ATP
Money, money, money
THE legendary Swedish pop group Abba should be adopted by the ATP as its signature voice after reading of the obscene amount of money earned by the game’s top men in 2023.
Jealous? You bet, but to those who still argue they are not getting paid enough, take a look at these eye-watering numbers …
The regular ATP Tour season has come to an end and it is no surprise to see Novak Djokovic leading the prize money stakes.
So here’s the list…
Novak Djokovic
Prize money in 2023: $15,936,097
The world No. 1 only competed in 13 tournaments in 2023. However, he did win seven of those including three Grand Slams, two ATP Masters 1000s and the ATP Finals in Turin.
Carlos Alcaraz
Prize money in 2023: $10,753,431
Alcaraz won six titles, including Wimbledon. Poor form and injuries marred the latter part of the year for the young Spaniard.
Daniil Medvedev
Prize money in 2023: $9,239,679
The Russian won five titles in 2023, reaching the final of the US Open.
Jannik Sinner
Prize money in 2023: $8,349,392
Italian Sinner’s highlights was reaching the ATP Finals, beating Djokovic and making the final.
Andrey Rublev
Prize money in 2023: $5,488,934
It could have been more for the the young Russian, but poor discipline let him down. He has now lost nine Grand Slam quarter-finals.
Alexander Zverev
Prize money in 2023: $4,925,102
After a serious ankle injury Zverev has made a solid comeback, making the tope ten in the rankings.
Stefanos Tsitsipas
Prize money in 2023: $4,852,266
After making the final of the Australian Open the Greek had high hopes for 2023. Sadly, it was not be as he failed to maintain a level of consistency that could hav seen him double his earnings.
Holger Rune
Prize money in 2023: $4,163,930
One to watch in 2024, Rune has been steady all year and with another solid season under his belt we could see big things from Holger in the new year.
TOP EIGHT TOTAL PRIZEMONEY: $63,708, 831
To put that into perspective, that figure would buy 2896 Toyota Corolla’s. Or for UK tennis fans, the wages of 1820 NHS nurses.
WIMBLEDON’S expansion plans suffered another predicted setback during the week after Wandsworth council voted unanimously to reject proposals for 38 new courts in neighbouring Wimbledon Park.
The application will now be referred to the Mayor of London’s office and the All England Club remains hopeful that it will still be given the green light.
“Naturally, we are disappointed by the London Borough of Wandsworth’s decision,” All England Club chief executive Sally Bolton said in a statement.
“Our proposals will deliver one of the greatest sporting transformations for London since 2012, alongside substantial benefits for the local community.”
The decision was welcomed by the pressure group Save Wimbledon Park (SWP), whose members have campaigned against the proposals.
“This result is very heartening,” SWP chairman Iain Simpson said.
“The councillors unanimously recognised the crucial point that this application provides no justification for so much harm to metropolitan open land, our precious green belt.”
Photo: Tennis Australia/ NATASHA MORELLO
THE Ball issue we reported on last week has still not died down as Canadian Vasek Pospisil opened up about the issue and growing discontent between the ATP and players during the week.
Pospisil claimed about 50% of his colleagues have suffered injury one injury because of them.
“Players don’t talk about it openly,” Pospisil said. “I mean, how many wrist surgeries have we seen this year? I can name several players.”
Despite the ATP having a players’ council, Pospisil said that any ‘collaboration’ between the organisation and the players was a facade and that the complaints of the players ‘fall on deaf ears’.
“Players can complain, complain, complain; at the end of the day they don’t really have that much say in this sport,” Pospisil added.
FORMER world No.1 and captain of the Australian Davis Cup team Lleyton Hewitt has been at it again criticising the current format of the event.
Hewitt said he would like to see the return of home and away ties for the semi-final and final stages of the event.
Speaking to reporters in Malaga on Monday, when asked what he would change about the event, Hewitt, 42, replied: “to how it was.”
“The No. 1 thing is home-and-away ties. I have watched plenty of vision the last few years, even back in the day when I was playing,” he said.
“Coming back here to Spain and remembering 2000. Rafa Nadal was carrying the flag onto the court in front of over 20,000 people, all booing and screaming against me, and it was still an unbelievable atmosphere. That’s what the Davis Cup was about.
“Whether we played home semis and finals in Rod Laver Arena or away in France, in Nice, or Barcelona, it was an unbelievable experience and some of my best memories. Some of my hardest memories, as well, but some of my very best.”
ARGENTINIAN David Nalbandian has been accused of harassment and stalking by his ex-partner, Rosario Araceli Torrado.
Nalbandian admitted to having installed the camera in the room of the apartment where his ex-girlfriend lived last June but explained in his defence that he never used it as the camera did not work.
Torrado, a model, reported Nalbandian for harassment, but due to lack of evidence, the case may be heard in a civil court in Buenos Aires.
“Do you want me to be honest? Yes, I put it on that day,” Nalbandian told local media. “I couldn’t see it because I don’t know what the Internet chaos is. It can’t be seen. I couldn’t see anything.”
WE’VE had images during the break in the season on players on tropical beaches, but Caroline Garcia has decided to take a break from the courts and explore Antarctica.
Garcia posted two clips from her trip where she can be seen on the balcony of her cruise, holding a cup of coffee as the ship passed through the Drake Passage, a stretch of water that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and is known for its big waves and strong winds.
AND finally … an arrogant Novak Djokovic showed a side of his mentality as to why he will never be considered the GOAT compared to Federer or Nadal, when he lost his cool at the Davis Cup finals.
Djokovic angrily accused British fans of disrespecting him after sealing victory for Serbia over Great Britain in the quarterfinal.
The Serb was unhappy that fans were singing during his post-match interview.
“Learn how to respect players, how to behave yourselves, learn how to respect people, you shut up, you be quiet,” Djokovic shouted.
A bit rich from the antivaxxer who openly broke Australian immigration laws not that long ago.
Footnote: Jannick Sinner restored faith in tennis democracy as he beat Djokovic in singles and doubles to take Italy through to the final of the Davis Cup for their first time since 1008.
Alexander Zverev cooled the jets of a teenaged tearaway on Tuesday, schooling Spaniard Rafael Jodar 7-6 (3), 6-1, 6-3 to power to his fifth career semi-final at the French Open.
The world No. 3 German finished runner-up in Paris two years ago and is still seeking his first trophy at one of the majors.
Zverev has been a consistent presence at the business end of the event here, figuring iin five of the past six semis.
But the achievement doesn’t amount to much for the seed, who has his eye on the big prize.
“I want to keep going. I don’t really care so much about a semi-final,” he said. “I want to win all the matches in front of me.
“Today was a tough test against a good player – that’s it for now.”
The 29-year-old who becomes the ninth man to play five Paris semi-finals, got away slowly as the 19-year-old Jodar showed his intentions with an early break..
But the seed began turning the tables on his young opponent while trailing 5-2 in the opening set after dropping serve in the eight-minute opening game.
Jodar’s unravelling began as he served for the first set leading 5-4 but was unable to close it out.
From then on, Zverev was in control.
The German won the opener in a tiebreaker and dominated the second to claim that chapter also.
In the third, he broke the fading youngster in the first and last games of the set
before closing out the win with a running forehand down the line on match point.
“He had perfect rhythm in the first set and I didn’t,” the winner said. “I was playing too short and too defensive.
“The ball was also not bouncing as high as it did in (last week’s) heat, I had to flatten out my shots.
“He outplayed me at the beginning of the first, but I managed to come back.
he seemed a bit nervous when he served for (the set).
“I took my chances, it was a good match for me.”
Main photo:- Alexander Zverev in control at Roland Garros – by ATPTour.com
Matteo Berrettini took Italian revenge on Monday against the Argentine who knocked out Jannik Sinner with a 6-3, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (6) fourth-round demolition of Juan Manuel Cerundolo at the French Open.
Former top 10 player Berrettini, now mended after several seasons of intermittent injury absences sent the South American packing in a solid clay display.
The Italian saved three Cerundolo set points in the third-set tiebreaker, with Berrettini claiming a match point on an inside-out forehand, and following up with a serve winner..
“I feel great,” Berrettini said. “I’m happy with the support in a full stadium.
“This is why we train and fight, I’m enjoying the atmosphere with my team and family.”
Fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime booked the last eight as he put out another South American in Canadian-born Chilean AlejandroTabilo 6-3, 7-5, 6-1.
FAA becomes the first Canadian man to complete the set of quarter-finals at all four Grand Slam tournaments.
The 30-year-old Berretini from Rome is competing at Roland Garros for the first time since 2021 when he also reached the last eight here.
The current No. 105 is the lowest-ranked men’s quarter-finalist in Paris since in 2007.
Cobolli lost his first set of the tournament as he ran up against an American with negligible experience on clay, defeating Zach Svajda 6-2, 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (5).
The 10th-seeded Italian’s victory put him into his second Grand Slam and his first in Paris.
“I was a little bit nervous to close the match today,” the winner said. “It means a lot, this tournament, for me.
“Sometimes it’s not easy when you have to close, especially when you are up in the score like I was today.
“But also Zachary played a really good match today after the second set… tennis is like this. At the end, I was happy, and that’s the important thing.”
Svajda came to the major with only one career match win on clay. He began correcting that in the third round by beating Francisco.Cerundolo.
Cobolli cruised through the first two sets but his perfect set record took a dent in the third as Svajda forced a tiebreaker and saved a match point after closing the Italian’s 5-1 lead and forcing a tiebreaker.
It took a tiebreak fourth set to settle the outcome after more than three and a quarter hours.
Alexander Zverev stayed on track for a possible fourth Grand Slam final as the highest seed remaining in the men’s draw at the French Open moved efficiently into the quarter-finals on Sunday.
The German who has finished runner-up at the Australian and US Open plus Roland Garros, defeated qualifying lucky loser Jesper de Jong 7-6 (3), 6-4, 6-1.
With this week’s second-round losses by world No. 1 and top seed Jannik Sinner and 24-time Grand Slam singles champion Novak Djokovic, Zverev could have one of his best chances at lifting a major trophy.
The 29-year-old reached his eighth Roland Garros quarter-final as he beat his Dutch opponent on de Jong’s 26th birthday.
He needed a tiebreak to secure the opening set but picked up momentum before crushing it in the third set to get off court in a relatively quick two and a quarter hours.
“I had some early difficulties but he started well,” the winner said. “But once I found my rhythm I felt comfortable on the court.
“That is important for my game. It’s (his game) is there, I just have to show it on the match court.”
With the recent 10-day heatwave now gone, temperatures dropped into the mid-20s Celsius, which should make for more comfortable conditions.
But Zverev is not so sure: “To be honest, I like the heat, I prefer it. My ball flies a lot faster through the air and opponents struggle a bit more.
“I also spend a lot of time in Florida so I’m used to the heat. But we have to make the best of it, things can change within one day.”
Zverev will bid for the semi-finals in a matchup against Rafael Jodar, the prodigy who won an all-Spanish fourth-rounder 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 over Pablo Carreno Busta.
The fightback took nearly three and three-quarter hours and put the 19-year-old into his first last-eight spot in only his second Grand Slam appearance.
He has reached the last eight here for a sixth straight year.
Jodar, ranked No. 707 a year ago, is the fifth man this century to reach the quarters in his main draw debut at the event.
The youngster made a 4-1 start in the opening set but soon found himself in a five-set dogfight against a 34-year-old dealing with a shoulder injury.
The winner of a clay title in March has now taken victory in 19 of his last 22 matches.
“He’s young and incredibly talented,” Zverev said of his next opponent. “He came onto the clay scene in two months.
“He will be a difficult challenge but I’ll be ready for it.”
Main photo:- Favourite Alexander Zverev wins third round match – by ATPTour.com
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