TennisToday

Nicolas Almagro Reaches 300 Match Wins at Acapulco

ATP 500 Acapulco - Men's Second Round

3 Nicolas Almagro d Tommy Robredo - 64 76(4)

Ok, that's win #301. But better late with the props than never.

#300 was won against Mexican wild-card Cesar Ramirez in the 1st round.

There. Aknowledged. Congrats Nico.

Post match: I'm happy for the number and

I hope there will be many more [wins] to come.

I want to enjoy the moment a little but I need to keep working hard.

Vamos.

Novak Djokovic Thru to Semifinals at Dubai

ATP 500 Dubai - Men's Quarterfinal

1 Novak Djokovic d 7 Andreas Seppi - 60 63

Novak & brother Marko (above) played doubles here as well.

Again, they lost 1st round - they have yet to win a match together.

On the flip side Novak is thru to his 6th Sf at Dubia - in 7 visits.

He is looking to make it 4 straight Dubai titles.

The Aussie Open champ is also undefeated this year: 9-0.

Of course, this is only his 2nd tourney on the season.

He will next play Juan Martin Del Potro - H2H: 7-2/ND.

Remember Juan kept Nole from medaling at the Olympics last year.

DVR set.

Fernando Verdasco Enjoying His Injury Time Off

Well, if you have to sit out of the tour why not float around the Bahamas.

I'm sure he'd rather be mixing it up with the boys in Acapulco.

Fern is aiming for an Indian Wells return.

Hope so.

Janko Tipsarevic Speaks to His Slump on Facebook

Poor guy sounds like he's in the dumper.

He posted this sad photo on his Facebook with the paragraph:

Hard period for my career... Injury, Davis Cup, 3 first rounds in a row..

Not feeling particularly good. I will search for consolation in endless

hours of practice and hope that Indian Wells and Miami go better.

A big "thanks" to some of you who, are giving me your love and support,

cause now I really, really need it.

You're allowed to have a little slump. It won't last long. Trust.

Since his injury retirement in the Aussie 4th round...

He's yet to win a set in 3 1st round losses including yesterday at Dubai.

That will change at Indian Wells.

Arnaud Clement Watch

There's my boy with the Marseille finalists on Sunday.

Hmmm. Bicycle pumps are for tires - not hair.

But you're still cute.

Novak Djokovic and the Turtles of Dubai

When Nole isn't busy being the #1 player in the world ---

He's saving turltes. Thug life.

***

He's the top seed at ATP 500 Dubai and seeking for his 4th title in the UAE.

Federer is the second seed and he's hungry for a 6th title at Dubai.

Oh yea, and there are 30 other guys in it to win it.

Like for instance 6th seed Janko Tipsarevic:

David Ferrer Wins ATP Title at Buenos Aires

ATP 250 Buenos Aires - Men's Final

1 David Ferrer d 3 Stanislas Wawrinka - 64 36 61

With the title Daveeeeed enters the 20's in ATP titles.

He has successfully defended the 1st 2 of his 7 titles from last season.

He now heads to Acapulco as the 3-time defending champion.

This will be interesting as Rafa is in Mexico to challenge.

Post match: I am very happy for this title.

I cannot describe it with other words. It’s very hard to win

back-to-back titles, and this tournament in Buenos Aires is always very tough.

I am very proud.

I am sooooo hoping for a David/Rafa final on Sunday.

Jelena Jankovic Win Lucky Title #13 in Bogota

WTA Bogota - Women's Final

1 Jelena Jankovic d Paula Ormaechea - 61 62

Oh hell no - don't write-off Double J. Just yet.

This had to feel good for Jelena... and her long-suffering fans.

It's been 3 years since her last title at Indian Wells 2010.

Post match: I had a wonderful week here. It's been an amazing experience.

I'm so happy I was able to come here to Bogotá for the first time and

winning my 13th WTA title here makes the experience even better.

How many more titles does JJ have left in her?

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Wins ATP Title at Marseille

ATP 250 Marsille - Men's Final

3 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga d 1 Tomas Berdych - 36 76(6) 64

And with the win Jo-Willie enters double digits in titles: 10.

8 of those 10 are at the 250 level - he needs to step it up, no?

Let's give him props as he turned back a match point to raise the trophy.

Post match: This is a great victory. I stayed in the match

even when it was very difficult and waited for my chance.

I survived and took my chance when it came. I’m very happy.

This shows me that I’m on the right way. The draw was very strong here.

Cool stuff. Now on to bigger titles please. Dubai this week would work.

Petra Kvitova Wins WTA Title at Dubai

WTA Dubai - Women's Final

6 Petra Kvitova d 5 Sara Errani - 62 16 61

With the win Petra moves her title count into double digits: 10.

Also these two ladies swap places in the rankings as Petra moves up to #7.

Maybe she can get back to her 2011 form.

Post match: I'm not thinking this is a turning point or

a turning tournament for me. Yes, it was a lot of great players here and

it was hard to beat them, but I'm still just thinking about my game.

That's the priority for me.

OK, but this still can be a turning point girl.

Feliciano Lopez Reaches 300th Win Milestone at Memphis

ATP 500 Memphis - Men's Quarterfinal

Feliciano Lopez d W Jack Sock - 64 63

More proof that he's not just a pretty face.

At 31 he's plugged away at reaching the 300 mark.

As of this Qf win his career W-L is 300-293. Hey, it's a winning record.

Longevity: Most years he's won between 20-35 matches.

Post match: It’s good accomplishment and means that I’ve been able to

play a long time without many injuries.

Currently ranked #40 - this result will bump him up a bit.

Well done, Feli.

Rafael Nadal Wins ATP Title at Sao Paulo

ATP 250 Sao Paulo - Men's Final

1/WC Rafael Nadal d David Nalbandian - 62 63

The King of Clay is officially back.

It took a week longer than it should have but Rafa is biting trophies again.

This is his 51st tour title and 37th on his beloved clay.

He is only 9 clay titles behind leader Guillermo Vilas with 45 titles.

It'll get tougher from here as he next steps up to a 500 event at Acapulco.

Then he'll head to the Masters 1000 at Monte-Carlo as the 8-time defender.

Rafantaics surely will be holding their breath. But will have faith.

Post match: It's very nice and important because at the end of your career

what’s left are the titles, and depending on certain moments there are some

titles that you appreciate very much. This one I appreciate it the most

because of all the struggles I went through during the week,

with some problems with my knee some days.

Victoria Azarenka Defeats Serena Williams in Doha Final

WTA Doha Women's Final

1 Victoria Azarenka d 2 Serena Williams - 76(6) 26 63

But in the loss Vika hands the #1 ranking over to Serena.

After losing the last 9 matches they've played Vika scores her 2nd win.

This is her 2nd title on the season following her defense at the Auusie.

In fact, this was her 2nd repeat title from last season.

Remember she went on a 4 tournament tear in 2012.

Without Serena at Indian Wells a third repeat title may be in the offing.

Vika post match: I just wanted to fight and give myself every opportunity

to get back. I told myself, 'You have to keep it together,

you have to do something otherwise Serena's on a roll and

she's going to bring her A game.' I had to really step up my game and

I'm glad that I could turn it around, stay tough and focused.

This season just got good!

Serena Williams Set to Return to #1 after Doha Quarterfinal Win Over Kvitova

Doha - Women's Quarterfinal

2 Serena Williams d 7 Petra Kvitova - 36 63 75

Well. This was only a matter of time.

And with not a ton to defend before Wimby she'll stay at #1 for a spell.

On Monday she'll become the oldest #1 in WTA history - nearly 31 1/2.

It also marks Serena's 6th time at #1 - her first: July 8, 2002.

Post match: I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to get back to #1.

It has been a long road back and it's a great feeling.

It has been a lot of hard work but I don't want to stop here.

Oh honey, it won't.

Rafael Nadal's Comeback at Vina Del Mar Starts with a Win

ATP 250 Vina Del Mar - Second Round

1 W/C Rafael Nadal d Q Federico Delbonis - 63 62

Yea baby!

I, for one, am thrilled he's back. I hope there are no setbacks.

To be honest - there was a lot of rust in the first 6 games.

Then Rafa turned it on and blasted his way into the quarters.

Post match: I'm happy to play a singles match after so long.

I need days and time to get my game back,

but so far the feeling on court is great.
 
For now the most important thing is to spend as much time as possible

on court. This victory allows me to play at least two more matches,

singles & doubles. To practise is one thing but to play is totally different.

In a real match you can't control your body as you do in practice.

Rafael Nadal Enjoys a Winning Start to his Comeback at Vina Del Mar

ATP 250 Vina Del Mar - Men's Doubles First Round

Rafael Nadal & Juan Monaco d 2 Cermak & Dlouhy - 63 62

Phew. Rafa's singles return begins today.

Juan Monaco posted the pic (watch prominent!) with the caption:

Very happy to play next to my friend Rafa at his return.

Rafa post match: It was a great feeling to play again and

I'm very happy for doing it with a friend like Monaco in a great atmosphere

that we had on the court. In doubles the effort is always less [taxing];

we will see how it goes in singles and how my physical condition is.

I chose this tournament because it is the perfect time and surface.

Trust me - the Twittersphere went nuts with his return yesterday.

Fernando Verdasco Gives Himself a Thumbs Up

There's our Fern at the Nike Store in Manhattan.

Fern will take part in the Feb/March North American hard court swing.

Remember he was the San Jose champion in 2010.

Last year he did the South American swing and went 6-3.

Including a runner-up result at Acapulco.

Currently ranked #24 - he has some room for upward movement.

Vamos Fern.

Arnaud Clement Watch: Davis Cup Captain Debut

If you follow this blog you know I have a little thing for Arnie.

I was sad when he retired last year. But look, he's still around.

He's the new French Davis Cup captian. Woo hoo.

First day of round 1 he led his boys Jo-Willie and Reeeeshard to wins.

One more rubber victory and it's on to the quarterfinals.

Rafael Nadal is in Chile to PLAY Tennis y'all!

Rafa is in Vina Del Mar to ease his way back onto the ATP tour.

He has not played a professional match since his Wimby loss last June.

Vina Del Mar is a small 250 event that he has never played before.

His first match will take place on Wednesday.

But he will play a doubles match with Juan Monaco on Tuesday.

If all goes well he will play in Brazil & Acapulco.

ALL HAD BETTER GO WELL!

Tennis needs him.