The abiding memory of Viktor Troicki is delivering for Serbia. Whether it was being held aloft on the shoulders of his compatriots, who rushed onto court at the Belgrade Arena in celebration of clinching the 2010 Davis Cup crown or, 10 years later, when he partnered Novak Djokovic in the deciding doubles match against Spain to capture the inaugural ATP Cup title.
The 35-year-old, who officially announces his retirement from professional tennis, transformed into a world-beater in international team competitions, moving out of the shadows of his childhood friends Djokovic and Janko Tipsarevic, during a golden age for Serbian tennis.
“It’s been a wonderful ride,” Troicki told ATPTour.com this week. “I am happy with what I achieved and I lived my dream with friends since childhood. I achieved things I never thought I could, but I want to enjoy some time at home now with my family.”
Troicki came mightily close to a place in the Top 10 of the FedEx ATP Rankings during the European clay swing in 2011 and won three ATP Tour singles titles, plus two doubles trophies. But nothing compared to his emotions after he struck a crosscourt backhand return winner to beat France’s Michael Llodra 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 in the deciding rubber of the 2010 Davis Cup final. Watched by 17,000 fans in Belgrade, it gave him “the greatest experience of my life”.
World No. 1 Djokovic paid tribute to Troicki, telling ATPTour.com this week, “Congratulations on your career. It’s a sad day for all of us who know you. We’ve been friends for a very long time, since [we were] eight years old [and] played so many matches against each other in Serbia. We travelled so much, played doubles [together], won [the] ATP Cup and Davis Cup and had some unforgettable memories on the Tour and the court.
“It’s been an incredible journey to witness your career as your friend, colleague and compatriot. Your commitment for the Serbian tennis team has been incredible, unprecedented and you’ve been a great inspiration for many generations of young tennis players in Serbia… You should be proud of everything you’ve achieved.”
Troicki, who dreamed of playing important matches as a child, worked for everything he achieved. When he partnered Djokovic to a deciding doubles match victory over Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta and Feliciano Lopez in the 2020 ATP Cup final, Troicki became the first player to win each of the three men’s team competition titles (also two World Team Cup titles in 2009 and 2012 at the Rochusclub in Dusseldorf).
“I won two World Team Cups in Dusseldorf, the Davis Cup and the ATP Cup, so I’m really proud,” said Troicki. “Winning the Davis Cup in 2010, in front of a home crowd, in the deciding rubber was crazy. I will take it with me forever.”
In tribute to his good friend, Tipsarevic told ATPTour.com this week, “Congratulations on an unbelievable career. It was an honour for me to share all of the downs and the ups, especially the ups of your career. You’ve reached the top of our sport and I’m sure that in the continuation of your life, with the same attitude and the same spirit that you had on a tennis court, you will reach new heights.”
Former doubles World No. 1 Nenad Zimonjic told ATPTour.com, “He had a great career, reaching No. 12, being a part of the Davis Cup team and winning the deciding rubber against France for the title. He should be proud of his career and I wish him all the best in the future. We have a lot of great memories. He is 10 years younger than I am, and I try to help all of our players. Viktor was no exception. We also had the chance to win the Sofia title together in 2017.”Troicki’s parents scraped together money to give their son the best possible chance of tennis success during a period of economic uncertainty in Serbia. He came across Djokovic and Tipsarevic at junior tournaments in Serbia, before moving to train in Boca Raton, Florida, for two years as a teenager.
“I’ve known Novak since he was eight, meeting him in one of his first tournaments,” said Troicki. “We played each other in the second round, and I beat him nine games to love. Janko was two years older than me, and he accepted me like a brother. He always helped me to feel welcome, support me and gave me great advice.
“I was maybe not as gifted as some other players at my age, so I had to prove myself and to work even harder to make it and become a top player. I never gave up. It was great to travel, compete together and have such good friends.”
Out of the juniors that included a 2004 Wimbledon doubles final appearance with Robin Haase, Troicki came under the guidance of Jan de Witt. Troicki learned about self-discipline and how to work in a professional way from the German’s training base in Halle and formed a long-term partnership with fitness trainer Milos Jelisavcic.
“He had the ability to work day in and day out,” De Witt, Troicki’s coach from 2006 to 2012, told ATPTour.com. “He worked hard every day. He brought the physical strength and he had a good first serve. We made progress every year, No. 450 to 220, then at the end of the second year at No. 120, then 60, 30, 20 and close to the Top 10 in his best year. Initially, we worked a lot on his second serve, to win more points, and to win points on second serve return.
“He enjoyed the team environment in Halle, working with players like Marco Chiudinelli, Jarkko Nieminen and Ivan Dodig. He liked having people around him, taking the positives from it. All the Serbians are good team players. They are really proud to play for their country.
“When we started working to help him win the Davis Cup with his friends, and to be able to reach that dream in the deciding rubber, it was amazing. I learned from Viktor that as long as you work hard, there are no limitations. He did more in his career than I ever thought possible.”
www.atptour.com/en/news/troicki-retirement-tribute-june-2021
Viktor Troicki Retires From Professional Tennis | ATP Tour
/in Club News, Goss /by RobThe abiding memory of Viktor Troicki is delivering for Serbia. Whether it was being held aloft on the shoulders of his compatriots, who rushed onto court at the Belgrade Arena in celebration of clinching the 2010 Davis Cup crown or, 10 years later, when he partnered Novak Djokovic in the deciding doubles match against Spain to capture the inaugural ATP Cup title.
The 35-year-old, who officially announces his retirement from professional tennis, transformed into a world-beater in international team competitions, moving out of the shadows of his childhood friends Djokovic and Janko Tipsarevic, during a golden age for Serbian tennis.
“It’s been a wonderful ride,” Troicki told ATPTour.com this week. “I am happy with what I achieved and I lived my dream with friends since childhood. I achieved things I never thought I could, but I want to enjoy some time at home now with my family.”
Troicki came mightily close to a place in the Top 10 of the FedEx ATP Rankings during the European clay swing in 2011 and won three ATP Tour singles titles, plus two doubles trophies. But nothing compared to his emotions after he struck a crosscourt backhand return winner to beat France’s Michael Llodra 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 in the deciding rubber of the 2010 Davis Cup final. Watched by 17,000 fans in Belgrade, it gave him “the greatest experience of my life”.
World No. 1 Djokovic paid tribute to Troicki, telling ATPTour.com this week, “Congratulations on your career. It’s a sad day for all of us who know you. We’ve been friends for a very long time, since [we were] eight years old [and] played so many matches against each other in Serbia. We travelled so much, played doubles [together], won [the] ATP Cup and Davis Cup and had some unforgettable memories on the Tour and the court.
“It’s been an incredible journey to witness your career as your friend, colleague and compatriot. Your commitment for the Serbian tennis team has been incredible, unprecedented and you’ve been a great inspiration for many generations of young tennis players in Serbia… You should be proud of everything you’ve achieved.”
Troicki, who dreamed of playing important matches as a child, worked for everything he achieved. When he partnered Djokovic to a deciding doubles match victory over Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta and Feliciano Lopez in the 2020 ATP Cup final, Troicki became the first player to win each of the three men’s team competition titles (also two World Team Cup titles in 2009 and 2012 at the Rochusclub in Dusseldorf).
“I won two World Team Cups in Dusseldorf, the Davis Cup and the ATP Cup, so I’m really proud,” said Troicki. “Winning the Davis Cup in 2010, in front of a home crowd, in the deciding rubber was crazy. I will take it with me forever.”
In tribute to his good friend, Tipsarevic told ATPTour.com this week, “Congratulations on an unbelievable career. It was an honour for me to share all of the downs and the ups, especially the ups of your career. You’ve reached the top of our sport and I’m sure that in the continuation of your life, with the same attitude and the same spirit that you had on a tennis court, you will reach new heights.”
Former doubles World No. 1 Nenad Zimonjic told ATPTour.com, “He had a great career, reaching No. 12, being a part of the Davis Cup team and winning the deciding rubber against France for the title. He should be proud of his career and I wish him all the best in the future. We have a lot of great memories. He is 10 years younger than I am, and I try to help all of our players. Viktor was no exception. We also had the chance to win the Sofia title together in 2017.”Troicki’s parents scraped together money to give their son the best possible chance of tennis success during a period of economic uncertainty in Serbia. He came across Djokovic and Tipsarevic at junior tournaments in Serbia, before moving to train in Boca Raton, Florida, for two years as a teenager.
“I’ve known Novak since he was eight, meeting him in one of his first tournaments,” said Troicki. “We played each other in the second round, and I beat him nine games to love. Janko was two years older than me, and he accepted me like a brother. He always helped me to feel welcome, support me and gave me great advice.
“I was maybe not as gifted as some other players at my age, so I had to prove myself and to work even harder to make it and become a top player. I never gave up. It was great to travel, compete together and have such good friends.”
Out of the juniors that included a 2004 Wimbledon doubles final appearance with Robin Haase, Troicki came under the guidance of Jan de Witt. Troicki learned about self-discipline and how to work in a professional way from the German’s training base in Halle and formed a long-term partnership with fitness trainer Milos Jelisavcic.
“He had the ability to work day in and day out,” De Witt, Troicki’s coach from 2006 to 2012, told ATPTour.com. “He worked hard every day. He brought the physical strength and he had a good first serve. We made progress every year, No. 450 to 220, then at the end of the second year at No. 120, then 60, 30, 20 and close to the Top 10 in his best year. Initially, we worked a lot on his second serve, to win more points, and to win points on second serve return.
“He enjoyed the team environment in Halle, working with players like Marco Chiudinelli, Jarkko Nieminen and Ivan Dodig. He liked having people around him, taking the positives from it. All the Serbians are good team players. They are really proud to play for their country.
“When we started working to help him win the Davis Cup with his friends, and to be able to reach that dream in the deciding rubber, it was amazing. I learned from Viktor that as long as you work hard, there are no limitations. He did more in his career than I ever thought possible.”
www.atptour.com/en/news/troicki-retirement-tribute-june-2021
Tennis at the Tokyo Olympics
/in Competitions, Goss, News, Tennis4Life /by RobThe Olympic tennis tournament will be missing some of the sport’s bigger names this year, but there’s still plenty of star power to go around in Tokyo. Tennis’s best-known players have often shined at the Olympics — past gold medalists in singles include Steffi Graf, Jennifer Capriati, Venus Williams and Serena Williams on the women’s side, and Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray on the men’s side.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the Olympic tennis format?
The men’s and women’s singles medals will be decided by a 64-player, single-elimination tournament. Doubles will feature 32 teams and mixed doubles 16 teams.
All four players or teams to reach the semifinals will compete for medals, with the two semifinal losers playing for bronze and the winners playing for gold (or silver).
Sixteen of the 64 players in singles are seeded based on international rankings, while eight of 32 are seeded in doubles. When possible, no two players from the same country are placed in the same quarter of the draw.
All matches are best-of-three sets. All singles matches will feature a standard tiebreaker (first to seven points) in every set. In doubles, if the teams split the first two sets then the third set will consist entirely of a first-to-10-points tiebreaker.
When is the Olympic tennis tournament?
Olympic tennis begins Friday, June 23, with first-round matches in men’s and women’s singles and men’s and women’s doubles. The complete schedule can be found here. The gold medal matches for each tournament are as follows. All times Eastern.
Men’s doubles: Friday, July 30, 4:30 a.m.
Women’s singles: Saturday, July 31, 5 a.m.
Read more
With an Early Win over de Minaur, Korda Advances His Father’s ‘Half-Crazy’ Plan
/in Club News, Goss /by RobWIMBLEDON, England — Sebastian Korda watched from his father’s hotel room in London on Sunday night as his sister Nelly achieved a major dream, winning the Women’s P.G.A. Championship in Atlanta. Two days later, on a different sort of green, Sebastian kept the family business booming.
“Seeing Nelly achieve what she achieved, and how emotional she was, and how much hard work and passion she puts into it every single day, it’s super inspiring,” Korda said. “Hopefully I can keep playing some good tennis and stay a little longer here.”
The successes of the Korda family are coming rapidly, but they have been building for generations. Petr, the father, won the 1998 Australian Open, one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments. Regina Rajchrtova, the mother, was a top-30 tennis player who competed for Czechoslovakia at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. In addition to Nelly, 22, winning her first major title on Sunday, sister Jessica, 28, qualified alongside her for a spot on the U.S. Olympic golf team.
Sebastian, who turns 21 next week, was playing his first match in the Wimbledon main draw, but showed little stage fright as he imposed his game and 6-foot-5 frame on de Minaur, who had won a warm-up event in Eastbourne, England, last weekend. “That’s what makes him dangerous: he hits big and plays very loose,” de Minaur said of Korda. “He’s going after it.”
Korda surged at the start of the match, breaking de Minaur in his opening service game. He had seven break points in the eighth game and could have closed out the set, but did not convert them. Rather than betray any disappointment, Korda smoothly served out the set in the next game, and then broke in the seventh game of the second set to take full control of the match.
“I could have made it go my way, but he stepped up to the plate and he delivered today,” de Minaur said. “All kudos to him.”
As much as his play impressed his opponent, Korda said that his father hadn’t held back on immediate constructive criticism after one of the biggest wins of his career. “My dad, he’s super happy, but he also sees the mistakes that I did during the match and he lets me know right away,” Korda said. “That’s probably one of the best things about my dad: He’s always pretty straightforward and he tells you how he is. He doesn’t sugarcoat it.”
Patricio Apey, who managed Petr Korda during his career and now manages his children as well, said that Petr had been guiding the careers of all three from a young age, expecting them to all peak simultaneously.
“As crazy as it sounds, Petr and I have been talking about this for like 12 years, to do these things together with the three kids,” Apey said. “I always say he’s half-genius and half-crazy, and it’s hard to differentiate between the two.”
Credit…Michael Owens for The New York Times
Comparing him to Richard Williams, who boastfully — and, in the end, accurately — predicted great successes for his young daughters Venus and Serena, Apey said Petr had been able to “map out the technical side” of the developments of all three of his children with long-term planning. That planning occasionally comes with short-term sacrifices: While Sebastian’s sisters will be representing the United States at the Tokyo Olympics later this month, he will miss the competition to prepare for the U.S. Open, focusing on smaller stateside tournaments that Apey described as “lower-hanging fruit.”
A similar decision was made earlier this year, when Korda skipped Australian Open qualifying to focus on Challenger-level tournaments in France. The move paid off with a title in Quimper, France, which Sebastian said had been inspired by Jessica winning her first L.P.G.A. title of the year the weekend before.
The Olympics decision, made Sunday evening, became tougher when it was clear that both his sisters would make the trip. Wherever Petr Korda’s children are competing, he manages to sync up with them, staying up late when his daughters are on the Asian swing of the golf circuit, or waking up early when his son is in Europe.
“I have no clue how they do it,” Sebastian said of his parents. “We’re all over the place.”
www.nytimes.com/2021/06/29/sports/tennis/wimbledon-sebastian-nelly-jessica-korda.html
MLTC Urgent update – Court Usage under Lockdown
/in Club News, COVID /by RobCOVID-19 restrictions extended in NSW until Friday 9 July
/in Club News, COVID /by RobPublished: 26 Jun 2021 Released by: The Premier, Minister for Health and Medical Research
To protect the people of NSW from the evolving COVID-19 outbreak, current stay-at-home orders will be extended across all of Greater Sydney including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast and Wollongong from 6pm today (26 June) until 11.59pm Friday, 9 July.
Following updated health advice from the Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant about the growing risk to the community, the stay-at-home orders will apply to all people in the Greater Sydney area including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast and Wollongong.
Everyone in Greater Sydney must stay at home unless it is for an essential reason.
The reasons you may leave your home include:
Community sport will not be permitted during this period. Weddings will not be permitted from 11.59pm, Sunday 27 June. Funerals will be limited to one person per four square metres with a cap of 100 people, and masks must be worn indoors.
In all other parts of NSW the following restrictions will apply:
We have always indicated we will not hesitate to go further with restrictions to protect the people of NSW.
We understand this is a difficult time for everyone, however we need to take these steps now to get on top of this outbreak.
People across NSW should only enter Greater Sydney for essential purposes.
Source: https://www.nsw.gov.au/media-releases/covid-19-restrictions-extended-nsw
MLTC Covid Urgent Update 26 June 2021
/in Club News, COVID /by RobMLTC Covid Update: No Badge this Saturday
/in Club News, COVID /by RobMLTC Covid 19 Update 24 June 2021
/in Club News, COVID /by RobTo protect the people of NSW from the evolving COVID-19 outbreak, new restrictions will be introduced for one week for Greater Sydney, the Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Shellharbour.
For MLTC this means:
These restrictions are designed to reduce the risk of further community transmission and ensure the safety of our members.
Below is information from Sydney Badge.
Regards,
Virginia
Secretary MLTC
————————————–
At this stage, Sydney Badge will continue as per normal this Thursday and Saturday as there are currently no restrictions regarding travel around Metropolitan Sydney. The Office of Sport has not changed any of their guidelines in respect to community sport which is why Tennis NSW is continuing to run the Sydney Badge Competition. Due to the ever changing nature of the pandemic this can change at any time and we will advise ASAP.
Please send this as reminder to all of your players to make sure they are following all of the public health orders and if they have been to any of the locations where a confirmed case has been to make sure they are getting tested and self-isolating as per the guidelines.
All of the most up to date Covid-19 information can be found at the link below.
https://nsw.gov.au/covid-19/latest-news-and-updates
Good luck to all teams and stay safe.
Kind Regards,
TNSW Competitions
New COVID-19 restrictions for Greater Sydney
/in Club News, COVID /by RobPublished: 23 Jun 2021
Released by: The Premier, Minister for Health and Medical Research
To protect the people of NSW from the evolving COVID-19 outbreak, new restrictions will be introduced for Greater Sydney from 4pm today for one week.
Following updated health advice from the Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant about the growing risk to the community, the following restrictions will be introduced for Greater Sydney, the Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Shellharbour;
These restrictions are designed to reduce the risk of further community transmission.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said we are once again asking the community to do what they do best and follow the health advice to get on top of this outbreak.
“We don’t take these steps lightly and we never want to impose restrictions unless we absolutely have to,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“We know the effect this will have on residents and venues but we must take this action now to ensure we keep on top of this outbreak.”
Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant urged the community to play their part in controlling the COVID spread.
“We need really high testing rates to make sure we’re stopping any chains of transmission and we’re continuing to urge people to come forward for testing, especially if you were in Westfield Bondi Junction (including the car park) at any time between 12 June and 18 June,” Dr Chant said.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said more than ever people need to use QR codes and wear masks when required.
“We will be increasing supervision and compliance checks to make sure everyone is doing the right thing,” Mr Hazzard said.
“This pandemic is far from over and we all have to do our bit to protect the community.”
The government and health experts will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide updated information and advice.
MLTC Newsletter 22 June 2021
/in Badge, Club News /by RobMLTC Covid Update 18 June 2021
/in Club News /by RobAs you would all be aware, Metropolitan Sydney has had 4 community cases of COVID-19 in the last 48 hours.
Please send this as reminder to all of your players to make sure they are following all of the public health orders and if they have been to any of the locations where a confirmed case has been to make sure they are getting tested and self-isolating as per the guidelines.
All of the most up to date Covid-19 information can be found at the link below.
https://nsw.gov.au/covid-19/latest-news-and-updates
Good luck to all teams and stay safe.
Kind Regards,
TNSW Competitions
MLTC Newsletter 15 June 2021
/in Club News, Goss /by Rob