Looking for Tennis and Racket Sports International News?

Novak Djokovic was down on Sunday evening in Adelaide and nearly out when he faced championship point against Sebastian Korda. But in trademark fashion the Serbian found a way to win his 92nd tour-level title.

Djokovic saved championship point at 5-6 in the second set before rallying past the American 6-7(8), 7-6(3), 6-4 after a gruelling three hours and nine minutes. After Korda missed a final forehand long, Djokovic tapped his right index finger to his head as a nod to his resilience.

"It's been an amazing week and you guys made it even more special. For me to be standing here is a gift, definitely," Djokovic told the crowd during the trophy ceremony. "I gave it all today and throughout the week in order to be able to get my hands on the trophy.

"The support that I've been getting in the past 10 days is something that I don't think I've experienced too many times in my life, so thank you so much [to] everyone for coming out every single match."

The 35-year-old is now tied with Rafael Nadal for the fourth-most men’s singles titles in the Open Era, trailing only Jimmy Connors (109), Roger Federer (103) and Ivan Lendl (94). He has won 34 consecutive matches in Australia since the start of 2019 and 23 of his past 24 matches overall.

The inaugural United Cup trophy belongs to the United States.

Taylor Fritz clinched the title for his country on Sunday evening when he defeated Matteo Berrettini 7-6(4), 7-6 (6) in a nail-biting duel between two of the biggest hitters on the ATP Tour. Jessica Pegula and Frances Tiafoe each earned a point for the Americans earlier in the day, giving their country an insurmountable 3-0 lead over Italy.

“It’s great. It’s amazing for the team to win this event. We came in with really high hopes, or at least I did, for the event,” Fritz said. “I was really happy to be in that position to clinch the match.”

The United States produced a dominant performance throughout the United Cup, dropping just two individual matches. None of their ties were closer than 4-1.

Fritz capped the team’s run with a poised performance against Berrettini, who had earned Top 10 victories against Casper Ruud and Hubert Hurkacz earlier in the event. The American let slip all nine break points he earned, but did not let that hurt his play in the critical tie-breaks.

"Ready, play."

For two years, the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted New Zealand. With international borders closed, the opportunity for the country to host major sporting events, including the ASB Classic, was taken away.

However, good news arrived in July last year when the borders reopened to all visitors, sparking ‘go time’ for ASB Classic Tournament Director Nicolas Lamperin. Having seen most of the tournament staff depart in the previous two years, Lamperin knew that getting the ATP Tour back to Auckland by the second week of January would be no small feat.

“As soon as we got the green light that the borders would reopen in the middle of last year, we then put a plan together to restart the tournament,” Lamperin told ATPTour.com.

“A lot of work had to be done because most of the people who were working at the tournament back in 2020 have left. It was all about building a new team, reconnecting with the sponsors, all of our stakeholders, and putting a plan together. Also speaking to the players and making sure they knew that the tournament was back and that we will be up to the standards that they were used to."

Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara capped an impressive first week to their 2023 season on Sunday at the Adelaide International 1, where the British-Finnish duo downed Jamie Murray and Michael Venus 6-3, 7-6(3) to claim its third ATP Tour title together.

The third-seeded team had dropped just one set en route to the final at the ATP 250 event and took control of the championship match by reeling off four games in a row from 2-3 in the opening set.

A tighter second set featured no break points, but Glasspool and Heliovaara again found a hot streak to claim four points in a row from 3/3 in the tie-break. Strong serving was key to the third seeds’ 79-minute victory — they won 83 per cent (30/36) of points behind their first delivery, compared to 68 per cent (34/50) for the fourth-seeded Murray and Venus.

”It was a very solid week from us,” said Heliovaara after the match. “Even that set that we lost [in the semi-finals], we had three set points. We were a little bit disappointed that we didn’t actually cross the whole week [without losing a set], but it was just so enjoyable playing… I think we had a good feeling after every match that we did what we are supposed to do, nothing special.

”If this is our level going forward, I’m really looking forward to the rest of the year.”

The United Cup trophy will be lifted on Sunday in Sydney’s Ken Rosewall Arena. The stadium’s namesake, Australian legend Ken Rosewall, has enjoyed the inaugural mixed-teams event.

“It’s a new event. The players like the team effect,” Rosewall said. “They seem to have nice camaraderie with everybody. Having the captains and the coaches on the side of the court is something fairly new. “

The United Cup brings together men and women on the same team. The last match of each tie is mixed doubles. Who would Rosewall select as his teammates from his playing days, from both the men’s and women’s sides?

“Rod Laver has the best record of any of the other Australians with his Grand Slam wins, so you’d always think of picking Laver first place there,” Rosewall said. “Hard to go [wrong] with him I suppose.”

The International Tennis Hall of Famer mentioned two women he would select to his team.

When John Isner walks onto court at the ASB Classic in Auckland Monday he will kick start his 17th season on the ATP Tour.

The 6’ 10” American has enjoyed a storied career, reaching a career-high No. 8 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and lifting 16 tour-level titles. Last season, the World No. 41 also wrote himself into the history books when he broke the world record for aces on the ATP Tour, striking his 13,729th ace against Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon.

However, at 37, he is not ready to stop yet.

“I am still feeling pretty good,” Isner told ATPTour.com. “I know I am in the twilight of my career and a lot of players my age aren't playing anymore, so I think I'm very fortunate to still be playing. I think I'm the oldest player in the Top 100, which is actually something I'm very proud of.

“I still like to compete, it keeps me going. I'd be lying to you if I told you I love all the work that goes in. Sometimes practice can get pretty monotonous, but I do love the training and off court I am just trying to get myself in a good spot to compete with players much younger than I am. You can't play tennis forever, so I want to try to make this last as long as possible. I am ready to achieve some really cool things this year.”

Jessica Pegula kicked off the United Cup final by giving the United States a 1-0 lead over Italy with a 6-4, 6-2 defeat of Martina Trevisan.

Despite the straight-sets scoreline, the contest was far from straightforward for the WTA World No. 3. Trevisan came out firing with an ultra-aggressive strategy, and remained committed to front-foot tennis throughout.

Pegula, normally an excellent proponent of these tactics herself, was forced onto the back foot more than usual. Though the American led 3-0 and then 4-2 in the first set, Trevisan managed to level at 4-4 after coming up with a series of fizzing forehands.

Ironically after this pattern, the set turned on a rare shot that Trevisan backed off. Serving at 4-5, 30/30, a tentative drive volley allowed Pegula to crunch a forehand of her own to reach set point. The American promptly converted it with a superb backhand winner down the line.

Pegula settled in the second set, reducing her unforced error tally from 17 to seven while eliciting mistakes from Trevisan with canny court craft. Trevisan's do-or-die approach ultimately didn't pay off as the WTA World No. 27 racked up 31 unforced errors against 14 winners.

Tallon Griekspoor started the new year in the best way possible. The 26-year-old dropped just one set all week en route to claiming his maiden Tour-level title at the Tata Open Maharashtra in Pune, India. In the championship match, the Dutchman rallied from a set down to defeat Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.

ATPTour.com caught up with the World No. 61 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings to discuss his family's sports background, his standout finals record on the Challenger Tour, and how he will celebrate his big breakthrough.

What does it mean to you to win your first ATP Tour title?
It means everything to me. It’s something you dream of and work for. There’s so many people involved, my family, my brothers, that mean the world to me. To do this also for them, means the world to me, I couldn’t be more happy.

Entering this event after the offseason, your first event of 2023, how did you feel about your chances of finishing as the champion and lifting the trophy?
You never know after the offseason how you will play. I worked my ass off at home during the offseason. I was playing well in practices but you never know how you’re going to be in the matches. I came to Pune early, had five or six good practice days and I think that helped me a lot.

This was your first ATP final, but you were 8-0 in finals at the ATP Challenger Tour level last year. Did this feel much different to those previous title matches?
I had a good record on the Challenger Tour in finals, so I would say I know I how to play to finals. It’s tough, it’s a fight for every point, there’s more pressure than normal, especially my first ATP Tour final. It wasn’t easy but I think I handled it pretty well. Maybe those Challenger finals helped me as well to stay calm and know what to do in the final.

Despite enduring a fourth consecutive defeat to Novak Djokovic in the Adelaide International 1 semi-finals, Daniil Medvedev remains confident that he can turn the tables on the Serbian if he gets a shot at revenge at this month’s Australian Open. And that’s despite Saturday’s 6-3, 6-4 loss being the most lopsided of their four most recent battles.

The 26-year-old admitted that the match was “completely on Novak’s side,” but said that his confidence would not be shaken the next time he meets Djokovic or, for that matter, Rafael Nadal, against whom he has just a modest 1-5 ATP Head2Head record. Medvedev led the Spaniard two sets to love in last year’s Australian Open final before the lefty rallied to take the title in five sets.

As he leaves Adelaide, Medvedev now sets his sights on a strong run at the season’s first Slam and perhaps another crack at Djokovic or Nadal, the only two men to beat him at the Australian Open the past two years.

[ATP APP]

“I think with the feeling I had this week, I could be back at winning [against] these guys, winning tournaments,” Medvedev said. “Again, Novak is in a different league, 21 slams. But generally [I’m] positive. Need to stay positive because the first Slam is coming. Want to show my best. Want to feel a great atmosphere like it was here in Adelaide. Looking forward.”

As the ATP Tour season builds toward the Australian Open, two events Down Under provide players their last chance to compete ahead of the year's first Grand Slam.

A pair of ATP 250s — the ASB Classic in Auckland and the Adelaide International 2 — are next on the schedule, with World No. 3 Casper Ruud leading the field as the ATP Tour returns to Auckland for the first time since 2020. Former champion Andrey Rublev is the top seed in Adelaide, where hometown hero Thanasi Kokkinakis is back to defend his title.

ATPTour.com looks at 10 things to watch this week.

View Draws: Auckland | Adelaide

[ATP APP]

In the course of 11 drama-filled days at the United Cup, across three Australian cities, 18 teams have been reduced to just two: the third-seeded United States and fifth seeds Italy.

Sunday’s final takes place at 1 p.m. local time (9 p.m. ET) in Sydney’s Ken Rosewall Arena.

[ATP APP]

The U.S. clinched its spot in the title round first, uncertain if it would be facing Italy or Greece.

“I don’t really think it matters,” captain David Witt said. “I think our players are pretty confident and excited to be in the final. We will just have to wait to see who we play, and then go out there and do it up.”

Tallon Griekspoor overcame his first lost set of the week at the Tata Open Maharashtra to claim his first ATP Tour title Saturday in an entertaining and high-quality final against Benjamin Bonzi. The Dutchman served to stay in the match in the second set but ultimately outlasted his French opponent 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 before collapsing to the court in celebration of his milestone moment.

"[It was the] first final for both, some pressure," Griekspoor said after clinching the trophy with a dominant serving display that included 17 aces. "All I did was keep fighting every point, trying to get my best tennis, and in the end it came, so I'm really happy with that.

"I think even in the first set I played well. I just played one really bad game at 4-5 which made it tough for myself. Bonzi was playing really well."

[ATP APP]

After getting broken to surrender the first set, the 26-year-old showed great resilience in the same situation in set two. From 4-5 in the second, he won three straight games to force a decider, then continued his momentum by building a 3-1 lead in the final set.

Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen opened the 2023 season in style with a flawless trophy run at the Tata Open Maharashtra, winning the Pune ATP 250 title without dropping a set in four matches.

The longtime partners defeated the Indian duo of N.Sriram Balaji and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan 6-4, 6-4 in Saturday's Pune final to win their sixth ATP Tour title as a team. The fourth seeds improved to 6-2 in tour-level finals, with all of their final runs coming as a pair.

"It's been a fantastic week," said Gille. "We didn't really know what to expect, as this is the first time that we came to India. But right from the start we felt good. It was a great atmosphere and a well organised tournament. We played very well and we're super happy to get the sixth title."

[ATP APP]

Breaks of serve in the third game of each set proved enough for Gille/Vliegen to claim the title, with the Belgians capitalising in both games in which they created a break chance. They won two of four break points and did not face a break point on their own serve for the third time on the week.

In a highly anticipated showdown Saturday evening, Novak Djokovic defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-4 to reach the final of the Adelaide International 1.

The 35-year-old was best in the critical moments, saving all three break points he faced while converting two of his three break opportunities to claim the battle of former World No. 1s after one hour and 30 minutes.

The match was not without a scary moment for the Serbian. Djokovic tweaked his left leg and during the 5-2 changeover was forced to leave the court for a medical timeout. But the 91-time tour-level titlist played on and took a 9-4 lead in his ATP Head2Head series with Medvedev.

“Thankfully it was nothing too serious. If it was, I wouldn’t be able to continue, so I just tried with [a] medical timeout, some anti-inflammatories and kind of settled in after a few games,” Djokovic said. “I was just trying to keep the momentum going and [not] allow him to break my serve. I think that was the key, that eventually I would get a chance.

“I think the longer the match went, the more my hamstring was warmer and bothering me less, so hopefully for tomorrow it will be all fine.”

It appeared Matteo Berrettini would seal Team Italy’s place in the United Cup final on Saturday evening, but Stefanos Tsitsipas refused to allow that to happen.

The Greek rallied past Berrettini 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 to keep his country’s hopes alive at the Final Four in Sydney. Italy still leads the tie 2-1, and Lucia Bronzetti will have a chance to close out the tie against Valentini Grammatikopuolou, a late substitute for Despina Papamichail.

"What a great atmosphere out here, I'm loving it," Tsitsipas said. "We won this together guys."

For the first half of the No. 1 men’s singles match, Berrettini was in control. Full of confidence after victories against Thiago Monteiro and Top 10 stars Casper Ruud and Hubert Hurkacz earlier in the mixed-teams competition, the Italian used his booming serve and thunderous forehand to keep the Greek on the back foot.

Despite having the racquet taken out of his hand for much of the match, Tsitsipas began to encourage the Ken Rosewall Arena crowd to involve itself midway into the second set. That proved the turning point.

Andrey Rublev will aim to bounce back from a disappointing first-round exit at the Adelaide International 1 when he headlines the draw at the Adelaide International 2 this week. The World No. 8, who is the top seed at the ATP 250 event, will face an Australian wild card in his opening match, with the winner of Thanasi Kokkinakis and Alexei Popyrin taking on the 12-time tour-level titlist.

The 25-year-old is seeded to meet sixth seed Miomir Kecmanovic in the quarter-finals. The Serbian begins against the returning Kyle Edmund. Rublev is also joined in the top half by fourth seed Roberto Bautista Agut, with the Spaniard opening against Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi or American Maxime Cressy.

View Draw

[FOLLOW ACTION]

At the bottom of the draw, second seed Pablo Carreno Busta opens against a qualifier, with fifth seed Daniel Evans a potential quarter-final opponent. The Briton faces American Mackenzie McDonald in the first round and could meet Sebastian Korda in the second round. The 22-year-old Korda, who plays Yoshihito Nishioka in the semi-finals in Adelaide Saturday, opens against Emil Ruusuvuori.

After three years, the ATP Tour returns to Auckland this week, where World No. 3 Casper Ruud leads the field at the ASB Classic. The Norwegian, who is making his third appearance at the ATP 250 event, attended the draw ceremony on Saturday as he learned his possible path to the title.

The top seed will face Spaniard Jaume Munar or Serbian Laslo Djere in his opening match and could play two-time Auckland titlist John Isner in the quarter-finals. The sixth-seeded American begins his campaign against Argentine Pedro Cachin or Frenchman Constant Lestienne.

[ATP APP]

Second seed Cameron Norrie arrives in New Zealand holding a 3-0 record on the season, having earned victories against Alex de Minaur, Rafael Nadal and Taylor Fritz at the United Cup. The Briton will look to continue his perfect start when he faces a qualifier in his opening match.

The 27-year-old is seeded to meet Adrian Mannarino in the quarter-finals and Diego Schwartzman in the semi-finals. Eighth-seeded Frenchman Mannarino plays J.J. Wolf in his first match, while third-seeded Argentine Schwartzman takes on Jenson Brooksby or Fabio Fognini.

Team United States sprinted to a 2-0 lead against Team Poland on Friday in the United Cup Final Four, and American Taylor Fritz finished the job Saturday morning.

The reigning BNP Paribas Open champion clawed past Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(5), 7-6(5) in the No. 1 men's singles match to give his country an insurmountable 3-0 lead. Jessica Pegula upset World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and Frances Tiafoe eased past Kacper Zuk to earn the Americans their first two points.

"It was great to get the win today to get us through. I had no doubt that if I were to lose that the rest of the team would have come through. But I've played with Team USA a lot. I think it's a huge advantage this time having the girls on our team because it just makes the whole team so much stronger. I'm super excited going into the final and I think we've been the favourites all week."

In the championship match, Team United States will face Team Italy or Team Greece. Italy leads Greece 2-0 in their semi-final tie.

"I think whoever serves better is probably going to get over the line," Tiafoe predicted for the Fritz-Hurkacz clash Friday afternoon.

Tennis remembers Dick Savitt, who won the Australian Open and Wimbledon titles in 1951 and gave much of his life to the game.

An extraordinary, self-taught champion who competed with unbridled intensity and won two majors including Wimbledon in 1951, a man admired by players and the public alike for his magnificent backhand and remarkable match playing acumen, Hall of Famer Dick Savitt has died at age 95.

Richard “Dick” Savitt was born March 4, 1927 in Bayonne, New Jersey, and grew up in that state. He developed an imposing game from the backcourt and had impenetrable groundstrokes along with an underrated serve, stamping his authority as one of the best American players of the 1950s. His many exploits propelled Savitt into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in the Class of 1976. 

Savitt’s deep intensity and adaptability as a competitor carried him to lofty heights on the premier stages of the sport. During his youth, Savitt played basketball and baseball, and was consumed by those sports until he was 13. Then tennis became a priority when he moved with his family to Texas in time for his sophomore year of high school.

[ATP APP]