Toni Nadal believes that Rafael Nadal is gearing up for a successful fortnight at the Australian Open.

Rafa’s uncle and longtime coach closely observed his practise sessions this past Friday. Toni took in the 2009 champion’s training session with Marin Cilic that morning on Rod Laver Arena, then closely observed the afternoon practise on Hisense Arena along with new coach Carlos Moya.

“Rafa is playing great,” declared Toni. “We’re having a really good level during the training sessions and he’s winning all of his sets. This isn’t a reference point for us, but it’s always positive to head into these tournaments with such a great feeling. Once we step onto the court, we need to see if this level is good enough to make a great run here.”

The Mallorcan’s coach also reflected about the main contenders for the first Grand Slam of the season, but said he anticipated the top seeds would make deep runs through the draw.

“I think there’s not much room for surprises. There is a group of players who are the clear favorites to win the title,” said Toni. “We’re at the beginning of the season and some players may feel a bit rusty, but if you take a look at the list of past champions, they are always the same.”

Toni also spoke about Roger Federer’s return to competition after six months out. The four-time champion Down Under will take the court on Monday against qualifier Jurgen Melzer of Austria.

“Above all, he loves tennis. He loves playing,” said Toni about the 17-time Grand Slam champion. “He doesn’t need to play for money or titles anymore. He’s here because he loves the competition. If he keeps playing, his presence is good for the circuit and for tennis.”

A LOOK BACK
East Hotel Canberra Challenger (Canberra, Australia): For the 21st time in his career, Dudi Sela is the last man standing at an ATP Challenger Tour event, rallying past top seed Jan-Lennard Struff in Canberra. The Israeli needed one hour and 49 minutes to dispatch the German 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, maintaining his strong run of form after reaching the semi-finals at the Aircel Chennai Open a week ago. The title puts Sela five behind Yen-Hsun Lu for the all-time Challenger lead, but more importantly sees the 31 year old soar 20 spots to World No. 67 in the Emirates ATP Rankings.

Watch: Sela Championship Point Hot Shot | Sela Post-Match Interview

Buoyed by the boisterous Israeli contingent in Canberra, Sela overcame 11 aces and saved eight of 13 break points faced. He improved to 3-0 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head series against Struff, most recently prevailing in a five-set thriller at the 2015 Australian Open.

Challenger Title Leaders

Wind Energy Holding Bangkok Open II (Bangkok, Thailand): Janko Tipsarevic could not have asked for a better start to the 2017 season. The former World No. 8 is on the doorstep of a Top 100 return, vaulting 40 spots in the Emirates ATP Rankings to No. 104 with back-to-back titles in Bangkok. A week ago, Tipsarevic did not drop a set en route to his 12th ATP Challenger Tour title and on Saturday he lifted No. 13, downing China’s Zhe Li 6-2, 6-3 in one hour and 32 minutes.

The Serbian rolled to the title, not relinquishing more than three games in a set since dropping the opener of his first-round match against Egor Gerasimov. Tipsarevic is now on an eight-match win streak in Challenger finals, since 2006.

Other News: Former World No. 62 Somdev Devvarman announced his retirement from professional tennis. The 31 year old reached two ATP World Tour finals, falling to Marin Cilic on home soil in Chennai in 2009 and to Kevin Anderson in Johannesburg in 2011. Devvarman also enjoyed great success on the Challenger circuit, posting a 94-71 record and clinching five titles. He won consecutive crowns in New Delhi from 2014-15 and lifted the trophy in Lexington in 2008, Izmir in 2010 and most recently in Winnetka in 2015.

Starting 2017 on a new note, retiring from pro tennis. Thanks to everyone for the love and support over the years. #newyearnewbeginnings

— Somdev Devvarman (@SomdevD) January 1, 2017

WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID
Sela: “I was a bit lucky today but I’m happy that I won. The experience of this stage that I have been on so many times before helped me a lot.

“It’s nice to see the flag of your country all the way here in Australia. If they were not here today I’m not sure if I could have had the motivation to come back like that. I didn’t want to let them down.”

A LOOK AHEAD
Koblenz, Germany, hosts the inaugural Koblenz Open, a €43,000 indoor hard-court event. Home favourite Benjamin Becker is in the draw, along with Norwegian teen Casper Ruud and Happy Valley champion Peter Gojowczyk.

View Draws & Watch Free Live Streams

ATP CHALLENGER TOUR ON TWITTER: The ATP Challenger Tour has launched a dedicated Twitter account for the latest news and information about players and events. Follow @ATPChallengerTour at twitter.com/ATPChallengerTour.

Gilles Muller beat Daniel Evans 7-6(5), 6-2 on Saturday at the Apia International Sydney to capture his first ATP World Tour title. It was an emotional moment for the 33-year-old Luxembourg native, who had gone 0-5 in his previous ATP World Tour finals.

ATPWorldTour.com spoke to Muller after his victory in Sydney. 

How does it feel to be holding your first ATP World Tour singles trophy at the age of 33?

It feels great for many reasons. I’ve been waiting for this a long time. I’ve lost five finals before, so my biggest dream and goal was to win a title. Finally it’s here, so it’s great. It’s a lot of weight off my shoulders now.

What does it mean to be the first player from Luxembourg to win a title? 

To be honest, it doesn’t mean that much because I’m the first player from Luxembourg to do a lot of things. [Laughs]. It’s obviously nice to win the title and bring the trophy back home to Luxembourg. There are a lot of people who are really happy for me and have been waiting for this for a long time.

What was it like to receive the trophy from Rod Laver?

It was amazing. I wasn’t expecting that. It was like being in a movie, standing there on Centre Court, getting the trophy from Rod Laver, having my boys watch this. It was very emotional and an unbelievable week for me.

You saved a match point at the beginning of the week. How does that play into the victory?

That just shows what you can do when you keep working and keep believing in yourself. I came into the tournament not feeling great, not playing very well. I fought very hard on every point and at the end of the week, I was there with the title.

What were some of the things you worked on during the off-season?

I’m always working hard physically and taking a lot of time to get into really good shape. I was working on my serve, working to be aggressive from the baseline and come into the net. Just the usual stuff. I’m 33, so I’m not going to change stuff at that age.

You finished last season with your best Emirates ATP Ranking of No. 34. Do you have a ranking goal in mind for this season?

For me, it’s important to try my best and give 100 per cent, and then I’m confident I can improve that ranking by the end of the year. I’m already going to improve it anyway after this, but I think I can go even higher.

Is there anybody who has helped you get to this point that you’d like to mention?

There are many people. The only people I’d like to thank are the team I’ve had around me for the past two or three years and have really been helping. My coaches, Alex and Benjamin. My physical trainer, Frank. Both of my agents, Hugo and Jack. And then obviously my family, my wife and my two boys. They’ve always been behind me. It’s very tough sometimes to leave them behind at home for a couple of weeks. They make a lot of sacrifices and it’s nice to give something back to them.

Who were some of the players that you admired growing up?

Andre Agassi was probably the player I followed most. I played him twice in my career and even beat him once, which is a nice moment for me. 

The question has Albert Ramos-Vinolas stumped. Why, nine years after turned professional, is the 28 year old suddenly playing his best tennis?

He didn’t switch coaches – Ramos-Vinolas, like Rafael Nadal, still works with his boyhood coach. Ramos-Vinolas didn’t drastically change his style of tennis, either.

But there’s no question his tennis has improved. In 2016, Ramos-Vinolas won his first title at the SkiStar Swedish Open in Bastad. The left-hander also reached his first hard-court final at the Chengdu Open and hiked to a career-high No. 26 in the Emirates ATP Rankings in October.

“I don’t know why this year I had the better results. I cannot tell you one thing,” Ramos-Vinolas told ATPWorldTour.com last season. “Maybe experience but I don’t know. I think I’m doing more or less the same from before. It’s difficult to explain why now I’m playing better.”

Whatever the reason, the ATP World Tour veteran has company. In recent years, more and more players are finding their best tennis late in their careers. During the 2016 season, the average age of an ATP World Tour champion was almost 29. Ten years ago, it was 24. More proof: Last season, 14 titlists had already celebrated their 30^th birthday. In 2006, exactly zero champions had turned the big 3-0.

The trend can be seen throughout the Top 100. In 2016, a record 39 players aged 30 and older finished in the Top 100. Of those 39 players, nearly a third of them – 12 – were tying or at their career-best year-end Emirates ATP Ranking.

“Being 31 now isn’t like 31 10 years ago,” Brad Gilbert, a former Top 10 player and former coach of Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and Andy Murray, told ATPWorldTour.com.

Gilbert labels the phenomenon “The Agassi Effect”. When the American reached the 2005 US Open final at the age of 35, Gilbert said, “All of a sudden guys were like, ‘You know what? If you take care of yourself, you can do good work in your 30s.’”

In the past decade, players have learned how to take care of themselves better, and increased prize money has helped them add crucial members, including physiotherapists and trainers, to their teams. But current and former ATP World Tour champions say there’s more to winning late in your career than simply taking better care of your body.

Big-match experience and more confidence helps players win more semi-final Saturday matches. Off the court, players learn how to manage their schedule during an 11-month season that’s played on six different continents.

“The experience over the years, it does help being out there, being more relaxed,” said Aussie Mark Philippoussis, who won 11 ATP World Tour titles and reached No. 8 in the world.

Reaching Their Career-Best Year-Ending Emirates ATP Ranking In Their 30s

*Tied career-best year-end Emirates ATP Ranking 

American James Blake won 10 ATP World Tour crowns, seven of which came after his 26^th birthday. One of the biggest differences in Blake’s game as he aged was his self-confidence during big moments, he said.

For example, at 5/6 in the third-set tie-break, the 20-year-old Blake might have tried something new to surprise his opponent. But the 26-year-old Blake knew better; he stuck with what had been working all matchlong.

“You know how to handle the pressure. You know your best game,” Blake said. “It’s not that you’re any more talented at that age, it’s just that you’ve figured out how to get the most out of your talent.”

Older players also don’t panic as quickly as less-experienced players, said Andy Roddick, a former World No. 1 and five-time ATP World Tour Masters 1000 champion.

Say someone plays a lights-out first set and wins 6-2 in 25 minutes. A tour newcomer across the net might be a little more impressionable and wide-eyed.

Whereas a more experienced opponent might sit back and think, “OK, let’s take his best shot. Let’s see if he can keep producing it for another hour and half,” Roddick said. “You learn to get hit in the chin… You’re a little bit calmer in the face of adversity.”

Steve Johnson learned a version of that lesson last year during his first ATP World Tour title run. About two weeks before Johnson won the Nottingham crown, he had been hit in the chin by 18-year-old Stefan Kozlov 6-3, 6-4. Kozlov had won one prior ATP World Tour match before beating Johnson in 86 minutes.

But the 26-year-old Johnson didn’t panic and start making changes in his game. He trotted out for his next match and upset then-No. 10 Richard Gasquet at The Queen’s Club to earn his first Top 10 win and start a 20-7 stretch, which included the Nottingham title.

“I’m just much more calm now,” Johnson said weeks after upsetting Gasquet. “Tennis can change with one point really – the momentum can shift, that’s all it’s going to take. So I think it’s something that I’ve learned… At least internally, I stay very calm and know that maybe even if I’m down and the guy is serving for the match, I know in my heart that I’m still going to find a way to get through this and find a way to win.”

30 and Older Champions In 2016

The American has also learned how to manage a season on tour. During his first couple of years, towards the latter half of the season, Johnson said he felt burnt out and exhausted. But last year, in August through October, he felt fresh.

“I really feel like I’m starting to really get the feel of it,” he said. “At the end of the year, there’s a lot of big tournaments, where there’s still a lot of points on the board. So to be fresh and to be healthy at those times is very important.”

All of these explanations together probably explain how Spain’s Ramos-Vinolas had his best season last year. But his countryman Alex Corretja, a 17-time ATP World Tour titlist, has a few more reasons why Ramos-Vinolas turned his career around in 2016.

Corretja likely knows best, too. He worked with Ramos-Vinolas for a couple of months during the 2014 off-season. Most parts of Ramos-Vinolas’ game have improved, Corretja said, including his serve, forehand and his movement.

But the left-hander has also matured, a common trait among ATP World Tour players who have success later in their careers. “He wasn’t controlling himself as much as he does now, and I think that’s why he feels like he’s a better player,” Corretja said.

It happens to a lot of players, Corretja said: They know what mistakes they’re making, they stop repeating those mistakes, and the results follow.

“You’re a better man. You leave the kid behind you,” Corretja said. “It’s a privilege to be a tennis star on the ATP. You need time to realise that. Some of them, they realise that later in their careers. But it’s better late than never.”