was my head. For that sometimes you need a break.”

With a 1-1 record in round-robin play, Federer will likely need to defeat Kevin Anderson on Thursday to improve his 14-1 record of reaching the semifinals at the season-ending tournament.

It will be a repeat of a dramatic Wimbledon quarterfinal earlier this season, in which Anderson came from match point down in the third set to win in five on his route to the final.

“I’m happy I’m getting a chance to play him again and have a rematch,” Federer said. “Hopefully I can take my revenge. It was a great match but obviously one that hurt.”

Anderson thrashed Nishikori 6-0, 6-1 earlier Tuesday to move to 2-0, with the lopsided scoreline all but assuring the South African debutant’s place in the last four.

Thiem is facing an opening-round exit at the O2 Arena for a third straight season and will need to defeat Nishikori in straight sets to have any chance of progressing.

“I really want to play a good match,” Thiem said. “Doesn’t matter if it’s the last one here or not.”

As had been the case in both players’ opening-match losses on Sunday, unforced errors flowed early on. While Federer was able to compensate with his serve, Thiem was left exposed.


The Austrian’s forehand gifted Federer a break for a 2-1 lead and then his volley came up short to help the Swiss star extend that advantage to 5-2.

Federer, who is chasing a 100th ATP Tour title, started to play more relaxed and seemed content with simply keeping the ball in play and waiting for mistakes. It worked, as another forehand mistake from Thiem put Federer in complete control in the second set.

A Federer backhand up the line set up match point and Thiem’s 34th unforced error — another volley into the net — ended the day’s second one-sided contest.

“I didn’t feel good out there,” Thiem said. “I was playing very, very bad. Many unusual mistakes.”

The 32-year-old Anderson, who lost just eight points on serve, was on the verge of completing just the second whitewash in the competition’s history until Nishikori won the penultimate game.

“Among the best I’ve played,” Anderson said. “I think I did a really good job constantly applying the pressure and not letting up.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Roger Federer three wins from 100th title

Roger Federer defeated Italy’s Fabio Fognini 6-4, 6-3 to reach the Paris Masters quarter-finals on Thursday as the Swiss great moved three wins away from his 100th career title.

Federer, 37, who captured his 99th trophy on home ground in Basel last week, will face Japan’s Kei Nishikori on Friday for a place in the semi-finals in the French capital.


Third seed Federer is playing the Paris Masters for the first time since 2015 and is bidding to clinch the tournament for just the second time after winning it in 2011.

“I didn’t come here to win Paris, actually. My objective is London,” said Federer as he looked beyond the French capital to the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals which start on November 11.

Nishikori, seeded 10, made the quarter-finals by beating Kevin Anderson 6-4, 6-4 to avenge his defeat to the big South African in Sunday’s Vienna final.

Federer leads Nishikori 6-2 in career meetings having won their last four clashes.

The Japanese’s last win over the 20-time major winner came in 2014.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Djokovic gets through on hot day; Federer next at US Open?

NEW YORK — Facing much more resistance from the 90-degree heat and 50-percent humidity than from his outclassed opponent, Novak Djokovic figured he can count on cooler conditions during a night match at the U.S. Open his next time out.

The next foe? That could be Roger Federer.

Djokovic left the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium for a medical timeout — the second time during the tournament he’s sought help from a doctor because of harsh weather — during what would become an otherwise straightforward 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 victory over 68th-ranked Joao Sousa of Portugal on Monday in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows.


“I’m not 21 anymore. That was 10 years ago. I still don’t feel old. But at the same time, there is a little biological clock that is not really working in your favor,” the No. 6-seeded Djokovic told the crowd afterward. “Sometimes, you just have to survive.”

He reached the quarterfinals for an 11th consecutive appearance in New York as he bids for a third U.S. Open championship and 14th Grand Slam trophy. To add to his resume, though, he might need to beat Federer, who has won five of his men’s-record 20 major titles at Flushing Meadows.

Federer was scheduled to play 55th-ranked John Millman of Australia in the fourth round on Monday night. Like Sousa, Millman had never before made it this far at a Slam.

The other quarterfinal on the bottom half of the draw will be a rematch of the 2014 U.S. Open final: No. 7 Marin Cilic against No. 21 Kei Nishikori. Cilic, who beat Nishikori four years ago for his only major title, was a 7-6 (6), 6-2, 6-4 winner against No. 10 David Goffin, while Nishikori advanced by defeating Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 6-2, 7-5.

Both Nishikori and Djokovic missed last year’s U.S. Open with arm injuries.

Asked Monday whether he thought during that time away about returning to the height of his powers, Djokovic replied: “I have imagined. I have hoped for. I have prayed for that.”

He improved to 28-0 at the U.S. Open against opponents ranked outside the top 50, and here’s another reason it wasn’t all that surprising the way things went against Sousa: Djokovic is now 5-0 in their head-to-head series, taking all 14 sets they’ve played against each other.

The heat, though, is much tougher on Djokovic, who showed the same blank expression, rosy cheeks and sweat-soaked shirt as during his first-round match last week. That was the first time in tournament history that the U.S. Open created an extreme heat policy for men’s matches — players can opt for a 10-minute break between the third and fourth sets — similar to what’s standard on the women’s tour, when there can be a delay between the second and third sets.


“It’s not easy,” Djokovic said, “to play in these kind of conditions.”

His match didn’t get to the point of a heat interruption, because he wrapped it up in straight sets, but that did come into play for a couple of women’s matches.

It was most striking during Lesia Tsurenko’s 6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-2 win against Marketa Vondrousova, in which both players seemed affected by the temperature and mugginess.

Tsurenko left the court for a health check after the first set and often leaned on her racket between points, saying later she felt dizzy at the Grandstand court, which doesn’t offer shade the way the tournament’s two bigger arenas do.

Vondrousova wasn’t all that sure Tsurenko had issues.

“I don’t think she was struggling so much,” Vondrousova said. “She was just acting.”

The 19-year-old Vondrousova, who said she dealt with cramping, certainly helped decide the outcome: Of Tsurenko’s 107 points, only 17 came via winners; 73 were her opponent’s unforced errors.

Also into the quarterfinals: 2017 runner-up Madison Keys of the U.S. and No. 20 Naomi Osaka of Japan. Osaka beat No. 26 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 to earn her first trip to a Grand Slam quarterfinal. The 20-year-old Osaka was already the first Japanese woman to get to the fourth round in New York since 2004.

Keys overwhelmed No. 29 Dominika Cibulkova 6-1, 6-3 thanks to a 25-7 edge in winners and now will face No. 30 Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain. Suarez Navarro became the first player to beat five-time major champion Maria Sharapova in a U.S. Open night match, eliminating her 6-4, 6-3.

Sharapova won the 2006 title in New York, but she’s now lost in the fourth round in her past three appearances.

source: sports.inquirer.net

7-time champ Serena Williams gets smooth draw at Wimbledon

LONDON — Serena Williams avoided any early matchups against opponents with success to speak of at Wimbledon in a draw on Friday that could put her against No. 5 seed Elina Svitolina in the third round.

Williams is returning to the grass-court tournament for the first time since 2016 after missing it last year while pregnant. She gave birth to a daughter in September.

She is ranked outside the top 150, but the All England Club decided to seed her 25th based on past success, which includes collecting seven of her 23 Grand Slam singles trophies at Wimbledon. Williams’ first-round opponent when play begins on Monday will be 107th-ranked Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands, who has one career tour title.


Williams is competing for the first time since she pulled out of the French Open ahead of a fourth-round showdown against five-time major champion Maria Sharapova in early June, citing an injured chest muscle. That was Williams’ return to Grand Slam action after a 16-month absence.

Rus has only once been as far as Wimbledon’s third round, back in 2012. That was the last time she won a match at the All England Club. She was beaten in the first round of qualifying a year ago, as were both of the women Williams could meet in the second round, 136th-ranked qualifier Viktoriya Tomova of Bulgaria and 167th-ranked wild-card recipient Tereza Smitkova of the Czech Republic.

Svitolina has only once been as far as the fourth round.

Williams’ possible fourth-round opponent, 2017 U.S. Open runner-up Madison Keys, made one quarterfinal appearance, while the 36-year-old American’s potential quarterfinal foe, reigning Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki, has never been beyond the fourth round.

Williams could face her older sister, five-time champion and 2017 runner-up Venus, in the semifinals. The ninth-seeded Venus Williams opens against 62nd-ranked Johanna Larsson of Sweden, who is 0-7 at Wimbledon.

The Williams sisters are not in the doubles draw. They have won 14 Grand Slam titles as a pair, including six at Wimbledon.

In the top half of the women’s singles bracket, the quarterfinals could be French Open champion Simona Halep vs. two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova, and defending champ Garbine Muguruza vs. No. 6 Caroline Garcia. In the bottom half, No. 2 Wozniacki was drawn to face Svitolina, while 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens could play No. 7 Karolina Pliskova.

The potential men’s quarterfinals in the top half are eight-time champion Roger Federer vs. 2017 U.S. Open runner-up Kevin Anderson, and 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic vs. No. 6 seed Grigor Dimitrov. In the bottom half of the bracket, it could be two-time Wimbledon winner Rafael Nadal vs. 2009 U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro, and No. 4 Alexander Zverev vs. No. 7 Dominic Thiem.



Two-time champion Andy Murray will face 48th-ranked Benoit Paire in the first round. It’s a rematch of Murray’s fourth-round victory over the Frenchman at the All England Club in 2017.

That was Murray’s last win before he sat out nearly a year because of an injured hip that was surgically repaired in January.

He returned to action last week and so is ranked only 156th and unseeded at Wimbledon, which he won in 2013 and 2016.

Murray could face 26th-seeded Denis Shapovalov of Canada in the second round.

The top-seeded Federer’s opening opponent on Monday will be 57th-ranked Dusan Lajovic of Serbia. Their only previous meeting anywhere came in Wimbledon’s second round last year, when Federer won in straight sets en route to the title.

No. 2 seed Nadal, whose 17 Grand Slam titles trail only Federer’s 20 among men, faces 129th-ranked Dudi Sela of Israel on Tuesday. Nadal has won both of their previous matchups.

Men’s first-rounders to keep an eye on include Dimitrov against three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka, who is still working his way back into form after knee surgery; 12-time major champ Novak Djokovic against Australian Open quarterfinalist Tennys Sandgren of the U.S.; and No. 23 Richard Gasquet against Gael Monfils in a matchup of Frenchmen.

Two women who lost a Wimbledon final against Serena Williams will meet in the first round when former No. 1 and two-time major champion Angelique Kerber plays qualifier Vera Zvonareva. Kerber was the runner-up in 2016, Zvonereva in 2010.

Sharapova, the 2004 Wimbledon champion who is seeded 24th, could face 2017 French Open champion and 12th-seeded Jelena Ostapenko in the third round, and Kvitova in the fourth.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Federer ‘no idea’ how long he will go on

Age-defying Roger Federer says after winning his third Grand Slam title in a year he has no idea how long he will continue playing.

The 36-year-old Swiss marvel continues to defy the years and attrition rate, reaching his 30th Grand Slam decider and claiming his sixth Australian crown and 20th Grand Slam title.

The world No.2 won back-to-back Australian Opens by beating Marin Cilic 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 on Sunday, dropping his only sets of a stress-free tournament.

Federer, who downed great rival Rafael Nadal in a classic five-set Australian final last year, eased through this year’s event with five of his seven matches finishing on or under two hours and he spent just a total of 13hr 53min on court.

Asked after his Melbourne triumph how much longer he can continue at the summit of men’s tennis, he replied: “No idea. Honest, I don’t know. I have no idea.

“I’ve won three slams now in 12 months. I can’t believe it myself. I just got to keep a good schedule, stay hungry, then maybe good things can happen.”

Federer said his age didn’t come into it when questions were raised about his continuing longevity.

“I don’t think age is an issue, it’s just a number,” he said.

“But I need to be very careful in my planning, really decide beforehand what are my goals, what are my priorities.

“I think that’s what’s going to dictate how successful I will be.”

But he added: “Exciting times ahead. As a professional, it’s what we do. But I’m happy I’m in that position right now.”

Great team 

His emotional victory in Sunday put him alongside Novak Djokovic and Australian Roy Emerson with the most Australian titles at six.

While his long-time rivals Nadal, Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka and Andy Murray have injury concerns heading into the new season, not only did Federer blaze on into the final but he finished stronger than Cilic, who is seven years younger, in the fifth set.

Federer was the oldest man at 36 to reach the Australian Open final since Australians Ken Rosewall (37) and Mal Anderson (36) played in the 1972 decider.

He explained his circumstances which allowed him to play on.

“I think by not overplaying, not playing every tournament possible. I enjoy practice. Not minding the travel. Having a great team around me, they make it possible,” he said.

“At the end it’s seeing that my parents are incredibly proud and happy that I’m still doing it. They enjoy coming to tournaments. That makes me happy and play better.”

Federer is the father of two sets of twins, Myla Rose and Charlene Riva and Leo and Lenny with wife Mirka, a former player he met at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

Despite his win Federer will remain world No.2 behind Nadal while Cilic has climbed from six to a career-high three.

Cilic overcame Federer on the way to winning the 2014 US Open final, but it remains his only win in 10 encounters.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Goffin beats Federer at ATP Finals, faces Dimitrov in final

LONDON — A set up against a man he’d never lost to, Roger Federer looked to be cruising toward a shot at a seventh ATP Finals title. David Goffin had other ideas.

The Belgian rallied in the semifinals on Saturday to claim the biggest win of his career and stun the favorite 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

“It is the best win of my career, for sure,” said Goffin, who lost all six of his previous encounters against Federer.

“I started to feel the ball better at the end of the first set, so I wanted to be more aggressive. It paid off. I started to serve well. My forehand was going much better.”

His opponent on Sunday in the final will be Grigor Dimitrov after the Bulgarian defeated Jack Sock 4-6, 6-0, 6-3.

With Federer having lost just four times during a season that saw him claim his 18th and 19th Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, it looked ominous for Goffin when the six-time champion broke twice on his way to winning the first set.

However, Federer wasted two game points in the second game of the second set. Goffin produced a forehand passing shot to take his first break point of the match.

“It was a tough game to get broken at 1-0,” Federer said. “I had I think multiple game chances to get out of the game and go 1-1, keep the pressure up. Things really turned around for him at that moment.”

The winners flowed from Goffin’s racket, unsettling Federer, who coughed up uncharacteristic errors.

Goffin needed just the one break in both the second and third sets and displayed a previously unseen grit to deny Federer his lone break point opportunities in either set.

It was testament to the remarkable season Federer has put together that his loss came as such a major surprise.

However, neither the loss to Goffin nor the fact he finishes the year second, behind Nadal in the rankings, will prevent him from being favorite for the Australian Open in January.

“It’s been an amazing year for me,” Federer said. “Been so happy that I was playing at this level from the beginning till basically the end, till today.”

The match was typical of Goffin’s inconsistent week on his full debut at the tournament, after he played one match as an alternate a year ago.

After defeating a wounded Rafael Nadal in his opening match, he was thrashed in just 74 minutes by Dimitrov, and qualified for the semis with a comfortable win over Dominic Thiem.

“Both are really special,” said Goffin, after becoming only the sixth man to defeat Nadal and Federer in the same tournament. “It was the first time against Rafa. Then the semifinal for the first time for me here, and to beat Roger for the first time here in such a big event, big tournament, it was the perfect moment.”

Dimitrov ensured he’ll end the year at a career-high No. 3 after coming from behind to defeat Sock.

Having won his previous two matches for the loss of just four games, Dimitrov’s title credentials were given a far more rigorous examination by the American.

Dimitrov is the first debutant to reach the final since David Ferrer in 2007.

Goffin will be the underdog again after winning just two games against Dimitrov on Wednesday.

“It will be something different hopefully,” said Goffin, who can move to a career-high No. 5 if he claims the title. “I hope to play the tennis I played today. I’ll try to be more aggressive, also go for the shot, and yeah, go for the trophy.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Federer shines bright in twilight zone

LONDON, United Kingdom — Roger Federer insists he is only slightly surprised to find himself tantalizingly within touching distance of a record eighth Wimbledon title despite his 36th birthday fast approaching.

The Swiss star reached the Wimbledon semi-finals for the 12th time on Wednesday with a 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) win over Milos Raonic.

It was his 100th match at the All England Club and the 50th Grand Slam quarter-final of his career.

At 35, Federer is the second oldest man to reach the semi-finals after Ken Rosewall who finished runner-up in 1974 at the age of 39.

With ‘Big Four’ rivals Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic suffering injury-hit exits on Wednesday and Rafael Nadal having lost in the fourth round, Federer is favourite to reclaim the Wimbledon title on Sunday and break the tie for seven he has shared with Pete Sampras since 2012.

It would also take him to 19 career majors and make him the oldest champion at Wimbledon in the Open era.

“The plan was always to hopefully be strong later on in my career,” said Federer who will face Tomas Berdych in Friday’s semi-finals.

“I don’t see myself playing better than a few years ago. I always hope to improve every year.

“I’m just very happy that I’m still doing so well. Am I surprised? Maybe a little bit.”

The contrast between Federer and Murray and Djokovic on Wednesday was impossible to ignore.

Defending champion and world number one Murray lost in five sets to Sam Querrey of the United States, hobbled by a long-standing right hip injury.

Djokovic, the three-time winner, quit after two games of the second set of his quarter-final against Berdych with a right elbow injury.

Like Murray’s hip, the elbow problem plaguing Djokovic has been a constant menace for many seasons.

It has got so bad that Djokovic admitted he is contemplating either surgery or even an extended break from the sport.

Federer has already trimmed back his schedule, skipping the 2016 and 2017 French Opens which were won by Djokovic and Nadal.

After losing to Raonic in the Wimbledon semi-finals last year, Federer shut down his season to rest a knee injury which had already required surgery earlier in 2016.

He came back in January this year, won the Australian Open for his 18th Slam, added the Indian Wells-Miami Masters double before hibernating again through the claycourt season.

“Once you hit 30, you’ve got to look back and think of how much tennis have I played, how much rest did I give my body over the years, how much training have I done, did I do enough, did I overdo it or not enough,” he explained.

“It’s always calibrating the whole thing. For me it worked out. Sometimes the body and the mind do need a rest.” CBB

source: sports.inquirer.net

Nadal back in Paris, no title to defend, no Federer to face

PARIS — Through the years, Rafael Nadal grew accustomed to a couple of givens at the French Open: He would arrive as the defending champion, and Roger Federer would be somewhere in the draw, often awaiting a showdown in the final.

This time around, neither is the case.

Federer withdrew a few days before Sunday’s start of the clay-court Grand Slam tournament, ending his record run of 65 consecutive major appearances.

“For the fans, for the tournament, for the world (of) tennis, in general, is … very negative news, no?” Nadal said.

Nadal won the title at Roland Garros every year from 2005-08 and from 2010-14 — a record nine in all, beating Federer in four of those finals — but returns to town trying to earn back the trophy after relinquishing it in 2015.

He is seeded fourth.

“It’s a tournament that I know I can play well,” said Nadal, who lost in the quarterfinals to Novak Djokovic a year ago. “If I am playing well, I know I can do good things.”

Nadal, who owns 14 major championships in all, could face No. 1 Djokovic in about two weeks in the semifinals — on what would be the Spaniard’s 30th birthday.

Asked about that milestone, Nadal waxed philosophical.

“You know, time never stops. Nobody stops the time,” he said. “That’s not a good thing, but at the same time, I am happy with my life. I enjoyed all these years on the tour, and I hope to keep enjoying the next couple of years.”

After dealing with health problems and a crisis of confidence last season, Nadal has been playing better on his favorite red clay of late.

He is 19-4 on the surface this season, including titles at Monte Carlo and Barcelona. Not bad, but not up to his old standards. In his past two tournaments, Nadal lost in the Madrid semifinals to Andy Murray, and the Rome quarterfinals to Djokovic.

“A lot of tournaments in a row playing well,” said Nadal, who faces Sam Groth in the first round in Paris. “I need to just keep going.”

Other things to know about the French Open, which begins Sunday:

Serena’s ‘drought’

Much was made of Serena Williams’ title in Rome last weekend being her first trophy in nine months. She does not consider that gap a big deal.

“I guess when you win all the time, if you go a couple of tournaments and don’t win them, it’s like you’re in a drought,” Williams said.

She is the defending champion and seeded No. 1 at Roland Garros, and another title would be her 22nd at a Grand Slam tournament, equaling Steffi Graf for the most in the Open era, which started in 1968.

Security stepped up

From patdowns at entrance gates to a 25 percent rise in the number of security agents, there is an obvious increase in protective measures at the tournament, about six months after terrorist attacks around the French capital.

“I notice more security pretty much everywhere,” No. 2-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska said.

Olympic push

A Grand Slam tournament is a Grand Slam tournament, so there is plenty at stake as always over the next 15 days, but there is an added incentive for some players: the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

The ATP and WTA rankings of June 6 — the day after the men’s final in Paris — will be the basis for Summer Games qualification.

Doping talk

Two recent events put the topic of performance-enhancing drugs on the table in tennis.

Maria Sharapova’s positive test for meldonium and provisional suspension are keeping her out of the field at a tournament she won in 2012 and 2014.

And Nadal filed a defamation lawsuit in Paris last month against France’s former minister for health and sport, Roselyne Bachelot, after she said on a television show the player’s seven-month injury absence in 2012 probably was due to a positive drug test.

Cheating

A report about whether tennis was doing enough to investigate possible corruption stirred things up at the start of the Australian Open in January.

While the chatter has mostly subsided, the French Open revoked the wild-card entry granted to a French player, Constant Lestienne, because the Tennis Integrity Unit said he violated a rule.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Federer absence a ‘loss’ for French Open

World number one Novak Djokovic headed a cast of leading players expressing their disappointment on Friday at Roger Federer’s injury-enforced withdrawal from this year’s French Open.

Federer’s absence was a primary topic of conversation at Roland Garros with the 17-time major winner announcing he would miss the tournament after failing to recover from a back injury, bringing an end to his astonishing run of 65 consecutive Grand Slams.

“It’s definitely a loss for the tournament,” lamented Djokovic. “We’re definitely not used to seeing Roger skipping Grand Slams,” he added, with Federer missing a major tournament for the first time since the 1999 US Open.

“Obviously the nature of his injury is not light, and it kept him off this tournament that I’m sure that if there was any chance he could play he would participate.”

Nine-time champion Rafael Nadal said Federer’s absence was a blow to tennis fans, but the Spaniard admitted it wouldn’t personally impact his preparations.

“I think for me it is not changing much. But I understand that for the fans, for the tournament, for the world in tennis in general it’s very negative news,” said the world number five.

“Every tournament that a big player like him is not able to play is negative news for the world of tennis.”

Serena Williams, who like Federer will turn 35 later this year, hailed the Swiss star’s longevity and conceded it would be strange not to see the 2009 French Open champion in Paris.

“I think he plays most slams, so definitely — 65 in a row? That’s a lot.

“I think it’s just pretty awesome, but it means he cares about his future and the Olympics this year and Wimbledon and US Open. He probably wants to give himself the best chance. It’s a shame not to see him in the draw. He’s always such a staple.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Federer overtakes Murray as world number two

Andy Murray has lost the world number two spot to Roger Federer in the latest ATP rankings released on Monday, after his defeat to Novak Djokovic in the Madrid Masters final.

The Scot played well in Spain, but by failing to successfully defend his title, he drops below Federer ahead of the Italian Open this week.

Djokovic, an 11-time major champion, retains his massive lead on his closest challengers at the top of the rankings after claiming a record 29th Masters title.

Australian youngster Nick Kyrgios moves back into the top 20 thanks to his run to the quarter-finals in Madrid. 




ATP top 20:

1. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 16,550 pts

2. Roger Federer (SUI) 7,525 (+1)

3. Andy Murray (GBR) 7,525 (-1)

4. Stan Wawrinka (SUI) 6,380

5. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 5,675

6. Kei Nishikori (JPN) 4,290

7. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) 3,400

8. Tomas Berdych (CZE) 2,940

9. David Ferrer (ESP) 2,920

10. Milos Raonic (CAN) 2,740

11. Marin Cilic (CRO) 2,725

12. Richard Gasquet (FRA) 2,680

13. David Goffin (BEL) 2,570

14. Gael Monfils (FRA) 2,460 (+1)

15. Dominic Thiem (AUT) 2,340 (-1)

16. John Isner (USA) 2,100

17. Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) 2,015

18. Gilles Simon (FRA) 1,945

19. Kevin Anderson (RSA) 1,840

20. Nick Kyrgios (AUS) 1,795 (+1)

source: sports.inquirer.net

Sharapova faces nemesis Williams as stakes rise at Australian Open

The business end of the Australian Open begins in earnest on Tuesday when top seed Serena Williams faces old rival Maria Sharapova for a place in the semi-finals in a repeat of last year's title match.

In the men's draw defending champion Novak Djokovic, taken to five sets in the fourth round, will have to improve as he faces Japanese seventh seed Kei Nishikori while Roger Federer aims to continue his smooth progress against Tomas Berdych.

Sharapova will be desperate to avenge last year's final loss to Williams, although the omens are not good for the Russian.

She has lost her last 17 matches against the 34-year-old Williams and the American 21-times grand slam champion has been in dominant form so far in Melbourne after some pre-tournament injury concerns.

Williams remains wary though, saying such a one-sided statistic can work both ways.

"I think the person who's winning could definitely feel the pressure because there is a lot of expectations," she said.

"The person who is losing X amount in a row could think 'I don't have anything to lose.'"

Djokovic's bid for a sixth Australian Open title was nearly sabotaged by Gilles Simon in round four and the in-form Nishikori will pose a serious threat as he attempts to prevent Djokovic reaching a 29th grand slam semi-final.

Nishikori beat Djokovic the last time they met in a grand slam, at the 2014 U.S. Open semi-final, and will need to reproduce that form on Tuesday.

"I think the biggest thing is he doesn't miss," he said. "He doesn't give you easy points, any free points." Federer takes on a familiar foe in Berdych, with the pair facing each other for the 22nd time.

The Swiss is on a four-match winning streak against the powerful Czech, but has lost their last two grand slam meetings.

Berdych will look to pull off another major upset, as he did at the same stage last year when he ended a 17-match losing streak against Rafael Nadal.

Fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska opens the action on Rod Laver Arena when she battles it out with 10th seeded Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro.

The 26-year-old scrapped through to the quarter-finals after being pushed to her limits by Germany's Anna-Lena Friedsam in the previous round. — Reuters

Djokovic still favorite, says victorious Federer

LONDON - Novak Djokovic is still the favorite to claim a fourth consecutive ATP World Tour Finals title according to Roger Federer, despite him ending the Serb's 23-match winning streak at the O2 Arena on Tuesday.

Serbian world number one Djokovic had won his last 15 matches at the venue, his last 38 under a roof and has been untouchable since losing to Federer in Cincinnati in August.

But with his timing well off, he was brushed aside 7-5 6-2 by the 17-times grand slam champion who is already through to the semi-finals, probably as winner of the Stan Smith Group, with another round-robin match still to come.

Federer fully expects Djokovic to recover from the jolting defeat, however, and he may well have to beat him again at the weekend if he is to claim a seventh title at the ATP's season-ending showpiece event.

"Still to me Novak is the favorite for the tournament," Federer told reporters. "Heavy favourite in the (Tomas) Berdych match (on Thursday), in my opinion.

"Then he should make his way to the semis somehow. I don't know exactly what he needs. And he'll be the favourite in that probably, too, with the year he's had.

"He's far from gone. The way I know Novak, he's going to find a way to be tougher to beat from now on."

Federer has now won 50 matches at the tournament, although he was said he was not expecting to beat Djokovic—an odd admission from a player who now leads their head-to-head 22-21.

"I wouldn't have picked it maybe before the tournament, you know, just because of his really good record indoors, the year he's had," he said of the Serb who has won three of the year's four grand slams together with Six Masters Series titles.

Federer even managed to strike a blow before a ball was struck on Tuesday, sitting on the court-side chair which already had Djokovic's towel draped on it.

Asked about it afterwards, he joked: "I'm not going to be pushed by a towel. I sat on that chair when I walked out against Tomas. I said, I'd like to sit here again."

Djokovic also saw the funny side of it.

"I don't think it was a tactical approach," he said. "Messing me around before even the first ball."

Federer has two round-robin wins already with Djokovic and Kei Nishikori on one each. Djokovic will need to beat winless Tomas Berdych on Thursday to guarantee a semi-final place. —Reuters