Wygrane turnieje:

#1 - Valencia 2006

#2 - Valencia 2007

#3 - Costa do Sauipe 2008

#4 - Acapulco 2008

#5 - Acapulco 2009


Przegrane finały:
2007 - Bastad
2008 - Valencia

Najwyższy ranking: 11 (7.7.2008)

RG 2010 - wywiad po zwycięstwie w 4 rundzie

Q. Do you think you're playing the best tennis of your career at the moment?
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: Well, I don't think so. I play very well that match. I'm very happy with my tennis at the beginning of the match, and at the end of the second set and at the beginning of the third, too.
Well, I happy I play so good. I didn't do many mistakes. But I think I can do better with my serve, because I couldn't play with a lot of first serves. I think I can do better.

Q. You face Nadal in the quarter. You met him in Madrid. Do you have a special game plan? And if yes, is it the same one as in Madrid?
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: No, I think I will try to play at the same as Madrid, but I need to play more than one set and a half. Here I need to play five sets. I think it will be difficult to beat him, but I will try at the same every time I play him.
THE MODERATOR: Questions in Spanish, please.
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: It's much easier for me to speak Spanish, so questions in Spanish.

Q. Was it more difficult, less difficult? Because it looked very easy to us.
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: Well, maybe it looked easy, but it wasn't. It was a very difficult match against a player like Verdasco. He's part of the top players in the world, and I managed to lead the match for the two first sets.
I knew exactly what I had to do, I was very much focused, and I knew this was the key in the match. I played an almost perfect match. I played very good tennis at all times in the match.
Maybe the only problem was my first serve. But I need to work on my first serve. That's my weak point. I'm very happy I won, but I want to make progress. I think I'm on the right tracks, and obviously I still have a few more days ahead of me.

Q. Well, congratulations, to start with. This is the second time you've reached the quarterfinals here in Roland Garros. It's an opportunity for you. What's the most important difference between your shape this year and last year?
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: Well, I think there is a lot of difference. As compared to 2008, my physical shape has improved a lot. From a mental standpoint, I also am much stronger now.
But the next match is going to be very difficult because I'm playing Rafa. He is above all the other players on this surface. But I think I'll be able to play very good level of tennis, and I hope this will be the case for many, many years.
If I can win, that's gonna be even better.

Q. Do you remember the match you played against Rafa in Madrid? What did you learn from this match so that you can avoid making the same mistakes?
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: I think my matches against Rafa are always very long and very difficult. In Madrid I played at a very good level. I think it was at 5 1, 6 4, and in the second set when I was 2 1 up and there was the breakpoint, and I played my two best points in the match.
Then he came back. He played much better. This is probably where I couldn't react. He was playing much longer balls. And for the next match it's going to be battle. It's the one who can fight the longest that can win.

Q. How would you explain someone who's not seen you playing? How would you explain your second set?
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: How do you want me to answer? In Spanish or in English?

Q. As you wish.
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: Well, I served better, and that's something I've been working on since I was a child. And you want to ask my coach. He explained to me these things. That's a natural serve to me. I make sure the ball bounces very high, and I want it to be very fast, as well.
But this is how I try and win the point. Did you understand what I said? But if you didn't, ask my coach. He'll give you explanations.

Q. What about the pressure for the next match? Would you say Rafa is unbeatable, or do you think you have opportunities to win this match?
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: Well, if I thought he was unbeatable I'd pack up and go home. But not at all. I know how to attack him. I've done so in Madrid, and at many times in the match. So I'll continue on the same tracks.
I do think that this is going to be a much longer match than in Madrid, so I have to be very much focused during the entire match. I need to play my best tennis, which is probably what I did today.
If I do so, I have a good opportunity.

Q. Would you say that Rafa is the worst case scenario?
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: Well, it's going to be a very tough, very difficult match. I don't think anyone has defeated him on clay this season. But that's right. That's the draw that decided I would play him in the quarterfinals.
But this is a Grand Slam tournament, you know. Playing the biggest player in the world on clay, well, that makes me feel very happy, because that's an opportunity for me to beat him.
If that was the case, I'd be very happy. Otherwise, as each time I played him, I'll do my best to walk out of the court with my chin up.

Q. I don't know when you were a junior if you had already played him and won. Would this have a psychological impact?
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: Well, as I said, each match is totally different. Each match is a physical fight and a mental fight. I get ready, I prepare for each of my matches, and I've never won against Ferrer, and so you see, I won. One you win; one you lose.
And the last times I've played Rafa he won because he was stronger than me, but I will try and change the scenario this time.

Q. Who has more to lose?
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: I think we both have a lot to lose.

Q. Are you saying he's going to win until he's 60, also?
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: No, not at all. I know he plays a very good level of tennis, but I won't wait till I'm 40 to beat him. I hope I can win him when I'm 24. But we'll see that tomorrow or, no, on Wednesday. But trust me, Wednesday is going to be a wonderful match.
I really want to play that one and be amongst the top players in the world.

Q. I don't know how you prepare your matches with Jose, but from now till next Wednesday, are you going to watch the videos of the matches in 2008?
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: I never watch matches on TV. That's Jose who does that, and then he tells me about the important points because he knows tennis much better than I do.
So I just follow his instructions.

Q. What did Jose say about Rafa?
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: Well he said nothing. He said, Congratulations; you played very well. You were at the challenge. You have to continue on the right tracks and improve on your weaknesses.
Honestly, I didn't talk about the future match against Rafa.

Q. How does it feel, this future match?
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: Well, he says I need to be very aggressive. I need to attack on his serve as soon as I can and be as aggressive as possible.
But I have to be consistent, as well.

http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/news/ … 19478.html

RG 2010 - wywiad z Nicolasem po porażce w ćwierćfinale

Q. How would you evaluate the situation?
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: Well, my evaluation of this situation? Well, the situation is here in Paris, and what I can say after the match is that I feel good. I played a good match. My arms feel good. My legs, as well. I have two arms, two legs.
No, I'm kidding, of course. But frankly, no, it's terrible. Really, it is terrible.
Let's face it, as I said yesterday, I said I wanted to finish being proud of what I did, even though I might be defeated, which is what happened. I played the match I had to play. I had the right attitude throughout the match. I wanted to win; yet I couldn't.
But in any case, the most important thing is that the tournament will continue. I'm on the right tracks. I know I still have to practice the way I've always done.
Now, of course, it's a bit sad. I played against Rafa during these quarterfinals. Had I been playing against another opponent, who knows what might have happened? Only God knows.

Q. The other day you said that with Verdasco you had played a match which, according to you, was almost perfect. If it were to continue along the same lines, you could have done better, but you played really well.
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: Well, I think you have to play even better than with Fer. The first set was okay. The second one, as well. But then I thought I could control, whereas here, it started well. It was 3 0.
Then it was a draw, and I lost the tiebreak. Then I was break into the second set; the same story happened during the second set but with no break.
During the third one I wanted to be more offensive, because so far it was good for me. Then I made mistakes, so much so, that these were the three bad points I played.
That's how I lost the match, I think. And to win against Nadal, to answer your question, is that I still have to practice, to continue to train and improve my game, and I hope that one day I can answer differently.

Q. It was 3 0, two tiebreaks, and what happened?
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: Well, I missed my tiebreak. I didn't really play it well with my second serve. When you play with your second serve, you know, Rafa was very offensive, he could play really well, very important and turning points better than I did.
And then during the second tiebreak it was 5 1 on my forehand, and what else can you say? I was always trying to follow, and it's a strange feeling, you see, because I was controlling the match, I think. I had a breakpoint.
But then he served so well and then he volleyed. As you know, he took the pressure a lot easier than I did, because he's No. 2. He played the right points at the right moment.

Q. There was a moment when he returned a ball that hit the net. How did you feel at that time?
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: I think you mean when we were 3 1 and before the break. We all know that Rafa returns all the points. He strikes strongly.
So this is when we were on a draw, and I thought I should still continue being offensive, I should take the initiative on these points. I didn't want to change my strategy all of a sudden. And I played good points, as well, but I made a few mistakes.

Q. Now, you play at a very high level, and my question is: Why is Rafa invincible? Why couldn't you defeat him?
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: Well, I couldn't win because each time well, at any moment he was leading. And as I said, he won the two tiebreaks during the first set; there was a break during the third one, and I couldn't catch up. That's the reason.
What I have to do is to continue and play the way and play. I have to continue and work and practice. I have to think that I'm a winner against Rafa or Verdasco. I have to respect them because they are excellent sportsmen and they're friends as well, but I have to continue and practice and do what I prefer in life. That is playing tennis.
It was not my best of days, I know, but I think in any case it was an excellent match.

Q. I was looking at you, and I saw that sometimes you were really furious, very angry. Did you think until the very last moment that the match could have changed totally?
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: Well, as I said yesterday, had I not believed in my tennis I would have taken the first plane yesterday with my suitcase, and I wouldn't have spent I would have spent a few hours. I would be with my fiancée, my mother, and my nieces. I would be enjoying a barbecue at home.
But I believe in my tennis. I believe in my game. He won. This is it. When he won the very last point, the only thing I had to do is congratulate him and continue on the same tracks.

Q. What do you think about this tournament? What do you think about the match?
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: Well, all tournaments, all important matches for a great sportsman are important. It all started in Australia for me when I had problems with the scaphoid . Despite this injury, I realized that I could continue the competition with the best players.
I trusted myself more, and then I grew as a tennisman, day by day, day after day. And in Madrid even last year I realized I played well even though I couldn't meet the objectives I had set to myself.
Yet I reached the quarterfinals at a very high level, so I still continued to believe in myself. Thanks to this confidence, I played a very good tournament. Even though during the first day I had very bad results, I always thought that I could continue and play more and more matches.
This gave me even more confidence in myself. I think that my team will also gain more trust in me. They'll believe me. They'll agree with me when I say I'm on the right tracks. I'll continue and train and work consistently and coherently, because I'm certain that what I've done so far was good, because I've reaped the fruit of this.
One of these days I'll be able to reach the final at Roland Garros and win the Grand Slam tournament.

Q. Could you try and analyze the match between Rafa and Melzer?
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: Well, I've not seen the end of their match, but Melzer has played a very tiring match, I think. But this is a Grand Slam. He'll have one day off. Nadal, as well. They'll be able to rest.
The two of them are lefties, but Melzer has an excellent serve. We all know that Nadal returns all the points. It's going to be very tight, very tough.
I think the one who's got the best physical condition and the best mental preparation will win the victory.

http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/news/ … 57766.html

Daję Mu spore szanse na wygranie 10 turniejów.

Bizon napisał:

A dajesz mu szanse na wygranie turnieju na innej nawierzchni jak clay ?

Tak, w Paryż-Bercy.

xDD

#7) Gstaad 2010



R32 Marcel Granollers 7-6 3-6 6-3
R16 JMichael Lammer 3-6 6-3 6-2
Q Jeremy Chardy 6-2 7-6
S Daniel Gimeno-Traver 7-6 3-6 6-3
W Richard Gasquet 7-5 6-1

2010 w liczbach

Ranking: 15
Turnieje: 2 (Bastad, Gstaad)
Finały: 0
Mecze: 44-26
Zarobki: $1,205,538

7 dni później...

#9) Buenos Aires 2011



R32 - Pablo Galdon (ARG) 6-1 6-2
R16 - Leonardo Mayer (ARG) 6-7(3) 6-1 6-3
Q - Jose Acasuso (ARG) 7-5 6-3   
S - Tommy Robredo (ESP) 7-5 6-1
W - Juan Ignacio Chela (ARG) 6-3 3-6 6-4

Almagro Earns 200th Win, Second Successive Title


Nicolas Almagro wins his fifth
title on the "Golden Swing".

World No. 13 Nicolas Almagro earned his 200th tour-level match win as he captured his second ATP World Tour title in as many weeks with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 victory over Juan Ignacio Chela in the Copa Claro final on Sunday in Buenos Aires.

“It’s a very good feeling, I’m very happy after winning here and I hope it won’t just be nine titles in my career but a lot more,” said Almagro. He added about his milestone win, “It's a very high number and I hope I can keep getting to higher numbers in my career.”

The Spaniard was coming off his eighth career ATP World Tour title in Costa do Sauipe (d. Dolgopolov) last week and is on a nine-match winning streak. It is the first time in his career that he has won ATP World Tour titles in back-to-back weeks.

As winner of the ATP World Tour 250 clay-court tennis tournament, Almagro received 250 South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking points and $82,800 in prize money.

All nine of Almagro’s ATP World Tour titles have come on clay courts, with five of those trophies coming during the Latin American “Golden Swing”, which incorporates four tournaments in South America during the month of February. As well as his successes this year, he also won back-to-back trophies in Acapulco in 2008-2009 and triumphed in Costa do Sauipe in 2008.

“It’s great to play the Latin American swing every year,” he said. “I’ve always had great results. When I was younger I made some semi-finals and lately I’ve won a lot of titles. I hope I can keep getting more here.”

The top seed Almagro squandered an early break advantage in the first set, but from 3-3 broke serve twice more to clinch the opener. Home favourite Chela was quick to respond, though, taking an early 2-1 break lead in the second set before breaking serve again in the ninth game to level the match. Breaks were exchanged early in the deciding set before Almagro broke decisively in the seventh game to wrap up victory in just over two hours.

“I knew it would be tough, but I was in good shape,” said Almagro. “It wasn’t easy because of the wind and we both had trouble with it. In the first set I was really aggressive, but in the second I made a few unforced errors that cost me the set. In the third I had to repeat what I did in the first set and happily I could do it to win.”

Chela said: “The key game was at 3-3 of the third set because I broke him the game before with great tennis but I couldn’t keep it up. I had to be more aggressive with my serve during the match because his is very good.”

Both Almagro and Chela had pulled double duty on Saturday, winning both their quarter-final and semi-final matches after rain had washed out the majority of play on Friday. In completing his quarter-final win over fourth seed Albert Montanes, the 31-year-old Chela earned his 300th tour-level match win.

The No. 35-ranked Chela was bidding to win his seventh ATP World Tour title and dropped to a 6-6 record in finals. He won two ATP World Tour clay-court titles last year in Houston (d. Querrey) and Bucharest (d. Andujar).

“It was a great week, I had a great level,” said Chela. “Of course I’m sad because I lost but I’m happy with the tennis I played.”

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis … Title.aspx

ALMAGRO CLOSES ON TOP 10

Nicolas Almagro is on a mission to break the Top 10 of the South African Airways 2011 ATP Rankings this week, and is one win away from doing so after reaching the third round of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell on Tuesday.

The eighth-seeded Spaniard opened his campaign at the ATP World Tour 500 clay-court tennis tournament with a second-round win over fellow Spaniard Pablo Andujar 7-5, 7-6(1) in just under two hours.

The No.11-ranked Almagro improved to a 16-2 mark on clay this season, the best record on tour. He dominated the Latin American “Golden Swing” in February, winning back-to-back titles in Costa do Sauipe (d. Dolgopolov) and Buenos Aires (d. Chela), but was denied a clean sweep as he lost to David Ferrer in the Acapulco final.

There was more success for homegrown players on Tuesday as left-hander Feliciano Lopez struck 16 aces in a 6-2, 6-7(7), 6-4  victory over Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin. He will next meet 12th-seeded Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis … op-10.aspx