Latest news with #BJKCup
The Guardian
20-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Novak Djokovic feels he ‘couldn't get more' out of Andy Murray's coaching
Novak Djokovic says he and Andy Murray felt they 'couldn't get more' out of their short-lived partnership. The 24-time grand slam champion parted ways with former on-court rival Murray last week following six months working together. Djokovic has entered the Geneva Open as a wildcard as he builds towards the French Open, which begins on Sunday. 'We felt like we couldn't get more out of that partnership on the court, and that's all there is to it,' the Serb said of his spell working with Murray, according to BBC Sport. 'My respect towards Andy remains the same, even more actually, I got to know him as a person. 'I think he has a brilliant tennis IQ, he has a very rare mind of a champion that obviously has achieved what he has achieved, and he sees the game incredibly well.' Djokovic added: 'We did not achieve together what we hoped to achieve in terms of results. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. We tried.' World No 6 Djokovic is set for a second-round meeting with Hungary's Marton Fucsovics – who sits 134th in the ATP rankings – on Wednesday in the clay-court tournament in Switzerland. 'At the moment, I'm not in need of a coach,' added the 37-year-old, who is yet to win a match on clay this year. He will, however, link up with with his long-time friend and former doubles partner Dusan Vemic for both this week's Geneva Open and Roland Garros. 'Dusan Vemic, the captain of the Serbian BJK Cup team, he was in my team a few years ago,' Djokovic said. 'He's here, and will be at Roland [Garros].' Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion 'Boris Bosnjakovic, who has been an analyst in the team and assistant coach, shares the upcoming tournaments with Dusan. And then we'll see. I'm not in a hurry to choose, or to know if I'll have someone else by my side or not. I feel good with them.'
Reuters
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Novak Djokovic confirms coaching plans for Geneva, French Open
May 20 - Novak Djokovic has appointed long-time friend and former doubles partner Dusan Vemic as his coach for both this week's Geneva Open and the upcoming French Open. "Dusan Vemic, the captain of the Serbian BJK Cup team, he was in my team a few years ago (and is my coach)," Djokovic told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday. "He's here, and will be at Roland (Garros)." "Boris Bosnjakovic, who has been an analyst in the team and assistant coach, shares the upcoming tournaments with Dusan. And then we'll see. I'm not in a hurry to choose, or to know if I'll have someone else by my side or not. I don't know. I feel good with them." Djokovic's announcement comes on the heels of the Serbian splitting with Wimbledon champion Andy Murray on May 13, less than six months after hiring the three-time Grand Slam winner as his coach. Djokovic, the men's record-holder with 24 Grand Slam singles titles, brought on his longtime rival as a coach in late November. Murray had retired from his playing career following the 2024 Summer Olympics. The partnership did not produce a title for the Serbian this season. He lost in his only finals appearance of the year -- in Miami, to Czech opponent Jakub Mensik -- and he was knocked out in his opening matches at Monte Carlo and Madrid. "He sees the game in an incredible way," Djokovic said of Murray. "But, how could I say it, we did not achieve together what we hoped to achieve in terms of results. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. We tried." Djokovic, who celebrates his 38th birthday on Thursday, and Vemic have experience in both the Davis Cup and ATP Tour. Vemic, 48, has worked with the Bryan brothers, Andrea Petkovic and Brandon Nakashima, among others. Djokovic will square off against veteran Marton Fucsovics of Hungary in his Geneva opener on Wednesday. He is looking for his 100th career ATP singles title. --Field Level Media
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Boulter feeling 'no pressure' in British battle
Katie Boulter has been the British number one for almost two years [Getty Images] Katie Boulter says she is not feeling any pressure as she battles to keep the British number one ranking with Emma Raducanu and Sonay Kartal closing in. Boulter, 28, has been the nation's leading women's player since June 2023, but has dropped down the world rankings in a stop-start season. Advertisement Having reached a career high 23rd in November, Boulter is now 40th after winning five of her 10 matches this year. Raducanu is up to 49th after reaching the Miami quarter-finals last month, while Kartal's rapid rise has moved her up to 60th. "I don't feel any pressure at all," Boulter told BBC Sport. "I'm very comfortable in the seat that I am and I know that every single person has a different journey and my journey is not going to be compared to anyone else's – I'm proud of that. "I've been the British number one for two years, it's been a fair while now. It's something which I'm quite used to." Advertisement Boulter starts her clay-court swing on Tuesday when she plays Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic in the Madrid Open first round. The Briton's experience on clay is still limited, having only played four top-level main-draw matches on the surface. After winning one and losing one of her BJK Cup singles matches last week on indoor clay in the Netherlands, Boulter went to Alicante - where her fiancé Alex de Minaur has long been based - for a training week. She decided that was the sensible option - instead of squeezing in another WTA clay-court event before Madrid - as she continues to manage a foot injury. Advertisement The issue has left her only able to play five tournaments this season, missing almost two months of the WTA Tour between the Australian Open in January and Indian Wells in March. "I want to see the girls going higher and higher [in the rankings], but personally I have my own goals and try to focus on those a lot," added Boulter, who secured GB's place in the BJK Cup Finals alongside Jodie Burrage in the deciding doubles. "For me I just need to try and stay healthy. That's that most important thing and then the ranking will take care of itself. "Obviously I've dropped a little bit from last year but due to the fact I've not been able to play. Advertisement "It's not like my level has gone anywhere. I feel like my level is great so now it's about keeping myself healthy for the most important tournaments."
BBC News
22-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Boulter feeling 'no pressure' in British battle
Katie Boulter says she is not feeling any pressure as she battles to keep the British number one ranking with Emma Raducanu and Sonay Kartal closing 28, has been the nation's leading women's player since June 2023, but has dropped down the world rankings in a stop-start reached a career high 23rd in November, Boulter is now 40th after winning five of her 10 matches this is up to 49th after reaching the Miami quarter-finals last month, while Kartal's rapid rise has continued and moved her up to 60th."I don't feel any pressure at all," Boulter told BBC Sport."I'm very comfortable in the seat that I am and I know that every single person has a different journey and my journey is not going to be compared to anyone else's – I'm proud of that."I've been the British number one for two years, it's been a fair while now. It's something which I'm quite used to." Boulter starts her clay-court swing on Tuesday when she plays Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic in the Madrid Open first Briton's experience on clay is still limited, having only played four top-level main-draw matches on the winning one and losing one of her BJK Cup singles matches last week on indoor clay in the Netherlands, Boulter went to Alicante - where her fiancé Alex de Minaur has long been based - for a training decided that was the sensible option - instead of squeezing in another WTA clay-court event before Madrid - as she continues to manage a foot issue has left her only able to play five tournaments this season, missing almost two months of the WTA Tour between the Australian Open in January and Indian Wells in March."I want to see the girls going higher and higher [in the rankings], but personally I have my own goals and try to focus on those a lot," added Boulter, who secured GB's place in the BJK Cup Finals alongside Jodie Burrage in the deciding doubles."For me I just need to try and stay healthy. That's that most important thing and then the ranking will take care of itself."Obviously I've dropped a little bit from last year but due to the fact I've not been able to play. "It's not like my level has gone anywhere. I feel like my level is great so now it's about keeping myself healthy for the most important tournaments."
The Independent
14-04-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Great Britain's gamble pays off but Billie Jean King Cup desperately needs change
It took a brave roll of the dice by captain Anne Keothavong to turn the tables decisively in Great Britain's favour. Last week's Billie Jean King Cup qualifying tie hovered on a knife edge, with a deciding doubles match required to beat the Netherlands and send GB through to the Finals later this year. GB were the favourites on paper and had recent experience of making the Finals, suffering a heartbreaking semi-final loss to Slovakia just six months ago. But a tie that should have been more straightforward proved unexpectedly tricky, as is often the case at the BJK Cup. Debutant Sonay Kartal excelled, winning both of her two singles matches to demonstrate why she has soared up the rankings to world No. 59 this year. But GB's No. 1 Katie Boulter had a tougher time of it in the Hague, requiring three sets to see off the wily veteran Tatjana Maria of Germany and falling in a straight-sets loss to the Netherlands' Suzan Lamens. It was hardly surprising given she has only recently returned to action after two months out with a foot injury, and that she was rusty on indoor clay, a slower surface that neutralises her powerful style and draws out her tendency to overhit. But knowing a defeat in the concluding doubles match would send GB home empty-handed, Keothavong opted for a radical approach. Out went Olivia Nicholls, the squad's only doubles specialist and a recent Indian Wells finalist, and Harriet Dart, Keothavong's preferred pairing. In came Boulter despite her singles defeat and 175th-ranked Jodie Burrage, to face off against the Netherlands' in-form Lamens and the tie's highest-ranked doubles player, world No. 26 Demi Schuurs. Dart and Nicholls had been swept aside by Germany on Friday night, but it was still a very risky call bringing in two power hitters who have scant experience playing doubles together. Still, it paid off. Burrage in particular brought infectious energy, with the British pair smiling throughout, feeding off the support of the crowd and the rest of the team courtside, while the Dutch wilted. The pair were imperious behind the baseline, smashing in winners and overwhelming their opposite numbers, and as they steamrolled through the second set it felt like a berth in September's final had their names on it. GB once again have a very good chance of finally lifting the trophy, with Japan, the USA, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Spain, defending champions Italy and hosts China the remaining seven teams. But the BJK Cup itself remains a tournament plagued by problems. The women's 'World Cup of tennis' has been in the wilderness for a few years as it tries to figure out a real identity. It was renamed from the Fed Cup in 2020, then spent its first four years under the new name operating with home and away ties to determine qualification spots for a somewhat unwieldy 12-team Finals in one location. After the embarrassing collapse of the planned 25-year, multi-billion-dollar Davis Cup partnership between Gerard Pique's Kosmos and the International Tennis Federation, the ITF has overhauled both tournaments. That has meant that the BJK Cup Finals has been slimmed down to eight teams, mirroring the men's equivalent, with the host nation and defending champions automatically progressing. The final six are contested in a round-robin format this year; from next year the home and away ties will return. The move to slim down the tournament, and bring it in line with the men's equivalent, makes sense, especially given the legacy of the woman it is named after and her career-long fight for parity with the men's tour. But something must be done to make it more attractive to players, with many of the world's best eschewing this week's qualifying ties altogether in favour of practicing ahead of the start of the clay season. The three highest-ranked singles players named in the American squad, world No. 3 Jessica Pegula, former top-tenner Danielle Collins, and rising star McCartney Kessler, all pulled out at the last minute, while world Nos. 4, 5 and 11, Coco Gauff, Madison Keys, and Emma Navarro, were never involved. Poland were thumped 3-0 by Ukraine as they exited the tournament but were missing world No. 2 Iga Swiatek, who would have been expected to make a difference. The appeal of the tournament is seeing the world's best players competing for their country, but with plenty of nations fielding a second-string team, it seems that the majority of players don't take it seriously. Considering the incredibly congested calendar, with ten mandatory WTA 1000 tournaments and ranking points to defend week in and week out, it feels hardly fair to blame the players for wanting a rare few days off. On the flip side, had more of the sport's biggest names been in action this week, more spectators might have turned up. That problem may at least be ameliorated by the return to home and away ties next year. The travelling British fans, replete with Union Jacks, bucket hats and the ever-present brass band, certainly made some noise, but the stands in the Sportcampus Zuiderpark were noticeably empty, even with the home team in action. As for those watching, or trying to, on TV: with GB's ties hidden away on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport, fans could be forgiven for not knowing the tournament was happening at all – hardly a way of keeping loyal fans engaged, or broadening the event's reach. The point is moot anyway with the decision made to move the Finals to Shenzhen. The Chinese market is lucrative for tennis' governing bodies, but does not make for a good atmosphere. (Perhaps the need to get bums on seats is why China, below every other squad into the knockout rounds at 22nd in the world rankings, have been awarded an automatic spot.) That lack of atmosphere, in turn, is hardly likely to incentivise the world's best players to make the 8,000 mile trek from the US, where the American hard-court swing will have just come to a conclusion. The BJK Cup has moved from its widely reviled November slot to mid-September, to catch players before they're exhausted at the end of the seven-week Asian hard-court season and just want to go home. But no one who has had a deep run at the US Open is going to be keen on heading out for the Asian season early and having even less time to recover. It feels like the Billie Jean King Cup has solved one problem by creating another, with what could be - and often is - a fantastic display of elite tennis hamstrung by familiar issues of the tennis tour. And until the tournament figures out what it is and what it means, it looks set to stagnate.
