Tag Archives: Lleyton Hewitt

Alex de Minaur Wins Australia’s Newcombe Medal

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Alex de Minaur has earned Australia’s highest individual honor in tennis…

The 24-year-old Uruguayan & Spanish Australian professional tennis player has been awarded the Newcombe Medal once again after his most consistent season yet.

Alex de Minaur,de Minaur claimed the award outright for the first time on Monday, after previously sharing the 2018 award with Ash Barty and he joins some of the greats of Australian tennis as a multiple winner.

He won the award, named after tennis great John Newcombe, ahead of Storm Hunter, Rinky Hijikata, Alexei Popyrin, Matt Ebden and Max Purcell.

The world No. 12 joins five-time Newcombe Medalist Barty, three-time recipient Samantha Stosur and wheelchair wizard Dylan Alcott among those who’ve won the award at least twice.

“I’m very sad that I wasn’t able to attend the Newcombe Medal this year and I’m extremely grateful for this amazing award,” de Minaur said in a video message from his training base in Spain.

“It’s been a great year, not only for myself, but for all of Australian tennis and I think we should (all be) very proud indeed.

“(I) would also like to thank Newk. Wish I could shake your hand right now and be there, but I appreciate everything you do for Australian tennis.”

de Minaur’s recognition comes off the back of soaring to the cusp of the world’s top 10 in 2023.

He reached a career-high No. 11 in October, collected his seventh ATP Tour title in Acapulco, made four finals and helped Australia to a second straight Davis Cup decider in Spain.

That included a brilliant fightback in the quarterfinal win over the Czech Republic.

In his most consistent season, de Minaur also became the first Australian since his idol and Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt in 2004 to progress to 11 tournament quarterfinals.

He made the second week at two of the four grand slams, in Melbourne and New York. de Minaur is Australia’s biggest hope at Melbourne Park in January, when he will attempt to better his fourth-round appearances in 2022 and 2023.

Earlier in the evening, Alicia Molik was awarded the Spirit of Tennis award. During her career, Molik rose to world No.8 in singles and No.6 in doubles and she was also a Fed Cup representative from 1999.

After her playing career, Molik, 42, went on to lead Australia to the Billie Jean King Cup final as captain in 2019 at Perth and in 2022 at Glasgow.

Robredo Upsets World No. 1 Novak Djokovic at Western & Southern Open

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Tommy Robredo has taken down the No. 1 seed at the Western & Southern Open.

The 32-year-old Spanish tennis player beat top-ranked Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic 7-6 (6), 7-5 in the round of 16 at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Tommy Robredo

Robredo, the 16th-seed, beat a top-ranked player for only the second time in his career. The first time, he edged Lleyton Hewitt in the 2003 French Open.

“When I finish my career, and when I will be sitting at home and talking with friends, I will remember days like this,” Robredo said.

Djokovic, who has never won the event, dropped the first set after fighting back from a 6-3 deficit in the tiebreaker. Robredo took the set with an ace that Djokovic challenged. The replay showed the ball caught the slimmest sliver of the line.

Robredo failed to convert two match points before completing the victory with a slam on Djokovic’s short lob.

“It’s disappointing that I’m finishing Cincinnati again with a tough loss, but it’s the sport,” said Djokovic, who lost in the third round at Toronto last week. “I didn’t play well in Toronto, didn’t play well here. Hopefully, it’s going to be different in New York (at the US Open).”

Robredo had lost six straight matches against the Serb after winning their first encounter.

“I knew that if I wanted to win I had to go for it and try to hope that he will not play his best match,” Robredo said. “Both things happen and then I could win.”

Lopez Defeats Richard Gasquet to Successfully Defend His Aegon International Title

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Feliciano Lopez is a back-to-back champion…

The 32-year-old Spanish tennis player beat top seed Richard Gasquet of France 6-3, 6-7 (5), 7-5 on Saturday to complete a successful title defense in the Aegon International final.

Feliciano Lopez

It’s the first time the third-seeded Lopez has retained an ATP title, and the first time he has beaten Gasquet in their six career meetings.

Lopez, who held championship point against Grigor Dimitrov last week at Queen’s Club but couldn’t seal the deal,  is the first player to reach back-to-back grass-court finals before Wimbledon since 2001, when Lleyton Hewitt won at Queen’s and s-Hertogenbosch, and Thomas Johansson won Halle and Nottingham.

There was little to separate him and Gasquet, with two breaks giving the Spanish left-hander the opening set, and Gasquet, the 2005 and 2006 champion, winning the tiebreaker in the second.

In the third set, games went with serve until Lopez broke to lead 6-5 and then served out the match for the fourth title of his career.

Ferrero’s Singles Career Comes to a Close at the Valencia Open

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Its game, set, match for Juan Carlos Ferrero’s singles career…

The 32-year-old Spanish tennis great’s individual career came to an end with a loss at the Valencia Open to fellow countryman and friend Nicolas Almagro.

Juan Carlos Ferrero

Ferrero—who announced his retirement from professional tennis earlier this year following the Valencia Open—lost in the first round of the Spanish hard-court event to Almagro by a final score of 7-5, 6-3 on Tuesday.

But it isn’t the end of an era just yet… Ferrero is still alive in the doubles draw after he and partner David Ferrer edged Carlos Berlocq and Alexandr Dolgopolov 3-6, 6-3, 10-7 on Wednesday to move into the quaterfinals.

There’s no denying Ferrero was one of the world’s best players from 2000 to 2003. But injuries began hindering his performance starting in 2004.

He enjoyed most of his success on clay, reaching the French Open semifinals four years in a row and eventually winning the title in 2003.

He also led Spain to its first-ever Davis Cup title in 2000, winning both of his singles matches in the final – played on clay in Barcelona – and clinching the victory with a four-set win over Lleyton Hewitt.

Ferrero, however, did have considerable success on the hard courts, reaching the 2003 U.S. Open final and losing to Hewitt in the final of the 2002 Tennis Masters Cup.

The Spanish tenista won 15 singles titles during his career and briefly held the No. 1 ranking in the fall of 2003.

Following his singles loss, Andy Murray, the world No. 3 and winner of this year’s U.S. Open, congratulated Ferrero on his “incredible career,” while Novak Djokovic, the Serbian world No. 2, said that Ferrero was a great player and that tennis “will definitely miss you.”

Current world No. 1 Roger Federer, who Ferrero described as the greatest player he had ever competed against, said he had known the Spaniard since they were juniors and that he was a “great player” and that the two had faced off in some “amazing matches” during their careers.

Federer, who recently became the first player to hold the No. 1 ranking for 300 weeks, first obtained the top spot after defeating Ferrero in the semifinals of the 2004 Australian Open.

Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal, who is still recovering from a knee injury that has kept him out of action for months, said being in Valencia for Ferrero’s final match was bittersweet.

“Saying good-bye to one of this country’s greatest players is tough,” said Nadal. “I’m thankful for all the moments we shared together.”