During his time on the ATP World Tour, Feliciano Lopez has amassed a number of accomplishments. One of his most impressive, however, is longevity: For two decades, Lopez has been a regular on the tour for 20 years. Lopez is now 36 years old and shows no signs of slowing down. On Tuesday, the left-handed Lopez will face Dusan Lajovic, a 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3 winner over Pedro Martinez in the first round of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. When he was just 16 years old, Lopez was granted a wild card by the Real Tennis Club Barcelona, the facility that runs the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, after they saw serious potential in the young Spaniard. Lopez made the most of...
Rafael Nadal has always been an appreciative champion, and he's especially that way now as, despite being deep into his career, the Spaniard continues to win "Big Titles" – a combination of Grand Slam, Masters 1000 and Nitto ATP Finals crowns. In what seems like an annual tradition now, the Spaniard added another Big Title at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Monte-Carlo on Sunday, beating Japan's Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-2 for his 11th Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters crown. Watch Highlights: Nadal Wins 11th Monte-Carlo Title The victory gave the Spaniard his 31st Masters 1000 crown, putting him atop the all-time Masters 1000 leaderboard. Nadal also celebrated his 47th Big Title, which draws him even with Novak Djokovic for second place, still six...
Fifty years ago, tennis was a non-commercial enterprise with amateur players receiving tournament expenses, often better than the living wage, and were still able to compete in the world’s leading tennis tournaments. Across the great divide, ever since the first pro tour in 1926, were a small band of former amateurs turned contract pros, who had been banished from the public spotlight and criss-crossed the globe in search of a pay cheque. Over the course of one eventful decade, starting in the late 1950s, a handful of leading powerbrokers began to effect a change in the way the sport was promoted, for a free, shared market that led to the modern professional game of superstar athletes. The featherboard fence, on...
He arrived to astonishments from throughout the tennis world, pundits and fans marveling at his one-handed backhand and his world-class touch. Richard Gasquet was only 15 when he won his first tour-level match at the 2002 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. He became the youngest player to win an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 match, beating No. 54 Franco Squillari of Argentina in three sets. The future of tennis had arrived. Gasquet's later play only fanned expectations. At 18, he knocked off No. 1 Roger Federer, again in Monte-Carlo, 6-7(1), 6-2, 7-6(8). A backhand down the line clinched the upset. By then, though, Gasquet must have been used to hype and proclamations. Aged nine, he was touted as a future champion on...
John Isner coolly steps to the baseline like he has thousands of times before. He bounces the ball between the legs of his 6’10” frame, and then again off the court three times with his racquet, and four times with his hand. Just as he lifts his left arm to toss the ball into the air, slightly in front of him, his racquet-wielding right arm begins its own upward motion simultaneously. The 32-year-old eventually launches toward the sky and at the last moment, Isner turns his wrist so the stringbed meets the ball, producing a devastating result. Isner sends the ball flying as if he is wielding Thor’s hammer. The result is a blazing 138 mile-per-hour ace down the 'T'...
