Tennis News

#NextGenATP Italian sensation Jannik Sinner is doing his part in the battle against coronavirus. The 18-year-old announced on his social media that in conjunction with his management company, StarWing Sports, and coach, Riccardo Piatti, he is donating €12,500 to Cesvi, a humanitarian organisation, to aid with medical emergencies in Bergamo.

“The unity in Italy throughout this crisis has been incredible. Among many thousands of Italians that have helped through this crisis, I want to applaud the 250 volunteers who came together in Bergamo recently to build a Field Hospital in just eight days,” Sinner wrote. “This unity is what will get us through this period. I want to do my part, as much as I can, to contribute in pulling us out of this."

Forza 🇮🇹 #insiemecelafaremo #distantimauniti @RPiatti @StarWingSM pic.twitter.com/5DPotjvErc

Sinner is currently in Monte-Carlo, but he has been monitoring the situation in Italy closely.

“I urge you to help in any way you can to contribute in getting our great country out of this,” Sinner wrote. “I am proud to be Italian and proud of our unity. We will come out of this stronger. Stay safe ❤️”

The Italian previously announced he would donate €10 for every photo shared on social media of a pizza pie that resembled him or any Italian figure.

“Hopefully, the Coronavirus will go away as soon as possible,” Sinner wrote in a blog for ATPTour.com. “I know every country is doing their best to lockdown.” 

Read more: https://www.atptour.com/en/news/sinner-coronavirus-donation-bergamo-april-2020

From posting workout videos to taking part in the toilet paper challenge, Hubert Hurkacz has been active on social media to share what he's been doing at home.

The rising 23-year-old held an impromptu Twitter Q&A this past weekend and spent an hour answering questions from fans. Hurkacz revealed his closest friends on Tour, favourite song of the moment and which player he'd like to trade places with for a day.

ATPTour.com highlights some of the Pole’s best answers from the Q&A.

Stay active, exercise a lot, read some good books, and watch movies 😀

Couple of times, but I didn't have a chance to hit with her

Recently I liked the song "Walking on the dream" by Empire of the sun

Flying would be cool 😎

I like grass 🍀

Roger🤣

[TENNIS AT HOME]

Benoit, Marcelo, John, Łukasz😊

I like Indian Wells a lot!😀

The Dawn Wall!😉

Pasta with vegatables

I built with my sister LEGO porsche 911 gt3 rs that had 2704 pieces

Beaches

Read more: https://www.atptour.com/en/news/hurkacz-q-and-a-april-2020

Hello everyone from sunny California! I hope you are all staying safe and doing your part to stop the spread of coronavirus.

I decided to stay on the west coast of the U.S. once it was announced that Indian Wells was cancelled. The days have pretty much been the same, but to be honest, I’m in really good spirits now. It’s been a bit of an adjustment, but I think it’s good to let loose, let your beard grow or whatever you want to do.

Tennis players are creatures of habit, so I still make sure to structure my day. Go to bed on time, wake up early, be productive in the morning. There’s a reason why some of the greatest minds of our time wake up early. I think structure is needed for your mental thoughts. Also washing our hands as much as possible. I’m a crazy fanatic when it comes to laundry and have been doing that twice a day.

I’m lucky because I have a small gym on the property where I’m staying and can access it every day. I have a little basketball court to run around on or can go for walks. Maintaining my physicality on a daily basis is key. You can always find a way to exercise, even at home. It’s not easy, but reveals a lot about your own character and lets you learn more about yourself.

[TENNIS AT HOME]

Eating well is just as important now, but I’m letting myself be a little bit loose and sometimes have things that I wouldn’t necessarily eat while competing. I’ve been really good at making chocolate chip cookies lately!

I’ve been in contact with friends and family a lot during this time. With the sacrifices we make as athletes, it’s sometimes hard to be the best friend that you’d like to be for loved ones. Now is the chance to reconnect and really just listen.

The time off has been great in some ways because it’s given me perspective about what I want to do in the future, after tennis, and some things I want to do off the court. We now have a pause where you can let yourself be, put your guard down and let your mind wander. I have notepads lying around everywhere in case a thought or idea comes into my head and I want to explore it later with my agents or family.

I’m starting a course at Harvard Business School in a few weeks. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I loved being in school, but haven’t had the chance to experience it to the extent that I would have wanted to. No

Read more: https://www.atptour.com/en/news/dimitrov-blog-story-april-2020

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has prevented the 2020 Mutua Madrid Open from taking place from 1 to 10 May and forced the ATP and WTA to postpone all activity on their tours until 13 July, the organisers of the only ATP Masters 1000 and WTA Premier Mandatory event in Europe have announced the creation of the Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro, an innovative tournament that will be a virtual replica of the tennis competition, with the world’s biggest tennis stars squaring off from their own homes. The news means that the biggest ATP and WTA stars will clash in the Manolo Santana Stadium, recreated in exquisite detail in the Tennis World Tour video game, while swapping their racquets for a game controller.

“Since we announced that the Mutua Madrid Open would not take place on the dates planned, we have been working on ideas for bringing tennis to the fans”, said Feliciano López, the tournament director. “The birth of the Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro highlights the tournament’s technological, youthful and innovative side, which has been one of its hallmarks since it began in 2009 and it is fitting for the current circumstances. We have organised a tournament for the professional players that is as true to the conventional Mutua Madrid Open as possible, without them having to leave their homes. And its goal is not just to entertain; we want to do our bit during this period, which is so difficult for everyone.”

“The Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro will be a first-of-its-kind for the ATP Tour, providing an exciting and new way for players and fans to connect and engage with our sport”, said Andrea Gaudenzi, ATP Chairman. “This is a win-win for all – the Mutua Madrid Open, the players, and the fans. We are particularly pleased that funds raised from this initiative will contribute towards supporting the wider playing group, which is critical during these challenging times.”

“The Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro is a unique and creative way of engaging the WTA athletes and their fans during this unprecedented time,” stated Steve Simon, WTA Chairman and CEO. “The WTA would like to thank and recognize the event for putting this initiative together. We look forward to the virtual game, which can serve as a fun source of entertainment while at the same helping to bridge a gap until live tennis returns, while also providing opportunities to help those players

Read more: https://www.atptour.com/en/news/online-tournament-madrid-2020

“The World No. 1 leading the way behind the man who very might well become the World No. 1 one day.”

That was the commentary as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal walked on court for their third-round match in Miami 16 years ago. There was a sense of anticipation. Federer was the top seed and No. 1 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings and his opponent, Nadal, was World No. 34 at the tender age of 17.

“He has already proven himself at his age, to be ranked as good as he is. I think he's already actually proven that he's a great player,” Federer said before the match. “He doesn't right now need to beat all these top players just to show them that in three years' time he can be No. 1 in the world and win Grand Slams. I think all he needs is time.”

[TTV FEDAL]

The pair actually played one another in doubles at the previous event, Indian Wells, with Nadal and Tommy Robredo defeating Federer and Yves Allegro in three sets. But the Swiss was still the favourite, even if he knew he’d face a stiff challenge.

“I think he's put a lot of hard work into his game,” Federer said. “I think he's enjoying his tennis. That's exactly what he should do. We'll see how strong he will be in two years. But the start to his career so far has been incredible.”

Nadal had already played big matches, including a third-round clash against Lleyton Hewitt in the third round of that year's Australian Open. Federer didn’t sense any nerves from the Spaniard.

“In the beginning maybe a little bit, when you walk on court. I think he's kind of a little bit shy on court. He looks at me as an incredible, great player,” Federer said. “I just felt more of a respect level than nerves.”

[TTV CLASSICS]

Nadal showed he was unafraid of taking the match to the more experienced Federer. The lefty used his heavy forehand to keep the top seed from attacking, putting more pressure on Federer to play more aggressively from less advantageous positions, which led to errors in key moments.

Nadal jumped at every opportunity to hammer his forehand cross-court at Federer’s backhand at Crandon Park. The 17-year-old did not face a break point, winning 75 per cent of his service points in a 6-3, 6-3 triumph against Federer, sealing his upset after just 70 minutes.

“I’m very happy because I played one of the best matches in my life. Obv

Read more: https://www.atptour.com/en/news/atp-uncovered-federer-nadal-miami-2004

Editor's Note: ATPTour.com is resurfacing features to bring fans closer to their favourite players during the current suspension in tournament play. This story was originally published on 30 September 2019.

When in Tokyo, Novak goes sumo.

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is in Japan to compete at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships for the first time. And the top seed took full advantage of the country’s culture on Monday by visiting Ryogoku Edo-Noren, a facility with restaurants that features a dohyo, a sumo wrestling ring.

Djokovic not only got an opportunity to watch retired professional sumo wrestlers during their ‘keiko’ — or morning practice — but he also stepped up on the dohyo to learn some of the moves himself.

“It’s a great experience. I’ve never had this experience before. It’s one of the most popular sports in Japan,” Djokovic said. “Speaking with my father yesterday on the phone I was telling him that I’m going to have an opportunity to meet sumo wrestlers. He and I were remembering many years ago at home [when] we used to watch Akebono [Tarō, who reached Yokozuna status], who was someone that we supported a lot.”

Djokovic was in awe of the sumo wrestlers, even playfully seeing if he can make one of them budge. Spoiler alert: it didn't work. They also taught the World No. 1 seiko and suri-ashi among other sumo moves.

“I felt that I am out of shape [for sumo] a little bit. I think with a few more kilos, I’ll be ready to compete,” Djokovic joked. “Probably three times as much as I have right now would be the right measurement for me to compete.”

The 75-time tour-level titlist paid great respect to the professionals, taking in their technique and power on the dohyo. But that wasn’t all that impressed Djokovic.

“It’s quite impressive to see also how flexible they are. I believe at the beginning they were demonstrating their flexibility,” Djokovic said. “I didn’t think that they were that flexible considering it’s a heavyweight sport, but I see that they are paying a lot of attention to the mobility of their joints and the flexibility, which is of course what allows them to move around as agile as possible at their

Read more: https://www.atptour.com/en/news/djokovic-tokyo-2019-sumo-wrestling-feature