Lopez is now 36 years old and shows no signs of slowing down. On Tuesday, the left-handed Lopez will face Dusan Lajovic, a 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3 winner over Pedro Martinez in the first round of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. 

When he was just 16 years old, Lopez was granted a wild card by the Real Tennis Club Barcelona, the facility that runs the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, after they saw serious potential in the young Spaniard. Lopez made the most of the opportunity: He battled his way into the main draw of the tournament with straight-set wins over Germany’s Jan Weinzierl 6-3, 6-3, and countryman Marcos Aurelio Gorriz Bonhora, 6-2, 6-4. 

Just like that, Lopez made good on expectations, and the youngster from the city of Toledo was reveling in his own success. 

“It was amazing,” Lopez told ATPWorldTour.com. “I remember spending all of those years trying to make it with the (Real Tennis Club Barcelona); breaking through was the last thing I expected.” 

The end to the tournament might have been anti-climactic, but still memorable: Lopez lost in the first round to Jiri Novak, 0-6, 2-6 in 46 minutes.The up-and-coming Spaniard still relished his first taste of success at the ATP World Tour level. Prior to his breakthrough in Barcelona, Lopez’s best performance had been at an ATP World Tour Challenger event in Majorca in September 1997, when he won his first match at that level and reached the second round (l. to Vemic).

“I didn’t enjoy that; Novak hadn’t ‘broken out’ at that point but he’d eventually be a top-10 player and a great player,” Lopez said. “On that day, I was nervous; I would have preferred to play with a lot less people watching.”

Quarter-final showings in 2011 (l. to Ivan Dodig) and 2012 (l. to David Ferrer) have been Lopez’s best results so far in Barcelona. Going into Tuesday’s second-round clash, Lopez holds a 3-2 FedEx ATP Head2Head series edge over Lajovic. The Serbian emerged victorious in their most recent encounter at Indian Wells in 2017, but the Spaniard was victorious in their only clay-court meeting. 

Win or lose, what matters most to Lopez isn’t who walks off the court the winner. It means more to Lopez that he can continue playing at the highest level for years to come. 

“My wish is continue playing as well as I have been playing for a long time,” Lopez said.

The road to success is never easy, but Juan Ignacio Londero’s route to his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title in Mexico City was a test of both his mental and physical strengths.

Londero, who reached a career-high No. 186 in the ATP Rankings in September 2014, has struggled in recent years with a series of health issues and saw his position drop outside the Top 400 less than a year ago. His road to becoming a Challenger champion was littered with obstacles.

“It’s been a process and a difficult one at that,” reflected Londero. “In 2015, I had something similar to the mumps and… I spent a month in bed with a fever, vomiting. After that, I had a herniated disc issue. I had to withdraw from a lot of matches. It was a dozen things that just kept happening to me and I got stuck.”

But now, with full health and determination to rise in the ATP Rankings, Londero is breaking through at the Challenger level. The Argentine showcased his abilities at the start of the month in Panama City, winning five matches from qualifying before falling to former Top 40 star and eventual champion Carlos Berlocq – after failing to convert match point opportunities – in the semi-finals.

Not to be deterred after missing out on his first final on the Challenger circuit, Londero travelled north to the Mexican capital with added determination to go all the way. The Buenos Aires resident stunned the competition in Mexico City, winning eight consecutive matches, again from qualifying, to clinch the biggest title of his career. “It was great,” Londero said. “I’ve been trying hard to earn such a win for a long time.”

Londero dropped just one set all week, beating four consecutive players ranked inside the Top 300 of the ATP Rankings, including Ecuador Open semi-finalist Thiago Monteiro.

“Before April, I didn’t even know what the winning form felt like. But in Mexico City, things were just going my way. I was concentrating only on what was going on at the moment and on the court — not on who was winning, what I was doing right or wrong; I just focused on the moment.”

What may be even more impressive was his response to the victory. The 24-year-old backed up his title run in Mexico with a third semi-final appearance in as many weeks at the Challenger level in Sarasota (l. to Dellien), confirming his status as one of the most in-form players on the Tour. The right-hander has risen 155 spots in the ATP Rankings (to No. 202) in the past three weeks alone.

“It means a lot to play… at this level,” admitted Londero. “It’s all worth it now. I’m in a better place now. Just to have my body where I want it to be gives me great satisfaction.”

That moment when you win your first #ATPChallenger title.@juanlondero is the champion in Mexico City @CDMXOpen, dropping just one set in eight matches as a qualifier to take the ? pic.twitter.com/Kh03DJ3e8j

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) April 15, 2018

Londero attributes physical improvements to regimented pre-season preparations, after training with Martiniano Orazi. Orazi has previously worked with World No. 6 Juan Martin del Potro.

“For two weeks, I trained hard and got my physical level up to where it needed to be. This gave me a boost in mental confidence, knowing that I’m ready to compete at the highest level. My body is armed and ready to go now.

“I’m working with Martiniano Orazi; he worked with Juan Martin del Potro for a long time. He’s helped build my confidence.”

Now, for the man inspired by countryman and former World No. 3 David Nalbandian, the goal is clear. His sights are set on breaking into the Top 150 of the ATP Rankings and reaching the main draw of a Grand Slam for the first time.

“My goal is to get into Roland Garros qualifying and win my way into the tournament, and to ultimately finish the year in the Top 150,” outlined Londero.

If the young Argentine can continue his current form for the remainder of the clay season, he may just realise both of those ambitions soon enough.

‘Tis the season for Rafael Nadal, when the Spaniard is all smiles and the tennis world quickly runs out of adjectives. A day after winning his 11^thRolex Monte-Carlo Masters title, the World No. 1 had made his way to Barcelona, where he’ll go for title No. 11 at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, an ATP World Tour 500 tournament.

The event has a special “home” feeling for Nadal. He grew up in Mallorca, a Spanish island about an hour’s flight from Barcelona, and last year at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona-1899, officials named the main show court after Nadal, Pista Rafa Nadal.

The Spaniard is 53-3 in Barcelona and has won eight of his 10 titles without dropping a set, including 2016-17.

Watch: Nadal Remembers ‘Unforgettable Moment’ In Barcelona

“It was fantastic. It was an unforgettable moment,” Nadal said of winning his 10^th title.

“It’s a tournament that I know very well. I feel a little bit like home, even if my home is Mallorca, I am from this club and I enjoy the fact that I can play here in front of my people.

“This part of the season, all the events are so special for me, so I really enjoy playing every week and this week is not an exception. Now having two weeks at home, Barcelona and then [the Mutua Madrid Open, starting 6 May], it’s a special two weeks back-to-back.”

Nadal is the top seed in a crowded Barcelona draw that includes three Top 10 players in Grigor Dimitrov, Dominic Thiem and David Goffin. Monte-Carlo finalist Kei Nishikori, a two-time Barcelona champion (2014-15), and former No. 1 Novak Djokovic, who accepted a wild card last week, will also compete in the Spanish metropolis.

Nadal could face Nishikori in the third round, the sixth-seeded Djokovic in the quarter-finals and Goffin, the fourth seed, in the semi-finals. A rematch with Thiem or Dimitrov would have to wait until the final.

Last year, Thiem was the only player to beat Nadal on clay, but the Spaniard again avenged that loss last week in Monte-Carlo, advancing 6-0, 6-2 in the quarter-finals.

The next round, Nadal dismissed Dimitrov 6-4, 6-1 before beating Nishikori 6-3, 6-2 in the final. Nadal has won a career-best 36 consecutive sets on clay.

“Very happy about what happened last week of course. It was a great week,” Nadal said.

The 31-year-old left-hander needs to win his 11^th title in Barcelona to remain No. 1 in the ATP Rankings, or else Swiss Roger Federer will take over. But Nadal said holding onto the top ranking isn’t any extra motivation for him this week.

“For me the extra motivation is just playing the tournaments that I am playing,” Nadal said. “Monte-Carlo, for me is like a love story and here, almost the same. My real motivation is just play, Monte-Carlo last week and now play Barcelona. That’s a tournament that I have had a lot of success and I really feel the passion for playing.”

It was a seminal moment for Hugo Dellien. And one that was just as groundbreaking for his native Bolivia.

On Sunday, the 24-year-old from Trinidad, Bolivia, celebrated a historic victory in clinching his first ATP Challenger Tour title. In front of a packed crowd in Sarasota, Florida, a dogged Dellien rallied from a set down to lift the trophy, defeating Argentine veteran Facundo Bagnis 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 in one hour and 58 minutes.

As Dellien fired a backhand down the line and collapsed to the green clay, his hands covering his face as emotions from years of hard work boiled over, it was clear that this wasn’t an ordinary victory. 

“I am so happy, because I know that Bolivia does not have a top-level athlete in the world,” Dellien told ATPWorldTour.com. “I hope that I can motivate others to believe that they too can find this path in sports. Now, I am just taking it week by week and it’s very emotional for me, because this is my dream. I am so happy right now.”

With a population of more than 10 million, Bolivia is the eighth-largest country in South America. Its diverse culture is rich in cuisine, art, music and dance, with strong influences from its indigenous people. But, the nation remains in search of a sporting icon; someone to put the developing country on the map on a global scale. Bolivia has been represented at 20 different Olympic Games, but it has yet to win a medal. Its football team has appeared in three World Cups, but only once since 1950.

Now, the nation has a tennis champion to celebrate. With his triumph in Sarasota, Dellien became just the second Bolivian-born player to claim victory on the ATP Challenger Tour. The win comes nearly 35 years after Mario Martinez lifted the trophy in Messina, Italy. And the celebration has already begun.

Following Dellien’s victory, Bolivian President Evo Morales released the following message on his official Twitter account…

Congratulations to our brother Hugo Dellien, No. 1 in Bolivian tennis, for winning your first ATP singles title at the Challenger tournament in Sarasota. We are very proud of you for taking Bolivia to new heights in international tennis.

Welcome to the club, @hugo_dellien! The 24-year-old celebrates his maiden #ATPChallenger title in Sarasota.

First player from ?? to lift a ? since Mario Martinez in 1983. pic.twitter.com/lwasqHOeWB

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) April 22, 2018

As the news spread throughout the region, Latin America’s ESPN picked up the story, reporting Dellien’s hallmark victory on SportsCenter.

For Dellien, the victory was particularly bittersweet, considering it had been four years since he reached his first Challenger final, in Montevideo in 2014. That is, four years of battling on the circuit to realise his dreams. After blasting #NextGenATP star Michael Mmoh in straight sets, saving a match point in a quarter-final win over Stefan Kozlov, ousting an in-form Juan Ignacio Londero in the semis and overcoming Bagnis in the championship, that moment has arrived.

With the win, Dellien rises 59 spots in the ATP Rankings to a career-high No. 172. The 24-year-old is looking to join Martinez as the only Bolivians to crack the Top 100, with his countryman peaking at World No. 35 after his victory in Messina in 1983.

Dellien will continue his charge up the ATP Rankings at ATP Challenger Tour stops in Tallahassee and Savannah, before traveling to Europe to prepare for Roland Garros qualifying.

If you’re looking for anyone to prove that age is just a number, look no further than 39-year-old Ivo Karlovic.

The Croatian saved two match points in a second-set tie-break to oust former World No. 5 Tommy Robredo 6-7(5), 7-6(8), 6-4 on Monday at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, winning his first match at the event since his run to the 2006 quarter-finals (l. to Wawrinka). It is Karlovic’s first appearance in Barcelona since 2008.

The 6’11” right-hander has not let slip the momentum of an impressive run to the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship semi-finals two weeks ago. Karlovic extended his FedEx ATP Head2Head series lead against the 35-year-old Robredo to 4-0 thanks to a 29-ace performance. Karlovic next faces No. 8 seed Roberto Bautista Agut, whom he beat in three tie-break sets last year in Madrid in their only FedEx ATP Head2Head matchup.

Read — Karlovic: On The Line

And while the Croatian is the oldest player in the field, there was also a battle between the two youngest competitors in Barcelona. #NextGenATP Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated fellow #NextGenATP player Corentin Moutet 6-4, 6-1, the 19-year-old continuing his breakout season.

Prior to 2018, the 19-year-old had won four tour-level matches. With his win against the youngest player in the field, Moutet, the Greek now has seven triumphs this year alone.

Tsitsipas, who is at a career-best No. 63 in the ATP Rankings, broke the French qualifier five times to close out the victory in 87 minutes. It is the second tournament in a row that the Greek has ousted a fellow #NextGenATP competitor after beating Canadian Denis Shapovalov in the first round at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

The right-hander will look to continue his good form against No. 7 seed Diego Schwartzman, who won the first ATP World Tour 500-level event of the year at the Rio Open presented by Claro. The Argentine won the pair’s only previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting last year in Antwerp in straight sets.

In other action, 34-year-old Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, who debuted in Barcelona 13 years ago, defeated World No. 42 Yuichi Sugita 7-6(5), 7-6(5), saving 11 of 14 break points he faced in the two-hour, 27-minute clash. Frenchman Benoit Paire ousted in-form Chilean Nicolas Jarry 7-6(4), 6-7(3), 6-4 to set up an encounter against No. 5 seed Pablo Carreno Busta, against whom Paire owns a 3-2 FedEx ATP Head2Head series lead. Wild card Marcel Granollers thrilled the home crowd with a straightforward 6-2, 6-2 win against Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin.

Did You Know?
Ivo Karlovic became the oldest player to advance to an ATP World Tour semi-final since Jimmy Connors at 1993 San Francisco when he reached the final four in Houston.

Rafael Nadal has always been an appreciative champion, and he’s especially that way now as, despite being deep into his career, the Spaniard continues to win “Big Titles” – a combination of Grand Slam, Masters 1000 and Nitto ATP Finals crowns.

In what seems like an annual tradition now, the Spaniard added another Big Title at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Monte-Carlo on Sunday, beating Japan’s Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-2 for his 11^th Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters crown.

Watch Highlights: Nadal Wins 11th Monte-Carlo Title

The victory gave the Spaniard his 31^st Masters 1000 crown, putting him atop the all-time Masters 1000 leaderboard. Nadal also celebrated his 47^th Big Title, which draws him even with Novak Djokovic for second place, still six behind Roger Federer, who has 53 Big Titles.

“My true feeling is these kind of things [are] not going to happen forever, so just try to enjoy and to play with the full passion and with the full energy and concentration, full love for the sport,” Nadal said.

“I know the day to say goodbye is closer than 10 years ago. Is something that I am not worried about, but is a real thing. So just enjoying every day and trying to play with the best attitude possible, to keep being happy playing tennis.”

The 31-year-old Nadal also improved his Big Title conversion rate. He and Djokovic are tied for the best rate, winning one Big Title every 3.5 opportunities. Federer has won an average of one Big Title every 4.1 chances.

Current and Former Champions’ Big Titles Won (Records Since 1990) 

 * Becker’s four other Grand Slam titles came before 1990.
** Edberg’s three other Grand Slam titles came before 1990.  

Read More: Nadal, Djokovic Drawn In Same Barcelona Quarter

Nadal, who has won a career-best 36 consecutive sets on clay, can’t pull even with Federer’s Big Title haul during the clay-court season. But, with three more Big Titles on clay – Mutua Madrid Open, Internazionali BNL d’Italia and Roland Garros – the World No. 1 can pull ahead of Djokovic as early as 13 May, the day of the Madrid final. Of course, Djokovic could do the same, setting up more must-see tennis on the European red dirt.

“Next week is another week that I have a tough draw in Barcelona,” Nadal said. “Is not the moment to stop and to disconnect your mind. Is the moment to stay focused and to keep holding that momentum, that is a good one after winning seven matches in a row on clay now, this year. That’s a positive thing. The way that I won the matches is very positive. So is the moment to keep going, and that’s my goal.”

It may have taken five years, but reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion Grigor Dimitrov is back where it all started.

The Bulgarian, who spent time training in Spain as a junior and received his first qualifying wild card into an ATP World Tour event in Barcelona 12 years ago as a 16-year-old, is competing in the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell for the first time since 2013.

“Now that I’m back here, it brings back so many good memories,” Dimitrov said. “I practically spent my junior years out here, so it’s just pretty much coming back to the same courts where I used to practise and of course hang around, and just be a kid.”

The World No. 5 will hope that the familiarity will help him produce a strong performance this week. Dimitrov got his clay-court season off to a good start at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, where he advanced to the semi-finals for the first time before losing against the eventual champion, World No. 1 Rafael Nadal.

“For a start, it’s not bad,” said Dimitrov, who had lost in the third round at his previous event, the Miami Open presented by Itau. “I finished Miami a little bit early, which kind of worried me, that I wasn’t going to get a few matches before such an event like Monte-Carlo. But I think at the same time that gave me a little peace of mind that I can rest a little bit and sort of start fresh to prepare. It’s a good start, I’m not going to hide that.”

But Dimitrov does not only want a good start. He wants to maintain consistency on the clay, the surface on which he has captured just one of his eight tour-level titles.

“The past years, I felt I’ve done well on the clay, but not good enough,” Dimitrov said. “I grew up on clay. I feel I can play well and do well, so hopefully this week’s going to give me a little bit of that.”

The 26-year-old is joining 10-time champion Nadal, Top 10 players in Dominic Thiem and David Goffin, as well as former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic to lead the field.

“It’s pretty magnificent to see all the players that are playing out here and ready to compete,” Dimitrov said. “I think everybody’s hungry for some matches and wants to compete, which is great. I’m very happy to see this and I’m all for the competition.”

And just because he lost against Nadal — who has now won 36 consecutive sets on clay — in Monte-Carlo, doesn’t mean Dimitrov lacks belief.

“I think everything is possible,” said Dimitrov, who opens against Frenchman Gilles Simon or Ilya Ivashka of Belarus. “I think you should never rule out any performance or any tournament that you play, doesn’t matter if Roger [Federer] or Rafa or whoever else is playing in that tournament. If you want to be the best, you need to beat the best at some point.”