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This week on the ATP Tennis Podcast...

TAYLOR FRITZ ON WHY HE GIVES HIS COACHES FEEDBACK – “I want to tell the coach what I’m thinking in situations, why I did this, why I did that, because in my head it should give them a better understanding of why I’m hitting this shot, why I’m doing this in this moment, instead of them just telling me what to do. I’m not going to lie, sometimes I think my tennis IQ is very high and I just want to explain where I’m coming from. It’s really just a better understanding type of thing between us and not me being stubborn.”

TAYLOR FRITZ ON HIS ABILITY TO PLAY THROUGH INJURY - “I just feel that if I’m not injured to the point that I can’t walk out on court that I feel like I can play. It’s probably once of my best assets and biggest weaknesses is how stubborn I am and how I hate to pull out of tournaments and not play.”

MAXIME CRESSY ON MEDITATION – “When I was 18 years old a coach introduced me to it because he knew I had some anger or some issues with emotions and hard to control and that’s when I got introduced to the meditation world and it changed my life.”

JACK DRAPER ON PLAYING NOVAK DJOKOVIC AT WIMBLEDON 2021 – “That experience gave me a lot of different lessons and he exposed a lot of areas in my game, probably like he should do. He’s number one in the world, but that gave me a lot of things to work on and improve in the coming months and I think this year I’ve been able to put that into action, stay injury-free and the year is going pretty quick.”

Jan-Lennard Struff will open his Wimbledon campaign on Monday against fifth seed Carlos Alcaraz. It will be the pair's second ATP Head2Head meeting, with the German previously defeating Alcaraz in the 2021 Roland Garros third round.

The 32-year-old achieved a career-high Pepperstone ATP Ranking of No. 29 in 2020 and reached his first ATP Tour final on home soil in Munich last May. Playing in the Wimbledon main draw for the ninth time this fortnight, Struff is seeking to advance beyond the first round for the fourth time, including a pair of third-round runs in 2018 and 2019.

Before the action heats up at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, find out what Struff likes to cook and eat to prepare himself for competition.

[ATP APP]

If you were having some friends over for dinner, what would you cook for them?
I like Caprese salad a lot. It's pretty easy to do, I would say. Depends who's coming over.

Hubert Hurkacz announced on social media Sunday that he will donate €100 for every ace he hits throughout The Championships at Wimbledon to Ukrainians in need.

"I'd like to announce that starting tomorrow I am pledging to donate 100 euros for every ace I hit at Wimbledon to help support the people of Ukraine. Hope my serve works well! #acesforaid"

I’d like to announce that starting tomorrow I am pledging to donate 100 euros for every ace I hit at Wimbledon to help support the people of Ukraine. Hope my serve works well! #acesforaid pic.twitter.com/6B9hOy6aE8

The Polish star is third on the ATP Tour in aces this season with 452 in 39 matches for an average of more than 11 aces per match. One year ago, Hurkacz advanced to the semi-finals at Wimbledon, hitting 54 aces in his six matches.

The 25-year-old is the seventh seed and will begin his tournament on Monday against Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Hurkacz arrives in good form, having lifted his first ATP 500 trophy at the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle.

He is the one and only Mr. 54 per cent.

Novak Djokovic is in a class of his own competing on the three outdoor surfaces in our sport. An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the highest achievers when playing outdoors identifies Djokovic is the only player to push through the 54 per cent threshold of points won on grass, hard and clay. The data set goes back to 1991 when official records began and includes all players who have competed in a minimum of 10 matches on each surface.

[ATP APP]

The following breakdown includes only players to have broken through the 54 per cent threshold for points won on each of the three outdoor surfaces.

Grass
1. Pete Sampras = 54.64%
2. Roger Federer = 54.59%
3. Novak Djokovic = 54.16%

In recognition of his outstanding impact on the sport of tennis as a player, promoter, and humanitarian, India’s Vijay Amritraj has been named the 2021 recipient of the Golden Achievement Award.

The Golden Achievement Award is presented annually by the International Tennis Hall of Fame and International Tennis Federation to a person who has made important contributions internationally to tennis in the fields of administration, promotion, or education and has devoted long and outstanding service to the sport. The award was presented on Friday at a special celebration hosted in Amritraj’s honor in London.

“I’m humbled to receive this incredible award from the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Tennis Federation for my life’s journey in a sport that I’ve loved all my life,” remarked Amritraj. “This honour is really something I’m receiving on behalf of every Indian who has supported me over the years. I’ve had the privilege of representing India on the world’s stage in our sport. I hope it is inspiring for more players from India to come out and hit the international stage.”

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“For five decades, Vijay Amritraj has competed valiantly, opened doors, and spread goodwill through tennis,” said Todd Martin, CEO of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. “We are honoured to join the International Tennis Federation in recognising his immense contributions around the world. As a player, humanitarian, and ambassador, Vijay has put his passion for tennis and people into action to make a difference in growing the sport and helping those in need. He is a profoundly deserving recipient of the Golden Achievement Award.”

At 20 years old, Jannik Sinner has already achieved so much.

The Italian has captured five tour-level titles, earned seven Top 10 wins and reached a career-high No. 9 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. On Monday, Sinner will aim to tick off another goal when he faces former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka: his first win at Wimbledon.

However, despite all his success on court, things could have looked far different for Sinner if he had opted to pursue his interest in skiing instead of tennis when he was younger. The Italian spent large periods of his childhood descending down the mountains in the Italian Alps, where he won races and experienced thrills with friends.

“Skiing is quite a common sport to get into from where I am. There are a lot of ski slopes just literally outside of my front door,” Sinner told ATPTour.com. “I remember the first time I went skiing. My brother was having some lessons and I saw him and I wanted to go but my mum told me 'Not today'.

“I kept crying to her and asking and then she said ‘OK, let’s do this’. They were expecting me to go once and then I would go home. But I stayed all day until they closed the slopes. Then I went every day and loved it.”

Before beginning his grass-court season, Nick Kyrgios returned to Australia for two months to recharge and spend time with his loved ones. The 27-year-old has wasted no time finding his form since returning to the Tour.

The Australian reached the semi-finals in Stuttgart and Halle to put himself in good position leading into Wimbledon.

“I’ve played a lot of matches. Had some great results. Beaten some really good players. I'm just happy where my level's at,” Kyrgios said. “I think I've had probably some of the best preparation I've had for a while on the grass. Load-wise I'm happy with the amount of tennis I played.”

Kyrgios admitted that it is “hard to find the balance between spending time with your family, friends, having that kind of normal lifestyle". That is why he returned home, so that when he did return to court, he would be ready to go and play his best.

“I know where my game's at. I know if I'm feeling confident, I'm playing well, I'm able to just light it up kind of whenever I want. But I've just got to pick and choose. I don't play that often,” Kyrgios said. “When I play now, I've got to make sure I'm having some good results, putting my best effort… I’m proud to be where I'm at at the moment.”

Carlos Alcaraz may have been a dominant force on the ATP Tour in 2022, but that does not mean the 19-year-old is afraid to seek help from his fellow players as and when required.

The Spaniard takes on Jan-Lennard Struff in the first round at Wimbledon on Monday. As he prepares for just the second tour-level grass-court tournament of his career, Alcaraz admitted he is happy to learn from others to make up for his relative inexperience on the surface.

“Of course. I try to watch the training of the best players,” said Alcaraz in his pre-tournament press conference on Sunday, shortly after hitting with British No. 2 Daniel Evans. “I think he [Evans] plays very well on grass. I'm trying to copy some things from the best [players].

“I always watch videos of [Roger] Federer, [Novak] Djokovic, Rafa [Nadal], Andy [Murray] as well. I try to copy moves and stuff from them.”

As a fellow Spaniard who also grew up playing predominantly on clay, two-time champion Nadal is a particularly important example for Alcaraz. The 19-year-old believes Nadal’s success on grass serves as an obvious example for him to follow.

Stefanos Tsitsipas’ Wimbledon preparations have been a success.

The Greek overcame Roberto Bautista Agut to capture his maiden tour-level title on grass at the Mallorca Championships on Saturday, meaning he arrives at The All England Lawn Tennis Club high on confidence and with matches in the bank.

“I think my preparations are good in terms of matches. That's what I wanted from the very beginning, to have a lot of matches on grass,” Tsitsipas said in his pre-tournament press conference on Sunday. “That's what I think I achieved in the last couple of weeks, to get as many matches on grass as possible.

“I think the first tournaments were probably not what I expected in terms of matches, but I managed to pick up quite fast in last week's performance in southern Europe.”

Prior to his triumph in Mallorca, Tsitsipas had held a 10-10 record on grass. However, the fourth seed revealed that his title run at the ATP 250 event came as no surprise to him due to his long-term belief that he was destined for success on the surface.

The 2022 grass-court season reaches its climax at the third Grand Slam of the year in London, where the top talent on the ATP Tour has assembled at Wimbledon. Six-time champion Novak Djokovic leads the field at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, where the Serbian is chasing his fourth consecutive crown.

Two-time champion Rafael Nadal seeks his third major title of the season, while 2021 finalist Matteo Berrettini arrives in London in red-hot form, having picked up back-to-back titles on the grass in Stuttgart and at The Queen’s Club.

Ninth seed Cameron Norrie leads British hopes, but the home fans will also have a two-time champion to support in Andy Murray.

ATPTour.com looks ahead at 10 things to watch at Wimbledon.

View Singles Draw

Defending champion Novak Djokovic, #NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz and home favourite Andy Murray kick off their campaigns at Wimbledon on Monday. The first-round action at the grass-court Grand Slam will also see Hubert Hurkacz, Jannik Sinner, Stan Wawrinka, Reilly Opelka and Cameron Norrie in action at the All England Lawn Tennis Club.

ATPTour.com looks at some of the matches to watch on Day 1 in the UK capital.

View Schedule | View Singles Draw

[1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs. Soonwoo Kwon (KOR)

Djokovic opens proceedings on Centre Court with his second tour-level meeting against South Korean Soonwoo Kwon. Not only is the top seed defending his 2021 crown, but the six-time champion is also pursuing his fourth consecutive title at the grass-court major. That would draw him level with legendary American Pete Sampras.

"I would like to be in the [final] to eventually make history," said Djokovic at his pre-tournament press conference. "Pete Sampras winning his first Wimbledon was the first tennis match I ever saw on the TV. So of course, there is a lot of connection to this tournament. Pete has won it seven times... Hopefully I can do the same this year."

Never before has Rafael Nadal entered Wimbledon after winning the year's first two Grand Slam events. But with the 2022 Australian Open and Roland Garros titles in tow, a trophy in his 15th Wimbledon would put him on the brink of the Grand Slam — winning all four majors in the same year. That feat that has not been achieved in men's singles since Rod Laver in 1969.

Tennis fans and players alike have taken note of the 36-year-old's historic season, including many of the WTA's most popular players.

"He's done a lot in 2022. He's been busy," Serena Williams said Saturday in her Wimbledon pre-tournament press conference. "I've always been a Rafa fan... so obviously I'm always rooting for Rafa. He's been really inspiring in everything that he's done this year. And he has a lot more to do."

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Williams named one of her dogs after the Spaniard — Christopher Chip Rafael Nadal, a Yorkshire Terrier. The 40-year-old Williams, who is preparing for her first competitive singles match since last year's Wimbledon, is eager to join Nadal among this season's Grand Slam champions.

Despite his promising start to the grass season being cut short by an abdominal injury, Andy Murray is taking plenty of belief from his recent performances as he prepares to open his 2022 Wimbledon campaign against James Duckworth.

“I think I showed a couple weeks ago [in Stuttgart] that there was still good tennis left in me,” said Murray in his pre-tournament press conference in London on Saturday. “I beat a guy [Stefanos Tsitsipas] in the top five in the world. I was neck-and-neck with [Matteo] Berrettini, who is one of the best grass-court players in the world before his injury. I played well against [Nick] Kyrgios, as well.”

The former World No. 1 marched to the final at the ATP 250 event in south-west Germany without dropping a set. Despite a three-set loss to World No. 11 Berrettini in the championship match, Murray feels it is proof he still has the game to go toe-to-toe with anyone in the draw at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. His coach, eight-time Grand Slam champion Ivan Lendl, feels the same.

“I know the tennis is in there; I just need to bring it out during the event now,” said Murray. “Obviously having Ivan on my team helps. We've had a lot of success in the past. We know each other well. He still believes in me. There's not loads of people out there that have done over this last period, and he has. That definitely helps me.”

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In each of his past two Wimbledon trophy runs, Novak Djokovic's opening match on the London lawns was his first grass-court match of the season. Now seeking a fourth straight title at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, the Serbian's preparations have not changed.

His last competitive match was a quarter-final epic against Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros. By the time the top-seeded Djokovic takes to Centre Court on Monday against Soonwoo Kwon, he will have spent nearly a month between appearances.

"I didn't have any lead-up tournaments to Wimbledon, but I've had success in Wimbledon in the past without having any official matches and tournaments," said Djokovic.

"Over the years, I had success with adapting quickly to the surface, so there is no reason not to believe I can do it again."

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