T29: Hamburg, Bastad, Newport 2020

[Damian]

Båstad: An Award-Winning Event Defined By Swedish Success

Spoiler:

Learn more about the Nordea Open, an ATP 250 event

Held the week after Wimbledon, the Nordea Open is one of two Swedish events on the ATP Tour alongside the Stockholm Open.

The ATP 250 tournament would have been held this week if not for the Tour suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

ATPTour.com looks at five things to know about the ATP 250 tournament.

A Player Favourite
ATP Tour players voted the Nordea Open as ATP 250 Tournament of the Year for 11 straight years between 2002 and 2012. Based in Båstad, one of Sweden’s most popular summer tourism destinations, the event has been held each year since 1948 and has consistently improved its venue. Held at Båstad Tennisstadion, the tournament is located just minutes away from the local harbour and beach.

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Swedish History
Since the beginning of the Open Era in 1968, the tournament has consistently crowned Swedish champions in both singles and doubles. Sixteen editions of the singles tournament have been won by Swedish players and 27 editions of the doubles event have featured a Swedish winner.

Magnus Gustafsson owns an Open Era record four singles trophies in Båstad, followed closely by three-time champions Bjorn Borg and Mats Wilander. Magnus Norman and Robin Soderling own two titles at the event, while Henrik Sundstrom and Joakim Nystrom both earned single tournament victories.

Between 1982 and 2014, only seven editions of the doubles tournament did not feature a Swedish champion. During that time, Jonas Bjorkman captured an Open Era record seven doubles trophies at the event.

Bjorg Wilander Edberg

Nadal Begins Rivalry In Memorable Fashion
After quarter-final runs in 2003 and 2004, Rafael Nadal returned to Båstad in 2005 as the World No. 3 and newly crowned Roland Garros champion. The 19-year-old cruised through to his eighth final of the season without dropping a set, following wins against Juan Monaco, Alberto Martin, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Tommy Robredo.

In the championship match, Nadal recovered from a set down to defeat Tomas Berdych in their first ATP Head2Head encounter. The Spaniard won 20 of 24 meetings against Berdych, including their only other final clash at Wimbledon in 2010.

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Cuevas’ Maiden Moment
Pablo Cuevas owns six ATP Tour trophies on clay and reached a career-high No. 19 in the FedEx ATP Rankings in 2016. But when the Uruguayan arrived in Båstad in 2014, he was attempting to reach his first ATP Tour championship match.

Ranked No. 111, Cuevas dropped just one set en route to a final clash against Joao Sousa. The 28-year-old dropped just three games against the World No. 40 to take the trophy after 59 minutes. Following the event, Cuevas jumped 50 positions to re-enter the Top 100 in the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time in almost three years. The six-time ATP Tour titlist is the lowest-ranked Båstad champion in the Open Era.

Ferrer’s Record Run
Alongside Borg and Wilander, David Ferrer is one of three players to have lifted the Båstad trophy on three occasions in the Open Era. The Spaniard beat Nicolas Almagro in both the 2007 and 2012 championship matches, before a record-breaking run in 2017.

The World No. 46 overcame Federico Delbonis, Dustin Brown, Henri Laaksonen, Fernando Verdasco and Alexandr Dolgopolov to capture his 27th and final ATP Tour title. Aged 35, Ferrer became the oldest Båstad champion in the Open Era.

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[Damian]

Relive Nadal's 2005 Bastad Title

Spoiler:

The lefty won a personal-best 11 titles in 2005
Rafael Nadal won a record 81 consecutive tour-level matches on clay from 2005 to 2007. During that winning streak, the Spaniard made his mark in Båstad.

The lefty began the 2005 season with one ATP Tour title. Not only did he claim a career-high 11 trophies that year, he won his first Grand Slam at Roland Garros and his first four ATP Masters 1000 crowns. But Nadal entered that July’s Nordea Open seeking a turnaround.

After triumphing at Roland Garros, Nadal only won one of three matches during his grass-court season. In his third appearance in Båstad, the 19-year-old wanted to get back on track. He didn’t just get back on track; Nadal gained plenty of momentum, winning the title with the loss of just one set, against Tomas Berdych in the final.

“Berdych was tough and aggressive," Nadal said. "In the first set he played so good, I couldn't do much."

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A teenage Nadal showed similar qualities to the legendary champion he has become. The Spaniard dominated his first four matches, each against a clay-court standout. Nadal didn’t lose more than four games in a set, rolling past Juan Monaco, Alberto Martin, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Tommy Robredo.

"I'm very happy to have reached another final and the first here in Båstad,” Nadal said.

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Berdych, the big-hitting Czech, was No. 42 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. But he had already proven his abilities against the top players in the sport, stunning World No. 1 Roger Federer at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Berdych came out firing, cracking a forehand winner in his first return game to break World No. 3 Nadal. But like he has since done so many times in his career, Nadal found another gear to triumph 2-6, 6-2, 6-4.

"I played a little bit more aggressively in the second set and I played with deeper shots,” Nadal said. “I got to 4-0 [in the second set] very fast and that was important for the confidence."

After the match, a reporter asked Nadal if he had his sights set on the top of the FedEx ATP Rankings, to which the Spaniard replied, "I'm not ready for it. I need to improve in my game. I will need to improve my serve and find regularity in it and I have to become more aggressive on my forehand."

Just more than three years later, Nadal reached World No. 1, a spot he has held for 209 weeks throughout his career.

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[Damian]

Add Your Name To The International Tennis Hall Of Fame

Spoiler:

International Tennis Hall Of Fame launches fan initiative

It takes years of hard work and dedication for players to earn their spot in the International Tennis Hall Of Fame and Museum. Luckily, for fans, the organisation has provided a shortcut.

In the week when the organisation was due to host its Class of 2020 Induction ceremony, alongside the Hall of Fame Open, the International Tennis Hall Of Fame has launched the ‘Your Name in the Hall of Fame’ campaign to bring fans closer to the legends of the game. By pledging a donation of US $25 or more, you will be featured in a special mosaic-style museum exhibit that will commemorate the support of fans around the globe.

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All donors to the campaign will be able to submit a photo and/or name listing that will be added to a mosaic. The mosaic will then reside in the Museum at the International Tennis Hall Of Fame and on the organisation’s website.

On 18 July, which would have been the Class of 2020 induction day, Tennis Channel will be broadcasting TC Live: Hall of Fame Edition at 8 p.m. (EST) with an encore presentation at 11 p.m. The special program will showcase the prestige of the annual induction ceremonies and highlight the museum’s efforts to preserve tennis history.

For more information on the campaign, click here.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/interna ... -july-2020

[Damian]

[Damian]

[Damian]

[DUN I LOVE]

Wyjątkowo pasowała tamta cegła RF, więc trzeba było ją zabrać, żeby za dużo nie wygrał...

[Damian]

Nadal's Memorable Marathon Win Against Djokovic In Hamburg

Spoiler:

Nadal saved 15 of 19 break points to scrape past the Serbian
The ATP Head2Head rivalry between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal has developed into one of the classic rivalries in tennis history. But early on in their careers, the budding stars typically played relatively one-sided matches.

It wasn’t until their 10th meeting — in the 2008 Hamburg semi-finals — that they went to a deciding set for the first time.

Djokovic was the No. 3 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings, and the Serbian led the ATP Race To London. Earlier in 2008, he had earned his first Grand Slam trophy at the Australian Open and his first clay-court ATP Masters 1000 title in Rome. Although Nadal had won their first three clay-court matches without losing a set, Djokovic was playing the best tennis of his career. The winner would leave Hamburg as World No. 2.

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The moment brought the best out of both stars, with Nadal ultimately triumphing 7-5, 2-6, 6-2 in a three-hour, three-minute marathon.

"It was unfortunate it finished as a loss for me but I have to take the positives out of the match," Djokovic said, according to Eurosport. "I feel that with this performance and the match in general I am getting closer to him on clay and hopefully next time I can get a win."

Watch over 165 classic ATP Tour matches from the 90s

The final-set scoreline makes it seem like Nadal found another level — which he did — and simply ran away with the third set. But the 6-2 score is deceiving, as Djokovic battled until the very end. It was a back-and-forth affair, with the last game lasting more than 15 minutes and Nadal needing five match points to break through. The lefty saved 15 of 19 break points.

"It was an amazing match," Nadal said according to Eurosport. "I am a little bit tired right now, so let's see how I feel tomorrow."

Nadal went on to beat Roger Federer in the championship match, avenging a loss against the Swiss in the 2007 Hamburg final.

Shortly thereafter, Nadal claimed his fourth Roland Garros crown and his first Wimbledon trophy, ascending to World No. 1 for the first time in August.

ATP Heritage: Milestones. Records. Legends.

Djokovic completed his breakthrough season by winning the Tennis Masters Cup and remaining World No. 3 through the entire year. After losing his first nine clay-court matches against the Spaniard, Djokovic finally beat Nadal on the surface in the 2011 Mutua Madrid Open final.

The Hamburg match was a sign of things to come. When playing well, Djokovic and Nadal bring the best out of each other, with grinding baseline rallies keeping fans across the world on the edge of their seats.

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[Damian]

[Damian]

[Damian]

[Damian]

Federer Snapped Nadal's 81-Match Clay Streak, But Rafa Got His Revenge...

Spoiler:

Relive the 2007 and 2008 Hamburg finals between Federer and Nadal
Rafael Nadal won his first five clay-court battles against Roger Federer, with four of them coming in a championship match. That didn’t discourage the Swiss, though, and he’d get his revenge in a big way in the 2007 Hamburg final.

Nadal entered that championship match against Federer carrying an 81-match clay-court winning streak, the longest single-surface run in the Open Era. The Spaniard hadn’t lost on clay since April 2005 in Valencia against Igor Andreev.

“Winning 81 matches is an amazing streak,” Federer said after the final.

The Swiss had lost in straight sets the previous week in Rome against World No. 53 Filippo Volandri. But he found his best tennis to bring Nadal’s legendary run to an end, winning 2-6, 6-2, 6-0 to capture his record fourth Hamburg title.

“It’s great to play here again and win again,” Federer said. “I’ve fallen in love with this tournament.”

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In the semi-finals, Nadal had survived a scare against former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt 7-5 in the third set. The lefty appeared to put that behind him, looking sharp early against Federer. He was always a step ahead in the rallies, attacking relentlessly when given the opportunity and holding steady on defence until Federer beat himself with errors.

But Federer cleaned up his game in the next two sets and Nadal found few answers for the Swiss’ aggressive play.

“If I had to lose to anyone, Roger is the man,” Nadal said.

The final set marked the third time Nadal lost a tour-level set on clay 0-6. It has not happened in the 13 years since.

You May Also Like: Nadal's Memorable Marathon Win Against Djokovic In Hamburg
Nadal didn’t get down on himself, defeating Federer in that year’s Roland Garros final. When he returned to Hamburg the following year, he had a chance to avenge his defeat in the final.

The lefty was tired after a three-hour, three-minute marathon against Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals and Federer started their Hamburg rematch quickly with two breaks in his first three return games for a 5-1 lead. Nadal never stopped fighting though, winning six consecutive games to sneak out the first set and eventually claim his first Hamburg title 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-3 across two hours and 52 minutes.

<a href='/en/players/rafael-nadal/n409/overview'>Rafael Nadal</a>

"[It] was an important win for me," Nadal said. "I was focused all the time. Roger had some important mistakes in the first set that helped me a lot. I started the match playing bad. It was tough for me. After yesterday [against Djokovic] it was tough in the beginning.

"But it's not only the body. Mentally it is tough, too, because it was a lot of tensions yesterday, a lot of pressure. Today it was tough when I was coming on court. But later everything changed. For sure it’s important to beat the [World] No. 1.”

Federer was on a 41-match winning streak in Germany, which included a perfect 9-0 in finals.

“All in all it was alright. It wasn’t my best performance,” Federer said. “If you get broken so many times, there is always something you are a little bit unhappy about.”

Nadal carried that momentum against Federer by beating the Swiss again at Roland Garros and then defeating him for his first Wimbledon title in what is considered by many the greatest match in history.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/federer ... urg-finals

[Damian]

[Damian]

[Damian]

Newport's Most Prolific Champion: John Isner

Spoiler:

Isner has won a record four titles in Newport
The Hall of Fame Open has long been one of John Isner’s most successful events. Nobody has won the tournament more, as the American has triumphed on the historic Newport grass four times. The ATP 250 has been a family affair for Isner, too.

Last year, Isner had a new guest by his side in Newport: his daughter, Hunter Grace, who was born in September 2018. Throughout the week, the first thing he did after the match was go see his daughter. It made for a special moment when Isner defeated Alexander Bublik 7-6(2), 6-3 for the title. Joining him on court for the trophy ceremony were Hunter Grace and Isner’s wife, Madison McKinley Isner.

“That was cool. That was actually something I wasn’t even thinking about at all during the course of the match. Thankfully I wasn’t getting ahead of myself, but then when it came time to do the ceremony, I looked at where my wife was sitting. She wasn’t there,” Isner said. “She had gone and got Hunter Grace and brought her over to the side of the court. She was smart enough to go get her and knew that would be a good moment to capture. So that was the highlight of the week, no doubt.”


The big-serving righty first triumphed in Newport in 2011, sprinting to the title without dropping a set. He defeated Olivier Rochus 6-3, 7-6(6) for the trophy. But perhaps what sticks out about the event is that Isner was forced to miss his brother Nathan’s wedding to finish the job.

“It definitely turned out to be a great decision,” Isner said at the time.

The top seed planned to rush to the wedding if he lost by the semi-finals. He was disappointed to miss the special moment, but thrilled to win his second ATP Tour title.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a better week serving,” Isner said. “I’m fortunate to have that weapon and I was in a groove for five matches. It carried me to the championship here.”

Isner, who also emerged victorious in Newport in 2012, served even better at the tournament in 2017. He became the second player to win an ATP Tour title without facing a break point since records started being kept in 1991. Tommy Haas accomplished the feat at 2007 Memphis, and Alex de Minaur did it last year in Atlanta. Isner beat Matthew Ebden 6-3, 7-6(4) in that year's championship match.

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“It’s hard to win a tournament. It’s no small feat to come out here and be the last man standing," Isner said. "I’m very happy about that."

Isner, who has only won the Atlanta title more often (five times), has long been comfortable in Rhode Island, where he holds a 23-5 record. He enjoys the intimate setting and the local scene, which includes restaurants on the water.

“My very first ATP Tour event was here in 2007 and I didn’t enjoy the courts that much back then because I didn’t know how to play on them,” Isner said. “To say that I’ve won this event four times isn’t something I thought would be possible.”

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/john-is ... rt-history

[Damian]

[Damian]

Federer Snapped Nadal's 81-Match Clay Streak, But Rafa Got His Revenge...

Spoiler:

Relive the 2007 and 2008 Hamburg finals between Federer and Nadal
Rafael Nadal won his first five clay-court battles against Roger Federer, with four of them coming in a championship match. That didn’t discourage the Swiss, though, and he’d get his revenge in a big way in the 2007 Hamburg final.

Nadal entered that championship match against Federer carrying an 81-match clay-court winning streak, the longest single-surface run in the Open Era. The Spaniard hadn’t lost on clay since April 2005 in Valencia against Igor Andreev.

“Winning 81 matches is an amazing streak,” Federer said after the final.

The Swiss had lost in straight sets the previous week in Rome against World No. 53 Filippo Volandri. But he found his best tennis to bring Nadal’s legendary run to an end, winning 2-6, 6-2, 6-0 to capture his record fourth Hamburg title.

“It’s great to play here again and win again,” Federer said. “I’ve fallen in love with this tournament.”

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In the semi-finals, Nadal had survived a scare against former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt 7-5 in the third set. The lefty appeared to put that behind him, looking sharp early against Federer. He was always a step ahead in the rallies, attacking relentlessly when given the opportunity and holding steady on defence until Federer beat himself with errors.

But Federer cleaned up his game in the next two sets and Nadal found few answers for the Swiss’ aggressive play.

“If I had to lose to anyone, Roger is the man,” Nadal said.

The final set marked the third time Nadal lost a tour-level set on clay 0-6. It has not happened in the 13 years since.

You May Also Like: Nadal's Memorable Marathon Win Against Djokovic In Hamburg
Nadal didn’t get down on himself, defeating Federer in that year’s Roland Garros final. When he returned to Hamburg the following year, he had a chance to avenge his defeat in the final.

The lefty was tired after a three-hour, three-minute marathon against Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals and Federer started their Hamburg rematch quickly with two breaks in his first three return games for a 5-1 lead. Nadal never stopped fighting though, winning six consecutive games to sneak out the first set and eventually claim his first Hamburg title 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-3 across two hours and 52 minutes.

<a href='/en/players/rafael-nadal/n409/overview'>Rafael Nadal</a>

"[It] was an important win for me," Nadal said. "I was focused all the time. Roger had some important mistakes in the first set that helped me a lot. I started the match playing bad. It was tough for me. After yesterday [against Djokovic] it was tough in the beginning.

"But it's not only the body. Mentally it is tough, too, because it was a lot of tensions yesterday, a lot of pressure. Today it was tough when I was coming on court. But later everything changed. For sure it’s important to beat the [World] No. 1.”

Federer was on a 41-match winning streak in Germany, which included a perfect 9-0 in finals.

“All in all it was alright. It wasn’t my best performance,” Federer said. “If you get broken so many times, there is always something you are a little bit unhappy about.”

Nadal carried that momentum against Federer by beating the Swiss again at Roland Garros and then defeating him for his first Wimbledon title in what is considered by many the greatest match in history.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/federer ... urg-finals

[Damian]

[Damian]

[Damian]