They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Alex Bolt knows this all too well. For those competing on the ATP Challenger Tour, the early 20s is a time for growth and development, as players look to build their games and fight to climb the ATP Rankings. They seek to embrace the on-the-road lifestyle, bouncing from tournament to tournament with dreams of ascending to the ATP World Tour. But, for some, the pursuit of the Top 100 and beyond can take its toll. Two years ago, citing waning motivation and passion, Bolt hung up his racquets at the age of 23. Having competed on the circuit for many years, the Aussie - a former World No. 160 - grappled...
What do you do after you’ve just beaten Roger Federer? If you’re Evgeny Donskoy, you go play a Challenger. The 26-year-old Russian caused arguably the biggest upset of the year at last week’s Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, shocking the 18-time Grand Slam champion in a third-set tie-break in their second-round match. Donskoy said the match brought a whirlwind of publicity, but it’s now back to business as usual for him. “It was the most attention I’ve ever had,” said Donskoy. “Many friends were sending me messages and a lot of tennis players and fans were coming up to me in Dubai. But as the weeks go on, it’s natural for the attention to go away a bit.” This week,...
One year after his semi-final run at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Zhuhai, China, Yuki Bhambri of India is enjoying success here once again. It wasn’t an ideal 12 months in between for him, though. An elbow injury sidelined Bhambri for six months and when he returned in September, he went 0-5 in main draw Challenger matches for the remainder of 2016. But it seems that the former Top 100 player in the Emirates ATP Rankings is finally over his injury woes in 2017. He qualified for the Aircel Chennai Open in January and won his opening match in the main draw, then reached the final round of qualifying at the Australian Open. This week in Zhuhai, Bhambri has...
