As a result of COVID-19, many long-standing ATP Tour events have had to cancel the 2020 editions of their tournament to protect public health. For the Mallorca Championships, the global pandemic has delayed the tournament from making its highly anticipated ATP Tour debut.

The ATP 250, one of three tour-level events in Spain, would have made its debut this week if not for the current suspension of the ATP Tour. 

Mallorca, the largest of the four main Balearic Islands off the Spanish east coast, has a rich tennis history. Despite a population of less than one million people, the island has produced two of Spain’s three players to have risen to World No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings: Carlos Moya and Rafael Nadal.

ATPTour.com spoke to former chair umpire and Managing Director of e|motion Group Felix Torralba about the event’s preparations for its ATP Tour debut. Alongside the MercedesCup in Stuttgart and the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, e|motion Group manages the Mallorca Championships, controlling the year-round business operations of the ATP 250. For the first time since 2002, Mallorca was set to welcome the stars of the ATP Tour this week.

“Mallorca breathes a lot of tennis and it is a tennis destination,” said Torralba. “I think the island, by having an ATP Tour tournament, was extremely excited. There was an ATP tournament 18 years ago, when Rafa won his very first ATP match, so there is a story to Mallorca and tennis.

“You can feel that on the island, the excitement to bring back world class tennis to the island… The event is an extremely strong and valuable asset for the island and for the institutions. They have the possibility to shine and showcase that [the island] is a sports destination.”

After hosting a WTA event between 2016 and 2019, the tournament made a considerable investment in its infrastructure ahead of its ATP Tour debut. The tournament built a new centre court, allowing a greater number of fans to access the facility and take advantage of new tournament features.

“There are lots of changes from the WTA event we had in the past,” said Torralba. “That was a big workload in the past year, with the focus on the ATP event… We are now moving into a new facility with a new centre court that can go above 3,500 [in capacity]. It has a total capacity of 4,000 by adapting new areas.

“We also have a completely new layout with the VIP area, a new VIP building… The former centre court is now Court 1 and that allowed us to create new access, with new fan experience zones and a sponsor area. There were a lot of changes, especially for people who have come to the event in the past.”

Scheduled the week before Wimbledon, the ATP 250 tournament was ready to provide players with the perfect final preparation for SW19. The event has been in regular contact with experts at Wimbledon in an attempt to match the conditions of courts at the All England Club.

“Wimbledon is heavily involved in Mallorca. There is consistent communication throughout all the year and also with the development of the grass courts,” said Torralba. “We have regular visits and regular communication with their court keepers, with our team and with their team. We try to match 100 per cent the surface.

“They have been testing and they have been checking, so there is definitely a strong communication there. That allows us to deliver the same or similar grass-court conditions to the players, in order to have a perfect preparation.”

One player who has already taken advantage of those facilities in preparation for previous Wimbledon campaigns is Nadal. The Manacor native visited the site during the WTA event last year, ahead of his run to the semi-finals at SW19. Nadal’s uncle and former coach, Toni Nadal, is also the event’s Tournament Director.

“We have a very strong relationship [with Rafa], through Toni being our Tournament Director… We have the only grass courts in Spain, so obviously for Wimbledon preparation during the grass-court swing — if he is not playing somewhere else in tournaments — that is obviously an important and great possibility for him to practise on great grass courts where he can get ready for Wimbledon. That is always there for him and we have a fantastic relationship,” said Torralba.

Aside from the tournament’s new centre court and top-level grass-court facilities, players visiting the Mallorca Championships in 2021 will also be able to enjoy their time away from the court with a range of activities available. The island, which welcomed more than 13 million tourists in 2019, is known for its impressive beaches and natural beauty. Just behind the club site, visitors will be able to view part of the Serra de Tramuntana, a mountain range listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011.

“Mallorca is probably one of the top destinations in Europe,” said Torralba. “The tournament takes place in Calvia, a city in the Santa Ponsa area. Calvia is a hotspot of tourism in Mallorca. It is under 15 minutes by car from Palma, which is the main city on the island.

“It is very easily accessible from the highway and you have beautiful beaches, beautiful cliffs and small bays. All that area from Palma to Andratx, with Calvia in the middle, is a very high-end residential and touristic area. You can really expect impressive nature, great restaurants and services for players.”

Despite the disappointment of the 2020 tournament cancellation, Torralba is convinced that the entire team behind the event will be even more determined to provide players and fans with a memorable Mallorcan debut in 2021.

“The motivation to deliver an even better event in 2021 is definitely there, in the whole team,” said Torralba.

The Nature Valley International in Eastbourne is one of three tour-level grass-court events held in Great Britain.

The tournament would have been held this week if not for the Tour suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

ATPTour.com looks at five things to know about the ATP 250-level tournament.

1) A Shared History
Since the tournament made its ATP Tour debut in 1995, Eastbourne has hosted the event on nine occasions. The first 14 editions of the ATP 250 were held in Nottingham, before the event moved to Eastbourne in 2009.

Since then, Eastbourne has welcomed the stars of the ATP Tour each year, aside from 2015 and 2016, when the event made a short return to the East Midlands. Situated on the English south coast, the tournament’s current site — Devonshire Park — was described by head groundsman Danny Negus as the ‘perfect venue’ in 2018.

2) Djokovic’s Dream Debut
Novak Djokovic headlined the 2017 edition, when the tournament was hosted in Eastbourne for the first time since 2014. The Serbian accepted a late wild card into the tournament and did not drop a set en route to the trophy. Djokovic recorded wins against Vasek Pospisil, Donald Young, Daniil Medvedev and Gael Monfils to take the title on his tournament debut.

“I felt very welcomed here by the people. On and off the court I was greeted, I was respected,” said Djokovic. “For me, it was just a phenomenal experience that I will definitely take with me to Wimbledon.”

Novak Djokovic beats Gael Monfils to win his second title of 2017 in Eastbourne.” />

3) Gasquet’s Breakthrough
From 2005 to 2006, Richard Gasquet dropped just two sets across 10 matches in Nottingham to win the first two ATP Tour titles. In 2005, the 19-year-old beat Taylor Dent and Max Mirnyi to lift his first tour-level trophy and become the youngest champion in tournament history.

A year later, the Frenchman successfully defended his crown with back-to-back wins against Swedes Robin Soderling and Jonas Bjorkman. Gasquet also reached the championship match in Eastbourne in 2014, losing in three sets to Feliciano Lopez.

4) Joint Record Holders
Five players currently share the record for most titles at the ATP 250. Bjorkman, Greg Rusedski, Gasquet, Ivo Karlovic and Lopez have each won the event twice.

In doubles, three men have captured the trophy on three occasions. Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram claimed the title in 2005, 2006 and 2011, while Mike Bryan achieved the feat with title runs in 2002, 2003 and 2017. Bryan won his maiden Eastbourne crown with Mark Knowles and combined with his brother, Bob Bryan, for his two most recent triumphs at the event.

Feliciano Lopez beats Richard Gasquet to win his second straight title in Eastbourne.” />

5) The Final Preparation For Wimbledon
Held the week before The Championships at Wimbledon, alongside the Mallorca Championships, the Nature Valley International provides ATP Tour stars with a final opportunity to prepare for the grass courts of SW19.

In the past three years, two finalists have translated their Eastbourne success into quarter-final appearances at Wimbledon. Djokovic, the 2017 winner, did not drop a set en route to the last eight, while 2019 runner-up Sam Querrey beat Dominic Thiem in the first round at Wimbledon and reached his third quarter-final in four years at the All England Club.

Roger Federer has won 10 NOVENTI OPEN titles. However, he has left his mark in more ways than one in Halle.

In 2012, the Swiss was memorialised on the road leading to the tournament’s main stadium. Officials in Halle, Germany, paid tribute to the superstar by naming that road ‘Roger-Federer-Allee’.

Federer, who owns a 68-7 record at the tournament, called the recognition “an amazing honour” and said he was “extremely humbled”. 

The Swiss has also given back to the community in other ways, visiting a German children’s hospital in 2014.

Federer, who had a living room named after him at the hospital in 2013, said, “I am happy to be back here one year later and to see how things are developing for the children. It is really important to me, as helping children is also a major part of my [Roger Federer] Foundation work.

“I think that is great that the tournament is involved in such an activity for the long term.”

The NOVENTI OPEN, a recipient of an ATP ACES For Charity grant in 2012, donated €10,000 for a kitchen to be built in the ‘Roger Federer Living Room’.
The children’s cancer clinic had treatment rooms named after tennis players Michael Kohlmann, Alexander Waske, Mischa Zverev and Marco Chiudinelli, who also made visits.

Kyle Edmund owns two ATP Tour titles and reached a career-high No. 14 in the FedEx ATP Rankings in October 2018.

ATPTour.com looks at five things you should know about the 25-year-old.

1) His Best Season Came In 2018
From start to finish, Edmund’s 2018 ATP Tour season was a story of success. Following a quarter-final run in Brisbane, the 6’2” right-hander beat Kevin Anderson and Grigor Dimitrov en route to his maiden Grand Slam semi-final at the Australian Open. On clay, Edmund reached his first ATP Tour final in Marrakech. In Madrid, he beat Daniil Medvedev, Novak Djokovic and David Goffin in consecutive matches to reach his maiden ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final.

Edmund also produced an impressive run of results at the end of the year, reaching the semi-finals in Beijing and the quarter-finals in Shanghai. In his next event, the European Open in Antwerp, the 23-year-old beat 2016 champion Richard Gasquet and Gael Monfils in back-to-back matches to claim his first ATP Tour crown.

Edmund finished 2018 at a career-high World No. 14 with a 37-21 record.

2) He Loves ‘Anything With An Engine’
When Edmund isn’t competing on the ATP Tour, you may find him behind the wheel. Over the past decade, the 2018 Australian Open semi-finalist has developed a huge passion for motorsports. In fact, when Edmund ends his tennis career, he has his sights set on becoming a racing driver.

“In England, you can actually buy a car and then you are basically entered into a series around England which is 15 races [with] one race each weekend. You don’t have to be a professional driver,” said Edmund.

“It is just people who are lucky enough to have the money to buy the car that comes with all the equipment. The mechanics are at the event and you get to race. When I’m finished, I think that will be something I’m really interested in.”

3) He Is The Reigning New York Open Champion
Edmund doubled his ATP Tour trophy tally at this year’s New York Open. Sixteen months after his title run in Antwerp, the Yorkshireman dropped just one set in five matches at the ATP 250 event. Edmund survived a third-set tie-break during his quarter-final against Soonwoo Kwon before straight-sets victories against Miomir Kecmanovic and Andreas Seppi.

”There’s a lot hard work throughout the year, a lot of ups and downs that you don’t see behind the scenes. To win this title means a lot to me,” Edmund said.

4) He Enjoys Spending Time In The Kitchen
Edmund cooks two or three times a week when training at home and, occasionally, he enters the kitchen in tournament weeks. During last year’s grass-court season, the Brit treated one of his friends to his signature dish: chicken orzo.

“During Wimbledon, I always stay with a mate from Yorkshire, where I grew up. He always comes down during Queen’s [Club] and Wimbledon, and I cooked one day,” said Edmund.

“I made this chicken orzo dish, chopped some chicken breasts, some vegetables. It’s a soupy chicken orzo. It’s pretty healthy. I put as much vegetables in it as I could. It’s very easy to make. You just put it in and let it cook, simmer. I like to cook it because it’s the easiest one. People give me compliments.”

5) He Supports Liverpool Football Club
Edmund is a keen supporter of Liverpool Football Club, who are currently on top of the Premier League in England. The Brit has admitted that he gets more nervous watching his favourite team than he does when playing matches on the ATP Tour.

Ahead of last year’s Fever-Tree Championships, Edmund visited a local pub in London to watch his team win its sixth Champions League title. Only Real Madrid and AC Milan have won the European club competition on more occasions.

“From being very young I just loved the kit, the crowd, the atmosphere. I had Liverpool bed sheets, curtains, everything. I would watch them whenever I could,” said Edmund.

Editor’s Note: Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, Bolivia’s Hugo Dellien waited almost two months before meeting his baby daughter in Paraguay. He blogged about the experience for ATPTour.com during the agonising wait. The image above with his wife and daughter was provided to us on 20 June, four days after the family came together for the first time.

Because of COVID-19 travel restrictions, I haven’t been able to see my wife, Camila, since March, or our newborn daughter, Mila, who was born on 25 April. But at long last, I’ll soon get to see Camila and hold my daughter for the first time.

We had to appeal through the Bolivian Foreign Ministry and the Paraguayan government agreed to let me in since Camila is from there and our marriage took place in Paraguay. I’ll travel from my hometown of Trinidad to Santa Cruz and then to Paraguay. I’ll first have to be in quarantine for two weeks, but it’ll be an incredible thing to then be able to see my daughter.

These past few weeks have had so many emotions. It’s a new stage in our lives. Being able to simply see my baby on camera gives me enormous happiness and I can only imagine what it will be like when I have her in my arms.

This all began in March when I was at Indian Wells. We trained on the day that we arrived, which was also the day that the event was cancelled due to COVID-19. We spent a few more days waiting there to see if it was possible to play another event, either the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Miami or some ATP Challenger Tour events. Once it became clear this wouldn’t be possible, my team and I got on a plane to Buenos Aires. I’m based there along with my team and we thought about continuing to train, but never imagined this decision would be so important.

Four days later, the borders in Argentina were closed and I was no longer able to return to Paraguay to be with Camila. The borders in Paraguay were also closed. The only place that I could still go was Bolivia, so I decided to travel there and be with my family. Three months have passed since then and it remains difficult, but I continue to stay positive.

My emotions have been a rollercoaster. There are days that I am well and other days that are bad. The current situation has created more anxiety for me and a greater urge to leave the house, but I’ve accepted that I can’t do anything to change what is happening.

I’ve not been able to play tennis but have continued my training, although the motivation isn’t there on some days. I’ve set up a small gym at home and do two fitness sessions per day that my trainer sends me. The morning session focusses on strength and the afternoon session focusses more on cardio. I’m treating this almost like a preseason and trying to improve.

My family has also kept me in very high spirits. Sharing time with them after so long has been unique. I haven’t been with my family and in my house for more than a week at a time in at least 10 years. My brother, who lives in the United States, was also able to come home. It was very nice being together, but also strange, like going back in time.

Camila has also had good and bad days during this time, so it pains me to know that I can’t be there. She thought that raising a baby in this situation would be tough, but she adapted very quickly and quite well. We’re also lucky that Mila sleeps a lot and hasn’t gotten sick yet.

I have already prepared myself mentally for changing diapers and not sleeping much when I arrive home, but the most difficult stages of a new baby have already passed. It’s like I’ve arrived in the fifth set! Camila has endured the hardest parts and I’m very proud of her. We have video calls three or four times every day and she’s always sending photos of Mila, even if the baby is just sleeping.

Camila used to play professional tennis and we met because of the sport, so it will always be part of our lives, but I’ll definitely see things differently when the Tour resumes. Although I’m now having the best results of my career, nothing compares to being a parent.

Mila’s arrival puts everything else in the background. It’s the biggest trophy I could win. My family is a real success and I don’t need anything else if they’re stable, healthy, and living in harmony. We have achieved that and Mila is the icing on the cake.

As told to Marcos Zugasti

It is not a good thing when Novak Djokovic hits the net on a tennis court. But by hitting nothing but net on a basketball court Saturday, the Serbian scored a compliment from NBA superstar LeBron James.

Djokovic on his social media posted a video of himself taking a few dribbles before knocking down a mid-range jumpshot.

Am I ready for a 1:1 @KingJames? ?? pic.twitter.com/78MwBZaAiS

— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) June 20, 2020

“Am I ready for a 1:1 @KingJames?” Djokovic asked James.

Ha! I’m going to say I think you are!! Beautiful follow-thru on that shot buddy! ????? https://t.co/fMUocbVMRL

— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 20, 2020

“Ha! I’m going to say I think you are!! Beautiful follow-thru on that shot buddy!” the basketball star responded on Twitter.

James is no stranger to the ATP Tour, joining former teammate Dwyane Wade for a picture with Rafael Nadal and Kei Nishikori before their match at the 2011 Miami Open presented by Itau.

The most-liked comment on Djokovic’s Instagram post came from 6’11” Ivo Karlovic, the former World No. 14 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. The Croatian responded to Djokovic’s challenge to James by saying, “You’re ready to get dunked on. ?”