Australian Tennis Magazine - August/September 2020

RESILIENCE ISSUE COMING BACK STRONGER

SAM STOSUR THE STRENGTH WITHIN

POWERFUL INFLUENCES ENDURING CHAMPIONS

SPIRITED SUPERSTARS WINNING OVER ADVERSITY

BOUNCING BACK A SWIFT RECOVERY

AUG / SEPT 2020 A$7.50 / NZ$8.40 / US$7.50

PLUS SURVIVE SETBACKS VISUALISE SUCCESS TRAIN SMARTER

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contents AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2020 VOL.45 NO.3

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COMING OF AGE As a milestone birthday approached for Alexei Popyrin, the fast-rising Australian was already displaying a maturity well beyond his 21 years.

14

A YEAR TO REMEMBER

Sharing the highs and lows of life during the COVID-19 pandemic, Sam Stosur reflects on the importance of resilience and reveals a special reason for gratitude.

FEATURES 18 AUSSIES IN ISOLATION

With professional tennis suspended since March, we found out what life has been like for Australian players.

22 AROUND THE WORLD

When a worldwide health crisis shut down professional tennis, a series of local exhibitions and tournaments highlighted the uniting power of the sport.

28 EXCITING NEW CHAPTERS

As Chris Guccione resumes his professional career after a near three-year hiatus, the Australian follows an emerging trend of players making unexpected returns to tour.

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AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE

EDITOR Vivienne Christie ASSOCIATE EDITOR Leigh Rogers FOUNDING EDITOR Alan Trengove

PHOTOGRAPHS Getty Images John Anthony COVER PHOTO Getty Images

ART DIRECTOR Andrea Williamson Australian Tennis Magazine is published by TENNIS AUSTRALIA LTD, Private Bag 6060, Richmond, Vic 3121.

Email: editor@tennismag.com.au Distributed by Ovato Printed in Australia by Ive The views expressed in Australian Tennis Magazine are not necessarily those held

by Tennis Australia. While the utmost care is taken in compiling the information contained in this publication, Tennis Australia is not responsible for any loss or injury occurring as a result of any omissions in either the editorial or advertising appearing herein.

32 STAR GAZING

After beginning the 2020 season in red-hot fashion, these players are ones to watch when professional tennis resumes.

46 THE ‘WHAT IFS’ OF SEASON 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic wiped out five months of the 2020 season, leaving many unanswerable questions of what might have been.

50 WHY I’LL MISS WIMBLEDON

Nine-time Wimbledon gentlemen’s doubles champion Todd Woodbridge reflects on the cancellation of the 2020 tournament.

26

POWERFUL INFLUENCES

Even in the absence of live tennis, Roger Federer and Serena Williams maintained their strong influence on the sport.

REGULARS 6 7 8 10 11 12

FIRST SERVE FAN ZONE BREAKPOINTS IN THE SPOTLIGHT ONE TO WATCH TOP TEN

53 64 69 70 72 74

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SPIRITED CHAMPIONS As tennis faces one of its biggest global obstacles in recent history, many stars have already proven their resilience throughout their careers.

YOUR GAME AUSSIE WATCH SCOREBOARD RANKINGS KIDS’ CLUB LAST WORD

FIRST SERVE

“Injuries and setbacks can really cripple some players, while others use them as motivation to come back even stronger.”

SAM STOSUR

Collective spirit

S

am Stosur as a between 2007 and 2008, Stosur superstar tennis has also persisted through player has long been confidence-sapping losses a fondly familiar and more recently battled to story for fans of overcome a serious hand injury.

Australian sport.

While admitting they’ve tested With a prodigious talent that’s resilience, such challenges have captivated since she debuted on built determination too. As Stosur the professional tour more than writes: “Injuries and setbacks can two decades ago, Sam has also really cripple some players, while drawn in countless supporters as others use them as motivation to she overcame career-threatening come back even stronger.” challenges to become a multiple The Queenslander is drawing Grand Slam champion and one of on that spirit as she, like all this nation’s most enduring stars. professional players, face But there are of course more the challenges created sides to Stosur than the

by COVID-19. tennis-playing one, as With months SUPPORTED AND she demonstrates in a of competition SUPPORTIVE: fi rst-person exclusive lost in the Australian stars Ash Barty, Sam for this edition of 2020 season Stosur and Australian Tennis and restarts Kimberly Birrell Magazine. scheduled thrive with As she candidly in uncertain support from shares the highs and circumstances, friends and fans. lows of her journey an optimistic to become a parent to baby outlook has never been more daughter Genevieve (Evie) in critical. “I’ve really focused June, the Queenslander also my energy to reframe underlines the resilience that’s the whole situation in a shaped a stunning tennis career. positive way,” Stosur says.

Overcoming the debilitating She’s done so with Lyme Disease that kept her off the help of her friends. tour for the best part of a year Australian players have 6

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clearly banded together in a difficult period, Stosur revealing she trained with colleagues when circumstances allowed and kept in close contact with others online.

That spirit of support also flows throughout the pages of this magazine. While Stosur writes for us for the fi rst time, her close friend Todd Woodbridge

shares some special insights on Wimbledon, where his nine gentlemen’s doubles title make him the most successful male player of the Open era.

The accomplished Kimberly Birrell talks us through the lessons she’s learned throughout their own injury challenges, encouraging readers to reach out to others in difficult times. “Lean on the people around you for support even if it means fi ghting the urge to isolate yourself,” she popular Queenslander relates.

It’s a strategy that’s also applied for rising Australian Alexei Popyrin, who spent the lockdown period at his training base in France. Acknowledging the silver lining of spending time with his girlfriend and tightknit family, the 21-year-old showed a maturity that’s bound to take him far.

While undeniably challenging, there was clearly value in the enforced time away from tennis. For Stosur, that means sitting out the rest of this season as she enjoys parenthood with baby Evie and looks to the 2021 season with newfound appreciation and a sense of gratitude. When the time comes for Australian players to return to the tour, there’ll be fresh perspective and a strong spirit of support.

Vivienne Christie editor@tennismag.com.au

Spirited

PICTORIAL

Champions

As tennis faces one of its biggest global obstacles in recent history, many stars have already proved their resilience in overcoming varying challenges throughout their careers.

VENUS WILLIAMS After turning professional at age 14 in 1994, Venus Williams remarkably remains a top-70 ranked force at age 40. The American has transcended multiple generations with a pronounced influence both on and off the court. Her athleticism has revolutionised women’s tennis and the seven-time major singles champion has successfully campaigned for equal prize money.

Having now contested more Grand Slam singles main draws than any player in history, Venus’ longevity is even more remarkable considering her 2011 diagnosis with energy-sapping autoimmune disease Sjogrens Syndrome. “I don’t focus on what I’m up against.

I focus on my goals and I try to ignore the rest,” she says.

FEATURE

When a worldwide health crisis shutdown professional tennis, a series of local exhibitions and tournaments highlighted the uniting power of the sport.

Around the

T

he COVID-19 pandemic had a wide-reaching impact around the world, with no player or country immune to the unprecedented consequences.

As of mid-July, Australia had close to 10,000 cases of COVID-19.

As the country emerged from a Government-ordered isolation period, the popularity of tennis soared as Australians looked for activities where they could safely practice physical distancing.

Court hire numbers in May doubled year-on-year, as tennis increasingly became a sport of choice across the country.

As well as enjoying the physical benefits of tennis, fans also appreciated its entertainment 22

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world

value – both to play and watch.

Live streams of exhibitions held across the globe kept fans engaged and for professional players, these events provided opportunities to compete while the tours were suspended. It highlighted the uniting power of the sport in a challenging time. This was evident in many countries, including:

GERMANY

Although Germany recorded in excess of 200,000 cases of COVID-19, it became the first country to host live tennis following the tour suspensions.

A Tennis Point Exhibition Series in early May adopted strict health measures that

included no fans on site. More exhibition events followed in Berlin in July, where electronic line calling replaced line judges and former world No.2 Tommy Haas competed alongside stars including Australian Open finalist Dominic Thiem.

GREAT BRITAIN

The COVID-19 situation was serious in Great Britain, with more than 290,000 cases. Prime Minister Boris Johnson was hospitalised with the illness and Prince Charles was also forced into isolation after a positive test. Seven-time Grand Slam doubles champion Jamie Murray organised a Battle of the Brits players-only event in June, which

featured the nation’s top-ranked men and raised money for charity.

Dan Evans won the singles title with consecutive wins over Andy Murray and Kyle Edmund. Local leagues, played without fans and strict physical distancing, provided British players further chances to compete.

SERBIA

World No.1 Novak Djokovic instigated an Adria Tour, with planned stops across four countries in south-east Europe.

The first stop in Belgrade in June drew worldwide headlines as fans packed the stands to watch. The decision not to follow physical distancing guidelines proved controversial, with

lockdown, Patrick Mouratoglou cases. The Madrid Open, usually hosted an Ultimate Tennis played in early May, became a Showdown at his Nice virtual tournament with several academy in June-July. The high-profile players competing event featured four top-10 in an e-sports version from their players, as well as Australia’s lounge rooms. Andy Murray Alexei Popyrin defeated David STAYING SAFE: (pictured below).

Goffin to win the World No.21 John It ran across five men’s singles final Isner donned weekends, with an and Kiki Bertens beat a mask, while online stream for fans.

Fiona Ferro in the Andy Murray and Players competed over his coach Jamie women’s final. Tennis Delgado practised quarters instead of sets, returned in June with physical distancing one of many new rules regional tournaments. in exhibition events. in a format branded Alicante-based Alex as ‘revolutionary’ by de Minaur advanced Mouratoglou. “I do this because to the final of an event in I feel that tennis needs to Valencia, but the Australian’s reinvent itself,” said Serena showdown against world No.12 Williams’ long-time coach.

Roberto Bautista Agut was a wash out.

SPAIN

There was a strict lockdown in Spain, with residents unable to leave their homes for several months as the country dealt with over 254,000 COVID-19

CZECH REPUBLIC

Tennis resumed in the Czech Republic in late May with a series of exhibition events following physical distancing measures

Djokovic and fellow competitors Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki all later contracting COVID-19. After the tour’s cancellation, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and Djokovic both apologised for allowing the event to run without full safety measures. “I am so deeply sorry our tournament has caused harm,” said Djokovic, who was one of 18,000 cases of COVID-19 in Serbia. “Everything the organisers and I did, we did with a pure heart and sincere intentions.”

FRANCE

There were more than 171,000 cases of COVID-19 recorded across France. After a lengthy AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE

23

COMEBACKS

E x c i t i ng

NEW CHAPTERS As Chris Guccione resumes his professional career after a near three-year hiatus, the Australian follows an emerging trend of players making unexpected returns to tour. LEIGH ROGERS reports

W

hen the Australian team was announced for the inaugural ATP Cup in January, there was a surprise inclusion.

Alongside top-ranked players Alex de Minaur, Nick Kyrgios, John Millman and John Peers, the team also included Chris Guccione – a 34-year-old who had not played a tour-level tournament in almost three years.

After advancing to the men’s doubles quarterfinals and mixed doubles semifinals at Australian Open 2017, a painful Achilles injury had forced Guccione off tour.

“I just wasn’t able to continue with the way my body was,” Guccione explained to Australian Tennis Magazine.

The big-serving left-hander had partially torn his right Achilles earlier in his career and after years of overcompensating, his left Achilles was also causing issues.

Guccione, who achieved a career-high singles ranking of No.67 in 2008 and peaked at No.38 in doubles in 2014, was unsure if he would ever play professionally again. The 18-time Davis Cup representative and two-time Olympian joined his brother operating a coaching business and accepted a head coaching position at Greenvale Tennis Club in Melbourne.

“After a couple of years of coaching and not doing too much else, my injuries healed up and 28

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felt better,” Guccione said. “So I decided to start training again.”

An injury-free Guccione adopted an intense training routine in mid-2019, with an eye on using his protected doubles ranking for the 2020 Australian summer.

“I didn’t know if my Achilles would flare up again if I came back – but they didn’t,” he said.

“Getting back into shape was hard, but it was enjoyable as well. It is easy to train when you’re not injured. The last few years of my career, I was unable to train because of injuries.

The motivation was always there – I never stopped enjoying competition and competing at a high level.”

After losing close to 30 kilograms, Guccione proudly lined up for Australia in the inaugural ATP Cup. “To be able to come back to play in a Grand Slam and the ATP Cup spurred me on even more,” Guccione said.

The five-time ATP doubles champion made an impressive return in the new team competition, going undefeated in round-robin doubles matches alongside Peers. This included a straight-sets win against reigning French Open champions Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies.

“I always knew I had the tennis in me, I just had to get back there physically and to be able to move pain-free again,” Guccione said.

“Obviously I was nervous because I hadn’t played a

match in a few years, but I was also excited. It was good to be back out there and the guys were really good about it and welcomed me back.

“I knew I was training well and hitting the ball well. I’d been training with some of those guys in December and keeping up with them fine. It was just a matter of transferring it onto the court, which I’m thankful I did.”

Guccione’s Grand Slam return was also successful, advancing to the Australian Open second round partnering fellow Australian Matt Reid. With his eight-year-old daughter Kendall and five-year-old son Hayden supporting him at Melbourne Park, Guccione described it as a proud moment.

CHRIS GUCCIONE

comeback, he found it across the net in his second round Australian Open match.

Slovakian Filip Polasek, who alongside Croatian partner Ivan Dodig ended Guccione’s Grand Slam return, is proving it is never too late to return. The 35-yearold has made a sensational professional comeback after a five-year retirement.

“Physically, I couldn’t continue,” Polasek related to ATPTour.com of his retirement at age 28 in 2013.

“I had a nerve issue in my back, and I had loose discs in my spine. My leg would jump after matches. I'd get to the locker room and I simply couldn't control the nerves in my left leg. If I didn't physically hold it still with my hands, it would jump sometimes

“I always knew I had the tennis in me, I just had to get back there physically.”

“I had all my family and friends there and it was good my kids could see me competing at that level. They got a real kick out if it,” he said. “My daughter remembers a little bit of me playing earlier, but my son didn’t have any memories.”

If Guccione needed any further inspiration in his

for as long as 15 minutes. To say it was bad is an understatement. I knew my career was over.”

Polasek became a tennis coach too, a way to stay involved in the sport without the physical pressures of competing. With rest, his injuries healed and the temptation to return to tour proved too strong to ignore.

BACK ON COURT: Kim Clijsters, Filip Polasek and Chris Guccione have all returned to professional tennis after extended breaks.

FEATURE

The COVID-19 pandemic wiped out five months of the 2020 season, leaving many unanswerable questions of what might have been. By LEIGH ROGERS What if the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games went ahead?

For the first time in history, the Olympic Games have been postponed for a year. The Tokyo 2020 event, originally scheduled for 24 July to 9 August, will now be held in July 2021. It has implications for all players, as typically 12-month rankings help determine the players who qualify for this event. This increases pressure on veterans such as Venus Williams and Leander Paes to continue performing strongly for another year so they can maintain their rankings.

Williams, the Sydney 2000 singles gold medallist, has made no secret that qualifying for Tokyo 2020 is one of her biggest late-career motivations.

The 40-year-old is a four-time Olympic gold medallist, also winning doubles gold alongside sister Serena in 2000, 2008 and 2012, and hopes to become the fi rst American tennis player to compete at six Olympics. Venus’ ranking was already sliding in 2019, recording her lowest year-end fi nish in eight seasons after not advancing further than a quarterfi nal in the 15 tournaments she contested. With 11 American women currently ranked ahead of Venus, the delay intensifies the pressure on 46

AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE

the world No.67 to improve her What if rankings were not frozen? ranking when the tour resumes.

The ATP Tour and WTA “(If) I’m blessed enough to play Tour made the decision to again, that would be an amazing freeze player rankings until opportunity,” says Venus, who tournaments resumed. With also won a mixed doubles silver players unable to earn or defend medal with Rajeev Ram in 2016. ranking points during the Paes, an Indian doubles star pandemic, it was lauded as a who made his Olympic debut fair option. For Novak Djokovic in 1992, is targeting a record though, it could affect his place ninth Olympic appearance. He in the record books. is unsure of his GOLDEN GIRLS: Venus and Having regained future playing plans Serena Williams, pictured the world No.1 though, knowing celebrating doubles gold ranking in early another 12 months is in 2012, are targeting February, Djokovic a big commitment to another Olympic Games appearance. was only five weeks make at age 47. shy of overtaking “I haven’t made a American Pete Sampras in second decision yet whether I will come place on the list of most weeks back in 2021 or not. A lot of it atop of the ATP singles rankings. will ride on (qualifying for) the Djokovic, who was in his 282nd Olympics,” said the world No.115.

week at No.1 when the ranking freeze began, is also closing in on Roger Federer’s all-time record of 310 weeks. If rankings had not been frozen, Djokovic could have been becoming the longest reigning No.1 ever in October. If he is to achieve that record, it now cannot happen until at least 2021.

Brad Gilbert, a former world No.4 who later coached Andy Roddick and Andy Murray, believes the frozen rankings have been unfair on Djokovic.

“Federer fans will get upset, but I think Djokovic should get credit for those weeks while the rankings are frozen with him at No. 1,” he told ESPN. “He earned the ranking, and he was going to be No. 1 for a while even if things went on as normal."

What if Wimbledon was played?

Was this Serena Williams’ best chance to equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles? Already a seven-time singles champion at the All England Club, would she have won an eighth title in 2020?

Serena has an 89 per cent winning record at the tournament, where she has made the fi nal in her past four appearances. Set to turn 39 in September, the tournament’s cancellation could diminish Serena’s chances of adding to her incredible Wimbledon record.

STALLED: World No.1 Novak Djokovic's chances to create history in 2020 are reduced.

YOUR GAME

YOURGAME

Boost your on-court performance

54 READY FOR BATTLE

Facing a higher-ranked opponent is always daunting, but it is important to embrace the challenge.

56 LEARNING FROM SETBACKS

Kimberly Birrell shares her experiences and the lessons she has learnt while dealing with injury.

58 BE THE PRO

Australia’s Jordan Thompson is proving that hard work never goes out of style.

59 VISUALISING SUCCESS

Adopting the right mindset under pressure can prove the difference between winning and losing.

60 BUILDING RESILIENCE

Resilience is a quality that is never too late to learn, however early experiences shape it.

61 RECIPES FOR SUCCESS

Building healthy eating habits is an ongoing challenge, even for professional players.

62 TRAINING BETTER

Specific training programs and online resources can help improve performance.

INSPIRATION: The meticulous approach of world No.6 Stefanos Tsitsipas demonstrates the value in working hard both on and off the court.

AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE

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