Milos Raonic meets Gael Monfils in Sunday's second match in the Ivan Lendl Group at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Novak Djokovic defeated Dominic Thiem 6-7(10), 6-0, 6-2 to open proceedings on Day One. Monfils, who has made the cut for the first time at the age of 30, is simply incapable of playing a boring tennis match, or of suppressing his emotions. Over the course of his long and productive connection with this tournament, Lendl's return was how he ruthlessly swept to nine straight finals and five titles. You'll find Monfils at the other end of the spectrum. Don't be at all surprised if the Frenchman is grinning, or at least showing he's enjoying himself, before the opening...
Fun is Gael Monfils’ buzzword and the gregarious Frenchman is determined to enjoy his debut at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Monfils has always illustrated his scintillating talent and athleticism on the court but in 2016 he exhibited a steel behind his flamboyance. The first-time qualifier at The O2 is following in the footsteps of his generation of countrymen to feature in the season finale. He will hope to draw inspiration from Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s (2011, l. to Federer) and Gilles Simon’s (2008, l. to Novak Djokovic in Shanghai) run to the semi-finals. “It means a lot to me, I am very happy. I can’t wait to get onto the court and play my game,” stated the World No. 6. [ALSO...
Dominic Thiem has practised on the blue centre court at The O2. He's eaten in player dining and walked around the expansive arena. He's also sat in his own personal locker room. Yet the 23 year old is still having a hard time convincing himself that he's actually here, in southeast London, at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, among the Top 8 players in the world. “Everything is very impressive. It's a unique tournament... The way the players get treated, it's very special. I still can hardly believe I made it here,” he said. It has been a breakthrough season for Thiem. At the end of 2015, he was ranked No. 20 and had won three ATP World Tour...
A proud Milos Raonic is determined to make his mark in London, declaring "I’m a much better player," upon his return to the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. The 25-year-old sparked his season to life by clinching the Brisbane International Presented By Suncorp, defeating Roger Federer in the final, before establishing himself in the upper echelons of the game by reaching the finals of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells, The Queen’s Club and Wimbledon. The Canadian first qualified for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in 2014 but is eager to progress past the group stages in east London this time round. “Yeah it’s really different conditions this time. I had great parts throughout this season,...