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Back from the brink with a bang.

On Monday, Milos Raonic defeated Miomir Kecmanovic in his first competitive match for almost two years at the Libema Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. It was an emotional moment for the former World No. 3, who later admitted he had all but given up hope on competing again after a string of injuries that began with an achilles problem in July 2021.

“Many times I didn’t even want to bother trying, because I was so far away from it,” said Raonic in his post-match press conference. “There were moments when I said, ‘I’m done’. At the end of 2021, I had no intention to play again, [I thought] ‘I’m going to figure out my life’, shortly after I got married.

“One thing I did learn, which is a nice lesson, is life will be OK after tennis, which is kind of a fear because you put so much time into one thing and a singular skill. You don’t ever put the time into it thinking you want to dedicate your whole life to it… It just becomes your life. Then trying to figure out what you want to dedicate your life to after tennis, that’s kind of a hard thing… I got on OK with that.

“Once I started feeling a little bit better, I wanted to play tennis just to stay in shape. I started playing golf five hours a day. It really was not for me. I still enjoy it and I love it, but I’m not very good at not being good at something, and accepting that, so I’m happy to be on court again.”

Lorenzo Sonego succeeded where nine of Matteo Berrettini’s previous BOSS OPEN opponents had failed on Monday in Stuttgart.

The World No. 41 Sonego ended Berrettini’s unbeaten record at the grass-court ATP 250 by racing to a 6-1, 6-2 victory against his fellow Italian. Sonego produced an authoritative performance to avenge his 2022 Stuttgart quarter-final defeat to Berrettini, who appeared to be struggling physically for much of the match.

Professional performance ‼️

Sonego takes out defending champion Berrettini 6-1 6-2!@boss__open | #BossOpen pic.twitter.com/aeuQzM8nJI

“It’s tough,” said Sonego in his on-court interview when asked about Berrettini, who lifted the trophy on his previous Stuttgart appearances in 2019 and 2022. “I’m not happy because he’s my best friend on Tour and it’s tough to see him like that. I hope the best for him in the next tournament.

“Today I played my best tennis. This is my first tournament on grass, my first match, and I played really well. I’m really happy about that.”

Milos Raonic wasted little time getting back to business on Monday at the Libema Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, where the former World No. 3 raced to victory against Miomir Kecmanovic in his first match for almost two years.

A series of injuries have kept the Canadian sidelined since July 2021 but his comeback in the Netherlands could hardly have gone more smoothly. Raonic notched a 6-3, 6-4 victory against the World No. 39 Kecmanovic during which he won 92 per cent (34/37) of points behind his first serve.

“It’s nice to be here after almost two years now and stepping away for a long time,” said Raonic after his emotional comeback triumph at the grass-court ATP 250. “It’s nice to be giving it one more try and hopefully going as far as I can. I’ve put in the best effort I could, and I want to see how far it takes me.

“It’s been a real pleasure to get to play in front of people. I didn’t get to hit a single tennis ball for a full year, now I get to play in front of a bunch of people. It was pretty nerve-wracking, I forgot that feeling. To be honest with you it might have been a little bit easier if I played in front of nobody today.”

What a comeback ?

After two years away from the tour @milosraonic claims victory ?@LibemaOpen | #LibemaOpen pic.twitter.com/VJb0H4sSn9

Italian Matteo Arnaldi continued his 2023 breakthrough Sunday when he captured the ATP Challenger Tour 125 title in Heilbronn, Germany. The fast-rising 22-year-old, who is one of four Challenger champions this week, is at a career-high No. 72 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings following his triumph at the NECKARCUP.

Fifth seed Arnaldi ousted Facundo Diaz Acosta 7-6(4), 6-1 in the final after winning 30 of 35 first-serve points to end the Argentine’s 14-match winning streak at the Challenger level. En route to the title, Arnaldi twice rallied from a set down, including against second seed Jaume Munar in the quarter-finals.

“Winning the tournament means a lot to me," Arnaldi said. “I didn't start the tournament very well, but I improved from match to match and was able to celebrate my third Challenger success of the year. Victory here should now bring me towards 70th in the rankings.”

A four-time Challenger Tour champion, Arnaldi has enjoyed a strong clay-court swing. The Sanremo native first cracked the Top 100 last month after his run to the third round at the Mutua Madrid Open, where he upset third seed Casper Ruud as a qualifier.

In other Challenger Tour action, #NextGenATP star Dalibor Svrcina was crowned champion at the Unicredit Czech Open in Prostejov.

Are you ready for part two?

After successfully launching in January, Netflix’s new tennis series, Break Point, is back for five more dramatic episodes, premiering on Wednesday 21st June.

The series documents a game-changing year in the sport with unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to a select group of the world’s best players, with part one a favourite among fans.

Netflix on Monday released a trailer of part two, featuring several ATP Tour stars, including Stefanos Tsitsipas, Nick Kyrgios and Frances Tiafoe.

The trailer takes viewers through the pressure facing the world’s brightest young talents and the indescribable intensity of competing at the highest levels in tennis.

The ATP has announced the relocation of the ATP Tour 250 tournament in Pune, India to Hong Kong SAR in 2024 following ATP Board approval of the relocation by tournament owner IMG.

The tournament returns to its previous home at Victoria Park Tennis Centre after a 21-year absence. The former ATP Tour tournament was played in Hong Kong from 1990 to 2002 with Michael Chang winning the title three times alongside other star players including Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Boris Becker, Marat Safin and Carlos Moya.

The tournament will take place from 1-7 January on outdoor hard courts with a total prize money of more than $650,000.

Gavin Forbes, Executive Vice President & Managing Director, Tennis Events, IMG, said: “Following a successful five years in Pune, we are excited to bring an ATP Tour event back to Hong Kong after a more than 20-year hiatus. We would like to thank the tennis fans in Pune for their support these past years. Hong Kong is an established tennis market with a passionate fanbase, and it is a convenient, competitive stop for players on their way to the Australian Open. We look forward to working with HKCTA and using IMG’s unparalleled expertise in tennis to kick off the 2024 season with an exceptional experience in Hong Kong.”

Philip Mok, President, Hong Kong, China Tennis Association, added: “Our goal has been to bring an ATP Tour level event back to Hong Kong for several years, and we are thrilled to make it a reality."

Novak Djokovic has returned to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings after triumphing at Roland Garros. Several other ATP Tour stars have also climbed following the second major of the season. ATPTour.com looks at the movers of the week as of Monday, 12 June 2023.

[BREAK POINT]

No. 1 Novak Djokovic, +2 (Joint Career High)
The 36-year-old has begun a record-extending 388th week at No. 1 after he clinched a record 23rd major at Roland Garros. The Serbian, who defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals and Casper Ruud in the final, is the first man to win all four major events at least three times. Djokovic is also the oldest Roland Garros champion at the age of 36 years and 20 days.

No. 10 Karen Khachanov, +1
Khachanov has returned to the Top 10 for the first time since 2019 after he reached the quarter-finals in Paris. The 27-year-old has enjoyed an impressive season, also advancing to semi-finals at the Australian Open and the Miami Open presented by Itau.

No. 23 Alexander Zverev, +4
Last year, Zverev tore three ligaments in his right ankle during his Roland Garros semi-final against Rafael Nadal. Twelve months on and the German was back at the semi-final stage in Paris, defeating seeds Frances Tiafoe and Grigor Dimitrov to reach the last four. The 26-year-old’s run in the French capital was his best result of the season.

Austin Krajicek on Monday climbed to World No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings for the first time after earning his first major doubles title on Saturday alongside Ivan Dodig at Roland Garros.

“Of course, reaching No. 1 really is an honour,” Krajicek told ATPTour.com. “It's an incredible honour to be on that list of guys and it's always been a goal of mine since I was a little kid. There's no doubt about that. I think a lot of players have that [goal].”

Krajicek won the biggest junior tournament in the United States at Kalamazoo in 2018. The lefty then played college tennis at Texas A&M, where in 2011 he won the NCAA Doubles title with Jeff Dadamo. The American embarked on his professional journey, cracking the Top 100 in singles in 2015.

But Krajicek has made his biggest mark in doubles. Fittingly his college coach, former doubles World No. 2 Steve Denton, was in his box (as were current coach Philip Farmer and others) Saturday for the biggest moment of his career.

“It's [been] over a decade of ups and downs and struggles in Futures and Challengers and a lot of tough moments where you don't know if you can do it. [There was] some doubt as well that everybody has, it's completely natural,” Krajicek said. “But I can't say that I could have had any better of a support staff, all the way from from my parents at the very beginning to everyone at Texas A&M, to my juniors, to working at IMG and [the] Bollettieri Academy before school, and then recently here with Phil. It is really all about that and the support staff.

After capturing a record 23rd major title at Roland Garros on Sunday, an emotional Novak Djokovic was full of pride when reflecting on his historic achievement.

The Serbian defeated Norway’s Casper Ruud in straight sets to become the first player to win all four majors at least three times.

“I knew that going into the tournament, going into the match especially today, that there was history on the line,” Djokovic said. “But I tried to focus my attention and my thoughts into preparing for this match in the best way possible to win like any other match.

“My team has created a good bubble around me. We did, I think, a great job in just staying into the present moment and performing as good as we wanted to. When I saw his forehand going wide, I felt a huge relief, and I was overwhelmed with wonderful emotions. I'm very happy and very proud of it.”

Read More
Djokovic Wins Roland Garros For Historic 23rd Major Title
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Djokovic Extends Big Titles Lead
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Coach Goran Ivanisevic was not concerned about Novak Djokovic’s Roland Garros chances despite his charge’s 5-3 start to the clay-court season.

“He has this software in his head that he can switch when a Grand Slam comes. [A] Grand Slam is a different sport comparing to other tournaments. He switches his software. The day we arrived here, he was better, he was more motivated, he was more hungry,” Ivanisevic said after Djokovic defeated Casper Ruud in Sunday’s final. “Every day he played better and better. I thought against Alcaraz one-and-a-half hours he played unbelievably smart and unbelievable tennis. And today he just finish what we started actually in Monte-Carlo, to practise, and now it's payday. We cashed the cheque.”

During the trophy ceremony, Djokovic alluded to difficulty he had given his team throughout the fortnight. Ivanisevic confirmed that and joked about how the Serbian was able to work through it all to claim his record 23rd major title.

“He chained us with handcuffs for three days,” Ivanisevic said, cracking a smile. “He's not [an] easy guy, let's put it this way. He is not [an] easy guy. Especially when something's not going his way. But we are here to put our back and to get beaten, you know. That's what the team is for. We are here for him to feel better, for him to perform better. Sometimes [it is] not easy. Sometimes it's very complicated.

“But overall, this is for what you live, the tournaments like this, the finishing like this. [It] was not easy. [It] was not [an] easy journey. You know we started in Monte-Carlo, Banja Luka. Rome was a little better but still away from his real form. He was torturing us, taking our nails off. A lot of more things but I cannot tell you that. But we are still here, we're alive. My heart is still okay. I'm [an] old man, I need to be careful of my heart. So he's okay.”

The first set was the match.

Novak Djokovic defeated Casper Ruud 7-6(1) 6-3, 7-5 in the Roland Garros final on Sunday by withstanding a brutal onslaught in the opening set that left the Super Serbian doubled over in exhaustion after only nine games.

Djokovic was tight, and the ball was consistently out of his strike zone. Ruud was playing perfectly, and Djokovic was struggling mightily. Playing when tight extracts an immeasurable amount of extra energy from the body. Djokovic was not his usual self, yet he somehow found a way to win one of the greatest sets in Grand Slam final history.

Ruud led 4-1 in the opening set and had Djokovic on the proverbial ropes. The Norwegian could not finish what he started. Djokovic broke back trailing 2-4 by extracting two forehand errors and two backhand errors. He saved a break point at 3-4, 30/40, and finally ran away with the tie-break 7/1. It was a brutal set that quite possibly only Djokovic could have found a way to the finish line in.

Djokovic stole the opening set by completely dominating the 0-4 rally length.

Novak Djokovic and Casper Ruud have both made moves in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin after their deep runs at Roland Garros.

The Serbian Djokovic (4,745 points) has climbed two spots to first in the Live Race after capturing a record 23rd major title in the French capital on Sunday. The 36-year-old, who clinched a record-equalling sixth Nitto ATP Finals crown last November, heads to the grass season holding a 435-point advantage over second-placed Daniil Medvedev (4,310 points).

Earlier this season, Djokovic lifted his 10th Australian Open trophy and captured the title at an ATP 250 event in Adelaide.

Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin (after Roland Garros)

After a modest start to the season, Ruud enjoyed his best result of the year in Paris, where he advanced to his third major final. The Norwegian left Miami in March holding a 5-6 record but has gone 17-6 since. The 24-year-old is in the final qualification spot after rising seven places to eighth (2,205 points).

Casper Ruud lost major finals at Roland Garros and the US Open last season. Competing in his third major title match on Sunday, the Norwegian fell short at the final hurdle again, losing against Novak Djokovic in Paris.

Despite defeat, the 24-year-old is pleased with his latest achievements in the French capital and feels his run sent a statement to his rivals.

“I think this is maybe the most important final that I reached, honestly, because the first time was, yes, very cool. But here I sort of proved that whatever happened last year is just not a one-time case,” Ruud said. “Even for next year when we come back to Roland Garros, people are going to look, ‘Oh, Casper didn't just make one final but he made it twice’.

“It is probably going to plant some respect in my opponents' eyes and hopefully I can build on that, and one day I'm going try to obviously aim for a Slam title. That's my biggest goal, my biggest dream in my career and in my life. It's been close, but no cigar, so I'm going to keep working and try to get it one day.”

Ruud defeated sixth seed Holger Rune and two-time semi-finalist Alexander Zverev en route to the final. The Norwegian started well against Djokovic in the title match, but was unable to fend off the 36-year-old, whose straight sets win moved him to a record 23rd majors. Ruud praised Djokovic’s mentality following his record achievement.

Andy Murray captured his second ATP Challenger Tour title of the season on Sunday when he triumphed on home soil at the Lexus Surbiton Trophy. The former World No. 1 defeated Jurij Rodionov 6-3, 6-2 in a rain-disrupted final at the ATP Challenger Tour 125 grass-court event.

The 36-year-old, who dropped just one set en route to the title, is the oldest grass-court champion in Challenger history (since 1978). The Scot is also just the sixth player to win Challenger titles on both clay and grass in the same season, having lifted the trophy in Aix-en-Provence, France, last month.

"Grass-court tournaments are not easy ones to win but it is brilliant to win another one," Murray said. "My kids are always asking me when I go away if I can come home with the trophy and it has been rare... I think they were watching on the TV. I will bring home the trophy tonight."

[ATP APP]

In a high-quality performance, Murray was strong on serve and sharp around the net. He won 83 per cent (29/35) of his first-serve points and moved forward effectively to quickly close points. After clinching the first set, Murray raced into a 3-1 lead in the second before it began raining. Following a two-hour, 52-minute delay, the Scot came out firing, hammering the ball off both wings to triumph after 69 minutes.

Rafael Nadal led the stars who quickly took to social media Sunday to congratulate Novak Djokovic on winning his record-breaking 23rd major title at Roland Garros.

“Many congrats on this amazing achievement @DjokerNole,” Nadal wrote. “23 is a number that just a few years back was imposible to think about, and you made it! Enjoy it with your family and team!”

Many congrats on this amazing achievement @DjokerNole
23 is a number that just a few years back was imposible to think about, and you made it!
Enjoy it with your family and team! ??

Djokovic is also halfway to completing the Grand Slam by winning all four majors in the same season. The last man who accomplished that feat, Rod Laver (1962 and 1969), also shared his praise for the Serbian.

Congratulations on winning 23 majors @DjokerNole and cementing your legacy in another command performance at Roland Garros. Your skill and unwavering mental fortitude on all surfaces is astonishing. Kudos to Casper Ruud, who valiantly pushed this great champion all the way. ? https://t.co/vY003Jj6Iu

Novak Djokovic continued to extend his lead in the Big Titles race on Sunday when he won Roland Garros to become the first player to capture all four major trophies at least three times.

The 36-year-old defeated Casper Ruud in straight sets in the final of the clay-court major to earn his record 23rd Grand Slam title. He has now triumphed in six of the past eight majors he has competed in.

Djokovic has surged well ahead of his chief rivals, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer (who is now retired) in the race for the most Big Titles, which are Grand Slam championships, the Nitto ATP Finals, ATP Masters 1000 tournaments and Olympic singles gold medals.

The Serbian owns or is tied for the record in titles at the majors (23, solo record), Nitto ATP Finals (6, tied with Federer) and Masters 1000s (38, solo record). He has now won 67 Big Titles compared to 59 for Nadal and 54 for Federer.

Djokovic has won one ‘Big Title’ for every 3.2 events played (67/213). The only other player who has claimed one more than once per four events played is (one per 3.5 tournaments, 59/208). Federer won one Big Title for every 4.4 events contested (54/240).