Rafael Nadal to Play Doubles with Roger Federer at Laver Cup

Rafael Nadal is partnering with his oldest rival…

The 36-year-old Spanish tennis superstar will join forces with Roger Federer as he plays the final professional match of his career at the Laver Cup in London on Friday.

Rafael NadalAt Thursday’s draw, it was confirmed that Federer will join Nadal for Team Europe against the American pair of Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock for Team World on Friday night.

Federer, a 20-time Grand Slam champion, will then be replaced by Italy’s Matteo Berrettini for the rest of the event.

“It’s super special playing with Rafa,” Federer said in a news conference. “… To be able to do that one more time, I’m sure it’s going to be wonderful.”

Said Nadal: “Tomorrow is going to be a special thing. Difficult. Going to be difficult to handle everything, especially for Roger, without a doubt. But for me too. At the end, one of the most important players — if not the most important player — in my tennis career is leaving.”

Federer, 41, who announced last week that he’s retiring because of an ongoing right knee issue, had said Wednesday that playing alongside 22-time Slam champion Nadal would be a unique, fitting way to go out.

“For as long as we battled together, having had always this respect for one another, our families, coaching teams, for us as well to go through a career we both have had, come out the other side and have a nice relationship, is maybe a great message to tennis and beyond,” Federer said.

The three-day team event will begin Friday afternoon at The O2 Arena with two singles matches. Norwegian Casper Ruud, the runner-up at the US Open earlier this month, will play Sock in the opener before Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece takes on Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman.

The evening session will begin with former world No. 1 Andy Murray up against Alex de Minaur before Federer takes the court for the final time.

“I’m not sure if I can handle it all, but I’ll try,” Federer said Thursday about his sure-to-be-emotional on-court farewell.

Tiafoe, who beat Nadal en route to his first Grand Slam semifinal at the US Open this month, deadpanned about the matchup, “Yeah, I’m just excited to play two up-and-comers tomorrow,” before adding, “It’s going to be iconic to be a part of that. Both guys are absolute legends.”

Federer and Nadal played each other in singles 40 times (Nadal won 26), including 14 Grand Slam matchups (Nadal won 10, going 6-3 in finals). Nadal came out on top in their classic 2008 Wimbledon final, considered by some the greatest match in history, while Federer won their last showdown, in the 2019 semifinals at the All England Club.

They also played one other doubles match together, defeating Jack Sock and Sam Querrey at the inaugural Laver Cup in 2017.

“To be part of this historic moment,” Nadal said about Friday, “is going to be something amazing, unforgettable.”

Alex de Minaur Claims First Career Grass-Court Title at Eastbourne

Alex de Minaur is certainly tuned up for Wimbledon…

The 22-year-old Uruguayan-Spanish Australian player won the first grass-court title of his career at the Eastbourne tournament on Saturday.

Alex de Minaur

The No. 2-seeded de Minaur came back to edge No. 3 seed Lorenzo Sonego 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) over more than 2 1/2 hours in a men’s final in which each player collected the same number of total points, 107-107.

That gave de Minaur his fifth career ATP title and second of 2021. All eight previous finals he had appeared in were on hard courts, including his championship at Antalya, Turkey, in January.

The best Grand Slam showing for de Minaur also came on a hard court with a quarterfinal run at last year’s U.S. Open.

He’s been as far as the third round at Wimbledon.

de Minaur is assured of moving up from No. 18 to a career-high No. 15 in the ATP rankings next week.

Play begins at the All England Club on Monday.

He goes into Wimbledon on an 8-2 roll on grass this month, including a semifinal appearance at Queen’s Club last week.

Rafael Nadal Outlasts Daniil Medvedev to Win U.S. Open & Claim 19th Grand Slam Title

Rafael Nadalis back in the winner’s circle at the US Open

The 33-year-old Spanish tennis star survived a late surge from Daniil Medvedev to win the men’s title at Flushing Meadows and earn his 19th Grand Slam trophy.

Rafael Nadal

Nadal’s latest Grand Slam went from inevitable to suddenly in doubt in a thrill-a-minute final.

What had all the makings of a crowning morphed into a real contest Sunday thanks to Medvedev, a man a decade younger and appearing in his first major title match. Down by two sets and a break, Medvedev shifted styles, upped his level against a rattled Nadal — and even received an unexpected boost from Arthur Ashe Stadium spectators.

Truly tested for the only time in the tournament, the No. 2-seeded Nadal managed to stop Medvedev’s surge and hold off his historic comeback bid, pulling out a 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4 victory in 4 hours, 50 minutes of highlight-worthy action and Broadway-worthy drama to collect his fourth championship at Flushing Meadows.

“An amazing final. Seems that I had, more or less, the match under control,” said Nadal, who covered his face with his hands while crying when arena video boards showed clips from each of his Slam triumphs. “One of the most emotional nights of my tennis career.”

Now at 19 majors — a total Medvedev called “outrageous” — Nadal is merely one away from rival Roger Federer‘s record for a man.

Add the Spaniard’s haul in New York to his 12 titles at the French Open, two at Wimbledon and one at the Australian Open, and the 20-19 gap between Federer and Nadal is the closest it’s been in 15 years. Federer led 1-0 after his breakthrough triumph at the All England Clubin 2004, and he had four by the time Nadal got his first, at Roland Garrosin 2005.

Federer, who lost in the quarterfinals at the US Open, is 38, while Nadal is 33 — making him the oldest male champion at Flushing Meadows since 1970. He’s also the first man to win five majors after turning 30.

Nadal says he wants to finish his career at No. 1 in the Grand Slam standings — ahead of Federer and Novak Djokovic, in third place currently with 16 — but also insists he won’t base his happiness on how it all shakes out in the end.

This particular match ended the way he wanted it to. The journey just took more detours 

Roberto Bautista Agut Defeats Guido Pella at Wimbledon to Earn a Spot in His First Grand Slam Semifinal

It’s a special first for Roberto Bautista Agut… 

The 31-year-old Spanish tennis player recovered from a third-set lapse at Wimbledon on Wednesday to book a place in his first Grand Slam championship semifinal.

Roberto Bautista Agut

Bautista Agut, the No. 23 seed, lost his first set, but won 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 over Guido Pella, the No. 26 seed, in three hours and eight minutes on No. 1 Courtat the All England Club.

“I think I played a great tournament,” said Bautista Agut. “I was playing very good in the first week of the tournament. And today, it was a very difficult match. Guido Pella is a good opponent, has won really good matches this week [and] he was really tough to beat… I’m very happy.”

Bautista Agut is the sixth Spanish man to reach the semifinals at The Championships, following in the footsteps of Manuel Alonso-Areyzaga (1921), Manuel Santana (1963, 1966), Andres Gimeno (1970), Manuel Orantes (1972) and Rafael Nadal (2006-08, 2010-11, 2018).

Bautista Agut will now prepare to meet ATPWorld No. 1 and four-time champion Novak Djokovic on Friday for a place in the Wimbledon final. 

By improving to a 28-11 match record in 2019 with a place in the Wimbledon semi-finals, Bautista Agut moves up to seventh position in the ATP Race To London for one of eight spots at the prestigious ATP Finals, to be held at The O2in London from 10-17 November. 

Guido Pella Outlasts Milos Raonic at Wimbledon to Reach First Grand Slam Quarterfinals

Guido Pella’s remarkable run at the All England Clubcontinues…

The 29-year-old Argentine tennis player outlasted former Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic in five strenuous sets. 

Guido Pella

Pella, competing in his first-ever fourth round match at a Grand Slam, bounced back from two-sets down to eliminate the Canadian 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(3), 8-6.

Pella will meet Roberto Bautista-Agutin the quarterfinals. It will be his first career Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance. 

In the third round, the Argentine eliminated the reigning finalist, Kevin Anderson, in straight sets. Last year, he defeated the former finalist, Marin Cilic in the second round. 

Former World No. 3, Raonic had a remarkable beginning in the first set. He didn’t drop a single point on his first serves and he broke and consolidated for a 4-1 lead in the opening set. A similar form of tennis continued in the second set and Raonic moved one set closer to a place in the quarterfinal. 

However, the clay-courter, Pella produced some magnificent grass court tennis and kept his quarterfinal hopes alive. 

Garbiñe Muguruza: The Highest Paid Latina Athlete in the World

Garbiñe Muguruza is the highest-paid Latina athlete…

Forbes has released its list of the 10 Highest-Paid Female Athletes, with the 24-year-old Spanish-Venezuelan professional tennis player and former world No. 1 making the cut.

Garbiñe Muguruza 

Muguruza comes in at No. 4 on the list, behind Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniacki and Sloane Stephens.

Muguruza, who won her second Grand Slam at Wimbledon last year, earned 11 million during the tracking period.

Muguruza’s title at the All England Club meant a big bonus from sponsor Adidas and also helped her land a deal with Rolex. Evian signed Muguruza this year for a multiyear, global marketing campaign. Other sponsors include BabolatBeats by Dre, Maui Jim sunglasses and Caser Seguros insurance.

In all, the 10 highest-paid female athletes banked $105 million from prize money, appearances, royalties and endorsements in the 12 months ending June 1, 2018. The tally is down 4% from last year and 28% from five years ago. Blame the retirements of popular endorsement stars like Li Na, Danica Patrick and Ana Ivanovic. Another dent: The off-court income of Maria Sharapova, who was the top-earning female athlete for 11 straight years, is still down more than 50% after the fallout from her 16-month suspension for taking a banned substance. Sharapova ranks fifth this year at $10.5 million.

Here’s the complete list:

1, Serena Williams — Total earnings: $18.1 million
2. Caroline Wozniacki — Total earnings: $13 million
3. Sloane Stephens — Total earnings: $11.2 million
4. Garbine Muguruza — Total earnings: $11 million
5. Maria Sharapova — Total earnings: $10.5 million
6. Venus Williams — Total earnings: $10.2 million
7. P.V. Sindhu — Total earnings: $8.5 million
8. Simona Halep — Total earnings: $7.7 million
9. Danica Patrick — Total earnings: $7.5 million
10. Angelique Kerber — Total earnings: $7 million

Rafael Nadal Outlasts Juan Martin del Potro to Advance to Wimbledon Semifinals

Rafael Nadal is back in a position he hasn’t seen in seven years…

The 32-year-old Spanish tennis superstar, the World No. 1,rallied to win a grueling five-set match against Juan Martin del Potro 7-5, 6-7 (3), 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 and reach the semifinals at the All England Club.

Rafael Nadal

Nadal reached his first Wimbledon semifinal since 2011, winning a crowd-pleasing five-set duel against del Potro that took 4 hours, 48 minutes — the longest match of this year’s tournament — and featured entertaining rallies between two of the biggest hitters in the game.

del Potro finished with 77 winners to Nadal’s 67 but failed to convert any of his five break points in the fifth set. Instead it was Nadal who earned the only break of the decider, and he closed out the win on his first match point — leaving the fifth-seeded Argentine sprawled on the grass in exhaustion.

Nadal will next play 12-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.

Juan Martin del Potro Outlasts Gilles Simon to Reach Wimbledon Quarterfinals

Juan Martin del Potro is back in the quarters…

The 29-year-old Argentine tennis play has advanced to the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time since 2013 after beating Gilles Simon 7-6 (1), 7-6 (5), 5-7, 7-6 (5).

Juan Martin del Potro

del Potro, the fifth-seed at the All England Club Grand Slam, failed to convert four match points when serving at 5-4 in the fourth set, but maintained his composure to close out the matchwith his first opportunity in the tiebreaker that followed.

The only fourth-round contest to be carried over to Tuesday lasted 4 hours, 24 minutes, making it the longest men’s singles match of the tournament.

It’s the first time since he reached the Australian Open and French Open quarterfinals in 2012 that del Potro has qualified for the last eight at consecutive Grand Slams.

He reached the semifinals at the All England Club in 2013, but four wrist surgeries — three on the left — almost made him retire.

del Potro faces two-time champion Rafael Nadal, who has reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time since 2011.

Feliciano Lopez Breaks Roger Federer’s Grand Slam Singles Tournament Appearance Record

Feliciano Lopez is making history…

The 36-year-old Spanish professional tennis player broke Roger Federer’s record by appearing in a 66th consecutive Grand Slam singles tournament while competing at Wimbledon.

Feliciano Lopez

Lopez defeated Argentina’s Federico Delbonis 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 during his first round match.

Back in2005, he was the first male Spanish tennis player to reach the quarterfinals at the All England Club since 1972, when Manuel Orantes reached the semifinals. He repeated the feat in 2008 and 2011.

Lopez won his first Grand Slam title at the 2016 French Open when he won the men’s doubles title with Marc López.

Garbiñe Muguruza Stuns Top Seed Angelique Kerber at Wimbledon

Garbiñe Muguruza has taken down the World No. 1…

The Spanish-Venezuelan tennis player defeated Wimbledon top seed Angelique Kerber on Monday 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the Round of 16.

Garbiñe Muguruza

Muguruza and Kerber delivered a stellar match at the All England Club, punctuated by a spectacular third set that featured five breaks of serve.

Muguruza, playing ultra aggressively, dictated proceedings in the two hour, 18-minute encounter, as she struck a whopping 55 winners to Kerber’s 27 – while also striking 50 unforced errors.

Additionally, Muguruza was successful on over 60 percent of the points when she forayed to the net, winning 35 of 54 total.

Kerber was a tidy plus-15 in her winner to unforced error ratio – 27 to 12 – as she forced the Spaniard to come up with her best time and again.

“When you have somebody that it’s so, you know, physically strong, so solid, the more you win free points or make it shorter, it’s better,” Muguruza assesed. “It’s also part of my game. Like I said before, I like to don’t wait 20 shots. You know, I go for it. Today I think was a key to make short points sometimes.”

With her fifth straight loss to Muguruza, Kerber will see her reign at No.1 end for now with a total of 34 weeks to her name – which ranks 12th all-time.

“It was for sure the best match for a long time for me,” the German said in defeat. “When I came here, I was telling myself, I was practicing good after Paris. For me, I’m still looking for the next months, next weeks. I think I’m again on a good way to playing again tennis, yeah, on a high level.

“I think we both play a good match, but at the end, I think just two points that decided the match. Of course I’m disappointed that I lost the match, because I was really playing good. Just one can win, and that was not me today.

“I will try, of course, to coming back [to] and being one day again the No.1. Right now, I’m really happy that I find my game back. I’m on court playing good tennis again.”