Exclusive Q&A with Flavio Cipolla

by: Nima Naderi

Reaching a ranking high of No. 70 on the ATP World Tour this week, Italian veteran Flavio Cipolla is quietly putting together the best season of his nine year career.

Advancing to his first Tour semifinal during the Grand Prix Hassan II in Casablanca, Morocco, Cipolla recorded his second career victory over up-and-coming Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov in the second-round.

Possessing a solid one-handed backhand and great flair for the game, Cipolla had a chance to answer some of our questions before resuming his clay-court season at the Estoril Open in Portugal.

The Roma native didn’t hold back when discussing his training regimen, favorite tournament to win, and what factors will bring Italian tennis back to the forefront of the sport.

Q. What would you pin-point as the main cause of your recent string of good results?

A. I have been producing good results for a year now and I am constantly at a high level that allows me to play with the best players in the world. I wouldn’t say that there has been one particular factor for my recent results. I have always trained to improve all around and not forget any aspect [of my game]. If I had to find one [thing] to change above anything else, I would say that I have to play more aggressively compared to before.  As time goes on, players need to be able to impose their game plans if they want to survive [on Tour].

Q. At this stage of your career, what ranking and tournament goals have you set for yourself?

A. For the moment the goal is to enter the top 50.

Q. With the clay-court in full swing, what changes have you made to your daily training?

A. Right after Miami I practiced [for] two weeks on clay in order to arrive as ready as possible for Casablanca. I worked especially [hard] on my endurance and trained with weights as well. I increased the height of my shots over the net on clay, and I have worked on my topspin backhand because I will have to use it more often than on hard courts.

Q. You’ve had some great hard-court wins in the past year, defeating the likes of Alexandr Dologpolov, Bernard Tomic, Kei Nishikori, Ivan Ljubicic and Nikolay Davydenko. Would you say at this point in your career that hard-courts are your favorite surface?

A. Yes, I would say that my favorite surface is fast courts, but I am not 100 percent sure. I was born on clay and I have obtained good results on the surface. To be honest, I think that on a hard court my chances are better for beating a top player than on clay.

Q. After playing on Tour for nearly a decade, what significant changes have you seen from the tournament venues, surfaces and playing styles?

A. I think that the surfaces have become slower compared with a few years ago and in my opinion it is a positive change. I think that the tournaments are constantly trying to improve each year, but the level of the players have improved the most. Tennis has developed much more than other sports during the last 10 years, and the average level [of the players] has risen incredibly.

Q. With six Italian players currently in the top 100, how would you assess the level of your countryman and the future of Italian tennis?

A. The overall level of the Italian players has risen significantly during the last years. We now have six players inside the top 100 and many more inside the top 300. We miss that champion which would further boost the enthusiasm of the country; someone in the top 10 or the top 20. But never say never.

Q. If you could capture any tournament on Tour, which one would it be and why?

A. If I had to choose a tournament then I would have say the Roma Masters. I was born and grew up in Roma and as a youngster I dreamt of participating in the event. The tournament is very close to my heart. The support of the fans is incredible, especially for a Roman like me.

Q. Who is your best friend on the circuit?

A. I have many friends on the circuit. I have a great bond with the Italian players, but I wouldn’t want to pick just one.

Q. What’s the funniest moment you can recall during your playing days?

A. I’ll have to get back to you on that one.

Nadal, Murray, Raonic reach quarters in Barcelona

Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell—Barcelona, Spain

Spaniard Rafael Nadal won his 31st straight match at the Barcelona Open on Thursday, defeating doubles specialist Robert Farah, 6-2, 6-3.

In a match that was largely dictated by the experience of Nadal, the top seed broke serve on five occasions, while losing his delivery once in the second set.

Not losing a set in Barcelona since 2008, Nadal will next face world No. 8 Janko Tipsarevic for a place in the semifinals. Tipsarevic upended Frederico Gil, 6-2, 6-2.

Elsewhere, No. 2 seed Andy Murray breezed through Santiago Giraldo, 6-1, 6-2.

Serving nine aces and winning 81 percent of his first serve points, Murray was not fooled by any of Giraldo’s shots during the first-time meeting.

Never winning a clay-court title to date, Murray will next face Milos Raonic for a final four berth. Raonic picked up the best clay-court win of his career by ousting Nicolas Almagro, 6-3, 6-3.

Other winners on the day included Kei Nishikori and Feliciano Lopez.

Defending champ Mayer ousted in Bucharest

BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy—Bucharest, Romania

Second-round results:

Xavier Malisse defeats (2) Florian Mayer 7-5, 4-6, 6-4; Daniel Brands defeats Jurgen Zopp 7-6(3), 6-3; Attila Balazs defeats Potito Starace 6-3, 6-4.

Nadal, Ferrer and Raonic advance in Barcelona

Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell—Barcelona, Spain

Top seed Rafael Nadal continued his stellar run on the European clay this spring in Barcelona on Wednesday, defeating countryman Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-1, 6-2.

In a match that took one hour and 22 minutes to complete, Nadal won 81 percent of his first serve points and broke Garcia-Lopez on six occasions.

Improving to 4-1 against Garcia-Lopez in lifetime meetings, Nadal will next face either Pablo Andujar or Robert Farah for a place in the quarterfinals. Nadal, who is coming off of his eighth straight Monte Carlo title, has won this event on six previous occasions.

Elsewhere, David Ferrer breezed passed Filip Krajinovic 6-0, 6-3, and Milos Raonic grabbed his second win in three tries against Igor Andreev, defeating the Russian, 6-4, 6-1.

Ferrer will next face Albert Montanes and Raonic will next take on good friend Nicolas Almagro.

Other second-round winners on Wednesday included Kei Nishikori, Santiago Giraldo, Jarkko Nieminen and Kevin Anderson.

Djokovic out of Belgrade tournament

From NovakDjokovic.com.

Novak Djokovic has decided to pull out of the Serbia Open tournament, an ATP World Tour 250 event taking place in Belgrade from April 30 to May 6.

“After consulting with my family, I’ve made a decision not to take part in the tournament this year. I will take some time, try restore my emotional energy. This is certainly one of the toughest decisions in my career, but it is impossible for me to play in the next few days and to think about tennis, when there are some other things in my head,” Djokovic explained.

Nole will next play at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid. The 24-year-old Belgrade native will enter the event as the defending champion.

Fish Commits to New-Look Washington Event

Top-ranked American Mardy Fish will headline the ATP World Tour 500 tennis tournament in Washington, D.C., to be played 28 July-5 August. The new-look event becomes the Citi Open and and will be played at an upgraded William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center.

“We’re thrilled to have the top-ranked American, Mardy Fish, committed early to this year’s Citi Open,” said Jeff Newman, Tournament Director and Senior Vice President at Lagardère-Unlimited. “2012 is a big year for the tournament – with a new title sponsor, the inclusion of a WTA women’s event this year, and new facility upgrades – and so it’s exciting to also have a Top 10 player participating in our event.”

Fish has been eager to return to the tournament after being forced to withdraw from the 2011 edition due to a bruised right heel he suffered the week before in the Los Angeles tournament. Now 30, he is currently the top-ranked American – with just over 100 points separating him and the USA No. 2, John Isner. Last year he topped Isner to take the crown at the BT&T Atlanta Open, bringing his career singles titles total to six. He was also the runner-up at the Rogers Cup and the Farmers Classic. So far in 2012, he has maintained his Top 10 ranking highlighted by reaching the quarter-finals at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.

As an ATP World Tour 500 level event, the Citi Open is recognised by the ATP World Tour as one of the top 20 tournaments worldwide and continually attracts the best men’s tennis players from around the globe. Past champions include five-time champion Andre Agassi, three-time champions Jimmy Connors, Guillermo Villas and Andy Roddick, two-time champions Ivan Lendl, Michael Chang and Juan Martin Del Potro along with Arthur Ashe, Stefan Edberg, Yannick Noah, James Blake, Lleyton Hewitt, Tim Henman and many more.

The WTA tournament, which was called the Citi Open and held the week before the then-Legg Mason Tennis Classic in 2011, will be played simultaneously with the ATP World Tour 500 event in 2012 only to accommodate the Olympics schedule. The inclusion of the women’s event this year will allow tournament organisers to create an enhanced experience for fans and players who attend, including numerous site upgrades such as a 2,500-seat show court to accommodate both tournaments.

As part of a multi-year commitment, Citi becomes just the seventh title sponsor in the 44-year history of the tournament, replacing Legg Mason, which had been the longest-running ATP title sponsor in North America to date (since 1994).

“The tournament has a storied history in Washington, D.C.,” said Dermot Boden, Citi Chief Brand Officer. “It’s been a prominent event on the ATP World Tour for years, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to do our part in carrying on the rich tradition, along with taking it to new heights as the Citi Open. This iconic Washington, D.C., event is a great way to mark our involvement in the local community, both on and off the court.”

“Tennis is truly a global sport, and we are fortunate to have one of the world’s most recognised and prestigious brands now entitling our tournament,” said Donald Dell, Group President of Lagarde?re Unlimited and Tournament Chairman. “We’re grateful to have had a long and prosperous relationship with Legg Mason, and we anticipate an excellent relationship and partnership with Citi for many years to come.”

An integral part of the sports and entertainment fabric of Washington, DC for 43 years, the Citi Open, a Lagardère Unlimited production, is owned by and benefits the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation (WTEF), which seeks to improve the life prospects for DC area youth.

Tickets for the 2012 Citi Open will go on sale on Thursday, May 10. For more information about the Citi Open and tickets please visit www.citiopentennis.com or call the tournament hotline at 202-721-9500.

ATP Approves Event In Rio de Janeiro From 2014

ATP World Tour tennis is headed to Rio de Janeiro, host city to the 2016 Olympic Games and co-host of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The ATP Board of Directors last week in Monte-Carlo approved the sale of the Memphis membership to IMX to stage an ATP World Tour 500 event from 2014 in Brazil’s iconic city of almost 6 million people.

IMX is a joint venture between Brazilian company EBX and IMG, the global sports, fashion and media company.

“We were presented with a fantastic opportunity to further strengthen the ATP’s presence in South America and Brazil, in particular, a country with a great tradition in tennis. Rio de Janeiro is a vibrant world city that will offer an excellent platform for the ATP World Tour and men’s tennis,” said ATP Executive Chairman and President Brad Drewett.

Memphis will continue to operate as an ATP World Tour 500 event in 2013 and then as a 250 event from 2014 onwards. San Jose, like Memphis part-owned by Sharks Sports & Entertainment, will be held for the final time in 2013.

“We are pleased to continue the long-standing tradition of bringing world-class tennis to the Racquet Club of Memphis,” said Mike Lehr, Executive Vice President of Business Development, Sharks Sports & Entertainment. “Memphis has always been a strong market for professional tennis with tremendous community support and fan interest. We look forward to hosting the tournament again in 2013 and for many years to come.”

Added Lehr: “We are currently in discussions to bring world-class tennis matches and events featuring the biggest names in professional tennis to the Bay Area and HP Pavilion at San Jose. We look forward to maintaining the Bay Area’s rich tennis tradition.”

As part of its normal process, the ATP will later this year determine a calendar and format for 2014 and 2015.

Raonic in Harry Rosen ad

Canadian Milos Raonic, who is sponsored by French clothing company Lacoste, recently sat down with Matt Barnes to discuss what motivates him on a daily basis.

Filmed at the Rexall Center in Toronto, Raonic is featured in the latest from Lacoste for Harry Rosen.

Milos Raonic wearing Lacoste for Harry Rosen from Spot Cinema on Vimeo.

Murray, Verdasco reach third-round in Barcelona; Dodig loses in Bucharest

Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell—Barcelona, Spain

First-round results:

(15) B Tomic defeats Ernests Gulbis 6-3, 6-4; Guillmero Garcia-Lopez defeats Oliver Rochus 6-3, 6-3; (17) Albert Ramos defeats Andreas Beck 4-1; Mikhail Kukushkin defeats Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-2, 6-3; Frederico Gil defeats (12) Marcel Granollers 6-2, 6-2; Igor Andreev defeats Diego Junqueira 6-2, 6-3; (13) Kevin Anderson defeats Malek Jaziri 6-2, 6-3; Victor Hanescu defeats Rui Machado 6-3, 7-6(5).

Second-round results:

(2) Andy Murray defeats Sergiy Stakovsky 6-3, 6-2; (9) Fernando Verdasco defeats Steve Darcis 6-3, 6-1.

BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy—Bucharest, Romania

First-round results:

Dudi Sela defeats Adrian Ungur 7-6(2), 6-2; Marius Copil defeats Tobias Kamke 6-3, 6-2; Jurgen Zopp defeats Victor Crivoi 6-3, 6-3; Fabio Fognini defeats Joao Souza 7-5, 7-6(5); Daniel Brands defeats (8) Ivan Dodig 7-6(4), 6-2; Cedrik-Marcel Stebe defeats Erik Chvojka 6-3, 6-3; Attila Balazs defeats Lukas Lacko 6-7(7), 7-6(2), 6-4; (6) Andreas Seppi defeats Guillaume Rufin 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-4.

Video: Federer in latest Jura ad

Missing Roger Federer much? If so, you can checkout the 16-time major winner in his latest ad for Jura coffee.

As always, Federer appears calm and relaxed as he promotes another great product.

The making of the ad:

Final production:

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