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We need to get over our increasingly outmoded addiction to much bigger and supposedly better venues, writes Richard Hinds.

A loss in the first round of qualifying may not be a memorable experience for many players on the ATP Tour, but it was for Andrey Rublev in June 2019. After his lower back stress fracture, and soon after a right wrist injury, the feeling of competing far outweighed his deciding-set tie-break setback at the Noventi Open.

“You’ll come back stronger, don’t worry,” the Russian was told after his Halle experience. “You have to understand you haven’t played for a long time, you’ve been out of competition.”

Rublev gave the goodwill messages short shrift. He didn’t realise coming back to top form was a long process, until recently when he finished 2019 strong and compiled a 15-match winning streak that ended at the hands of Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open last month.

“I appreciated everything I had after the second injury,” Rublev told ATPTour.com at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament. “I didn’t play for a while and I played my first match back in Halle. I lost in the first round of qualifying, a dramatic match 7-6 in the third set [to then World No. 223 Mats Moraing]. I was up with a break. I was playing so badly. I remember after that match I was a little bit disappointed, but not as much as before.

“But I said, ‘Finally, I’m playing’. Even though I was playing badly, I enjoyed that moment. Even playing like that, I wanted to play. After that I appreciated what I had, I won one round at Wimbledon and took steps forward. Little by little. I finished the season well.

“Because I had had that moment, I realised that I was playing better than before. I did not think that at that moment, rather ‘Let’s do my best and enjoy it’. It’s only recently that I realised.”

[WATCH LIVE 1]

Rublev the person is energetic, occasionally moody, but also very kind and loyal. He struggles with patience, but he is learning to take his calm exterior off the court onto a tennis court. It helped last month with back-to-back ATP Tour titles at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha and at the Adelaide International.

“I have no patience, that’s why I need to learn,” says Rublev, who has risen from No. 81 in mid-June 2019 to his current career-high of No. 15 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. “These kind of things always take a lot of patience and you have to accept that even if you don’t like it, you need to start all over again and try your best.

“You’re not going to come back stronger. Maybe it will help you later, if you get back to the same level, and maybe you can take some experience from it. But until the moment you arrive at the same level, you’re not going to be stronger. It’s a long process.”

Central to his tennis development has been Fernando Vicente, the former World No. 29 and Rublev’s coach since 2016, who, alongside Galo Blanco and Jairo Velasco, taught the 22-year-old how to be a professional. “The way I see things is the way they see things and we’re on the same wavelength,” says Rublev.

“With Fernando, it’s amazing, because I never had a coach like that before. I’m so close with everyone from my team, especially Fernando as he was with me from the beginning. It’s so tough to be with one person for 24 hours. Imagine if you spend 24 hours for three years with some of your friends, you’ll get tired. But with one or two, you’ll say, ‘He or she is so good.’

“We’ve been together almost four years and there hasn’t been one moment when I’ve been a little bit stressed, mad or tired with him. I feel that I can spend every day with him.”

Rublev realises that his 11-match winning streak at the start of 2020 was “unreal”, but it’s about how he performs and improves throughout the season that matters the most. He had dinner with his team last week, prior to flying to Rotterdam, to discuss his recent experiences, but he freely admits that his goals haven’t shifted because of one great month. It’s just shown him how mentally tough he has to be in the future.

“I want to be strong mentally every day, always positive and accept that if things aren’t going well, I still need to be positive and still do my best,” says Rublev. “If I can do this every day, then it will be my goal for the year. I may still get mad when I’m not hitting the ball as well, but if I want to improve to the next level, I have to cast the doubts aside.

“In life, it’s tough to make me mad. I’m energetic, but inside I’m calmer. On court, I’m completely different and can start to get mad or upset. When I need to compete, I show a different mad, a negative side. I need what I have in normal life, on the court. Everyone understands you need to be calm and positive to do your best, but in the end you have to be strong and smart enough.”

Rublev takes an 11-1 record on the season into his first-round Rotterdam match against Nikoloz Basilashvili on Tuesday.

Editor's Note: This story was updated 11 Feb. 5pm ET to correctly identify Adelaide as the second title Rublev won in January.

Reilly Opelka made ATP Tour history with fellow American John Isner in the semi-finals of last year’s New York Open. Opelka not only rose to the occasion in his first tour-level semi-final, but he soared to it, crushing 43 aces. With Isner’s 38, they set the record for most combined aces in a three-set match (81).

But you’d never expect what happened after the match.

“It was Fashion Week [in New York City] that week, [so] I was going to fashion shows every night,” Opelka told ATPTour.com. “I finished my match with Isner exhausted, tired. My coach was so mad at me because I finished, didn’t stretch much, and just got in an Uber, headed into the city and made a fashion show. I went to a few [that week].”

For some players, rushing to a fashion show after a semi-final might be problematic, especially with a championship battle the next day. But for Opelka, it was exactly what he needed to maintain a relaxed mindset with the trophy on the line just hours later.

“I was in a great state of mind,” Opelka said. “I’d played enough tennis and I hit enough balls and I had enough practice and enough repetitions that I could have gotten away with it. It’s also about knowing when is the right time to do it.”

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Those who watch the 6’11” right-hander play see him blasting aces on the court. But once he puts his racquets in his bag, fashion is one of Opelka’s biggest hobbies. “Some of my close friends are working in fashion and it’s just something I’ve always liked. I’ve had an interest in it,” he said.

Eight months later, at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo, Opelka advanced to the semi-finals at the ATP 500 with straight-set wins over good friend Taylor Fritz, former Top 10 player Gilles Simon and home favourite Yasutaka Uchiyama. That result was no coincidence.

According to the American, Tokyo is the “menswear fashion capital of the world”. While he enjoyed it, Opelka approached the scene differently upon arriving in Japan.

“I got injured at the US Open… I stayed for two weeks, recovered, got home, started off slow and I wanted to get [to Tokyo] early, get acclimated to these conditions. I knew I needed practice, I needed reps, I needed time. So I was hitting an hour and a half in the morning, an hour in the afternoon, doing fitness, so I didn’t have much time [to explore],” Opelka said. “From that standpoint, when you’re pushing your body that much, it’s important to recover. That’s a time where I knew I needed reps, I needed to hit balls. As tempted as I was to head into the city and check out the stores here, because I hadn’t really done it yet, I was pretty disciplined.

“Once I got my practice week finished and everything, the last three or four days I had some good times in the city. It’s just about knowing when. At the end of the day, it is my job. I like to be professional. I don’t like to waste a week, especially coming all that way.”

[ATP HERITAGE]

Opelka was not returning to the tournament hotel with countless bags of clothing. He simply loved checking out what the city’s fashion stores had to offer.

“I’m not kidding, they only have like men’s small here [in Tokyo]. From that standpoint, I’m not shopping, looking to buy anything for myself. I’m just looking,” Opelka said. “This is literally the mecca for menswear.”

Opelka is not the only player on the ATP Tour who is into fashion. Federer was named GQ’s Most Stylish Man of the Decade. One of the Swiss’ friends, Vogue’s editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, frequents tennis tournaments.

“I’d love to [meet her]. For sure [it’s on the bucket list],” Opelka said. I follow Harper’s Bazaar, I read a lot. I read all different types of outlets from that [fashion] standpoint.”

Opelka isn’t sure if he’ll ever get into designing. But the American wants to stay close to the industry even after his still-young tennis career is over.

“I don’t know if I would start my own [brand] for example, but I’m into it. I also like learning. I like the business side of things. Once my tennis career is over, that’s for sure the direction I’ll head in,” Opelka said. “I love New York and I go to the city a lot. New York is one of the main hubs for it in the States, especially the Soho area, Tribeca, more downtown in the city. That’s where I like spending a lot of my time. When the season’s over, even though it’s freezing cold, as soon as I get back from Paris or wherever, I go to New York. I spend a week in New York.”

Opelka’s hobbies aren’t one-dimensional, though. He is also a self-proclaimed “foodie”.

“In New York, I was eating good. I love this restaurant called Moreia. I love Italian. I was ordering an Italian dish there as well, Gnocchetti. Carbone is really good there. I was going to Per Se. I was eating ton of good foody spots pretty much every night. Le Coucou is another one,” Opelka said.

Will you catch the big man cooking, though?

“Absolutely not,” Opelka said. “Zero chance. Never.”

For now, Opelka will stick to cooking up aces. He enters this year’s New York Open as the World No. 40, 49 spots higher than last year when he lifted the trophy.

And if a routine works, don’t change it. On Sunday evening, Opelka took to Instagram to show the world where he was: a fashion show.

A decision has been issued under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (the "Programme") that Robert Farah has committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation under Article 2.1 of the 2019 Programme. No period of ineligibility was imposed.

Mr. Farah, a 32-year-old player from Colombia, provided a urine sample as part of an Out-of-Competition testing mission on 17 October 2019. That sample was sent to the World Anti-Doping Agency (“WADA”) accredited laboratory in Montreal, Canada for analysis, and was found to contain Boldenone and its metabolite. Boldenone is a Non-Specified substance, which is prohibited under category S1 of the 2019 WADA Prohibited List (Anabolic Agents), and therefore is also prohibited under the Programme. Positive tests for Non-Specified Substances carry a mandatory Provisional Suspension and Mr. Farah was provisionally suspended with effect from 21 January 2020.

Mr. Farah was charged with an Anti-Doping Rule Violation under Article 2.1 of the Programme (presence of a Prohibited Substance in a Player’s Sample) on 11 January 2020. Mr. Farah’s account of how the Boldenone entered his system was accepted and it was determined that he bears No Fault or Negligence for the violation within the meaning of Programme Article 10.4. Where a finding of No Fault or Negligence is made, Programme Article 10.4 provides that any otherwise applicable period of Ineligibility shall be eliminated entirely. Therefore, the Player's provisional suspension (imposed on 21 January 2020) is lifted with immediate effect, and he will not serve any period of Ineligibility for his violation. For the avoidance of doubt, Mr. Farah is eligible to resume competition immediately.

This is Mr. Farah’s first Anti-Doping Rule Violation. The decision determines that: (1) Mr. Farah has committed a violation of the Programme; (2) there is no period of ineligibility; and (3) Mr. Farah is eligible to compete with immediate effect. This decision is subject to appeal by WADA and NADO Colombia (COLDEPORTES) to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Matildas stalwart Emily van Egmond scores a maiden international hat-trick at Campbelltown Sports Stadium to assure Australia a berth in the final stage of qualification for Tokyo 2020.

Warner completes a stunning return to international cricket after having been suspended for 12 months for his role in the 2018 ball tampering scandal by securing his third Allan Border Medal.

No. 72 Jiri Vesely, +35
The Czech rises back into the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time since 13 May 2019 with his second ATP Tour title at the Tata Open Maharashtra (d. Gerasimov). Vesely became only the eighth player since 2013 to save match points in two matches en route to an ATP Tour crown. The former World No. 35 saved two match points to beat Ilya Ivashka in a final-set tie-break in the quarter-finals and survived four match points in another deciding-set tie-break against Ricardas Berankis in the semi-finals.

No. 26 Cristian Garin (Career High), +5
The Chilean rose five spots to break into the Top 30 for the first time at a career-high No. 26 after he captured his second ATP Tour crown at the Cordoba Open (d. Schwartzman). He lifted his first trophy in January 2015 at the ASB Classic (d. Mannarino).

View Latest FedEx ATP Rankings

Other Notable Movers
No. 39 Filip Krajinovic, +5
No. 58 Pablo Andujar, +5
No. 65 Ricardas Berankis, +8
No. 71 Egor Gerasimov (Career High), +19
No. 83 James Duckworth, +13
No. 93 Andrej Martin (Career High), +7

The year was 2007. The RBC Tennis Championships of Dallas was embarking on its second decade on the ATP Challenger Tour, as the tournament steadily continued to grow roots in the Texas metropolis.

At the time, the circuit was growing and developing at a rapid rate. An influx of new tournaments provided fresh opportunities for players, while giving fans in non-traditional tennis locales the chance to catch world-class action in a more intimate setting.

That year, something unique was happening at T Bar M Racquet Club. The age of social media was in its infancy and so was the concept of live streaming. People were beginning to be connected across the globe with the press of a button and the folks in Dallas had taken notice.

You can call them innovators and pioneers, but the tournament staff merely wanted to extend the fan experience outside the cozy confines of T Bar. Armed with just a camera and a long pole, the first-ever ATP Challenger Tour live stream in North America was born. It wasn't a high definition feed, but it didn't matter. The ability to connect a Challenger event to the rest of the world was an incredible concept.

While live streaming had already been established in Europe, it was revolutionary for a tournament across the pond. And having identified the great potential of a live streaming service, they took it one step further in 2008. With current tournament emcee Craig Karseno and former club instructor turned professional coach Craig O'Shannessy serving as commentators, they launched a full-scale operation.

Club member Marc Lemke was the brains behind it all, creating his own company called Front Row Tennis and establishing the entire operation from scratch. A former executive at IBM, he spent six months learning the business and the technology behind live streaming. Identifying it as a potentially lucrative investment,  Lemke purchased the equipment which included six cameras, broadcast gear, sound mixers and green screens for off-court player interviews. The rest was history.

Watch: The Birth Of Live Streaming In Dallas

A total of 350,000 people accessed the stream in its first year, consuming not only the live action, but instant replays with highlights, interviews, as well as commercials from local businesses. Lemke would manage the production for four years in total, with a pair of viral moments providing a surge of publicity. In 2008, a match point foot fault led to a memorable tirade and in 2011, Michael Yani made SportsCenter's Top 10 plays on ESPN with a diving winner.

"Marc took a leap of faith, investing his own time and money," Karseno told ATPChallengerTour.com. "He took six months off from work, figured out the technology and hired a crew. At first, it was just a long pole with a hook that went on the top of the fence and points down. The following year, Marc established his company and saw an opportunity to make it a permanent fixture."

"I remember Judy Murray contacted the tournament and thanked us for giving her the chance to see her son Jamie Murray play a tournament on the other side of the world," said tournament founder Bob Raedisch. "She was so excited. At the time, unless you qualified for a Slam, you weren't getting exposure or getting interviewed. It morphed into something bigger than what the tournament ever imagined."

In Dallas, while they are constantly seeking ways to set themselves apart, there is one thing that has never changed in 22 years: the tournament's culture.  

Photo: Tessa Kolodny

On the Challenger circuit, every tournament has their own method of establishing a unique sporting culture within the community, while striving to attract potential sponsors. At T Bar, they have been laying the foundation through years of hard work and dedication to create the perfect tennis experience.

A modest tennis facility in North Dallas, T Bar has been home to the Challenger 100 event for more than two decades. If you walk through the main entrance during the tournament, you won't find any flashing lights, dramatic player entrances and boisterous entertainment. The event has always stayed true to its roots and that is reflected in the passion and core values of its founders and current staff.

'Southern hospitality' describes the warm and welcoming attitude of people in the Southern United States. At T Bar, they take that philosophy to the next level. The tournament's culture is predicated on a family-first mentality. That extends to the players battling between the lines, the fans streaming through the gates and the staff working tirelessly to make the event run as smooth as possible. If you're there, you're family.

"There is a strong appetite for tennis in the Dallas area," said Karseno. "In terms of the club membership and the community's demographic, this has been the place to be on a Saturday night. Women are getting dolled up and people are getting babysitters for their kids ahead of a night out. It's a party and it still is a big social event in the city. People will mingle in our pavilion, enjoying locally catered food and drinks, before taking their seats for a night of tennis.

"And from what players tell us, it's all about the way we take care of them. It's a relationship that we build. I don't just interview a guy [for our social media] and then never talk to them the rest of the year. I always tell the champions that I hope we never see them back here again. You always want them to graduate to the next level. But when they're here, we put them in housing in the mansions of our club members and they give them their cars for the week. It's all about the relationships you build over time."

The tournament has also become a social event for stars of other sports. A big tennis fan, NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki and his wife Jessica have visited the tournament nearly every year. This week, he was joined by former New York Knicks player Kurt Thomas, current Dallas Cowboys football star Michael Gallup and former Dallas Stars ice hockey goalie Marty Turco. In fact, Thomas and Gallup visited the tournament on multiple occasions throughout the week, staying for hours on end.

"It's cool to see stars of other sports coming to watch us play," said 2020 finalist Denis Kudla. "That doesn't happen often. I never knew they were tennis fans."

Welcome back to @TennisChampsDTX, Dirk Nowitzki!@dallasmavs legend @swish41 visits with fellow

In the lead-up to the first clash of the season between Richmond v Carlton, I fielded several queries that took me by surprise, writes Kate O'Halloran.

Naseem Shah becomes the youngest player in Test cricket history to take a hat-trick to put Pakistan on the brink of victory against Bangladesh.

The Opals qualify for the Olympics with a win over Brazil, and the in-form Elizabeth Cambage is fired up for Tokyo after her "horrible time" in Rio de Janeiro.

Ian Thorpe says a better climate strategy is needed as bushfires become more frequent. He is among Australian Olympic swimming champions volunteering their time to raise funds for bushfire relief at a unique swim clinic in Wollongong.

Australia beats England to reach the final of the international tri-series off the back of an exceptional bowling performance from Sophie Molineux at Junction Oval.

As ex-world champion Caroline Buchanan makes her return to racing after a life-threatening accident, a Bathurst BMX club with just 35 members plays host to World Championships and Olympic qualifiers.

Australia's anti-doping body ASADA is set to receive injection of power and authority, but critics say the planned changes risk athletes' already eroded rights.

Rugby player Alicia Lucas is one of many female athletes taking sports commentary lessons, to generate more female voices in sport.

When the rain cleared and the cricket broke out, the Sydney Sixers proved their class to beat the Melbourne Stars in a 12-over game and claim their second ever BBL title at the SCG.

A career-best score from Ashleigh Gardner was not enough for Australia as it fell to a seven-wicket defeat to India at Junction Oval, putting its participation in the tri-series final in doubt.

Oprah Winfrey says her friend Gayle King is facing death threats following a social media backlash caused by an interview with retired WNBA star Lisa Leslie concerning the late Kobe Bryant.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal play out an exhibition in front of 51,954 fans, a new record for a tennis match, at Cape Town stadium.