Roger Federer today begins his 303rd week at No. 1 in the ATP Rankings at the age of 36, more than 14 years after rising to top spot. Tellingly, 10 years ago, during his run of 237 straight weeks at No. 1, Federer outlined his intention to “play through the generations like [Andre] Agassi and [Jimmy] Connors.” A commendable goal, but in reality when Federer underwent knee surgery in February 2016, few could have predicted that arguably the sport’s greatest stylist would today have broken myriad of ATP Rankings records and (once again) re-write the history books. His return to the summit of men’s professional tennis for the first time since 4 November 2012, a record gap of five years...
It cannot have been what the two dozen experts Milos Raonic consulted in the off-season recommended he do this year: hold a baby alligator. But there Raonic was, on Sunday, two days before his first match at the Delray Beach Open, clenching his fists tighter and tighter around Smiley, the five-pound alligator that squirmed and urinated while the Canadian tried to tame him. “Whoa, buddy,” Raonic said. “So you can feel the strength of him,” said “Gator Tim” Schwartzman, Raonic's guide at the Sawgrass Recreation Park in Weston, Florida, U.S.A. “Whoa, buddy. Whoa, buddy. Whoa, buddy, buddy, buddy, buddy! Whoaaa, buddy!” Raonic said as he held the 2-year-old alligator, which did not have tape over his mouth and weighs approximately...
The third event of South America's "Golden Swing" gets underway this week, and while Carnival might be coming to a close, the party was just beginning for the players in action at the Rio Open presented by Claro in Brazil. Before they took to the court, some of the ATP World Tour's top players took in the sights and sounds of Brazil's "Marvelous City." The top-seeded Cilic, who will be playing for the first time in Rio, climbed to the top of the 30-meter tall "Christ the Redeemer" statue that overlooks Rio. The world No. 3 found the experience both enthralling and spiritual. "Just getting to the feet of 'Christ the Redeemer' wasn't easy," Cilic said. "It was windy and...
The calendar might say mid-February, but to Jack Sock, this week's Delray Beach Open feels more like the beginning of the season than the ASB Classic did in January. Sock headed to Auckland still feeling tired from his unpredictable end to 2017. The 25-year-old won the Rolex Paris Masters title and climbed 16 places in the ATP Race To London – from 24th to eighth – to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals in London for the first time. But the later end to his season – late November instead of early October/early November – threw off Sock's schedule. He flew to New Zealand without his usual off-season training, and it showed on the court. Sock won just one set...
The ‘Beast’ is largely remembered these days, in his 25th season as a professional, as one of the finest doubles players of his generation, capable of aggressive, tactically adept play both from the baseline and at the net. But just like every player who aspires to make a living from the sport, you begin your life as a singles player. Max Mirnyi, initially, competed in both singles and doubles competition, his appetite whetted at Nick Bollettieri’s Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida, with the likes of Tommy Haas and Andre Sa on tennis and basketball courts. “My singles career and wins I earned, got me to a combined 1,000 match wins recently,” Mirnyi told ATPWorldTour.com. “A big reason why I was...
