UPDATE: Stebe did not drop a set in qualifying for the US Open, his first Grand Slam main draw since 2013. Cedrik-Marcel Stebe had his doubts if he would ever play professional tennis again. Every player has a breaking point and the 26 year old was closing in on discovering his, as he sat at home recovering from a multitude of injuries... for nearly three years. "I was struggling with myself. I was thinking 'What did I do to deserve this?' I didn't do anything wrong. Was there something wrong with my body? It was as much of a mental struggle as it was a physical one." Hip impingement surgery. Lower back ailment. Pubic bone inflammation. Pelvic surgery to insert...
A LOOK BACK Acqua Dolomia Tennis Cup (Cordenons, Italy): Swedish 21-year-old Elias Ymer secured his third Challenger title with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Roberto Carballes Baena in Cordenons. It was the third straight week a #NextGenATP player had won a Challenger title with Michael Mmoh in Lexington, Alexander Bublik in Aptos and now Ymer in Cordenons all triumphing. Ymer had fallen to No. 293 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, but continued his resurgence and did not drop a set all week. Odlum Brown VanOpen (Vancouver, Canada): After being sidelined for nearly three years due to hip surgery and other injuries, German Cedrik-Marcel Stebe claimed his second ATP Challenger Tour title of the season in Vancouver on Sunday. A former No....
He was 15 years old, but already had the trademark spirit that brought him all the way to the World No. 1 position where he stands today. It was a Monday, the 17th of September in 2001. The clay of the Real Club de Tenis Betis was burning early in the morning. An unranked youngster, who was already touted to carry an enormous potential, was about to debut at an ATP Challenger Tour event, in search of his first point in the Emirates ATP Rankings. His name was Rafael Nadal. "Who’s your opponent?" "A wildcard… Rafael Nadal." "Oh! That guy plays well, but he’s really young." This conversation is remembered by Israel Matos Gil, Rafa’s opponent in the first round,...
In March 2014, Victor Estrella Burgos became the first player from the Dominican Republic to crack the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings. One year later, he would become the island nation's first ATP World Tour champion, at the Ecuador Open. On Saturday, the Dominican brought the party back to Santo Domingo, becoming the first home grown winner at the $125,000 ATP Challenger Tour event. Estrella Burgos lifted the Milex Open trophy with a 7-6(4), 6-4 victory over top seed Damir Dzumhur in front of an exuberant and passionate crowd at the Santo Domingo Tenis Club. "It was a great tournament and I played at my best level the entire week," said Estrella Burgos. "Today, I felt a lot...
After a one-year hiatus, the ATP Challenger Tour is back in western Canada for the 12th edition of the Odlum Brown VanOpen. Under the helm of new tournament director and 2006 champion Rik de Voest, they picked up right where they left off. The bustling Canadian metropolis of Vancouver has welcomed world-class tennis for more than a decade and the players have taken notice. Seven of the eight seeds featured in this week's draw are in the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, with World No. 79 Jordan Thompson and a resurgent Cedrik-Marcel Stebe slated to square off for the title on Sunday. "It's been great," said Thompson, who is into his second ATP Challenger Tour final in less...
