Mladi lavovi

[werbatim]

Ja mislio nešto zvanično... Već jedno dve godine se priča da "samo što nije" zaigrala za Srbiju.
Pitanje je i koliko je ona sama upućena :)

[Hezonja]

Borna Ćorić stigao je do drugog profesionalnog naslova karijere! Nakon Bournemoutha krajem travnja, 16-godišnji Zagrepčanin sve je ponovio na Futuresu u Izmiru, u dramatičnom finalnom susretu nakon tri teška seta pobijedio je Francuza Enza Couacauda (542. na ATP listi) - 6:7(0), 7:6(1), 7:5.

- Strahovito težak meč. trajao je tri i pol sata. Stvarno je bilo puno preokreta. Jako sam zadovoljan kako sam uspio izdržati pritisak kad sam bio u zaostatku, kad je suparnik bio na korak do pobjede. Još jedan tjedan igram u Turskoj, zatim se vraćam u Zagreb pa putujem za New York gdje ću se na US Openu oprostiti od juniorske konkurencije. Nemam nikakva očekivanja do kraja godine, želim samo nastaviti s dobrim nastupimaalt i poboljšati neke dijelove igre s kojima nisam zadovoljan - rekao je Borna. Nakon uspjeha u Izmiru za koji je zaradio 18 bodova čeka ga velik skok na ATP listi, gdje će biti na granici ulaska u društvo 600 najboljih tenisača svijeta

Tako se to radi, a decko je rodjen 14.novembra 1996.

[Milutinov Tata]

Pametno, poslednja godina u juniorskoj konkurenciji i treba tako da se planira, eventualno GS turniri i to je to.

[Milutinov Tata]

Tinejdzeri 5 godina bez ATP titule

[alcesta]

Australian teenager Nick Kyrgios puts aside praise from top pros such as David Ferrer who predicted he will become a “very great player.”
“Juniors was juniors,” the No. 187 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.”
Kyrgios says that for his initiation as an Australian Davis Cup player, he read a poem.
“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.

[Milutinov Tata]

Buduće zvezde WTA tura

[alcesta]

http://www.wtatennis.com/news/article/3 ... onna-vekic

[Gama]

Ha, evo onda jos jedne Hrvatice

http://www.wtatennis.com/news/article/3560917/title/young-guns-ajla-tomljanovic

[Hezonja]

Ocekivao sam od DOne mozda i vise u drugom delu sezone, ali i ovo je odlicno do sada sto je uradila...

Hrvatice imaju par izuzetnih potencijala...Vekic, Konjuh, Ajla, Marticka i Mrdeza su jos uvek mlade...

[Hezonja]

Nesto gledam sada...

Lista na kraju 2010 igraca koji su se plasirali na AO ove godine...Poredjenje sa Krajinovicem...

Filip Krajinovic 214.
Damir Dzumhur 1007.
Ryan Harrison 173.
Bernard Tomic 208.
Jan Lennard Struff 359.
Dennis Kudla 496.
Di Wu 408.
Vasek Pospisil 339.
Pablo Carreno Busta 349.
Ricardas Berankis 87.
Jerzy Janowicz 161.
Jack Sock 868.
Milos Raonic 156.
Bradley Klahn 798.
Grigor Dimitrov 106.
James Duckworth 748.
Rhyne Williams 770.
Blaz Rola 425.
Federico Delbonis 160.
Ze Zhang 315.

[alcesta]

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis ... ction.aspx

It’s absolutely hilarious hearing these announcers on WatchESPN stream absolutely butcher Damir’s last name. #ESPNAO
— Amer Delic (@AmerDelic) January 17, 2014

Mogu misliti

[Tale]

Današnji intervju Ivane Jorović za Nettenis
http://www.nettenis.org/ivana-jorovic-za-nettenis/

[Milutinov Tata]

Da sumiram kakva je situacija bila na kraju 2013. Evo kako izgleda lista za '92 godiste, sto se tice prvih 200 igraca na listi (u zagradi je plasman na kraju 2012.) :

Igraci rodjeni 1992.:

51. (52.) Bernard Tomic (AUS)
100. (69.) Ryan Harrison (USA)
102. (150.) Jack Sock (USA)
114. (137.) Denis Kudla (USA)
117. (179.) Diego Sebastian Schwartzman (ARG)
124. (194.) Facundo Arguello (ARG)
136. (209.) James Duckworth (AUS)
158. (235.) Guillherme Clezar (BRA)
163. (409.) Marco Cecchinato (ITA)
181. (440.) Marton Fucsovics (HUN)
187. (242.) Damir Dzumhur (BIH)
191. (280.) Renzo Olivo (ARG)
195. (217.) Yuki Bhambri (IND)

Vrhunac sezone je bila titula Tomica u Sidneju pocetkom godine i njegovo 3. kolo na AO. Do trece runde na GS turniru je stigao i Sok na US Openu. Problem je sto zbog loseg ranking sem Tomica niko drugi nema direktan pristup na ATP turnire (sem ukoliko neko dobije WC za neki turnir), tako da su mnogi zarobljeni na celendzerima. Harison je nazadovao, Sok i Kudla nisu napravili znacajniji iskorak, za neke imena nije se ni culo na velikoj sceni. Dakle nista obecavajuce.

Lista igraca rodjenih 1993. koji su u prvih 300 na ATP listi za 2013.:

85. (263.) Jiri Vesely (CZE)
139. (309.) Dominic Thiem (AUT)
238. (282.) Taro Daniel (JPN)
267. (323.) Roberto Carballes-Baena (ESP)
278. (479.) Juan Ignacio Londero (ARG)
292. (721.) Aslan Karatsev (RUS)
299. (752.) Gonzalo Lama (CHI)

Dakle generalno katastrofa, samo 7 igraca koji su napunili 20 godina se nalaze medju prvih 300 na ATP listi. Ocito da ovo godiste nece dati neki kvantitet, za kvalitet cemo videti, mada se cini da sem Veselog tu nema kandidata za sam vrh. I Veseli je do ovog ranga dosao zahvaljujuci celendzerima (osvojio 3 i igrao u finlau na jos 2), u 4 meca nije zabelezio nijednu pobedu na ATP turnirima pa je pred njim tezak period sticanja iskustva igranja sa najboljim teniserima. Dominik Tiem je imao dva dobra nastupa na lokalnim turnirima u Kicbilu i Becu kada je oba puta stigao do 1/4 finala, jos je osvojio 2 celendzera i igrao u finalu jednog.

Igraci rodjeni 1994. u prvih 400. na ATP listi za 2013.:

204. Lucas Pouille (FRA)
258. Kimmer Coppejans (BEL)
266. Filip Peliwo (CAN)
276. Thiago Monteiro (BRA)
320. Jordan Thompson (AUS)
338. Karim Hossam (EGY)
379. Pedja Krstin (SRB)
395. Adam Pavlasek (CZE)
398. Luke Saville (AUS)

Francuz Puj je imao priliku da odigra nekoliko meceva na ATP turu uglavnom zahvaljujuci WC. Na RG je usao u drugo kolo. Kanadjanin Filip Pelivo je igrao u Montrealu sa WC i plasirao se u drugo kolo (Nieminen mu pedao mec u trecem setu). Na celendzerima niko nije uspeo da trijumfuje niti odigra neko finale, a samo 4 igraca su bila u polufinalu (Puj, Kopejans, Pelivo i Lokoli). Na fjucersima su najbolji bili Egipcanin Hosam i Kopejans sa 4 titule. Treba spmenuti i 2 titule naseg Pedje Krstina. Ni ova generacja ne izgleda perspektivno, mada treba sacekati bar ovu godinu i videti njihov napredak.

Igraci rodjeni 1995. u prvih 600. na ATP listi za 2013:

182 Nick Kyrgios (AUS)
376. Kyle Edmund (GBR)
421. Matteo Donati (ITA)
442. Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN)
491. Enzo Couacaud (FRA)
495. Laslo Djere (SRB)
513. Mazen Osama (EGY)
544. Pedro Cachin (ARG)
557. Brayden Schnur (CAN)



Prva zvezda ove generacije je mladi Australijanac grcko-malezijskog porkla Nik Kirgios. Osvojio je juniorsku titulu na AO, par nedelje kasnije igrao u polufinalu celendzera u Adelaidi, a pocetkom marta osvojio celendzer u Sidneju. U junu je nastupio na RG sa WC i zabelezio pobedu u prvom kolu proitv Stepaneka. Na USO je uspesno porosao kvalifikacije, a u prvoj rundi je porazen od Davida Ferera. Krajem septembra igrao je i polufinale celendzera u Sakramentu. Ostali igraci iz ove generacije nisu stigli cak ni do 1/4 finala na nekom celendzeru. Na fjucersima je najuspesniji Italijan Donati sa 4 titule. Laslo Djere je osvojio 2 titule, a Nikola Milojevic jednu. Treba obratiti paznju i na Japanca Nisioku i Britanca Edmunda. Videcemo ove godine kako ce se razvijati situacija i kako ce se snaci u prvoj pravoj profesionalnoj sezoni.

Igraci rodjeni 1996. u prvih 700. na ATP listi za 2013:

303. Borna Coric (CRO)
328. Gianluigi Quinzi (ITA)
388. Christian Garin (CHI)
451. Karen Khachanov (RUS)
550. Hyeon Chung (KOR)
572. Patrick Ciorcila (ROU)
619. Johan Sebastien Tatlot (FRA)
628. Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS)
653. Blake Mott (AUS)
696. Ernesto Escobedo (USA)

Ovo je genracija koja obecava i evo i par reci o najvecim nadama.



Borna Coric je osvojio juniorski US Open za kraj juniroske akrijere. Trijumfovao je cak na 5 fjucersa prosle godine, i dosao do 1/4 finala na jednom celendzeru.



Kristijan Garin je osvojio juniorski RG, a "svetsku" slavu je stekao trijumfom nad Dusanom Lajovicem u prvom kolu turnira u Vinja Del Maru. To je prva pobeda za ovu generaciju na ATP turnirima. Posle 2000. on je peti najmladji igrac sa pobedom na ATP turu (Gaske, Nadal, Harison i Tomic). U drugoj rundi je pruzio veliki otpor Zeremiju Sardiju. Igrao je u dva 1/4 finala na celendzerima i 1 finale na fjucersima.



Djanludji Kvinci je osvojo juniorski Vimbldon i jedini iz ove generacije usao u polufinale na nekom celndzeru. Igrao je jos jedno 1/4 finale, a osvojio je i 1 fjucers iz 3 odigrana finala.



Tanasi Kokinakis je igrao finala na AO i US Openu. NIje imao vecih rezultata na profi turnirima, ali zabelezio je 4 pobede na celendzerima.



Karen Kacanov je ostvario najveci rezultat ove generacije plsmanom u 1/4 finale ATP turnira u Moskvi preko Alberta Ramosa i Janka Tipsarevica. Igrao je i 2 kolo na turniu u Sant Petersburgu posle pobede nad Haneskuom. Za oba turnira je dobio WC. Igrao je i 1/4 finale na jednom celendzeru. On je prvi igrac jos od Nisikorija 2007. koji je sa 17 godina igrao 1/4 finale nekog ATP turnira.

[Gama]

Five questions with Dominic Thiem

March 12, 2014

With a strong serve and nifty hands, Austrian youngster has a bright future.

Gunter Bresnik is an Austrian tennis coaching legend. One of his students a few decades ago was a kid named Becker.

When Wolfgang Thiem joined the staff of Bresnik's academy in Vienna, it wasn't long before he mentioned that he had a son who enjoyed playing. Dominic Thiem (pronounced TEAM) was 11 years old. After weekly lessons for two years, Bresnik became his full-time mentor.

Thiem swiftly became Austria's top junior. In 2011, he reached the junior finals at Roland Garros and won the Orange Bowl title in December before turning professional.

Three years later, at the age of 20, he'll be the youngest player in the ATP World Tour's top 100 when the rankings come out Monday.

But though everything had come so easily in juniors, the next level was far more complicated. Thiem, who grew more than six inches in his 17th year, which caused a number of medical issues, lost a lot of his ITF Futures first-round matches. Last year, he played a ton of Futures and Challengers matches.
His two 2013 ATP World Tour events, both in Austria, went exceedingly well. He won two matches in Vienna and Kitzbuhel, reaching the quarterfinals in each tournament. In Kitzbuhel, Thiem beat one of his idols, Jurgen Melzer, who was ranked No. 34 at the time.

"Yes, I like the tournaments at home," Thiem said. "The crowd is always behind you. I did well in that one. To be fair, Jurgen was coming off an injury, but he's one of the best players Austria has ever had."

In time, Thiem may join him.

This year, it's all coming together for the 6-foot-1, 180-pound athlete. He's qualified his way into four main draws already this year -- the most of any ATP player. How's this for hunger: Thiem's won an astonishing 11 of 12 qualifying matches. His ranking should soon give him direct acceptance into a number of draws, including the majors.

He cracked the top 100 briefly in mid-February (No. 99), but his performance at Indian Wells will propel him somewhere into the 80s. Thiem won two qualifying matches, then knocked off fellow qualifier Daniel Kosakowski of America in the first round. In the second, he took out No. 21 seed Gilles Simon.

Tuesday, he ran into France's crafty Julien Benneteau, who at 32 is a dozen years his senior. Thiem actually served for the first set, at 5-4, but his serve -- and his nerve -- let him down. He double-faulted on break point and Benneteau wound up winning 7-6 (4), 6-3.

Still, there's a lot to like about Thiem's game. He has a powerful forehand, a strong serve and nifty hands.

ESPN.com caught up with Thiem on Tuesday evening after his third-round loss to Benneteau. If effort is any indicator, he'll be a significant player. Minutes after his match, he did this interview while walking out to Practice Court No. 7 at Indian Wells, preparing to hit more balls with Bresnik.

ESPN.com: You had a terrific effort at Indian Wells, qualifying and beating Simon in the second round. Are you surprised how far you progressed?

Dominic Thiem: Yes, of course. This is my first Masters tournament, so you don't expect to win four matches. I'm pretty surprised, but I've already played well in the ATP tournaments when I had the chance, so I knew I could do it.

ESPN.com: You're 11-1 in qualifying matches this year. What's the biggest reason for that?

Thiem: Well, I must say I am excited not to be playing in the Futures and Challenger matches. These big tournaments, yeah, they get you going. I like to compete and these are the best players in the game.

ESPN.com: You don't see a lot of one-handed backhands on young players. How did that come about?

Thiem: When I started with Gunter, I had a double-handed backhand. I played too defensive. He changed that. The one-handed backhand helps you to be more aggressive in the points. My junior ranking went down while I got used to it, but it was the right thing to do.

ESPN.com: Was it harder turning professional than you thought?

Thiem: Honestly, yes. In the juniors you are kind of a star, but just because you are a good junior doesn't mean you will be a good pro. I did not play so well in the Futures a few years ago. Everybody wants to beat you out there. It took some time to learn how to play at that level.

ESPN.com: What are some of the things you're working on now with Gunter Bresnik?

Thiem: Well, for sure, the first one is footwork. Movement is one of the most important things. My consistency, everything -- there's a lot to improve. Coaches are never happy. But I'd like to keep improving, go deeper in the tournaments and get as high in the rankings as possible.

I u Majamiju je u glavnom zrebu, prosao je dva kola kvalifikacija bez izgubljenog seta

[Gama]

Q&A with Elina Svitolina, 19, the WTA’s highest-ranked teenager

The 19-year-old Ukrainian won a 125K Series title in India in 2012 and the Baku Cup in 2013, making her the only teen with a title in the last two years. (She’s also won six ITF titles.) The 2010 junior French Open champion improved her ranking by 116 spots last season to finish at No. 40, and this week she supplanted Keys, 19, as the top-ranked teenager after making the fourth round of the Sony Open.

Before the Miami tournament, Svitolina lost to No. 11 Ana Ivanovic in a third-set tiebreaker in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open.

Now ranked a career-high 35th, Svitolina this year has recorded her first three victories over top-20 players, beating Svetlana Kuznetsova at the Australian Open en route to her first third-round appearance at a Grand Slam tournament, Roberta Vinci at the Paris Indoors and Bouchard at the Sony Open.

Svitolina has become a reliable competitor. She’s won her last eight matches against lower-ranked players, including a 6-1, 5-7, 7-6 (5) victory over Jarmila Gajdisova in the first round of the Family Circle Cup on Monday. Svitolina will play Stephens in the second round on Wednesday; the 21-year-old American won their only previous meeting, 7-5, 6-4 in the third round of the Australian Open in January.

I caught up with Svitolina earlier in the year to learn more about the budding star.

SI.com: How did you get into tennis?

Svitolina: My brother [Yulian Svitolin] was a professional tennis player and he’s nine years older than me. I was at the courts all the time just having fun with the kids. I always liked the game. So my parents signed me up in a group with small kids and I started when I was 6 or 7. I was jealous because my parents were going to the tournaments with my brother. I wanted to get better so I could travel with them. My parents helped me a lot and my brother helped me a lot, even now.

SI.com: At what point did you realize that tennis was more than a hobby and that you might actually be able to become a professional like your brother?

Svitolina: I didn’t really think about it. I was just trying to get better because my brother was away all the time with my father and my mom. I think around 7 or 8 I started playing national tournaments and I was first or second all the time. It was a tough time, practicing in Ukraine. At 13, I moved to Kharkiv because I got a sponsor there. I think it all started there. It’s hard to practice in Ukraine because the federation doesn’t help us much. So I moved to Belgium to the Justine Henin Academy, and now I’m in Nice, France, at the ISP Academy.

SI.com: Does that mean you’re fluent in French?

Svitolina: I understand everything, but now I’m trying to learn to speak it.

SI.com: How do you feel about your success since turning pro in 2010? Has it come too fast, or not fast enough?

Svitolina: Of course I wish I was top 10 now [laughs]. That’s a nice dream. But now I’m trying to play my best and work hard at the tournaments. Everything is working. The offseason is paying off. I worked a lot with my fitness coach. Now it’s just about working and showing everything on the court.

SI.com: What’s the most important part of your game?

Svitolina: Just fighting. To find the way to win. No one is going to give you the points as a gift.

SI.com: You’re part of an exciting group of youngsters. Do you measure your success against their results?

Svitolina: I don’t really measure against other players my age. I’m just trying to work and play match by match. I’m not really focused on my ranking. Just focused on my game. If you play your game, if you have confidence, the ranking and everything else will come.

SI.com: Did you look up to specific players growing up?

Svitolina: Kim Clijsters.

SI.com: Do you think you play like her?

Svitolina: Everyone has their own way of playing. I’ve been trying to get something from each player who is doing great, like Serena Williams or Victoria Azarenka. They are great players and they deserve to be on top.

SI.com: What have been your biggest wins?

Svitolina: Beating Svetlana Kuznetsova at the Australian Open this year gave me confidence in my game. Beating Dominika Cibulkova [6-4, 6-3 in the first round] at the U.S. Open last year was also a great win. It’s great to beat these kinds of players.

SI.com: What’s your best surface?

Svitolina: It’s hard to say. I won junior Roland Garros, but I won my two WTA titles on hard courts.

SI.com: Is it safe to say you’re pretty confident on clay?

Svitolina: It’s important to play tournaments to be confident. It’s all about confidence and how you feel on that surface. You just have to get used to it.

SI.com: If you could pick a Grand Slam tournament to win, which would it be?

Svitolina: U.S. Open. Everything is just perfect there. The atmosphere is amazing and I love New York. It’s one of my favorite cities.

SI.com: Which player are you most likely to be seen having dinner with?

Svitolina: I usually go with my coach, but if it’s a player, it would be [Fed Cup teammate] Olga Savchuk.

SI.com: Speaking of Fed Cup, what was it like to see Serena Williams in Kharkiv for Ukraine’s tie against the U.S. in 2012? Were you surprised she decided to play?

Svitolina: It was so surprising. We didn’t expect she would come to Kharkiv. So my first Fed Cup experience was against Serena [who defeated Svitolina 6-2, 6-1]. It was a great experience. I was a new player on the WTA, and I wanted to see what it was like playing a player like her.

SI.com: Was there a moment after you turned pro when you realized you were good enough to make it on the WTA Tour?

Svitolina: I don’t think it’s about any specific moment. You get experience and when you play the top players, you find out what you need to work on. Grand Slams are also important to show your game. It’s just all about experience and it takes time to gain that confidence.

SI.com: What’s your favorite song on your iPod?

Svitolina: Stay by Rihanna.

SI.com: When’s the last time you went to a concert?

Svitolina: Seven years ago. It was my first and last concert. It was a Russian singer. I’m really sad I missed Michael Jackson in concert. I really regret I never got to see him.

SI.com: I see you have an iPhone. What’s your favorite app?

Svitolina: WhatsApp.

SI.com: Are you a superstitious person?

Svitolina: Yes. I always try to put my shoes on the same way.

SI.com: Now for the big question: Roger or Rafa?

Svitolina: Roger. He’s so classy. He’s so perfect. All the time I see him and I go to my coach and I say, “Hey, this guy is too perfect.” He’s just walking, doing everything so perfect.