Rafael Nadal cruised through his third-round match at Roland Garros on Saturday, extending his FedEx ATP Head2Head series lead against Richard Gasquet to 16-0. And while the 10-time champion ousted one of France's home hopes, the top seed certainly made it up to the crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier. During the post-match interview, Marion Bartoli told Nadal that one of the match’s ball boys had dreamt of playing just one rally with the Spaniard. Without hesitation, Nadal made that a reality, handing the young man a racquet and jumping back on the court to the delight of the fans. Day = made (That nod from his mate at :40, though ) ️: @rolandgarros pic.twitter.com/91PS2gxUC1 — ATP World Tour (@ATPWorldTour) June...
Novak Djokovic creates memories that last a lifetime for all the fans in the crowd at his matches. The former World No. 1 put on a great show on Friday in his four-set third-round victory at Roland Garros against Roberto Bautista Agut. And if that wasn't enough, he earned lifetime fans after match point. In the second-set tie-break, Djokovic put one of his racquets out of commission. But he made good out of it after clinching the triumph, giving it to a smiling young fan, who looked like he certainly appreciated the gesture. "At times in my career, these kind of situations, when I would scream or throw a racquet, it would kind of wake me up and help me...
Diego Schwartzman has a special connection to soccer. The Argentine, who is through to the third round at Roland Garros, was named after soccer legend Diego Maradona. Growing up in Argentina, soccer was more than just a sport -- it was a way of life. "Soccer was the sport I wanted to pursue," said Schwartzman, who is seeded 11th at Roland Garros. "I made the right decision to choose tennis over soccer as a career choice because I'm a better tennis player than I am a soccer player, but I've always been in love with soccer, like most Argentinians are. "My friends and brothers would play soccer on the weekends and go eat some barbecue food afterward. I wanted to...
Carlos Moya, coach of world No. 1 Rafael Nadal, will be breaking down Rafa's performances at Roland Garros for ATPWorldTour.com. Nadal hopes to lift the trophy for the 11th time. On Thursday, the defending champion defeated Guido Pella 6-2, 6-1, 6-1 to advance to the third round, where he'll face Richard Gasquet for a place in the Round of 16. Moya lists five key takeaways from Nadal’s win over Pella. A Solid Win I'm happy with how things went today. Nadal was a little more comfortable than he was (against Simone Bolelli) and didn't have to over-exert himself against Guido. We expect a tough test on Saturday when Rafa faces Gasquet. [ALSO LIKE] A Better Showing Than Tuesday This is...
Karen Khachanov, the powerful Russian, has enjoyed his best success on hard courts this year, which includes his second ATP World Tour title at the Open 13 Provence (d. Pouille). The 22-year-old came into Roland Garros with a 3-4 record on clay courts and will be hoping to reach the fourth round in Paris for the second successive years. Khachanov shares some of his tennis memories in this Biofile with Scoop Malinowski. First Tennis Memory: I remember how I first started to play tennis with my first coach in Moscow. When I was a kid, I was exercising a lot. Then, we went to summer camp. Those are my early childhood memories. Tennis Inspirations: My favourite players were Marat Safin...
