By virtue of his stellar performances this season, and particularly over the past two months, Rafael Nadal has thrust himself to the forefront of the sport once again and in strong contention for his fourth year-end No. 1 finish in the Emirates ATP Rankings (2008, 2010, 2013). In winning 24 of his 25 matches on the European clay-court swing, the Spanish superstar has lifted three 'Big Titles' - his 10th Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, his fifth Mutua Madrid Open and his 10th Roland Garros crown. The Open Era leader for most clay-court titles won (53), also picked up his 10th Barcelona OpenBanc Sabadell trophy in April. With 45 'Big Titles' - 15 Grand Slams and 30 ATP World Tour Masters 1000s...
Everyone takes a different path to the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings. No journey is alike. There is no road map or blueprint to follow. All players make the ascent on their own terms and while some have to overcome steeper learning curves, each holds a unique story to be told. On Monday, Tennys Sandgren made his Top 100 debut, vaulting to No. 100 following a semi-final finish at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Prostejov, Czech Republic. For the 25-year-old American, it has been quite the journey to the milestone, but should come as no surprise considering his impressive rise over the past year. "It's been a goal of mine for as long as I can remember,"...
The abiding memory is of a stick-thin figure bedecked top-to-toe in yellow and blue, who unleashed explosive groundstrokes and a monotonous groan, which echoed around Stade Roland Garros, to wear down the best clay-court players the professional circuit had to offer. With each win as Gustavo Kuerten walked off court, came an infectious smile in acknowledgement of his growing legion of followers, to whom he became universally known as ‘Guga’. “To win Roland Garros was unbelievable,” Kuerten told ATPWorldTour.com, on the 20th anniversary of his win. “It’s become more absurd as the years have passed. Now I know how hard it is to win a Grand Slam, but back then I kept questioning, ‘What is this?’ and ‘How did I...
It would be understandable to anyone if Steve Johnson decided to take time away from tennis after the unexpected and tragic passing of his father, Steve Johnson Sr., on May 11 at age 58. Instead, the American bravely returned to competition last week in Geneva, and completed a dramatic 6-2, 7-6(8), 3-6, 7-6(6) second-round victory over #NextGenATP Croatian Borna Coric on Wednesday to match best result at this event. The events of the past three weeks and tension of the match boiled over after the final point, as Johnson dropped to his knees and burst into tears after the win. “I just miss my dad. I wish he was following along. I know he is upstairs,” said a visibly emotional...
Diego Schwartzman has produced top form on clay this year on the ATP World Tour. The 24-year-old Argentine reached the semi-finals in Istanbul, and produced back-to-back quarter-final showings in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Schwartzman also reached his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 quarter-final in Monte-Carlo. He defeated Italian qualifier Stefano Napolitano on Wednesday to reach the third round at Roland Garros. Schwartzman shares some of his tennis memories in this Biofile with Scoop Malinowski. First Tennis Memory: It's tough to remember [smiles]. But I think when I first started to play in my first club in Argentina, Club Nautico Aqua. I always played football and tennis, but then I decided on tennis because I was better at...