Federers Make Big Donation To Vulnerable Swiss Families
Mar252020
Covid-19 pandemic has affected more than 375,000 lives globally
Roger Federer and his wife Mirka announced on Wednesday that they have donated one million Swiss Francs (USD $1.02 million) to vulnerable families in Switzerland in the global fight against COVID-19.
“These are challenging times for everyone, and nobody should be left behind,” wrote Federer on his Instagram feed. “Mirka and I have personally decided to donate one million Swiss Francs for the most vulnerable families in Switzerland.
“Our contribution is just the start. We hope that others might join in supporting more families in need. Together we can overcome this crisis! Stay healthy!”
There are more than 8,000 confirmed cases of Coronavirus in Switzerland, claiming 66 lives. The ATP and WTA Tours have been suspended until 7 June.
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These are challenging times for everyone and nobody should be left behind. Mirka and I have personally decided to donate one million Swiss Francs for the most vulnerable families in Switzerland. Our contribution is just a start. We hope that others might join in supporting more families in need. Together we can overcome this crisis! Stay healthy! Dies sind herausfordernde Zeiten für uns alle und niemand sollte zurückgelassen werden. Mirka und ich haben beschlossen, persönlich eine Million Schweizer Franken für die am stärksten gefährdeten Familien in der Schweiz zu spenden. Unser Beitrag ist nur ein Anfang. Wir hoffen, dass sich andere anschließen, um noch mehr bedürftige Familien zu unterstützen. Gemeinsam können wir diese Krise überwinden! Bleibt gesund! Nous vivons une période difficile pour nous tous et personne ne doit être laissé pour compte. Mirka et moi avons décidé de personnellement faire don d’un million de francs suisses aux familles les plus défavorisées en Suisse. Notre contribution n’est qu’un début. Nous espérons que d’autres se joindront à nous pour aider encore plus de familles dans le besoin. Ensemble, nous pouvons surmonter cette crise! Restez en bonne santé!
Roger Federer and his wife Mirka have donated 1m Swiss francs (£857,000) “for the most vulnerable families in Switzerland” and have called on others to add their support.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Switzerland has imposed a ban on all private and public events and has closed all non-essential businesses until at least 19 April.
“These are challenging times for everyone and nobody should be left behind,” Federer, 38, wrote on Instagram.
“Our contribution is just a start.
“We hope that others might join in supporting more families in need. Together we can overcome this crisis! Stay healthy!”
The 20-time Grand Slam champion is the latest in a string of sports stars to pledge money to support those affected by the virus.
Last week, reigning Wimbledon champion Simona Halep announced on Facebook that she would donate money to pay for medical equipment in her home country of Romania.
In football, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has donated 1m euros (£920,000) to fight the outbreak in Spain and Barcelona forward Messi has contributed the same amount to hospitals in Barcelona and Argentina.
Juventus and Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo and his agent Jorge Mendes have donated 1m euros to three intensive care units for patients suffering from coronavirus at hospitals in Lisbon and Porto.
The professional tennis tours are currently suspended until 7 June, with Wimbledon due to take place from 29 June until 12 July.
Behind The Scenes With Felix Auger-Aliassime At New York Photo Shoot
Mar252020
Go behind the scenes with the #NextGenATP Canadian ahead of the 2019 US Open
Editor’s Note: ATPTour.com is resurfacing features to bring fans closer to their favourite players during the current suspension in tournament play. This story was originally published on 25 August 2019.
ATPTour.com went behind the scenes with #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime before he begins his run at the US Open. Below is a timeline of his day.
At 2:34 p.m. on Saturday afternoon in Manhattan, #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime began a promotional shoot for the Next Gen ATP Finals. He’d already had one practise session earlier on, just three days away from his first-round match at the US Open against close friend and countryman Denis Shapovalov. And later in the evening, he’d travel to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center for his second hit of the day, this time on Grandstand, where he hit with countryman Vasek Pospisil in front of just a few photographers.
A year ago, then a qualifier, Felix departed the court in tears after retiring in the third set against Shapovalov due to a reoccurring heart condition. Now Auger-Aliassime returns to New York as the favourite after cracking the Top 20 of the ATP Rankings for the first time this week, making him one of the quickest-rising stars on the ATP Tour.
But Auger-Aliassime is humble to say the least. Just weeks ago at the Coupe Rogers, throngs of fans sprinted after the teen wherever he went — to practise, to a match, probably to dinner, too. Felix was the celebrity and phone-wielding fans were paparazzi en masse. Yet after arriving at the photoshoot, the first thing he did was introduce himself to all the staff around, extending his hand for a handshake to each person in every room, whether he’d previously met them or not.
Auger-Aliassime is not all forehands and backhands, nor is he all serves and returns. Yes, he’s a tennis sensation, but he’s also a well-mannered 19-year-old, a teen who presents himself as someone who’s been there and done that. The thing is, this is only the beginning.
At 2:38, Felix arrived at the photo room on the second floor, where a handful of lighting apparatuses brought a dark-coloured background to life. The Canadian sat down to have make-up applied.
As incredible as it may seem because of his stellar 2019 season — which has included his first three ATP Tour finals and a maiden ATP Masters 1000 semi-final — Auger-Aliassime is trying to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals for the first time, currently sitting in second place in the ATP Race To Milan, from which the Top 7 21-and-under players in the world automatically qualify.
“Everyone said it’s great,” Auger-Aliassime said of the third-year event.
The No. 18 seed stood up at 2:41 and began digging through his bag. Did he need to wear white socks or black socks? Auger-Aliassime was prepared for anything, even down to his socks.
Arms folded. Turn your body to the left. Back to the right. Keep your body to the side and turn your head towards the camera. Take a step back.
The photographer was like a coach, but instead of being on the court feeding forehands and backhands, Felix was in a small hotel room in Manhattan, showered by the consistent pings of the flashes going off around him.
“Like this or like this?” Auger-Aliassime asked about a pose. It’s clear that doing things properly is of the utmost importance to Felix. When he’s asked to do something, he wants to do it the right way.
During a momentary break in the shooting, Auger-Aliassime looked down at and played with the strings of his racquet. Those strings will likely be cut out after his next practice. But countless winners will fly off of the Canadian’s racquet in the years to come.
At 2:47, Felix was asked to put his sweater on for the next set of photos. The make-up artist warned him to be careful, saying she could fix his hair, but that the make-up could be more problematic on his clothes.
“Did I get it right?” Felix said, eager to please.
The photographer and his assistants got to a point where they wanted Auger-Aliassime to scream for an image full of intensity. All of the #NextGenATP stars coming through that day would do so. The first shot wasn’t intense enough for the photographer.
“I’m not angry right now. Maybe after practice tonight,” Auger-Aliassime joked. “You’re getting precise now. Shouting, screaming. I don’t know.
“Okay, perfect!” At 2:53, Auger-Aliassime thanked everyone in the room, walked through the hallway past several conference rooms and down a set of winding stairs, leaving him in the lobby. Ten seconds later he walked into a larger room where a green screen awaited him to film promotional material for Milan, should the Canadian qualify.
Again, Auger-Aliassime introduced himself to everyone in the room and awaited instructions. The first thing he did was autograph a frame of glass, much like you see players do after a match. The director explained to him how one side of the marker was thinner and the other was thicker, and that he should use the latter. Again, Auger-Aliassime double-checked to make sure he did it correctly, signing the glass four times until it was perfect.
At 3:04, Felix had to go through the roaring routine again, and then at 3:10, the director asked him for a burning stare through the lens to finish off his session in front of the green screen.
Once again, Auger-Aliassime thanked everyone in the room and took an elevator up to the third floor to speak some promotional lines into the camera for the Next Gen ATP Finals, sitting in a chair in a smaller hotel room at 3:12.
Straight into camera?
Felix used plenty of hand motions, reading his lines with plenty of energy. Whenever he misspoke, he quickly apologised, even though he didn’t need to. There were no forehands or backhands being hit in that room, but Auger-Aliassime was giving it everything he could.
Want my body this way?
In isolation, this precision is nothing atypical. But it’s clear that Auger-Aliassime is particular about everything he does.
After losing in the Miami Open presented by Itau semi-finals, in which he struggled with his second serve in crucial moments, he went right to the practice court after the match to work on it. Felix double faulted 10 times in his first-round loss at the Western & Southern Open against fellow #NextGenATP star Miomir Kecmanovic.
But shadowing Auger-Aliassime for just an hour, even away from the tennis court, the teen showed he will relentlessly work to fix that. He is simply too precise not to.
“I always have high expectations. I put big goals ahead of me,” Auger-Aliassime said.
One of his goals was entering the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings by the end of the year. He accomplished that by 1 April.
“For sure I was surprised,” Felix admitted of how quickly he’s risen in 2019. But he also says that he’s put in the work for it. And he’s not counting himself qualified for Milan yet, either. Auger-Aliassime is insistent on continuing “to do the right things” now and for the rest of his career, never counting his chickens before they hatch.
“[I want] to make sure I make it,” Auger-Aliassime said of qualifying for Milan. “You’ll make it if you deserve it.”
At 3:22, Auger-Aliassime thanked the final few staff members for their help during the shoot, and walked towards the hotel’s exit, with a tantalising first-round match against his friend Shapovalov ahead of him.
There’s little one can learn about a player’s tennis at a promotional shoot. But regardless of what happens on Tuesday at the US Open, Felix will continue to put the work in.
Whether he wins or loses a match, he will handle it with class. And Felix won’t stop until he gets the most out of his game. How high is his ceiling? Only time will tell. And at 19, there is plenty of time to find out.
Learn what the World No. 3 has been up to while staying at home in Austria
Dominic Thiem revealed in the ATP Tour’s #TennisAtHome campaign how he has been occupying himself at home during the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s like everyone else. Safety first,” Thiem said. “Just try to keep fit a little bit, spend some time with my parents, spend some time with my dog. I think he’s the happiest about all of this situation, as he can see us now for a long time.”
Thiem is staying at home with his family in Austria. The World No. 3 has taken advantage of that in the kitchen.
“I only eat food which is from the region here and I really enjoy that,” Thiem said. “Maybe I improve a little bit my cooking skills when I’m home that much.”
Andrey Rublev played some of the best tennis of his career to start the 2020 season, winning his first 11 matches, including back-to-back titles in Doha and Adelaide.
“It’s amazing and it’s unbelievable,” Rublev told ATP Uncovered presented by Peugeot. “At the same time, I understand that it’s something unreal.”
The Russian came out firing from the beginning of the year, harnessing his massive baseline power to plow through opponent after opponent. The two-time Next Gen ATP Finals qualifier had long shown his potential to compete with the best in the world, but he slightly surprised himself with his incredible season-starting run, which ended with a loss against 2018 Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev in the fourth round of the Australian Open.
“It was a little bit strange because during this pre-season, I was thinking, ‘I’m not working enough, I’m not working enough, I need to work harder, I need to work better.’ Every day it was like this. It was not enough,” Rublev said. “I was thinking, ‘What is this? If I want to be on a good level, this is not the game. I need to do something better, I need to work harder, I need to have a better attitude, I need to play smarter.’ The mood was never enough, never enough, never enough. But in the end, when I started the season, everything was good.”
Rublev earned a 38-19 record in 2019, finishing as No. 23 in the year-end FedEx ATP Rankings. But the 22-year-old was hungry for more, relentless in his pursuit of improvement. It wasn’t that he craved a certain milestone; he simply wanted to get better.
“I tried to work hard every day. I was not expecting nothing, I was not trying to think, ‘Oh, I hope I will start the season good.’ Of course I would like to start the season good, but I was not hoping, I was not expecting nothing, I was thinking like a machine, [that] I will work hard, I will try to do my best,” Rublev said. “If I lose first round, at least I know that I did my best and that’s it. If I do my best and I do third or fourth round okay, perfect, then it’s even better.”
The current World No. 14 did not lose a set at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, defeating #NextGenATP Frenchman Corentin Moutet in the final. Rublev’s third ATP Tour title left him with a decision to make.
“I remember when I won Doha, most of the members of my team were telling me to pull out, maybe it’s a better idea. But then I said, ‘Why not [play]? I’m having a bye there in Adelaide, I’m going to arrive there and still have two days. Let’s see how I feel. If I’ll be completely dead, if I feel that physically I am weak, I feel pain in some areas of my body, we have time to pull out. But at least let’s try, we never know,’” Rublev said. “I started to play better and better and in the end I won Adelaide. It’s something unreal, but of course it was amazing to start the season in this way.”
Rublev lost a set against Felix Auger-Aliassime and Daniel Evans at the Adelaide International, but he never panicked. Instead, he persevered. In the past, that might not have been the case.
“Everybody has his own problems that he needs to face and to learn how to face them strongly to grow up,” Rublev said. “I never even won two titles in one year, and now I won two titles in a row, so something is not real. I need to accept that it’s not going to be like that. That it happened is perfect, but I need to be in real life and understand that there are so many things to work on.”
The Moscow native has proven to himself and the world that he could compete — and win — on the world’s biggest stages. That is no longer in doubt.
“When I have bad days, bad weeks, how will I face them? This is now the most important thing for me,” Rublev said. “There is still a mental part. I think out of the Top 20 I am one of the weakest, so we’ll see. I am looking positively forward and we’ll see what’s going to happen.”
Rublev is not setting his gaze on a particular FedEx ATP Ranking goal. Instead, he’s working on his mental and physical game, and letting the effects of that pay dividends.
“You just need to be calm and positive, which is so simple and so easy. No matter what happens, be positive, do your best. It’s so simple. But this is the tough thing,” Rublev said. “The main goal for this year is every day to be mentally strong, to be mentally always positive.”
Tsonga’s Training, Khachanov’s Challenge: Best Social Media Posts Of The Week
Mar242020
ATPTour.com looks at what your favourite players have been up to
Your favourite players are all finding ways to stay busy and remain in shape while doing their part to flatten the curve. From Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s bold vow to Karen Khachanov’s unique challenge, find out how the biggest names in tennis are keeping active.
Gaudenzi Addresses Tour Suspension, Acknowledges Uncertainty
Mar242020
Chairman encourages tennis community to unite to help defeat COVID-19
ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi says that resuming play in time for the grass-court season remains the Tour’s goal but acknowledges that definitive planning is difficult while the severity and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic remains unknown.
The BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells earlier this month was the first ATP Tour event to be hit by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The current suspension of the Tour is scheduled to run through 7 June, inclusive of the entire Spring clay-court season.
“Unfortunately, the repercussions from the COVID-19 pandemic are being felt across all areas of society, as well as by our players, tournaments, and the Tour,” said Gaudenzi, who began serving as ATP Chairman on 1 January. “This is bigger than any sport. The current situation raises many questions which we empathize with greatly, and we are working hard on evaluating all options.
“Our ability to address any supportive measures will be best guided once we know the duration of the crisis and when the Tour will resume, which remains unknown at this time. This remains an evolving situation that will require significant time to deal with in the coming weeks and months, and we must avoid making any rushed decisions without knowing first when the crisis will end. Understanding the full duration and scale of this crisis will be critical to addressing any measures related to its repercussions.
Despite acknowledging the current uncertainty, Gaudenzi said that the calendar is under continuous review and further clarity about the likelihood of the grass season should come next month.
“We continue to assess all options related to preserving and maximising the calendar based on various return dates for the Tour. It goes without saying that full cooperation with the other governing bodies is essential. We are in close discussion with all the grass-court events and they remain on the calendar as scheduled at this time,” he said. “The reality is this is a rapidly evolving situation and there is no option other than to take this day-by-day and week-by-week.”
On 12 March ATP announced a six-week suspension of play at Tour and Challenger level through 20 April. Last week ATP and WTA jointly announced that no ATP and WTA tournaments in the Spring clay-court swing would be held as scheduled. This includes the combined ATP/WTA tournaments in Madrid and Rome, along with the WTA events in Strasbourg and Rabat and ATP events in Munich, Estoril, Geneva and Lyon.
Additionally, both Tours have frozen their rankings.
“It is hard to fathom what has happened in the world in the past few weeks and it’s remarkable to think that, in ordinary times, last Sunday would have seen the culmination of the first ATP Masters 1000 of the year in Indian Wells,” Gaudenzi said.
“The current suspension of the Tour leaves a big void in all our lives. However, we are seeking to play our part over the coming weeks through our digital and social media platforms which, among other initiatives, has included the launch of a #tennisathome content campaign to deliver some positive and fresh content to our fans.”
A native of Italy, the country hardest hit by the COVID-19 virus, Gaudenzi has implored players, tournaments and tennis fans to spread word of key countermeasures to combat the pandemic.
“This is a time of considerable uncertainty for all and there is nothing more important than prioritising health. On a personal level, the stories I have heard from acquaintances at home in Italy are harrowing. The need to take this seriously, stay at home and practice responsible social distancing, is paramount and we urge everyone in the tennis community to spread this important message in the days and weeks ahead.”
Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers looks at how the Big Three are on top in total points won
What have you got to do to win 52 per cent or more of your points over an extended period? Basically, be Superman.
An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of points won over a five-year span from 2015-2019 identifies that only six active players won more than 52 per cent of their points. They were Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Milos Raonic and Juan Martin del Potro.
Only Djokovic, Nadal and Federer were able to climb above the 54 per cent threshold, which is just another indicator of how the Big Three separate themselves from the pack. The win percentages for the six players are:
2015-2019: Total Points Won > 52 percent
Player
Total Points Won/Points Played
Win Percentage
N. Djokovic
25,921/47,169
54.95%
R. Nadal
23,753/43,403
54.73%
R. Federer
22,516/41,281
54.54%
A. Murray
17,263/32,520
53.08%
M. Raonic
18,425/35,140
52.43%
J.M. del Potro
12,822/24,458
52.42%
Nadal led the Tour from 2017 to 2019 with points won in a single season, including the highest single-season percentage of 55.77 per cent (4,891/8,770), which he posted last year. The season leaders from 2015-2019 are:
Season Leader – Total Points Won •2015: N. Djokovic = 55.53% (6054/10902)
•2016: N. Djokovic = 55.27% (5469/9895)
•2017: R. Nadal = 55.53% (5966/10744)
•2018: R. Nadal = 55.42% (4226/7626)
•2019: R. Nadal = 55.77% (4891/8770)
There are 16 more players who won between 51 per cent and 52 per cent of total points from 2015 to 2019, with the five highest being Marin Cilic (51.91%), Kei Nishikori (51.88%), Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (51.81%), Dominic Thiem (51.74%) and Gael Monfils (51.72%).
You would think that posting a FedEx ATP Ranking around the Top 50 would also match with winning many more points than those lost, but only 53 players barely won more than 50 per cent of their points over the five-year period, with 47 of them living in the 50-52 per cent range.
Djokovic went on a tear to start 2020, going 18-0 in his first three events of the season. During the undefeated run, he only needed to notch up his percentage of total points won, which is typically right around 55 per cent, by one percentage point – to 56.03 per cent. The leading five players through the first two months of 2020 are:
2020 Leaders (Jan/Feb) N. Djokovic = 56.03% (1635/2918)
R. Nadal = 55.46% (1330/2398)
R. Bautista Agut = 54.63% (1032/1889)
S. Tsitsipas = 54.07% (1241/2295)
A. Rublev = 53.71% (1464/2726)
Sixty-seven players won more points than they lost to start the 2020 season. When the Tour resumes, finding one or two more points out of every hundred will have real purpose now that we better understand the razor-thin margins that success in our sport are built upon.
Tennis superstars share their thoughts on Instagram
Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer have joined the large list of ATP Tour players who are staying at home and playing their part to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
Djokovic took to Instagram on Sunday and encouraged fans to join him in practising social distancing. The World No. 1 said that flattening the curve will require a worldwide effort and saluted the medical professionals who are working to treat those currently infected.
“Very challenging times for everyone. I am sending support and prayers,” Djokovic wrote. “Please stay at home in quarantine and help frontline medical people to help all the people infected and in need. Let’s not burden them in these critical times more than they already are.”
“We are all one. We all live in the same world. Please treat people and nature like you would treat yourself. God bless you all. We will be stronger and more united, I am sure.”
His views are also shared by Federer. The Swiss answered federal councillor Alain Berset, Head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs, in an Instagram challenge. Berset stressed that everyone has a part to play in fighting the virus and invited Federer, along with TV host Christa Rigozzi and rapper Stress, to share the message with their social media followers.
“I wash my hands several times a day and I stay at home. It is very important to think about the older and more vulnerable people. We have to keep a distance of two metres and we don’t shake hands at the moment,” Federer said. “These are difficult times and I hope that everyone takes this seriously.”
Federer and Djokovic are both spending quality time with their families while staying at home. Djokovic urged others to do the same, be kind to others and try to make the best of the current situation.
“We can’t be healthy if our world isn’t healthy. This is the time for all of us to get together and unite,” Djokovic said. “Let’s really try to spend quality time with our family at home [and] enjoy the little things in life. Let’s try to laugh, love and dedicate time to inner work… This is a great opportunity to do that.
“We are all one. We all live in the same world. Please treat people and nature like you would treat yourself. God bless you all. We will be stronger and more united, I am sure.”
Rafa Pays Tribute To Carers On Coronavirus Front Line
Mar222020
Spaniard encourages those suffering during this pandemic
Rafael Nadal took to social media on Saturday evening to share a message in support of those dealing with the worldwide coronavirus situation. In Spanish, the 33-year-old thanked those on the front lines combatting the virus, encouraged those who are suffering from it and more.
First of all, I just wanted to apologise because I was out of social media for some time, but these are very difficult times for everyone. This whole situation is overwhelming us and we are all committed in the best possible way from our homes.
I wanted to send a message of thanks to all the doctors, nurses and all the health personnel who are all protecting us, and to the police forces, civil and national guard, the army, and all those who make us feel a little safer, who are in the first line of fire. After all, they are those who are most at risk of catching [the virus] and they are our heroes. I want to express my admiration and thank you all.
Finally, I want to send encouragement to all the families who are suffering, both the infected, and especially those with relatives or friends who have died from the coronavirus. Send them a message of encouragement. It is difficult to say something in these difficult times, and I can only say in this case that we all feel very sorry, that we trust that at this moment we can go ahead with our lives as soon as possible.
There are also positive things in these difficult times. We are demonstrating to be a united people, many companies are being supportive and contributing, and all citizens are showing ourselves united day after day, complying with all the standards that health [departments] advises us: stay at home, follow all the indications to end this terrible pandemic as soon as possible.
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