Milos Raonic thinks he knows how to close the gap between himself and the very best players on the ATP World Tour: Become more unpredictable. Raonic, the top seed at the Delray Beach Open this week, always wants his opponents wondering about his game, his location on the court and his next move. He wants all of his rivals, and especially those at the top of the Emirates ATP Rankings, to feel discomfort when he faces them across the net. “You have to make them feel uncomfortable. Because as soon as you start giving them the same scenario too many times, they adjust in a fantastic manner and they're the best in the world at that,” Raonic said of the...
If you think of stretches of John Isner's career as a title tour around the U.S., the American has claimed nearly every crown in the country. He's won the Fayez Sarofim & Co. US Men's Clay Court Championship in Houston once. The former Georgia Bulldog has claimed the BB&T Atlanta Open three times. Isner has also won two titles on the grass at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport. The 6'10” right-hander, who's from North Carolina, has captured his home-state tournament, the Winston-Salem Open, twice. But, although Isner has taken eight ATP World Tour titles in the U.S., his trophy case is still missing title hardware from the Memphis Open. This week, Isner will try to change that...
Kei Nishikori is relishing his time back in Buenos Aires for the first time in five years. Guided by his coach, Dante Bottini, the Shimane native has done one of the most compulsory experiences that a visitor has to do: having a nice ‘asado’, an Argentinian roast. “This country is great and there are so many things that you can do. Yesterday I had a great steak. It was really tasty,” the No. 1 seed said. “I am really excited to be back here. Dante has been helping me a lot, especially on clay courts, and for me it is very special to be here because he is from Argentina.” It was Bottini’s idea for the then 17th-ranked Nishikori to...
Kevin Anderson was more than ready to start fresh when the calendar turned to 2017. Last season, the South African endured one of his more challenging years. He played fewer tournaments than usual, missing weeks of the season because of knee, ankle and shoulder injuries. He finished with a losing record, 17-21, for the first time since 2010. To make the season especially forgettable, Anderson ended the season nursing another injury, this one to his right hip. The new derailment delayed the start to his 2017 season, forcing him to miss the ASB Classic in Auckland and the Australian Open last month. “It was a little tough for quite some time. I was a little bit unsure of the course...
Three Continents Host Tournaments: There are three tournaments on three different continents, including the first ATP World Tour 500 event of the season. World No. 7 Marin Cilic is the top seed in Rotterdam. In Buenos Aires, World No. 5 Kei Nishikori is the top seed and in the first North American tournament of the season in Memphis, World No. 18 Ivo Karlovic is the top seed. Overall, 20 of the Top 30 in the Emirates ATP Rankings are in action. Emirates ATP Race to Milan Leaders: Six of the Top 20 in the Emirates ATP Race to Milan (as of Feb. 6) are in Rotterdam or Memphis. View full Race to Milan standings ABN AMRO WORLD TENNIS TOURNAMENT (Rotterdam):...