Tag Archives: Grigor Dimitrov

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

Leave a comment

This Week’s Tournament:
Winston-Salem Open – Winston-Salem, NC
US Open Qualifying – New York, NY

Last Week’s Winner:
Western & Southern Open – Grigor Dimitrov

Tennis Stars View the Eclipse
We just really wanted to post this photo of Rafa, who was in NYC practicing for the US Open when the eclipse came through.  Enjoy.

US Open Qualifying Underway
It’s hard to believe we’ve already made it to the last slam of the year. The US Open is officially underway, with qualifying action underway today.  If you’re in NYC, the qualifying tournament is free and open to the public and you’ll get a chance to see rising stars and veterans alike fighting their way for a spot in the main draw.  The tournament is held on the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, through this Friday, August 25th.   Players to watch include Denis Shapovalov, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Reilly Opelka, Casper Ruud, and more.

Grigor Dimitrov Wins 1st Masters 1000 Title
Grigor has long been hailed as the next big thing in tennis, but was never able to breakthrough at a Masters 1000 or Slam (except his lone Wimbledon Semi-Final) until now.  Grigor made it to his first Masters Final and was able to capture the Western & Southern Open after defeating Nick Kyrgios 6-3, 7-5 in the final.   We hope both players can keep their momentum through the US Open!

View this post on Instagram

🏆

A post shared by Grigor Dimitrov (@grigordimitrov) on

Arthur Ashe Kids Day is Saturday 8/26!

One of the greatest days of the year in music and tennis is almost here!   New Hope Club, Why Don’t We, Alex Aiono, Jack & Jack and more will be performing during the stadium show at AAKD this year.  Even better, they’ll be joined by tennis pros Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer, Venus Williams, Jared Donaldson & more!  Tickets are on sale now and start at $10.  Don’t miss out!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BXierdJBrA-/?taken-by=aakidsday

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

Leave a comment

This Week’s Tournaments:
Millennium Estoril Open – Estoril, Portugal
BMW Open – Munich, Germany
TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open – Istanbul, Turkey

Last Week’s Winners:
Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell – Rafael Nadal
Gazprom Hungarian Open – Lucas Pouille

Rafael Nadal Wins “La Decima” in Barcelona
Welcome to Rafa’s house!   Literally.  Just days after the center court at the Barcelona Open was renamed “Court Rafa Nadal,” Rafa won his 10th title at the tournament.   He defeated Dominic Thiem, one of the best clay court players of the younger generation, in an entertaining final, 6-4, 6-1.   Rafa celebrated by jumping in the pool at the club after his victory.   10 in Monte Carlo…10 in Barcelona…can he make it 10 at Roland Garros?  Vamos!

Grigor Dimitrov Shows Off Dancing Skills
We’re glad Grigor takes his side hustle as a member of the One Handed Backhand Boys seriously.   He showed off his dancing skills at a charity event over the weekend, and he’s got some serious moves.  (Don’t forget about that time he sang a Backstreet Boys song, too!)

Juan Martin del Potro Kicks Off Clay Season in Estoril
Delpo is back in action in his first tournament since the Miami Open.  He is starting his clay season at the Estoril Open in Portugal, with just 3 weeks to go until Roland Garros!

Roger Federer Attends Met Gala
Federer is taking some time off from the tour, with his next tournament likely at Roland Garros at the end of the month.   He’s been keeping busy in the meantime!  He hosted a charity event in Seattle over the weekend with Bill Gates, John Isner, and Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready, bringing in over 2 million for the Roger Federer Foundation.   Fed then flew to NYC for the Met Gala, rocking a Gucci suit with a crystal cobra on it.  (Don’t forget he is GQ’s reigning Best Dressed Man)

Lucas Pouille Wins 2nd Title in Budapest
Frenchman Lucas Pouille won the 2nd title of his career, and his first on clay at the Gazprom Hungarian Open.  This was the first ATP World Tour Event ever held in Budapest.  Lucas defeated Aljaz Bedene in the final 6-3, 6-1.

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

Leave a comment

This Week’s Tournaments:
US Men’s Clay Court Championship – Houston, TX USA
Grand Prix Hassan II – Marrakesh, Morocco

Davis Cup Semi-Finals Set
We always love Davis Cup weekends!   Since tennis is such an individual sport, it’s fun to see the players in a team setting, playing not just for themselves but for their country.  The crowds are always excellent, loudly and festively supporting their nation.  Over the weekend, 8 nations faced off for a spot in the semi-finals.  Australia defeated the USA 3-2, led by a focused Nick Kyrgios and captain Lleyton Hewitt.

France had a straightforward victory over Great Britain, winning both singles rubbers on Friday and doubles on Saturday to seal the victory.   Even though they were out with injuries, Richard Gasquet and Pierre-Hugues Herbert were there to cheer on the team in Rouen.

The semi-finals will take place on September 15-17th, just after the conclusion of the US Open.  Belgium will host Australia, while France will host Serbia.

Memphis Open to Move to Long Island, NY
The Memphis Open is leaving its home in Tennessee after a 41-year run.  The ATP 250 event is moving to the newly re-opened Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Hempstead, NY in 2018.  GF Sports partnered with Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment to move the tournament to the new venue.  Next year’s event will take place February 10 – 18.   We’re thrilled to see more tennis in NY!

Clay Season Is Here!
The tour has officially moved to the clay courts, with just 6 weeks to go until Roland Garros!   This week, Grigor Dimitrov is the #1 seed in Marakesh while Jack Sock is the #1 seed in Houston.  Both players have had an outstanding season so far in 2017 and let’s see if they can keep the momentum going on the clay!

View this post on Instagram

🐫 🇲🇦

A post shared by Grigor Dimitrov (@grigordimitrov) on

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

Leave a comment

This Week’s Tournament:
Miami Open – Miami, FL USA

Last Week’s Winner:
BNP Paribas Open – Roger Federer

Introducing the (One-Handed) Backhand Boys
Roger Federer may have won the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells over the weekend, but he also won the internet and the hearts of fangirls around the world with the return of the Backhand Boys.  Federer joined fellow one-handed backhanders Grigor Dimitrov and Tommy Haas for a singalong of Chicago’s “Hard to Say I’m Sorry.”  You might recall the trio singing  together back at the Australian Open, and this new video shows they’ve been working on their moves and their vocals.  Tour soon?

As much as we love the Backhand Boys, we think they could use a couple of extra members to make up the classic 5 member boyband!   We’d love to see Stan Wawrinka, Dominic Thiem, Richard Gasquet or Feliciano Lopez join the lineup.  Auditions in Miami?

The Backhand Boys could use a rival boyband just to keep things fresh.  May we present *NSYDE OUT led by some of the best forehands on the ATP Tour: Juan Martin del Potro, Jack Sock, and Rafael Nadal with Vasek Pospisil (he so needs/wants to be in a boyband) and Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

Denis Shapovalov Wins 1st Challenger Title
#NextGenATP player Denis Shapovalov won his first challenger title over the weekend in his native Canada at the Challenger Banque Nationale Drummondville.  At 17-years-old, Denis is the youngest ATP Challenger winner so far this year and now the youngest player in the top 200.  Denis defeated his friend and countryman Felix Auger-Aliassme in the semi-finals en route to the title.

Gael Monfils Out With Injury
Gael Monfils is one of the most entertaining players in tennis, with an explosive game and incredible athleticism.   Unfortunately, his big game has led to quite a few injuries over the years, and Gael’s latest setback is a tear in his Achilles’ heel and chondropathy Patella.  He is out of the Miami Open and will start rehab.  We hope to see Gael back on court soon!  (so we can see more shots like this)

ATP University Class of 2017 Graduate in Miami
Every year in Miami, the ATP World Tour hosts “ATP University” for the youngest players on tour.  The 3-day program teaches the players about life on tour including player relations, social media, nutrition, and finance.  It also gives the new players a chance to get to know each other and adjust to their hectic new schedule.  This year’s class included young Americans Reilly Opelka, Noah Rubin, Michael Mmoh, and Stefan Kozlov.

Roger Federer Covers GQ‘s April Issue
Things can be rough for a tennis fan in the off-season.  It’s hard to fill the time normally spent with following scores and matches across the globe with some non-tennis related activities.  Which is how back in December, with no brackets to fill out, tennis fans made it their priority to vote Roger Federer as the Best Dressed Man in GQ‘s Most Stylish Man poll.   Federer won the poll in a landslide, taking out Kanye West, Ryan Gosling, and more in the process.  With his new honor, Federer is on the cover of GQ‘s April issue.  Read the story here!

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

Leave a comment

This Week’s Tournaments:
Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships – Dubai, UAE
Abierto Mexicano Telcel – Acapulco, Mexico
Brasil Open – São Paulo, Brasil

Last Week’s Winners:
Rio Open – Dominic Thiem
Delray Beach Open – Jack Sock
Open 13 Marseille – Jo-Wilfred Tsonga

Grigor Dimitrov Walks Dolce & Gabbana Show
Grigor, who has the most wins on the ATP tour so far this season, is taking some time off before heading to Indian Wells next week.  He was spotted in Milan over the weekend, walking in the Dolce & Gabbana show, where Austin Mahone also performed.  We couldn’t have dreamed up a better show tbh.  Also, how does Grigor not have any modeling campaigns yet?  Watch out, Rafa!

Dominic Thiem Wins Title #8 in Rio
Thiem dominated his first clay court tournament of the season, winning the Rio Open without dropping a set.  Thiem was impressive all week, with his powerful ground strokes on full display.  Oh, and he also did this.   The title is the 8th of Thiem’s career, and we love seeing Domi back at the top of his game.    Bamos!

Jack Sock Wins Delray Beach Open
Jack won his 2nd title of the season in Delray Beach, albeit not in the way he had imagined.  He won the title after his opponent, Milos Raonic, had to withdraw before the match due to a hamstring injury sustained during his semi-final against Juan Martin del Potro.  The win puts Jack, the current #1 American player, up to a new career high of #18 in the ATP World Tour rankings.  Jack’s record so far in 2017 is 11-1, with his only loss to Jo-Wilfred Tsonga in the 3rd round of the Australian Open.   Congrats to Jack and wishing Milos a speedy recovery!

Vasek Pospisil Launches “Bounce” YouTube Channel
Vasek officially launched his YouTube channel, named “Bounce,” which promises to take a look at his life outside the tennis world.  Videos so far include Vasek trying out hockey and baseball, and singing some country songs.  Tune in every Friday for new videos!  #AnythingIsPospisil

World Tennis Day Is Next Week
Don’t forget World Tennis Day is next Monday, March 6th!  There will be festivities all over the world to celebrate, including  the BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden.  Tickets are still available for the event, which will put Team Americas (Jack Sock, Andy Roddick, Juan Martin del Potro, Venus Williams) against Team World (Nick Kyrgios, Lleyton Hewitt, Kei Nishikori, Garbine Mugaruza).

View this post on Instagram

Get. Excited. #BNPPShowdown #WorldTennisDay

A post shared by World Tennis Day (@worldtennisday) on

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

Leave a comment

This Week’s Tournaments:
Memphis Open – Memphis, TN, USA
ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament – Rotterdam, Netherlands
Argentina Open – Buenos Aires, Argentina

Last Week’s Winners:
Open Sud de France – Sascha Zverev
Garanti Koza Sofia Open – Grigor Dimitrov
Ecuador Open – Victor Estrella Burgos

Grigor Dimitrov Wins Hometown Tournament
Grigor won the Sofia Open, the first ATP World Tour tournament he’s played in his home country.  He defeated David Goffin in the final, 7-5, 6-4, in front of an enthusiastic hometown crowd.  The 12,000 capacity arena was sold out for the finals, with the Bulgarian fans out in full force to support Grigor.  The win is Grigor’s 2nd title of the season, and brings his record for the year to 14-1.  Let’s go Grisha!

View this post on Instagram

🏆🇧🇬

A post shared by Grigor Dimitrov (@grigordimitrov) on

 

Sasha Zverev Takes Singles & Doubles Titles In Montpellier
#NextGen star Sascha is also having a great 2017 so far.  He just won the 2nd singles title of his career at the Open Sud de France, defeating hometown favorite Richard Gasquet, 7-6 (4), 6-3, in the final.  Sascha then teamed up with his brother, Mischa Zverev, to win the doubles title, with a victory over Fabrice Martin and Daniel Nestor.  This is the first time an ATP player has won both the singles and doubles titles in the same tournament since Lleyton Hewitt in 2014.  The win also puts Sascha up to a career high ranking of #18 in the world, and at #1 in the #NextGenATP Race to Milan.

 

Toni Nadal To Step Down as Rafael Nadal’s Coach
The tennis world was shocked over the weekend when it was announced that Rafa’s uncle and longtime coach, Toni Nadal, would be stepping down at the end of 2017.  Toni has worked with Rafa for most of his life and for his entire professional career to date.   Carlos Moya joined Rafa’s coaching team before the start of this season.  Toni will no longer travel with Rafa and will instead focus on training emerging players at the recently opened Rafa Nadal Academy in Majorca.

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: Australian Open Recap

Leave a comment

This Week’s Tournaments:
Davis Cup – Round 1

Last Week’s Winners:
Australian Open:
Roger Federer
Serena Williams
Henri Kontinen & John Peers
Bethanie Mattek-Sands & Lucie Safarova
Abigail Spears & Juan Sebastian Cabal

Roger Federer Defeats Rafael Nadal To Win 18th Major Title
We got the dream final we’d all been hoping for since the draw came out:  Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal!   It was the first time they’ve played against each other in a slam final since 2011.   The 5-set match was thrilling from start to finish, with Federer winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.  The surprising final was especially sweet considering both players had been sidelined with injuries just months ago.  It’s wonderful seeing both players back on tour and on top of the game!  We’re looking forward to the rest of the season.

Grigor Dimitrov!
The Bulgarian fans were out in full force throughout the Australian Open, cheering on Grigor Dimitrov through the Semifinals.  Grigor was very impressive in his run to the Semis.  He pushed Nadal to 5 sets in one of the best matches of the tournament.  We’re glad to see Grigor playing at such a high level again, and can only hope this leads to a great season for him!

Mischa Zverev Reaches Career High Ranking
Zverev was a name heard frequently over the last two weeks, but it wasn’t talk of the 19-year-old #NextGen star Sascha Zverev.  His older brother, 29-year-old Mischa Zverev, reached the Quarterfinals of a slam for the first time, defeating current #1 Andy Murray in the process.  He lost to eventual champion Roger Federer in the Quarterfinals, but Mischa is now at a career high ranking of #35.


Davis Cup Round 1 Action
We’re already going through tennis withdrawl with the Australian Open ending.  Lucky for us, the 2017 Davis Cup gets underway this weekend, with first round ties happening around the world February 3-5.   Make sure you tune in and cheer for your favorite teams!
World Group Round 1: (host country in bold)
Argentina vs Italy
USA vs Switzerland
Germany vs Belgium
Australia vs Czech Republic
Japan vs France
Canada vs Great Britain
Serbia vs Russia
Croatia vs Spain

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

Leave a comment

This Week’s Tournaments:
ASB Classic – Auckland, New Zealand
Apia International Sydney – Sydney, Australia

Last Week’s Winners:
Brisbane International – Grigor Dimitrov
Qatar ExxonMobil Open – Novak Djokovic
Aircel Chennai Open – Roberto Bautista Agut
Hopman Cup – France (Richard Gasquet & Kiki Mladenovic)

Grigor Dimitrov Wins First Title Since 2014
It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly 3 years since Grigor Dimitrov won his last title, at Queen’s Club in 2014.  That same year he reached the top 10 for the first time, and made it to the semi-finals a at Wimbledon.  It’s been a tough couple of years for Grigor, who has been working hard to get back in top form.  He started 2017 in commanding fashion, taking out 3 top 10 players (Dominic Thiem, Milos Raonic, Kei Nishikori) on his way to the Brisbane title.  He also took one of the cutest and most excited trophy winning photos of all time.  More of this in 2017, please!

View this post on Instagram

🏆

A post shared by Grigor Dimitrov (@grigordimitrov) on


Dominic Thiem Hits The Beach
One of the hardest working men in tennis, Dominic Thiem, hit the “beach” in Sydney ahead of the tournament there this week.   Our dream job would be planning and supervising these ATP player field trips during tournaments.  Where can we sign up?   (Also someone please take Grigor back to a zoo while he’s in Australia so we get more of this)

James Blake Wins 2016 Powershares Season Finale in Brooklyn
Professional tennis made it’s return to Brooklyn for the first time since  1935 on a snowy Saturday night at the Barclays Center.   James Blake won the Powershares QQQ Cup, the last event on the 2016 Champions Tour.  James defeated Andy Roddick in the first semi-final, breaking Andy in the final game of the set.   (Andy’s serve is still on point in case you were wondering).  John McEnroe beat Jim Courier 6-3, before losing to James in the final.   The final set was an entertaining battle of the New Yorkers, with an energetic crowd cheering on both players.

Taylor Fritz Expecting First Child
Tennis Channel just casually mentioned that Taylor Fritz is expecting his first child any day now!   Fritz wed his longtime girlfriend Raquel Pedraza over the Summer.   Congrats Taylor and Raquel!

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: 2016 Season Comes To An End

Leave a comment

This Week’s Tournaments:
Davis Cup Finals – Zagreb, Croatia

Andy Murray Is Year End #1
For the first time in history, the battle for the year end #1 ranking came down to the final match in the last tournament of the year.  Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray fought for the #1 spot in the ATP World Tour Finals, with Murray  winning 6-3, 6-4.


Davis Cup Finals November 25-27
If you thought the tennis season was officially over, not yet!  The Davis Cup Finals are happening this weekend.  Argentina will take on Croatia at the Arena Zagreb.   Argentina has never won Davis Cup, but have come close as 4 time runners up.   Croatia won their only Davis Cup title in 2005.   With Delpo in action (remember his 5-set epic win over Andy Murray in the semi-finals?)  and a strong Croatian team, it should be an exciting final.

Argentina: Juan Martin del Potro, Guido Pella, Federico Delbonis, Leonardo Mayer

Croatia: Marin Cilic, Borna Coric, Ivo Karlovic, Ivan Dodig


ATP #NextGen Finals Launching in 2017
The ATP announced that Milan will host a season-ending final tournament for the top players under 21 starting next year.  The format will be similar to the ATP World Tour Finals, with the top 7 players under 21 qualifying based on ranking points earned throughout the season.  The 8th spot will be awarded via wildcard.  We love this idea and if anyone would like to send us to Milan next year, we are so there.

The tournament will feature “rule changes and innovations,” to make tennis more appealing to “the millennials,” to which we must again say please, please leave the format and rules of the game alone.

If the tournament existed in 2016, the players would have been: Nick Kyrgios, Sascha Zverev, Kyle Edmund, Borna Coric, Karen Khachanov, Taylor Fritz, Yoshihito Nishioka, Hyeon Chung


It’s The Off Season!
For everyone not participating in Davis Cup this week that is.  That means vacation Instagrams from your favorite players for the next month or so.  Also a reminder the Australian Open is in 55 days!

View this post on Instagram

Putting my agent to work // @chrisgmccormack

A post shared by Grigor Dimitrov (@grigordimitrov) on

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

Leave a comment

This Week’s Tournaments:
Shanghai Rolex Masters – Shanghai, China

Kyrgios Wins 3rd Title Of 2016
Nick Kyrgios won the biggest title of his career so far at the Rakuten Japan Open in Tokyo!  The title is Kyrgios’ 3rd of the season, and his first 500 level trophy.

View this post on Instagram

Good week #tokyo🇯🇵

A post shared by Nick Kyrgios (@k1ngkyrg1os) on

 

Murray Defeats Dimitrov in Beijing
Andy Murray won the 40th title of his career in Beijing, defeating Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 7-6(2) in the finals.

 

Frances Tiafoe Enters Top 100
#NextGen American Frances Tiafoe won the challenger title in Stockton, defeating fellow American Noah Rubin 6-4, 6-2 in the final.  The win puts Tiafoe into the top 100 for the first time in his career.

 

The Return of Tommy’s Pumpkin
It’s that time of year again, Tommy’s pumpkin is back!  If you have no idea what we’re talking about, you need to be following Reilly Opelka and Tommy Paul on social media.  Trust us, just do it.

In case you missed it, the OG pumpkin of 2015: