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Kyrgios: I Smell Blood
Nick Kyrgios saved three match points to shock Rafael Nadal—and saved his biggest shot for after the match.
Nick Kyrgios saved three match points to shock Rafael Nadal in Acapulco—and fired his most volatile shot for after the match.
The explosive Aussie exchanged an icy handshake with an annoyed Nadal immediately after streaking through the final five points of a wild 3-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (6), victory.
Watch: Kyrgios Saves Match Points, Topples Nadal
After conquering the king of clay for the third time in six meetings, Kyrgios showed a social media shark bite with an Instagram post of match point captioned: "I can smell the blood when I play this dude."
Kyrgios, who played with heavy taping around both knees, took two medical timeouts, including one for nausea and one to treat a back strain.
The world No. 72 hit some spectacular shots, repeatedly drop-shotted Nadal, served under-handed and one point and got under the Spaniard's skin with his rapid pace of play on serve that clashes with Nadal's more methodical approach.
Kyrgios also clashed with fans at one point screaming "Shut the f–k up!" at one loud fan and cupping his hand to his ears when some fans jeered him.
The second-ranked Spaniard praised Kyrgios as a player capable of winning Slams and said he does not believe the Aussie is "a bad guy" then slammed him for a lack of respect.
“He’s a player who has enormous talent, could be winning Grand Slams or fighting for the No. 1 ranking,” Nadal said in Spanish. “He lacks respect for the crowd, his opponent and towards himself.
“I don’t think he’s a bad guy, but he lacks a little respect for the public and the rival.”
Photo credit: Guillermo Sanchez
Asked his reaction to Nadal's criticism, Kyrgios shot back "I'm not going to listen to that."
While calling the 17-time Grand Slam champion an "unbelievable champion", Kyrgios said he won't listen to the criticism because Nadal doesn't really know him.
“He doesn’t know the journey I’ve been through,” Kyrgios said. “He doesn’t know anything about me. So, I’m not going to listen at all. That’s the way I play.
“The way he plays is very slow in between points. The rule in the book says he has to pay to the speed of the server, but Rafa has his speed every time, so I’m not going to comment on him. “He’s got his own game. I’ve got my game. We played well. That’s the sport. People are different so I’m not going to take that into consideration at all.”
Photo credit: Guillermo Sanchez
Watch: Zverev Spoils Popyrin’s Fun in Magical Rally at Acapulco
The 19-year-old Aussie thought he could wow the crowd with a Sampras-esque smash…
Alexander Zverev and Alexei Popyrin played some solid tennis against one another on Tuesday night in Acapulco. The 19-year-old Aussie has an explosive game and he made his presence felt on the court against the World No.3.
Case in point: This magical point in which Popyrin goes for a flying overhead smash and nearly hits the winner. Unfortunately the ball was a tad low in its trajectory and the cagey Zverev was there to spoil Popyrin’s fun once again.
Zverev floats a mystical lob over the 6’5” qualifier and the crowd goes nuts.
Look no further—this was the point of the day in Acapulco. Full credit to both Zverev and Popyrin for making it so exciting to watch.
And if you're scoring at home, Zverev notched the comfortable 6-3 6-3 win.
Puig Partners Pop Star Luis Fonsi
Gold medal champion getting in tune in Acapulco.
Monica Puig is getting in tune in Acapulco.
The 2016 Olympic gold-medal champion stopped sixth-seeded Maria Sakkari, 7-5, 4-6, 6-0, to reach the Abierto Mexicano Telcel second round for the fifth straight time.
Nishikori: Osaka Will Adapt to Pressure
The two-and-a-half hour grind was Puig's first WTA main-draw victory since she defeated wild card Bethanie Mattek-Sands in her first match of the year in Auckland.
The tournament is a fresh start for the 58th-ranked Puerto Rican, who is now working with coach Kamau Murray, who guided Sloane Stephens to the US Open championship and Roland Garros final.
Puig is also sporting Yonex apparel to go along with her Yonex racquet. She previously wore ellesse.
Photo credit: Guillermo Sanchez
The 25-year-old Puig will plan China’s Wang Yafan in round two. Wang beat Marie Bouzkova 6-2, 6-2. Puig is aiming to win back-to-back main-draw matches for the first time since last September when she advanced to the Wuhan quarterfinals.
An avid dancer, Puig prepared for her first round match partnering Puerto Rican pop star Luis Fonsi to victory in a desert smash charity exhibition doubles match to benefit the Luis Fonsi Foundation.
The "Despacito" singer appears to have serious skills on court.
Photo credit: Guillermo Sanchez
Federer Set to Resume Quest for 100th Title in Dubai
The Swiss will meet Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber in first-round action at Dubai.
Eight Top 15 players will descend on Dubai next week for the men’s portion of the two-week tennis festival known as the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
The Women put on an incredible show, with Belinda Bencic capping off a brilliant run by defeating Petra Kvitova in the final and, based on the loaded men’s singles draw, the ATP side of things promises to be every bit as spectacular.
Seven-time champion Roger Federer, seeded second, will begin his bid for his 100th career title with a tough first-round clash with Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber.
Federer could face Fernando Verdasco in the second round and Milos Raonic in the quarters, if seeds hold.
If you want to know more about Federer and his plans for the clay this spring, check out Reem Abulleil’s column with quotes from Federer from Dubai.
Roger Federer says his decision to play on the clay this year isn't because he's planning his farewell tour.
"This doesn't mean this is my last clay court season, whatever, or I had to play one more time before I retired. That was not the thinking."https://t.co/1UW95UWI4q
— Reem Abulleil (@ReemAbulleil) February 24, 2019
Kei Nishikori is the top seed and the Japanese star will face Benoit Paire in his first round. Nishikori could face last week’s Marseille champion Stefanos Tsitsipas if the seeds hold.
See the full Dubai draw below to find out where the other seeds have landed in this stacked 500-level draw.
Dubai draw features:
Fed v Kohlscreiber r1
Khachanov v Basilashvili r1
Cilic v Monfils r1 pic.twitter.com/WmgHtwa23G— Chris Oddo (@TheFanChild) February 23, 2019
Del Potro Withdraws from Acapulco with Knee Concerns
The Argentine says he needs to rest his right knee and plans to return to action at Indian Wells. After falling in three sets to American Mackenzie McDonald in Delray Beach on Friday night, Juan Martin del Potro has announced that he won’t defend his title in Acapulco.
The World No.4, who wore heavy strapping on his right knee during his quarter-final with McDonald on Friday, says he needs to rest the knee and hopes to be fit to play at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells in early March.
Juan Martin Del Potro has announced he has withdrawn from Acapulco…He won the tournament last year…Said his knee needs rest for Indian Wells #ATP
— John Horn (@SportsHorn) February 23, 2019
Del Potro on his injured knee.."The doctor says if I want to be 100% it will need time. But I don't want to be at home anymore watching the tournaments on TV because I had this in the past & it was really bad to me. But in this condition it's not easy to play my best level" #ATP
— John Horn (@SportsHorn) February 23, 2019
Del Potro fractured his right patella last October at Shanghai and played his first tour-level matches this week at Delray Beach. He won two rounds but needed more tape on the knee each round. On Friday he was hobbled and it was clear that he was not moving anywhere near 100 percent.
"The doctors say I need time if I want to be 100 per cent, but I don’t want to be home watching the tournaments on TV,” Del Potro told ATPWorldTour.com. “I’ve done that before and it was really bad for me,” he said. “I wanted to do a big effort tonight. I fought until the last ball and had many opportunities, but it’s hard to win matches when you can’t move at 100 per cent."
Munar Hits Breaking Point After Bad Call in Rio
The Spaniard got a horrible break during his match with Cameron Norrie on Wednesday in RioJaume Munar contested a fierce battle against Cameron Norrie—not to mention umpire Mohamed Lahyani and himself—on Wednesday in Rio, and eventually came away victorious with a dramatic 7-6(5) 5-7 7-6(4) victory to reach his first 500-level quarter-final at the Rio Open.
Things were tense to begin with, as both players sensed big opportunity in a wide open draw that saw seven of the eight seeds fall in first-round action, and a see-saw battle ensued that saw Norrie save a pair of match points in the second set before forcing a decider.
Norrie then saved another match point in the third set to bring things to a tiebreaker.
Then things really got weird.
Hit a winner.
Umpire stops play thinking you asked him to check a ball mark.
The result: #RioOpen rowdiness 😬 pic.twitter.com/IIdXKFOdtg
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 20, 2019
With Norrie serving and leading 3-2 in the breaker, umpire Lahyani thought he saw Munar make a signal to stop a point so that a mark could be checked at his baseline (see full video above). In reality, Munar was just completing an awkward follow-through on a backhand that landed for a clean winner on the other side of the court.
Since Lahyani had, in his mind, stopped the point as soon as he saw what he perceived to be Munar’s challenge, he ended up ruling that the point be replayed—after a VERY heated discussion with a riled up Munar.
Strangely, after the controversial call it was Norrie who couldn’t keep it together. He played three bad points in a row to fall behind 5-3 before Munar went ahead 6-3 on the next point and went on to finally converted his fifth match point of the match to seal the victory in three hours and 19 minutes.
After the match Munar said that he was really struggling to keep it together, especially after he had blown four match points in defeat to Guido Pella of Argentina at Buenos Aires in the quarter-finals last week.
“I had many chances in the second, also chances before the tiebreak in the final set,” Munar said. “I lost a difficult match last week against Pella in Buenos Aires with match balls and it means too much to make this after a tough battle.”
Munar will face either Felix Auger-Aliassime or Christian Garin in the quarter-finals on Friday.
“It’s going to be a tough one for sure,” he said. “Both cracked the Top 100 not long ago-same as me, so it’s going to be a beautiful one. I think we are both going to be ready and it’s going to be fun.”
Brayden Schnur Breaks Down in Tears During Heartfelt Runner-Up Speech at New York Open
The 23-year-old Canadian had has best week ever on the ATP tour.
Canada’s Brayden Schnur had never won a match at the ATP level prior to last week. But the 23-year-old former NCAA standout took his game to the next level by rolling all the way to the title match at the New York Open, where he was finally stopped by Reilly Opelka in a thrilling three-set final.
After the defeat, the down-to-earth Canadian broke down in tears during a heartfelt runner-up speech in which he reflected on his journey and the people in his life that have sacrificed in order to help him achieve his dreams.
Schnur, a Pickering, Ontario native, rises from 154 to a career-high ranking of 107 as a result of his best week on tour.
Rankings Report: Career-High Rankings for Medvedev and Cecchinato; Wawrinka and Opelka Surge
Stan Wawrinka surged 27 spots in the rankings after reaching his first ATP final since 2017 at Rotterdam.
Daniil Medvedev and Marco Cecchinato reached career-high rankings on Monday, at No.15 and No.17 in the world respectively, while Gael Monfils climbed 10 spots to No.23 after winning his 8th career title at Rotterdam.
Wouldn't be a @Gael_Monfils match without one of these…#abnamrowtt pic.twitter.com/QwlWIsgOUA
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 17, 2019
Stan Wawrinka was also a climber, as the Swiss rocked up 27 spots to No.41 in the rankings as a result of reaching his first ATP final since 2017.
But the biggest riser inside the Top 100 was American Reilly Opelka. The 6’11 mega server claimed his maiden title at the New York Open with a 43-ace performance against Brayden Schnur and rises 33 spots to a career-high perch at No.56.
New York's newest skyscraper 🗽
👏👏@ReillyOpelka towers above Brayden Schnur 6-1 6-7(7) 7-6(7) to claim his maiden ATP title at @NewYorkOpen pic.twitter.com/TgsvzwJTbG
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 17, 2019
Spain’s Jaume Munar, who reached back to back quarter-finals at Cordoba and Buenos Aires, jumps to a career-high ranking of 66, while Ernests Gulbis rises 10 spots to No.74 on the strength of his quarter-final appearance at Rotterdam.
France's Ugo Humbert also cracked a career-high ranking of 75 thanks to his title at the Cherbourg Challenger.
Sitting just outside the Top 100 at 107 is Canada’s Brayden Schnur, who made a jump of 47 spots by reaching his first career final at the New York Open. Schnur, 23, had never won a main draw match on tour before last week.
Maria Sharapova Withdraws from Indian Wells with Shoulder Injury
The Russian hasn't set an official timetable for her return. Maria Sharapova‘s injury woes continue. The former World No.1 and five-time major champion has played just 61 matches since she returned from her infamous doping ban in 2017—and that number won’t be rising any time soon. The Russian announced that she’ll miss the BNP Paribas Open in March due to a shoulder issue.
Unfortunately, Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from #BNPPO19 due to a right shoulder injury.
With her withdrawal, Mona Barthel moves into the main draw. We will miss Maria this year and hope to see her back at Indian Wells next year! pic.twitter.com/HfMl66KgqE
— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) February 13, 2019
Sharapova has gone 42-19 in those 61 matches since she has returned to the tour in 2017.
She has one title and four semi-finals to her name since then. Sharapova has struggled with the shoulder for quite some time. She cut her 2018 campaign short in mid-September due to shoulder injuries as well, and the shoulder has bothered her periodically over the last decade. She originally has surgery on the shoulder in 2008
Sharapova at the Australian Open: "I have spoken about my shoulder openly in the last few weeks, months, years. It's definitely been an issue for the majority of last year and going into this year, as well. It's a pain-management type of thing. I'm still working through it."
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) February 13, 2019
Nadal To Attend Tennis Center Inauguration
King of clay to attend inauguration in Mexico on February 18th.
Rafael Nadal will be on hand when the world's first Rafael Nadal Tennis Center celebrates its inauguration this month.
The world No. 2 will attend the inauguration of the Rafa Nadal Tennis Center in Costa Mujeres, Mexico on February 18th.
Tsitsipas: Brain-Exploding Experience
Former world No. 1 Carlos Moyá, Technical Director of the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca and Abel Matutes Prats, CEO of Palladium Hotel Group, will also attend the event.
The Rafa Nadal Tennis Center is part of the facilities of both hotels TRS Coral Hotel and Grand Palladium Costa Mujeres Resort & Spa that the chain is building.
The 32-year-old Nadal has spoke for years about the importance of training and playing on natural surfaces.
Photo credit: Rafa Nadal Academy
With that in mind, the Rafa Nadal Tennis Center Costa Mujeres with feature eight red clay courts, a soccer field 7, one paddle court, a gym for warm-ups, stretches and basic training, an exhibition of objects and clothes from Rafa Nadal, a store with exclusive premium sports products, and a bar/cafeteria with TV screens so guests can watch tennis and other sports.
