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NO SPOILERS 🎥

If you don't want to see the results yet, and want to catch up with the highlights first, stop scrolling now. (If these links have been taken down, tap the ‘view in browser’ button at the top of this email and there should be updated links):

Dimitrov 🎥 Nishioka (Brisbane)

🇬🇷 Sakkari / Tsitsipas 🎥 Williams / Tiafoe 🇺🇸 (Hopman Cup)

🇺🇸 Tiafoe 🎥 Tsitsipas 🇬🇷 (Hopman Cup)

Sandgren 🎥 Millman (Match Of The Day, Brisbane)

Berdych 🎥 Kohlschreiber (Doha)

Rublev 🎥 Seppi (Doha)

RESULTS 🎾

💥 = Beatdown \\ 🤕 = Injury \\ ‼️ = Upset

Brisbane 🇦🇺

(ATP 250 - Hard)

Dimitrov d Nishioka: 6-3, 6-4

Some encouraging signs for Dimitrov mixed with some of the same old concerns. When Grigor landed his 1st serve in today he was utterly dominant, winning 37/43 points, firing 9 aces, and looking very much in control off his forehand wing. But the same 2nd serve concerns, that plagued much of his 2018 season, were still evident as we head into the new year. Dimitrov won just 36% of his 2nd serve points, while also committing 6 double faults (which contributed to him facing 7 break points in the match, vs Nishioka’s 3). Numbers like this are borderline ‘ok’ while Dimitrov is landing 58% of 1st serves in. But if he has worse days on that first serve %, or if/when he comes up against a better player than Nishioka, then that erratic 2nd serve may continue to let the rest of his game down. Case in point today, while serving for the match, Dimitrov missed three first serves in a row, and chucked in a double fault for good measure, to hand a careless break back. Grigor spent much of 2018 facing a seemingly endless stream of break points and pressure on that shot. It’ll be interesting to see if he and Agassi (his new coach/consultant) can address this in 2019.

Millman d Sandgren: 7-6(6), 6-7(6), 6-0

Match of the day by a distance. Both guys were very impressive from the baseline throughout the first two arduous sets, contesting numerous 12+ shot rallies. After a slow start, Millman was the stronger and more stable player for most of the match, looking more solid and successfully weathering the mercurial Sandgren purple patches. That Sandgren managed to steal the 2nd set was testament to the Americans’s tenacity, but the level of exertion required to take the match the distance seemed to totally empty Sandgren’s tank. The contest finished with a one-sided third set in which Millman cruised to the finish line 6-0. Millman’s base level was simply a step above Sandgren’s, with the American facing constant pressure on serve and having to red-line his game to look comfortable. This was nicely illustrated by Millman facing 5 break points (saving 3) on serve throughout the mach, to Sandgren’s 18 (saving 13).

Raonic d Bedene : 6-0, 6-3 💥

Uchiyama d Humbert : 6-4, 7-6(6)

Kecmanovic d L Mayer: 6-3, 6-1 ‼️

Doha 🇶🇦

(ATP 250 - Hard)

Berdych d Kohlschreiber: 6-4, 7-6(5) ‼️

A huge confidence booster for Berdych, after nearly 6 months out of the game with a back injury. Big Berd looks like he has been putting in some serious work in the off season, looking nice & fast around the court and still slapping big groundstrokes and serves on a surface which should suit his game this week. Berdych created more clear cut chances, with 4 break points (converting 2) vs Kohlschreiber’s 2 (converting 1) and crucially did a better job of defending his 2nd serve (57% points won vs Kohli’s 45%). An incredibly tight 2nd set, featuring no breaks, came down to a tiebreak which Berdych converted thanks to some wonderful returning, and some nice feel on a drop shot. Berd has a nasty next round vs Verdasco, but if he makes it through that he may like his chances vs Thiem (projected QF opponent) on this surface.

Verdasco d Lorenzi: 6-3, 6-4

Largely solid performance from Verdasco, who looked pretty comfortable throughout the match, facing just two break points (saving both) to Lorenzi’s 11 (who saved 7). Lorenzi really struggled to get enough depth on his groundstrokes and just didn’t seem willing to come anywhere near the baseline for most of their extended rallies. This allowed Verdasco to dictate with a nice combination of heavy forehands and angled backhands to coax plenty of shorter balls out of his opponent. Verdasco’s 1st serve was firing, landing 67% of his first delivery and losing just 6/36 points on first serve overall. The Spaniard’s 2nd serve was significantly weaker, winning just 6/18 points, and this will be something that Berdych, his next opponent, should be able to take advantage of more than Lorenzi was able to.

Bautista Agut d Berrettini : 6-1, 6-4

Rublev d Seppi : 7-5, 6-1

Jarry d Haase : 6-7(7), 6-4, 7-6(4)

Basilashvili d Ramos-Vinolas: 6-1, 1-6, 6-1

Pune 🇮🇳

(ATP 250 - Hard)

Gulbis d Sousa : 6-4, 4-6, 6-4

Donskoy d Andujar : 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(6)

Munar d Albot : 6-2, 7-6(4)

Darcis d Carbelles Baena : 6-3, 6-4

Mmoh d Gunneswaran: 7-5, 6-3

Hopman Cup 🇦🇺

(Exhibition - Hard)

🇬🇷 Tsitsipas d Tiafoe 🇺🇸 : 6-3 6-7(3) 6-3

🇬🇷 Sakkari / Tsitsipas d Williams / Tiafoe 🇺🇸: 1-4 4-1 4-2

SHOTS OF THE DAY 😮

— Ridiculous get by Berdych (vs Kohlschreiber). Great to see him moving so fast after nearly 6 months out with a back injury.

— Another angle.

— Brilliant lob from Verdasco. Lorenzi (far end) was nowhere near the net but was moving forward so fast he was left with no chance.

— What a way for Dimitrov to break Nishioka in the 2nd set. Nishioka hit the backhand as hard as he could but Dimitrov just, on the stretch, half-volleys it into the open court.

— Huge backhand pass from Grigor (vs Nishioka).

— 100mph, on the full slide, forehand passing shot from Sandgren (vs Millman). Ridiculous.

INTERVIEW & PRESS BEST BITS 🎤

Dimitrov after beating Nishioka:

“I felt I was actually hitting the ball quite all right for our first match of the year. It was a good day overall. There were a few things that I would like to maybe improve on the next match, but overall I think it's off to a positive start.” Source

Federer on tomorrow’s mixed doubles clash with Serena Williams:

“I hope that a lot of tennis fans are going to tune in and watch it, because it’s going to be one time and probably never again in this kind of a competition.” Source “I’ve always thought, ‘How is it to return that serve, or to go head to head with her?” Source

Williams on the match:

“You know, I’ve been training in the off-season to be ready for Roger. I’m not sure how I’m going to do, but we’ll see.” Source

Tsitsipas after beating Tiafoe:

“I felt a bit uncomfortable in the first match I played. I couldn’t last long. I felt like I was out of breath. But today I felt really comfortable playing the rallies. My shots felt better. In general I felt much more confident. Frances (Tiafoe) told me he felt the exact same thing I felt in my first match. I told him it was probably because of jet lag and the heat combined.” Source

ORDER OF PLAY - TUESDAY ⏰

BRISBANE

— (Pat Rafter Arena @ 1pm Brisbane, 3am UK, 9pm CT) —

🇬🇧 Murray vs Duckworth 🇦🇺 (H2H: 1-0) (Hard Court H2H: 1-0)

Prediction: Murray in 2

🇦🇺 Kyrgios vs R. Harrison 🇺🇸 (H2H: 3-0) (Hard Court H2H: 2-0) 🔥🌶

Prediction: Kyrgios in 3

— NB 7pm AUS, 9am UK, 3am CT —

🇦🇺 De Minaur vs Popyrin 🇦🇺 (1st Meeting)

Prediction: De Minaur in 2

— (Court 1 @ 11am AUS, 1am UK, 7pm CT) —

🇺🇸 Fritz vs Kudla 🇺🇸 (1st Meeting)

Prediction: Fritz in 2

🇫🇷 Tsonga vs Kokkinakis 🇦🇺 (1st Meeting) 🔥

Prediction: Kokkinakis in 3

🇦🇺 Thompson vs Bolt 🇦🇺 (1st Meeting on main tour, 2-2 in Futures/Qualies)

Prediction: Thompson in 3

DOHA

— (Centre Court @ 3:30pm Local, 12:30pm UK, 6:30am CT) —

🇧🇪 Goffin vs Berankis 🇱🇹 (H2H: 2-0) (Hard Court H2H: 2-0)

Prediction: Goffin in 2

🇨🇭 Wawrinka vs Khachanov 🇷🇺 (H2H: 1-0) (Hard Court H2H: 1-0) 🔥

Prediction: Khachanov in 3

🇷🇸 Djokovic vs Dzumhur 🇧🇦 (H2H: 1-0) (Hard Court H2H: 1-0)

Prediction: Djokovic in 2

🇦🇹 Thiem vs Herbert 🇫🇷 (H2H: 0-1) (Hard Court H2H: 0-1) 🔥

Prediction: Thiem in 3

Full Order Of Play

PUNE

— (Centre Court @ 3pm Local, 10:30am UK, 4:30am CT) —

🇭🇷 Karlovic vs Auger-Aliassime 🇨🇦 (1st Meeting) 🔥

Prediction: Auger-Aliassime in 3

🇫🇷 Paire vs Myeni 🇮🇳(1st Meeting)

Prediction: Paire in 2

🇪🇸 Granollers vs Ramanathan 🇮🇳 (H2H: 1-0) (Hard Court H2H: 1-0)

Prediction: Granollers in 3

Full Order Of Play

HOPMAN CUP

— (Centre Court @ 5:30pm Perth, 10:30am UK, 4:30am CT) —

🇨🇭 Federer vs Tiafoe 🇺🇸 (H2H: 3-0) (Hard Court H2H: 3-0)

Prediction: Federer in 2

🇨🇭 Federer/Bencic vs Williams/Tiafoe 🇺🇸

Prediction: Fast 4 scoring LUL

EXTRAS 🔍📊🎤

O’Donnell (Andy Murray’s surgeon): “It had reached a point where he couldn’t play. It wasn’t really at a stage where we could make his hip normal, it was just to try and make it as good as we could. He’s certainly improved but he still has problems.” (BBC 5Live Radio)

— Sadly Delpo has had to pull out of the Australian Open to continue his recovery from a fractured patella he suffered in Shanghai.

Kevin Anderson: “I can't speak too much about the ITF and the Davis Cup. They've been doing their own thing and not collaborating as closely with the players as we would have liked. It's tough for me to comment on something that is out of the players' hands and not have any say in what they do.” Source

(Matt: After Zverev and Nadal both raised questions about the Australian Open’s communication, or lack thereof, with players following their change of their 5th set structure, Anderson raises a related point about the ITF. There seems to be an abject failure, on behalf of the governing bodies of this sport, to listen to, or even ask for, player input.)

📊 21 (!) years separates Karlovic and Auger-Aliassime, who meet in Pune tomorrow.

— Rublev has clearly been studying the ‘Djokosmash’ in the off season. 10/10.

NEW BALLS PLEASE 👀

— Andy very pleased to see the back of 2018. Source

— Tsitsipas REALLY enjoying Abba. Source

— Tennis TV content intern losing the plot entirely. Source

— '“First-rate girl and the youngster” for those not fluent in Aussie.

— Roger with a questionable name for his double’s pairing with Belinda Bencic. Anything’s better than Randy Murderer (Andy Murray x Roger Federer) though 🤷‍♂️.

🎉 Happy New Year! 🎉

— See you in 2019 👀

GAME, SET, MATCH 👋

— The Racquet is created, and written, by Matt.

— You can find me on Twitter here.

See you tomorrow for Day 2 of Brisbane, Doha, Pune & more Hopman Cup.

Banner Image Source: Murray’s Instagram.