'If he can stay as healthy as he is now, without injury, motivated, looking after himself the way he is....'
If Stanislas Wawrinka's life depended on the outcome of one tennis match he would surely want Rafa Nadal fighting his corner, and while the stakes were not as high as life or death on Friday the Swiss player's fate was in safe hands.
Thousands of athletes and staff roamed the Olympic village freely, mingling at cafes and swapping souvenir pins.
Rafael Nadal was at his awe-inspiring best as he recovered from a first set wobble to crush Juan Martin del Potro 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 in the US Open semi-finals on Friday and move within reach of a 16th Grand Slam title.
Rafael Nadal will have his work cut out when play begins next week, not on the Caja Magica's three red dust courts, but on gaming consoles.
Federer cannot fathom how his perfect tennis can be defeated again and again by the fury of Nadal. That's why he was crying. And it hurts Nadal. But he will carry on beating him because he cannot help himself.
Images from Day 7 of the 2025 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Saturday.
A 30-year-old German journeyman who once travelled around Europe's Challenger Circuit in a camper van joined a list of Wimbledon luminaries who go by the names of Lukas Rosol, Steve Darcis and Nick Kyrgios.
"When I was a kid, I just dreamt about playing at Roland Garros, at Wimbledon, professional tournaments. I am no different than many kids. My motivation and passion to try to reach that dream was the key to our success. "We worked hard with motivation. Kids can do it, if I did it," the Spanish legend said ahead of the opening IPTL match. "The only thing I can advise is that try to have right people around you, who know about the sport, who really support you and try to help you reach your best level, practice everyday with motivation and passion. "I had good people around me. Without (coach and uncle) Tony, nothing was possible. I am lucky that someone from my family is my coach forever. We work hard. "We work with passion, with love for what we are doing and just trying to do right things to improve every year. That's the only secret."
Germany's Andrea Petkovic reached her first Grand Slam semi-final on Wednesday, thrashing 10th seed Sara Errani 6-2, 6-2 after a lengthy rain delay at the French Open.
John Isner pulled off the biggest win of his career at the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday before Roger Federer outplayed long-time rival Rafa Nadal in the other semi-final.
What should have been a dream showdown between Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal has turned into the battle of Poland as Lukasz Kubot and Jerzy Janowicz unexpectedly find themselves in Wimbledon's quarter-final mix along with Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.
Wimbledon has witnessed some seismic shocks down the years but few could top twice champion Rafa Nadal's elimination at the hands of Steve Darcis, a Belgian ranked 135th in the world, in the first round on Monday. Here are six other matches that shook up Wimbledon.
Mats Wilander said it was a 'miracle' that Nadal won two majors during the year.
Images from the Olympics tennis action at the Roland Garros, Paris, on Wednesday.
'When you are playing defensive against Rafa on clay, he will eat you alive'
Djokovic, Rafa Nadal and others who have complained about the blue clay at the Madrid Open are 'weenies', according to former Women's No. 1 Serena Williams.
Andy Murray's illustrious career finally came to an end as he and doubles partner Dan Evans were beaten 6-2, 6-4 by American pair Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul in the Olympics quarter-finals at Roland Garros on Thursday.
Kyrgios, who opted out of Australia's Davis Cup team this year, later posted a video on Instagram where he was seen out in the sunshine at a harbour with the caption 'Beautiful day'.
The Briton, who was thrashed 6-3 6-1 by the Croatian in the Dubai Championships in 2015, performed poorly in the first set and after recovering in the second he then surrendered his serve in the seventh game, giving Coric three break points.
Four protesters, one letting off a flare, briefly interrupted the French Open tennis final between Rafa Nadal and fellow Spaniard David Ferrer on Sunday.
The trio of Spaniards -- Rafa Nadal, David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro -- showed why the nation has ruled Roland Garros for most of the last decade.
Russian Andrey Rublev has become the fifth singles player to qualify for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin next month, the men's tour said.
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.
'We are truly blessed to bear witness to the divine talents of, and scarcely human displays put on by, Roger Federer and his bromance buddy, rival, nemesis and plausible co-claimant to GOAT ('greatest of all time') status, Rafael Nadal,' says Arvind Subramanian, who steps down as chief economic adviser to the Government of India in September.
One of sport's great rivalries, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have clashed 37 times over the years but never stood across from each other on Flushing Meadows' hardcourts.
World number seven Tomas Berdych has withdrawn from the Barcelona Open due to illness, organisers said on Tuesday.
David Ferrer has ensured Spanish representation at the ATP World Tour finals by booking his place at the eight-man finale taking place in London for the fourth year next month.
All players who want a visa to compete in the Australian Open will need to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, the country's immigration minister said on Wednesday, putting Novak Djokovic's title defence and Grand Slam record bid in doubt.
With the preliminaries now out of the way, the US Open men's competition can really begin. As expected, the world's top four players, Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray, are safely through to the semi-finals.
Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic: whoever wins at Roland Garros will claim something more than just the French Open title as tennis is going through a "very special time", according to Federer himself.
Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal moved a step closer to another possible final showdown after recording straight-set wins in the quarter-finals of the Rome Masters on Friday.
Roger Federer left a lasting impression on the Madrid Open's controversial blue claycourt by grinding out a 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 victory against Czech Tomas Berdych to match Rafa Nadal's record of 20 Masters titles on Sunday.
Roger Federer moved a step closer to a record-equalling 20th Masters title when he thumped Janko Tipsarevic 6-2 6-3 at the Madrid Open on Saturday to set up a final showdown with Tomas Berdych.
Champion Rafa Nadal and the three other leading men's contenders charge into Wimbledon with major expectations despite all battling minor fitness issues in the run-up to the grasscourt Grand Slam.
Robin Soderling is sick of being the answer to a favourite quiz question, the one which asks who is the only player to beat nine-times champion Rafael Nadal at the French Open.
The last time Argentina met Spain in the Davis Cup, in the 2008 final in Mar del Plata, the South Americans were firm favourites to claim their first title but their challenge was wrecked by infighting within the team.
World No 1 Novak Djokovic will miss next week's China Open in Beijing with a back injury, the 24-year-old Serb said on Thursday.
Rafael Nadal dug deep to beat mercurial wildcard Nick Kyrgios 7-6(0), 5-7, 6-4 in a blockbuster quarter-final match that lived up to the hype at Indian Wells on Thursday.
Jannik Sinner has sprinted past opponents at the Australian Open in his quest for a maiden Grand Slam but could end up running a marathon in the final against Daniil Medvedev on Sunday, when Melbourne Park will crown a new king.
