World number one Roger Federer and number two Rafael Nadal pulled out of the Hamburg Masters due to fatigue.
When Roger Federer stood on the dusty baseline with the scoreboard showing he was trailing Marin Cilic 6-7 4-6 3-3 0-40, it looked like the man with the dodgy back was about to disappear into a giant Wimbledon sinkhole. When the self-styled "old guy" of tennis stood match point down at 4-5 30-40 in the fourth set, it looked like he would be sucked deeper into the mire. When the 34-year-old stood another match point down two games later, the hole was getting wider.
With the monkey well and truly off his back after a career-defining victory at the French Open, Roger Federer will begin his pursuit of a record 15th grand slam title at Wimbledon on Monday.
The French press heaped scorn and derision on the national soccer team (Les Bleus) on Monday after players boycotted a training session in South Africa to protest against the expulsion of one of their group.
Top seed Roger Federer dispatched Greek third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-4 in the semi-finals of the Swiss Indoors championships in Basel.
Images from Day 3 of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Wednesday
Defending champion Roger Federer's remarkable run of reaching 36 consecutive Grand Slam quarter-finals or better was ended in a shock second-round Wimbledon defeat by unheralded Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky on Wednesday.
Roger Federer will begin his quest for a sixth consecutive singles title at Wimbledon with a first round match against experienced Slovak Dominik Hrbaty. Defending women's champion Venus Williams was paired with British wildcard Naomi Cavaday in Friday's draw at the All England Club, while women's top seed Ana Ivanovic will open against Rossana De Los Rios.
World No 2 Rafael Nadal brushed aside American Jared Donaldson 6-1, 6-1 and will next face Diego Schwartzman after the Argentine beat Roberto Carballes 6-3, 6-1.
Images from Day 13 at the French Open in Paris, on Friday.
A Spanish left-hander moved into the quarter-finals of the French Open on Sunday. No surprise there, although his name was not Rafael Nadal but Albert Ramos-Vinolas.
Novak Djokovic described Carlos Alcaraz as like facing a blend of the big three -- himself, Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer.
'No words, games, or actions will ever stop me from reaching my own dreams. And I have many'
His early tennis experiences were at the shell-ravaged Zetra Olympic Hall which was used as a temporary morgue during the war.
Roger Federer was giving absolutely no guarantees about his form on Sunday, as the four-time finalist prepared for his first ATP start in more than two months at the Monte Carlo Masters. The 17-time Grand Slam winner will be starting afresh in the second round on the Monte Carlo Country Club clay after his early February knee operation. After hitting for nearly a week at the seaside venue overlooking the Mediterranean, the Swiss said that next week will be key for deciding his further schedule ahead of the French Open - the second major of the season. "I feel more rust than rest, but I am rested, mentally and physically," the 34-year-old said. "I don't think about the Roland Garros title," the 2009 Paris champion added.
Images from Day 9 of the 2020 Australian Open in Melbourne on Tuesday.
World No 2 Roger Federer rediscovered his touch in time to down Germany's Tommy Haas 6-7, 5-7, 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 and reach the quarter-finals of the French Open on Monday. The 27-year-old Swiss, chasing the only Grand Slam title to have eluded him, was two sets and 3-4 down facing a break point when he recovered to hold serve and went on to win eight games in a row.
Novak Djokovic, chasing a record 23rd Grand Slam title, has said he was not holding back and would do it again. He is set to play his second-round match later on Wednesday against Hungary's Marton Fucsovics.
Even though Carlos Alcaraz recently dethroned him from the top of the world rankings, Novak Djokovic is still considered the man to beat and still has the power to turn opponents into nervous wrecks.
The All England Club took the players' grasscourt credentials to come up with their top 32 seeds for next week's Wimbledon championships.
The world number one was the second big gun of the day to fall to an unseeded player at the Rome Masters after his Swiss compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka beat American James Blake.
France believe the seeding system is unfair for the World Cup playoffs in November and plan to ask football's ruling body FIFA to review it ahead of next week's draw.
Roger Federer will face his first real test at Roland Garros when he faces three-times champion Gustavo Kuerten.
The Spanish ace will meet Argentina's Mariano Puerta in Sunday's title round for the French Open men's singles crown.
In-form Swiss man in fray to become only the fifth player in the professional era to win the French and Wimbledon back-to-back
Grand Slam titles won by the men's 'Big Three' of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic lost his chance to repeat his incredible 2011 run after succumbing 6-2, 7-5 to Andy Murray in the semi-finals of the Dubai Championships on Friday.
Five-times defending champion Roger Federer and Russian Dinara Safina will be the top seeds at the U.S. Open when it begins next Monday, the U.S. Tennis Association said on Tuesday.
Austria's Dominic Thiem strained every sinew trying to cling on to the 32-year-old Spaniard and at times even gained a precarious foothold in his first Grand Slam final. But it ultimately proved a futile mission as, just like in all but two of Nadal's previous 87 matches here, the relentless Spaniard proved insurmountable, winning 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.
For a seven-time champion who is a month shy of his 35th birthday, and is known to have a dodgy back, fate could not have dealt Roger Federer a better hand this week as he became the first, and so far only, man to reach the Wimbledon fourth round.
Images from Tuesday, Day 8 of the 2021 Wimbledon Championships, in London.
Novak Djokovic eased into Wimbledon final after beating Richard Gasquet 7-6 (7-2), 6-4, 6-4 on Centre Court to reach the Wimbledon final on Friday.
Roger Federer was proud to regain his World No 1 status last year and wants to stay top of the rankings for as long as he can, he said on Monday.
Roger Federer warmed up for next month's Wimbledon championships by swatting aside David Goffin 7-6(2), 6-1 to win the Halle Open title for the 10th time on Sunday.
World No 1 Federer's 36-set record winning streak in Grand Slam tournaments was however snapped by Tommy Robredo in the French Open quarter-finals.
World No 1 Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 to win the US Open title at the Flushing Meadows in New York on Sunday.
Alize Cornet fought tooth and nail but the local favourite's French Open run came to an end when she was knocked out 6-2, 7-6(9) in the fourth round by Ukrainian 19th seed Elina Svitolina on Sunday.
Serbia's Novak Djokovic is the top seed in the men's draw which includes five-times US Open champion and 17-times Grand Slam winner Roger Federer as seventh seed - his first time the Swiss has been placed outside the top three in a Grand Slam in over ten years.
Roger Federer secured Switzerland's spot in next year's Davis Cup World Group with a 6-3, 6-0, 6-4 win over Italy's Potito Starace in a rain-affected match in Genoa on Sunday. His commanding victory, peppered with effortless winners from the baseline, gave the Swiss team an unassailable 3-1 lead in the World Group playoff.
Federer walked out to a standing ovation from more than 13,500 fans at the Perth Arena at the Hopman Cup and breezed to an easy win over Evans, putting Switzerland 1-0 ahead in their match against Britain in the mixed team event.
