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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):

Murray 🎥 Duckworth (Brisbane)

Kyrgios 🎥 Harrison (Brisbane)

De Minaur 🎥 Popyrin (Brisbane)

Dzumhur 🎥 Djokovic (Doha)

Goffin 🎥 Berankis (Doha)

Khachanov 🎥 Wawrinka (Doha)

🇨🇭 Federer 🎥 Tiafoe 🇺🇸 (Hopman Cup)

🇨🇭 Federer/Bencic 🎥 Williams/Tiafoe 🇺🇸 (Hopman Cup)

RESULTS 🎾

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

Brisbane 🇦🇺

(ATP 250 - Hard)

Murray d Duckworth: 6-3, 6-4

Encouraging signs from Murray today. He looked sharper than he did at any point in his stop-and-start comeback last year, and his 1st serve was firing for large parts of the match. Andy should also be encouraged by his 2nd serve performance, especially in the 1st set (64% points won), finding some really nice variation and speed on his 2nd delivery that, at times, looked like it was lacking in the few matches he did play in 2018. Murray’s forehand was a bit up and down today, especially when it came to dropping the ball short, but there was no shortage of intelligent slices and anticipatory shotmaking that are the hallmarks of the 3-time slam champion (he converted the break in the first set with a winner off a Duckworth smash). Duckworth played well, at times, in the 2nd set, creating 4 break points to Murray’s 2. But Murray dug in and saved each one thanks to a combination of nice serving and questionable Duckworth shot selection. Andy then broke to (successfully) serve out the match at 5*-4. A great first step back on the tour.

Kyrgios d R. Harrison: 7-6(5), 5-7, 7-6(5)

Kyrgios’s hit a staggering 44 aces which covered up the numerous shortcomings in his game today. He was very rusty from the baseline, which was down to, in his words, “not hitting too much” in the off-season. His return of serve was pretty much non-existent for portions of the match (in the 3rd set he won just 6/35 return points). And the cherry on top was his attempts to convince Harrison how little he was having to try to beat him. But as with many Kyrgios matches, when he was good, he was VERY good, stringing together a few sublime touches at the net, and some customary forehand/backhand slaps. Nick should probably have won this match in straight sets, holding three match points with Harrison serving at 4-5 in the 2nd set. Harrison served well to get out of the hole, and then benefitted from an error laden next game from Kyrgios to level the match at one set all. A serve dominated third set came down to a tiebreaker, in which Nick finally found a return of serve to grab the decisive mini-break that he never relinquished. Tough to know what kind of January Nick will have based on this performance.

De Minaur d Popyrin: 6-2, 6-2 💥

The match started competitively but De Minaur hit another gear, after two games played, and ran away with it. Popyrin consistently took up some very defensive positions, preferring to stand way back behind the baseline even when in charge of the point. This, against a player as fast as De Minaur, was never going to work. Angles and taking the ball early are your friends when playing a counterpunching, energiser bunny like De Minaur. Both players are just 19, but Popyrin has plenty of catching up to do (and also plenty of time to do it) if he wants to make a true rivalry out of this matchup. Getting down to low, short balls should also be high on Popyrin’s list of improvements. De Minaur continues to get better and better at an impressive rate.

Tsonga d Kokkinakis : 7-6(6), 6-4

Thompson d Bolt : 6-3, 6-0

Chardy d Struff : 4-6, 6-3, 6-4

Kudla d Fritz: 7-6(5), 6-7(2), 6-4

Doha 🇶🇦

(ATP 250 - Hard)

Wawrinka d Khachanov: 7-6(7), 6-4

A very high quality opening set from both players featured Wawrinka facing marginally more pressure on serve. The Swiss defended two break points (to Khachanov’s 0), but some clever serving got him out of trouble. Both guys posted very good numbers on their 2nd serves, Wawrinka winning 60% of points and Khachanov with a fantastic 69% (Khachanov in particular has improved his 2nd serve pace and placement massively over the past year). Nothing could separate the two players and we headed to a breaker. Wawrinka held 2 set points at 6-4*, but Khachanov responded with some aggressive tennis and net play to level up the score: 6-6. Wawrinka then found an excellent blocked backhand return to force the error from a flat-footed Khachanov, and Stan went up a mini-break for the second time. This time Wawrinka converted his chance after his opponent netted a forehand. Khachanov looked frustrated as they started the 2nd set, with Wawrinka going up an immediate break. Stan seemed to work out that if he served a slider, out wide into Khachanov’s forehand, that the Russian’s extreme grip made it very difficult for him to put meaningful returns back in play. Khach’s forehand slice return isn’t developed enough, and chasing pacey, balls out wide is always going to be tough with a full western grip. Stan exploited this very successfully, and put his serve to work once again while serving for the match to get out of a 15-30 hole. Very good win.

Djokovic d Dzumhur: 6-1, 6-2 💥

Two players in completely different weight classes, physically and tennis level wise. Djokovic converted both break points he created in the opening set, spreading the play effortlessly with early, deep groundstrokes and then simply hitting into the open space in which Dzumhur could no longer cover. Dzumhur standing as far back as he was, against the current best baseliner in the world, is tennis’s equivalent of hari-kari. The only way any lesser player will have a chance vs this version of Novak is to try and take everything as early as possible, and hope for the best. Dzumhur tried an interesting change-up at the start of the 2nd set, using his backhand slice to try and knock Djokovic off his rhythm. But three unforced, backhand errors in a row surrendered an early break to Novak, who never looked back. Djokovic continued his imperious serving numbers over from 2018, winning 81% of his 1st serve points and 69% on 2nd serve. His 1st serve % dipped in the 2nd set (48% vs 76% in first set), but no other concerns. As routine as it gets.

Berankis d Goffin: 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(4) ‼️

Strange loss for Goffin, who looked completely in control after taking a 1 set lead. Berankis started picking apart Goffin’s 2nd serve, with the Belgian winning just 14/29 2nd serve points in the 2nd & 3rd sets. Berankis looked very impressive as he finished the match, facing 0 break points in the final set, and finding some serious form on his own serve. Goffin really struggled to put enough good returns in play (Berankis won a surprising 12/18 2nd serve points in the decider, which given his height and Goffin’s usual return ability, is impressive).

Herbert d Thiem : 6-3, 7-5 (❓Not sure this really counts as an upset on a fast-ish hard court. Thiem now 0-4, including exho matches, this season.)

Fucsovics d Copil : 6-3, 6-2

Garcia-Lopez d Zayid : 6-1, 6-3

Lajovic d Mannarino : 6-3, 7-6(5)

Pella d Ilkel : 7-6(1), 6-3

Cecchinato d Stakhovsky: 6-4, 6-2

Pune 🇮🇳

(ATP 250 - Hard)

Paire d Monteiro : 7-6(5), 6-3

Bolelli d Istomin : 6-4, 6-4

Ramanathan d Granollers : 4-6, 6-4, 6-3

Karlovic d Auger-Aliassime : 6-4, 7-5

Vesely d Hoang : 4-6, 6-4, 6-4

Ivashka d Hurkacz : 6-7(9), 6-2, 6-3

Djere d Kadhe: 7-5, 7-6(6)

Hopman Cup 🇦🇺

(Exhibition - Hard)

🇨🇭 Federer d Tiafoe 🇺🇸 : 6-4 6-1

🇨🇭 Federer/Bencic d Williams/Tiafoe 🇺🇸: 4-2, 4-2

SHOTS OF THE DAY 😮

— A nice reminder of why it’s so great to have Andy Murray back on the tour. Duckworth hits a strong cross-court, backhand approach, but Murray is able to play the short angle, defensive backhand slice which completely hands him control of the point. It’s this kind of subtle genius that Murray brings to tennis, and although it’s not quite as flashy as some of his peers, it’s damn good to watch.

— What a way for Murray to break in the first set (vs Duckworth).

— Just the single-handed, flicked, running pass from Murray. No big deal.

— Another angle. 🔥

— Wawrinka’s backhand was in full flow today (vs Khachanov).

— Ridiculous touch from Kyrgios (vs Harrison).

— Federer crushing a backhand vs Tiafoe.

— And, just for good measure, another one in the very next point.

—Banana from Goffin 🍌 (vs Berankis).

— How to hit a controlled backhand passing shot in one perfect GIF (Djokovic vs Dzumhur).

— Nice combo of power and touch from Novak (vs Dzumhur).

— Djokovic painting lines with his backhand down the line. Ominous for the rest of the tour.

INTERVIEW & PRESS BEST BITS 🎤

An (emotional) Murray after beating Duckworth:

“It’s been a really hard 18 months. It was tricky just to get back on court. I’m happy to be back. It kills me that I haven’t been amongst it. I want to enjoy playing as long as I can.” (On Court Interview).

“I was nervous... but I like nerves. Today I felt like I saw the ball better versus, say, the middle of last year. I don’t feel apprehensive about my hip... today I didn’t really think about it at all.” Source “I was in a little bit of discomfort, but I didn’t feel (the hip) on any movements for my shots... it didn’t affect my play that way.” Source

Post match interview after the Federer/Bencic vs Williams/Tiafoe match:

Federer: “It was great fun. What a pleasure, what an honour. Thank you for making this match possible!” Serena: “We grew up together really and having an opportunity after all these years to do it at such a pinnacle point in both our careers. For me it was super cool. I wanted to bring my baby out, I was way too excited.” Federer: “I see why they talk about [her serve]. You just can’t read it.” Serena: “I couldn’t read yours either!” Serena: "His (Federer’s) serve is underestimated.” Serena: “The guy is great. He's the greatest of all time to be honest. Both on the court and off the court, he has such charisma.”

(On Court Interview)

Moments like this are a great example of why Tennis Australia got it very wrong in killing the Hopman Cup. Showcasing mutual respect and admiration like this, between sportsmen and sportswomen, is exceptionally valuable and rare, in any sport.

De Minaur after beating Popyrin:

“Alexei is a hell of a player and he’s gonna play some incredible tennis over the Australian summer. It was just a match where were were both a bit nervous. A big opportunity for both of us. And today I played better.” Source

Kyrgios after beating Harrison:

“I know my serve is a shot that usually gets me through tough matches. I was very rusty from the back of the court. I didn’t hit too much over the off-season. But just happy to get through and I know I’ve got a touch match coming up (vs Chardy). Source

ORDER OF PLAY - WEDNESDAY ⏰

Match to watch = 🔥

BRISBANE

— (Pat Rafter Arena @ 11am Brisbane, 1am UK, 7pm CT) —

🇧🇬 Dimitrov vs Millman 🇦🇺 (H2H: 1-0) (Hard H2H: 1-0) 🔥

Prediction: Dimitrov in 3

— (1pm Brisbane, 3am UK, 9pm CT) —

🇦🇺 Kyrgios vs Chardy 🇫🇷 (1st Meeting) 🔥

Prediction: Kyrgios in 2

— NB 7pm AUS, 9am UK, 3am CT —

🇬🇧 Murray vs Medvedev 🇷🇺 (1st Meeting) 🔥

Prediction: Murray in 3

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

🇯🇵 Nishikori vs Kudla 🇺🇸 (H2H: 1-0) (1st Meeting on HC)

Prediction: Nishikori in 2

🇦🇺 De Minaur vs Thompson 🇦🇺 (1st Meeting) 🔥

Prediction: De Minaur in 2

Full Order Of Play

DOHA

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

🇨🇭Wawrinka vs Jarry 🇨🇱 (1st Meeting)

Prediction: Wawrinka in 2

🇷🇸 Djokovic vs Fucsovics 🇭🇺 (H2H: 1-0) (Hard H2H: 1-0)

Prediction: Djokovic in 2

🇬🇪 Basilashvili vs Rublev 🇷🇺 (1st Meeting)

Prediction: Basilashvili in 3

🇪🇸 Verdasco vs Berdych 🇨🇿 (H2H: 4-10) (Hard H2H: 1-7) 🔥

Prediction: Berdych in 3

Full Order Of Play

PUNE

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

🇰🇷 Chung vs Gulbis 🇱🇻 (1st Meeting) 🔥

Prediction: Chung in 3

🇿🇦 Anderson vs Djere 🇷🇸 (1st Meeting)

Prediction: Anderson in 2

🇫🇷 Simon vs Ivashka 🇧🇾 (H2H: 1-0) (1st Meeting on HC)

Prediction: Simon in 2

🇹🇳 Jaziri vs Ramanathan 🇮🇳 (1st Meeting) 🔥

Prediction: Jaziri in 3

Full Order Of Play

HOPMAN CUP

— (Centre Court @ 10am Perth, 2am UK, 8pm CT) —

🇩🇪 A.Zverev vs Pouille 🇫🇷 (1st Meeting)

Prediction: Zverev in 3

🇩🇪 Kerber/A. Zverev vs Cornet/Pouille 🇫🇷

Prediction: Kerber/Zverev

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

🇪🇸 Ferrer vs Ebden 🇦🇺 (H2H: 1-0) (Hard H2H: 1-0)

Prediction: Ferrer in 3

🇪🇸 Muguruza/Ferrer vs Barty/Ebden 🇦🇺

Prediction: Barty/Ebden

EXTRAS 🔍📊🎤

— Kyrgios probably the first player to ever ask for his error count mid match. Upon hearing it (31 btw), Nick dropped multiple F bombs and started muttering to himself just like that crazy guy who seems to live in your local pub.

📊 Tonight’s evening session for the Hopman Cup drew a record 14,060 spectators.

— Will be interesting to see how many other Top 10 players were asked. So far, Zverev and Nadal were not, Federer was.

— 43 Grand Slam titles hugging.

📊 Kyrgios’s 44 aces in a single best of three match is joint 2nd all time:

— Very nice analysis of Djokovic & Nishikori’s serve and return placement/success by @Vestige_du_jour. Go and read their full post here.

NEW BALLS PLEASE 👀

— It’s January 1st and we already have a contender for worst tweener of the year (Kyrgios). This was at 40-30 on Harrison’s serve btw. Not like it was a throwaway point.

— Thiem remembering that the whole of January is hard court tournaments. Fack dis sheet?

— Federer tags Tiafoe.

— Tiafoe getting revenge. Right in the ol’ earlobe. Federer afterwards: “My ear feels like it came out of a 300 degree oven.” Source

...they ask you how you are, and you just have to say that you're fine, when you're not really fine...

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GAME, SET, MATCH 👋

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

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See you tomorrow for Day 3 of Brisbane, Doha, Pune & more Hopman Cup.

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