He arrived to astonishments from throughout the tennis world, pundits and fans marveling at his one-handed backhand and his world-class touch. Richard Gasquet was only 15 when he won his first tour-level match at the 2002 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. He became the youngest player to win an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 match, beating No. 54 Franco Squillari of Argentina in three sets. The future of tennis had arrived. Gasquet's later play only fanned expectations. At 18, he knocked off No. 1 Roger Federer, again in Monte-Carlo, 6-7(1), 6-2, 7-6(8). A backhand down the line clinched the upset. By then, though, Gasquet must have been used to hype and proclamations. Aged nine, he was touted as a future champion on...
Benoit Paire suffered a tough defeat Tuesday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, losing in three sets against Feliciano Lopez in two hours, 19 minutes. But the Frenchman, No. 48 in the ATP Rankings, won over at least one person at the Monte-Carlo Country Club — a ballboy. During a changeover, the young ballboy who was holding the umbrella over the 28-year-old was not covering Paire from the sun. But instead of getting upset during the heat of an intense match, Paire had some fun, kindly helping the youngster into position. While he did not walk off the court with a victory, Paire left with at least one extra fan. And when an older, taller ballboy with higher reach stepped in...
Two-time Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters champion Novak Djokovic stepped on Court Rainier III Monday at the Monte-Carlo Country Club for just his seventh match since 2017 Wimbledon. The Serbian arrived on a three-match losing streak, his first of that length since the end of 2007, when he dropped five in a row. But after defeating countryman Dusan Lajovic in under an hour with the loss of just one game, Djokovic delivered exciting news. “After two years finally I can play without pain,” Djokovic said. In February, the 30-year-old announced a ‘small medical intervention’ on his right elbow to help him recover from an injury that had bothered him for two years. The Serbian played his first matches since the Australian Open...
Not every match goes according to plan for the ATP World Tour’s best. And when it doesn’t, you will not be surprised to find out which players rise to the occasion and find a way to win regardless. According to the FedEx ATP Performance Zone, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray, four players who have reached the top spot of the ATP Rankings, lead active players in the rate of matches won after losing the first set. Kei Nishikori, who has climbed as high as World No. 4, is fifth on the list. The common misconception is that the best do not face adversity. Take Federer, for example — the Swiss went 92-5 in a historic 2006...
It has not been the best start to 2018 for World No. 5 Grigor Dimitrov. He struggled early on in the year with a virus, and has lost four of his past five matches. But as the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters gets underway, he is well aware that with a positive mentality, it won’t take much for a complete turnaround. “Sometimes you need one or two matches to get into a tournament and then, all of a sudden, you play the best game. Sometimes you play two, three scrappy matches that turn not only the whole tournament, but the whole year,” Dimitrov told press in Monte-Carlo on Sunday. “I've been there, I've done that.” The Bulgarian has certainly proven that he...
