World No. 1 Andy Murray and seven-time Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships titlist Roger Federer took part in a beach tennis match in front of the iconic Burj Al Arab at the Jumeirah Al Naseem hotel on Friday, ahead of the 25th edition of the ATP World Tour 500 tournament that begins on 27 February. Tournament Director Salah Tahlak was on hand to umpire. “I’m looking forward to playing, especially on the anniversary of 25 years here in Dubai,” said Federer, who picked up his 18th Grand Slam championship crown at the Australian Open. “It’s nice to be part of a tournament celebrating something. I’ve had some great years here in Dubai. I wanted to be in good shape and...
It started out with so much promise. A Twitter post. More than 200 retweets and 700-plus favourites. Catchy nicknames with hashtags to boot: #KevJuan, #AnderDelpo, #DelPAnderson. But, in the end, the powerful combination of Juan Martin del Potro and Kevin Anderson met some unfortunate luck when they tried to make their doubles team debut last October at the If Stockholm Open. Anderson, who dealt with injuries all last season, had to retire from their first-round match after 10 games because of an adductor strain. “Unfortunately that was right when my hip was getting sore and we couldn't finish the match. Nothing really took off. I think we maybe needed to play a few more matches to gain any traction,” Anderson...
Forgive Nikoloz Basilashvili if he looks a little haggard on Monday night when he plays Tommy Haas at the Delray Beach Open. It has been quite the past few weeks for the Georgian 24-year-old. Earlier this month, he ran off three consecutive wins to reach the semi-finals of the Garanti Koza Sofia Open in Bulgaria. In the second round, he improved to 2-1 against Top 10 players by upsetting World No. 8 Dominic Thiem. Basilashvili reached the semi-finals by knocking out five-time ATP World Tour titlist Martin Klizan. The next week brought Basilashvili even closer to his first career ATP World Tour title. At the Memphis Open, he strung together four more wins, including a second-round upset of No. 20...
To hear Tommy Haas say it, the actual tennis – the winning of matches, the hoisting of trophies – is secondary during his latest and final comeback, which continues this week at the Delray Beach Open. The 38 year old, who's coming back after his ninth surgery last April, remains more focused on saying farewell to the places he loves the most and having his oldest daughter watch it all. “I want to finish on my own terms. That's really what it's all about,” Haas told ATP World Tour Uncovered. “I'd like to go back to some of these events that I've had a great time playing at and just say goodbye in my own way and see if I...
Only one ATP World Tour tournament is played in Juan Martin del Potro's home country of Argentina. But for the affable Argentine, every stop can feel like home. Much like Roger Federer, del Potro draws cheers from all over the world. “It means a lot to have this support because many players can’t feel that sensation,” del Potro told ATP World Tour Uncovered. “When I go around the U.S. or Europe or Asia, it feels like a hometown tournament because people are coming to watch me play. They don’t care if I win or lose. They just want to see me play tennis and that’s important for me.” The 28 year old must feel especially welcome at the Delray Beach...