Tennis News

Nadal: 'There is no ideal farewell'

Goodbyes habitually go hand-in-hand with feelings of sadness and nostalgia. In the case of Rafael Nadal at this week’s Davis Cup Finals, however, he is trying to keep the emotions surrounding his last few days as a professional tennis player at bay. As a result, despite being very much at peace with his situation, he is reluctant to discuss a dream scenario for his swansong.

“There’s no ideal farewell,” Nadal was quick to point out at Team Spain’s press conference on Monday in Malaga ahead of its quarter-final against the Netherlands on Tuesday. “Movie-script finals are for American movies and I realised a long time ago that I wouldn’t have one of those, so it’s not something that I’m worried about.”

The 22-time Grand Slam champion is keen to downplay the significance of his farewell, normalising the inevitable process of retirement that every athlete has to endure. “I’m handling it as well as possible, with the same normality with which I’ve tried to approach everything during good and bad times, without any kind of excess.”

While the questions were almost all directed at the man of the moment, his teammates at the table, Carlos Alcaraz, David Ferrer, Roberto Bautista Agut, Marcel Granollers and Pedro Martinez occasionally touched on their admiration for Nadal’s career. They could have been speaking on behalf of the whole sporting world and every lover of the game.

“Of course, this is the end of a stage of my life. I’ve shared so many years with many of them [his teammates], not so many with others, but I feel the same when I see an athlete I’m used to watching on TV every week. In the end, they’re part of your life,” explained Nadal.

“I understand that for a lot of people who have grown up watching me play all the time, it’s the end of that period of time, they’ll never see me playing professionally again,” continued the 92-time ATP Tour champion. “It’s something that’s part of life itself, that has happened to everyone and right now it’s my turn, which is normal.”

The former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings will, at least, be able to say goodbye in the way he wanted one year ago when he spoke to the press; in competition. “I don’t deserve to end my career like this, at a press conference,” he said in May 2023 when he announced that this would be his last season as a professional.

“In the end, what I said has come to be; that this year would probably be my last, and that’s the way it is,” he said of his words spoken last year at the Rafa Nadal Academy. “But I wanted to give myself the opportunity, because I always like to be sure, I don’t want to leave myself wondering ‘what if I hadn’t done [this or that]…’”.

With just two tournaments played in 2023 (United Cup and the Australian Open), he decided to go under the knife so that he could hang up his racquet doing just what he has for almost 25 seasons as a pro: playing tennis.

“I know that I’ve done everything I can, my time has come and [I have to] accept it as such, without any kind of drama so that I can leave with the personal satisfaction that I always made the effort required by the situation,” he added. “Just as I have many other times and it’s worked well for me, a time has come where, because of my age and the accumulation of everything and the multifactorial injury, I have to say goodbye now.”

But until that “goodbye” he still has at least one chapter left to write, on Tuesday in the quarter-finals of the Davis Cup Finals. “We’re here to compete, we can’t let everything else distract us from what we’re here to do, which is to try our utmost to get the best result possible.”

Although Nadal does not want to discuss his ideal send-off, one thing is clear; lifting his sixth Davis Cup title on Sunday with Spain would not be a bad way to go. “It would be fantastic if the whole team were competitive, trying to win another Davis Cup. Besides being an amazing goodbye for me, it would be a great joy for everyone.”

Editor’s note: This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es

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Team Spain feel 'fortunate' to be by Nadal's side as he bids farewell

Some grew up alongside him on court, others enjoyed having him as a peer during their years on Tour (despite often having to endure his feats from the opposite side of the net). Then there are those who dreamed of being a tennis player because of him. Rafael Nadal’s legacy is eternal. His teammates this week at the Davis Cup Finals spoke about what it means to them to be with him as he says his final goodbye.

“I feel lucky to be able to share moments with him on and off the court,” Carlos Alcaraz said of one of his childhood heroes. “I would have loved to have shared so many more [moments], to keep learning from him both on the court and off it. I feel fortunate.”

The current No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings Alcaraz is 17 years younger than the 22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal, but he was lucky enough to face him in three matches on the ATP Tour and, above all, share the same side of the net with him in the doubles at the recent Olympic Games in Paris.

David Ferrer’s relationship with Nadal goes back 20 years. The first match of the 32 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series (26-6 to Nadal) came in Stuttgart in 2004.

“We’re all fortunate to be here for Rafa’s last moment on a tennis court as a friend and a teammate. I’ve shared with him and suffered at his hands on court,” admitted the Spanish captain. “I feel lucky to share these moments with someone who I have special affection for.”

The luck and fortune referred to by Alcaraz and Ferrer is a feeling shared by Robert Bautista Agut, with whom the Balearic Islander was practising last week in Mallorca, before making the trip to Malaga.

“Rafa has set an example for all of us, we’ve learned so much from him. Fortunately, we’ve shared times both on and off the court, also as Davis Cup teammates,” says the Castellon native, two years Nadal’s junior.

“I feel very lucky to be on the team with him. I’m sure he is very keen to make a contribution and try to help us do well in this Davis Cup,” continued Bautista Agut. “To me having Rafa on this team brings a lot of positive energy, competitiveness, it connects us and gives us all energy. Having him with us is very positive.”

Someone who knows Nadal well, and has shared many experiences with him since they were children, is Marcel Granollers, the only player on the Spanish team who was born in the same year as him (1986).

“It’s very special to have Rafa with us on the team. Probably for me he was my first teammate on the national team, as we’re the same age. When we were younger we shared a lot of great moments on the Spanish national side between the ages of 14 and 16,” Granollers recalls. “Having him here in his last tournament is amazing for me too.”

Finally, Pedro Martinez had his say: “I haven’t had the fortune to be that close to him. For me, having watched him play since I was little and him being an idol of mine, a role model, and now being here is very special and it’s going to be amazing.”

These are the words of tribute and appreciation from the five men who will be by Nadal’s side in the final week of his career as a professional tennis player.

Editor’s note: This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es

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Journey To Jeddah: New video series follows #NextGenATP stars eyeing greatness

Anticipation is soaring as some of the brightest prospects on the Tour are gearing up for the seventh edition of the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.

For our new series, Journey To Jeddah, ATP Tour has been closely following those who are bidding to make history at the 20-and-under season finale, which is to be held from 18-22 December at the King Abdullah Sports City. Watch the trailer below for a taste of this exclusive, behind-the-scenes series.

Leading the charge in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah are Arthur Fils, Alex Michelsen and Jakub Mensik, who have blazed a trail through the 2024 season. While their performances have established them as frontrunners, they are not alone. Among their challengers is Joao Fonseca, whose drive to compete with the generation’s best has propelled him into contention for the coveted finale.

“To play with the eight best players under 20, I dream to play with them in this tournament,” said 18-year-old Fonseca.

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Fritz ends 2024 at career high, Mover of Week

Taylor Fritz’s run to the championship match at the Nitto ATP Finals has propelled the American to a career-high World No. 4 as the 2024 season draws to a close.

ATPTour.com looks at the movers in the PIF ATP Rankings as of Monday, 18 November.

[ATP AWARDS]

No. 4 Taylor Fritz, +1 (Career High)
Fritz became the first American to reach the Nitto ATP Finals championship match since 2006 by seeing off Daniil Medvedev and Alex de Minaur in the group stage in Turin and snapping Alexander Zverev’s eight-match winning stream in the semi-finals. Although he could not overcome World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in either group play or the championship match, the 27-year-old has risen one spot to a career-high No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

No. 6 Casper Ruud, +1
Despite arriving in Turin having won just two matches since the US Open, Ruud added to his impressive Nitto ATP Finals record by reaching the semi-finals for the third time in as many appearances in Turin. The Norwegian upset Carlos Alcaraz in his opening match and also defeated Andrey Rublev in group play before falling to eventual champion Sinner in the semi-finals. Ruud has risen two spots to finish 2024 as World No. 6, his highest position since April.

No. 92 Borna Coric, +5
Croatia’s Coric will hope to have kick-started a late season resurgence with his quarter-final run at last week’s ATP Challenger Tour event in Lyon. The former World No. 12 has climbed five spots to World No. 92, and will seek to move further upwards with a strong showing at the Challenger event in Rovereto this week.

No. 99 Federico Coria, +2
After a month away, Coria has secured a swift return to the Top 100 by forging a semi-final run at the Montevideo Challenger. The Argentine also notably competed in doubles in the Uruguayan capital alongside former Manchester United and Atletico Madrid football superstar Diego Forlan.

No. 100 Mattia Bellucci, +4
As Sinner triumphed in Turin, Mattia Bellucci has given another reminder of the strength-in-depth of Italian tennis by rising four spots to make it nine players from the European nation inside the Top 100. The 23-year-old Bellucci has won seven titles in 2024, including his second and third Challenger titles in Saint-Tropez and Vilnius, respectively.

Other Notable Movers
No. 104 Camilo Ugo Carabelli, +4
No. 122 Raphael Collignon, +20
No. 144 Joao Fonseca, +5 (Career High)
No. 152 Nishesh Basavareddy, +20 (Career High)
No. 156 Martin Landaluce, +8 (Career High)

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

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PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah Update: Basavareddy makes his move

Nishesh Basavareddy’s late-season charge to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF has picked up some serious pace.

With his latest run to the title match at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Champaign, the 19-year-old American has fired himself into eighth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah. Basavareddy, who is 19 points adrift of seventh-placed Joao Fonseca, has won 20 of his past 25 matches.

Basavareddy’s red-hot form, during which he has clinched his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title and made three separate appearances in finals, has propelled him into firm contention to make his debut in Jeddah.

PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah

Fonseca bolstered his chances of securing a spot in Jeddah with his run to the semi-finals at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Lyon. On the way, the 18-year-old Brazilian picked up a crucial win over fellow Jeddah hopeful Martin Landaluce in the last eight.

In an absorbing battle between two of the most exciting prospects on the ATP Tour, Fonseca held his nerve to prevail 11-9 in the deciding-set tie-break. The defeat for the ninth-placed Spaniard leaves him 49 points behind Fonseca in the Live Race.

Landaluce, who is in action this week at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Rovereto, will look to make up ground on those that lie ahead and pull clear of the chasing pack.

Coleman Wong is among those seeking a late push to qualify for the finale in Jeddah. The 20-year-old, who became the first Hong Kong player since 1972 to win an ATP Tour match in September, is in 10th place.

The Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF will take place from 18-22 December at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.

Read more

My Influences: How Sinner helped Fonseca make this critical decision
My Influences: Wong on first meeting with 15-year-old Alcaraz
My Influences: Tien trusting the process & bouncing off Michelsen
My Influences: Shang on Alcaraz experience & parents’ support

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'The emotions will be for the end' – Nadal

Retiring superstar Rafael Nadal says he will not be distracted by emotion as Spain look to win the Davis Cup in the final tournament of his career.

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8,000 matches later, Carlos Bernardes says goodbye to tennis

For more than three decades, chair umpire Carlos Bernardes enjoyed the best seat in the house. One of the sport’s most respected officials, the Brazilian has presided over some of the game’s most memorable showdowns in tennis’s grandest arenas.

From Sampras and Agassi to the unforgettable Federer-Nadal rivalries, Bernardes has been right there, courtside, keeping order. His storied journey came to a fitting close on the ATP Tour this week at the Nitto ATP Finals, where he officiated his final ATP Tour match in the title showdown.

Bernardes reminisced on his career to ATPTour.com in Turin.

“My first contact with tennis was as a kid in Brazil. We used to jump the fence to play at the local club until we finally registered there. Since then, I’ve been part of the game, and I feel so fortunate to have had these experiences,” Bernardes said.

In 1984, Bernardes began coaching and soon found his way into officiating as a line judge at a regional Billie Jean King Cup tie in Sao Paulo. Balancing coaching and officiating across South America, his breakthrough came in 1992 when he joined the ATP Tour as a chair umpire.

“I started with tournaments in South America, then got assigned to the United States. I remember an early event in San Jose in 1996,” he said with a smile. “That tournament featured Sampras, Agassi, and Chang. Sampras was No. 1. It was incredible — to go from playing tennis on Brazilian streets to umpiring Sampras and Agassi.”

<img alt=”Carlos Bernardes/Andrea Gaudenzi ” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/11/17/21/24/cb-gaudenzi.jpg?w=100%25″ style=”width: 100%;” />
_{^{Carlos Bernardes with ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi in Turin. Photo Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour}}
Out of the 29 players to reach No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Bernardes had the privilege of officiating 24 of them. From Mats Wilander to Jannik Sinner, he’s witnessed historic moments and built lasting relationships with the game’s biggest stars.

“I’ve done matches with Sampras, Agassi, Chang, Edberg, Wilander, Becker. It was great to see Boris Becker here in Turin this week. He came up to talk to me, which was nice. Becker had such charisma on court. And the Sampras-Agassi matches were unforgettable.”

Bernardes recalls the ‘special’ era of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic, and the thrill of umpiring Andy Murray, Juan Martin del Potro, and Stan Wawrinka.

“I think some of my longest matches were with Murray — four hours on court, and he’d still push through. I’d see him later and ask, ‘How did you do it?’ and he’d say, ‘I can’t walk now,’ but he’d be back on court the next day winning. That respect from players means a lot.”

One of Bernardes’ fondest memories is umpiring Rafael Nadal’s first ATP Tour match in Mallorca in 2002, followed by Nadal’s first encounter with Federer in Miami (2004). He also officiated the 2011 Wimbledon final, where Novak Djokovic defeated Nadal to claim the title and ascend to No. 1.

“Wimbledon is magic,” Bernardes said. “I started playing tennis because of Wimbledon. Getting to umpire on Centre Court — it’s incomparable. That 2011 final was truly special.”

Bernardes has seen first-hand how the sport has grown, evolved and changed, making him a fountain of knowledge in regard to the history of the game. The 60-year-old became a key part of the travelling roadshow that is the ATP Tour, journeying countless miles and spending years of his life in hotels.

“I love Melbourne — I can walk back to the hotel at 2 a.m! Tokyo was always ahead of the game,” Bernardes said when speaking about his favourite cities. “Monte-Carlo is beautiful, especially when it’s not raining. And New York, where I umpired at my first Grand Slam, is always unforgettable.

“Barcelona too. It is a proper tennis event. If you want to see a tennis event, that is the one to go with. There may be two guys who are lower ranked, but it will be packed in the stands.”

Today, Bernardes leaves a sport transformed by technology. Electronic line calling is already widespread and will be mandatory on the Tour by 2025, with limited trials of video review underway. Though Bernardes embraced the high-stakes pressure of making line calls, he understands the shift.

“It’s different now with electronic calls — you don’t talk to players as much. There’s no need to overrule or explain calls. Now, I just listen to the music in the stadium. It’s becoming more mechanical, and we need to be cautious. I enjoyed the pressure of making the right call. Now, even if I think a ball is out, I sit back and let technology decide.”

Seated in the officiating room at Turin’s Inalpi Arena, Bernardes reflects warmly on his memories. His eyes light up most, though, when he speaks of the people he’s met.

“I have so many stories, and I’m lucky. I’ve done over 8,000 matches — just 1 percent of that leaves plenty of memories,” Bernardes said. “But it’s the people I’ve met that stand out. We’re away from home for half our lives, so you embrace the people and the places. This year, fans and people came up to me — that’s been wonderful. It’s a great environment to be part of.”

Bernardes will finish his career next week at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga but received warm words from Jannik Sinner following the title match at the Nitto ATP Finals, which the Brazilian umpired.

“Carlos, it’s been an amazing career,” Sinner said. “I feel privileged to be part of your last ATP journey.”

<img alt=”Jannik Sinner/Carlos Bernardes” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/11/17/21/25/sinnercb.jpg” />
_{^{Jannik Sinner shakes hands with Carlos Bernardes. Photo Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour}}

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Fritz: 'I feel I like belong' in the Top 5

Taylor Fritz made significant progress in 2024. The American reached his maiden major final at the US Open and this week advanced to the title match at the Nitto ATP Finals, ending the season at a career-high No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

The American lost in straight sets to Jannik Sinner in the final in Turin on Sunday night but is delighted with his year overall.

“It’s been a really good week for me. Obviously, it’s a good way to end the year. It gives me a lot of confidence finishing the season like this,” Fritz said. “Something I told my team in 2023 when I hit World No. 5 for a week right before I was defending the Indian Wells title, was ‘That’s crazy, I’m five the world, look at all these guys ranked behind me that are probably better than me’.

“Back then I was five, but I didn’t feel like I was five. Now I’m ranked where I’m at. I feel like I belong. It’s a different feeling. It’s been a great year. That gives me a lot of confidence to have that belief. That’s a huge part of having the big results. The goals I set for myself at the start of the year was to finish Top 5.”

Fritz earned wins against Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev and Alex de Minaur to become the first American to reach the Nitto ATP Finals title match since James Blake in 2006. However, the 27-year-old had no answers against Sinner, who also beat the fifth seed in the round-robin stage by the same scoreline as the final.

Fritz was full of praise for World No. 1 Sinner.

“He’s playing great. I felt from the baseline, it was pretty similar to the previous match we played. What I was really impressed with today was how he served,” said Fritz on Sinner, who made 71 per cent of his first serves according to Infosys ATP Stats. “He served absolutely lights out. So many lines. He placed the serve great. He took a lot of risk on the second serve as well. I think that was probably one of his main game plans, to not let me attack his second serve.

“He did a great job of not only mixing up the second but being very aggressive with it, not throwing in double-faults for serving bigger and being a little riskier with it. I was really impressed with how he served.”

Fritz will finish his season at the Davis Cup Finals next week but leaves Turin holding a 52-23 record. The American feels he knows where he can improve heading into 2025.

“I definitely need to get more explosive and quicker in the first step,” said Fritz. “If I can just get a little quicker off the split step, it will help my return of serve a lot. If I can just put myself in slightly better chances to break serve, I think that’s going to be a huge improvement. That’s something I’ve done already, but I think there’s still a lot of room for improvement there.

“Something that got exposed today is when the balls got pretty worn out, I was struggling to generate any power with my backhand. It allowed him to take control of a lot of points. When the balls were newer, that wasn’t really an issue. I was able to stay in the points.”

Fritz, who won tour-level titles in Delray Beach and Eastbourne in 2024, will hope to improve his record against the very best in 2025, with the American holding a 0-11 record against World No. 1’s. The 27-year-old leads a group of five Americans (Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe, Ben Shelton, Sebastian Korda) inside the Top 25 into 2025.

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Sinner on Turin triumph: 'There is room for improvement!'

In a season where expectation was rarely voiced but excellence was constantly delivered, Jannik Sinner emerged as a standout performer.

The Italians emphatic victory at the Nitto ATP Finals on Sunday was even sweeter as it marked his first title on home soil, tying a bow on an impressive year. It is a year in which he has posted a 70-6 record, including triumphs at the Australian Open, US Open and the prestigious season finale in Turin, yet Sinner is still hungry for more.

“I actually believe there is still a gap of improvement,” Sinner said following his 6-4, 6-4 win over Taylor Fritz in the title match in Turin, “Today I served very, very good at times, which was not the case throughout the whole tournament. There are still certain shots and points that I can do better, but [these] are small details.

“The higher you play level-wise, the more details make the difference. I’m always trying to improve as a player and trying to understand what I can do better.”

Let the celebrations begin 🙌@ConsorzioAsti | #AstiVibe | #partner pic.twitter.com/JDLyz8H745

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 17, 2024

Sinner has continued to shatter records throughout the year. On Sunday, he joined Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer as the only men to win the Australian Open, US Open and Nitto ATP Finals in the same year.

Heading into the 2024 season, however, Sinner was reluctant to outline his objectives.

“My goal was to understand what I can achieve this year,” reflected Sinner. “There was no specific goal of winning a Grand Slam or being No. 1 or whatever. It’s going to be the same next year: Whatever we can catch, we take, and the rest we learn.

“I think that was the mentality we approached this whole year [with] trying to raise my level in specific moments, which I’ve done throughout this year.”

Sinner soared to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings in June and has not released his grip on the Tour since, but the 23-year-old will face a new challenge in January when he laces up in a bid to consolidate his standout year.

“I [will approach it] in the same way I did this year: Keeping calm, having my connection with my team,” added Sinner. “Taking it seriously, but also relaxed. You need to have a good balance.

“There are going to be many, many first times in our life. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Grand Slam or something else, you just have to be yourself as a player in this case and trying to understand if it works or not.”

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'We're in it to win it' – Boulter & Raducanu put GB into BJK Cup semis

Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter combine to lead Great Britain into the Billie Jean King Cup semi-finals at the expense of defending champions Canada.

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