Category: Tennis

A renowned American fitness coach says Roger Federer does one thing differently to everybody else. Federer, a 20-time Grand Slam tennis champion, has extraordinary movement that belies his age (36). The coach argues Federer has expert time management and his approach to training is something other professionals should follow. This might be because Federer has skipped the entire clay season so he can be as fit and as fresh as possible for the Wimbledon Championships, a tournament he has won a record eight times. Andre Agassi’s former fitness coach has added more weight to the argument that Roger Federer is a one-of-a-kind athlete. A 20-time Grand Slam champion, Federer has set many seemingly unbreakable

Rafael Nadal insisted Sunday that his stunning 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 comeback win over Alexander Zverev which delivered an eighth Rome Masters title will have no impact on his campaign to lift an 11th French Open. Nadal came back on court re-energised to sweep…

Rafael Nadal won the Rome Masters for the eighth time on Sunday when he defeated defending champion Alexander Zverev 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 after a stunning comeback. German second seed Zverev was 3-1 up in the decider before two rain stoppages halted his momen…

Rafael Nadal closed in on an eighth Rome Masters title as he dismissed old rival Novak Djokovic 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 on Saturday to reach the final for a record-extending 10th time. Nadal, still unbeaten in semi-finals at the Foro Italico, unleashed a tradem…

Rafael Nadal beats rival Novak Djokovic in semifinals in Rome, will face Alexander Zverev in bid for eighth consecutive Italian Open title. ROME — Rafael Nadal was challenged in the first set by Novak Djokovic before pulling away for a 7-6 (4), 6-3 win…

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will renew their rivalry in the Italian Open semifinals – and three-time Rome champion Maria Sharapova also reached the last four Friday. Nadal, who holds a record seven titles at the Foro Italico, overcame a poor first …

Karolina Pliskova, furious over a blown call at a critical juncture in an Italian Open loss, smashed a hole in the umpire’s chair with her racket. World No. 5 Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic lost a close second-round match to Greece’s Maria Sak…

Czech tennis star Karolina Pliskova faces a hefty punishment after venting her fury at a dubious line call with an angry attack on the umpire’s chair at the Italian Open. The former World No.1 was so angry she put a hole in the umpire’s chair with her …

The Foro Italico might have dodged the forecast storms, but we did see a violent tempest on the court. Frustrated by a botched line call, world No 5 Karolina Pliskova lost her temper so dramatically that she used her racket to beat a hole in the umpire

Peter Bodo has been covering tennis for over 35 years, mostly recently for ESPN. He is a former WTA Writer of the Year and the author of numerous books, including the classic “The Courts of Babylon” and the New York Times bestseller (with Pete Sampras), “A Champion’s Mind.” Maria Sharapova knows how to stick a massive serve, but she also knows a thing or two about hitting a nerve. She demonstrated that again the other day at the Italian Open where, after a brief hit with Rafael Nadal on a practice court, she posted on Twitter, “Had two minutes on the court with the GOAT, was so nervous.” The tweet predictably ignited a social media flame war between fans of Roger Federer and Nadal, whose followers