The demands of a pro tennis player can be omnipresent. The autographs. The media interviews. The travel. And they can arise at any moment, such as when you're standing outside the Silverball Pinball Museum in Delray Beach after playing arcade games, including NBA Hangtime, with Hyeon Chung of South Korea, ahead of the Delray Beach Open. “Denis Shapovalov,” a woman says, walking towards you, “can I get a picture of you with my husband?” Shapovalov kindly obliges, smiling with the gentleman as the woman snaps the photo. The 18-year-old with wavy blonde hair looks as if nothing phases him. But last year, the travel, the media, the autographs, it all was a little overwhelming for the teenager. During the Asian...
World No. 3 Marin Cilic arrived in Rio de Janeiro seeking his first title of the 2018 ATP World Tour season. And the Croat made an impressive start, ousting qualifier Carlos Berlocq 6-3, 6-2 in 80 minutes to begin his campaign at the Rio Open presented by Claro on Monday evening. "I'm feeling good. It was an okay match. It was a solid match, first one on clay," Cilic said. "I wouldn't say that I played really, really well. I felt that I played well. In the critical moments I think I played my own game, very offensive and overall I think I controlled the match quite okay." Cilic is fresh off of his second championship match appearance in the...
The Delray Beach Open has been very good to Jack Sock. The defending champion picked up another victory in South Florida on Monday, his first of the season, beating Aussie qualifier John-Patrick Smith 6-4, 6-4. Sock, who went 0-2 at the ASB Classic and the Australian Open to start the season, saved all four break points and broke Smith twice during the windy 81-minute first-round contest. “He's very unorthodox, lefty, serve and volleys a lot. Very unorthodox shots: flat, some spin, some flat, slice. Rushes the net a lot, tricky conditions, tricky player, so I'm happy to get through, definitely,” Sock said. [ALSO LIKE] After the match, the World No. 8 was presented with a plaque that coronated him “King...
Damir Dzumhur got his Open 13 Provence title bid off to a winning start, saving four match points at 4-5 in the second set before cruising to the finish in a 6-7(6), 7-6(3), 6-1 victory over Mikhail Kukushkin on Monday. Competing in the Marseille main draw for the first time, the World No. 29 saved eight of ten break points and converted on four of his 13 opportunities to seal his place in the second round after two hours, 55 minutes. Dzumhur won his first two ATP World Tour titles at the end of last season (St. Petersburg, Moscow) on indoor hard courts and is looking to add a third trophy to his collection. The Bosnian, who is at a...
