DAVID GOFFIN AND ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT ALTERNATES AT BARCLAYS ATP WORLD TOUR FINALS INSTEAD OF BERDYCH AND TSONGA

Written by: Staff on 10th November 2016

DAVID GOFFIN AND ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT ALTERNATES AT BARCLAYS ATP WORLD TOUR FINALS INSTEAD OF BERDYCH AND TSONGA

epa05605973 Belgium's David Goffin returns a ball to Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro during their round of sixteen match at the Swiss Indoors tennis tournament at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland, 27 October 2016. EPA/GEORGIOS KEFALAS |

Goffin and Bautista Agut alternates at Barclays ATP World Tour Finals instead of Berdych and Tsonga

By Ricky Dimon

David Goffin and Roberto Bautista Agut are the two singles alternates at the 2016 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Goffin finished 11th in the race but has moved up to the No. 1 alternate spot because No. 8 Rafael Nadal is unable to play due to a wrist injury and No. 10 Tomas Berdych declined the offer to be an alternate. Bautista Agut ended his impressive season at No. 14 before climbing into the second alternate spots because No. 12 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga declined and No. 13 Nick Kyrgios is suspended.

Berdych slumped since reaching the Wimbledon semifinals and had to beat Andy Murray in the quarterfinals of last week’s BNP Paribas Masters in Paris to qualify for the World Tour Finals. Berdych led 6-1 in the first-set tiebreaker but ended up losing 7-6(9), 7-5 to see his top-eight chances come to an end. Murray’s defeat of the Czech allowed Dominic Thiem to clinch the all-important No. 8 spot for London.

The good news for Berdych is that he now gets some extra rest. He wrote the following on various social media channels: “Dear friends, season 2016 is over and I would like to thank to all of you for positive energy and great support!!!mAfter discussion with doctors in Prague Hospital I was recommended to have a break for two weeks and then we will see what they gonna do with my appendix…see you next year!”

Tsonga had to win the Paris title in order to reach the top eight. The Frenchman was looking good following a win over Albert Ramos-Vinolas and an upset of Kei Nishikori in which he saved two match points, but Tsonga succumbed to Milos Raonic 6-2, 7-6(4) in the quarterfinals.

Goffin’s 2016 campaign has been highlighted by back-to-back semifinal performances in Indian Wells and Miami in addition to a quarterfinal run at the French Open. The Belgian stayed in top-eight contention until he lost to London qualifier Marin Cilic in the Paris third round. Bautista Agut started the season on fire with titles in Auckland and Sofia, struggled around the midway point, and then got back on track with a runner-up showing in Shanghai.

Goffin posted the following on Twitter, along with a smiley face and the flag of the United Kingdom: “London, I’m coming! #1stalternate”.

Bautista Agut, in Spanish, posted on Twitter that is preparing his suitcase to go to London.

Goffin has a real chance of taking the match court in London and even Bautista Agut better be ready for action. Raonic suffered a quadriceps injury against Tsonga and was forced to give Murray a walkover in the Paris semifinals. The fourth-ranked Canadian said afterward that he was “doubtful” to play the World Tour Finals before changing his tune earlier this week. Gael Monfils pulled out of Paris with a rib injury and Dominic Thiem has admittedly been sapped of energy ever since the French Open.