Jaume Munar's time at Roland Garros might be over, but he leaves Paris having learned some invaluable lessons. The #NextGenATP Spaniard earned his first victory at a Grand Slam by defeating David Ferrer 3-6, 3-6, 7-6(3), 7-6(4), 7-5 in the first round before losing to Novak Djokovic 7-6(1), 6-4, 6-4 in the next round. Both matches served as proving grounds for the 21-year-old and helped raise his self-confidence. Munar broke down five things he learned during his time at Roland Garros. 1. A Step Forward From my first qualifying match here (d. Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-3) through Wednesday, I've made strides and I'm happy with my progress. I know I wasn't at my best against Novak but I also didn't play...
Is #NextGenATP's Jaume Munar the most likely man to lead Spanish tennis into the 2020s and become the nation's greatest hope when Rafael Nadal eventually steps aside (hopefully many years from now)? Maybe. One thing we do know: Munar will try to channel his best Rafa impersonation against Nadal's great rival, Novak Djokovic, Wednesday at Roland Garros as second-round action begins. Munar earned his first Grand Slam victory on Monday, coming back from two sets down to beat Spanish tennis icon David Ferrer. The 21-year-old Barcelona resident called it “the most important victory” of his career. Next for Munar: 2016 champion Djokovic. Welcome to the big league, Jaume. [ALSO LIKE] Djokovic has looked much more like his old self during...
World No. 155 Jaume Munar provided a vision of Spain’s tennis future on Monday at Roland Garros, landing the biggest victory of his career in a battle of the generations. The 21-year-old, in only his ninth tour-level match (3-6) and just his second at a Grand Slam championship, knocked out David Ferrer, a Spanish tennis legend of the past 15 years. Munar recovered from an 0-2 sets deficit and 3-5 in the deciding set to beat 2013 finalist Ferrer 3-6, 3-6, 7-6(3), 7-6(4), 7-5 in four hours and 15 minutes for a place in the second round. "It's the most important victory of my career," said Munar. "Regardless of how the match went, I came back two-sets-to-love down to...
There was a lot on the line Sunday at Melbourne Park, with 16 matches deciding the 16 qualifiers who would move through to the main draw of the 2018 Australian Open. So it was only fitting that nine of the 16 matches were three-setters, hotly contested battles with a position in the first Grand Slam of the season going to the winner. But one player who did not have to go the distance was #NextGenATP Spaniard Jaume Munar, who was supported during his qualifying efforts earlier in the event by the Australian Open’s top seed Rafael Nadal. The 20-year-old pushed through to the main draw of a major for the first time in his career with a 7-5, 6-2 victory...
“Come on, Jimbo!” Those were the words of encouragement from Rafael Nadal, who showed up in the stands of Court 14 on the Australian Open grounds, to the surprise of Jaume Munar. The young Spaniard was playing his first round Australian Open qualifying match. “Jimbo” ultimately prevailed against Andrea Arnaboldi, 6-2, 6-4, and moved on to the second round of qualifying. “Having the support of Rafa is very special to me,” Munar told ATPWorldTour.com after the victory. “It wasn't like I was expecting him to come see me play. I know it isn't easy for him to get to a match with all the attention he draws, and despite all that he still managed to get up close to the...