INTERNAZIONALI BNL D'ITALIA: DAY 7 MEDIA NOTES Saturday, May 14, 2016
Foro Italico, Rome, Italy | May 8-15, 2016 Draw: S-56, D-24 | Prize Money: €3,748,925 | Surface: Clay
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DJOKOVIC, MURRAY, NISHIKORI JOIN LUCKIEST LOSER POUILLE IN SEMIS
SEMI-FINAL PREVIEW: When the main draw of the 2016 Internazionali BNL d’Italia was made, one half featured Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer for the first time ever on the ATP World Tour. Who would emerge from the other half? Lucky loser Lucas Pouille is one win away from following his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final and semi-final with a berth in the final.
Pouille is the second lucky loser ever to reach an ATP Masters 1000 semi-final, joining Thomas Johansson in the record books. Johansson earned four main draw wins at Toronto in 2004 before falling to Federer in the semi-finals. Pouille, on the other hand, has beaten only Ernests Gulbis and David Ferrer to reach the Rome semis, capitalizing on a first-round bye when No. 7 seed Jo- Wilfried Tsonga withdrew and a quarter-final walkover from Juan Monaco. The luckiest of lucky losers, Pouille fell to Mikhail Kukushkin in the final round of qualifying on May 8.
Madrid finalist Andy Murray did what Pouille couldn’t by beating Kukushkin in the main draw. The World No. 3 has not dropped a set all week and will return to No. 2 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on Monday. Pouille is projected to rise to around No. 32, which will be a new career-high for the 22- year-old Frenchman. Should Pouille defeat Murray in their first FedEx ATP Head 2 Head meeting, he will play Djokovic or No. 6 seed Kei Nishikori in the final for the first time as well. The last lucky loser to reach an ATP World Tour final was Marcel Granollers at Valencia in 2010.
Following Murray vs. Pouille, Djokovic and Nishikori meet in an ATP Masters 1000 semi-final for the second time in as many weeks. Djokovic was broken when he served for the match, but held on for a 63 76(4) victory at Madrid on May 7. The World No. 1 is on a seven-match win streak against Nishikori, including a quarter-final victory in Rome last season. Djokovic has also swept 16 straight matches against Top 10 players overall, saving five set points in the second set of his 75 76(4) victory over fifth-ranked Rafael Nadal on Friday.
In the first doubles semi-final, Madrid finalists Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea meet Indian Wells finalists Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock. Then, three-time Rome champions Bob and Mike Bryan take on 2014 Roland Garros champions Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.
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FEDEX ATP HEAD 2 HEADS: Singles Semi-finals
[LL] Lucas Pouille (FRA) vs [2] Andy Murray (GBR) First Meeting
Pouille 2016 FastFacts F: Bucharest (l. to Verdasco); QF: Brisbane (l. to Raonic) YTD W-L: 14-9 (9-3 on clay) YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0 Date of Birth: February 23, 1994 Emirates ATP Ranking: 52 (Career-High) Rome W-L (Best Result): 2-0 (2016 Semi-finalist)
• Tournament Note: Leads all players this week by winning 67% of 2nd-serve return points (37 of 55) • Advanced to 1st ATP final at Bucharest (d. Lajovic, Karlovic, Lorenzi and Delbonis; l. to Verdasco) • Reached R16 at ATP Masters 1000 events in Miami (l. to Simon) and Monte-Carlo (l. to No. 9 Tsonga) • Saved 1 MP to beat No. 8 Ferrer in Miami 3R, then defeated No. 10 Gasquet in Monte-Carlo 2R • Qualified and saved 4 MPs to beat Goffin in ATP Masters 1000 Madrid 1R (l. to Querrey in 2R) • Advanced to QF at Brisbane (d. Goffin, l. to Raonic) and qualified at Dubai (l. to Pospisil in 1R) • Reached 1st doubles SF at Aus. Open w/Mannarino (d. Bolelli/Fognini and Rojer/Tecau, l. to J. Murray/Soares) • Withdrew from Istanbul due to fatigue following run to Bucharest final
FRENCHMEN IN SEMI-FINALS: Pouille is trying to become the first Frenchman to reach the final in Rome since Yannick Noah won the title in 1985. Here are the Frenchmen to reach the semi-finals since then:
Player Year Result Benoit Paire 2013 l. to Federer Richard Gasquet 2011 l. to Nadal Gael Monfils 2006 l. to Nadal Yannick Noah 1986 l. to Lendl
Murray 2016 FastFacts F (2): Australian Open (l. to Djokovic); ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (l. to Djokovic); SF: ATP Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo (l. to Nadal) YTD W-L: 20-5 (10-2 on clay) YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 35 Date of Birth: May 15, 1987 Emirates ATP Ranking: 3 Rome W-L (Best Result): 12-9 (2011, 2016 Semi-finalist)
• Event Note: Leads field by winning 43% of 1st-serve return points (46 of 108) and 58% of return games (15 of 26) • Fell to 0-5 in Australian Open finals with 4th championship match loss to No. 1 Djokovic • With older brother Jamie, became 1st brothers in Open Era to reach singles and doubles finals at same major • Beat No. 8 Berdych and No. 5 Nadal en route to ATP Masters 1000 Madrid final (l. to No. 1 Djokovic) • Lost 3-setters in Indian Wells 3R (l. to Delbonis), Miami 3R (l. to Dimitrov) and Monte-Carlo SF (l. to No. 5 Nadal) • Improved to 20-7 in 5-setters with wins over Raonic in Australian Open SF and No. 6 Nishikori in Davis Cup 1R • Extended Davis Cup win streak to 14 matches with 3 victories to lead Great Britain past Japan 3-1
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[1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs [6] Kei Nishikori (JPN) Djokovic Leads 8-2 10 Roland Garros (France) Clay R64 Novak Djokovic 6-1 6-4 6-4 11 Basel (Switzerland) Hard SF Kei Nishikori 2-6 7-6(4) 6-0 14 US Open (U.S.A.) Hard SF Kei Nishikori 6-4 1-6 7-6(4) 6-3 14 ATP Masters 1000 Paris (France) Hard SF Novak Djokovic 6-2 6-3 14 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Hard SF Novak Djokovic 6-1 3-6 6-0 15 ATP Masters 1000 Rome (Italy) Clay QF Novak Djokovic 6-3 3-6 6-1 15 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Hard RR Novak Djokovic 6-1 6-1 16 Australian Open (Australia) Hard QF Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-2 6-4 16 ATP Masters 1000 Miami (U.S.A.) Hard F Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-3 16 ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (Spain) Clay SF Novak Djokovic 6-3 7-6(4)
Djokovic 2016 FastFacts W (5): Doha (d. Nadal); Australian Open (d. Murray); ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (d. Raonic); ATP Masters 1000 Miami (d. Nishikori); ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (d. Murray); QF: Dubai (l. to Lopez) YTD W-L: 36-2 (8-1 on clay) YTD Titles: 5 / Career Titles: 64 Date of Birth: May 22, 1987 Emirates ATP Ranking: 1 (Career-High) Rome W-L (Best Result): 37-5 (2008, 2011, 2014-15 Champion)
• Tournament Note: Win over No. 5 Nadal in QF was longest 2-set match of season (2 hours, 25 minutes) • Tied Emerson’s all-time record with 6th Australian Open title (d. No. 2 Murray) • Moved into tie with Laver and Borg for 5th all-time with 11 Grand Slam men’s singles titles • Won a 5-set match en route to title for 7th time at a major, overcoming 100 unforced errors in 4R (d. Simon) • Swept Indian Wells (d. Raonic) and Miami (d. Nishikori) for 3rd straight year and 4th time overall • Added Madrid title for record-setting 29th ATP Masters 1000 championship (d. No. 2 Murray) • Captured 60th career title to start season at Doha, not dropping a set all week (d. No. 5 Nadal) • Became 3rd active player to reach 700 wins by beating Jaziri in Dubai 2R on Feb. 24 (also Federer, Nadal) • Fell 1 shy of Lendl’s Open-Era record 18 straight finals when eye problem forced ret in Dubai QF (l. to Lopez) • Had not retired since 2011 Davis Cup SF vs. del Potro, a stretch of 350 matches (318-32) • Defeated Nedovyesov in 3 sets and Kukushkin in 5 sets to help Serbia beat Kazakhstan 3-2 in Davis Cup 1R
Nishikori 2016 FastFacts W: Memphis (d. Fritz); F (2): ATP Masters 1000 Miami (l. to Djokovic); Barcelona (l. to Nadal); SF: ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (l. to Djokovic); QF (3): Brisbane (l. to Tomic); Australian Open (l. Djokovic); ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l. to Nadal) YTD W-L: 29-8 (10-2 on clay) YTD Titles: 1 / Career Titles: 11 Date of Birth: December 29, 1989 Emirates ATP Ranking: 6 Rome W-L (Best Result): 6-2 (2016 Semi-finalist)
• Tournament Note: Owns 43-11 clay-court record since 2013 after starting career 15-11 on surface • Captured 4th straight Memphis title and extended win streak at event to 17 matches (d. Fritz) • Saved 5 MPs to beat Monfils en route to 2nd ATP Masters 1000 final of career at Miami (l. to No. 1 Djokovic) • Also saved 1 MP to defeat Isner 76 in 3rd before falling to No. 5 Nadal in ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells QF • Defeated Gasquet and Kyrgios en route to ATP Masters 1000 Madrid SF (l. to No. 1 Djokovic) • Reached 3rd consecutive Barcelona final (d. Paire, l. to No. 5 Nadal) • Advanced to 3rd Australian Open QF of career (d. No. 10 Tsonga, l. to No. 1 Djokovic) • Beat Evans before falling to No. 2 Murray in 5 sets, snapping 12-match Davis Cup win streak (GBR d. JPN 3-1)
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FEDEX ATP HEAD 2 HEADS: Potential Singles Finals
[1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs [2] Andy Murray (GBR) Djokovic Leads 23-9 06 ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (Spain) Hard R16 Novak Djokovic 1-6 7-5 6-3 07 ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells Hard SF Novak Djokovic 6-2 6-3 07 ATP Masters 1000 Miami (U.S.A.) Hard SF Novak Djokovic 6-1 6-0 08 ATP Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo Clay R16 Novak Djokovic 6-0 6-4 08 ATP Masters 1000 Toronto (Canada) Hard QF Andy Murray 6-3 7-6(3) 08 ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati (U.S.A.) Hard F Andy Murray 7-6(4) 7-6(5) 09 ATP Masters 1000 Miami (U.S.A.) Hard F Andy Murray 6-2 7-5 11 Australian Open (Australia) Hard F Novak Djokovic 6-4 6-2 6-3 11 ATP Masters 1000 Rome (Italy) Clay SF Novak Djokovic 6-1 3-6 7-6(2) 11 ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati (U.S.A.) Hard F Andy Murray 6-4 3-0 ret 12 Australian Open (Australia) Hard SF Novak Djokovic 6-3 3-6 6-7(4) 6-1 7-5 12 Dubai (U.A.E.) Hard SF Andy Murray 6-2 7-5 12 ATP Masters 1000 Miami (U.S.A.) Hard F Novak Djokovic 6-1 7-6(4) 12 London Olympics (Great Britain) Grass SF Andy Murray 7-5 7-5 12 US Open (U.S.A.) Hard F Andy Murray 7-6(10) 7-5 2-6 3-6 6-2 12 ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai (China) Hard F Novak Djokovic 5-7 7-6(11) 6-3 12 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Hard RR Novak Djokovic 4-6 6-3 7-5 13 Australian Open (Australia) Hard F Novak Djokovic 6-7(2) 7-6(3) 6-3 6-2 13 Wimbledon (Great Britain) Grass F Andy Murray 6-4 7-5 6-4 14 ATP Masters 1000 Miami (U.S.A.) Hard QF Novak Djokovic 7-5 6-3 14 US Open (U.S.A.) Hard QF Novak Djokovic 7-6(1) 6-7(1) 6-2 6-4 14 Beijing (China) Hard SF Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-4 14 ATP Masters 1000 Paris (France) Hard QF Novak Djokovic 7-5 6-2 15 Australian Open (Australia) Hard F Novak Djokovic 7-6(5) 6-7(4) 6-3 6-0 15 ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells Hard SF Novak Djokovic 6-2 6-3 15 ATP Masters 1000 Miami (U.S.A.) Hard F Novak Djokovic 7-6(3) 4-6 6-0 15 Roland Garros (France) Clay SF Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-3 5-7 5-7 6-1 15 ATP Masters 1000 Montréal (Canada) Hard F Andy Murray 6-4 4-6 6-3 15 ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai (China) Hard SF Novak Djokovic 6-1 6-3 15 ATP Masters 1000 Paris (France) Hard F Novak Djokovic 6-2 6-4 16 Australian Open (Australia) Hard F Novak Djokovic 6-1 7-5 7-6(3) 16 ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (Spain) Clay F Novak Djokovic 6-2 3-6 6-3
Novak Djokovic Andy Murray Sets Won: 56 33 Tiebreak Sets Won: 8 8
Match Wins by Surface: Clay: 4 0 Hard: 19 7 Grass: 0 2
[1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs [LL] Lucas Pouille (FRA) First Meeting
[6] Kei Nishikori (JPN) vs [2] Andy Murray (GBR) Murray Leads 6-1 11 ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai (China) Hard SF Andy Murray 6-3 6-0 12 Australian Open (Australia) Hard QF Andy Murray 6-3 6-3 6-1 13 Brisbane (Australia) Hard SF Andy Murray 6-4 2-0 ret 14 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Hard RR Kei Nishikori 6-4 6-4 15 ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (Spain) Clay SF Andy Murray 6-3 6-4 15 ATP Masters 1000 Montréal (Canada) Hard SF Andy Murray 6-3 6-0 16 Davis Cup 1R (Great Britain) Hard RR Andy Murray 7-5 7-6(6) 3-6 4-6 6-3
[6] Kei Nishikori (JPN) vs [LL] Lucas Pouille (FRA) First Meeting