Juan Martin del Potro is doing his part to support those battling against COVID-19.

Del Potro has donated the shoes he wore during the 2013 Wimbledon semi-finals against Novak Djokovic to a charity auction in support of the Ramon Santamarina Hospital in Tandil, Argentina. A minimum €5 donation is required to obtain a chance of winning the sneakers.

“Hi everyone, I want to join this big charity campaign after being invited by my friend Papu,” Del Potro said on his team’s Instagram channel. “It occurred to me that I can participate with these sneakers from Wimbledon when I made the semi-finals.”

Learn More & Donate

 

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Delpo regaló las zapatillas que utilizó en aquel memorable partido con Novak Djokovic en la semifinal de Wimbledon para ayudar en la lucha contra el #coronavirus. ¡Las zapas pueden ser tuyas! Donando 5 euros o más en www.shirtum.com (link en bio), estás participando y juntos ayudamos al Hospital Ramón Santamarina de #Tandil. Queda una semana! . . Delpo donated the shoes he wore during his memorable Wimbledon semi-final match against Nole. They can be yours! You can donate 5 euros or more: go to www.shirtum.com (link in bio) and together we can help the Ramon Santamarina Hospital of #Tandil in the fight against the #Covid19. Only one week left! . . . #Delpo #DelPotro #TheBiggestGame @shirtum.app

A post shared by Team Delpo (@teamdelpo) on May 7, 2020 at 1:38pm PDT

The auction is scheduled to end on Friday, 15 May.

Stars of tennis, basketball and entertainment came together on Friday evening for a special charity event on the eve of the Mutua Madrid Open.

With the help of Rafael Nadal, Feliciano Lopez and Marat Safin, €55,000 was raised to help Syrian refugees through UNHCR (The UN agency for refugees), CEAR (Spanish Commission for Refugee Aid), UNICEF and Mensajeros de la Paz.

In a fun hour of exhibition tennis, two teams of tennis stars and celebrities entertained the fans on Court Manolo Santana.

Lopez led one team, featuring Nadal, Martina Hingis, actress Marian Hernandez, Real Madrid basketball star Rudy Fernandez, singer Edurne and former footballer Aitor Ocio. WTA star Garbine Muguruza captained the other team, featuring Safin, Simona Halep, socialite Alejandra Silva and actors Stany Coppet, Nerea Barros and Aldo Comas.

“It’s for the refugees who have been suffering this year,” said Lopez. “We had a lot of help from celebrities in the country: actors, Rudi from Real Madrid basketball and some other people. It was a nice time and hopefully we can do it every year. I think it’s a good activity for the tournament.”

Hey Kids,

If you’re stuck inside and looking for something fun and educational to do, we’ve got you covered!

We want you to put your knowledge of your favourite players, tournaments and their home countries to the test.

We’ve got two fun assignments for you to download.

Know Your Players (PDF) challenges you to list the home countries of 50 players and the capital city of those countries. (Tip: You can use the player profile pages on ATPTour.com to get lots of great info on the players.)

Know Your Tournaments (PDF) challenges you to identify all the countries where ATP Tour tournaments are played… and the capital cities of those countries. (Tip: You can use the calendar page on ATPTour.com to get information on the 64 tournaments that comprise the ATP Tour.)

For more activities, visit the Emirates ATP Kids Hub

Tennis United is set to debut an exciting fifth episode on Friday, featuring a fun game with some of your favourite players. It will also explore important charity work being done by one of the world’s best doubles teams.

Dominic Thiem, Diego Schwartzman and Dennis Novak join one of the show’s hosts, Vasek Pospisil, for a fun game of charades. Schwartzman and Novak test their guessing skills against Thiem and Pospisil. 

Schwartzman/Novak ? Posipisil/Thiem

Who takes the crown in a game of Charades on this week’s episode of #TennisUnited? ? pic.twitter.com/u9EMhy5tPq

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 7, 2020

Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies, 2019 Roland Garros champions, have been doing their best to help their communities in Germany. Krawietz has been working in a supermarket, and Mies has been delivering fruit to essential workers and the special needs community. Want to learn more? Make sure to tune in at 2 p.m. EDT when this episode debuts on the ATP Tour’s Facebook page.

Daniil Medvedev excels in the art of tactical deception.

He is a “First Strike” assassin who also masquerades as a king of consistency. Nobody plays more long, grueling points than the Russian, but at the same time, nobody is as efficient at winning the short rallies. You think he is all about the long while he is fleecing you at the short.

An Infosys ATP Insights deep dive into rally length data from the start of the 2019 season uncovers the paradoxical nature of Medvedev’s game. He is incredibly gifted at both very short and very long rallies. The data set comprises players who have contested a minimum of 20 matches on Hawk Eye courts at tour-level events since the beginning of the 2019 season.

Long Rallies of 9+ Shots
This is where Medvedev has forged his identity. The 6’6” Moscow native continually clubs ultra-flat groundstrokes that get through the court fast and low, giving opponents a much different look than the regular “heavy” topspin ball most players employ.

Stefanos Tsitsipas said in August 2019 that Medvedev has “… a very weird game. It’s very sloppy, but a good sloppy. He’s just very uncomfortable to play against.” Tsitsipas added, “He has this completely different way of playing, flat and low, without giving you much angle to work with. It can be very disturbing to play against him. He can make you miss without understanding why you missed.”

With the data set, Medvedev has played the most rallies of 9+ shots (1393) since the beginning of the 2019 season, confounding opponents with myriad balls that annoyingly come back out of a player’s
strike zone. Medvedev has won 52.5 per cent (731/1393) of those points, with Yoshihito Nishioka having the highest win percentage at 56.6 per cent (392/693).

The leading five players who have played the most extended rallies of 9+ shots are:

1. Daniil Medvedev = 1393
2. Gael Monfils = 1309
3. Novak Djokovic = 1285
4. Stefanos Tsitsipas = 1227
5. Roberto Bautista Agut = 1066

“First Strike” Rallies of 0-4 Shots
Medvedev will punish you in long rallies and also in short ones. Nobody had a higher win percentage in the data set in 0-4 shot rallies than the Russian. Those data showcase his versatility to also dominate with just the first two shots he hits in a rally.

The leading five players who had the highest win percentage in the 0-4 shot rally length are:

1. Daniil Medvedev = 54.98%
2. Stan Wawrinka = 54.04%
3. John Isner = 53.97%
4. Roger Federer = 53.75%
5. Novak Djokovic = 53.54%

Medvedev was a pedestrian 25th best in 5-8 shot rallies, winning just 50.86 per cent (1031/2027). The disparity of short and long points is where he thrives.

There is a reason why opponents, like Tsitsipas, find the Russian so uncomfortable and perplexing to play. They can’t pin down his game style. They can’t figure out whether to attack early in the point or try to forge an advantage by extending it. Medvedev hurts you at both ends of the spectrum without leaving a tell-tale trail of how and why.

Your favourite players are all at home, but they’re finding plenty of ways to pass the time. From Marin Cilic bonding with his infant son, to Kevin Anderson sharing kitchen tips, ATPTour.com looks at how the world’s best players are keeping busy.

Cilic has enjoyed plenty of quality moments with his three-month old son.

Getting to spend uninterrupted time with this guy has been priceless. ☺? pic.twitter.com/7LfuU4ZKJj

— Marin Cilic (@cilic_marin) May 7, 2020

Anderson gave his fans a healthy recipe for overnight oats.

 

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I wanted to share one of my go-to recipes the past few weeks – Overnight Oats or “Bircher Muesli”. The recipe for one serving is as follows, and watch me to see how it’s made ? 30g organic rolled oats 2 tbsp chia seeds 120 ml Almond Milk 1/4 banana mashed 1 tbsp raw cacao powder 1 tbsp natural or coconut yoghurt 1 tbsp nut butter 1 tsp honey 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon *I also add @atp_labs whey protein Leave overnight in the refrigerator and enjoy the next morning ? Recipe from “The Healthy Life” by @jshealth

A post shared by Kevin Anderson (@kandersonatp) on May 6, 2020 at 9:19am PDT

Novak Djokovic owned up to his “fanboying” more than a decade ago around Maria Sharapova in their Instagram Live.

??‍♂️? https://t.co/tw3WX5qo1o

— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) May 5, 2020

John Isner was one of the ATP Tour players to take part in #Set4Success, which featured players congratulating graduating college seniors at their respective alma maters.

Congratulations to the @UGAtennis seniors for graduating from @universityofga. We all know this wasn’t the way you guys thought this would end, but all of you are without a doubt #Set4Success for life after college. pic.twitter.com/OoIYFyuIGk

— John Isner (@JohnIsner) May 6, 2020

Felix Auger-Aliassime had fun with the new ATP Tour Instagram filter.

Which ATP player are you? ?

Head over to our Instagram to try our new filter and find out ? pic.twitter.com/DaX69UsGRr

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 5, 2020

Jaume Munar celebrated his 23rd birthday.

 

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Y como siempre hay que aprender a ver el lado positivo de las cosas: Soplando las velas en casa después de MUCHOS MUCHOS años. #23 ?

A post shared by Jaume Munar Clar (@munarclar) on May 5, 2020 at 7:42am PDT

Rajeev Ram helped make a donation of more than 1,000 water bottles to frontline healthcare workers in New York.

 

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Hydrate the Frontline Heroes: My friends and I at @VOSSWorld teamed up in making a donation of 1,020 bottles to Mount Sinai’s South Nassau in New York City, the hardest hit city in the world, to give the frontline doctors and nurses a much needed resource during this difficult time. Thank you @vossworld for this generous gesture. Swipe for some of my favorite moments from the delivery drop today! If you want to get involved, check out @vossworld as they continue to donate nearly 700,000 bottles for the frontlines ???

A post shared by Rajeev Ram (@rajeevram318) on May 5, 2020 at 6:16pm PDT

Jimmy Connors wasted no time on his Cinco de Mayo celebrations.

Getting a jump start on #CincoDeMayo here in Connors Kitchen with some frosty margaritas! Hand crafted by yours truly of course! pic.twitter.com/INpSJJyupp

— Jimmy Connors (@JimmyConnors) May 5, 2020

Joao Sousa reflected on his title run on home soil two years ago in Estoril.

 

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Those happy days ?? #2yearsago #millenniumaquiconsigo @millenniumbcp #mikedavis76 @mikedavis76 #wilson @meoinstagram @jomasport @isdinportugal @isdin @bangolufsenbygms #centroporscheporto #centroporschebraga #goldathletes

A post shared by João Sousa (@joaosousaoficial) on May 6, 2020 at 11:34am PDT

Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime joined former World No. 1s Boris Becker and Mats Wilander on Eurosport this week, explaining the dilemma the #NextGenATP players faced before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the suspension of play.

“Obviously people need to see new faces win big tournaments. I’m a part of that, and there are players a bit older than me that are also getting much closer with [Daniil] Medvedev, [Stefanos] Tsitsipas, [Alexander] Zverev and Dominic [Thiem],” Auger-Aliassime said. “For sure, we have to push. But I think the tough part is the level that these top three guys still play [at], and I think with the commitment and the knowledge on the high level, now they’re pushing limits in terms of how long they can sustain that level.

“I think they’re always pushing barriers in terms of playing well at their older age.”

Auger-Aliassime was referring to the success of the ‘Big Three’ — Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal — who have combined to win the past 13 major trophies. The youngest member of the elite trio is Djokovic, who turns 33 on 22 May.

The 19-year-old Auger-Aliassime also pointed to former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka winning his first Grand Slam title at 28 to show that players have enjoyed success at a relatively older age recently.

“We need young people,” Wilander told Auger-Aliassime. “We need people like you guys to start winning these Grand Slam tournaments.”

Becker and Wilander are two of the legends of the sport. Although Auger-Aliassime is a teenager, he spoke about how much he appreciates the history of the sport.

“I like the history of tennis. I like the way it’s played. Obviously I feel the need to bring interesting things [to the court], but I’m not quite sure of the way, because I like the duel… I like the tension of the two players competing,” Auger-Aliassime said. “You have to respect the history of the sport and the duel and the fight like two gladiators going on court. I think that’s essentially the essence of tennis, so for my part I am a big fan of that.”

Since 2005, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have captured a combined 11 of 15 trophies at the Mutua Madrid Open. The event, which began in 2002, has proven a successful stop on the ATP Tour for the Big Three, with the trio winning titles in the Spanish capital on indoor hard courts and outdoor clay courts, red or blue.

ATPTour.com takes a closer look at the Big Three’s dominance of the fourth ATP Masters 1000 event on the ATP Tour calendar:

Rafael Nadal
Titles: 5 (2005, 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2017)
Tournament record: 52-12

Two years after a three-set loss to Alex Corretja on his tournament debut in 2003, Nadal advanced to his first tour-level indoor final in Madrid. The Roland Garros champion, chasing an 11th trophy in his breakthrough season, did not drop a set en route to a final meeting against Ivan Ljubicic. After dropping the opening two sets to the Croat, Nadal fought his way to a final-set tie-break in front of a packed, partisan crowd at Madrid Arena. The Spaniard trusted his forehand in the early stages to open a 5/2 lead and collapsed to the ground as Ljubicic fired a forehand into the net on triple match point at 6/3.

It would take five years for Nadal to double his tally in the Spanish capital. In the second edition of the tournament since its move to the Caja Magica, Nadal added to earlier Masters 1000 titles in Monte-Carlo and Rome to complete the sweep of clay Masters 1000 trophies in 2010. In his second straight Madrid final against Federer, Nadal avenged his 2009 loss to the Swiss with a straight-sets victory. With his 18th Masters 1000 crown, Nadal overtook Andre Agassi as the all-time leader in the Masters 1000 titles list.

Nadal dropped just one set to earn a third Madrid crown in 2013 and repeated the feat in 2014 to become the first player to win back-to-back trophies at the event. After losses to Andy Murray in 2015 and 2016, Nadal returned to the winners’ circle at the Caja Magica in 2017 with five consecutive Top 30 wins. The Manacor native overcame Fabio Fognini, Nick Kyrgios, David Goffin, Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem to earn a record-extending fifth trophy at his home Masters 1000 event. It pushed Nadal’s unbeaten record on clay that year to 15 matches, following titles in Monte-Carlo and Barcelona.

“Today is a day to be satisfied, to be happy and to have this trophy,” Nadal said. “This is a very emotional period of the season. I really enjoy these tournaments. I just try to go for all of them. I try to compete. I did well in Monte-Carlo and Barcelona, and also here.”

Roger Federer
Titles: 3 (2006, 2009 and 2012)
Tournament record: 37-9

Federer is the only player in Madrid history to have triumphed on each of the tournament’s three surfaces since its inaugural edition in 2002. After a three-year absence, the Swiss returned to Madrid in 2006 and did not drop a set on the Madrid Arena indoor hard courts to take his first ATP Tour title in Spain. Federer dropped just four games to beat World No. 4 David Nalbandian in the semi-finals, before cruising past Fernando Gonzalez, after a competitive opening set in the championship match.

In 2009, the first edition of the tournament to be held at the Caja Magica, Federer claimed his second title in the Spanish capital. The 27-year-old moved past Robin Soderling, James Blake, Andy Roddick and Juan Martin del Potro to earn a final meeting against Nadal. Despite entering the contest with one win from 10 FedEx ATP Head2Head encounters against the Spaniard on clay, Federer needed just 86 minutes to capture the trophy.

Three years later, on blue clay, Federer triumphed for a third time in Madrid. The Swiss almost fell at the first hurdle against Milos Raonic, but survived a final-set tie-break before breezing past Richard Gasquet, David Ferrer and Janko Tipsarevic without dropping serve. Once more, Federer was tested in a gripping final against Tomas Berdych. The Swiss rallied from a set down to defeat the Czech 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 after two hours and 38 minutes.

“I could have lost in the first round. This is always special, winning a title 7-5 in the third when things get tough. The crowd was amazing, and I’m very happy.”

Novak Djokovic
Titles: 3 (2011, 2016 and 2019)
Tournament record: 28-8

After semi-final runs in two of his opening four appearances in Madrid, Djokovic arrived at the Caja Magica with an unbeaten 27-0 record in 2011. The Serbian eased past Top 15 stars Stan Wawrinka and Robin Soderling, before surviving a final-set tie-break against Andy Murray to reach his first championship match at the Masters 1000 tournament.

In a repeat of the Indian Wells and Miami finals, Djokovic once again faced World No. 1 Nadal for the title. He entered the contest with a 0-9 ATP Head2Head record against the Spaniard on clay, but broke Nadal on five occasions to secure his maiden Madrid crown with a 7-5, 6-4 victory.

“Under the circumstances, I’ve played probably the best match of my life on clay against the World No. 1 and the player to beat on this surface,” said Djokovic.

After missing the tournament in 2014 and 2015, Djokovic made a successful return to Madrid in 2016. The Serbian, who entered the event with a 28-2 record in 2016, earned straight-sets wins against Borna Coric, Roberto Bautista Agut, Milos Raonic and Kei Nishikori to book a final meeting against Andy Murray. In a repeat of the 2016 Australian Open final, Djokovic overcame the Brit in three sets to lift the trophy.

Last year, Djokovic added a third Madrid trophy to his collection. The World No. 1 took the title without dropping a set, beating Top 10 stars Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas in back-to-back matches to claim the crown. Djokovic’s victory against Tsitsipas was the Serbian’s 200th win against Top 10 opposition.

Mikael Ymer and Elias Ymer will compete against each other at Tennis Against Corona, a new initiative created by the Stockholm Open to contribute to the Red Cross’ Global COVID-19 Emergency Relief.

The top-ranked Swedish players in the FedEx ATP Rankings will meet in a best-of-three set match on Sunday at the Royal Swedish Tennis Hall in front of empty stands and a small TV crew. The Stockholm Open and the Ymer brothers are excited to present the new online charity event, which will assist those who are suffering due to the current COVID-19 crisis.

“The ongoing pandemic is the worst health crisis of our time, a time to come together and help where you can,” said Thomas Enqvist, Stockholm Open Tournament Director. “Tennis Against Corona is our way of contributing through help organisations and, at the same time, bringing great tennis to the world.”

The Ymer Battle will be broadcast online at SolidSport.com at 1pm UTC for a fee of €3.99. All surplus from the global campaign will be donated to the Red Cross Global COVID-19 Emergency Relief. The match will also be broadcast on Swedish national TV, SVT1 and SVT Play.

Furthermore, the Stockholm Open team will look for more opportunities to contribute to the Red Cross Global COVID-19 Emergency Relief through Tennis Against Corona, also hoping to inspire other ATP Tour events.

“COVID-19 is a global threat putting the lives of thousands of already vulnerable people in even greater danger. It requires a global response and global solidarity. We thank Elias and Mikael Ymer and the Stockholm Open for this great initiative. We are all in this together and only together we can make a difference,” said Sofia Calltorp, International Director of Swedish Red Cross.

The Ymer Battle will also be covered by design photographer Bjorn Ceder, in collaboration with Hasselblad. His photographs will be shown at the Tennis
Against Corona exhibition at this year’s Stockholm Open.

Roger Federer and Nick Kyrgios met for the first time at the 2015 Mutua Madrid Open, and it’s a match nobody will soon forget.

Kyrgios, then only 20, saved two match points en route to a thrilling 6-7(2), 7-6(5), 7-6(12) victory over two hours and 37 minutes. The Aussie relished the opportunity to perform against Federer on one of the sport’s biggest stages.

“I guess that’s why you play the game, to play on these big courts against these big players.  He’s the greatest of all‑time, no doubt,” Kyrgios said. “When you’re growing up and playing and watching these guys, you want to go out there.  That’s one thing I think about every time I step out against one of these guys on a court like that.”

Blessed to play one of my childhood heroes in Roger Federer. Blessed to get the win tonight 7-6 6-7 7-6 (14-12).

— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) May 6, 2015

Kyrgios had upset Rafael Nadal the previous year at Wimbledon, stunning the Spaniard in four sets. But that was on grass, which caters to the Aussie’s aggressive game.

Kyrgios showed no fear of the Swiss star on Madrid’s clay, though, thrusting both arms in the air after Federer pushed an inside-out forehand wide to end the match.

“I definitely knew from the start that I could make an impact in the match,” Kyrgios said. “I thought I served really well. I got a bit of luck and I took the chances [I had].”

Kyrgios hit 22 aces and won 79 per cent of his first-serve points, which was better than Federer’s 78 per cent behind his first delivery. World No. 2 Federer won four more points than the World No. 35, but it was not enough.

“He likes the big stage and he’s got nothing to lose, no fear and he’s got a great game,” Federer said. “He can rely on his serve so much that it keeps him in the match regardless of how he plays from the baseline. It’s one of those matches, but no doubt about it, it was impressive.”

Kyrgios lost his next match against John Isner, but he left Spain with a victory to remember. Federer has won their six ATP Head2Head matches since, but four of those battles have gone to a deciding set, with two going to a final-set tie-break.