Rafael Nadal hit the red dirt for the first time Friday at the 2019 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, where next week he will start favourite to win his 12th title at the ATP Masters 1000 tennis tournament. 

Nadal had a light late-afternoon practice with Serbian Dusan Lajovic before heading to the official draw ceremony.

The holder of a record 33 Masters 1000 titles won the first of his 11 titles in the Principlaity in 2005.

This year’s tournament, the first of three clay Masters 1000s, begins Sunday.

Every legend has had their start here. Regardless of potential and promise, all players have come through the ATP Challenger Tour as they begin their climb to the upper echelons of the game. However, not all paths to the top are created equal. While some enjoy slow and steady progressions over the course of many years, others have benefited from lightning-fast ascents. Such was the case for Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Many remember ‘The Mosquito’ for his incredible all-around game, predicated on stunning agility and a flawless forehand. The Spaniard reached the pinnacle in 2003, rising to No. 1 in the ATP Rankings after winning the title at Roland Garros. But few recall where Ferrero kicked off his meteoric march to the top.

The year was 1999. A 19-year-old Ferrero was first embarking on his professional journey. Little did he know that season would prove to be the catalyst that launched him to the Top 100, Top 50 and beyond – all in the span of seven months.

Ferrero was sitting at No. 200 in the ATP Rankings when he entered just his third Challenger main draw in Napoli, Italy. An unseeded wild card, he would make an immediate impact, stunning top seed and 48th-ranked Davide Sanguinetti in the first round, en route to the title. At the age of 19 years and one month, he was a Challenger champion.

“At that time, I was playing very well,” Ferrero told ATPChallengerTour.com. “I had won four straight lower-level events and was invited to play some Challengers. Napoli was my third, but as young as I was, I was in great form and motivated to compete. I remember the final was very hard. I was always under pressure but managed to get the second set in a tie-break and that changed everything. I was very motivated in the third set and my opponent fell apart.”

The final Ferrero refers to came against a Spanish qualifier named Juan Albert Viloca-Puig. He would eventually triumph 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-1. And the future No. 1 was not done there, adding a second Challenger crown on the clay courts of Maia, Portugal just two months later.

“Playing just three Challengers and winning one already made me realize that I could be there, competing with the best. It encouraged me to do even better. There are players who take several years to make the jump to the biggest tournaments. I was lucky to pass quickly, playing only six or seven Challengers before competing on the ATP Tour.”

That second victory on the Portuguese clay propelled the Spaniard to the Top 100. And he would celebrate an even bigger title towards the end of that fruitful 1999 campaign, prevailing on the ATP Tour for the first time in Mallorca. From No. 200 to open the season to a year-end No. 44 in the ATP Rankings. The ascent to No. 1 was well underway.

Ferrero’s 1999 Campaign

Twenty years later, Ferrero’s impact on the ATP Challenger Tour continues. From player to tournament director, he has transitioned to running the show at the Ferrero Challenger Open in his hometown of Villena. Last week, the tournament held its second edition, with Pablo Andujar retaining his title on the Spanish clay.

Held at the 39-year-old’s JC Ferrero Equelite Sport Academy, the world-class facility features 10 clay courts, eight hard courts, one grass court, as well as a 400m running track, football field, nine-hole golf course, fully-equipped gym, player residences and a school.

For Ferrero, establishing an ATP Challenger Tour event in Villena, and thus bringing professional tennis back to his home region, is a great source of pride. It is an integral part of a new three-week Spanish swing in April, sandwiched between tournaments in Marbella and Murcia.

“We are always staging many tournaments at the academy, but to have one at this level makes me really proud,” added Ferrero. “All fans of tennis in this area miss the [former ATP Tour] Valencia Open and we love being able to offer them a professional tournament again. I am proud of the result and we now have a junior event and the Challenger in back-to-back weeks. It takes a lot of work, but we are delighted to be able to offer this at the academy.”

Ferrero also admits that while there has been a learning curve in running a professional tournament, his unique perspective as a former player has helped him provide a world-class experience.

“Knowing what the players want is very helpful. It is easier to manage a tournament and have a clear understanding of what all sides want. As a director, you come to realize that when you are a player you aren’t aware of the great effort they make for you in the tournament. That’s my goal. To make sure they have everything they need and make it a great experience.”

#NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime was still outside the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings less than two months ago. But now, he has his sights set on the Top 30, and possibly even the Top 20 with the clay-court season getting underway.

After a run to his first ATP Tour final in Rio de Janeiro (on clay) and the Miami semi-finals, Auger-Aliassime is up to a career-high World No. 33, having become the first player born in the 2000s to crack the world’s Top 50. With only 52 points to defend through Roland Garros, Felix is poised to push higher in the coming weeks.

The only player ranked ahead of the 18-year-old with fewer points to defend is 101-time tour-level titlist Roger Federer, who has not played on clay since 2016. There is just one more player ranked ahead of Felix who has less than 100 points to defend, and that’s World No. 14 Russian Daniil Medvedev, who is defending only 75 points through Roland Garros.

Felix has enjoyed success on clay, too. He owns a 9-7 tour-level record on the red dirt, which is his best mark (in percentage terms) on any surface. Auger-Aliassime also advanced to the 2016 Roland Garros Boys’ Singles final.

Auger-Aliassime might be able to make a move during this upcoming stretch because of the number of points players ranked above him will be dropping through Roland Garros. With all those points off, the only players from 20th on who will remain ahead of the Canadian are No. 20 Denis Shapovalov, No. 23 Roberto Bautista Agut and No. 25 Alex de Minaur.

Points To Defend Through Roland Garros

World No. 4 Federer gained plenty of momentum by winning the Miami Open presented by Itau, his 28th ATP Masters 1000 title. And now, the Swiss will try to maintain his form as he prepares to compete on clay for the first time since 2016 Rome.

Scheduled to play at the Mutua Madrid Open and Roland Garros and with no points to defend, the 101-time tour-level champion will have a chance to boost his ATP Ranking.

Federer could challenge Alexander Zverev (who is defending 2,570 points during the swing) for the third spot in the ATP Rankings, and potentially Rafael Nadal (who is defending 4,680 points) for World No. 2.

Although Nadal and Zverev will play more on clay than Federer — Zverev began his swing this week as the top seed at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech, where he lost to Jaume Munar — it gives the Swiss an opportunity to make up ground. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is also in a good position, only defending 855 points, a large portion of which came from a semi-final showing in Rome and a run to the quarter-finals at Roland Garros. 

A four-time ATP Tour champion, Medvedev may also make a move to crack the Top 10 for the first time. All rivals ranked ahead of Medvedev, except Federer, are defending at least 160 more points than him.

Former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka is another player who could make a move. The Swiss, World No. 36, is at his highest ATP Ranking since last May. And with only 65 points to defend through the clay-court Grand Slam, he too will be looking to take advantage.

Players With The Most ATP Ranking Points To Defend Through Roland Garros

Players In The Top 30 With Fewest Points To Defend Through Roland Garros

Three Frenchmen — fourth seed Gilles Simon, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Benoit Paire — will feature in the Grand Prix Hassan II semi-finals on Saturday for the first time since 2008. Eleven years ago, Simon, Tsonga and Julien Benneteau featured in the penultimate round.

Simon battled past Taro Daniel, saving 12 of 15 break points, in a 6-4, 7-5 victory over two hours and 34 minutes on Friday for a place in the semi-finals against Pablo Andujar, who advanced without playing when his Czech opponent Jiri Vesely withdrew due to a right toe injury. Simon won the 2008 trophy, while Andujar is a three-time titlist (2011-12, 2018).

Tsonga required 67 minutes to beat Italian qualifier Lorenzo Sonego 6-3, 6-2, winning 26 of his 29 first-service points. “My opponent played very well this week,” said Tsonga. “So I tried to take the initiative and put him under pressure right from the beginning. The goal is to play well again tomorrow and reach the final. I feel well here, we are in Africa. The fans support me a lot.”

Benoit Paire booked his place in the semi-finals for the second time in three years by knocking out #NextGenATP Spaniard Jaume Munar 6-1, 6-3 in 59 minutes. Munar had overcome World No. 3 Alexander Zverev in the second round on Thursday.

“I played aggressively today and was able to bother him,” said Paire. “I made the right choices and I’m really happy with my match today. Jo is a great player, I’ve never beaten him. So it will be a complicated match for sure. But the last matches gave me confidence, so I look forward to the semi-final.”

First-Time Team Finalists To Contest Doubles Championship
Matwe Middelkoop and Frederik Nielsen reached their first ATP Tour doubles final as a team by beating Simone Bolelli and Malek Jaziri 6-3, 6-2 in 50 minutes. They will face Jurgen Melzer and Franko Skugor, who will also contest their first team championship after the pair defeated Leander Paes and Benoit Paire 1-6, 6-3, 10-5 in 71 minutes.

In a wild week of upsets at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship, Daniel Elahi Galan provided the biggest one of all on Thursday. The Colombian, a wild card into the qualifying draw, reached his first ATP quarter-final by shocking top seed and two-time defending champion Steve Johnson of the United States 6-3, 6-3.

The top six seeds in the draw have all been eliminated before the quarter-finals.

“He was clearly the favourite and I was a little nervous at the beginning, but I knew what I had to do,” said Galan. “I wasn’t winning so many matches lately, so this week is a relief for me. I’m playing better and better every day.”

The 22-year-old, ranked No. 241 in the ATP Rankings, wasn’t overwhelmed by the occasion. Striking his returns with authority and using his forehand to open up the court, he broke the American three times to advance in 74 minutes.

Galan’s win over Johnson marks his first victory over a player inside the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings. He has primarily competed on the ATP Challenger Tour over the past 12 months and won his first Challenger title last July in San Benedetto, Italy. Galan will now play fellow Colombian qualifier Santiago Giraldo or seventh seed Jordan Thompson of Australia.

Janko Tipsarevic continued his comeback from injury with a 6-3, 6-4 win over third seed Cameron Norrie of Great Britain. The Serbian, a wild card entry, broke his opponent six times to reach his first ATP quarter-final since Shenzhen in September 2016.

He’ll take on eighth seed Sam Querrey, who required just 73 minutes to defeat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 6-4, 6-3. The American is a two-time finalist in Houston (2010, 2015) and displayed a brand of aggressive hitting that showed he’s ready to make it back to Sunday’s championship match.

Tipsarevic leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head series with Querrey 4-3 and has won their past three matches, but they haven’t faced off since the 2016 US Open.

Bryan Brothers Move Closer To Seventh Houston Title

Top seeds Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan didn’t face a break point in their quarter-final win over Indian pair Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and Purav Raja 7-6(5), 6-3. The six-time champions have a lifetime 42-10 record in Houston. Next up for them is Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan.

Fourth seeds Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski of Great Britain saved four match points to reach the semi-finals over French duo Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin 3-6, 6-3, 14-12. The Skupskis rallied from 6/9 in the Match Tie-break and saved a fourth match point at 10/11. They eventually converted on their third match point to prevail in 73 minutes.

The Skupski brothers will now play second seeds Austin Krajicek of the United States and Artem Sitak of New Zealand, who defeated American duo Ryan Harrison and Mackenzie McDonald 6-0, 7-5.

With 11 titles and 68 match wins to his name, it’s safe to say that Rafael Nadal has had plenty of memorable moments at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

Relive the Spaniard’s seven greatest Monte-Carlo Hot Shots as he gears up for an unprecedented 12th title at this event. After missing the Miami Open presented by Itau with a right knee injury, Nadal is healthy and ready to kick off his clay season next week in the Principality.

The World No. 2 in the ATP Rankings headlines a stacked draw that includes Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, Kei Nishikori and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Some of the biggest names in tennis turned their attention to basketball as NBA stars Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki played the final games of their careers on Wednesday.

Alexander Zverev, John Isner and Andy Roddick paid tribute to them on social media. Zverev has cited Wade as his favourite athlete and had the chance to meet the Miami Heat shooting guard during the 2018 Miami Open presented by Itau.

Introducing new @MiamiHEAT power forward, Alexander #Zverev

What do you think, @DwyaneWade? ??#MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/P7EkeUyAvm

— Miami Open (@MiamiOpen) March 22, 2018

“Thank you @dwyanewade for everything you have done not only for the sport of basketball, but the world of sports in general,” wrote Zverev in a lengthy Instagram tribute. “Showing the way for so many young kids from all over the world [and] that if you have the determination, the passion, the will and the hard work, you can achieve anything no matter where you come from… I just want to say thank you as a fan, as a fellow athlete and as a kid who always admired you and followed you your whole career.”

Roddick, who traded groundstrokes and jump shots with Wade at the 2010 Miami Open, tweeted “Tip of the cap to @dwyanewade. Was my favorite player for most of my adult life…cheers, and happy post-career my friend!”

Isner, an avid basketball fan and friend of fellow Dallas resident Nowitzki, tweeted video of the German’s last shot and wrote “What a freakin legend,” adding a goat emoji. Nowitzki is a tennis fan himself and has made several appearances at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Dallas. Isner and Roddick have also participated in Nowitzki’s charity tennis event in Dallas.

?. What a freakin legend https://t.co/IESgjEQHwn

— John Isner (@JohnIsner) April 11, 2019

Zverev is next scheduled to compete at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, while Isner will make his clay-court debut this season at the Mutua Madrid Open.

Spain’s Jaume Munar upset World No. 3 Alexander Zverev for the biggest win of his career on Thursday at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech. The Spaniard, who reached the semi-finals of the 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals, stunned the top seed 7-6(1), 2-6, 6-3 for his first Top 10 victory (1-3).

“Sascha is a great player and this is a magical moment for me,” Munar said. “I’m very happy. I feel very well here and this victory means a lot to me.”

The Spaniard broke the 10-time ATP Tour titlist four times in the match and saved all three break points faced in the third set. Munar, at a career-high No. 60 in the ATP Rankings, will play in his fifth ATP Tour quarter-final against Benoit Paire.

The Frenchman reached his fifth quarter-final in sixth appearance at the ATP 250 tournament, overcoming countryman Pierre-Hugues Herbert, the eighth seed, 6-4, 6-2 in 76 minutes. He won 29 of his 32 first-service points.

Defending champion Pablo Andujar of Spain saved two set points in the first set en route to a 7-6(6), 6-4 victory over seventh seed and 2017 runner-up Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany for a place in the quarter-finals. The three-time Marrakech champion (2011-2012, 2018) recovered from 3/5 down in the first set and from 4/6 in the tie-break.

Czech Jiri Vesely is one match win away from reaching the Marrakech semi-finals for the fourth time (2015-17) after a 6-3, 6-4 win over Juan Ignacio Londero of Argentina in one hour and 39 minutes. He has a 2-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head lead against Andujar, his next opponent.

Melzer/Skugor Upset Second Seeds

Jurgen Melzer and Franko Skugor defeated second seeds Rohan Bopanna and Dominic Inglot 6-3, 6-7(2), 10-7 to reach the last four in Marrakech and ensure that all the semi-finalists are unseeded teams. Melzer/Skugor will play Leander Paes and Benoit Paire for a place in the final.

Matwe Middelkoop and Frederik Nielsen rallied to beat Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies 1-6, 6-4, 10-8. Next up for Middelkoop/Nielsen in the semi-finals are Simone Bolelli and Malek Jaziri.