Nadal said the two-week gap between the French Open and Wimbledon was not enough time for him to recuperate
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Wednesday.
The German is the first lucky loser to reach the final of a Masters 1000 event.
The India-Pakistan tennis duo of Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi advanced to the semi-finals of the Monte Carlo ATP Masters tournament, shocking second seeds Daniel Nestor and Max Mirnyi in the quarter-finals on Friday.
Rediff.com encapsulates all the sporting action from the past week in this eye-catching photo feature.
'Djokovic had an impeccable year in 2011 as well as he is having in 2015, says Nadal.
Twenty four time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic closed the 2023 ATP season by clinching the year-end No. 1 spot for a record-extending eighth time.
Rafael Nadal stayed on course for a record-extending 10th Monte Carlo Masters title when the Spaniard beat David Goffin 6-3, 6-1 in the semi-finals after the Belgian was denied a key point in controversial fashion on Saturday.
Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal resumed training on Monday after four weeks out due a stress fracture in his rib, a month out from the French Open where the Spaniard will bid for a record-extending 14th title.
Serbia's Viktor Troicki's suspension for violating doping regulations has been cut from 18 months to 12 months after his appeal was heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), it was announced on Tuesday.
World number one Andy Murray beat Romanian Marius Copil 6-4, 6-3 to reach the third round of the Madrid Open on Tuesday.
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.
American twins Bob and Mike Bryan added another accolade to their lengthy resume after taking the Shanghai Masters men's doubles title on Sunday to become the first pair to win all nine ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments.
A winner of 12 Grand Slam titles, the Serb has suffered a noticeable dip in form since winning his maiden French Open last June, relinquishing top spot in the ATP rankings to Briton Andy Murray five months later.
Iran were banned from an Olympic football qualifying match against Jordan later that year after refusing to remove their hijabs before kick-off.
World No 1 Novak Djokovic will meet second-ranked Andy Murray in a blockbuster final at the Madrid Open after beating Kei Nishikori 6-3, 7-6 (4) on Saturday.
Former world number one Novak Djokovic suffered a surprise second-round exit at the Barcelona Open when the Serb was beaten 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 by world number 140 Martin Klizan on Wednesday.
Serbian former world number 12 Viktor Troicki will appeal to the Court of Arbitration (CAS) against the 18-month ban slapped on him by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for refusing to provide a blood sample at this year's Monte Carlo Masters.
Tournaments continue to be played in front of a handful of fans at most.
Earlier, Ukraine took a 2-0 lead over Japan as world number five Elina Svitolina took the first point of the Billie Jean King Cup era.
Take a look at the five top contenders for the men's singles title at the French Open:
Novak Djokovic has parted company with coach Radek Stepanek days after the departure of head coach Andre Agassi from his team, the former world number one announced on Wednesday.
The World No 4 is unfazed by rankings drop before Madrid tournament and the French Open.
Three contenders for the men's singles title at the Australian Open, which starts on Sunday.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion has not played a tournament since his Australian Open semi-final exit against Novak Djokovic last year, undergoing two knee surgeries since.
Monfils, 35, reached the last four at the 2008 French Open and repeated the feat eight years later at the 2016 US Open but has never reached a Grand Slam final.
Rohan Bopanna and Pablo Cuevas shocked top seeds Marcelo Melo and Lukas Kubot to storm into the semi-finals of the Erste Bank Open
Novak Djokovic beat defending champion David Ferrer of Spain 7-5 7-5 to win the Paris Masters on Sunday and keep alive his hopes of reclaiming the world number one spot by the end of the year.
Osaka survives test to reach last 16
Mahesh Bhupathi and Max Mirnyi suffered their third defeat in an ATP Masters series final this season, losing the summit clash of the Cincinnati event 3-6, 4-6 to second seeds Mike and Bob Bryan.
Andy Murray has dismissed suggestions that the pressure of being the world's top tennis player is affecting his performance after losing to Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the Round of 16 of the Monte Carlo Masters.
Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi overcame a stiff resistance from Julian Knowle and Vasek Pospisil before moving to the pre-quarterfinals of the ATP Monte Carlo Rolex Masters.
Held over because of heavy rain that drenched parts of southern China over the weekend, Berdych maintained his composure through another frustrating weather interruption to win in straight sets.
Banned Serbian tennis player Viktor Troicki was "innocent" of a doping violation and the country's Davis Cup team supported him, World No 1 Novak Djokovic said on Tuesday.
Rafael Nadal claimed a fifth title since his return from injury when the Spanish world number five dismissed 15th-seeded Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka 6-2, 6-4 to win the Madrid Open on Sunday.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Sunday
Images from Day 2 of the 2024 French Open at Roland Garros in Paris on Monday.
Nadal also won through to the final of the doubles with fellow-Spaniard Feliciano Lopez at the Barcelona Open.
Mahesh Bhupathi and Max Mirnyi stunned top seeds Lukasz Kubot and Oliver Marach in straight sets to storm into the doubles final of the Valencia Open.
While Leander Paes- Nenad Zimonjic crashed out in the quarterfinals of the Rome Masters
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