Twenty-nine wins in 31 matches. It’s a run most players could only dream of. For Jurgen Zopp, the dream has become a reality. The culmination of five years of hard work and dedication, Estonia’s most successful player is thriving once again in his bid to return to the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings. Amidst a litany of injury setbacks, including back ailments and an abdominal tear, Zopp struggled to find his footing after reaching a career-high of No. 71 in 2012. Confidence was low and consistent success was hard to find. But that all changed in an instant in July. Hovering just inside the Top 500, Zopp would produce a magical run. Four consecutive Futures events resulted in...
On Aug. 21, classes started at Texas Christian University, where Cameron Norrie was a three-time All-American. But that day, Norrie, who turned professional after the team’s spring season, was far away from Texas. The 22 year old was in New York preparing for the US Open, where he would qualify and win his first Grand Slam main draw match. “I would much rather be at the US Open than be at syllabus week,” Norrie laughed. “I think that a lot of people would be pretty happy for me that I was there and not at school anymore.” Less than four months ago, Norrie was the No. 1-ranked college player in the country as a junior. Now, he is taking the...
Winning is never easy on the ATP Challenger Tour. Thai-Son Kwiatkowski has learned that quickly in his young professional career, as the University of Virginia standout remains in search of his first main draw victory at the Challenger level since graduating this spring. “To be honest, I’m having a bit of a tough time,” reflected Kwiatkowski, who capped his impressive college career with an NCAA singles title this year. “I’ve been taking a lot of lumps this summer and I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is that it’s very tough week-in and week-out.” Tuesday night was no different, as the 22 year old won five more points than lucky loser Luke Bambridge in the Atlantic Tire Championships, but fell...
Age is just a number and tennis might just be a game, but for Peter Polansky, some of his finest tennis has come with age – and it’s getting only better. The 29-year-old Canadian has been an unassuming but tenacious competitor across all levels of professional tennis, quietly putting together a successful career that just now is seeing him start to maximise his potential. On the back of three successive ATP Challenger Tour finals earlier this year, Polansky reached a career-high of No. 115 in the Emirates ATP Rankings and looks to build on that vein of form in Asia later this year. A veteran by his own account, Polansky has been around long enough to witness the beginnings of...
On paper, Noah Rubin’s 6-3, 6-3 win over World No. 453 Pedro Sakamoto in the first round of the ATP Challenger Tour event in Cary, North Carolina, appears ordinary. But considering it was Rubin’s first triumph since April, after missing nearly four months due to a sprained right wrist and bone bruise, it took on added significance for the #NextGenATP American. “I almost forgot how to do it. After I won I didn’t even know what I should do out there,” Rubin joked, reflecting on Monday’s victory. “It’s great just to get the ‘W’, regardless of how I played, how he played. It was just nice to shake hands and have that winning feeling again.” Welcome back @Noahrubin33! The #NextGenATP...