Djokovic: 'Things Are Progressing Slowly But Surely'

Despite losing to Andrey Rublev in the Serbia Open final on Sunday, World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is aiming to take encouragement out of his run in Belgrade as he looks to build on his newfound momentum in the coming weeks.

“I have to look at the positives. [I] played the final in front of my home crowd," Djokovic said in his post-match press conference. "It was unfortunate that in the third set I ran out of gas and couldn’t give it more of a fight. Congrats to Andrey for playing another great week. He is at the top of the men’s game and one of the best players for a reason.

“I could have easily lost in the first match, so after four tough three-set battles all I can say is I am tired. Winning the tough three-set battles before this match will serve me well for the continuation of the season.

The Serbian fell to Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in his opening match in Monte Carlo last week, but showed signs he is returning to form at the ATP 250 clay-court event, earning three hard-fought third-set wins to reach his maiden final of the season.

Djokovic defeated Laslo Djere, Miomir Kecmanovic and Karen Khachanov in front of his home support, but was unable to find one final push against Rublev as he faded in the deciding set, with the second seed triumphing 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-0.

“I didn’t feel too tired until the end of the second set,” Djokovic said when reflecting on the match. “The 5-4 game was a long game and that is when I started to not feel great. I think I played well in the tie-break. I came out ready to fight another set, but it wasn’t [a] very pleasant thing for people to see on the court, so I am sorry for that kind of experience as I knew people wanted to see me fight and try and win. But it wasn’t to be this time.”

The 86-time tour-level titlist will continue to compete on Tour over the next month and while he is not 100 per cent happy with where his fitness levels are currently, he is pleased with the progress that he has made this week.

“At least this bad feeling physically came in the fourth match rather than the first match in Monte Carlo,” Djokovic said. “Things are progressing slowly but surely."

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Thiem: 'The Improvement Is There Every Single Day'

Former World No. 3 Dominic Thiem feels that he is ready to step up his progress when he competes in just his second tour-level event of the season this coming week at the Millennium Estoril Open.

The Austrian suffered a tear in his right wrist last June, which kept him out for the rest of 2021. But he returned to the ATP Tour at the Serbia Open in Belgrade last week, showing signs of promise during his defeat to Australian John Millman in his opening match.

“I feel much better already than Belgrade. The improvement is there every single day,” Thiem said. “In practice points I’m still having troubles — not with the wrist, the wrist is fine also in points — but [in] all the movement, all the reaction, all the anticipation, I’m still not 100 per cent yet. It will take many more matches until I’m back at the top level there. So I’m not feeling capable of winning this tournament.

“But every match is super important for me now. I’m going to try my best, I’m going to fight 100 per cent from the first to the last point, even when I’m not playing my best tennis, which can happen. And that’s it. I have low expectations this week and also the next ones to come. But obviously I’m trying everything to win and I’m going to see what comes out at the end.”

While the 28-year-old understands that it will take time to return to his best, he is excited to be able to compete and train with those at the top of the game once again as he looks to build his fitness heading towards Roland Garros in May.

“Of course it’s the matches which I need, but also it’s the practice sessions with top players and those you can only get [at] the tournaments,” Thiem said. “I think that they are as important to get used to the pace again, to get used to the fast movements again, anticipation, reaction, that’s so important.

“The first short-term goal to be in a decent shape again is the French Open. I’m definitely not going to be a favourite there, but maybe I can win some matches there and if I face a top opponent, maybe I can give him a hard match. That’s the short-term goal. To make big things, I think I’m going to have to wait until the second part of the season.”

Thiem has not earned a tour-level win since May 2021, when he defeated Marton Fucsovics in Rome. The 2020 US Open champ will be eager to change that record when he faces Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi in his opening match at the ATP 250 clay-court event.

Thiem, who also played at an ATP Challenger Tour event in Marbella in March, has produced some of the best tennis of his career on clay, clinching 10 of his 17 tour-level titles on the surface. The Austrian will make his debut in Estoril this week after accepting a wild card.

“I have only been once in this country before,” Thiem said when discussing his reasoning for playing in Estoril. “When I’m traveling all around the world I want to visit all the countries, all the cities, so it was easy to choose this tournament.”

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How The Rocky Movies Motivate Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz has taken the ATP Tour by storm in 2022 with three ATP Tour titles, including his triumph on home soil Sunday at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. Has the 18-year-old revealed the secret to his success?

Alcaraz confirmed in his post-match interview that he motivates himself by listening to the soundtrack of the Rocky series.

“I try to listen to that song before every match. It motivates me,” Alcaraz said, cracking a smile. “When I listen to the music, I remember the movie and it’s amazing the fighting spirit that Rocky has. I try to have that experience in every match, so that motivates me.”

The motivation has worked all year for the teen, but especially Sunday when, like Rocky did, Alcaraz had his back against the ropes. Due to rain, the semi-finals were played Sunday morning. Alex de Minaur had two match points to clinch a straight-sets victory against the teen. On one of those points, De Minaur had a short forehand that he would normally put away.

But instead, he hit the ball too close to the middle of the court and Alcaraz contorted his body to somehow slap a forehand passing shot for a winner. The teen rallied to win the match and just hours later, despite needing three hours and 40 minutes against De Minaur, defeated mentor Pablo Carreno Busta to lift his third trophy of the season.

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Novak Djokovic beaten in three sets by Andrey Rublev in Serbia Open final

ANDREY RUBLEV has been crowned Serbia Open champion after beating Novak Djokovic in three sets in the final.

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Carlos Alcaraz makes 'god' statement as Rafael Nadal comparisons heap on the pressure

TEENAGER Carlos Alcaraz has been receiving comparisons to fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal due to his excellent form so far this year.

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ATP and WTA 'meeting in Madrid' to discuss scrapping ranking points at Wimbledon this year

WIMBLEDON has banned Russian and Belarusian players from competing at the Grand Slam this year following the invasion of Ukraine.

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Alcaraz Saves 2 MPs In Barcelona, Sets Final Clash With Carreno Busta

Carlos Alcaraz came back from the brink to oust Alex de Minaur in a semi-final full of high drama at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell on Sunday, as the #NextGenATP sensation’s dream 2022 showed no signs of slowing down at the ATP 500 event.

The 18-year-old saved two match points in the second set, one with an outrageous forehand pass on the run, as he overcame a slow start to notch a 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 6-4 win and book a championship match appointment with countryman Pablo Carreno Busta later on Sunday at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona-1899.

Alcaraz was made to dig deep in the three-hour, 39-minute marathon between two of the best movers on the ATP Tour. With the match resuming at 2-2 in the opening set following rain delays on Saturday, it was de Minaur who initially looked the stronger of the two early on Sunday morning. But the reigning Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals stepped up a level in the second and third sets to move within one win of a third title of 2022.

De Minaur’s strong start on Pista Rafa Nadal saw him carve out two set points on the Alcaraz serve at 6-5, and although the Spaniard rallied to hold it was de Minaur who clinched the opening set with some impressive all-court play in the tie-break.

De Minaur combined his renowned defensive skills with some big forehand striking and solid serving to ensure Alcaraz remained under pressure throughout the pair’s first tour-level meeting. But the Australian failed to serve out for victory at 5-4 in the second set and then missed two match points at 6-5 in the second set, most notably when Alcaraz demonstrated his top-class athleticism by adjusting his body to find a forehand winner when down 40/15. Alcaraz sensed his chance and reclaimed the break before letting out a roar after levelling the match in a tie-break as de Minaur struggled to keep up with his rejuvenated opponent.

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Although at times Alcaraz struggled to reach the level that has earned him 21 match wins in 2022 and took him to a maiden ATP Masters 1000 title at the Miami Open presented by Itau in March, the Spaniard demonstrated his resilience in a series of entertaining exchanges as he fought his way back into the match. Alcaraz made the decisive move in a topsy-turvy final set as he broke for 5-4, serving out to love to extend his match record for 2022 to 22-3.

The win takes Alcaraz to a 9-0 match record in ATP 500 tournaments in 2022, having won his maiden title at that level at the Rio Open presented by Claro in February. Lifting the trophy in Barcelona would cap a milestone week for the Spaniard, who will break into the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings on Monday, becoming the youngest player to achieve that feat since countryman Rafael Nadal did so after winning at the Barcelona event in 2005.

Alcaraz will face eighth seed Carreno Busta in the championship match after the Spaniard beat Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-4 in the other semi-final rescheduled for completion on Sunday morning.

Carreno Busta was emotional upon sealing a 99-minute victory on Pista Jan Kodes. The World No. 19 suffered semi-final losses at the Barcelona event in 2018 and 2021, but he broke Schwartzman three times after resuming at 2-2 in the first set to ensure there was no more final-four heartbreak in the city where he resides.

“Of course, it’s very special,” said Carreno Busta after the match. “Barcelona is my home. It’s very, very special to be in the final here. I lost two times in the semi-finals so finally I can play in the final. I know have to be at 100 per cent again, and I will try to enjoy it because it is not normal to be in this situation.

“After yesterday with 12 hours at the club and we could only play four games, I think it was positive for me to have one more day to rest. Today I feel very good, I feel comfortable, playing with the crowd, it’s very important to be at home.”

The Spaniard dropped his serve in the opening game of the match on Saturday night as the No. 6 seed Schwartzman started well, but Carreno Busta was not broken again from then on as he extended his ATP Head2Head series lead over Schwartzman to 3-1. It is the second year in a row that Carreno Busta has defeated the Argentine in Barcelona, having prevailed in three sets at the quarter-final stage in 2021.

Sunday’s championship match with Alcaraz will be the first all-Spanish final in Barcelona since 2013, when Rafael Nadal defeated Nicolas Almagro. It is Carreno Busta’s first final of the year, and the 30-year-old is hunting a first title since winning his maiden ATP 500 crown at the Hamburg European Open in July.

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