A blockbuster Thursday at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia features Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic taking the court for their opening-round matches in Rome. Due to rain on Wednesday preventing any tennis from being played, 20 singles matches will take place on Day 5 in a bid to get back on schedule. All of the remaining Top 10 seeds will need to win two matches on Thursday in order to reach the quarter-finals.

World No. 1 Djokovic, who claimed the Mutua Madrid Open title on Sunday, returns to Campo Central to face #NextGenATP Canadian Denis Shapovalov. Federer plays his first match in Rome since 2016 against Portugal’s Joao Sousa and defending champion Nadal hits the Grandstand against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy. 

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Djokovic defeated Shapovalov in their only previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting at this year’s Australian Open. The top seed tied Nadal’s record of 33 Masters 1000 titles by prevailing last week in Madrid (d. Tsitsipas) and will have an opportunity to take sole ownership of the record by clinching the title on Sunday. Djokovic, a four-time champion in Rome, would also tie Federer’s “Big Titles” record (54) with another triumph here. The winner of this match will return in the evening to face sixteenth-seeded Italian Marco Cecchinato or German Philipp Kohlschreiber.

Third seed Federer won his only previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting with Sousa on the grass courts of the Gerry Weber Open in 2014. A four-time finalist in Rome, he holds a 32-16 career record at this event. Federer quickly found his clay-court form last week in Madrid by reaching the quarter-finals and holding two match points against Dominic Thiem before losing in three sets. Sousa is looking for his fifth Top 10 win and first on clay. The winner of this match will take on thirteenth-seeded Borna Coric of Croatia.

Second seed Nadal begins his quest for a ninth title at the Foro Italico. The defending champion leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head with Chardy 2-0, but they haven’t faced off in four years. Nadal is still seeking his first title of 2019 after three consecutive semi-final finishes during the European clay swing in Madrid, the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell and Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. The Spaniard hasn’t lost before the quarter-finals in Rome since 2008. The winner of this match will play fourteenth-seeded Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili.

Read: Roger Returns To Rome | Rafa Feeling Positive

Seventh seed Del Potro had a tough opening-round loss last week in Madrid to Serbian Laslo Djere and his draw doesn’t get any easier this week against Goffin. The Argentine is competing in just his third tournament of the year as he nursed a fractured right kneecap sustained last October at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. Goffin leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head 3-1 and the Belgian showed he’s in top form this week with his first-round win over Stan Wawrinka. Del Potro or Goffin will play a third-round match in the evening against Aussie Nick Kyrgios or #NextGenATP Norweigian Casper Ruud.

Other notable second-round matches on Thursday’s schedule include fifth-seeded Austrian Dominic Thiem against Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, sixth-seeded Japanese star Kei Nishikori squaring off with American qualifier Taylor Fritz and a #NextGenATP battle pitting eighth-seeded Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas against Italian wild card Jannik Sinner.

ORDER OF PLAY – THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2019

CENTRALE start 10:00 am
WTA match
ATP – Joao Sousa (POR) vs [3] Roger Federer (SUI) 
Not Before 1:00 pm
ATP – [1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs Denis Shapovalov (CAN) 
WTA match
Not Before 7:30 pm
ATP – {14] Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) vs Jeremy Chardy (FRA) or [2] Rafael Nadal (ESP) 
WTA match

GRANDSTAND start 10:00 am
WTA match
Jeremy Chardy (FRA) or [2] Rafael Nadal (ESP) 
Not Before 1:00 pm
WTA match
ATP – [WC] Matteo Berrettini (ITA) vs Diego Schwartzman (ARG) or [Q] Albert Ramos-Vinolas (ESP)
ATP – [13] Borna Coric (CRO) vs Joao Sousa (POR) or [3] Roger Federer (SUI)
ATP – [1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) or Denis Shapovalov (CAN) vs Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) or [16] Marco Cecchinato (ITA)

PIETRANGELI start 10:00 am
ATP – [5] Dominic Thiem (AUT) vs Fernando Verdasco (ESP)
WTA match
ATP – Radu Albot (MDA) vs [10] Fabio Fognini (ITA)
Two WTA matches
ATP – [8] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) or [WC] Jannik Sinner (ITA) vs Radu Albot (MDA) or [10] Fabio Fognini (ITA)

COURT 1 start 10:00 am
Two WTA matches
ATP – [8] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) vs [WC] Jannik Sinner (ITA)
ATP – [5] Dominic Thiem (AUT) or Fernando Verdasco (ESP) vs [11] Karen Khachanov (RUS)
ATP – After Suitable Rest – Nick Kyrgios (AUS) or [Q] Casper Ruud (NOR) vs David Goffin (BEL) or [7] Juan Martin del Potro (ARG)

COURT 2 start 10:00 am
Two WTA matches
Not Before 1:00 pm
ATP – Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) vs [16] Marco Cecchinato (ITA)
WTA match
ATP – [9] Marin Cilic (CRO) or Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) vs [Q] Taylor Fritz (USA) or [6] Kei Nishikori (JPN)

COURT 3 start 10:00 am
WTA match ATP – [9] Marin Cilic (CRO) vs Jan-Lennard Struff (GER)
ATP – Nick Kyrgios (AUS) vs [Q] Casper Ruud (NOR)
WTA match
ATP – [3] Juan Sebastian Cabal (COL) / Robert Farah (COL) vs [Alt] Austin Krajicek (USA) / Artem Sitak (NZL)
ATP – TBA – [1] Lukasz Kubot (POL) / Marcelo Melo (BRA) vs Jurgen Melzer (AUT) / Dominic Thiem (AUT)
ATP – TBA – Karen Khachanov (RUS) / Marc Lopez (ESP) vs [7] Bob Bryan (USA) / Mike Bryan (USA)

COURT 4 start 10:00 am
ATP – Diego Schwartzman (ARG) vs [Q] Albert Ramos-Vinolas (ESP)
ATP – [Q] Taylor Fritz (USA) vs [6] Kei Nishikori (JPN)
ATP – David Goffin (BEL) vs [7] Juan Martin del Potro (ARG)
WTA match
ATP – Kyle Edmund (GBR) / Neal Skupski (GBR) vs [4] Nikola Mektic (CRO) / Franko Skugor (CRO)
ATP – TBA – Guido Pella (ARG) / Diego Schwartzman (ARG) vs [8] Henri Kontinen (FIN) / John Peers (AUS)
ATP – TBA – [5] Oliver Marach (AUT) / Mate Pavic (CRO) vs Denis Shapovalov (CAN) / Fernando Verdasco (ESP)

COURT 5 start 10:00 am
ATP – [6] Raven Klaasen (RSA) / Michael Venus (NZL) vs Matwe Middelkoop (NED) / Gilles Simon (FRA)
Five WTA matches

Juan Martin del Potro is working hard to make his first appearance at The O2 in six years and let cameras in during his road to recovery.

In his new documentary “The Road to London: Juan Martin del Potro”, we went behind the scenes as the Argentine rehabbed from a fractured right kneecap he sustained last October at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, forcing him to miss the season-ending championships in London. As Del Potro spent grueling hours in the gym in his hometown of Tandil, returning to The O2 remained high on his mind.

“It’s one event that every player wants to be in,” said Del Potro. “It’s not easy to qualify for London, but it will be a good challenge to see if I can qualify once again.”

The documentary also shows a more relaxed side of Del Potro as he hosted a charity day event in his hometown, drank mate on a hill top and had a barbecue dinner with friends. Although he welcomed the time at home, the Argentine was eager to compete again and repeat the success of his 2018 season that saw him crack the Top 10 for the first time in four years.

“I never expected to be in the Top 10 again after all of my problems. It’s never easy to repeat a similar year, but you never know if I’m still in good shape and feeling healthy.”

How much do you know about the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, the fifth ATP Masters 1000 tennis tournament of the 2019 season?

You may be aware that Rafael Nadal holds the record for most Rome titles, but do you know which player he beat to win his first? Do you remember how long Nadal and Roger Federer battled in that epic final in 2006? We test your knowledge in this quiz! 

Need a little assistance? Check out these Rome resource pages: 
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Two years ago, it didn’t matter how well – or how badly – Borna Coric was playing. He always had one answer for what he should do next: Play more.

The Croatian was on a three-match winning streak? He should play another tournament, he might win three more matches. He had lost two straight? He should play another tournament, he could end his losing streak.

“I thought that was normal. I needed to play a lot of tournaments also to feel more comfortable,” Coric told ATPTour.com. “It didn’t matter if I felt bad or if I felt good, just the answer was to play tournaments.”

For three years, Coric played nearly as many events as he could physically handle – and then some – and far exceeded the Top 20 average. His most egregious example came in 2017, when Coric competed in 28 events, or 25 per cent more than the Top 20 averaged, at 21.

But before 2018, Coric changed his coaching team and brought on Riccardo Piatti, former coach of Ivan Ljubicic, Novak Djokovic and Milos Raonic, among others, as his main coach. Piatti’s first item of business: changing Coric’s schedule.

The Croatian was spending too much time playing, Piatti said, and not enough time practising and improving. They needed to spend a minimum of 15 weeks practising.

Coric played only 20 events in 2018, two fewer than the Top 20 average, and after three years of ending the season with a year-end ATP Ranking in the 40s, Coric finished in the Top 15 for the first time.

Borna Coric’s Recent Playing History

*Missed the final six weeks of the season because of knee surgery

For Coric, less was truly more. “For the two years I was just not improving,” he said. “I forgot about improving, and about my level of the game.”

Most encouraging for the team was that he produced his best tennis when it mattered most – at Grand Slams and ATP Masters 1000 events. He made his first Grand Slam fourth round at the US Open (l. to Del Potro), a feat he backed up in January in Australia.

At the Masters 1000 level, Coric reached his first semi-final at the 2018 BNP Paribas Open and his first final at last year’s Rolex Shanghai Masters, where he beat Roger Federer for the second time in 2018 after winning the Halle final on grass.

Peaking at the biggest events was one of Piatti’s goals for the team. They also wanted Coric to stay healthy. He had to end his 2017 season six weeks early because of right knee surgery, but has been relatively injury-free since.

“It was really too much,” Coric said of his former schedules. “With my kind of style of the game, I cannot do it.”

The 22-year-old could have another chance to upset Federer if the two meet in the third round at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome.

More On Coric
Coric: ‘It’s Important That I Keep Competing’
Coric On Mike Tyson, A Future Culinary Career?

Coric avenged his Miami quarter-final loss against #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime in three sets on Monday, and he dismissed Brit Cameron Norrie 6-2, 6-2 on Tuesday evening, playing the type of aggressive tennis he has worked on with Piatti. Coric finished with 20 winners to 10 unforced errors, and won 10 of his 13 trips to the net (77%).

“He needs to produce, not just wait for it to happen. I want him to attack the game,” Piatti told ATPTour.com. “I’m quite happy about the way he’s going to play now.”

Federer will face Portugal’s Joao Sousa on Thursday in a match that was postponed from Wednesday because of rain. Federer and Coric would be facing off for the second time this year, after Federer won their Dubai semi-final in February en route to his 100^th tour-level title.

View Federer-Coric FedEx ATP Head2Head Series

But Coric is feeling positive about another potential matchup with the four-time Rome finalist. The Croatian never had to get over the “Roger factor”, the awestruck feeling some players have when they stare across the net at one of their idols and one of the greatest of all-time. To the contrary, the Croatian has relished the opportunities and has played some of his best tennis against the Swiss.

“I always enjoyed playing against top guys. I always liked that occasion, I would say… I still do, when I go on the court with him, I get a little bit nervous, and it’s some different feeling, for sure, but it’s not like I get stressed or scared,” Coric said.

“When you play against those kinds of players, you need to bring something else to the court. You just feel a little bit more excited, a little bit more pumped up… It gives you even more focus, it gives you more confidence to go for the balls more, and then if it’s your day, you can play very good.”

Portugal’s Joao Sousa will face off against Roger Federer for the first time in five years on Thursday at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. The 30-year-old saved four match points in his first-round match against Frances Tiafoe on Tuesday in Rome to earn his second FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting with Federer. 

In 2013, Sousa recorded a historic milestone in Kuala Lumpur, when he became the first player from his country to win an ATP Tour title. He explains the importance of that moment and also shares various ‘firsts’ in this exclusive Q&A with ATPTour.com.

First moment I realised I love tennis
That’s a tough one. Probably when I decided to go to Barcelona when I was 15. I realised that I really wanted to be a professional tennis player, that was my big dream, so I think it was that moment. 

First coach and most important lesson he taught me
First coach was in my birth city, in Guimaraes, his name was Luis Coutinho. What I learned from him is to be humble and to work as much as I can to try to reach my goals.

First pinch-me moment on the ATP Tour
My first title. Absolutely. Not only for me, but for my country it was a great moment in my career. Of course it will always be in my mind the moment that I won. 

First time I was recognised
I think after winning my first title. After that people started to know me very well. On the street, they would say, ‘Oh that’s Sousa there.’ 

First time I travelled abroad
Probably I was 11. I think I went to France. That was my first trip. I was very young and I have a very bad memory, but I remember it was a great experience. Everything was new.  

First thing I bought with prize money
I don’t buy a lot of things for myself, I buy for another person. I bought a watch for my mother. That was the biggest I’ve given to a person. 

First autograph I gave
I was pretty young actually, about 10 years old. I did a newspaper interview. The girl asked me for an autograph, and said, ‘Maybe one day he’s going to be very important.’

First idol
Juan Carlos Ferrero was my idol when I was growing up and playing tennis. 

First pet
Momo, my Labrador. It’s always good when I come back home and play with him.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on October 17, 2017.

Persistent rain in Rome on Wednesday has delayed the start of play at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

View Revised Order Of Play (2pm CET Update)

Federer kicks off proceedings against Portugal’s Joao Sousa and defending champion Nadal plays the following match against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy. World No. 1 Djokovic, who claimed the Mutua Madrid Open title on Sunday, headlines night session action against #NextGenATP Canadian Denis Shapovalov. 

Read: Roger Returns To Rome | Rafa Feeling Positive

Third-seeded Federer won his only previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting with Sousa on the grass courts of the Gerry Weber Open in 2014. A four-time finalist in Rome, he holds a 32-16 career record at this event. Federer quickly found his clay-court form last week in Madrid by reaching the quarter-finals and holding two match points against Dominic Thiem before losing in three sets. Sousa is looking for his fifth Top 10 win and first on clay.

Who will win the latest @FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting between these players?#ibi19

— ATP Tour (@ATP_Tour) May 14, 2019

Djokovic defeated Shapovalov in their only previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting at this year’s Australian Open. The top seed tied Nadal’s record of 33 Masters 1000 titles by prevailing last week in Madrid (d. Tsitsipas) and will have an opportunity to take sole ownership of the record by clinching the title on Sunday. Djokovic, a four-time champion in Rome, would also tie Federer’s “Big Titles” record (54) with another triumph here.

Second seed Nadal begins his quest for a ninth title at the Foro Italico. The defending champion leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head with Chardy 2-0, but they haven’t faced off in four years. Nadal is still seeking his first title of 2019 after three consecutive semi-final finishes during the European clay swing in Madrid, the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell and Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. The Spaniard hasn’t lost before the quarter-finals in Rome since 2008.

Seventh seed Del Potro had a tough opening-round loss last week in Madrid to Serbian Laslo Djere and his draw doesn’t get any easier this week against Goffin. The Argentine is competing in just his third tournament of the year as he nursed a fractured right kneecap sustained last October at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. Goffin leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head 3-1 and the Belgian showed he’s in top form this week with his first-round win over Stan Wawrinka.

Other notable matches on Wednesday’s schedule include fifth-seeded Austrian Dominic Thiem against Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, sixth-seeded Japanese star Kei Nishikori squaring off with American qualifier Taylor Fritz and a #NextGenATP battle pitting eighth-seeded Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas against Italian wild card Jannik Sinner.