Tag: Novak Djokovic

LONDON: Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal headline the title chase at Wimbledon where eight-time champion Roger Federer, the world’s top two players and cherished ranking points will all be missing.

Djokovic is bidding for a seventh title at the All England Club to move level with US great Pete Sampras.

Nadal, fresh from a 14th French Open victory and a record-extending 22nd major, is halfway to the first men’s calendar Grand Slam in more than half a century.

The season’s third Slam tournament has already made political waves even before the first ball is served on Monday.

The decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine means there is no place for world number one Daniil Medvedev or eighth-ranked Andrey Rublev.

Both the ATP and WTA, who control the men’s and women’s tours, retaliated by stripping ranking points from the tournament.

For the first time since his debut in 1999 — notwithstanding the Covid-cancelled 2020 edition — Federer will be a no-show as the 40-year-old recovers from knee surgery.

Also missing is Germany’s world number two Alexander Zverev, who suffered serious ankle ligament damage in a horrific injury in his French Open semi-final against Nadal.

However, Medvedev and Zverev have never shone at Wimbledon with neither man making it past the fourth round.

Djokovic and Nadal, ranked three and four, are the top seeds meaning if they are to face each other for the 60th time, it can only be in the final.

Djokovic, the champion in 2011, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, and 2021, could be playing in his final Slam of the year.

His refusal to be vaccinated is likely to rule him out of the US Open later this year.

A bruising quarter-final loss to Nadal at the French Open which saw him deposed as champion in Paris will also likely provide extra motivation.

Nadal won the last of his two Wimbledon titles in 2010 having captured his first with an epic triumph over Federer two years earlier.

The 36-year-old Spaniard arrives at Wimbledon with the Australian and French Opens secured.

He is halfway to becoming only the third man — and first since Rod Laver in 1969 — to complete a calendar Grand Slam.

Nadal has endured a bittersweet relationship with Wimbledon.

Two titles have been accompanied by three lost finals as well as injury-enforced absences in 2004, 2009, 2016, and 2021.

There remains a question mark over his durability for the two weeks at Wimbledon having played the entire French Open with his troublesome left foot anesthetized.

Nadal has since undergone a course of radiofrequency stimulation, a treatment aimed at reducing nerve pain in his foot.

“I love Wimbledon,” said Nadal. “I had a lot of success there. A player like me, I am always ready to play Wimbledon.”

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KARACHI: Russia’s Daniil Medvedev has replaced his Serbian counterpart, Novak Djokovic, as the top-ranked Tennis player in the latest ATP Rankings, here on Monday.

Medvedev, who is set to miss the upcoming Wimbledon following its decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players will further increase his lead over the former top-ranked player Djokovic.

Following Wimbledon’s decision to ban the Russian and Belarusian players, the ranking points have been stripped of the mega event.

The defending champion – Serbia’s Djokovic is bound to lose more ranking points (2,000) as compared to Medvedev, who only stands to lose 180 points.

The Serb has slipped to the third position in the latest ATP Rankings, while Germany’s Alexander Zverev claimed the second.

It is the first instance since November 2003 that none of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer or Andy Murray appeared in the top-two ranking spots.

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ROME: World number one Novak Djokovic outclassed Stefanos Tsitsipas to win the Italian Open 2022 – his first title of the year – here on Sunday.

Djokovic, who recently completed his 1000th ATP tour-level victories in a semi-final victory against Casper Ruud, carried on his exceptional form to overcome the Greek Tsitsipas 6-0, 7-6(5) in the final.

Despite being 4-1 down against Tsitsipas in the second set, Djokovic marked an exceptional comeback as he won five of the next seven sets to take it to a tiebreak before winning the decider and sealing his sixth Italian Open title.

The 34-years-old enjoyed a perfect week as he recently became just the fifth player in the Open Era to complete 1000 tour-level wins after Jimmy Connors, Roger Federer, Ivan Lendl, and Rafa Nadal.

In the women’s category of the Italian Open, Iga Swiatek outclassed Ons Jabeur 6-2, 6-2 to win her fifth consecutive title.

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ROME: The Serbian Tennis star Novak Djokovic outclassed his Canadian opponent Felix Auger-Aliassaime 7-5, 7-6(1) to qualify for the Italian Open semi-finals, here on Friday.

In an intense quarter-final, the Serb marked exceptional comebacks in each set by regrouping from 5-3 to close out in style and secured his 999th tour-level win.

Both Auger-Aliassime and Djokovic showed off their shotmaking and movement capabilities, drawing each other wide with severe angles and up to the net with well-timed drop shots. But the veteran kept his calm and displayed great resilience and consistency to see off his young Canadian opponent.

Djokovic dominated Auger-Aliassime in most of the match by hitting 27 percent of his shots, eight more than his previous tournament average. He also converted 78 percent of his attacking advantage points, while seizing 34% of defensive points.

Following this victory, Djokovic will now return to the top of the ATP Live Rankings by adding 360 points for reaching the semi-finals.

The Serbian will now face Casper Ruud in search of his 1000th tour-level victory in the Italian Open semi-final. If he makes it to the final, Belgrade’s native will be chasing a record-extending 38th ATP Masters 1000 championship.

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MARBELLA: The British Tennis player Andy Murray withdrew from a much-anticipated clash with the top-ranked Novak Djokovic at the 11th hour due to illness.

Murray and Djokovic, who last met in the Doha final in January 2017 were all set to come face to face in a much-awaited clash in the Round of 16 of the Madrid Open but the British decided to give Serb a walkover after falling ill.

The former World No.1 Murray, who has been in exceptional form at the Masters 1000 tournament, has decided to end his Madrid Open campaign as the 34-years-old fell ill.

Taking to Twitter, the Madrid Open organizers made the major announcement of Murray pulling out of his Round of 16 match against Djokovic.

“Unfortunately, Andy Murray is unable to take to the Manolo Santana Stadium due to illness. We wish you a speedy recovery, [Andy Murray]”,” the MMOPEN wrote.

Unfortunately, Andy Murray is unable to take to the Manolo Santana Stadium due to illness 😔

We wish you a speedy recovery, @andy_murray! 😘

🏟️ Instead, Andrey Rublev and Daniel Evans will open the day's play on centre court. pic.twitter.com/0QdLyh7qhl

— #MMOPEN (@MutuaMadridOpen) May 5, 2022

 

Djokovic, on the other hand, will now face the winner of the Round of 16 match between Hubert Hurkacz and Dusan Lajoiv in the quarter-finals.

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BELGRADE: The Russian Tennis player Andrey Rublev completed his Serbia Open debut on a high as the eighth-ranked player defeated the top-ranked Novak Djokovic in the hard-fought final to win Serbia Open, here on Sunday.

In an intense final, Rublev displayed grit and determination to see off the home favourite and the top-ranked player Djokovic as he hit with relentless power and intensity.

Rublev found his range in an intriguing final, demonstrating strong footwork to dictate on a powerful forehand.

The second seed kept Djokovic deep behind the baseline, cutting at the ball with big cuts to pull the Serbian around the court.

Rublev saved five set points in the second set to force a tie-break, and while he couldn’t stop Djokovic from tying the match, Rublev regrouped in the decider, looking the fitter of the two, to win after two hours and 29 minutes.

Following this triumph, Rublev has now levelled with the Spaniard Rafael Nadal for the most tour-level titles in 2022.

The world number one Djokovic, who featured in the third event this season, is yet to win a tour-level title this year.

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FRANCE: The top-ranked Tennis player – Novak Djokovic suffered an early exit from the ongoing Monte Carlo Masters after suffering a first-round defeat against Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, here on Tuesday.

The world number one Djokovic, who has won 20 grand slam titles, lost his opening match for the first time after losing to Marin Klizan in 2018.

Returning to the court for the first time since February, Djokovic suffered a stunning defeat by Spain’s world number 46 Fokina, who proved too good for the top-ranked Djokovic in the deciding frame.

The Serbian tennis star Djokovic made 51 errors in his clash against Fokina to go out 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-1 in the second round.

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MIAMI: Daniil Medvedev said physical struggles destroyed any chance of a victory to reclaim the world’s number one ranking on Friday after falling to Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz 7-6 (9/7), 6-3 at the Miami Open.

Medvedev dropped to second with a third-round loss to Gael Monfils at Indian Wells last week but would have taken back the top spot from Serbia’s Novak Djokovic had he defeated Hurkacz, the defending Miami Open champion.

Instead, 10th-ranked Hurkacz advanced to the semi-finals by ousting the reigning US Open champion at Hard Rock Stadium and 20-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic stays number one.

Hurkacz, now 2-2 all-time against the Russian, faces Carlos Alcaraz for a place in Sunday’s final after the 18-year-old Spanish sensation produced a scintillating display to beat 48th-ranked Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic in three sets in one of the best matches of the tournament.

Medvedev said he found it hard to breathe at times and was cramping so badly in the locker room he was like “a fish on a sofa.”

“All match, I wasn’t feeling my best,” Medvedev said. “After the tough points, I was struggling to get my breath. I wasn’t recovering fast enough. You just have to fight but in the second set, I felt strange.

“I don’t often feel like this but it happens sometimes when it’s hot. Maybe it was the heat but I was feeling dizzy and tired and there was one game where I couldn’t serve anymore. In the locker room, I was cramping.”

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KARACHI: Novak Djokovic on Wednesday confirmed his withdrawal from this month’s ATP Masters tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami due to US government Covid-19 travel regulations.

Djokovic, who is not vaccinated, said on Twitter that rules requiring non-US citizens to be vaccinated before entering the United States had forced his withdrawal.

“I knew it would be unlikely I’d be able to travel,” Serbian star Djokovic wrote.

“The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) has confirmed that regulations won’t be changing so I won’t be able to play in the US. Good luck to those playing in these great tournaments.”

Djokovic’s participation at the two prestigious US tournaments had been shrouded in uncertainty for weeks given the US travel restrictions.

However, the 34-year-old 20-time Grand Slam singles champion had been named in the men’s draw for Indian Wells on Tuesday despite doubts over his status.

“Novak Djokovic is on the tournament entry list, and therefore is placed into the draw today,” tournament chiefs said on Tuesday.

“We are currently in communication with his team; however, it has not been determined if he will participate in the event by getting CDC approval to enter the country.”

Djokovic is a five-time champion at Indian Wells, where organisers have said proof of full vaccination will be required for spectator entry to the tournament venue in the California desert.

Djokovic was barred from the Australian Open in January after officials said he did not meet requirements for unvaccinated travellers trying to enter the nation.

His visa was eventually cancelled and, after a legal appeal failed, he departed without playing.

Indian Wells organisers said Wednesday that Djokovic’s place in the main draw had been taken by Grigor Dimitrov, with a “lucky loser” from qualifying taking the Bulgarian’s berth.

BELGRADE: Novak Djokovic’s turbulent start to 2022 took another twist Wednesday as the 20-time Grand Slam champion revealed he had split from his long-time coach Marian Vajda after last year’s ATP Finals.

Djokovic was deported on the eve of the Australian Open in January and on Monday lost his number one ranking to Russian Daniil Medvedev.

“Marian has been by my side during the most important and memorable moments in my career,” said the 34-year-old Djokovic on his official website.

Djokovic began working with the Slovakian coach since he was a teenager in 2006, though they split for a year in 2017.

“Together we have achieved some incredible things and I am very grateful for his friendship and dedication over the last 15 years.”

Vajda stopped working with Djokovic following the tour finals in Turin in November.

He had not been seen as part of Djokovic’s back-room team in Melbourne before the Serbian player was deported in a visa row over his Covid vaccination status.

“During my time with Novak, I have been lucky to watch him transform into the player he is today,” said Vajda.

“I will look back on our time together with immense pride,” he concluded.

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