Tennis Acumen

Kudla vs. Wolf & Not Gasquet vs. Verdasco in SF at Arizona Tennis Classic

PETE ZIEBRON in PHOENIX

Following his win over Richard Gasquet, Denis Kudla stated on court that "This is the toughest Challenger in the world."  It is.  Four former Top Ten players were in the draw - three played in the Quarterfinals on Friday and all three lost.

On a gorgeous 77F sunny day at the Phoenix Country Club, Denis Kudla opened play on Center Court with a 6-3 6-4 win over Frenchman Richard Gasquet.  The American, who was born in Kiev, Ukraine, did not double fault all day, hit seven aces and saved the only break point against en route to victory.

Gasquet played competitive tennis throughout the match, however was distracted midway through the second set when an off-site garbage truck was doing its duty and creating a bit of a disturbance.  Gasquet was serving at 30-0 and on serve in the set when the  clanging of metal took place on and off for three minutes.  The yellow clad Gasquet was clearly agitated, lost the next few points and crushed a ball out of Center Court, costing him a ball abuse warning.  Kudla stood his ground and simply put balls back into play as the errors from Gasquet in this game led to the only break of the second set.  

Kudla protected his serve all day and arrives in the semifinals without dropping a set in the tournament.

Next up, American JJ Wolf matched up with Spaniard Fernando Verdasco.  Like Kudla, Wolf won his first two matches in straight sets.

Fernando Verdasco, 2010   (c) Tennis Acumen

Verdasco dropped the opening service game when a let cord winner by Wolf dropped just over the net.  He glared at his box in disbelief and disgust, however was able to get the break back three games later to square the set at 2-all.  That would be the only break he would manage as Wolf saved the next six the rest of the way.

Several long rallies throughout the match were on display as both players were digging deep.  Wolf created his own break point opportunities and capitalized on a large one as Verdasco served to stay in the opening set.  The Cincinnati native took the set, broke midway through the second set for the lead and concurrently staved off Verdasco's break point opportunities.

Gasquet and Verdasco played 15 times on the ATP Tour with Verdasco holding an 8-7 H2H mark.  It appeared that these former top ten players would meet yet again.  Kudla and Wolf would not be denied on this day and both arrive in the semifinals without dropping a set.

Later in the day, David Goffin, the third former top ten player to take Center Court on Friday, lost to Liam Broady of Great Britain.  Broady will play Daniel Altmaier of Germany, who defeated Radu Albot of Moldova to close out the day session.

Three Alternates and Wild Card JJ Wolf comprise the Arizona Tennis Classic Semifinals.  Four former top ten ATP players have been eliminated.  Denis Kudla is a man of his word.

 

David Goffin Advances to Quarters in Phoenix Challenger.

PETE ZIEBRON in PHOENIX

David Goffin at the Cincinnati Masters tournament, 2017 (c) Tennis Acumen

David Goffin closed out the second round at the Arizona Tennis Classic with a 7-6 3-6 6-4 win over American Wild Card Christopher Eubanks at the Phoenix Country Club.  The Belgian did not serve particularly well, hitting 12 double faults, however he was able to save 17 of 21 break points throughout the match.

Goffin is the #8 seed and is one of the few players that also played in the initial Arizona Tennis Classic in 2019, when he was the #1 seed.  Following the match, Goffin said that he was happy to get the win since the Eubanks serve often stretched him out wide as it was well placed in the corners.  Both players hit 10 aces and Goffin did well to block back the serve from the American which topped out in the low 130 mph range on the night.

Eubanks saved 3 of 6 break points and all three came in a game midway through the second set when he fell behind 0-40.  He rode that confidence in saving that particular game to win the middle set.  The former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket is threat on the ATP Tour.  On Wednesday, he defeated veteran Qualifier Gilles Simon 6-4 7-5.  Yesterday he certainly held his own against Goffin.  Both opponents are former Top Ten players.

Next up for Goffin is Liam Broady of Great Britain.  Broady has dropped just 8 games in his two straight set victories and was added to the Main Draw as an Alternate.  Goffin, meanwhile, has been taken to three sets in each of his first two matches in Phoenix.

 

 

Benoit Paire Dazzles Phoenix Crowd En Route to Straight Set Victory

PETE ZIEBRON in PHOENIX

Benoit Paire, far right playing cards with Richard Gasquet and Gilles Simon as Nicolas Mahut observes.  Pete Ziebron Images

Benoit Paire, the #1 seed in the Arizona Tennis Classic $125K Challenger in Phoenix wasted absolutely no time putting on a show for spectators on Center Court on Wednesday night.  On the third point of the match, the crafty Frenchman hit an approach drop shot that had so much spin, that it then bounced back over Paire's side of the net before Emilio Nava had any chance to make a play on the ball.  That effort gave Paire a 40-0 lead, and he closed out the opening game a point later.

Later in the opening set, Paire hit an approach shot tweener - he lost that point but the crowd was thrilled.  Deep in the opening set and serving at 5-5 deuce, Paire hit another tweener to win the point.  Certainly a rather dangerous time to hit such a shot, however Paire was feeling loose all night.  He won that game, broke Nava to win the first set 7-5 and then won the first four games of the second set.

During this game, while serving at 4-0, Paire was not thrilled with some of the officiating and set his racquet on the baseline and walked halfway up the doubles alley to point to a mark where he felt the ball landed out.  Judging from Paire's hand gesture explanation and protest, the ball was at least three inches out.  Paire would be broken at that game and he then rocketed a ball out of the stadium and on to the adjacent golf course at the Phoenix Country Club.

Benoit Paire would hit a third tweener of the night later in the set and would advance to the second round with a 7-5 6-2 victory.

Earlier in the day, Center Court featured FOUR former top ten ATP players: Gilles Simon, Richard Gasquet, David Goffin and Fernando Verdasco!  Keep in mind, this is a $125K Challenger event.  The Arizona Tennis Classic draw is certainly better than many ATP 250 events and nearly as good as some ATP 500 tournaments.  

This is why I fondly refer to the Arizona Tennis Classic as the Phoenix 375. 

In fact, the first match of the evening featured Emil Ruusuvouri of Finland against American Wild Card Brandon Nakashima.  This was a rematch of last year's Atlanta 250 Semifinal, won by the American.  This time, the Finn relied on a steady serve down the middle and consistently broke down the Nakashima backhand en route to a 6-3 6-3 win.

Regarding the former top ten players, all but Simon won their matches to advance to the second round on Thursday.  Paire will play Radu Albot of Moldova, Gasquet will open Thursday's action against Facundo Bagnis of Argentina and Goffin will play American Wild Card Christopher Eubanks who defeated Simon in straight sets on Wednesday.

Indian Wells may have Nick Kyrgios, however the Arizona Tennis Classic features Benoit Paire and his active tweener game.  What will Paire bring to the table today?

Evan King: Playing Hurt - Part 2 of 2

In 2021, Tennis Acumen interviewed American Evan King at the Champaign Challenger tournament. Here is a part of that conversation:

Tennis Acumen: We’re talking about aches, pains and injuries, Evan.
You were not 100% physically. You're up 5-1 in the second set tiebreaker and it was painful to watch. Your mind is saying: “I've got this.” and your body is just saying: “Please, no.” You managed to win that set.

Evan King: Yes, now that was funny too, At the beginning of the third set, I was thinking OK, I've got some momentum. That's good. And no, that went away pretty quickly. I set foot on the court. I knew what I had in the tank. Go out there, compete. I saved a match point or two, which was good. I'm excited about that. But then I just did not have enough to get through it. Yeah, I'm still a little bit rattled from the match because obviously when you are a competitor, you go out there, you want to win. I wish I would've won, right?

 

 

Tennis Acumen: So how often are guys playing hurt?

Evan King: Hurt…. Hurt is a strong word. I would not consider myself hurt, less than 100 percent is different than being hurt. You don't play hurt.

Tennis Acumen: Because I've had guys tell me everybody's hurt all the time.

Evan King: I believe that, especially in November. No one's actually 100 percent. Maybe in January. I would hope so. In January, everyone's 100 percent because you have a month off. But in November, no one feels great. You just manage what you can, and you compete to the best of your ability with whatever you have on that day. There was a withdrawal earlier today. In singles he went into the match saying:”I know I have something going on, but I'm going to push it and see what I can get out of it.” And then the injury got aggravated. Maybe it went a little bit worse than he expected. And maybe there are some long-term issues that could happen if he kept playing or something like that. I have a lot of fatigue wear and tear from travel this season and everything, but I'm not hurt. That's a strong, strong word. I would not be in Champaign playing this event if I were hurt.

Tennis Acumen: Yeah, I appreciate the clarification there.

Evan King: Yeah, but it's more just wear and tear and crazy fatigue and yeah, just aches and pains and random things.

Tennis Acumen: It would be better said that everybody is playing ‘hurting’ rather than ‘hurt’.

Evan King: exactly. I would say that for sure.

 

 

More of this exclusive interview is available at Tennis Acumen. Go to the interviews category, shown on the upper right hand side of the screen.

Tags: @EvanKingChicago

Evan King: Playing Hurt - Part 1 of 2

In 2021, Tennis Acumen interviewed American Evan King at the Champaign Challenger tournament. Here is a part of that conversation:

Tennis Acumen: You were obviously not 100 percent physically yesterday. How do you push through?

Evan King: If you decide to start a match, you finish the match. I guess that's my code of honor, unless something is actually broken. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. As a professional, maybe I withdrew from one match. As you said, yesterday, I did not have my 100 percent.

 

 

Tennis Acumen: You know, I won't get into details on the injury itself. I'm just looking at the mindset and the spirit behind it. You were down a break early in the second set. Time to change ends, and you went off in the corner of the court and just sat on a stool. What was your thought process or what was going through your head?

Evan King: I was just trying to clear my mind and find some sort of peace because I was also frustrated that I was down a set and a break. Very frustrated. I needed to kind of be to myself. Find some peace. Try to get something out of the match. Whether it's a win, whether it's feeling good, whether it's executing certain things, just simplifying the game in my mind. I was taking it down to just a couple of shots I felt like I could execute extremely well. It was all mental, all regrouping and focusing in and really locking in for that moment.

 

 

Tennis Acumen: To be honest, Evan, it was agonizing watching the match because I could tell your mind wanted to do things and your body was saying: “Please stop. Please let me go.”

Evan King: It's a very frustrating part of tennis in general, but it's also interesting because I do focus on doubles now. My career is based off of doubles. It's making sure I stay ready for that as well. Win or lose on Tuesday, I knew I had to compete on Wednesday. Even working out for both of them is different. You use different skills when you're practicing for doubles and training for doubles rather than singles. There is playing and there is recovering. Played a match two days ago. In the second set, it got pretty physical. (King defeated Ruan Roelofse in a 24-point 2nd set tiebreak.) He was going through it too, though, because you can't say it was just me. I know my opponent was also feeling it physically as well. We all have issues we're going through, so we just try to compete and get through it.

Tennis Acumen: It was impressive, Evan.

Evan King: I appreciate that.

 

More of this exclusive interview is available at Tennis Acumen. Go to the interviews category, shown on the upper right hand side of the screen.

Tags: @EvanKingChicago

Aleks Vukic: Playing Hurt

In 2021, Tennis Acumen interviewed Australian Aleks Vukic at the Champaign Challenger tournament. Here is a part of that conversation:

Tennis Acumen: Yeah, let me ask one more question. watching Evan King play yesterday, he was obviously not 100 percent.

Aleks Vukic: Mentally or physically?

 

Tennis Acumen: His body. He could not move. He could not get there. He was sharp, clear and he was asking his body to do certain things. And the body was just saying: “No, please stop.”

Aleks Vukic: Yeah, that’s tough when it feels like that.

 

Tennis Acumen: I asked him about that and I told him it was agonizing to watch. I mean, he got down a set, down a break, and instead of going to the bench, he just sat on a little stool in the back corner, on the baseline. I asked what was going through his mind.? He says: “Just trying to find some clarity. I was trying to simplify things.” We made a distinction between playing when you're hurt, which means you're injured and you shouldn't be on court and playing where you're hurting. How do you deal with playing when you're hurting?

Aleks Vukic: It's very tough, because you obviously you feel it. But he had the perfect mindset. That pain will end up going away. If you're hurt, you should stop because it can affect you. But if you're hurting, it's one of those. It's a temporary pain. It's just another obstacle that you have to go through. You see the guys that are doing really well, going deep in the tournament, they are, for sure, hurting mentally. And physically, they're not fresh. They have played more matches. I think it’s just trying to push through, trying to find a way to pump yourself up.

Tennis Acumen: Did you have any training or work with a sports psychologist on that issue?

Aleks Vukic: No, I haven't. But that is something that would definitely interest me. My coach is not here this week, but he's very good with that stuff. We talk about a lot about the mental game rather than the technical part of it, because people say it's 80 percent mental. I do believe it's around 90 to 95 percent, to be honest. Unless you're extremely talented, you need the hard work and need the mental capacity. And that's where you see a lot of guys make a career, just because they're mentally tough. They make a living purely because of that. And that's my goal is to do that as well.

 

More of this exclusive interview is available at Tennis Acumen. Go to the interviews category, shown on the upper right hand side of the screen.

Tags: aleks.vukic, Vuki_SMASH23

Evan King: Grinding it Out

In 2021, Tennis Acumen interviewed American Evan King at the Champaign Challenger tournament. Here is a part of that conversation:

Tennis Acumen: I want to go back to the point you woke up this morning. Look, just the grind of the tour, the travel, your sleep schedules. How do you manage all of that?

Evan King: it's an interesting balance for sure. Over the year, you're in a ton of different time zones, you're sleeping on at least fifty different beds. So, the mattress is different. The pillows, different. Places with air conditioning, with no air conditioning, with great showers, or terrible showers. all those different variables. I love the fact that my job is to chase a yellow ball around, and I have to remember that is my career and that's my job. And there are a lot of things that I could be doing that I don't want to do. And ultimately, I want to do this. I can't be happy go lucky when I'm out there competing, because I have to win. But it's a great career and I have to remind myself of that constantly. I lost yesterday. I put myself on the line. My best yesterday was not as good as my opponent's best yesterday. And that part does stink. And then you have to look at yourself in the mirror and go back out and practice and get after it again today.

There are variables like cuisine. It is pretty hard to be strict on your diet, because you can play a tournament in Champaign, Illinois, you can play a tournament in Shanghai, China, maybe you won't be able to get the same things. Something's cooked in more oil. Maybe something is cleaner. Maybe the language barrier won't allow you to get exactly what you want. So that is definitely a hurdle on the tour. And then waking up every morning making sure that as a professional, I am accountable for myself. So, I lose yesterday, I have to create a practice schedule, make sure I hit the gym, make sure I sleep at a good time because I play doubles tomorrow, make sure my doubles partner and I are on the same page and all those kinds of things. It means dealing with a lot of things I can’t control, but still, I have to find a rhythm.

 

 

Tennis Acumen: So, on any given day, you don't know until the end of the day when you're going to play correct? Like 10:00 in the morning or 6:00 in the evening.

Evan King: Tomorrow, I don't know my schedule yet. I know I play doubles tomorrow, but I don't know the time of it, so I can't plan anything that far in advance. And then you have flights to the next tournament, I don't know if my week is going to end on Wednesday or if my week is going to end on Saturday. So, I can't really book a flight to my next destination until this week ends. Let's say I lose on Wednesday. I don't really want to leave on Sunday because I'm ill prepared for the next week. I'm going to a different city with different conditions, maybe different balls, maybe different time zones, all those kinds of things. There is a lot of last second planning, which can get a little bit stressful. I graduated in 2013. This is 2021. So, I have been doing it more or less eight years. I've kind of gotten used to it, but it is still difficult at times. But still, I've seen so much of the world that I've had no business seeing, countries that I didn't even know existed until I stepped foot in.

 

In 2021, Tennis Acumen interviewed American Evan King at the Champaign Challenger tournament. Here is a part of that conversation:

Photo of the Day: Fabio Fognini

Fabio Fognini, born 24 May 1987,  is an Italian professional tennis player. He has a career-high ranking of world No. 9 achieved on 15 July 2019. Fognini's most successful surface is red clay, upon which he has won eight of his nine ATP singles titles, most notably the 2019 Monte-Carlo Masters.

Together with Simone Bolelli, Fognini won the 2015 Australian Open doubles championship, becoming the first all-Italian men's pair to win a Grand Slam title in the Open era.

Fognini flourished at the 2014 Cincinnati Masters, beating Lleyton Hewitt on the way to a fourth-round loss to Milos Raonic of Canada.

Photo credit: Karl Corbett, © 2021 Tennis Acumen

Evan King: A Life Outside of Tennis

In 2021, Tennis Acumen interviewed American Evan King at the Champaign Challenger tournament. Here is a part of that conversation:

Photo credit: Behind the Racket

Tennis Acumen: You're obviously focused on tennis. I mean, you have to be obsessed and half crazy.

Evan King: Yeah. Full crazy

 

 

Tennis Acumen: Other interests? Food, fashion, music, art?

Evan King: I would just go back to the music, the battle rap. That's what I go back to. I would say that would be my hobby when I'm off the court. I'm watching for new battles. I follow a couple of professional battlers. I have been to a couple of events.

 

 

Tennis Acumen: Seriously. That's great. There's another passion.

Evan King: Yeah, exactly.

Tennis Acumen: And somebody else has to do the work. That is always good.

Evan King: And I just take it in and enjoy all of what they're putting into the universe. I think when I'm done competing, I want to stay in tennis or in athletics in general. I had a lot of fun in college tennis. I think I do want to be a college coach when I'm done playing.

 

 

Tennis Acumen: Given consideration to announcing or broadcasting?

Evan King: Yes and no. I think I could be OK at it. I enjoy the sport. I think I can articulate what I'm trying to say. I think that could be OK. I know a fair amount of the people playing. I think that's a good thing. No, I'm definitely into the sport. I don't think my status as a tennis player would make the transition that easy. You look at Tennis Channel and you look at ESPN, they're all former world number ones, all that kind of energy. Yeah, I need to get my name bigger to really have that be a legitimate option for me. But I think I would have fun with it. Whatever it is, I'll stay in athletics. So that's where my passion is. That's what I enjoy.

Tennis Acumen: So, supporting people that have the same passion, perhaps helping them avoid some of the mistakes you made? Yeah, I understand that.

Evan King: Because through juniors through college, into the professional ranks, you need help to jump the hurdles I wasn't able to.

 

More of this exclusive interview is available at Tennis Acumen. Go to the interviews category, shown on the upper right hand side of the screen.

Tags: @EvanKingChicago

J. J. Wolf: A Life outside of Tennis

In 2021, Tennis Acumen interviewed American J. J. Wolf at the Champaign Challenger tournament. Here is a part of that conversation:

Tennis Acumen: Passions outside of tennis: what do you do to expand your horizons and get entertainment?

J. J. Wolf: I do a lot of outdoor activities, go for a lot of hikes, a lot of stuff in the water, fly fishing, things like that. Shoot some guns once in a while. I really, really enjoy doing that, just getting on the range and letting loose. Basically, I like to get outside and experience the world.

 

 

Tennis Acumen: Now, did you do that growing up?

J. J. Wolf: Yeah, yeah. We’d go camping, that sort of thing. Tent camping. I never had a motor home or anything like that, but I think that could be fun. At some point, there’s a Jeep that I want to get. I've seen these things you can put on the top that unfold into an actual tent on top of your car, which is pretty cool. My girlfriend really loves outdoor activities too, so we'll go for a trip when we can.

Tennis Acumen: Just an aside, Brenda and I got a motorhome seven, eight years ago.

J. J. Wolf: Awesome, you like it?

Tennis Acumen:. Yeah, it's twenty four feet. It's great for two people, and we absolutely love it. We went up to Laver Cup a few weeks back.  We parked our motorhome in Salem, about half an hour north of Boston, right on the harbor. We wake up in the morning looking at the boats going by, the seagulls. We absolutely fell in love with that. And we can follow the tour as well. Some of our trips have been great, like Laver Cup. Camp somewhere nearby, Uber into the tournament, get a hotel for the weekend. If you like the outdoors and you also like the comforts of home, it's a good idea.

J. J. Wolf: Definitely.

 

 

Tennis Acumen: You travel a lot, J.J. How do you manage it, going from the seafood in New England to barbecue in Texas to European or Asian food, how do you manage when the food's not always predictable?

J. J. Wolf: I'm not very picky at all, so I can find food I like just about anywhere. I haven’t played a full year on tour yet with everything that's happened. Once I have played a couple of years, I know I will find the spots I like at different tournaments and go from there.

Tennis Acumen: So at home, people are coming over for dinner. What's your ‘go to’ dish if you're cooking?

J. J. Wolf: Well, that's a tough one. If I'm cooking, there's not a lot of options, to be honest, but I could always throw some steaks on the grill. That's probably what I'd do. Steak and potatoes.

 

More of this exclusive interview is available at Tennis Acumen. Go to the interviews category, shown on the upper right hand side of the screen.

Tags: @jjwolf5

2022 Australian Open final expert picks: Medvedev vs. Nadal

This article originally appeared on The Grandstand.

Expert picks are back for the Australian Open final on Sunday night, when both Daniil Medvedev and Rafael Nadal are battling for not only the title but also for some serious history. With a victory, Medvedev would become the first player to back up his first slam title by winning the very next major. He would also become world No. 1 for the first time next month. Nadal, of course, would get to No. 21 with a win. A three-team panel previews the action and makes its predictions.

(6) Rafael Nadal vs. (2) Daniil Medvedev

Ricky Dimon: Matteo Berrettini? Great matchup for Nadal. Daniil Medvedev? Not a great matchup. It’s easy to see why. Berrettini may serve even bigger and hit his forehand even bigger than Medvedev, but the Italian’s backhand is a major weakness and he doesn’t defend well. What are two absolute must-haves to defeat Nadal? A world-class backhand and elite defensive skills–especially in terms of defending the backhand side. Medvedev has both. In fact, his combination of backhand and defense is better than everyone else’s on tour other than Novak Djokovic.

The second-ranked Russian also has the edge in endurance. That’s not a knock on Nadal; that’s just the nature of things when the Spaniard is 35 and his opponent is 25. Medvedev played for four hours and 42 minutes against Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals and then came out two days later and wore down Stefanos Tsitsipas physically even though Tsitsipas was coming off a lightning-quick quarter against Jannik Sinner. In their epic 2019 U.S. Open final, Nadal was closer to his prime and Medvedev was further away from his prime than they are now. Nadal won that one in five. I expect roles to be reversed in this one. Medvedev in 5: 5-7, 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-3.

Cheryl Murray:  Nadal is in the final of the Australian Open for the sixth time. Despite his best efforts–some of which have been flat-out Herculean–he has just one title (2009). He is chasing history, of course, The Spaniard is tied at 20 majors apiece with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. That his first real shot at No. 21 should come in Melbourne is delightfully ironic; Oz is his least-successful slam, after all. Oh, and there’s the fact that he just tiptoed back to tennis after a half a year nursing foot pain from a congenital issue. He really has played remarkably well this fortnight. Aggressive serving, crowding the baseline on returns, and making an obvious (and often successful) attempt at shortening points to be kinder to his 35-year-old body…. That is why he has the chance.

Unfortunately for Nadal’s place in the history books, Medvedev is standing in his way as the other best player in the draw. The world No. 2 snagged his first major at the 2021 U.S. Open, handing Djokovic a beatdown as the Serb made a bid for No. 21 and the calendar-year Grand Slam. That he’s well-positioned to do the same to Nadal in Melbourne is no accident. Medvedev hasn’t been at his best some of the time over the past two weeks. A wonky match in the fourth round against Maxime Cressy had the Russian out of sorts…but he has a way of showing up in the big moments. On hard courts, Medvedev’s best is probably better than Nadal’s best. He is deceptively fast and his offense is more lethal than Nadal’s. Still, with this much on the line the Spaniard is going to show up.
Medvedev in 5: 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.

Pete Ziebron: With his semifinal victory over Tsitsipas, Medvedev certainly answered any stamina-related “questions” following his lengthy quarterfinal against Auger-Aliassime. Even a Medvedev meltdown or other mid-match detour at a major no longer appears to have any significant impact or an ability to flip a match in favor of his opponent. However, the man on the other side of the net this time is Nadal–who perhaps benefitted from the Russian’s antics at the 2019 U.S. Open and beat him in that final.

In his AO semifinal on Friday, Nadal simply outclassed Berrettini for two full sets and then withstood a serving barrage before picking his spot to do damage and secure the break in the fourth–leading to the win less than five minutes later. Even if Nadal is able to duplicate the caliber of his game from the initial two sets in the semi into the final, it will not be enough against Medvedev. The world No. 2 seemingly has all the answers, gets nearly everything back in play, and goes big at the most unexpected of times. Medvedev in 4: 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(3), 7-5.

Aleks Vukic: College tennis to the Pro Tour

In 2021, Tennis Acumen interviewed Australian Aleks Vukic at the Champaign Challenger tournament. Here is a part of that conversation:

Tennis Acumen: And making the transition to playing as a pro. What's the same about the game? What's different?

Aleks Vukic: It's SO different. I think it's a lot more mentally tough because in college, you're very comfortable. In college, you have everything you need. You have coaches. You have everything set up and then you show once or twice a week and play a match. On the pro tour, you're alone, you're traveling from place to place. Depends on the place, but it might not be so nice. You have to do that for thirty weeks of the year! Sometimes you go through spells where you don't win a match or just win a few matches in a few months, and you need to bounce back. It's a lot more mentally challenging, and it's not for everyone. But I think if you find ways to love it, it's unreal.

 

 

Tennis Acumen: So, what was the best thing about the college experience and what are some of your best memories there?

Aleks Vukic: I think it is developing the game, having time to develop the game with the coaches. I mean, this is an unbelievable program, so the coaches really helped me here, but it gives you time. You look at the top 20 guys in college, they're all ranked inside the top 400. You're playing those guys and you're building a game. So, it's a really great experience. You also develop as a person. There's more to life than tennis. You can tell sometimes who's gone to college and who hasn't on the tour.  You can see guys whose whole life is tennis. They think a little differently than the guys that have gone to college and have seen other things..

 

 

Tennis Acumen: And I've heard people say one of the differences is this: coming into the Challengers, you can be playing on Monday afternoon and there's absolutely nobody in the stands, but in college, you do get a lot of fan support, right?

Aleks Vukic: Yeah, you do. Everyone loves playing to the fans. Obviously, it depends on the tournament. Some Challengers, actually, they get quite a good crowd, so it depends on the week. But every week is different.

 

 

Tennis Acumen: How sensitive are you to the crowd when you're in a match? Does the crowd affect you?

Aleks Vukic: A little bit? But I'd rather the crowd be against me, than to have no crowd, to be honest. I would rather have 10,000 people cheering against me than to have zero people in the stands. It just makes for a better atmosphere.

 

 

More of this exclusive interview is available at Tennis Acumen. Go to the interviews category, shown on the upper right hand side of the screen.

Tags: aleks.vukic, Vuki_SMASH23

2022 Australian Open semifinal expert picks: Nadal vs. Berrettini, Medvedev vs. Tsitsipas

This article originally appeared on The Grandstand.

Expert picks are back for the Australian Open semifinals on Tuesday, when Rafael Nadal battles Matteo Berrettini and Daniil Medvedev goes up against Stefanos Tsitsipas. A three-team panel previews the action and makes its predictions.

(7) Matteo Berrettini vs. (6) Rafael Nadal

Ricky Dimon: The simple question is which Nadal is going to be on display. Will it be the one who was dealing with physical problems during his five-set struggle against Denis Shapovalov on Tuesday? Or is it going to be the one who is 8-0 this season and had been pretty much dominating all of his opponents prior to the quarterfinals? If it’s the latter, I can’t see Berrettini winning this matchup–not on anything other than grass or a lightning fast indoor hard court. There will be too many long rallies in which his vulnerable backhand gets exposed by the Spaniard’s heavy topspin forehand. To be clear, I wouldn’t bet with confidence on either side because of Nadal’s somewhat questionable status. But all things being equal the 20-time major champion should win this one. Nadal in 4: 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.

Cheryl Murray: The outcome of this match will depend heavily on whether Nadal has recovered from his five-set victory over Shapovalov. The Spaniard reported suffering heat stroke during the match and described himself as “physically destroyed” in his post-match presser. If the two days’ rest is sufficient, Nadal has to be considered the favorite in this match for several reasons. First, despite earning a spot in his first Australian Open semifinal Berrettini has been a bit vulnerable this fortnight. Only one of his matches was a routine straight-set win. Next, the slower surface (blue GreenSet) neutralizes some of the free points he usually gets on his first serve. Lastly, except for the issue with heat Nadal has been in impressive form. He has some extra pop on his serve and he has taken a more aggressive position on the baseline than usual. Nadal in 4: 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 6-2.

Pete Ziebron: Despite five appearances in the final, the AO is Nadal’s “least” successful major.  Currently he has a prime opportunity to accomplish the double-career Grand Slam with a win this year in Melbourne. After surviving a tougher than expected quarterfinal against Shapovalov, Nadal will not want to put himself in such dangerous scenarios in this match against even better competition. Similarly, Berrettini also blew a two sets to love lead in his quarter against a spirited and loose Gael Monfils before recovering in the fifth. The Italian now must face a man who has won 20 majors rather than someone with two major semifinal appearances to his name. At this stage of a slam, Nadal carries the banner for the Big 3 and will likely display the brand of tennis that the Big 3 absolutely deliver time and time again on the grandest of stages. Nadal gets to the doorstep of 21 as experience–especially at key junctures–wins this match. Nadal in 4: 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-5, 6-4.

(4) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. (2) Daniil Medvedev

Ricky: My popcorn is popped for this one. They don’t necessarily hate each other at this point, but they definitely don’t like each other. Last year’s Grand Slam matchups were never going to be good. Tsitsipas was sapped of energy after beating Nadal in five sets in the Aussie Open quarterfinals, after which he got smoked by the Russian in the semis. Medvedev is probably never going to compete with the Greek on clay, and he didn’t in the French Open quarters. This one features a more level playing field. It is true Medvedev is coming off a four-hour and 42-minute thriller against Felix Auger-Aliassime, but the world No. 2 is one of the fittest guys in the business and he has never had any stamina-related issues. He should be fine. Tsitsipas played his best match in ages against Jannik Sinner, but asking for two in a row when he had previously been in a significant slump may be too much–especially against a backboard of an opponent who is going to make him hit tons and tons of tennis balls. Medvedev in 4: 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(6), 6-2.

Cheryl: Of the two semifinals, this is perhaps the more intriguing. Medvedev and Tsitsipas are not…friends. The two men had a highly publicized on-court argument at the Miami Masters in 2018, in which Medvedev accused Tsitsipas of calling him “a bullshit Russian” following a controversy over a strategically timed bathroom break by Tsitsipas. Since then their meetings have ranged from displays of simmering dislike and frosty indifference. The matchup heavily favors Medvedev, who holds a 6-2 record over Tsitsipas, but the Greek got a big win at the French Open last year. Honestly (and surprisingly), it’s Tsitsipas who has been the better player during week two. He dispatched Sinner in easy straight sets in the quarters, while Medvedev had to claw his way back from a two sets to love deficit against Auger-Aliassime. I still like the Russian in Melbourne, but this is not likely to be a straight set repeat of Medvedev’s SF win a year ago. Tsitsipas is going to make him work for it. Medvedev in 5: 5-7, 7-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5.

Pete: This will be the third time Medvedev and Tsitsipas will meet in the last five majors. The last four overall meetings have been split, with the victor winning in straight sets each time. Medvedev once again exhibited how difficult it is to oust him at a major in his resilient win over Auger-Aliassime in the quarters. In each of the five previous rounds he has faced a completely different opponent. Now he is standing two wins from consecutive major titles. Credit Tsitsipas for showing heart and determination in his round of 16 comeback win against Fritz. Despite being outplayed, he found a way to advance. After being able to exhale, he then mowed down Sinner in routine fashion in the quarters with a clean 4-for-4 in break points won. Although this match features world No. 2 and world No. 4, the rank order scale does not do justice to the vast gap in current form between these two. Medvedev, following a long exhale of his own after going the distance and saving a match point, should win this one in an easier manner. Medvedev in 4: 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-3, 7-5.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2022 Australian Open quarterfinal expert picks: Nadal vs. Shapovalov, Berrettini vs. Monfils

This article originally appeared on The Grandstand.

Expert picks are back for the Australian Open quarterfinals on Tuesday, when Rafael Nadal faces Denis Shapovalov and Matteo Berrettini meets Gael Monfils. A three-team panel previews the action and makes its predictions.

Expert picks are back for the Australian Open quarterfinals on Tuesday, when Rafael Nadal faces Denis Shapovalov and Matteo Berrettini meets Gael Monfils. A three-team panel previews the action and makes its predictions.

Denis Shapovalov vs. (6) Rafael Nadal

Ricky: Nadal played Yannick Hanfmann instead of Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second round, Adrian Mannarino instead of Hubert Hurkacz or Aslan Karatsev in the fourth round, and now Shapovalov instead of Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals. If he wins this one, the Spaniard will run into either Matteo Berrettini or Gael Monfils instead of Novak Djokovic in the semis. Are the stars aligning for a 21st major title and a double career Grand Slam? It’s starting to feel that way. Nadal has been very good in his own right in addition to the good fortune. He is now 7-0 this season with a title at the Melbourne 250 and four convincing wins at this Aussie Open. Shapovalov is dangerous, but he probably doesn’t have the consistency to topple Nadal in a best-of-five situation. Make it four in a row for the Spaniard in this head-to-head series. Nadal in 4: 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3.

Cheryl: Honestly, I had fairly low expectations for Nadal at this Australian Open. The 2009 champion had been sidelined with his chronic foot injury for more than six months. He also had a nasty bout of Covid-19 in December, from which he only just recovered right before landing in Melbourne a few weeks ago. Nadal was handed a tough draw and I figured he’d just be too rusty. But here he is, in the quarters — and more importantly he is playing well. His serve looks better than it has in some time, and he’s getting plenty of pop on his forehand. Shapovalov has had a fantastic tournament so far. The Canadian shellacked Zverev and he helped lead his country to the ATP Cup crown. Shapovalov defeated Nadal in their first-ever meeting back in 2017, and he came within a few points of knocking the Spaniard out of the Rome Masters last year. His big-hitting game is the sort that can give Nadal difficulty, and he’s playing especially well in 2022 so far. Nadal should come through, but Shapovalov is going to make him work for it. Nadal in 5: 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5.

Pete: Ironically, it is Nadal now that has commanded front and center attention at the Australian Open as a few key obstacles (Djokovic and Zverev) to his path to a potential 21st major title have been eliminated in the last week.Instead of Zverev as his opponent in the quarterfinals it is Shapovalov, who brushed away the Olympic and 2021 Nitto ATP Finals champion in straight sets. The Canadian will be grateful to have been able to conserve energy in the last round, as he was tested earlier in the tournament — even rallying from a two sets to one deficit in the second round. Nadal has taken a more direct route to the quarters, dropping just one set thus far. The 2009 AO champion has exited Melbourne at the quarterfinal stage seven times, including in three of the last four years. He has his eyes squarely on the prize that has eluded him for more than a decade and will likely power into the semis. Facing Shapovalov rather than Zverev at this stage of the tournament is certainly a break in getting closer to history. Nadal in 3: 7-5, 6-4, 6-3.

(17) Gael Monfils vs. (7) Matteo Berrettini

Ricky: I had Monfils in the semifinals before the tournament started and I’m not about to waffle — not when he has reeled off four consecutive straight-set victories. The Frenchman has always been one of the most talented players in the world. When he is healthy and motivated, he is also one of the best. Monfils is both of those things right now. Berrettin has been tested in all four of his matches, even though he didn’t lose a set to Pablo Carreno Busta on Sunday. The Italian has been good this fortnight, but not great. Their only previous Grand Slam encounter (2019 U.S. Open quarterfinals) went to a fifth-set tiebreaker. I expect something similar…but this time with Monfils winning. Monfils in 5: 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(5), 2-6, 6-3.

Cheryl Murray: This is one of the more surprising quarterfinals. While Berrettini has been impressively consistent in majors for the past year or so, Monfils has been the exact opposite. The Frenchman could barely manage to win a single match a year ago. In the past week, he has dispatched all four of his opponents in straight sets. With Berrettini’s monster game, I expect that Monfils’ straight-set wins are going to come to an abrupt end. The Italian’s serve hasn’t been quite as effective on these slower hard courts as it is on grass, but it’s still a fierce weapon and will do some damage. The crowd will almost certainly be behind Monfils, who is one of the more popular veteran players on tour. But in the end I expect Berrettini to earn a spot in his first Australian Open semifinal. Berrettini in 4: 7-5, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.

Pete Ziebron: Let us not forget the torrid start to 2020 that Monfils exhibited, going 16-3 with two titles and losses only to Novak Djokovic twice and to Dominic Thiem. The pandemic seemed to impact Monfils to a greater extent than anyone else on the ATP Tour. The Frenchman lost the only four matches he played when he returned in September, then lost his initial three matches in 2021 before finally winning a match in May — a stretch of nearly 15 full months without a victory.  As a result, he is absolutely relishing his success to begin 2022 — already winning a title in Adelaide and recording four straight-set wins in Melbourne. In fact, Monfils dropped just five games in each of his first two matches. This is only the second quarterfinal appearance for Monfils in his 17th visit to the AO.  Berrettini has now earned quarterfinal berths at each of the last four majors. The Italian is 4-0 in tiebreakers in the tournament and certainly received his wakeup call in his third-round encounter with Alcaraz that went the distance. For Monfils, this is a significant increase in talent level across the net compared to his first four matches. Berrettini in 4: 7-6(4), 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

 

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Aleks Vukic: Work Ethic

In 2021, Tennis Acumen interviewed Australian Aleks Vukic at the Champaign Challenger tournament. Here is a part of that conversation:

Tennis Acumen: Among your fellow Australians, are you close with John Millman?

Aleks Vukic: Not close. But I know him. Yeah.

 

 

Tennis Acumen: My wife and I have met him several times. Well, he is the sweetest guy, the nicest guy. I will tell you a story about John. I live in Cincinnati. So I am always at that tournament, right? But I went down to Lexington in 2017 for the Challenger event. I just fell in love with John. His style, his personality. I came back up to Cincinnati for the Saturday qualities. I look across the stadium and there's Gerry Armstrong and Mohammed Leyani. I said:  “Guys, good to see you this year. I just fell in love with a player, John Millman.” They both said: “Oh, he's the sweetest guy. He's such a class act.” Then, the next spring in Indian Wells, we ran across John. I said: “The last time I saw Gerry Armstrong and Mohammed Leyani, I told them about you, and they both said you are a class act.” And John just looked at me and said: “My parents raised me well.” He's such a humble, authentic guy.

Aleks Vukic: He's just, gritty, a person that might not be the most talented, but he just works and works. And I know he trains so much. So, it is all about the hard work for him.

 

 

Tennis Acumen: You've got friends here. I mean, friends on the tour. What's it like playing against a friend? Is there a different mindset?

Aleks Vukic: No, there's no different mindset in the way you treat each opponent. You just you try to take that part away. You just know the guy personally, it's different. But at the end of the day, when I play someone, I play on their tennis game. So, if you play a friend, it's based on their tennis game. You play to win that match based on that. Of course, it's impossible to just take away who you're playing. But you play the ball, so it's like, you are NOT my mate over there. I'll be playing the shot that he hits at that moment.

 

 

 

More of this exclusive interview is available at Tennis Acumen. Go to the interviews category, shown on the upper right hand side of the screen.

Tags: aleks.vukic, Vuki_SMASH23

J. J. Wolf: Match Prep

In 2021, Tennis Acumen interviewed American J. J. Wolf at the Champaign Challenger tournament. Here is a part of that conversation:

Tennis Acumen: Now today we have nine singles matches. None of these guys have ever played each other before. There's no head-to-head record for any of these matches.

J. J. Wolf: Really, that's crazy.

 

 

Tennis Acumen: So, going into a match like that, do you watch matches your opponents have played if you've never seen them before?

J. J. Wolf: More so my coaches will watch and come back and talk to me about it. I don't worry about it too much, but I usually get a little scouting report, maybe from coaches.

 

 

Tennis Acumen: And what would that scouting report sound like? What would that look like?

J. J. Wolf: It’s all about patterns I'm looking for against a certain guy. Nothing really detailed. I keep everything very simple. Most of the stuff has to do with me most of the time anyway.

 

 

Tennis Acumen: What sort of patterns? This is intriguing.

J. J. Wolf: You just look for favorable patterns. It could be different with any player. But a lot of players look at making forehands or shots they're good at. So, it doesn't really matter to me where I'm hitting the ball. I just want to hit it hard.

 

 

Tennis Acumen: Even analyzing opponents, you keep it simple.

J. J. Wolf: Give me one or two games and that's what I'll try to do. Just try to do your best every point. That's all you can do. If someone hits a winner on you, they hit a winner on you. It's just the sport. Everybody's good out here. Anyone can beat anyone. Yeah. We've seen all that, then. We've seen all of that.

 

More of this exclusive interview is available at Tennis Acumen. Go to the interviews category, shown on the upper right hand side of the screen.

Tags: @jjwolf5

Cincinnati Tennis Fans Express Their Thoughts About Novak Djokovic

 

KARL CORBETT has collected commentary from the Cincinnati tennis community regarding the Novak Djokovic / Australian Open scenario.  Here are the viewpoints:

 

• Nobody should work that hard 
• Follow the rules, dude.
• NoVax, as he will be forever be known now, should have been tossed for lying on his visa application. He claimed a medical exemption and in court said it was because he tested + on 12/16. Trouble is he couldn't have known he was going to get Covid when he applied for his visa in November. And he posted photos of himself at a ceremony for his stamp AFTER he supposedly tested +, with no mask on. Nor was he in quarantine. While the whole mask and quarantine rules seem archaic with Omicron spreading like wildfire, there is no denying that he lied to bypass the vax rules. My guess is he didn't test positive on Dec 16 at all. In short, he's smeared his legacy unnecessarily.  He wasn't popular before this and now the Aussies are going to roast him on a barbie then throw him to the crocs. 
• To me, it's a self inflicted wound. His amazing career on court will always be overshadowed by his questionable actions and demeanor off the court. He's always seemed to have this notion that he's above the rules and just reinforced all the negative opinions anyone already held. Those who are devoted to him won't change their minds though but it certainly doesn't endear him to anyone new. Can you imagine Roger ever doing something so shady? I can't. 
• I'm rooting for Andy Murray in this tournament.
• If I were Novak, now that the courts have released him, I would get on the next plane out of Australia before they cancel his visa a second time or put him in one of the Covid Concentration Camps. And I would also tell the Aussies they can have a good jolly old effing time without him.
• Ok, it sounds like Novak just lied, if it was really important to him to win this tournament, he would have done everything possible to put himself in the best position to do that. And he just didn't do that,  but everyone else did, soooo, they get to compete and he doesn't.  Also, what the heck Novak, why is there always so much controversy around,  get it together, Serbia may revolve around you, but not the entire world 

J. J. Wolf: Friends on the Tour

In 2021, Tennis Acumen interviewed American J. J. Wolf at the Champaign Challenger tournament. Here is a part of that conversation:

Tennis Acumen: J. J., who do you enjoy spending time with on the tour?

J. J. Wolf: I always like being around some of the Ohio State guys , (Mikael) Torpegaard. I'm very close with (Aleks) Kovacevich, some of the Illinois guys that I grew up playing against. OK, Marcus Giron, , Mackey (Mackenzie McDonald) and Reilly Opelka. A lot of the Americans have been really nice. Veterans like (Sam ) Querrey and (John) Isner and Stevie (Johnson) have always been really nice to me. Not so much to hang out with them, but they’ll always say “Hi.” in the locker room.

 

 

Tennis Acumen: So is it different playing against a friend?

J. J. Wolf: Some people feel weird about it. I think it's fun. I say, be friends off the court. Once you get on the court, I just worry about myself, so I don't think about it too much.

Tennis Acumen: OK, tell me more about that.

J. J. Wolf: In tennis, you try to control what you can control. So thinking about who you're playing against doesn't really do much for you.

 

More of this exclusive interview is available at Tennis Acumen. Go to the interviews category, shown on the upper right hand side of the screen.

Tags: @jjwolf5

ESPN+ is the Home for Australian Open Qualifying

PETE ZIEBRON

Beginning at 6 PM EST, 3 PM PST on Sunday, January 9, ESPN+ will have coverage of the Qualification rounds of the Australian Open.  Twelve courts are listed on the ESPN+ schedule.  The Qualifying rounds will continue through Thursday on the stream.

Next, concurrent to coverage of the Main Draw on ESPN & ESPN2,  ESPN3 will also show matches as well as significantly more on ESPN+.  

In addition, it appears that beginning with the Women's Semifinals, the coverage on ESPN+ will only be in Spanish.  However, the schedule shows that all Men's & Women's Semis as well as both Finals will be shown on ESPN+ in Spanish.

As a newer subscriber to ESPN+, I must say that this is wall to wall coverage of the first major of the year.  In addition to tennis, I also enjoy robust coverage of the NHL as well as High School Basketball, College Basketball and Russia's KHL.  Meanwhile, a comprehensive library of documentaries are available as well as the current Tom Brady feature: Man in the Arena.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is the On Demand matches that are available - namely, Australian Open, Wimbeldon and US Open Finals from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.  

Outside of Finals, I also came across the 2001 Wimbeldon match between Pete Sampras and 19 year-old Roger Federer available On Demand.  A bonus regading that match is that Mohamed Lahyani is in the Chair.

Photo of the Day: David Ferrer

David Ferrer, born in April 1982, is a retired Spanish player. A three-time Davis Cup champion with Spain, Ferrer won tournaments at every level (ATP 250, ATP 500, Masters 1000) except at a Grand Slam, and has the seventh highest career prize money earnings of all time among male tennis players. Ferrer also holds the distinction of winning the most matches on the ATP tour without having won a Grand Slam.

 

photo credit: Karl Corbett, (c) Tennis Acumen

 

Pictured here in 2014, he carries his towel in his teeth, as he often did. Ferrer advanced to the Cincinnati final by beating Philipp Kohlschreiber, Mikhil Youzhny, Tommy Robredo and Julian Benneteau before falling to Roger Federer in a 3-set championship match.