Category: Tennis

Rafael Nadal is set to make his return to the ATP Tour on the clay courts of Monte Carlo next month, tournament organisers announced on Tuesday.

“You never know what he’s going to do, but I saw him training with his coaches on a private court… and I had the impression I was listening to a wild beast. He hits like he’s never hit before,” said tournament director David Massey at a press conference in Paris.

“He felt some discomfort, so he was scared and decided not to play at Indian Wells, but the tests he underwent showed nothing,” he added.

Rafael Nadal, with 22 Grand Slam titles to his name, has dropped to 652nd in the ATP rankings this week and used a protected ranking of ninth to get into the main draw in Monte Carlo, the first clay-court Masters 1000 event of the 2024 season.

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The clay specialist has won the tournament 11 times in his career but since his last victory in 2018, he fell at the semi-finals in 2019, the quarters in 2021 and missed the 2020, 2022 and 2023 editions.

“We sent him two boxes of balls to Mallorca so that he could practise (with the balls that will be used in the tournament),” said Massey.

Nadal missed almost all of the 2023 season with abdominal and other injuries and has played only the Brisbane International this season, where he suffered a flare-up of a hip injury.

The 37-year-old Spaniard was set to make his comeback at the Indian Wells Masters but pulled out of the hard-court event last week without playing a point.

The bombshell decision came four days after he lost a Las Vegas exhibition to compatriot and world number two Carlos Alcaraz.

The Monte Carlo Masters begins on April 7 and marks the beginning of the clay-court season where Rafael Nadal may well play his last-ever French Open, a Grand Slam event he has won a record 14 times.

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Fifth seed Ugo Humbert maintained his perfect record in finals by beating Alexander Bublik 6-4, 6-3 to claim the Dubai ATP title on Saturday.

The Frenchman joins Ernests Gulbis and Martin Klizan as the only men in the Open Era to win their first six tour-level finals, with his victory over Bublik earning him a second trophy of the season.

The 25-year-old will make his top-15 debut at 14 when the updated rankings are released on Monday.

“I played a fantastic level during all the week, but today was not easy,” said Humbert during the trophy ceremony.

“I have a good statistic in finals, but that’s because I have a really good team around me,” he added.

Humbert had a tough path to the title in Dubai.

He came back from a set down in his opener against his compatriot Gael Monfils, before knocking out Andy Murray, saving three match points against Hubert Hurkacz, and upsetting champion and top seed Daniil Medvedev in straight sets in the last-four.

Ugo Humbert joins Jannik Sinner as the only multiple-title winners in 2024, He also won in Marseille last month. He added a second ATP 500 trophy to his cabinet, following his success in Halle three years ago.

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Meanwhile, Bublik, who reached the final when Andrey Rublev was shockingly defaulted late in their semi-final, will rise to a career-high 19 in the world thanks to his exploits in Dubai.

“This week had everything for me and I’m really happy to be here. Thank you, Ugo for reminding me how it is to lose a final,” said the 26-year-old Bublik on court.

“Honestly, before the final, I thought if I would win, I would dedicate this title to my son.

“So I’m sorry, maybe next time,” he added.

The players were neck and neck for most of the opening set but a risky second serve from Bublik led the Kazakhstani big-hitter to double fault and hand the frame to Humbert on the 47-minute mark.

Humbert put pressure on the Bublik serve to break serve in game four of the second set and was soon up 4-1.

Bublik tried to get in Humbert’s head as the Frenchman was serving for the championship, stepping well inside the baseline to return serve.

Ugo Humbert held his nerve, saving break point and securing victory in his first meeting with Bublik on his second match point with a blitzing forehand winner. Humbert threw himself to the ground in disbelief to celebrate his hard-fought title run.

Although Bublik had entered the final with an impressive 56 aces struck through four matches, it was Humbert who out-aced his opponent on Saturday, striking nine of his own to Bublik’s eight during the 85-minute Dubai ATP final.

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Rafael Nadal on Wednesday hailed longtime rival Novak Djokovic as the best player in the history of the sport.

“The numbers say yes, for me yes (he is the best in history),” Rafael Nadal said in an interview with El Objective de La Sexta when asked, “who is the best?”

Novak Djokovic has 24 Grand Slam titles having surpassed Nadal’s 22 when he captured last year’s French Open.

Despite that success, the controversial world number one from Serbia still struggles to translate his on-court triumphs into off-court popularity.

“The image he projects is worse than he really is; I think he’s a good person,” added Nadal.

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“There are moments of frustration. Novak breaks his racquet, but the next point he is ready to play at 100% again and it is the best I have ever seen.”

Nadal, 37, has been battling injury and missed virtually all of 2023. He was hurt again last month before sitting out the Australian Open.

With his career winding down, Nadal hailed compatriot and heir Carlos Alcaraz who is already a two-time major winner at the age of 20.

“Carlos has an incredible level of tennis, he is a super complete player in every sense,” said Nadal.

“I don’t see weaknesses in him like the ones I had at his age. He has all the ingredients to have an incredible career.”

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ISLAMABAD: Young Tennis player Zainab Ali Naqvi, on Monday, succumbed to a shocking death on the sidelines of the ongoing ITF Juniors Tournaments, being held here.

According to the details, 17-year-old Zainab went to take a bath after competing in a match but was later found dead in the restroom.

“Zainab Ali Naqvi, a young tennis player who had come to Islamabad from Karachi to participate in the ITF Juniors Tournaments, passed away last night on 12th February 2024 in Islamabad,” stated the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF).

“Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, President-PTF, Senator Salim Saifullah Khan, Ex-President-PTF, PTF Council members and the tennis fraternity at large offer their heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.

“May Allah bless the departed soul with eternal peace in heaven.”

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Tuesday’s matches of the ITF Juniors were postponed in memory of Zainab Ali Naqvi and will be held as per the schedule tomorrow.

The foreign and local players, their parents, coaches and the PTF Officials and staff observed a minute silence while a joint prayer was also offered for the deceased soul.

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Two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray said 2024 could be his final year before retirement after illness and injury hampered his preparation for the new season.

Murray’s year will begin at the Brisbane International as he builds up for the Australian Open later in January.

The 36-year-old is ranked 42nd in the world after a frustrating end to 2023 when he won just one match in his last four tournaments.

Andy Murray has previously battled back from what seemed impending retirement after undergoing hip surgery in 2018.

But he conceded that he will bring down the curtain on his career if the next 12 months follow the same pattern as 2023.

“If I was in a situation like I was at the end of last year, then I probably wouldn’t go again,” Murray told the BBC.

“But then if physically I’m doing well and my results are good and I’m playing well, then that’s enjoyable and I could see myself still playing.

“We’ll see how the year goes, see how the body holds up. If things are going well, I’d love to keep going. But if they’re not, and I’m not enjoying it, it could be the last year, yes.”

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Andy Murray, who won Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016 and also took the US Open title in 2012, is part of a golden generation coming towards the end of trophy-laden careers.

Roger Federer retired in 2022 and Rafael Nadal had an injury-blighted 2023, although the Spaniard has suggested he might try to play on beyond 2024.

At 36, Novak Djokovic is still hoping to add to his record 24 Grand Slam titles before hanging up his racket.

Murray revealed the psychological struggle with falling down the rankings after so many years at the top was taking its toll.

“When you have played right at the highest level, it’s not that easy when you are going through periods where you are losing in first rounds, and maybe losing matches that you probably should have won,” he added.

“At the same time, a couple of years ago if someone had offered me that I’d been playing at top-40 level in the world when I had been struggling with my hip, I would have been happy with that.

“But it is hard, mentally, so I need to do a better job of putting things in perspective this year and be a little bit easier on myself.”

Murray faces second seed Grigor Dimitrov in the first round in Brisbane on Monday.

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Spanish superstar Rafael Nadal’s first match back after a 12-month injury layoff ended in defeat when he and doubles partner Marc Lopez went down to Australian pair Jordan Thompson and Max Purcell on Sunday.

The Australian duo were too consistent, winning their Brisbane International first-round match 6-4, 6-4 on Pat Rafter Arena.

Nadal looked sharp on the court and appeared to have no issues with his movement after the long lay-off for a hip problem.

He takes to the singles court on Tuesday against former US Open champion Dominic Thiem of Austria.

Prior to the match, Rafael Nadal left the door ajar to continue after the 2024 season but conceded there was “a high percentage” that he was on his last trip as a player to Australia.

Speaking ahead of his comeback from a 12-month injury absence at the season-opening Brisbane International, the 37-year-old Spaniard said he did not know for sure what the future held.

“The problem about saying that’s going to be my last season is I can’t predict what’s going on 100 percent in the future,” he said.

“That’s why I say ‘probably’. It’s obvious it’s a high percentage that it’s going to be my last time playing here in Australia.

“But if I am here next year, don’t tell me, ‘You said it was going to be your last season’, because I didn’t say it.

“You never know what’s going on, you know? I can’t predict how I’m going to be in the next six months. I can’t predict if my body will allow me to enjoy tennis as much as I enjoyed the past 20 years.

“It’s not an easy decision, but I know inside myself that it is a high percentage that it’s going to be my last one.”

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The 22-time Grand Slam champion said that the last year, with surgery for a hip injury, had been tough and he contemplated quitting at one point during his recovery.

But he said he had never lost his love for the sport, which motivated him to keep going.

“Of course I was asking myself that (about retirement), but at some point I decided to keep going. I had the determination to keep going.”

Rafael Nadal, who has been sidelined since injuring his hip at the 2023 Australian Open, begins his singles comeback against a qualifier in the first round in Brisbane.

He will make a low-key return later Sunday when he plays doubles.

Asked whether he identified with Naomi Osaka, who on Saturday admitted she had fallen out of love with tennis during her break from the tour, Nadal said that was not the case for him.

“She got tired or lost a little bit of motivation for the game,” he said.

“That never happened to me. I had to be away because my body was not able to keep going.”

Nadal said the long absence had allowed his body to heal and he no longer woke up every morning in pain, but he had no expectations heading into the new season and would take it week by week.

“Competing is different than practising, but in terms of practising with the guys here, I am quite happy because I feel competitive against the players that I played in practice,” he said.

“Of course, I don’t have the expectations that I used to have in the past.

“It’s obvious, no? It’s one year (away). It’s surgery. For me, it is a little bit unpredictable how things are going to be.”

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Andy Murray conceded Saturday he longed for the chance to play again on the big stage against superstars Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

Speaking ahead of the season-opening Brisbane International, the 36-year-old said he missed the days when he regularly met Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer at the business end of major tournaments.

Andy Murray matched it with the big three for a decade between 2006-16 before a run of injuries resulted in time off court and a slide in his ranking.

While the others powered on to title after title, the Scotsman, now ranked 42, was forced to battle his way back, his career never reaching its former heights.

The last time Andy Murray met Nadal was in the semi-finals of the Madrid Masters in 2016 and while he played Novak Djokovic in the Madrid Masters last year, he had not met him since 2017 before that.

“Obviously I would like the opportunity to play against them again, ideally in the latter stages of big tournaments,” Murray said.

“That’s something that obviously I’ve missed, that feeling, not had that opportunity really.

“If I get the opportunity to practise with them, I still really, really enjoy that.

“It does bring back some good memories, but ideally, I’d want to be doing that in the tournaments, not in the first rounds.”

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Murray has been practising with Nadal in Brisbane as the Spaniard makes his comeback after almost 12 months away with injury.

He said Rafael Nadal was moving well and showing no signs of the hip injury that forced him off tour after the 2023 Australian Open.

Murray also said Nadal appeared to have made only minor changes to his game in his time away from the tour.

“His second serve is significantly harder than what he did earlier in his career,” Murray said.

“But yeah, the rest of the game, unless there’s a physical issue, there’s not really much reason for him to make huge changes to that — it’s been pretty successful.

“When he’s fit and healthy, that game style is what has worked really, really well for him, looking for his forehand, trying to dominate with that shot.

“If he wants to be successful in the future, that’s what he should be looking to do. That’s how he was trying to play today.”

Murray takes on second-seeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in the first round, a rematch of the 2013 Brisbane International final which Murray won in two close sets.

Dimitrov won their last encounter at this year’s US Open.

“I need to play really well, certainly much better than there, if I want to get through it,” Andy Murray said.

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India may be forced to forfeit a Davis Cup play-off hosted by rival Pakistan, with the local tennis association saying Thursday the team was waiting on New Delhi’s approval to travel.

The nuclear-armed neighbours have fought several wars since winning independence from British rule in 1947, and sporting contests between the two have long been the victim of their enduring animosity.

The All India Tennis Association (AITA) asked the sports ministry for approval to travel to Pakistan after a request to shift the fixture to a third country was rejected by the International Tennis Federation tribunal.

“The proposal is still pending with the ministry and we are awaiting a decision,” AITA secretary-general Anil Dhupar told AFP.

Pakistan Tennis Federation president Salim Saifullah Khan said 18 members of the Indian squad had requested visas for the World Group 1 clash scheduled for February 3-4.

“We have all the arrangements put in place. They will be given the best security and accommodation,” he told AFP. “Let politics be kept away from sports and better sense prevail.”

India last hosted the Pakistan tennis team in 2006 and the Indian Davis Cup team last travelled to Islamabad in 1964, according to news outlet India Today.

Local media reports said a 2019 match was moved to Kazakhstan, with the AITA citing political tensions as the reason for the request.

Sports matches between India and Pakistan are rare owing to decades of hostility between the two nations.

They share one of the world’s greatest sporting rivalries in cricket, by far the most popular sport in both countries.

But their teams have not played a bilateral series in more than a decade, and typically only face each other in larger tournaments.

India refused to travel to Pakistan for the 50-over Asia Cup in September, a move that forced its neighbour to partially relinquish hosting duties to Sri Lanka.

Pakistan travelled to India the following month for the Cricket World Cup after its request to stage some matches in a third country was rejected.

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Alex de Minaur smoothly guided Australia into a second successive Davis Cup final with an assured 2-0 win over Finland on Friday in Malaga.

The world number 12 wore down Emil Ruusuvuori in a 6-4, 6-3 straight sets triumph, after Alexei Popyrin beat Otto Virtanen 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 in the first singles rubber.

Australia, who last won the Davis Cup in 2003, will face Novak Djokovic’s Serbia or Jannik Sinner’s Italy in Sunday’s final.

“For us this cup is a priority, we do everything we can to represent Australia, with pride and passion,” said De Minaur.

“It’s not too bad to reach another final.”

Australia captain Lleyton Hewitt said reaching the final means “a hell of a lot” to him.

“Our boys dug really deep … we’re a tight-knit unit and we’ve given ourselves another opportunity on Sunday,” he added.

De Minaur produced a remarkable comeback against the Czech Republic in a rollercoaster classic to help his country reach the semi-finals but had a gentler ride this time at the Martin Carpena arena.

Although he and Hewitt have been highly critical of the revamped Davis Cup format, the 24-year-old expertly steered his team into their 49th final.

The 28-time champions, behind only the United States, ended Finland’s fairytale run with little fuss, and the captains agreed not to play the deciding doubles.

Nordic fans outnumbered those in green and gold, just as they did for their superb last eight victory over reigning champions Canada on Tuesday, but this time left disappointed.

Finland’s number one, Ruusuvuori, 69th in the world, missed the Canada win with a shoulder problem and he had heavy lifting to do after Virtanen’s defeat.

Ruusuvuori exchanged breaks with De Minaur, with the Australian finally converting his sixth break point in the third game to get back on serve and never looked back.

De Minaur broke a second time when the Finn hit a backhand into the net and consolidated to move 4-2 ahead as he hit his stride.

Ruusuvuori conceded a third break by slapping a forehand into the net and despite breaking back with a lovely drop shot, De Minaur served out to wrap up the set.

At the start of the second he saved a break point against an aggressive Ruusuvuori and then broke himself for a 2-1 lead, which he protected.

De Minaur clinched victory with a superb backhand winner, hit on the rise.

Hewitt, who played in Australia’s last Davis Cup win 20 years ago, knows the final will be tough, whether it is against world number one Djokovic’s Serbia, or number four ranked Sinner and Italy.

“It’s tough either way,” said Australia’s captain.

“Obviously the number ones are both absolute quality players — they are as good as anyone going around at the moment.”

Popyrin, 40th in the world, had paved the way for De Minaur by showing his quality in the second set to defeat his 171st ranked opponent.

“Alexei stood up when he needed to today,” added Hewitt.

After a tight first set decided by tie-break, the Finn double-faulted to hand his opponent a break for 4-2, and then went wide as the Australian broke again to seal the win.

“It’s nerves that I have never experienced before in my life, the nerves playing the first tie, the first rubber of a Davis Cup, winning my first live rubber of a Davis Cup (tie),” Popyrin said.

“I just had to keep my head steady and just really focus on my serve and try to capitalise on opportunities when they came.”

Finland captain Jarkko Nieminen was disappointed not to make further history by taking the team to the Davis Cup final but said the experience was “amazing”.

“(I feel) empty when you realise that this trip for this year is over, (the) amazing trip that we have had,” said Finland captain Jarkko Nieminen.

“(I) appreciated the effort of the team, players, the crowd.”

Serbia face Italy on Saturday in the second Davis Cup semi, ahead of Sunday’s final.

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World number one Novak Djokovic steered Serbia into the Davis Cup semi-finals as he beat Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-4 to secure a 2-0 triumph over Great Britain in Malaga on Thursday.

The 36-year-old rebuked British fans at the end of the match as they tried to down his victory speech.

After Miomir Kecmanovic edged Jack Draper 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (8/6) in the opening clash 24-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic outclassed a stubborn Norrie to book a date with Jannik Sinner’s Italy on Saturday after they beat the Netherlands 2-1.

Djokovic, who beat Sinner to win the ATP Finals on Sunday in Turin before flying to the Costa del Sol, celebrated his landmark 400th week at number one with a straight sets win over Norrie, the captains agreeing not to play the redundant doubles.

British fans outnumbered Serbs at the sold-out Martin Carpena arena but the relentless Djokovic silenced them with his 21st consecutive Davis Cup singles win.

“Keep going, keep going,” said Djokovic, addressing British fans trying to drown him out with drums as he spoke after his win.

“Learn how to respect people, learn how to respect players, learn how to behave yourselves.”

Novak Djokovic said earlier this week that winning the competition is one of his “greatest goals” in a year where he has lifted seven titles, including three Grand Slams.

The veteran star was part of Serbia’s only Davis Cup triumph in 2010 and his country eliminated 10-time champions Britain, who faced an uphill struggle after Kecmanovic defeated Draper in two tie-breaks.

Britain, without the injured Andy Murray and Dan Evans, were hoping Draper could give them a cushion.

Serbia captain Viktor Troicki selected Kecmanovic over the higher-ranked Laslo Djere and the world number 55 raised his game in return.

Draper staved off two set points to hold for 5-5 but unravelled in the first tie-break, double-faulting twice and miscalculating a drop shot to hand the Serbian the set on a plate.

After composing himself the second set was even tighter than the first, with neither player able to find a break again.

The near-flawless Kecmanovic triumphed when Draper lashed a forehand wide and then pushed a return into the net.

“It was definitely very close, and just the atmosphere made it, I think, even more tense than it probably would be if it was like an ATP match or something,” said the Serb.

Djokovic set out with his mission clearly defined and earned two break points at 2-2 and took the second of them to nose ahead with a well-judged touch over the net which the scrambling Norrie just failed to reach.

The Briton was pulled to-and-fro by Djokovic but scrapped to survive four break points for an extremely tough hold from love 40 down, to trail 4-3. One superb overhead earned Norrie applause from Djokovic.

The 36-year-old offered little else after that to his opponent though and closed out the first set serving to love with a volley, before cupping his ear and blowing sarcastic kisses to a couple of British fans who had upset him.

Novak Djokovic broke to love in the first game of the second set as he began to hit his stride and show off his lethal forearm.

British No 1 Norrie, 18th in the world, showed resilience but never came close to finding a way back into the match.

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