Tennishead March 2022

In this bumper issue, Tennishead magazine features an in-depth look at the ongoing duel between Rafa Nadal & Novak Djokovic plus a preview of the French Open 2022. Inside the magazine you’ll find: Nadal-Djokovic duel resumes Reilly Opelka heads America’s new Barbara Krejcikova exclusive interview Focus on the French Open 2022 Clay court form guide: A look at the stats Oscar Otte’s Paris passport Curse of the yips Pantomine villains Exclusive interview: Bruno Soares Exclusive interview: Alfie Hewitt Academy EXCLUSIVE: Paul Newman column on Ash Barty EXCLUSIVE: Jez Green, personal trainer Dominic Thiem, on fitness EXCLUSIVE: Dave Sammel, author of Locker Room Power, on the mental side of tennis Gear Exclusive: Babolat and Nadal – lifetime partnership Wilson Clash v2 racket review YONEX VCORE racket review Dunlop SX 200 racket review The Final Set Married couples in tennis My job in tennis: ITF President Dave Haggerty Tennis tourist visits Estoril, Portugal

BETTER THAN EVER?

E-mail: tennis@tennishead.net Telephone: 07554 591904 Website: tennishead.net Facebook: facebook.com/tennishead Twitter: twitter.com/tennishead Instagram: instagram.com/tennisheadmag TENNISHEAD Consultant Editor Paul Newman Creative Director Stephanie Peat Contributors Annabel Croft, Jez Green, Craig O’Shannessy, David Sammel, Simon Cambers, Alix Ramsay, Courtney Walsh and Stephen Towers PHOTOGRAPHY Photographs supplied by Tennis Photo Network ADVANTAGE PUBLISHING (UK) LTD Directors Mike Frey and Tim Farthing

welcome

What a remarkable first three months of the year we have had. From the extraordinary saga surrounding Novak Djokovic’s non- participation in the Australian Open to Ashleigh Barty’s triumph on home soil and Rafael Nadal’s stunning comeback, 2022 has got off to a stunning start. As the sport continues its return to normality, there is no reason not to believe that there will be just as much excitement in the weeks and months ahead. Three years after Europe last enjoyed a “normal” summer, with capacity crowds allowed into every event, the prospects for the French Open and Wimbledon look especially enticing. We will miss seeing Andy Murray during the clay-court season as he focuses his attention on preparations for grass and Roger Federer’s continuing absence is a source of regret, but with Nadal and Djokovic set to renew their rivalry at Roland Garros there is plenty else to look forward to in Paris. While the Spaniard and the Serb will be the clear favourites in Paris, predicting a female champion at Roland Garros is a much trickier task. Who would have guessed at the beginning of last year, for example, that Barbora Krejcikova would triumph in Paris? It was yet another example of sport’s glorious unpredictability – and one of the reasons why we love it.

PAUL NEWMAN CONSULTANT EDITOR

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contributors

Craig O’Shannessy Craig is strategy analyst for the ATP World Tour, Wimbledon, The New York Times, the Italian tennis federation, Matteo Berrettini, Jan-Lennard Struff and Alexei Popyrin

Annabel Croft Annabel is a former British No 1 and world No 24 who went on to found the Annabel Croft Tennis Academy. She is now one of the most respected broadcasters in tennis

An alternative format version is available from National Talking Newspapers and Magazines. Contact +44 (0) 1453 866 102

CONTENTS

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Up front

Clay-court season

e final set

8 BETTER THAN EVER? Nadal's ying start to 2022 16 TROPHY COLLECTORS Big Three’s Grand Slam trail 18 AGENDA What’s coming up in tennis 22 AMERICA AWAKENS Barty the glorious exception 34 THE FIGHTBACK BEGINS Doubles on the rise 40 FIVE-MINUTE INTERVIEW Bruno Soares 42 CURSE OF THE YIPS Sabalenka falls victim 48 ALIX RAMSAY Tennis needs pantomime villains Fritz and Opelka lead the charge 28 PAUL NEWMAN

66 REASON TO SMILE The players who love clay 74 GRAND SLAMS UNITED

124 MIXED EMOTIONS

Married couples and mixed doubles

130 MY JOB IN TENNIS

Super tie-breaks at Roland Garros

ITF President Dave Haggerty 142 MY NEW LEASE OF LIFE Ale Hewett interview 148 TENNIS TOURIST Millennium Estoril Open

76 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Paris champion Barbora Krejcikova

82 FORM GUIDE

Best women performers on clay

84 PASSPORT TO PARIS Oscar Otte’s long journey

Gear

Academy

108 WINNING TOGETHER Nadal and Babolat

90 BRAIN GAME

Debunking clay-court myths

RACKET REVIEWS 114 Wilson Clash 100 116 Yonex VCORE Pro 97 117 Dunlop SX 300 118 BUYING GUIDE Choosing a Yonex racket COMPETITIONS 115 Win a Wilson Clash racket 120 Win a pair of ASICS shoes

96 FRAME BY FRAME Reilly Opelka’s serve 98 JEZ GREEN How an entourage works 102 DAVID SAMMEL

Picture specials

The long road back from injury

54 IN THE FRAME

win 120

Mike Frey’s Indian Wells portfolio 136 BREAKING BOUNDARIES Recognising black pioneers 152 MELBOURNE MISSION Australian Open photographs

121 READ ALL ABOUT IT The latest gear news

Flying start Rafael Nadal took his run of successive victories this year to 20 by reaching the final at Indian Wells

BETTER THAN EVER?

The statistics show that Rafael Nadal has never enjoyed a better first three months of the season than he has this year. As the 21-times Grand Slam champion prepares for a return to his favoured surface of clay, Paul Newman assesses the enormity of what he has achieved so far in 2022

R afael Nadal will be 36 by the end of this year’s FrenchOpen, but as he prepares for a clay-court season that he hopes will end with his 14th Roland Garros triumph and his 22nd Grand Slam title, he should be buoyed by one extraordinary statistic. Since hemade his tour-level debut 20 years ago, the Spaniard has never gone into a European clay-court campaign on the back of a better start to the season than hewill this year. Having won 20matches in a row dating back to his opening encounter of the year in Melbourne, Nadal finally lost for the first time in 2022 when he succumbed to Taylor Fritz in the final at IndianWells. Even that defeat had a huge asterisk against it as Nadal discovered two days later that he had suffered a stress fracture to a rib in his semi-final. He was in pain throughout the final and had trouble breathing. “This is not good news and I didn’t expect it,” Nadal wrote on Twitter after the injury was diagnosed on his return to Spain. “I’m devastated and sad because it comes after a great start to the season.” The injury is a significant setback to Nadal’s plans for the clay-court season. He is expected to be out of action for between four and six weeks, meaning that he will miss the Monte Carlo and Barcelona tournaments where he has so often dominated in the past. His participation in the Madrid and even Rome Masters 1000 events might also be in some doubt. This will be the first year Nadal has started his European clay-court campaign with only one defeat to his name after playing a full schedule in the first three months of the season. In 2013 he had also suffered only one loss, but had not started that season until the south American clay- court swing in February following a seven- month break because of injury. Although he has in the past wonmore matches going

into the European clay-court season, on each occasion he also sufferedmore defeats: 22 wins and six losses in 2008, 24 wins and three losses in 2009, 21 wins and three losses in 2014. What is evenmore astonishing about Nadal’s start to 2022 is the fact that for a while it had seemed that he might not even make the start line inMelbourne. After losing to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals at Roland Garros last year, he had played only twomatches, both at Washington in August, in the next sevenmonths following the recurrence of a foot problem. Then, after finally beginning his comeback at an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi in December, the Spaniard tested positive for Covid. Having been “very sick” for several days, he thought it might be touch-and-go whether he would play in Australia. However, after a patchy start Nadal won his warm-up tournament inMelbourne, claimed his second Australian Open title by coming back from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev in the final and then triumphed in Acapulco without dropping a set. He also won ferocious battles in Indian Wells against Sebastian Korda, Nick Kyrgios and Carlos Alcaraz before finally losing to Fritz. Having decided tomiss the Miami Open, he will return to competition on his favourite surface inMonte Carlo in April. “I wanted tomake it perfect before clay,” Nadal admitted following his defeat to Fritz. “It would have been very, very, very beautiful. But I amnot the kind of person who goes down or goes very high emotionally depending on the moment. I amnormally stable. I put everything in perspective. Of course, the last twomonths have been amazing, unforgettable, very emotional. I’ve enjoyed things that a few months ago I thought I could never experience again. It has been amazing.” He added: “I’malmost 36. I’ve played muchmore than I had expected to at the beginning of the season. For my body, it’s not good to have quick transitions from

On top Down Under Rafael Nadal celebrates his victory at this year's Australian Open

‘The last two months have been amazing, unforgettable, very emotional. I’ve enjoyed things that a fewmonths ago I thought I could never experience again’

1 1

‘Of course I want to keep winning, but that’s not because I want to have more titles than the others’

different surfaces. If I had playedMiami, I would not have had time to rest or make a swift transition to clay. I’ve needed to push very hard since the beginning [of the season], so that’s dangerous for my foot and for my knees. I need tomake those transitions step by step. I cannot make drastic changes like I did in the past.” The clay-court season should see Nadal and Djokovic eventually resume their head- to-head rivalry for the first time since Roland Garros last year. When Djokovic

won the French Open andWimbledon last summer to join Nadal and Roger Federer on 20 Grand Slam titles, the Serbwas the favourite to end his career with the most, but his decision not to be vaccinated against Covid sawhimmiss the Australian Open, where Nadal took advantage of his absence to become the manwith the most Grand Slam singles titles. For a while it seemed that Djokovic might also have tomiss Roland Garros because of his vaccination status, but the tournament

Contrasting emotions Twelve months after celebrating his 13th French Open triumph in 2020 (left), Rafael Nadal was beaten at Roland Garros by Novak Djokovic (facing page)

of my heart that’s not because I want to have more titles than the others. It’s because I love what I amdoing and I want to keep doing this for as long as possible. “In terms of what can happen in the future, I honestly really don’t care that much. I don’t believe that my future happiness is going to depend onwhether I achieve one more Grand Slam than the others or if the others achieve more Grand Slams thanme. No, I am super satisfied and feel a very lucky person in general for all the things that have happened tome. I have a way to approach life: you can’t always be frustrated if other people, if your neighbour, has a bigger house than you or a better phone or a better anything else. I’mnot going to be frustrated if Novak or Roger finish their career withmore Grand Slams thanme.” While the rib injury is a major setback for Nadal, the enforced period of rest might help with his foot problem, which he says is “impossible to fix”. He is believed to suffer from a degenerative condition that causes a deformity in one of the bones in his left foot. The problemhas affected him at various stage of his professional career and was particularly troublesome last year, possibly as a consequence of inactivity during the lockdown. “Sometimes I went on court and I was able to practise for 20minutes, sometimes for 45 minutes, sometimes not at all,” Nadal said. “When you turn an ankle or when you break your wrist, you have a [recovery] calendar, which is much easier to accept. Every week you do a different thing and

has confirmed that he will nowbe able to play, unless the rules change again before the end of May. Having been able to play only one tournament so far this year – he lost to Jiri Vesely, the world No 123, in the quarter-finals in Dubai - Djokovic will resume competition inMonte Carlo along with nearly all the other leadingmen, though Nadal will be a significant absentee. Nadal insists that the prospect of ending his career with the most Grand Slam titles is not what motivates him. “I just feel happy to

be part of this amazing era of tennis, sharing all these things with two other players,” he said. “In some ways it doesn’t matter if someone achieves one more or one less [Grand Slam title]. I thinkwe have all done amazing things that will be very difficult for anyone else to equal. “I don’t thinkmuch about all this stuff and I don’t hope for anything. I just keep going. I am just enjoying playing tennis, as I have said hundreds of times. Of course I want to keepwinning, but from the bottom

Moving up Rafael Nadal rose to No 3 in the world rankings after his run to the final at Indian Wells

‘My uncle, my family, they never allowed me to break a racket, never allowed me to say bad words or give up in a match’

you see the improvements and you know that after this period of time you should be fine. “My position [withmy foot] is completely different. We tried things with zero success for a long period of time. After all the things that I have been through inmy career, of course at my age the doubts are there. When you have an injury that you can’t recover from, it’s much tougher mentally. When you can’t do the things that you really want to do to come back after such a long time – working in the gymor in the swimming pool or on the practice court – it’s tough. It’s painful. Mentally sometimes it’s heart-breaking.”

probably not the most important thing. The most important thing was the education and the fact that I grew up with the right values. I had to do things that way, because if I didn’t I would not have played tennis. If I had gone on court and created a circus or broken a racket or lost my self- control, I have no doubt that I would not have been playing the next tournament. That’s probably why I have this mentality.” When askedwhat had carried him through all his problems, Nadal had a simple answer: “Love for the game, passion, positive attitude andworking spirit. And the right people next tome helping every single day. That’s all.”

Nadal says his competitive spirit is part of his “personal DNA”, which in part explains howhe continues to overcome the physical issues that have dogged his career. However, the Spaniard says that he also owes much to the virtues of discipline and self-control that were ingrained in him for years by those around him, especially his uncle Toni, who coached him for years. “My uncle, my family, never allowedme to break a racket, never allowedme to say bad words or give up in a match,” he said. “When I was a kid they probably didn’t care much about winning or losing. Of course my parents, my family, my uncle all wanted me to win every single match, but that was

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RACE FOR A PLACE IN HISTORY

When Federer, Nadal and Djokovic won their Grand Slam titles

GRAND SLAM TITLES 1 5 10

NOVAK DJOKOVIC

ROGER FEDERER

RAFAEL NADAL

BEST OF THE REST

Sampras 14 Emerson 12 Borg 11 Laver 11 Tilden 10 Agassi 8 Connors 8 Lendl 8 Perry 8 Rosewall 8

AGENDA

WEEK BEGINNING MONDAY MARCH 28 TOURNAMENTS: MIAMI OPEN (ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000, outdoor hard) MARBELLA (WTA 125, clay)

TOURNAMENTS: HOUSTON (ATP 250, clay) MARRAKECH (ATP 250, clay) CHARLESTON (WTA 500, clay) BOGOTA (WTA 250, clay) WEEK BEGINNING MONDAY APRIL 4

WEEK BEGINNING MONDAY APRIL 11

TOURNAMENTS: MONTE-CARLO (ATP Masters 1000, clay) BILLIE JEAN KING CUP QUALIFIERS (multiple venues, April 15-16)

Stan Wawrinka’s 37th birthday

This week’s updated ranking list is likely to see Roger Federer

With direct entries to the main draw of the French Open closing today, a number of players will be keeping fingers crossed that they can be ranked in the world’s top 100, guaranteeing a singles place at Roland Garros

drop out of the world’s

top 50 for the first time in 22 years. Federer, who because of injury has played in only five tournaments since the 2020 Australian Open, has remained high in the rankings thanks to temporary changes to the way they have been calculated since the pandemic. He could be unranked after Wimbledon if he has not returned to the court by then

6 29

Jennifer Capriati’s 46th birthday

On this day in 1993 Pete Sampras went

Monte-Carlo hosts the traditional start to the European outdoor season this week. Stefanos Tsitsipas’ triumph last year was the launchpad for a highly successful clay-court campaign by the Greek qualifiers go through to play-offs. Britain face a particularly tough task, with Anne Keothavong’s team travelling to Prague to face the Czech Republic, who have won the title six times since 2010. Petra Kvitova has featured in all six of those winning campaigns QUALIFIERS: Italy v France; US v Ukraine; Czech Republic v GB; Kazakhstan v Germany; Canada v Latvia; Netherlands v Spain; Poland v Romania The exclusion of Russia and Belarus from the Billie Jean King Cup has led to major changes in this week’s qualifiers. Australia, Slovakia and Belgium will now join the 2021 runners-up, Switzerland, at the 2020 Finals, along with the winners of seven qualifiers. The losers of the to the top of the world rankings for the first time. He was world No 1 for a total of 286 weeks, which has been bettered only by Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic

Sam Stosur’s 38th birthday

Hubert Hurkacz has made a modest start to 2022, but the 25-year-old

This week’s US clay court championships in Houston is the only ATP tour event in the United States which is played on clay. The tournament dates back to 1910 and has been played in several cities since then. Houston has been its home since 2001. Americans have won the title 10 times since the turn of the century, with Steve Johnson the most recent home-grown champion in 2018

Pole will be hoping that a return to the scene of his

biggest triumph can kick-start his season. Hurkacz won his first Masters 1000 title at last year’s Miami Open, beating five higher-ranked players in a row in the shape of Denis Shapovalov, Milos Raonic, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev and Jannik Sinner

David Ferrer’s 40th birthday

Veronika Kudermetova enjoyed the

The Miami Open can be one of the best guides to form at Wimbledon. Since the turn of the century, eight of the 21 men’s singles champions have gone on to triumph at Wimbledon. Five of the 21 women’s champions went on to win at the All England Club, including Serena Williams on three occasions

biggest singles

victory of her career when she won the title in Charleston last year, beating Danka Kovinic in the final. Her earlier victims included Sloane Stephens and Paula Badosa

YOUR GUIDE TO WHAT’S COMING UP IN TENNIS

TOURNAMENTS: BARCELONA (ATP 500, clay) BELGRADE (ATP 250, clay) STUTTGART (WTA 500, indoor clay) ISTANBUL (WTA 250, clay) WEEK BEGINNING MONDAY APRIL 18

WEEK BEGINNING MONDAY APRIL 25

WEEK BEGINNING MONDAY MAY 2

TOURNAMENTS: MUNICH (ATP 250, clay) ESTORIL ( ATP 250, clay)

TOURNAMENTS: MADRID (ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000, clay) SAINT MALO (WTA 125, clay)

Maria Sharapova’s 35th birthday; Sue Barker’s 66th birthday

This week’s tournament in Madrid has been played on clay at the Caja Magica venue since

2009. It was originally an indoor men’s hard-court event staged in the autumn at a different venue in the city. Since 2008 the only men’s champion other than Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray has been Alexander Zverev, who won in 2018 and 2021. Zverev won the title last year with three consecutive victories over top 10 opponents: Nadal, Dominic Thiem and Matteo Berrettini

Wimbledon are scheduled to announce arrangements for this year’s Championships, including prize money levels. There should also be an update on plans to expand into the adjoining Wimbledon Park

Rafael Nadal has won this week’s Barcelona Open a record 12 times, most recently in 2021, but is set to miss out this week because of his rib injury. Since the turn of the century the only other player to have won the title more than once is Kei Nishikori, who triumphed in 2014 and 2015

Nick Kyrgios’ 27th birthday

Aryna Sabalenka’s 24th birthday

This week’s Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart is a rarity on the tour in that it is an indoor

Women’s singles matches at the Mutua Madrid Open begin today as the tournament continues its expansion into a two-week event. However, men’s main-draw matches will not start until Sunday May 1. Aryna Sabalenka and Alexander Zverev were last year’s champions This week’s clay-court tournament in Munich, which has been held at the Iphitos club since 1974, traces its history back to 1900, Germans have won the title five times since 2012. Jan-Lennard Struff was aiming to add another German victory last year but

event played on clay. The tournament, which moved from Filderstadt to Stuttgart in 2006, has an impressive list of former champions. Martina Navratilova won it six times and Martina Hingis four times

Daria Kasatkina’s 25th birthday

Novak Djokovic is set to play at this week’s

Serbia Open in Belgrade. The French Open champion heads a strong field which also includes Dominic Thiem and Gael Monfils

was beaten by Nikoloz Basilashvili in the final

WEEK BEGINNING MONDAY MAY 9

WEEK BEGINNING MONDAY MAY 16

WEEK BEGINNING MONDAY MAY 23

TOURNAMENTS: ROME (ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000, clay) PARIS (WTA 125, clay) KARLSRUHE (WTA 125, clay)

TOURNAMENTS: GENEVA (ATP 250, clay) LYON (ATP 250, clay) STRASBOURG (WTA 250, clay) RABAT (WTA 250, clay)

TOURNAMENT: FRENCH OPEN (Grand Slam, clay)

Wimbledon entries close today

John Newcombe’s 78th birthday

6 10

Johanna Konta’s 31st birthday

Since 2004 only four men have won this week’s ATP Masters 1000 title in Rome. Rafael Nadal has won it 10 times and Novak Djokovic five times. Andy Murray (in 2016) and Alexander Zverev (in 2017) have both won the tournament once. Over the same period 11 different women have claimed the Rome title, with Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova both winning it three times. Nadal and Iga Swiatek are the current champions

This week’s tournament in Strasbourg was won last year by Barbora Krejcikova, who went on to win the French Open a fortnight later. Although the list of former Strasbourg champions includes the likes of Steffi Graf, Lindsay Davenport, Maria Sharapova and Jana Novotna, Krejcikova is the only winner who went on to triumph at Roland Garros in the same year

The last eight French Opens have produced eight different women’s singles champions, with the last six titles all won by players claiming their first Grand Slam singles trophy: Garbine Muguruza, Jelena Ostapenko, Simona Halep, Ashleigh Barty, Iga Swiatek and Barbora Krejcikova

The Geneva Open is staged at the oldest and largest tennis club in Switzerland, the Tennis

Club de Geneve at the Parc des Eaux-Vives. Casper Ruud won the title on his debut last year, beating Denis Shapovalov in the final

Stan Wawrinka, the 2015 champion, is set to make his first appearance at the French Open for two years. The 36-year-old Swiss has been out with a foot injury since last March and recently dropped out of the world’s top 200. Wawrinka beat both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic to win the title in 2015. He lost to Rafael Nadal in the 2017 final

Andy Murray celebrates his 35th birthday today. The former world No 1 has grown accustomed over the years to spending his birthday at tournaments in cities like Hamburg, Madrid or Rome, but has decided this year to skip the clay-court season in order to focus on his preparations for grass

The French Open, which starts today, is the only

Grand Slam event which begins on a Sunday. Today is also Novak Djokovic’s 35th birthday

WEEK BEGINNING MONDAY MAY 30

WEEK BEGINNING MONDAY JUNE 6

WEEK BEGINNING MONDAY JUNE 13

TOURNAMENTS: FRENCH OPEN (Grand Slam, clay) MAKARSKA, CROATIA (WTA 125, clay)

TOURNAMENTS: STUTTGART (ATP 250, grass) ’S-HERTOGENBOSCH (ATP 250 and WTA 250, grass) NOTTINGHAM (WTA 250 and ATP Challenger, grass) VALENCIA (WTA 125, clay)

TOURNAMENTS: QUEEN’S CLUB, LONDON (ATP 500, grass) HALLE, GERMANY [ATP 500, grass) BERLIN (WTA 500, grass) EDGBASTON (WTA 250, grass) GAIBA, ITALY (WTA 125, grass)

Bjorn Borg’s 66th birthday

The British grass-court season gets under way at the Surbiton Trophy, which will feature both men and women. Today is also the closing date for entries to the Wimbledon qualifying tournament

This week’s Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart switched from clay courts to grass in 2015 when Wimbledon moved back a week in the calendar. The tournament’s singles champion takes away a new Mercedes- Benz. Marin Cilic beat Felix Auger-Aliassime in the final to win the title last year

Steffi Graf’s 53rd birthday

Wimbledon are expected to announce their first batch of wild cards for this year’s

Jelena Ostapenko’s 25th birthday; Kim Cl i jsters’ 39th birthday; Lindsay Davenport’s 46th birthday

tournament. Eight wild cards are awarded in both the men’s and women’s singles

Bianca Andreescu’s 22nd birthday

Justine Henin celebrates her 38th birthday. The French Open, which she won four times, was the Belgian’s most successful Grand Slam tournament

On this day in 2008 Ana Ivanovic went to the top of the world rankings. She was world No 1

for a total of 12 weeks

Venus Wil l iams’ 42nd birthday

The cinch Championships at Queen’s Club often provide a good showcase for British talent. Cameron Norrie, who lost in last year’s final to Matteo Berrettini, Andy Murray, Dan Evans and Jack Draper all won matches at the 2021 tournament Russia’s Ludmila Samsonova provided one of the shocks of the summer when she won last year’s title in Berlin. The 22-year-old Russian qualifier’s five victories in the main draw were all against top 50 opponents as she claimed her first title on the main WTA tour

Britain’s first tour-level grass-court tournament of the year takes place with this week’s WTA

Rafael Nadal, who will celebrate his 36th birthday today, will be the oldest winner of the men’s singles in the open era at the French Open if he triumphs this year at Roland Garros. Andres Gimeno was 34 years and 301 days old when he won the title in 1972. Serena Williams became the oldest women’s champion in Paris when she won the title for the third time in 2015 at the age of 33 years and 253 days

event in Nottingham. Johanna Konta won the title last year, beating China’s Shuai Zhang in the final. Under new sponsorship (as are the Edgbaston and Eastbourne events), the tournament is now called the Rothesay Open

REILLY OPELKA

AMERICA AWAKENS

It is 19 years since the United States celebrated amen’s Grand Slamsingles title, but a newwave of successful young players is bringing hope for the future. Report by Stephen Towers

TAYLOR FRITZ

‘The game today is different. The game has changed. American tennis is now in a great spot’

MAXIME CRESSY

FRANCES TIAFOE

I f you think it wise not to get on won a Grand Slam singles title and that, until this year, SamQuerrey, John Isner and Jack Sock were the only active Americans who had ever set foot in the top 20 of the men’s world singles rankings. “The press has been extremely negative towards American tennis, extremely negative, ridiculous, to be honest,” Opelka saidwhen asked about the state of themen’s game in his home country. “When it comes the wrong side of Reilly Opelka, who stands 6ft 11in tall and weighs more than 16 stone, here is a piece of advice. Do not point out to the 24-year-old American that it has been 19 years since any of his countrymen to the press always being so critical of US tennis, I don’t have time to even hear any of those comments. We have some unbelievable guys. Themedia and the press have been extra harsh, I think, on American tennis success. They have been comparing it to an unrealistic era. The game is different. The game has changed. American tennis is in a great spot.” The game certainly has changed from the heady days of the 1990s, when Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, JimCourier andMichael Chang were regularly winning Grand Slam titles and dominating the world rankings.

Andy Roddickwas the last American to win a Grand Slam singles title, at the US Open in 2003. Since Roddick lost in the 2009 Wimbledon final, the best that American singles players havemanaged at Grand Slam level was in 2017 and 2018, when Querrey and Isner reached theWimbledon semi- finals. It is a remarkably barren spell for the nation that is by somemargin themost successful in tennis history. However, there are signs of amajor revival. In the first twomonths of this year Opelka and Taylor Fritz became the first Americans other than Querrey, Isner and Sock to break into the world’s top 20 since James Blake in 2006. Fritz’s rapid rise continued inMarchwhen hemade the world’s top 10 by winning his first Masters 1000 title at IndianWells. There were 12 Americanmen in the world’s top 100 after IndianWells, most of themyoung players with their best years likely to be ahead of them. Of the top seven Americans – all of whomare ranked in the top 50 – six are aged 24 or under, with 36-year-old John Isner the exception. Opelka, Fritz, Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul are all aged 24, while Sebastian Korda and Jenson Brooksby are just 21. Maxime Cressy, a 24-year-old American, also broke into the world’s top 100 at the start of the

year with somememorable performances in Australia. Meanwhile 26-year-old Mackenzie McDonaldwon the ATP’s Comeback Player of the Year award at the end of 2021 after climbing 138 places to finish the season at No 55 following his return after hamstring surgery. The best Americans of recent times have tended to be bigmenwith huge serves and forehands tomatch. Opelka and Fritz, the first of the newwave tomake the top 20, fit that mould. Fritz stands 6ft 5in tall and weighs 13st 8lb, though even he is dwarfed by Opelka, who shows remarkable agility for such a bigman. Isner and Opelka joke about themselves as “servebots”. Isner says there are “not many secrets to our games”, which “definitely start with our serve, trying to create scoreboard pressure”. However, Opelka insists: “Anyone who knows anything about tennis knows that the ball comes back nomatter how good your serve is. Maybe there are one or two matches a year where Isner and I pitch a perfect game andwe don’t have to hit too many balls. Isner’s more than serve, as am I. You don’t get to be 20 in the worldwith just one shot. It’s just silly. It’s ridiculous.” BothOpelka and Fritz have had setbacks on their paths to the top. Opelkawas on the brink of a place in theworld’s top 100 five

Andy Murray described Brooksby as ‘the sort of player I love to watch’ and praised his ‘high tennis IQ’

SEBASTIAN KORDA

JENSON BROOKSBY

summers ago but did not break through until the end of 2018. He says he has learned to be patient, whichwas not always the casewhen hewas a junior and found himself overtaken by contemporaries like Tiafoe and Paul. Jay Berger, who used to be head of men’s tennis in the United States and is now one of Opelka’s coaches, was especially supportive in those days. “When I would fall behind the group, he was always positive withme,” Opelka recalled. “He would say: ‘Your time will come. Just keep getting better. Don’t compare yourself to these guys. You’ll have your day.’ He would always tell me that.” Opelka added: “I think the key for me is to just constantly keep calm. That waymy mind can start thinking about what I need to do different. As soon as I openmymouth once, it’s a slippery slope, and then I’ll be complaining for two hours straight. So I know to bitemy tongue whenever I feel that urge andmymind starts working different. It starts looking for solutions.” Fritz broke into the world’s top 100 six years ago and has long been recognised as an outstanding talent, but it was only at his 22nd attempt that he reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament, beating Roberto Bautista Agut at this year’s Australian Open before losing over five sets

to Stefanos Tsitsipas. “I’m24 and I’mgetting better all the time,” Fritz said. “Especially recently, my level has definitely jumped a lot and just my average level of tennis that I’m playing is somuch better. So I knew that especially now it was just amatter of time, maybe at some point a drawwould open up or I’d beat a really tough player. I never doubted it would happen.” The Californian expects to be playing his best tennis between the ages of 26 and 30. “I’m just trying to work as hard as I can, put myself in as many opportunities as I can to have big weeks, breakthroughs, just get myself in a good position for when I’m playingmy best tennis,” he said. “It happens at different times for everybody, and I know that I’mnowhere near playing the best tennis that I’mgoing to play. I know that I have a lot of improving to do and I’m working extremely hard to do it.” Opelka thinks it will not be long before an Americanmanmakes amajor Grand Slam breakthrough. He has great admiration for Tiafoe, says that Fritz “has really got a good understanding for his game” and reckons Paul is playing “the best tennis of his life”. Opelka also says that 20-year-old Brandon Nakashima, who broke into the top 100 last summer, is “a hell of a player”, but he considers the two 21-year-olds, Korda and

Brooksby, to be the best long-term American prospects for Grand Slam success. Korda, whose father Petrwon the AustralianOpen in 1998, has already reached the fourth round at bothRolandGarros and Wimbledon andwon his first tour-level title in Parma last summer. Brooksbymissed the whole of 2020 because of a toe injury but mademajor progress last year, becoming the youngest Americanman to reach the fourth round of theUSOpen since Andy Roddick in 2002. He broke into theworld’s top 50 for the first time after reaching his secondATP final inDallas in February before losing toOpelka. AndyMurray is another big admirer of Brooksby, who was the ATP’s Young Player of the Year in 2021. Last year the Scot described Brooksby on Twitter as “the sort of player I love to watch” and praised his great defence, the variety in his game and his “high tennis IQ”. Fritz acknowledges that he and his fellow 24-year-olds are nowbeing pushed by this even younger group of Americans. “I guess we are still pretty young but we’re not the young guys anymore,” he said. “All three of those younger guys [Korda, Brooksby and Nakashima] are really good players. Only time will tell, in a couple years, where they end up and how they develop their games. They all have a lot of potential.”

Australian Open champion’s decision to retire is an echo o Justine Henin’s decision to quit the sport when she was at the very top o her game PAUL NEWMAN

In an era dominated by athleticismand power, Bartywas a glorious exception G ood timing always was one of Ashleigh Barty’s great qualities. While the announcement of her retirement from tennis at the age of just 25 was a bombshell another break, this time of nearly a year, after the outbreak of the pandemic.

Both decisions proved beneficial in the long term. When Barty returned in 2016 she was soonmarching up the world rankings again. Three years later she won her first Grand Slam title: in another example of how she has always done things the Barty way, that triumph came onwhat youwould have thought would be her least favoured surface at the French Open. Not long afterwards she was crownedworld No 1. Similarly, being off the tour for most of 2020 appeared to have little effect on her tennis. Within sevenmonths of her return she wasWimbledon champion. In an agewhen power and athleticismhave often ruled inwomen’s tennis, Bartywas a glorious exception. Yes, she could strike the ball beautifully and yes, shewas a fine athlete, but at just 5ft 5in tall shewas never going to blowopponents off the court. Instead shewon

for everyone within the sport, in one sense it came at an appropriate moment. The record books will forever show that in her last match Barty won her home Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne, ending her country’s 42-year wait for a home-grown champion. For a proud and passionate Australian, there could hardly be a better way to go out. It was a reminder of how Pete Sampras never played again after winning the US Open for the last time 20 years ago. Barty always was one to go her ownway. Having emerged as a player of huge talent, she walked away from the sport in 2014 for 18months to go and play cricket, having decided that she needed a break from themental and emotional pressures of tennis. She took

‘ I KNOW HOW MUCH WORK IT TAKES TO BRING THE BEST OUT OF MYSELF. I DON’T HAVE THAT IN ME ANY MORE. I DON’T HAVE THE PHYSICAL DRIVE, THE EMOTIONAL WANT’

That winning feeling Ashleigh Barty with the trophy after winning this year’s Australian Open (left) and on the practice court with Craig Tyzzer, her coach

matches with guile and grace, constructing points beautifully tomanoeuvre herself intowinning positions. While she had bucketloads of natural talent, Barty also worked her socks off. It was always fascinating to watch one of her practice sessions with Craig Tyzzer, her coach, who was such a wonderful influence on her career. Although the sessions would often endwith a little fun as they kicked a football around or played a bit of Aussie rules, that would only come after they had put in the hardwork. In announcing her retirement on Instagram, Barty revealed her exhaustion after putting somuch into her sport. “I knowhowmuchwork it takes to bring the best out of yourself,” she said. “I don’t have that inme any more. I don’t have the physical drive, the emotional want and everything it takes to challenge yourself at the very top level anymore. I am spent.” Barty’s retirement as world No 1 recalls Justine Henin’s decision to quit the sport in 2008.The Belgian was also 25 andworld No 1 at the time, havingwon seven Grand Slam titles. Shemade a comeback two years later and had some success, reaching an AustralianOpen final, but never added to her Grand Slamcollection. What will Barty do next? Simona Halep, who said she criedwhen she heard Barty’s news, was not the only person to speculate onwhether theWimbledon championmight now turn her attention to golf. Her fiancé, Gary Kissick, is a golfer and her father once represented Australia in amateur golf, while Barty herself has shown plenty of talent for the sport. Two years ago, during the pandemic, she became women’s champion at Brookwater Golf Club, while TigerWoods watched admiringly when she hit a wedge shot on to a

‘ IT’S ONCE IN A LIFETIME THAT SOMEONE LIKE ASH COMES ALONG. BUT WHATEVER SHE DOES, SHE’S GOING TO ACHIEVE GREAT THINGS AND WE RESPECT HER DECISION’

makeshift green in the Yarra River inMelbourne. “She’s got a great swing, are you kiddingme?”Woods said. Barty started playing tennis at the age of four and began her professional career 10 years later at an International Tennis Federation event. In 2011 she played her first junior Grand Slam tournament inMelbourne. Later that year shewon theWimbledon girls’ title. Havingmade her debut on theWTA tour in 2012, she soonmade good progress, but in September 2014 she took that break from the sport before returning in 2016. By February 2017 she hadwon her first WTA title at the Malaysian Open. In June 2019 she became the first Australianwoman for 46 years to win the French Openwhen she beat Marketa Vondrousova in the final. Within a fortnight she had risen to No 1 in the world

rankings after winning the title at Edgbaston. Following her 11-month break from competition during the pandemic, Barty soon showed that she had lost none of her talent for winningmatches as she reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open. Even better was to follow in the summer as she became the first Australianwoman to reach aWimbledon singles final since Evonne Goolagong in 1980. She emulated Goolagong, who has long been her mentor, by winning the title. When Barty won her third Grand Slam title at this year’s Australian Open, beating Danielle Collins in the final and not dropping a set in any of her sevenmatches, her place at the top of the sport seemed secure for a goodwhile to come. However, with hindsight, her

Australian versatility Ashleigh Barty after winning Wimbledon last summer (opposite) and on her way to victory at the French Open three years ago

decision not to play in IndianWells andMiami this spring was significant, though the announcement of her retirement still came as a huge shock. The reactions of people within tennis to Barty’s decision demonstrated the high esteem inwhich she is held. Karolina Pliskova, who lost to Barty in last year’s Wimbledon final, said on Twitter: “Congrats on an incredible career Ash. It was a privilege to share a court with you. Wishing you all the best in your next chapter. Youwill bemissed.” Steve Simon, head of theWomen’s Tennis Association, said: “With her accomplishments at the Grand Slams, WTA Finals and reaching the pinnacle ranking of No 1 in theworld, she has clearly established herself as one the great champions of theWTA. Wewish Ash only the very

best and know that shewill continue to be a tremendous ambassador for the sport of tennis as she embarks on this newchapter of her life. Wewill miss her.” Craig Tiley, the head of Tennis Australia, told Sky News: “One of the highlights inmy career was standing next to her after she won [the Australian Open] and I never would have thought that threemonths later we would have been having this conversation about Ash retiring. It’s once in a lifetime that someone like Ash comes along. But whatever she does, she’s going to achieve great things andwe respect her decision.” It was AndyMurray – as is so often the case – who best summed up everyone’s feelings. “Happy for Ash Barty, gutted for tennis,” the two-timesWimbledon championwrote on Twitter. “What a player.”

Nick Kyrgios andThanasi Kokkinakis proved at this year’s Australian Open that there is still a big market for doubles. As CourtneyWalsh reports, the challenge now is to findways of encouraging more of the top singles players to enter doubles events THE FIGHTBACK BEGINS

Playing to the crowd Nick Kyrgios (top) and Thanasi Kokkinakis provided great entertainment and emulated the Bryan brothers (above right) with their chest-bump celebrations

N ick Kyrgios had the master on Melbourne Park’s biggest courts throughout this year’s Australian Open, ably supported by his close friend, Thanasi Kokkinakis. Kyrgios cracked big serves on the court and one-liners off it as the Special Ks rode a wave of adulation to the doubles title at the season’s opening Grand Slam event. It was not the biggest story of an Australian Open that began with a firestorm involving Novak Djokovic and ended with phenomenal flourishes fromAshleigh Barty and Rafael capacity crowds eating out of his hand. The tennis showman played puppet Nadal, but the quality of the Special Ks’ tennis and their theatrics as a double act sparked greater than usual interest in the doubles. “I would say we’ve created probably the best atmosphere this tournament has ever seen,” Kyrgios said. The Specials Ks are not for everyone. Despite the many plaudits, they were criticised by foes on and off the court and were involved in a locker room confrontation with one rival trainer. However, the Kyrgios and Kokkinakis show certainly prompted discussion about the place of doubles within the sport. It is indisputable that singles draws the majority of attention and finances in professional tennis. Singles players sell tickets and draw eyeballs to matches played in prime time. However, it is also true that in recreational tennis doubles is the most played of the disciplines. The question has always been where it lies professionally. At the turn of the professional era, many of the great Australian champions, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert were all regular competitors in doubles. However, as the singles purses skyrocketed, the superstars realigned their interests. The Williams sisters enjoyed some success together and the Bryan brothers were brilliant for the discipline, but

‘One good thing about the new

it became rarer to see the legends in doubles, other than in Davis and Billie Jean King (Fed) Cup ties or at special tournaments such as Indian Wells. At different stages there have been fears for the future of doubles on the tour. Nevertheless, there are some who believe the tide is turning, in part because there is greater variety in the discipline but also because tinkering with the formats has added to the excitement. Paul McNamee, a former world No 1 in doubles and twice a Wimbledon doubles champion, bemoans what has become of the Davis Cup, but believes there is one positive to come from the new format and that of the ATP Cup. The doubles rubber, which is played as the third and final match in a tie, can often decide the outcome. That has added to its importance and has also led to the game’s best men sometimes stepping out to play doubles. “For all the bad things with the new Davis Cup format, the one good thing is that it dragged doubles out of the graveyard,” McNamee said. “When the top guys start playing doubles, it is incredibly interesting, particularly when they stand at the baseline and start ripping it. The best matches will pit the new style of doubles versus the old- school doubles combinations, who do their best work at the net.” When McNamee and Peter McNamara were winning Grand Slam doubles titles, serve-and-volley was the way of life. However, just as improvements in racket technology and the slowing down of court speeds have changed the dynamics in singles, so there has been an evolution in doubles. Adeptness at the net is still critical, but the ball is blasted on return more and players like Jack Sock are just as happy to stand at the baseline clubbing forehands. “Nick and Thanasi proved that good singles players have the ability to beat very good doubles players if they are switched on and firing,” McNamee said. “Good singles

Davis Cup format is that it has helped to pull doubles out of the graveyard’

Barty is a former US Open doubles championwho likes to play doubles where possible

players are still going to be top players at the end of the day, no matter the result.” The challenge is to ensure that the world’s best play more regularly. Pam Shriver told The New York Times that the tours missed a trick by not heavily promoting doubles at the start of the open era, while Tracy Austin lamented the impact of the stark differences in prize money. “Martina used to win all three, including mixed doubles,” Austin told the newspaper. “Then the money changed and it was not worth the fatigue during a tournament and the wear and tear on your body for the top 10 to 15 singles players.” Nevertheless, some top players still compete in doubles. Barty has opted out in recent majors, but she is a former US Open doubles champion and likes to play doubles where possible. Barbora Krejcikova, the reigning Roland Garros champion in both singles and doubles, and Katerina Siniakova claimed this year’s Australian Open doubles crown. McNamee, who co-founded the Hopman Cup, is certain there is a strategy that could be deployed to ensure more singles players participate in doubles events. Towards the end of his time in charge of the Australian Open, he introduced a policy under which the sign-in for the doubles tournament was not closed until after the first round in singles had been completed. He explained: “I went to the players and said: ‘Unfortunately, half of you will lose in the first round, no matter how good a tennis player you are.’ The idea was that instead of those players going straight back to the US or to Europe, they could stay in Australia, enjoy the hospitality and potentially earn a decent cheque. That was the strongest doubles cut- off we ever had.” McNamee believes the rule would still work well in ATP and WTA tour events, or if something akin to a “two-match guarantee” for elite talent was put into place. Some spots would need to be reserved for specialist doubles combinations, but he is certain it would encourage more singles-oriented

players to compete. “When you have those stars at a tournament, you want your fans to be able to see themmore than once,” he said. As far back as 2013, the Bryan brothers expressed fear for the future of doubles. They said the tour needed a commissioner whose primary responsibility was to advocate for doubles. They were concerned that the introduction of a match tie-break to replace the third set had not led to greater opportunities for doubles players on stadium courts. “Obviously the ATP can do a better job,” Bob Bryan said. “We need a guy that we can talk to, who fights for doubles rights at all times. The whole thing about the shortened format was to get more doubles matches on centre court, but they are slowly starting to put less doubles players out there.” McNamee, who still has involvement in various administrative roles around the world, is clearly an advocate. Eric Butorac, who for years was the third-ranked American doubles player behind the Bryans, is also strengthening his administrative resume. He served as the ATP player council president between stints by Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic and was recently appointed the tournament director of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. He is clearly someone who is aware of the merits of doubles action. Meanwhile in Kyrgios doubles might have unearthed an unlikely ally, with the Australian planning to play alongside Kokkinakis at select events this year, including some Grand Slam tournaments. “My goal is to only bring new fans that may not be following tennis to watch tennis,” Kyrgios said. “If they flick on a match and they have Thanasi and I playing in an entertaining doubles match, they know nothing about tennis, if they watch that match just then, they probably would tune in next time. That’s what I’m about. That’s what I want to bring. I think that’s how the sport is going to survive.”

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