Rafael Nadal has overcome plenty of opponents in his legendary ATP Tour career, but he faced perhaps his toughest one on Monday: technology.
The Spaniard held a star-filled Instagram Live that included Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Marc Lopez. Nadal laughed as he visibly struggled with the platform and how to bring his fellow players into the conversation, admitting that it was his first time going live.
“As you can see, I’m a disaster in everything. But I’m trying hard,” Nadal said, smiling. Murray took a playful dig at Nadal in the comments section and wrote, “This is brilliant… He can win 52 French Opens, but not work Instagram.”
Nadal finally managed to bring Federer in and the pair caught up on what their recent weeks have looked like. The Swiss provided an update on his recovery from right knee surgery in February and said he’s happy with the progress made so far.
“I had a really good first six weeks, then things got a bit slower, now it’s good again. But I have plenty of time obviously. There’s no rush,” Federer said. “I’ve been hitting a bit against the wall, doing my rehab and my fitness. The good thing is that the second surgery is easier than the first one. I don’t need to experience a third one, though!”
Federer and Nadal reminisced about their hectic schedules of juggling school and training as junior players. The Swiss said that the importance of keeping to a schedule is something he’s instilled in his children and it’s remained particularly important while in lockdown.
“We’re big on routines with school, when to eat and when to sleep. I think that’s important when you have kids, especially multiple children,” Federer said. “The hard part now is that we can’t interact or see anyone, including my parents. The kids would love to play with other ones. But having four kids here, they can always be with each other.”
The natural rapport between both men was on display, with Federer jokingly cheering when Nadal admitted that he hadn’t hit a ball since early March. He also grilled the Spaniard about playing as a lefty when he’s naturally right-handed, acknowledging that handling the lefty spin is one of his biggest challenges when they face off.
“I cannot play righty. That’s just a legend!” Nadal said, laughing. “My basketball skills are with the right [hand], everything else is with the right, but not with football or tennis. I started playing with a two-handed backhand and forehand. The people I was working with probably didn’t know if I was righty or lefty.”
After Federer left, Nadal brought Murray in for a conversation. Murray shared the exciting news that the recovery from his right hip injury is going well and joked that his biggest challenge is home schooling their two young children.
“I’ve been training a lot and still able to do lots of things, but haven’t hit any balls for five weeks. I feel pretty good, so let’s see when we’re able to start [competing] again.” Murray said.
“I’m just trying to find stuff to do with the kids every day. It’s been tough, but it’s been nice to spend so much time with the kids and family. We’re not used to that.
“It’s difficult trying to teach your kids as parents. You appreciate the work that the teachers are doing a lot more because the kids don’t always want to listen to what parents have to say.”
Both men will participate next week in the Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro, swapping their racquets for a Playstation 4 to compete against other ATP and WTA players using the Tennis World Tour video game. Nadal joked that “they don’t want me to do well in Madrid this year” and only recently played the game for the first time. When Murray said he selected Nadal as his character to compete on clay against Federer, the Spaniard asked if he “hit against [Roger’s] backhand all the time” for the match.
“After a set, you were unbelievably tired,” Murray said, laughing. “The energy bar on the side of the screen was almost empty. I’ve never seen you get tired after one set!” Nadal admitted that he needed to sharpen his gaming skills and said that he would text the Brit to play a match.
Nadal opened his Instagram Live by answering several fan questions in English and Spanish. He said that while tending to business with his foundation and academy has kept him occupied, he looked forward to competing and seeing his fellow players in person aagain.
“I played with Andy, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Richard Gasquet and Gael Monfils as kids. It’s been a lifetime of experiences,” Nadal said. “We were traveling and practising a lot as kids in order to become professional tennis players. It’s great to stay together now on Tour because we made our dreams come true.
“My motivation is very easy to understand. I love what I’m doing. I feel super lucky for all the experiences that I’m able to enjoy because of tennis. I like to be out there playing in the best stadiums, enjoying the competition. I’m doing my best to stay healthy and keep the same routines so I can be ready for when I have the chance to come back.”
Rafael Nadal has overcome plenty of opponents in his legendary ATP Tour career, but he faced perhaps his toughest one on Monday: technology.
The Spaniard held a star-filled Instagram Live that included Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Marc Lopez. Nadal laughed as he visibly struggled with the platform and how to bring his fellow players into the conversation, admitting that it was his first time going live.
“As you can see, I’m a disaster in everything. But I’m trying hard,” Nadal said, smiling. Murray took a playful dig at Nadal in the comments section and wrote, “This is brilliant… He can win 52 French Opens, but not work Instagram.”
Nadal finally managed to bring Federer in and the pair caught up on what their recent weeks have looked like. The Swiss provided an update on his recovery from right knee surgery in February and said he’s happy with the progress made so far.
“I had a really good first six weeks, then things got a bit slower, now it’s good again. But I have plenty of time obviously. There’s no rush,” Federer said. “I’ve been hitting a bit against the wall, doing my rehab and my fitness. The good thing is that the second surgery is easier than the first one. I don’t need to experience a third one, though!”
Federer and Nadal reminisced about their hectic schedules of juggling school and training as junior players. The Swiss said that the importance of keeping to a schedule is something he’s instilled in his children and it’s remained particularly important while in lockdown.
“We’re big on routines with school, when to eat and when to sleep. I think that’s important when you have kids, especially multiple children,” Federer said. “The hard part now is that we can’t interact or see anyone, including my parents. The kids would love to play with other ones. But having four kids here, they can always be with each other.”
The natural rapport between both men was on display, with Federer jokingly cheering when Nadal admitted that he hadn’t hit a ball since early March. He also grilled the Spaniard about playing as a lefty when he’s naturally right-handed, acknowledging that handling the lefty spin is one of his biggest challenges when they face off.
“I cannot play righty. That’s just a legend!” Nadal said, laughing. “My basketball skills are with the right [hand], everything else is with the right, but not with football or tennis. I started playing with a two-handed backhand and forehand. The people I was working with probably didn’t know if I was righty or lefty.”
After Federer left, Nadal brought Murray in for a conversation. Murray shared the exciting news that the recovery from his right hip injury is going well and joked that his biggest challenge is home schooling their two young children.
“I’ve been training a lot and still able to do lots of things, but haven’t hit any balls for five weeks. I feel pretty good, so let’s see when we’re able to start [competing] again.” Murray said.
“I’m just trying to find stuff to do with the kids every day. It’s been tough, but it’s been nice to spend so much time with the kids and family. We’re not used to that.
“It’s difficult trying to teach your kids as parents. You appreciate the work that the teachers are doing a lot more because the kids don’t always want to listen to what parents have to say.”
Both men will participate next week in the Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro, swapping their racquets for a Playstation 4 to compete against other ATP and WTA players using the Tennis World Tour video game. Nadal joked that “they don’t want me to do well in Madrid this year” and only recently played the game for the first time. When Murray said he selected Nadal as his character to compete on clay against Federer, the Spaniard asked if he “hit against [Roger’s] backhand all the time” for the match.
“After a set, you were unbelievably tired,” Murray said, laughing. “The energy bar on the side of the screen was almost empty. I’ve never seen you get tired after one set!” Nadal admitted that he needed to sharpen his gaming skills and said that he would text the Brit to play a match.
Nadal opened his Instagram Live by answering several fan questions in English and Spanish. He said that while tending to business with his foundation and academy has kept him occupied, he looked forward to competing and seeing his fellow players in person aagain.
“I played with Andy, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Richard Gasquet and Gael Monfils as kids. It’s been a lifetime of experiences,” Nadal said. “We were traveling and practising a lot as kids in order to become professional tennis players. It’s great to stay together now on Tour because we made our dreams come true.
“My motivation is very easy to understand. I love what I’m doing. I feel super lucky for all the experiences that I’m able to enjoy because of tennis. I like to be out there playing in the best stadiums, enjoying the competition. I’m doing my best to stay healthy and keep the same routines so I can be ready for when I have the chance to come back.”
Your favourite players are all back at home, but they’re finding plenty of ways to occupy their time. From Stefanos Tsitsipas’ unique physical challenge, to Roger Federer’s epic throwback, find out how the biggest names in tennis are keeping busy.
Roger Federer reminded everyone that nothing lasts forever.
Your favourite players are all back at home, but they’re finding plenty of ways to occupy their time. From Stefanos Tsitsipas’ unique physical challenge, to Roger Federer’s epic throwback, find out how the biggest names in tennis are keeping busy.
Roger Federer reminded everyone that nothing lasts forever.
Wimbledon is one of the greatest sporting events in the entire global calendar and it never fails to serve up a dazzling blend of excitement, drama and debate. The world’s finest players are preparing to descend upon London for the tournament and they will battle it out for glory over two action-packed weeks. Home fans will not be able to cheer on Andy Murray, as he has no chance of returning from injury in time for the tournament, but several big guns will compete. Here are five players that stand out in this year’s men’s draw:
Novak Djokovic
The Serb capped a magnificent comeback from injury at last year’s tournament as he swept Kevin Anderson aside in an extremely one-sided final. He followed it up by winning the US Open and the Australian Open and he sits comfortably top of the world rankings, so he is understandably the clear favourite to win this tournament.
Check out the Sporting Index spread betting news and you will see just how highly rated Djokovic is by the experts, and he has all the attributes to thrive once again at Wimbledon this year. He has an 87% win record there and he has lifted the trophy four times previously, so he should be full of confidence. The Serb also boasts a strong record against his main rivals: he is 25-22 against Roger Federer after winning their last three meetings, and leads Rafa Nadal 28-26. If you take away clay court matches, the surface Nadal specializes in, Djokovic leads the Spaniard 20-10 and he prevailed in a five-set epic between them here in last year’s semi-finals. He is now at the peak of his powers and he is the man to beat at this tournament.
Roger Federer
The great Swiss has won this tournament eight times and it remains his happiest hunting ground, while the crowd adores him. He triumphed in 2017 and he was the favourite to defend his trophy last year, but Federer surprisingly crashed out at the hands of Kevin Anderson in the quarter-finals. His record at Grand Slams since then has been pretty average for a man of his sublime talents, and Father Time appears to finally be catching up with the 37-year-old. He lost to unheralded Australian John Millman at the US Open, to Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Australian Open earlier this year and then Nadal took him apart in the French Open semi-finals last month. He is still the most successful men’s player of all time, but Nadal is now just two Grand Slams behind him and he will be desperate to secure a 21st at Wimbledon. However, his legs may betray him against a younger man once more.
Rafa Nadal
Grass is Nadal’s weakest surface and his 81% win record at Wimbledon does not compare favourably to the 98% win rate he holds at the French Open. Last year’s surge to the semi-finals was his best showing since 2011, when he lost to Djokovic in four sets in the final. He has won this tournament twice before, but not since 2010. The clay court king will be expected to reach the latter stages of this year’s showpiece, but he is unlikely to trouble an in-form Djokovic unduly on grass. The Serb has not lost to Nadal on the surface since the 2008 Queen’s Club final and he would be the clear favourite if they were drawn against one another this year.
Stefanos Tsitsipas
Former Wimbledon champion Boris Becker recently challenged the next generation to “show up” and start challenging for Grand Slam titles. The last 10 Slams have been won by Djokovic, Nadal and Federer, while exciting youngsters such as Alexander Zverev and Nick Kyrgios have flattered to deceive. The brightest young star of the bunch could well be Greek prodigy Tsitsipas, who went to the Australian Open semi-finals earlier this year after vanquishing Federer. He is just 20 years old, but he is already up to sixth in the world rankings and he displays a level of calm and composure in big matches that betrays his age. Grass is his favourite surface and he claims to love Wimbledon, so he could light up this year’s tournament with his aggressive baseline play and impressive athleticism.
Kyle Edmund
The home crowds will miss the opportunity to turn Wimbledon into Murray Mound this year, but they might just have a chance of cheering Edmund on in the second week of the tournament. The 24-year-old has been the British number one since March 2018 and he is now a mainstay in the world’s top 30. He reached the third round at Wimbledon last year, while his best performance came at the 2018 Australian Open as he reached the last four. He has won a title in Antwerp and he has previously between Djokovic, so hope springs eternal for British tennis fans.
Despite topping the list for most trophies on the surface, 18-time grass titlist Roger Federer admitted the short nature of the grass-court season provides a unique challenge ahead of the NOVENTI OPEN.
“The pressure is high for me too. The grass-court season is extremely short,” said Federer. “There is not that much I can do to get into it as well, other than have that point-for-point mentality. [My] focus needs to be crystal clear and that is what I need to have from the get-go here as I play John Millman in the first round, who has been a tough one for me in the past.”
Fresh from his semi-final run at Roland Garros (l. to Nadal), the World No. 3 will face extra pressure in his opening match on the surface this year against Millman, as the Aussie stunned Federer in four sets in the fourth round of last year’s US Open.
However, Federer is a nine-time champion in Halle. Also a nine-time Swiss Indoors Basel titlist, Federer has reached the quarter-finals or better in each of his previous 16 appearances in Halle and will be keen to go one step further than his runner-up finish to Borna Coric last year. Federer owns a 9-3 record in Halle championship matches and a 63-7 tournament record.
“I think I look back [down] memory lane a little bit [here],” said Federer. “I see how many good moments I’ve had here, I see how much success I’ve had… The fan interaction [is special]. I feel like we know eachother, they know what they get from me and I know what to expect from them. It makes me feel really good and makes me play good tennis.”
Federer arrives in Halle after competing on clay for the first time since 2016. The 101-time tour-level titlist reached quarter-finals at ATP Masters 1000 events in Rome and Madrid, before a semi-final run at Roland Garros.
“I feel great, to be honest. I am happy to be on the grass, regardless of if I played good or bad on the clay, or if I didn’t play at all,” said Federer. “I always feel happy coming to this surface and this part of the season. I have always loved playing here in Halle for so many years. This is my 17th time playing this event.”
Due to his participation on the European clay, Federer’s grass-court preparations have been abbreviated in comparison to 2017 and 2018. In the past two years, the Swiss returned to action a week earlier at the MercedesCup following a three-month break after the Miami Open presented by Itau.
“Compared to [the past] few years, I have had much less time to prepare for the grass-court season,” said Federer. “Not having played the clay before [in 2017 and 2018], I had plenty of time. So, I don’t want to say I feel stressed, but the transition was definitely faster than in the past few years.”
But Federer’s efforts on the red dirt have given the World No. 3 plenty of reasons for positivity. The nine-time Halle champion notched nine wins from 11 tour-level encounters on the surface, with his only losses coming against Dominic Thiem in Madrid and Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros.
“I was really positive about my clay-court swing. I lost against the best clay-court player ever [at Roland Garros], so there is no shame there,” said Federer. “I tried everything I had and [we played in] unbelievably windy conditions. It was really challenging. I loved it actually, to play Rafa in that situation, the way it was. But I left [Paris] very positive.”
With a new surface, there is a new challenge. But there aren’t many challenges more familiar to Federer than playing on grass. The 20-time Grand Slam champion, who owns an 87.1 per cent win percentage on the surface (176-26), shared his thoughts on how grass elevates his game to new heights.
“[Grass] highlights my strength and it maybe hides my weaknesses,” said Federer. “From that standpoint, I can play how I want, on my terms, how I would like. When you feel that way, it is maybe what Rafa feels on the clay… I have all the options and when you have options, it gives you options to win and different tactics you can use against different players. That gives you maybe that little bit more margin you need to stay out of trouble and win matches.”
