GAME, SET AND MATCH

By: Aaron Xiong

Of the 12 countries participating in this year’s ATP Cup, Russia and Italy are moving on to the semi-final stage of the tournament.

Despite the Italian facing the likes of world number 3 Dominic Thiem and Austria and the power house that France is, they were able to hold each country to only one match win each when facing them in the group stage. The Italians only dropped one singles and doubles match in the group stage which plowed them to a 4-2 match record and into a spot for the semi-finals.

Italian Matteo Berrettini in Melbourne
Creator: JAIMI JOY, JAIMI JOY | Credit: REUTERS

Russia’s story is of the same nature as they only dropped two matches in their group to give them a 4-2 match record. The two matches dropped were in the doubles category, but their singles players proved to withstand the test by winning all four singles matches. After defeating both Argentina and Japan respectfully, they have booked themselves a spot in the semi-finals as well and await their next opponents.

With Canada taking a 0-2 group loss, Group A’s semi-finalist will be between Germany and Serbia as the two countries will face off for a tie-break later this week. Group B’s semifinalist will also be determined between a tie-break between Spain and Australia.

By: Aaron Xiong

A sigh of relief for Roger Federer fans around the world as the Swiss Maestro announced he will be returning to the ATP Tour in March 2021 for the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha. The news comes after nearly a year since the 2020 Australian Open when Roger Federer was last on a tennis court.

The tennis legend had undergone two right knee surgeries in the past year and had hoped to make a return at this year’s Australian Open but pulled out after not feeling 100% for the first major of the year. Despite rumors of retirement and a slight fall in the rankings, Federer has proven the doubters wrong yet again with the announcement today.

The 20 time Grand Slam champion won’t be able to defend his SF run at the Australian Open, but is looking to hop back into form in the coming months in the Middle East.

By: Aaron Xiong

With word of Nike’s newest shoe models such as the Nike Zoom Vapor Pro and the Nike Zoom Vapor Next, the tennis world has heard very little about the hidden gem known as the Nike Zoom Vapor Posite. Although it was initially a project that was in the works by Nike Court (Nike’s Tennis Branch), it was seemingly scratched off the release calendar.

The Nike Zoom Vapor Posite in the “Royal Blue” colorway

The shoe was a collaboration between the Nike Zoom Vapor X tennis shoe and the famous Nike Foamposite from the 1990’s. The shoe contains features of both shoes with the upper of the shoe resembling the Nike Foamposite with enhanced support on the lateral side for stability as seen in the Zoom Vapor X. The midsole and outsole of the Zoom Vapor X was placed on this shoe as well for the best performance on the court.

Despite its good looks, the Nike Zoom Vaporposites were scratched from Nike’s release calendar. There were some pairs that did make it out of the factory and into stores such as Ross, Marshall’s and Burlington Coat Factory in some states across the country. If you’re lucky enough to spot one of these at your local Marshall’s or Ross, don’t hesitate as this pair can go for a hefty price in the reselling game.