Janko Tipsarevic, finally, is back.
The former world No. 8 returned to singles action at the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships in Houston with a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(7) victory over 186th-ranked qualifier Guilherme Clezar. The two hour and 38-minute marathon featured some brilliant shotmaking from Tipsarevic:
Tipsarevic also saved two match points before finishing off his first tour-level victory since September of 2013.
"In my mind, I don't feel like I was away for so long," he said, according to ATPworldtour.com. "I felt like this was a match I needed to win. I was ready, and I was fit. I had no confidence coming in, but saving match points with forehand winners down the line maybe proved otherwise. I really felt I had to win this match, and I would have been really sad otherwise.”
Tipsarevic said he received more than 50 messages on his phone before the match, and he also got some true fan support from world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, who tweeted this picture of him watching the Houston livestream.
Tipsarevic will face a stiffer test in the second round when he faces Colombia’s fifth-seeded Santiago Giraldo.
Photo Source: Janko Tipsarevic/Instagram