ATP
Unpredictable Kyrgios back on the boil with Grand Slam dreams
Nearly a year into knee injury downtime, quirky NIck Kyrgios has reversed course and declared his love for tennis
The Aussie has played just one match this season, losing in the Stuttgart first round in June after undergoing a knee fix in January while missing his home Australian Open.
But now the former Wimbledon finalist whose interest in the sport runs hot and cold depending on the day, has erupted with enthusiasm, declaring that he has the game to win a Grand Slam title before packing it all in.
“Right now, I What I wish most in the world is to be able to say that I won a Grand Slam in singles,” he told Aussie media..
“That goal really motivates me, and even more so after seeing that I was two sets away from achieving it at Wimbledon.
“That is the most important tournament in the world, even those that don’t know anything about tennis, they know of its existence, and I am going to put all my attention and effort to try to become champion there. \
“I feel that I still have unfinished business in the world of tennis and, without a doubt, the main one is to be champion in London.”
The controversial 28-year-old remains under no illusion as to his crowd-pulling power in a sport searching for heroes as the former Big 3 icons from the past two decades fade away.
“When things are going well, everything is brilliant in the world of tennis. A lot of money comes in, people adore you…
“My tennis has the ability to captivate many people and enjoy this sport in a special way.”
While Kyrgios has refused so far to commit to a 2024 season start, he still maintains a new-look positive attitude towards his racquet.
“I’ve gone through stages in which I was not motivated,
he admitted. “So I hope I can live a 2024 without injuries which prevent me (from doing) my tennis.
“I know that I have what it takes to be able to win Grand Slam titles, I just need time and patience to once again display the level of tennis that I showed in 2022.
“If I didn’t feel that I still have things to do and enough motivation, I would hang up my racket.”
Kyrgios said his knee recovery remains “day by day.”
But he added: “There is still time. I tried to return earlier than was advisable (last June) and I felt pain.
“I focused a lot on doing a good rehabilitation, I had various opinions from experts whom I had not consulted, and I have made a great improvement since I had the operation.
“My body is still somewhat unbalanced, so I have to be patient and trust the process. I need to get to a point where I have complete confidence in my body.”.
.
Holger Rune battled past injured Carlos Alcaraz to spoil the Spanish Easter party at the Barcelona Open, with the Dane lifting the trophy 7-6 (6), 6-2.
The pair of 21-year-olds were familiar foes, having played 20 times in juniors before hitting the Tour; Rune won the first 500 series title of his career and his fifth overall.
Alcaraz was treated three times in the second set after an apparent injury to his upper right thigh/groin after duelling hard in the opening set at the Real Club.
The loss will send Alcaraz back to third in the rankings, with Alexander Zverev moving back to second behind Jannik Sinner as a result of winning the Munich title on Sunday.
Rune, a first-round victim last week in Monte Carlo, reversed his clay momentum in Spain, handing Alcaraz a first loss of a set for the week.
The Spanish top seed’s two final shots both clipped the top of the net and fell back as Rune raised his hands in celebration after 97 minutes on court in the Catalan capital.
“This means the world,” the winner said. “I started the match stressed, he was playing big-time tennis.
“I was able to find my rhythm after he broke me (3-2 in the opening set) and I got more into the match.
“The first set was a big battle with a lot of important points. It was super-important to win the set and gain momentum.
“I’m so proud of myself.”
Rune ended with 18 winners while the ailing Alcaraz produced 33 unforced errors. The Dane claimed his 50th match win on clay and levelled his Tour record in the series to 2-2.
Rune said he channeled Novak Djokovic’s Paris Olympic gold medal win from last summer over Alcaraz as he struggled to turn his game around in Barcelona.
“I asked myself what Novak did to win that final. I (realised) that I didn’t need to hit every ball on the line. I need to make him play and hit a lot of balls.”
Rune, who won the elite Paris Bercy Masters 1000 title in 2022, finally began reversing a 13-match loss streak against top five opponents.with his title victory.
Alcaraz may be racing for fitness with the Madrid Masters starting on Wednesday as the ATP ploughs ahead with an unpopular two-week format for Masters tournaments despite growing protest from exhausted players.
Main photo:- Holger Rune celebrates Barcelona win – by ATPTour.com
Alexander Zverev turned 28 on Sunday and awarded himself a third title on his home Munich clay as he beat Ben Shelton 6-2,6-4 to win the ATP event.
The 2017 and 2018 champion here is now threatening Carlos Alcaraz as the pair duel for the world No. 2 position which the Spaniard took over last week after winning Monte Carlo.
Zverev schooled lefthander Shelton in 70 minutes for a second win in their series. The winner becomes the second to hold three Munich titles after countryman Philipp Kohlschreiber (2007, 2012, 2016).
“I’m enjoying my birthday so far,” Zverev said. “It’s extremely special to win in Germany, the most special thing I can do.
January’s Australian Open finalist added: “It’s definitely a great birthday present, I knew I had to play my best today, conditions were very hot and very fast.They were perfect for me.”
The winner broke three times while never facing a challenge to his serve from Shelton as he claimed a sixth career title at the 500-Tour level.
Main photo:- Alexander Zverev with his “birthday” trophy – by BMW Open/Bitpanda
Alexander Zverev gave fans in Munich what they were after as the top seed rolled into the final of the clay ATP in Bavaria with a 7-6 (3), 6-3 defeat of Fabian Marozsan.
World No. 3 Zverev, who won the titles in 2017 and 2018 needed 91 minutes to advance into a title match with Ben Shelton.
The American earned his spot with a .2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4 defeat of Argentine Francisco Cerundolo.
Zverev advanced with nine aces and broke twice in the tidy win over his Hungarian opposition.
“It’s awesome. The entire week has been great. Everybody is really enjoying the weather as well as the new Center Court,” the winner said. .
“I’m enjoying myself and hopefully I will have another great day tomorrow.”
Shelton reached his fourth career final, becoming the first American man to reach a clay final above ATP 250 level since Andre Agassi won the Rome Masters 23 years ago.
“It’s a big win for me. To get a win on clay against a guy like him gives me a lot of confidence,” Shelton.
“I’m really happy and excited to be in a 500-level final in Europe, my second clay-court tournament this season.
“I’ve been playing well this week and I’m not too stressed right now.”
Main photo:-Alexander Zverev winning in front of his home crowd – by ATPTour.com
Sabalenka hoping to turn her luck in Stuttgart
Rune rises to the occasion with defeat of Alcaraz
Zverev grabs a birthday gift with third Munich title
-
Dubai3 weeks agoKasatkina confirms move to Australia
-
ATP4 weeks agoHenman joins Team Europe as Noah’s assistant
-
ATP4 weeks agoDimitrov casts his spell on Khachanov
-
Rouen5 days agoDart apologizes for “stinky” opponent jibe
-
Miami Open4 weeks agoPaolini powers past Osaka in Miami
-
ATP3 weeks agoBadosa aims for back injury return by Madrid
-
Miami Open4 weeks agoRaducanu set for huge rankings boost after Miami Open win
-
Miami Open4 weeks agoPhilippine teen swats Swiatek in Miami