Judging by their performance in the first round of Roland Garros qualifying, a slew of #NextGenATP players are ready to make their mark in Paris. Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime was one of nine #NextGenATP competitors to notch a win in the French capital on Monday, defeating South African Lloyd Harris 6-4, 6-3. The 17-year-old became the first player born in the 2000s to compete in an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event earlier this year at the BNP Paribas Open, where he earned his maiden tour-level victory against compatriot Vasek Pospisil. Since, Auger-Aliassime has gained even more momentum by advancing to the quarter-finals at two ATP Challenger Tour events in Portugal. “Sometimes you expect to be nervous, to be tight, to...
Sam Querrey and David Ferrer are the first and fourth seeds, respectively, at the Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open this week in Switzerland. But before they begin their campaigns at the ATP World Tour 250-level event, the pair took to a smaller court for some pre-tournament fun. Querrey and Ferrer played mini-tennis at the Cité du Temps, a square in the centre of Geneva that offers a view of Lake Léman, a jet d’eau and the Rhône River. The American is playing in Geneva for the third time, and he says that the decision to return was an easy one. “I love this city and the tournament. The conditions are perfect here and I always enjoy playing here,” said Querrey,...
Two down, one more to go. Rafael Nadal may have stumbled in his bid to sweep all four “Big Titles” on clay, a feat he accomplished in 2010 when he won the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, the Mutua Madrid Open, the Internazionali BNL d'Italia and Roland Garros. Nadal fell to Dominic Thiem in the Madrid quarter-finals earlier this month. But the 31-year-old Spaniard has still added two more Big Titles – a combination of Grand Slam, ATP World Tour Masters 1000 and Nitto ATP Finals crowns – to his haul as the European clay-court season enters its final three weeks. Winning Two Out Of Three Masters 1000 Titles On Clay Player Year(s) Rafael Nadal 2005-09, 2012-13, 2017-18 Novak Djokovic 2011, 2015...
Joran Vliegen has seen it happen in practice, but never in an actual match. Competing in the doubles semi-finals at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Heilbronn, Germany, with Sander Gille, the Belgian pulled off a magical act of improvisation. Facing eventual finalists Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies, Vliegen hit one of the rarest shots in tennis, bringing the crowd at the Neckarcup to their feet. The 24-year-old's fast hands were on full display, as a Mies stab volley struck the net twice before Vliegen's quick instincts took over. As the ball - laden with backspin - hit the net on his side of the court, he incredibly carved it cross-court before it could bounce twice. Vliegen hit a terrific...
