Novak Djokovic revelled in his "perfect" five months on Friday (Nov 9) as he took aim at his sixth ATP Finals title with the year-end number one ranking in the bag. Novak Djokovic has been dominant since winning Wimbledon. (Photo: AFP/Kena Betancur) The Serb, who won Wimbledon and the US Open, earlier this week replaced the injured Rafael Nadal at the top of the men's rankings and is guaranteed to end 2018 in top spot. Speaking before the start of the season finale at London's O2 Arena, the Serb said next to the Grand Slams and the ATP Finals, reaching the number one spot was the "ultimate challenge" in the sport. "I'm very proud of that achievement and I understand that it's extra special this year because of the journey I've been through in the last 15 months, especially and particularly in the last eight to 10 months. "After February's elbow surgery it looked quite improbable that I would be in this position as the year-end number one, not just because of the rankings - I … [Read more...] about Djokovic hails ‘perfect 5 months’ as he targets ATP Finals glory
Atp rankings race
Tsitsipas stars at Next Gen ATP Finals, but De Minaur having ’hell of a year’
Stefanos Tsitsipas. — Photo sportinglife.comViet Nam News Tennis MILAN — Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas may be the star attraction at the Next Gen ATP Finals but Australian Alex de Minaur said on Thursday he was "having a hell of a year" as both raced into the semi-finals of the season-ending tournament for players aged under-21 with only one set dropped in three games. Tsitsipas, ranked 15th in the world, will take on last year’s finalist Andrey Rublev in Friday’s semi-finals with de Minaur, 19, up against Spaniard Jaume Munar. "I’m playing well, I’m feeling well, and I’m happy to be the star," said Tsitsipas, 20. "But I know there’s another star who had three wins in a row in the other part of the draw. So the tournament is not over yet." The Greek player, in Group A in the round robin tournament, was referring to de Minaur who also won his three matches in Group B. The Australian began the season at number 208 and reached a … [Read more...] about Tsitsipas stars at Next Gen ATP Finals, but De Minaur having ’hell of a year’
Nghiem Xuan Chung gets ready for the second challenging leg in Greatest Race on Earth
CPV: Following the first leg in Nairobi (Kenya) of Standard Chartered's Greatest Race on Earth 2007-2008 (GROE), on November 30, the second Vietnamese runner, Nghiem Xuan Chung, 22 years old, will head to Singapore to compete in the second leg. The leg, which will be held on 2 December, will be crucial in helping determine which men's and women's nations challenge teams will ultimately win the coveted Gold Baton trophies and a share of the largest guaranteed prize pool in world athletics, 1.08 million USD. Chung, who won the silver medal in the national sport games' athletics championship 2007, is expected to compete against 53 athletes from 33 countries to gain a high ranking for Vietnam athletics team. GROE is a relay of four marathons run in some of the most challenging urban environments in the world-the high altitude of Nairobi, the humidity in Singapore, the heat of Mumbai and the uphill terrain in Hong Kong. The "highest race" at over 1,600m, in Nairobi on 28 October 2007; the … [Read more...] about Nghiem Xuan Chung gets ready for the second challenging leg in Greatest Race on Earth
Ferrer, Rochus to contest Auckland ATP final
Top-seed David Ferrer beat Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-4 in the semi-finals of the Auckland ATP tournament to cap a gruelling day on court and book a final showdown with Olivier Rochus. It was a long day of tennis in blustery conditions for Ferrer and Verdasco who were on Friday forced to play two matches after their quarter-finals against Alejandro Falla and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez were washed out on Thursday night. World number five Ferrer began the day with a marathon match against Falla, prevailing 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in just over two hours while Verdasco was on court for just as long beating doubles partner Garcia-Lopez 7-5, 6-4. Four hours later, Ferrer and Verdasco were back for their all-Spanish semi-final where Ferrer made light of the quick turnaround as he raced through the match in 90 minutes and without dropping his serve. The defending Auckland titleholder broke Verdasco early and never looked back, serving a love game to take the first set and setting up the victory … [Read more...] about Ferrer, Rochus to contest Auckland ATP final
Djokovic wins Australian Open men’s single title
World No. 3 Serbian Novak Djokovic on Sunday beat World No.5 Andy Murray 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 in the Australian men's single final to claim his second Grand Slam title. Throughout the match, Djokovic has played beautifully, dominated the out-of-sorts Murray in all departments and broke the British's serve regularly to secure his second Australian Open championship, which he also won in 2008. … [Read more...] about Djokovic wins Australian Open men’s single title