It didn’t take long for Rafael Nadal to congratulate Roger Federer on his Grand Slam triumph in Melbourne, even if fans aren’t hearing about it until now.

“I immediately sent him a text message (after the Australian Open final),” Nadal said on Monday at the formal opening of the Mapfre Clinic of Tennis Medicine in Madrid, where the current ATP World Tour No.1 fielded questions with the hashtag #AskRafaNadal during a Twitter Q&A session. “I usually congratulate people I know in private rather than publicly. I’ve had a very good relationship with Federer for years now. I was happy for him; I congratulated him and I told him I’m always happy when he does well.”

Federer’s victory at the Australian Open nudged his Grand Slam haul to 20, four more majors than Nadal, his closest rival. But according to Nadal, he isn’t keeping count — and it’s for the better.

“I’m always looking at what’s in front of me, not what’s around me,” the Spaniard said. “There’s always someone who has achieved more than you or who has earned more than you. You can’t let that frustrate you; instead, it’s better to be satisfied with what you do, so long as you’re giving it your all.”

There’s a difference between setting high standards and becoming consumed with success, according to Nadal. That extends to the rivalry he shares with his contemporary, Federer. Ultimately, Rafa stressed the importance of being content.

“It’s great to be ambitious, but not to excess,” Nadal explained. “You’ll go insane if you obsess on wanting more and more and more … the most important thing is to be happy with yourself. Of course, I do everything possible to win the maximum number of tournaments, but I’m not going to spend all my life thinking, ‘Federer has won more than me.’ I just concentrate on what I can control and focus on that.”

Nadal, who turns 32 in June, doesn’t know how much longer he’ll compete, but he’s sure about two things. The first: that he’s cherishing the fact that he’s still able to play at the highest level — something he never imagined several years ago. The second: He still believes there’s room to improve every day.

“I’m not tired of playing; I’m fortunate and happy to be in this situation at 31 years old,” Nadal said. “Years ago, I didn’t think I’d be where I am today. I figured that at this point, I’d be retired and dedicating myself to something else. But now, I’m keeping the illusion alive that I can still get better and better. I still have the drive to get up every morning and train with the aim to improve. For as long as that lasts, I’ll keep enjoying my time on the Tour and competing week in and week out.”

Belgium’s David Goffin booked his place in his first quarter-final of the 2018 ATP World Tour season at the Open Sud de France after beating Gilles Simon 6-4, 6-2 on Wednesday.

The match was dominated by the returner in the early stages, with seven breaks of serve in the opening set, before Goffin finally took advantage with timely first serves proving crucial to secure the first set.

From there, Goffin grew in confidence with a much improved serving performance and continued his assault on the Tata Open Maharashtra champion’s serve with two more service breaks before closing the match out with two aces and an unreturned serve to seal his spot in the last eight.

The World No. 7 awaits the winner of the second-round match between Lithuania’s Ricardas Berankis and Russia’s Karen Khachanov, who are scheduled to play on Thursday.

Three-time former champion Richard Gasquet wasted no time in advancing to the second round, needing just 56 minutes to beat Sydney International champion Daniil Medvedev 6-0, 6-3. Gasquet broke the Russian on five occasions and lost just three points on his first serve in front of his home fans to book a meeting with compatriot Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

Herbert will be facing his second French opponent in as many rounds after battling past qualifier Kenny De Schepper 7-6(4), 6-7(5), 6-4. In a match with just three breaks of serve, the 26-year-old broke at the perfect time as De Schepper served to stay in the match at 4-5 in the decider.

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Andrey Rublev took 61 minutes to secure his spot his spot in the quarter-finals. The #NextGenATP contender dropped just three games to beat France’s Jeremy Chardy 6-2, 6-1. The 20-year-old saved all three break points on his serve and coverted four of five opportunities created on his opponent’s delivery.

Rublev will meet the winner of the all-French encounter between Nicolas Mahut and No. 3 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Mahut advanced to the second round in unfortunate fashion, after Germany’s Dustin Brown was forced to retire, due to a back injury, just one game from victory at 7-6(2) 5-2.

Australia’s John Millman came from a set down to beat Japan’s Yuichi Sugita 5-7, 6-3, 6-4. The No. 107 lost just one point behind his first serve in the third set to set up a meeting with home favourite Benoit Paire.

Ruben Bemelmans also advanced in southern France with a rapid, 49-minute, 6-1, 6-2 victory over French wild card Calvin Hemery.

Stan Wawrinka took time out on Wednesday to stop at the Saint Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in the centre of Sofia.

The Neo-Byzantine style cathedral is one of the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in the world, holding 10,000 people and is one of the capital’s primary tourist attractions.

Top seeded Wawrinka starts his DIEMA XTRA Sofia Open campaign on Thursday night against qualifier Martin Klizan, in what will be his first match since his second-round Australian Open loss to Tennys Sandgren.

“I feel much better since Australia,” said Wawrinka. “The first day I came home I started practising really hard, especially fitness wise, trying to get my knee better.”

The three-time Grand Slam champion emphasised the need for more match play in order to get back to his best level. “I know I am not yet at my top level because it takes more time, I need matches and tournaments and that is the reason why I am here because right now… for me, it is really good to be here.”

Wawrinka spoke to home favourite Grigor Dimitrov about the event and looks forward to his debut in front of a large crowd at the Arena Armeec Sofia. “I talked with Grigor when he played last year. It was a great tournament. He played at home so the atmosphere was amazing, the centre court is really big so there are a lot of people. I heard some good things and I am happy to see it by myself and to be here playing this tournament.”

Ivo Karlovic admits it: For a tennis player, he’s old. But, as Karlovic continues to show during the 2018 ATP World Tour season, the Croatian is also still very good.

Just last month, the 38-year-old achieved yet another marker for the history books. The 6’11” Karlovic struck 53 aces to beat Japan’s Yuichi Sugita 7-6(3), 6-7(3), 7-5, 4-6, 12-10 in four hours and 33 minutes. With the win, Karlovic became the oldest player to compete in the Australian Open third round since Australian Ken Rosewall, aged 44, in 1978, when the draw was 64 players. Karlovic also became the oldest player in the Australian Open third round since the advent of a 128-player draw in 1982.

Then again, these types of accomplishments have become something of an annual tradition – if not more often – for Karlovic. In 2017, he was the oldest player to reach the third-round at a Grand Slam since 38-year-old Jimmy Connors at the 1991 US Open. In 2016, Karlovic finished the year at No. 20 – a career best – and was the oldest player in the Top 20 since 43-year-old Rosewall in July 1978.

“It means a lot, because it means that even at my old age I can still do good results. That means a lot,” Karlovic told ATPWorldTour.com. “I am old, I know. But I don’t feel like I’m getting old.”

He harbours no intentions of stopping soon, either. Karlovic, who turns 39 on 28 February, wants to stay healthy throughout 2018. Last year, bumps and niggles to his knee, back and left ankle forced him to miss four events.

But if Karlovic, who has won eight ATP World Tour titles, can stay healthy this year, look forward to plenty more “oldest-ever” records for him again this season. “If I could be healthy all year that would really help a lot,” Karlovic said. “As long as my ranking is up where I can be in all the events, I won’t consider quitting.”

Brazilian Thiago Monteiro snuck in an upset before rain suspended play on Tuesday at the Ecuador Open in Quito.

The 23-year-old knocked off fifth seed Horacio Zeballos of Argentina 6-4, 7-6(8), saving the only break point he faced in the one-hour and 39-minute match. Monteiro will next face either Italian lucky loser Alessandro Giannessi or Peter Polansky of Canada.

Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena beat Italy’s Federico Gaio 7-6(5), 6-3 in the only other completed match of the day. Wednesday’s play kicks off with seventh seed Ivo Karlovic facing Ernesto Escobedo of the U.S.A.

Russian Karen Khachanov came back from a set down against one of the toughest competitors on the ATP World Tour to advance on Tuesday at the Open Sud de France. The 21-year-old Khachanov beat Spain’s David Ferrer 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4, avoiding a single break point in the decider to reach the second round in Montpellier.

Both players were coming off of good runs in Auckland, before the Australian Open. Khachanov reached the quarter-finals at the ASB Classic, Ferrer the semi-finals. They both lost to Juan Martin del Potro. In fact, Khachanov’s two losses this season have come against Del Potro (also second round Australian Open).

Khachanov will next face Lithuania’s Ricardas Berankis, who battled past 36-year-old Frenchman Julien Benneteau. Berankis, the World No. 117, saved five of six break points and sealed the win on his second match point.

Gilles Simon needed a third-set tie-break to beat German qualifier Yannick Maden 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(3). Simon, who won the Tata Open Maharashtra in Pune to open his 2018 ATP World Tour campaign, looked to be cruising after a 6-1 first set in front of a supportive home crowd. But the 33-year-old ran into trouble as Maden, competing in just his fourth ATP World Tour match, raised his level.

Simon was forced to claw his way back from 2-4 down in the decider, before triumphing in a final-set tie-break to move to 7-2 in 2018. Simon will meet top seed David Goffin in a mouth-watering second-round encounter.

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There were contrasting results for #NextGenATP contenders on the second day of play in southern France.

Jeremy Chardy came from a set down to deny #NextGenATP Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas a place in the second round with a 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 win after two hours, 13 minutes. Tsitsipas has now lost his past four tour-level matches since reaching the quarter-finals at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open.

Carlos Taberner, competing in his first match on the ATP World Tour, defeated World No. 137 Norbert Gombos 7-6(5), 7-6(1) in one hour, 53 minutes. The 20-year-old Spaniard was cool under pressure, saving 10 of 11 break points he faced to book a second-round meeting with No. 2 seed Lucas Pouille.

After a stellar end to 2017 and a breakthrough performance at this year’s Australian Open, Maximilian Marterer looks set to be the next German tennis star to break through on the ATP World Tour.

The 22-year-old German won 21 of his 23 matches on the ATP Challenger Tour in September and October to secure three titles, before announcing himself on the world stage with a run to the third round at this year’s Australian Open.

Currently at a career-high No. 82 in the ATP Rankings, Marterer made his intentions clear when asked, ahead of his first-round match against Malek Jaziri at this week’s Diema Xtra Sofia Open, whether he had any goals after breaking into the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings late last year.

“I think [setting goals] should never stop,” said Marterer. “The next goal is, at the end of this year, to get to the Top 50.”

The determined left-hander is the second-youngest of eight German players currently in the Top 100 and, as one of the emerging stars in a leading tennis nation, has the benefit of a wealth of experienced compatriots to seek advice from when practising at home in Bavaria.

“We are always practising together so it is good to have them around and get advice from them. There are many experienced players like Florian Mayer and also sometimes Philipp Kohlschreiber there working with us. They are world-class players and have been in the business a long time, so it is good to have them around you,” said Marterer.

Marterer won his first two tour-level matches at the Australian Open last month, with a strong win over fellow German Cedrik-Marcel Stebe before taking out 2009 semi-finalist Fernando Verdasco in a thrilling five-set triumph.

The run came to an end at the hands of fellow breakout star Tennys Sandgren in the third round, but Marterer had plenty of reasons to feel confident that his week in Melbourne was the start of a successful career on the ATP World Tour.

“It was very special for me to get the wins in a Grand Slam,” reflected Marterer. “I think I found a good way of playing my game in these matches and how to win the points.

“I played a really strong match; especially in the fifth set [against Verdasco]. The conditions were really tough, on one of the hottest days of the two weeks, so in the end I was really, really happy to win that match. It was great to see that physically I am fit for five sets against such a top player.”

That confidence and knowledge, gained in Melbourne, looks likely to help Marterer as he continues his quest to end the year inside the world’s Top 50. Next stop: Sofia.