Tennis Tour Tidbits

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 18th November 2013

Tennis Tour Tidbits

epa03838678 Nick Kyrgios of Australia reacts as he plays David Ferrer of Spain on the first day of the 2013 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 26 August 2013. The US Open runs through Monday 09 September, a 15-day schedule for the first time. EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO |

Kyrgios: Being No. 1 Junior Doesn’t Mean Anything In The Pros

Aussie teenager Nick Kyrgios says that for his initiation as an Australian Davis Cup player that he wrote and read a poem to the group. That’s unusual in Davis Cup circles, but the former junior No.1 impressed his team mates.

“It was pretty lame,” Kyrgios told the Sydney Morning Herald. ”But it was from the heart and anything from the heart you can’t really rip into about, I guess. The poem was about the guys, so that made it extra weird.”

Currently ranked No. 187, Kyrgios will need a wild card to get into the Australian Open main draw, but it’s probable that he will get one given that he’s one of the country’s hottest prospects. He has shown flashes of great potential such as when he upset Radek Stepanek at Roland Garros. But Kyrgios puts aside praise from top five pros such as David Ferrer, whom after he defeated the Aussie at the US Open predicted he will become a ”very great player.”

”Juniors was juniors,” he said. ”Being the No.1 junior in the world didn’t mean anything. It was obviously a big part of my life … but there’s a lot of work to do. Next year I want to be in the top 100, the top 50 even. That’s a very reachable goal.”

The tall right-hander packs plenty of power and made his Davis Cup debut against Poland in doubles with Chris Guccione, where they fell in a long five setter. He also got to play the dead rubber in singles after the Australian victory.

”It’s a great honor to be the 103rd player to play Davis Cup,” he said ”I just hope I have a bright future in that category because it’s a great experience, one I’ll never forget. I got chills when my name got called out next to Lleyton [Hewitt]. It was awesome.”

Additional News

Tennis and timepiece journalist Miguel Seabra reports that Seiko will be Novak Djokovic’s new watch sponsor. . . Mardy Fish has been trying his hand at pro golf, recently playing two events on the All-American Gateway Tour, a Futures-type circuit for pros who are trying to get their PGA Tour card. Fish began experiencing heart problems in 2012 and only played five ATP events in 2013 . . Riccardo Piatti, who just split with Richard Gasquet said that left purely for personal reasons. “I arrived at a point in my private and professional life where I feel I need to change something on the road that leads me to one side to be closer to my family, the other to complete my technical experience,’ the 55 year old told Tennis Italiano. . . Australian No.1 Bernard Tomic confirmed he will defend his Apia International Sydney title at Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre from January 5-11, 2014. He’s joined by No.5 Juan Martin Del Potro and Wimbledon semifinalist and world No.21 Jerzy Janowicz. . . Serbian captain Bogdan Obradovic after his team lost to the Davis Cup finals to the Czech Republic 3-2, as he was forced to play No. 117th-ranked Dusan Lajovic, who lost both of his singles matches. Serbia’s Janko Tipsarevic was out with an injury Viktor Troicki is serving a yearlong suspension for doping. “We couldn’t find the real replacement for the two,” Obradivuc said. “We’ll try the next year.” . . Czech Radek Stepanek after becoming only one of three men with France’s Henri Cochet (1927, 1929, 1931) and Britain’s Fred Perry (1933, 1936) to have won two Davis Cup Final live fifth singles rubbers. “That’s a beautiful stat, what can I say,” said Stepanek. “I’m indescribably happy. This is the highest [moment of my career]. To win Davis Cup is so far my biggest achievement. I got in Top 10 singles, Top 10 in doubles, I won two Grand Slams, played Masters [events] in singles and doubles. Winning two Davis Cups is just on top of it.”

We Hear—

—That former British no.1 Elena Baltacha, who broke into the world’s top 50 in 2010 and registered victories over French Open champions Francesca Schiavone and Li Na is retiring from professional tennis with immediate effect at the age of 30.

The Ukranian-born player has battled against the chronic liver condition primary sclerosing cholangitis, which compromises the immune system, for most of her career.

“It just feels it’s the right time” she said. “My body has taken such a bruising over the last 16 years and that’s finally taken its toll. I have had some amazing experiences through playing tennis – some incredible highs and some very low lows – and I wouldn’t change any of them but now my mind and my body are telling me it’s time to move on to a new phase of my life.”

–That Romanian Simona Halep has split with coach Adrian Marcu even though she won a career high six titles this season.

Topics: 10sballs.com, Atp, Australian Open, David Ferrer, Davis Cup, Elena Baltacha, Li Na, Nick Kyrgios, Novak Djokovic, Radek Stepanek, Ricardo Piatti, Roland Garros, Tennis, Tennis News, US Open