That feeling of ascending to the pinnacle, knowing the struggles from having been there before, as Roger Federer admits, is “deeply gratifying”. As athletes in any sport will attest, though, it can be lonely at the top. The defending BNP Paribas Open champion understands how it can happen. Your opponents want to emulate your winning ways; media and sponsorship commitments escalate and as your profile grows, your every move is scrutinised. Relishing the pressure that comes with his return to World No. 1, though, is a bubble the Swiss is careful not to slip into. "I think when you're at the top, everybody is watching everything you do extra carefully so you maybe go into a shell to some extent,...
Seven months ago, Denis Shapovalov made his name known worldwide at the Coupe Rogers, the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament in Montreal, where he stunned Juan Martin del Potro and Rafael Nadal en route to becoming the youngest Masters 1000 semi-finalist. The #NextGenATP Canadian was back at it again on Thursday at another Masters 1000 tournament, the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. The 18-year-old left-hander secured his eighth win of the season, beating Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania 6-3, 6-4 to reach the second round in California. Catch up on Thursday's action by reading our #ATPMasters1000 Live Blog: It's Shapovalov's first Masters 1000 victory outside of his home country of Canada, and he was on against the 2017 VTB...
Dominic Thiem’s clay-court credentials are well proven but that only makes the gifted Austrian hungrier for greater success on other surfaces. The 24-year-old is no one-surface specialist and has high hopes of making a statement at this year’s BNP Paribas Open where he returns as the No. 5 seed. Last year Thiem fell in a gripping quarter-final to Stan Wawrinka, an opponent who holds two hard court Grand Slam titles to his name. Only last week, he went down to eventual champion Juan Martin del Potro in the quarter-finals at Acapulco. It was there in Mexico he won his lone prior hard-court trophy to date, in 2016. Could Indian Wells deliver his next hard-court breakthrough? “I’m always trying to make some...
In an all-American meeting of #NextGenATP stars, Taylor Fritz saved one match point before overcoming his great friend Reilly Opelka 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-4 to reach the second round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells on Thursday. Fritz took two hours and 19 minutes to dispatch Opelka, who was best man at his wedding two years ago, withstanding 19 aces to advance. "Obviously it is always uncomfortable playing someone you are such good friends with... We both do know each other's tricks and tendencies so that comes into play," admitted Fritz. The 20-year-old recovered from match point down at 5/6 in the second-set tie-break, as Opelka fired wide on his forehand, to reach the Round of 64 for the...
