There is unpredictable, and then there is Nick Kyrgios. The enigmatic 21-year-old Australian is a master of the mysterious when hitting second serves, keeping opponents off balance with his massive range of speed and spin. Sometimes it's an 83 mph kicking mule that deceptively comes at you slow, but then leaps off the court up over your head. Other times it's a 129 mph fastball that whizzes right by you for an ace. It's unreadable, often unhittable and unrelenting in the clutch. Kyrgios takes the standard guidelines for hitting second serves on board, and then proceeds to throw them out the window. He is not the first player to have such a prolific mix of second-serve deliveries, but he is...
You've probably seen mosquitoes swarm players or moths hop on the court at night. But a giant iguana sitting on a scoreboard and refusing to budge during an ATP World Tour match? Miami Open fans probably couldn't believe what they were seeing on Wednesday evening as Tommy Haas and Jiri Vesely battled on Court 1 at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament. The score was tied 3-3 in the third set, with Haas set to serve during the first-round match, when an iguana climbed to the top of a baseline scoreboard and rested at the best seat in the stadium. Fans, players and the chair umpire immediately noticed the iguana as the creature lingered. “It's a big one,” the...
The stretch remains one of the most intense on the ATP World Tour: Four weeks. Two ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments. Drastically different conditions. At the first Masters 1000, the BNP Paribas Open, the dry heat of the desert that can befuddle even the best players. At the other, the Miami Open presented by Itau, the wretched humidity needs only minutes to turn your light T-shirt into a soaked towel. But battle through the conditions, the tough draws and the world-class opponents, and you can walk away with one of the most impressive achievements of the season: Back-to-back Masters 1000 titles on hard courts. Only seven players since 1991 have swept the March Masters and won back-to-back Indian Wells...
Roger Federer welcomes the April 2017 issue of GQ magazine to his mountain top home in Switzerland to talk about his life off the court and just how much longer he feels he can pull off the impossible. Hell, for Roger Federer, is talking about life after tennis. For years now, the questions have crept in as Federer, 35 and troubled by injuries, seemed to be drifting off the court. Reporters demanded to know: When will you stop? What comes next? Maybe a farewell tour before you wander away into the Alps? All the sporting world seemed to want, after nearly two decades of idol worship, was a forwarding address for where to send a thank-you note. But then, a...
Once a champion, always a champion. Many had written off Pete Sampras as a serial winner, but after a 20-month drought he picked up the 30th 'Big Title' of his career at the 2002 US Open, in what was to be the American's final bow as a professional. In Roger Federer's case, a six-month injury layoff in 2016 that saw him drop to No. 17 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, has only increased his appetite for the sport's greatest prizes. Off to a 13-1 start this year, with Australian Open and BNP Paribas Open silverware already in his trophy cabinet, at 35 years of age he remains a leading power. In winning his 25th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy...
