As I sat in my hotel room in Guadalajara after my final loss to Mirza Basic, I thought about the missed opportunity of winning my second straight Challenger title. I was exhausted by a long seven weeks of constant travel and tournament play. I missed my family and being home. The grind of the pro tour that I dreamed about all my life had led me to face the reality of what it takes to be here and succeed. I talked to my coach Martin Laurendeau, who is also Canada’s Davis Cup captain, and texted my mom Tessa, who has been my coach for all my life through my ups and downs. After a few short sentences of encouragement, they...
A career breakthrough vaulted Croatian Borna Coric up the Emirates ATP Race To Milan standings in April, and now the 20-year-old right-hander is close to challenging #NextGenATP star Alexander Zverev for the lead in the race to qualify for the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals, to be held 7-11 November in Milan. On 3 April, Coric was in eighth place in the Race, 380 points behind Zverev. But a week later, the Zagreb native compiled the best week of his career at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech. Coric won five consecutive matches in Morocco to celebrate his first ATP World Tour title, saving five match points in the final to beat German Philipp Kohlschreiber 5-7, 7-6(3), 7-5 in...
There could be no better setting to bring the curtain down on an illustrious career. At home, in front of many of those who have been with him in almost 20 years as a professional, Albert Montanes called time on his professional career at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell on Wednesday. The 36-year-old Catalan bowed out in a second-round defeat to Feliciano Lopez, ending his career with six ATP World Tour titles, a career-high of No. 22 in the Emirates ATP Rankings and 542 matches in his legs. Montanes bid farewell to the tour in his 35th match at a tournament where he made his debut 16 years ago, and where he has played every year since 2001, except in...
Feliciano Lopez has set a new record this week at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell by becoming the first player in history to contest this ATP World Tour 500 clay-court tournament 17 times. "Playing 17 straight years here, or 60 consecutive Grand Slams, shows that you've had a bit of luck with injuries to be able to have such a long career," said Lopez. "I've worked hard for it. I've taken care of myself and it's an honour to be here another year because for me every 'el Godo' is a gift. "There aren't many tournaments like 'el Godo' left, that are played in a club like this. And in my case, it's even more special because I was brought...
As he approaches his 30th birthday, Andy Murray has entered a more reflective phase in his life. And returning to Barcelona is bringing back many happy memories for the Scot. "I was talking to my team a few weeks ago, said Murray. "I'm approaching 30, my father-in-law recently turned 60 and my coach has just turned 40. We were just talking a little bit about which years we've enjoyed most in our lives. "I was here in Barcelona for two years and I loved it. It was the first time that I was away from my family home and even though it was hard, it was the first time I'd tasted independence. I would say that they were two of...
