Feliciano Lopez made time for his fans on Saturday by holding a Twitter Q&A on the ATP Tour’s official Spanish Twitter account. The 38-year-old, No. 56 in the ATP FedEx Rankings, answered questions about his future, serving as tournament director of the Mutua Madrid Open and his secret to staying at the top for so many years. 

Can you definitely confirm that you will not be retiring anytime soon? | @phillippa62
I wasn’t planning on retiring in the short term. I’ve played the past few years as if each of them were my last and I’ve normally evaluated how things have gone at the end of the season. Based on that, I’ve decided whether or not to play another year. That’s worked well for me in recent years. It’s been a good way of focussing my goals during that time. Now, with this break we’re suffering due to the coronavirus, my plans have changed. The idea is to be able to play next year.

What do you miss the most about tennis now that there are no tournaments? | @ClaudiaMillan07
The thing that keeps me excited about continuing to play tennis is being able to remain competitive. That adrenaline from the competition is what I have missed most during these times. Obviously my training, daily work, everything that has been cut off suddenly from one day to the next is hard to accept. But I’ve also had other positive things during these difficult times like being able to be at home with my wife and also enjoy that time with her.

When will the next virtual PlayStation tournament be? | @AziendaITF
I have no idea when the next tournament will be. Our tournament [in Madrid] was successful in every way. Before we started on that project, the organisers were a little nervous because it was the first time a virtual tennis event would be held. There were a lot of things, purely technical like internet connections in different countries, that were out of our hands. So we were a little more nervous than normal.

Despite the difficulties, it was a huge success and the players approached it with great enthusiasm. I think it was important for the world of tennis and specifically for us. Once again, we showed that our tournament has a tremendous capacity to innovate and reinvent ourselves during difficult times like the ones we are currently going through. It was a success in every sense and we are delighted.

If one thing has defined your career, it’s been your consistency. Your Grand Slam participation record still stands. What is your secret to staying at the top? | @icacharron
There are two very important things. One is the fact that I haven’t had significant injuries in my career. Physical fitness is something you have to work on from when you’re very young. I also have good genetics that have helped me not get injured, to be able to handle the stresses of work and so many years playing professional tennis. I think my style of play and technique have helped reduce wear and tear on my body as I am not making a huge effort on every shot in every match.

Then it’s looking after myself a lot, eating well, resting… In short, being professional and committed to your profession. This has been more important in recent years. When you’re young, sometimes you don’t pay too much attention to certain details which can make a difference, even though they’re small. In recent years, I’ve paid a lot of attention to nutrition and training my body to be more prepared when I face players who are often at least 10 or 15 years younger. It’s a very big challenge for me.

How do you cope with people asking you for autographs or photos when you’ve just lost a match or when you want to concentrate on an important match? | @leonor47142133
It depends on the match. There are times when you go out in a rage and you’re not in the mood, but that’s where we have to make an effort. I find it very difficult to say no to children when they approach in any situation. I think it makes more sense to respect someone’s privacy before they play a match than afterwards, sometimes even if I have lost.

Would you like to try Blind Tennis? Would you put on a blindfold and play with me? | @raulblindtennis
Yes, I would give it a go. But you’d be the clear favourite. I imagine that I would be disastrous at it. The only time I’ve tried to play with my eyes covered was recently in Singapore, where we are trying to build a tennis academy. I went out with a blindfold and it was a disaster. I managed to serve and hit the ball on the fourth or fifth attempt. I can only congratulate all of you that play the adapted version of the sport and send you my best.

Your favourite players are all at home, but they’re finding plenty of ways to pass the time. From Andy Murray’s birthday feast to David Goffin’s barbeque, ATPTour.com looks at how the world’s best players are keeping busy.

Murray enjoyed the home version of an all-you-can-eat sushi buffet to celebrate turning 33.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Thanks for all the birthday messages! ? During these tough times I was very grateful to get to do 3 of my favourite things today.. 1. Spend time with my family ?‍?‍? 2. Play tennis with my big bro @jamie__murray ? 3. Smoke a bunch of sushi rolls ? Hope you are all doing ok? #birthday #family #tennis #health #sushi

A post shared by Andy Murray (@andymurray) on May 15, 2020 at 12:38pm PDT

David Goffin fired up the barbeque.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Barbecue time ?? #meatlover #bbq #saltbae

A post shared by David Goffin (@david__goffin) on May 3, 2020 at 7:11am PDT

Cristian Garin reflected on his winning his first ATP 500 title this February in Rio de Janeiro.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Una del baúl.

A post shared by Cristian Garin (@garincris) on May 13, 2020 at 2:05pm PDT

Jan-Lennard Struff enjoyed a bike ride with his one-year-old son.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

What a beautiful day ? Family time ❤️ You guys had a great day?

A post shared by Jan-Lennard Struff (@jl_struff) on May 6, 2020 at 10:39am PDT

Marin Cilic showed that his newborn son could be a future powerhouse.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

The sweetest defeat ?. I still want a rematch though ??

A post shared by Marin Čilić (@marincilic) on May 3, 2020 at 8:36am PDT

Kevin Anderson sharpened his guitar skills.

Today’s music with Keira ? pic.twitter.com/7K8sAkm34g

— Kevin Anderson (@KAndersonATP) May 14, 2020

Richard Gasquet spent some quality time with his dog.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Dernier jour ! Long mais content d’avoir pu passer du temps en famille ! ? #34. Bon deconfinement à tous !!

A post shared by Richard Gasquet (@richardgasquet34) on May 10, 2020 at 7:09am PDT

Jamie Murray offered his fans a simple and fun upper body workout to do from home.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Superset: 3 x 8-10 Reps Face Pulls T Bands High Row Ext Rot Press Rest 60-90secs Superset: 3 x 10 reps Single Arm DB Chest Press Incline DB Row Rest 60-90secs Superset: 3 x 10 reps DB Bent Over Reverse Flies Seated DB Single Arm Shoulder Press Rest 60-90secs Superset: 3 sets DB Front Raise into Side Raise x 8 reps Bicep 21s (7x7x7) Rest 60-90secs #stayhome #stayactive #stayhealthy #fitness #gym #upperbodyworkout #shoulders #back #health #wellbeing #strength #strengthtraining #tennisathome #dumbbells #weighttraining #weights

A post shared by Jamie Murray (@jamie__murray) on May 14, 2020 at 3:31pm PDT

Marius Copil bonded with his three-month-old son, Arthur.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Nu ai cum să înțelegi dacă nu ai copil, spuneau ei. Acum le dau dreptate. ? #fericire

A post shared by Marius Copil ? (@marius_copil) on May 11, 2020 at 7:18am PDT

On 9 May 2004, Carlos Moya won the third and final ATP Masters 1000 title of his career at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, beating David Nalbandian 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 in the championship match at the Foro Italico. On the 16th anniversary of that moment, the former World No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings reflected on his dream week in Italy and a title that had evaded him until then.

“I hadn’t done well in Rome,” Moyà told ATPTour.com. “I don’t know why. I loved the tournament and I really liked playing there, but I hadn’t had great results. Of the tournaments on clay, with Monte-Carlo, Barcelona and Paris, it was the one I had the least success at.

“It was the same in Cincinnati. I couldn’t win a match and suddenly I won the tournament, but that one made more sense. Historically, I had done better at the other clay-court tournaments, so I can’t see why it shouldn’t have been the same there.”

Moya overcame Alberto Martin and Ivan Ljubicic in the first two rounds without great difficulty. The Spaniard then met then Ivo Karlovic, No. 70 in the rankings. Moya’s 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 victory over the Croatian took him to the quarter-finals and made him a clear contender for the title.

“Karlovic was always a tough opponent,” Moya said. “It was the only time we played on clay. I’d always beaten him on hard courts, but with closer results. He was an uncomfortable opponent. Karlovic forces you not to make any mistakes because if you relax he might take the set, and I was well known for the odd lapse in concentration. Sometimes I would get back into the game and win, but on other occasions it would cost me the match.

“[But] little by little, things came together that year. Before, when I went to a tournament, I wasn’t thinking about winning it. I was thinking about surviving the first few days and seeing how I felt so that I could find my game from the quarter-finals.”

After beating Andrei Pavel and Mariano Zabaleta in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, respectively, Moya squared off against Nalbandian in the championship match. The Spaniard played flawlessly to break his opponent six times en route to taking the title.

”Nalbandian is my friend and he was back then too,” Moya said. ”I watched some of that match the other day when they were showing it on television. David was also a player who would get distracted at times. I remember the break in the first set came through mistakes that he didn’t normally make. It was better to meet him in the early rounds because he tended to play his best tennis in finals, but I grew into the game and played a very good match.

“The Masters 1000 [titles] are highly coveted. For Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, they are valuable, but it’s a little different. For those that have none, it’s the greatest thing.”

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have played 40 times across 16 years in their legendary ATP Head2Head rivalry. But still today, 14 years on, their clash in the championship of the 2006 Internazionali BNL d’Italia remains one of their most memorable.

It was only the pair’s sixth meeting, but it was clear that Federer and Nadal were tennis’ titans. Federer first earned the No. 1 FedEx ATP Ranking more than two years before their Foro Italico battle, and Nadal took World No. 2 in July 2005. He held a 1,290-point buffer ahead of World No. 3 David Nalbandian the week of 2006 Rome.

Nadal had already proven to have at least some kryptonite to counter Federer’s aggressive, free-flowing game, winning four of their first five matches. The ever-improving lefty won 2005 Roland Garros — including a semi-final victory against Federer — and beat the Swiss to triumph at the 2006 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters in four sets.

“I think I’m actually going to improve a lot by playing more against him, and I already feel like I have since he’s been around,” Federer said after his defeat in Monte Carlo. “The more I play him, the more I’ll also figure out his game and the easier it’s going to get for me. Maybe I’m too optimistic, but I really believe it.”

Uncovered: The Legendary Rivalry – Nadal vs. Federer

Federer got his chance to prove it on 14 May 2006, competing against Nadal on a hot Rome afternoon. He went for his shots, and was unafraid of being passed at the net, winning 64 of 84 net points.

The Swiss was in a winning position while leading 6-5 in the fifth set. Nadal hit his first double fault of the match to give Federer two championship points.

Triumph appeared even closer when Federer worked his way to neutral in the rally on his first opportunity, smacking a forehand down the middle of the court. However, he missed long.

“The first one I was more disappointed about because I was in a good position, and I didn’t want to go for the outright winner at all,” Federer said. “I just tried to play solid and with a lot of spin to his backhand, and long. I just couldn’t get quite over it in time, so that was a pity. I guess the first match point that cost me the match.”

Federer still had another chance, and he went for broke on the run with a missile-like forehand down the line, missing well wide.

“I think the second one was definitely rushed. I tried to hit a winner. Why not? I already had one match point, so I thought I might as well go for it a little bit,” Federer said. “I didn’t try to totally hit a winner, but tried to play aggressively and I was a little late on it.”

“I was lucky that when he had match points,” Nadal said. “He made a mistake with two forehands, one which was quite simple for him.”

The Best Of Roger vs. Rafa On Clay:

Federer also led 5/3 in the deciding tie-break. He missed a mid-court forehand that would have given him three consecutive match points. Instead, Nadal won four straight points and fell to his back after clinching his second Rome title with a 6-7(0), 7-6(5), 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(5) win.

“I have won, but I could have lost. I’ve been down many times,” Nadal said. “For sure I played very well, but it was a very tough match. It was complicated.”

The clash remains the longest of their rivalry, lasting five hours and five minutes. Of the 40 matches they have played, it was the only one clinched in a deciding-set tie-break, and the only one in which the winner saved match point. Federer won 179 points to Nadal’s 174, marking the only occasion in their rivalry that the loser won more total points.

“It was very close from [the] start until the finish. The result obviously reflects that, too,” Federer said. “I came back well and in the end I should have won. He caught me right on the finish line… That’s all I could do, fight hard and try and play as well as I could. It was a pity in the end.”

Did You Know?
Nadal also beat Federer in their other Rome clash, which came in 2013. The Spaniard triumphed 6-1, 6-3. Nadal now owns a record nine titles at the Foro Italico, while Federer has never triumphed at the ATP Masters 1000 event.

“I think I’ve been well and truly set up here!”

Andy Murray and Manchester United football star Marcus Rashford recently teamed up on Zoom to surprise Debbie Thorberg, a community nurse from Scotland who works the night shift with the out-of-hours district nursing service. Thorberg joined what she thought was a Zoom call to discuss tennis with ATP staff, but was surprised to find Murray and Rashford thanking the nurse for her work as part of episode six of Tennis United.

The former World No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings may not have been her first choice for a dream Zoom call, though. Murray said he “was told you’re a big a Rafael Nadal fan” and she admitted to closely following the Spaniard.

“I’m so sorry. My husband does like you,” Thorberg said, laughing. “I love to watch you too, but I’m afraid it’s always been Rafa for me and it always will be.”

Thorberg also discussed the important and challenging work she’s currently engaged in during the pandemic. The United Kingdom has more than 236,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 33,998 related deaths as of 15 May, according to the BBC.

“We’re really busy at the moment because we’re going into care homes with a lot of, unfortunately, COVID-19 patients who are terminally ill and at the end of their lives,” Thorberg said. “It’s quite harrowing. At the moment, it’s really difficult.

“Our workload has quadrupled… A lot of care homes at the moment are stretched. They’re understaffed. Sometimes before coronavirus, if a patient was dying and the family couldn’t get in or they didn’t have a family, we’d have a care nurse sit with them. That’s just not possible at the moment. These people are basically dying alone. It’s very hard to be a part of that and very hard to watch.”

Thorberg is an avid tennis fan and has watched her idol Nadal in action at the Fever-Tree Championships. She’s also attended Wimbledon three times, most recently in 2018 as a surprise for her husband’s 60th birthday. He didn’t get the chance to see Murray play, but the couple took in one of Roger Federer’s matches.

“That’s probably better!” Murray joked.