Rafael Nadal, renowned from his ferocious game and battling qualities, says that he will look to restore his sledgehammer forehand in order to return to top form on the ATP World Tour. Following his opening-round exit to Viktor Troicki on Wednesday at the Shanghai Rolex Masters, the former World No. 1 admitted, “I need to recover the forehand. I know I need to hit forehands. Every time that I hit the forehand, I need to create pain for my opponent. “It is something that is not happening very often now, and it’s something that needs to happen for the next year… If that happens, then, for sure, I need to recover a little bit the electricity in my legs. I...
Andy Murray had little trouble taking his seventh consecutive tour-level victory on Wednesday at the Shanghai Rolex Masters. The second seed needed 75 minutes to beat Steve Johnson 6-3, 6-2 and improve his FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Johnson to 3-0. The American had forced Murray to pull out a third-set tie-break the last time they played, at the Rio Olympics. But Murray was on from the start of their second-round match in Shanghai. The Brit saved the only break point he faced in the first set and never gave Johnson a look at another one. The two-time Shanghai champion also feasted on Johnson's second serve, winning 70 per cent of his second-serve return points (14/20). “I felt like I...
Viktor Troicki claimed one of his biggest wins of the season on Wednesday as he defeated Rafael Nadal 6-3, 7-6(3) in the second round of the Shanghai Rolex Masters. The Serbian had never beaten Nadal in five previous attempts, but pulled off the upset as he held his nerve for victory in one hour and 34 minutes. "I played really well," said Troicki. "I was aggressive, I served well, I hit the ball nice. "It was a great feeling on the court playing like this and playing like this against Rafa Nadal, who is a great champion. It makes it extra special to beat him for the first time, especially in such a big tournament like Shanghai. "I'm really glad...
Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan advanced to the quarter-finals with clutch serving on Wednesday at the Shanghai Rolex Masters. The Americans saved four of five break points and won 74 per cent of their service points in the 6-1, 7-6(3) victory against Marcin Matkowski and Jean-Julien Rojer. The 38-year-old twins, who won the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament in 2014, will meet Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Nenad Zimonjic in the quarter-finals. The Frenchman/Serbian pairing denied fifth seeds Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram 6-4, 6-2 in 61 minutes. Before Wednesday's matches, Klaasen/Ram were in sixth place in the Emirates ATP Doubles Race To London. The South African/American duo has never qualified for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, to be held...