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. ?”

The Fever-Tree Championships will always remain close to Feliciano Lopez’s heart.

In 2017, the Spaniard won what was the biggest singles title of his career at The Queen’s Club. Lopez went a step further last year, taking home both the singles and doubles trophies at the Fever-Tree Championships.

“I thought the best moment of my career was when I won this tournament in 2017,” Lopez said. “But it’s right now.”

Lopez became the first player since Matteo Berrettini (2018 Gstaad) to win the singles and doubles titles at the same event. The Spaniard also became the first man since Mark Philippoussis (1997) to win both titles in the same year at The Queen’s Club. Lopez partnered Andy Murray to doubles glory.

“This happens maybe only once in a lifetime. I can’t believe it,” Lopez said.

Former World No. 1 Andy Murray and Manchester United star Marcus Rashford recently surprised a British healthcare hero on Tennis United, discussing the differences between tennis and football. Perhaps most importantly, they shared their admiration for female athletes.

“I think in tennis we’re pretty lucky. The men and women are competing at the same venues all of the time and… at the biggest events. I think that’s one of the things that makes us unique and special as a sport,” Murray said. “We’ve got the men and women competing on the same courts at the same tournaments for the same prize money, and I think that’s quite attractive for fans of tennis.”

Murray is a big football fan, and just like he loves watching women’s tennis, he’s enjoyed following women’s football, too.

“I think in football it’s certainly improving as well. There’s a lot more visibility around the women’s game and I know the World Cup was great for that,” Murray said. “Hopefully it keeps pushing forward.”

Rashford was able to watch bits of last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup. The Brit was impressed, but by no means surprised.

“It’s always entertaining for me especially because growing up I used to play street football. All of the time me and my friends would play anywhere. We used to play in abandoned houses, abandoned car parks and there used to be 15 or 20 of us who would go. Other than me the other best player was a female,” Rashford said. “She used to play every single type of street football that we used to do. I’ve always been interested in watching that and trying to follow people’s journeys and stuff like that.

“I think it’s important that that keeps trying to rise and more people should watch it.”

Have you ever been intrigued by Stefanos Tsitsipas and Naomi Osaka’s interactions on social media? If so, this is the Tennis United episode for you!

Tsitsipas and Osaka joined co-hosts Vasek Pospisil and Bethanie Mattek-Sands on the show’s 11th episode, which will premiere Friday on the ATP Tour’s Facebook page, to chat about the origins of their friendship and how they have developed an understanding of one another.

“I think it was February 2018,” Tsitsipas recalled.

“That’s very precise!” Osaka replied.

I’m done being shy. It’s really a waste of my time. I could’ve shared so many ideas by now, I could’ve had convos with so many different people. All the things I could’ve learned ??‍♀️ but no I’m over here actually putting my own limiter on myself.

— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) May 5, 2020

In May, Osaka tweeted that, “I’m done being shy”, which Tsitsipas retweeted.

“I get it, and I saw a lot of realism and pragmatism to that. I thought to myself, ‘That’s really pure. That’s real,’” Tsitsipas said. “I would like to retweet it for the world to see because coming out of your shell and expressing yourself and just sharing your ideas and whatever you feel in that given moment, I found it quite inspiring, to be honest.”

Tsitsipas and Osaka later answer the big questions, like whether or not pineapple belongs on pizza.

Also in this episode, new fathers Mike Bryan, Jeremy Chardy, Marius Copil and Sam Querrey reflect on becoming a parent ahead of their first Father’s Day. WTA players Greet Minnen and Alison Van Uytvanck discuss their relationship during Pride Month, and Alex de Minaur does a Crossfit workout.

Any way that you want to slice it – titles, matches, sets, games, or points – Roger Federer has no peer on a grass court.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the best performers on grass courts from 1991-2019 identifies that the Swiss Maestro sits alone at the top of the mountain with peak performance in all five facets of the game. The data set is comprised of 277 players who played a minimum of 20 grass court matches from 1991, when official ATP statistics were first recorded. The only exception is grass court titles, which includes tournaments in the Open Era since 1968.

1. Grass Court Titles = 19

Federer has amassed an unparalleled 19 titles on grass, including a record eight Wimbledon titles, 10 in Halle, and one in Stuttgart. It’s jaw-dropping to know that Federer has won more grass-court titles than Pete Sampras (10) and John McEnroe (8) combined.

Federer’s first Wimbledon title came in 2003, defeating Mark Philippoussis 7-6(5), 6-2, 7-6(3) in the final. Serve-and-volley tennis was a key to Federer’s run as he won a dominant 68.1 per cent (213/313) of points rushing straight to the net after a serve. Federer served and volleyed 313 times out of 545 first and second-serve points, good for a head-turning 57 per cent.

Those tactical metrics are in stark contrast to his run to the Wimbledon final in 2019, where he served and volleyed just 72 times from 643 first and second-serve points, which was just 11 per cent of total serve points.

The leading players with the most grass court titles in the Open era are:

1. Roger Federer = 19
2. Pete Sampras = 10
3. Jimmy Connors = 9
T4. John McEnroe = 8
T4. Andy Murray = 8
T4. Ken Rosewall = 8
T4. Stan Smith = 8
T4. Lleyton Hewitt = 8

2. Grass-Court Matches = 87.3%

Federer has won 87.3 per cent (185/212) of his grass-court matches, including 41 straight at Wimbledon from 2003 to the 2008 final, where Rafael Nadal snapped the streak by defeating Federer 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7. During that six-year period, Federer won 66 straight matches on grass at Halle and Wimbledon combined.

The leading five players who have won the highest percentage of grass-court matches are:

1. Roger Federer = 87.4% (185/212)
2. Pete Sampras = 85.7% (90/105)
3. Novak Djokovic = 84.1% (95/113)
4. Andy Murray = 82.6% (100/121)
5. Michael Stich = 81.0% (47/58)

3. Grass-Court Sets = 80.1%

Federer is the only player in the data set to win at least eight grass-court sets out of every 10 played. Only three times at Halle (2017, 2008, 2004) and once at Wimbledon (2017) did Federer win the title without dropping a set, signifying just how difficult it is to be always on your game.

The leading five players with grass-court sets won are:

1. Roger Federer = 80.1% (494/617)
2. Pete Sampras = 77.5% (248/320)
3. Andy Murray = 76.0% (269/354)
4. Novak Djokovic = 75.9% (271/357)
5. Andy Roddick = 72.3% (214/296)

4. Grass-Court Games = 58.9%

Federer boasts a slight lead of less than one percentage point in this area over arch-rival Djokovic. Head-to-head at Wimbledon, Djokovic has won three finals (2019, 2015 & 2014) against Federer, while the Swiss triumphed in 2012 in the semi-finals against the Serbian.

The leading five players with grass-court games won are:

1. Roger Federer = 58.9% (3679/6248)
2. Novak Djokovic = 58.1% (2046/3251)
3. Andy Murray = 57.9% (2013/3476)
4. Pete Sampras = 57.7% (1856/3216)
5. Rafael Nadal = 56.8% (1677/2953)

5. Grass-Court Points (54.7%)

Federer played more than twice the amount of grass-court matches (212-105) than Sampras, but when the focus shifts from big picture to small, Federer leads Sampras by just one-tenth of a percentage point with points won. Overall, Federer has played by far the most points on grass at 37,968, while Hewitt sits in second place at 26,178.

The leading five players with percentage of points won on grass are:

1. Roger Federer = 54.7% (20,775/37,968)
2. Pete Sampras = 54.6% (11,693/21,402)
3. Novak Djokovic = 54.0% (11,864/21,964)
4. Richard Krajicek = 54.0% (9163/16/981)
5. Andy Murray = 53.8% (11609/21,565)

We will have to wait until the next grass-court season to see how Federer adds to his prodigious grass court legacy.

Diego Schwartzman is a three-time ATP Tour titlist and the No. 13 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

ATPTour.com looks at five things you should know about the 27-year-old.

1) He Claimed His Biggest Title In Rio de Janeiro
Schwartzman captured the biggest title of his career at the 2018 Rio Open presented by Claro. The Argentine did not drop a set en route to the trophy in Brazil, beating Gael Monfils, Nicolas Jarry and Fernando Verdasco in consecutive matches.

The victory marked a milestone moment for Schwartzman in the FedEx ATP Rankings. Following the event, the 25-year-old cracked the Top 20 of the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time at No. 18.

“I never thought before the week that I [was] going to be here with the trophy,” said Schwartzman. “It’s an amazing week for me. Everything was perfect; every match, every set was perfect for me, playing my best tennis.”

2) He Is Named After A Sporting Legend
Schwartzman is named after football legend Diego Maradona. Considered one of the greatest players of all-time, Maradona captained Argentina to the 1986 World Cup trophy and won the Golden Ball award as the best player of the tournament.

“I have a good relationship with Maradona,” said Schwartzman. “He says what he feels and he keeps it ‘real’ so to speak. What you see is what you get with Maradona. He’s an asset to all Argentinian athletes.

“He’s got a sense of humour, too. Before, he’d say ‘hey Dieguito [little Diego], say hello to big Diego.’ When I reached the quarter-finals at the US Open [in 2017], he told me I no longer go by Dieguito. From that point on, I’m also big Diego.”

3) He Enjoyed His Best Season In 2019
Schwartzman put together the best season of his career in 2019. The 5’7” right-hander, nicknamed ‘Peque’, reached three tour-level championship matches. Schwartzman defeated Taylor Fritz to claim his third ATP Tour crown in Los Cabos and finished runner-up in Vienna and Buenos Aires.

Schwartzman achieved his best ATP Masters 1000 result last year, beating Kei Nishikori to reach the Internazionali BNL d’Italia semi-finals in Rome. The Argentine also matched his best Grand Slam result by reaching his second US Open quarter-final. Schwartzman finished the year at World No. 14, his best year-end position.

Diego Schwartzman hits a forehand in Los Cabos 2019″ width=”100%” src=”https://www.atptour.com/-/media/images/news/2019/08/03/04/51/schwartzman-los-cabos-2019-friday.jpg” />

4) Through Gaming, He Has Supported COVID-19 Relief Efforts
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Schwartzman has been busy using his gaming skills to support relief efforts.

Alongside Juventus striker Paulo Dybala, the World No. 13 organised the ChamPlay Solidaria charity event in April. The two-day FIFA 20 tournament raised more than $275,000 for the Argentine Red Cross and was broadcast on DirecTV and TYC Sports. The competition included Dominic Thiem, former Top 10 star Juan Monaco and a number of fellow sports stars and celebrities.

The Los Cabos champion also participated in the inaugural Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro, where he topped his group with a 3-0 record and defeated Fabio Fognini to reach the semi-finals. Tournament winner Andy Murray split his prize money equally between the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) and the Player Relief Programme. Additionally, the tournament donated €50,000 to Madrid’s Food Bank.

5) He Is A Strong Charades Partner
During episode five of Tennis United, Schwartzman impressed co-hosts Vasek Pospisil and Bethanie Mattek-Sands with his skills during a game of charades with teammate Dennis Novak. With two minutes on the clock, the Argentine acted out a series of tennis phrases for Novak to guess. The pair achieved eight correct answers, beating their rivals Pospisil and Thiem by two points to take the win.

Borna Coric showed flashes of brilliance early in his career, defeating Rafael Nadal when he was 17 and Andy Murray when he was 18. But the Croatian’s biggest breakthrough came at the 2018 NOVENTI OPEN in Halle.

Coric arrived in Germany with a 2-10 grass-court record at all levels, and he’d leave with his biggest title.

The 21-year-old faced a tough draw in the first round against World No. 3 Alexander Zverev. Just three months earlier, the German defeated the Croatian in straight sets in the Miami quarter-finals. Zverev was also a two-time Halle finalist.

However, Coric won 49 per cent of his return points in an impressive 6-1, 6-4 victory.

“The past few years haven’t been maybe the best that I’ve had on the grass,” Coric said. “Hopefully this year it can be very good.”

The World No. 34 defeated Nikoloz Basilashvili and Andreas Seppi in straight sets. In the semi-finals, he advanced when Roberto Bautista Agut retired after five games due to an unfortunate slip on the grass.

Coric’s toughest test awaited in the final against Roger Federer, who at the time was a nine-time Halle champion. The Swiss had won their two previous ATP Head2Head meetings, including a three-set victory at the BNP Paribas Open three months earlier.

But Coric, whose forehand delivered in the big moments, shocked Federer 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-2 to win the title.

“[I am] just really surprised,” Coric said. “I had not even dreamed of this.”

The Croatian snapped Federer’s 20-match grass-court winning streak, saving three of the four break points he faced en route to his second ATP Tour trophy.

Watch My Story: Coric On His Halle Win

Federer, who had won his first three tie-breaks of the tournament, earned a 6/4 lead in the first-set tie-break against Coric. At 6/5, the Swiss hit a backhand chip return that landed on the baseline and took a funky bounce. Coric stumbled and barely got his racquet on the ball, but somehow managed to win the point, and he never looked back.

“It is the most unbelievable feeling, [to beat Federer],” Coric said. “I looked up to him when I was younger, watching his matches back at home with my mum, my dad and my sister. Just playing him here today was a very special moment and beating him just makes it even bigger for me.”

Federer was disappointed to fall short of his 10th Halle crown, but he commended the first player to beat him on grass since Tommy Haas at 2017 Stuttgart.

“[Coric played] quality tennis at the very end of that first set and then in the third… He never really dropped his level and that was it,” said Federer. “So, it was an unfortunate match for me but credit to Borna to really come out and play a tough match today.”