ATP
Outlaw Kyrgios makes late Halle pullout
Nick Kyrgios on Monday pulled the plug on any chances of a summer grasscourt revival as the temperamental Aussie withdrew on the first day of the pre- Wimbledon Halle event.
The former Wimbledon singles finalist played only his second match of the season last week in Stuttgart, winning a round and later withdrawing from doubles.
Any speculation that the 2022 Wimbledon runner-up currently ranked just inside the top 1000 might receive a wild card singles entry to the All England club event was out to rest on Monday when the list was released.
Kyrgios and Alexander Bublik were granted free entry in doubles, with singles cards going to retiring Swiss three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka and Bulgarian crowd-pleaser Grigor Dimitrov along with the usual cluster of local Brits.
Roland Garros finalist Maja Chwalinska got a free entry on the women’s side.
In Halle before he withdrew, the 31-year-old Kyrgios had paid tribute to French Open champion Alexander Zverev, one of the few players born in the 1990s “lost generation” to win a major.
But before any compliments, Kyrgios had to pat himself on the back::
“I’ve realized that I’ve been more successful than most athletes, not just in tennis but in any sport and practically any field.
“That’s why I’m confident enough to know when my time was, but also humble enough to understand that now it might be someone else’s time.”
He added: “Seeing Sascha (Zverev) finally overcome that barrier has been incredible. A lot of people forget that that terrible injury he suffered ends the careers of 99 per cent of players.
“He could have been content with everything he’d already achieved, but he had the ambition to come back, regain his form, surpass it, and even become a better player. Honestly, I find that pretty terrifying.”
Main photo:- Nick Kyrgios injures his wrist at Indian Wells by ATPTour
ATP
Tien’s great re-set ties Laver at 3-all
Laver Cup debutant Lerner Tien showed he’s fast on the rebound as the American took inspiration from coach Andre Agassi to level the Laver cup score a 3-3 with a Saturday win in London over Flavio Cobolli.
Tien, at 20 a young gun on the Rest of the World side, defeated Italy’s Roland Garros finalist 6-3, 2-6, 10-7.
With Day 2 win counting two points each, the victory in 97 minutes put teammates Alex de Minaur and Taylor Fritz on level-pegging heading into their later singles tests against Europe.
World has won four of the previous five titles in the exhibition run by Roger Federer’s management group in honor of the Swiss icons tennis idol, Rod Laver..
Tien, who won the spring Geneva ATP title, said he has to make a major reset after losing the second set to Cobolli, fighting back to win the match tiebreak third set at the O2.
“I can reset pretty easily,” the No. 13 said. “In this format, the score does not matter so much. Everyone always had a chance.
“To put the second set behind me was pretty good.”
Tien dropped serve twice in the second set after winning the first. But his deciding set fightback made the difference for his side.
“I just went into lockdown, there are some moments where the ball if just there to go for it. It was still tough to get through.”
The youngster gave full credit to Agassi for his inspiration. “Andre has given me more knowledge than everyone combined. It’s good to have a voice like that on the sidelines encouraging you. It’s very helpful.”
ATP
Europe grabs Laver lead on opening day
Casper Ruud and Rafa Jodar combined to start and finish Friday’s opening stage of the Laver Cup as their victories sent Europe into a 2-1 lead over Rest of the World in London.
Norway’s Ruud began day 1 play with a 6-7 (4), 6-4, 10-8 defeat of Argentina Francisco Cerundolo while Spanish prodigy Jodar finished off the programme 6-2, 6-4 ovr Alexander Bublik in a winning debut at the team exhibition conceptualised by Roger Federer in 2017 to hour is tennis hero Rod Laver.
Jodar, who turned 20 only days ago, spent 84 minutes in adding a point for Europe coached by French legend Yannick Noah and earning his own 38th match win of this breakthrough season.
“It was a pleasure to represent Team Europe for the first time. I felt great on court. I played against a tough player… I think the atmosphere was great, so thank you everyone for coming” the winner said.
The unpredictable Bublik was unable to match it with the Spanish youngster ranked 14th
Jodar won eight of his final nine service points for the win. Jodar and Carlos Alcaraz combined for a one-two punch in the concluding doubles rubber, defeating Bublik and Taylor Fritz to end the day with a 3-1 European lead
Main photo:- Casper Ruud opens the scoring for Team Europe – ISF Ltd
ATP
Sinner knee not right – pulls from Beijing
Jannik Sinner on Friday announced another injury setback, with the world No. 1 withdrawing from the September start of the China Open in Beijing.
The Italian who has not played since defending his Wimbledon title in July, has been on the injury list ever since, missing the Masters events in Canada and Cincinnati and skipping the US Open.
Sinner won the Beijing event a year ago and could now be in doubt for the Shanghai Masters next month.
“Hello everyone, Jannik here,” Sinner posted on social media.
“I want to send the warmest greetings to the Chinese fans. I’m very sorry to announce that I won’t be able to play in Beijing this year.
“My knee is not there, where I would like [it] to be, and I am not ready to compete yet. But I will do everything possible to be there on court as soon as I can.
“What I miss the most is, of course, the tournament, the fans, and the atmosphere. I’ve had a great, great time in the past, winning the title also last year, and I’m very disappointed that I cannot defend it this year, but I’m very happy to come back next year.
“So I wish everyone a very good tournament and I’ll see you all very soon on court again.”
This season has been a roller coaster for the 24-year-old who won five Masters 1000 titles in a row in 2026: Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome.
Main Photo:- Jannik Sinner won Beijing trophy in 2023. – by ISF Ltd
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