Players of the Month

07 May 2002

Taken From www.atptennis.com

Ferrero, Nieminen Honored As Players of the Month

Juan Carlos Ferrero, the Tennis Masters Monte-Carlo winner, takes home honors as April's ATP Player of the Month.

Juan Carlos Ferrero has been named ATP Player of the Month for April after winning the Tennis Masters Monte Carlo. Jarkko Nieminen has been named ATP Rising Star of the Month, while Jonas Bjorkman and Todd Woodbridge captured top honors as Doubles Team of the Month.

Ferrero's win in Monte Carlo gave the Spaniard his second Tennis Masters Series shield - joining the Tennis Masters Series Roma title he won last May. Ferrero collected 110 points in April and moved up to 15th position in the ATP Champions Race 2002. After losing in the second round the week before in Estoril, Ferrero rebounded nicely in the year's first Masters Series event on clay. The 22-year-old defeated fellow Spaniard Carlos Moya in straight sets in the final - that after advancing past No. 7 Sebastien Grosjean in the semifinals and No. 5 Tommy Haas in the quarters.

Nieminen, who reached two finals in Estoril and Mallorca, took home ATP Rising Star of the Month. Nieminen has turned around his game during the clay-court season, after suffering five consecutive first round defeats to begin the year. Nieminen defeated No. 3 seed Marat Safin in quarterfinals in Estoril en route to the final in his first ATP clay-court tournament. In Mallorca, the 20-year-old Masku, Finland resident did not drop a set before falling to Gaston Gaudio in the finals. Nieminen's success in April elevated the Fin to 41st in the ATP Champions Race.

Jonas Bjorkman and Todd Woodbridge have been named Doubles Team of the Month after becoming the first team to successfully defend their Tennis Masters Monte Carlo title. Seeded fifth in this year's event, Bjorkman and Woodbridge won four of their five matches in a Match Tie-Break to take the crown. The duo defeated the tandem of Paul Haarhuis and Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the final and also defeated Pacfic Life Open and Nasdaq-100 Open champions Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor in the quarterfinals.

The ATP Player of the Month, ATP Rising Star of the Month and Team of the Month recognize players' outstanding accomplishments in the ATP Champions Race and ATP Doubles Race.