If you want to be inspired and witness unbreakable faith; a steadfast resilience that awakens when your very livelihood is under threat, listen to, and watch, Juan Martin del Potro today. The splintered career of the Argentine star evokes, unlike almost any other tennis player over the past decade, not only great admiration, but also genuine and universal sympathy for what has happened; what might have been and for how, in spite of repeated setbacks and long periods of doubt, his charm and personality remain unaltered. Almost nine years after he first broke into the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings, del Potro has overcome all manner of hardships and is deservedly back among the sport’s elite competitors. View Latest...
“Come on, Jimbo!” Those were the words of encouragement from Rafael Nadal, who showed up in the stands of Court 14 on the Australian Open grounds, to the surprise of Jaume Munar. The young Spaniard was playing his first round Australian Open qualifying match. “Jimbo” ultimately prevailed against Andrea Arnaboldi, 6-2, 6-4, and moved on to the second round of qualifying. “Having the support of Rafa is very special to me,” Munar told ATPWorldTour.com after the victory. “It wasn't like I was expecting him to come see me play. I know it isn't easy for him to get to a match with all the attention he draws, and despite all that he still managed to get up close to the...
The abiding memory is of a stick-thin blond, wearing a baggy shirt and screams of “Come on!” echoing around the Adelaide Oval with every winning stroke. Adelaide Tournament Director Colin Stubs must have known something when he awarded a wild card to a high-school student, ranked No. 550 in the ATP Rankings with one tour-level appearance to his name. By the end of the first week of January 1998, Lleyton Hewitt had not just his parents, but the whole of the tennis world shaking their heads in disbelief. The local boy had worked his way through the field to become the lowest-ranked – and second-youngest – player to win an ATP World Tour event. It was the first time that...
At every barrier Gilles Muller crossed during his career-best 2017 – the usual ups and downs of a season, the elbow injury and the mental wear of it all – the left-hander had two people on his mind: Lenny, 6, and Nils, 5 – his two sons. Ever since the boys were born, Muller had sought to share tennis with them. The Luxembourg native wanted to extend his career long enough so that he would still be playing at a high level once Lenny and Nils were old enough to remember Dad's tennis life. Read & Watch: Muller's First Title Like A Movie “I always wanted to see them in the stands, watching me play,” Muller exclusively told ATPWorldTour.com. A...
As Marcelo Melo’s results dropped off from the 2017 Brisbane International presented by Suncorp and the clock edged closer to midnight in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, on Sunday night, 9,347 miles away — and with a 16-hour time difference — in Sydney, Australia, Lukasz Kubot received news. The 35-year-old Pole had risen to No. 1 in the ATP Doubles Rankings, tied with his partner Melo. For the first time since Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan jointly held top spot for the final time on 25 October 2015, the team discipline has two stand-out performers. View Latest Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings Speaking at the Sydney International on Tuesday, having reflected on the achievement overnight, Kubot told ATPWorldTour.com, “It’s a dream. As...