French Open champion Rafael Nadal has said he nearly ended his season after being forced to withdraw from the Indian Wells semi-finals with a knee injury in March.
Novak Djokovic beat defending champion Rafael Nadal 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 to move into the semi-finals of the French Open, in the process spoiling the Spaniard's 29th birthday celebrations.
David Ferrer has backed fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal to bounce back to winnings ways, saying the latter will surely be a major contender in all the grand slams next year provided he remains injury-free.
There was no rain break, no twilight five-set drama and no Wimbledon trophy on offer on Friday but none of that bothered ageless Swiss maestro Roger Federer. The only thing that mattered to the 20-time Grand Slam champion was that, unlike in his last grasscourt duel with Rafael Nadal 11 years ago, he had won the "crazy last game" which sealed his passage into a 12th Wimbledon final.
Nadal, who is the clear tournament favourite and looks to be in the form of his life on clay this season, raced into a 3-0 lead before Spanish compatriot Almagro felt his left knee with less than half an hour played.
Top seed Rafael Nadal produced a claycourt masterclass on Saturday to demolish German Denis Gremelmayr 6-1, 6-0 to reach the final of the Barcelona Open.
Images from the men's singles action at the Wimbledon Championships on Saturday.
The victory earned the American a place in the Pacific Life Open final against Roger Federer.
Rafael Nadal began his year in perfect fashion with a three-set victory over Frenchman Gael Monfils in the Qatar Open in Doha on Saturday as he warms up for this month's Australian Open.
17 is an incredible number. I want to enjoy the moment, says Nadal, who also admits he thought he would have retired by now.
Nadal will have the chance to claim the top spot back on Monday if he wins his third title in Acapulco
Rafael Nadal won his first title of the year with a 6-4, 6-1 victory.
Novak Djokovic has suffered more than his fair share of heartache against Rafael Nadal at the French Open but Sunday's final offers him a chance to dethrone the claycourt king.
Bulgarian's Grigor Dimitrov claimed a first career win over former world number one Rafael Nadal at the eighth time of asking to reach the semi-finals of the China Open on Friday.
Rafael Nadal blasted the decision not to award Madrid the 2020 Olympic Games, claiming the International Olympic Committee had not treated the Spanish capital fairly.
The 35-year-old Swiss, showing no sign of losing his edge, improved to 19-1 this year, winning the Australian Open in five sets over Nadal, and BNP Paribas Open in straight sets over fellow Swiss Stan Wawrinka.
With each passing year questions are inevitably asked about whether Nadal's vice-like hold on the French Open will be loosened. Each time, the answer has been an emphatic NO.
In Sunday's final the Belgian will meet Stefan Koubek, who beat Carlos Moya in the second semi-final at the Chennai Open.
Spain's World No 5 Rafael Nadal has been ruled out of opening singles rubber against India in their Davis Cup World Group play-off in New Delhi on Friday.
Fourteen-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal has entered the quarter-finals of the ATP Acapulco tournament with a comprehensive straight-sets victory over Italy's Paolo Lorenzi.
World number one Rafael Nadal suffered a rare second-set meltdown before recovering to beat plucky Slovakian Lukas Lacko and join rival Roger Federer in the Qatar Open quarter-finals on Wednesday.
Rafael Nadal continued his brilliant revival at the Australian Open to topple Milos Raonic 6-4, 7-6(7), 6-4 on Wednesday and reach his first grand slam semi-final in three years.
Rafael Nadal's match was interrupted by a female spectator campaigning for Catalan independence
Russian seventh seed Daniil Medvedev, the 2023 Miami champion who arrived this year fresh off a run to the Indian Wells semi-finals, crashed out at the first hurdle as he fell 6-2, 6-3 to Spaniard Jaume Munar.
Novak Djokovic reclaimed the world number one ranking from Carlos Alcaraz
Rafael Nadal has criticised Wimbledon's unique seedings formula, which could hinder his chances of a third title when the tournament starts on Monday.
Federer being out of the way does not hand Nadal a free path to glory in Melbourne
Spain's tennis star Rafael Nadal had a surprise visitor during his training session on Monday.
Rafael Nadal, after having suffered a 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) loss in the quarter-finals of the Swiss Indoors to teenager Borna Coric, has shut down his season to undergo appendix surgery.
Nadal will next face Ukraine's Alexandr Dolgopolov.
Images from Day 4 at the Wimbledon Championships, on Thursday.
Second seed Rafael Nadal ground down German Philipp Kohlschreiber to win a tough match 7-5 6-3 4-6 6-2 in the Australian Open second round on Thursday.
German seventh seed Alexander Zverev recovered from a slow start to beat former champion Stan Wawrinka 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in the Australian Open on Wednesday to reach his first career Grand Slam semi-final. Swiss Wawrinka, who won the first of his three Grand Slams at Melbourne Park in 2014, broke Zverev twice early in the opening set to breeze through the opening set but the 22-year-old German came roaring back into the contest.
Fourteen-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal on Wednesday pulled out of the Queen's club grass-court tournament, due to wrist injury.
The world number two acknowledges it may be some time before he can return to the level he reached last year
Images from Day 1 of the 2025 French Open in Paris on Sunday.
He was slapped with $24,000 in fines on Friday but was allowed to play two matches in the doubles tournament with partner Simone Bolelli before the Grand Slam Board announced their decision to suspend Fognini on Saturday.
No matter where Rafael Nadal goes at Queen's Club, there seems to be no hiding place for the popular Spaniard.
Rafael Nadal's day-glo outfit and his ferocious forehands lit up a gloomy Queen's Club on Wednesday as the Spaniard marked his return to grass with a 6-2, 6-2 demolition of Brazilian journeyman Marcos Daniel.
World number one Rafael Nadal has booked a place in the end-of-season ATP World Tour finals being staged in London for the first time, organisers said on Tuesday.
