The inaugural 24-nation ATP Cup team competition played in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney over 10 days in the lead-up to the Australian Open raised some talking points:
NEW INNOVATIONS
The new tournament won plenty of plaudits, with players also hailing the team spirit and competitive matches.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Innovations were trialled at the ATP Cup, including on-court coaching and team zones in the corners of the court, which were wildly popular. There were also real-time statistics, data and match vision available to the captain and players, plus a video-review system to challenge contentious decisions such as foot faults.
While it worked well, there was also high-profile criticism from Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal that playing another team event so close to the Davis Cup in November was too much.
“I think is a great competition, but at the same time I can’t change my mind that two World Cups in one month is not real. So [it] is not possible,” Nadal said on Sunday.
KING NOVAK
Djokovic underlined his credentials as king of the hardcourts and favorite to win an unprecedented eighth Australian Open title.
The Serbian superstar never looked like losing, coming through tough tests from the likes of Denis Shapovalov, Daniil Medvedev and world No. 1 Nadal in Sunday’s final to remain unbeaten.
“I mean, it is the perfect preparation,” the 16-time Grand Slam winner said. “This has been one of the highlights of my career, because you can’t really match any big win in tennis with the win that you get to share with your team, with your friends.”
“It has been an amazing event,” he added.
ZVEREV CRASHES
Big things have been tipped for Alexander Zverev since he burst into the top 10 in 2017, but the 22-year-old is yet to fully deliver. The young German won just one title last year and slipped down the rankings to seven from four at the start of the season.
He failed spectacularly at the ATP Cup, looking lost on court as he crashed in all three of his games.
To make matters worse, he was reportedly stung by a bluebottle while swimming at an Australian beach, although it was nothing serious.
“It’s not really that high,” the dejected Zverev said of his confidence. “Generally I’m not playing good, so there’s a lot of things that I still need to improve, but it’s the start of the season.”
Asked how he could fix what was wrong before the Australian Open, he replied: “On the practice court.”
‘WHY NOT WOMEN?’
If an early-season team event is good enough for the men, then why not women as well?
Djokovic said he supported the idea, as did former US Open runner-up Madison Keys after criticism that women had been sidelined at the WTA Brisbane International.
The event was played at the Queensland Tennis Centre, the same as the ATP Cup, but the men monopolized center court.
Maria Sharapova said that theirs felt like a “second-hand” tournament, while Sloane Stephens, who is on the WTA players’ council, complained that female players “weren’t in the conversation to even be considered” for the main court.
Tennis officials said that they were working on a “new concept” for women in the Australian summer.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well. Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
RSS