Roger Federer

Back in May, Rafael Nadal said he believed the 2020 tennis season was "practically lost" due to the coronavirus pandemic. The ATP Tour had been paused for more than two months, and ATP and World Tennis Association events were suspended until July. Wimbledon was canceled, and the French Open was pushed back. 

"I would sign up right now just to being ready for 2021," he told reporters. "I'm more concerned with the Australian Open than with what happens later this year. I think 2020 has been practically lost. I'm hopeful of being able to start next year."

The Spaniard would likely reverse that take now after his outing at the French Open. 

Nadal won his 13th French Open over top-ranked Novak Djokovic on Sunday, earning his 20th Grand Slam singles victory to tie Roger Federer for the all-time record. Djokovic is not far behind with 17 major wins.

Records are meant to be broken, it's true, but no man is breaking Nadal's record at Roland Garros.

Whatever the final number, it will be preserved for eternity, or at least until the sun goes out#getty pic.twitter.com/q5v3KMaTkv

— Christopher Clarey 🇺🇸 🇫🇷 🇪🇸 (@christophclarey) October 11, 2020

"I have always had the utmost respect for my friend Rafa as a person and as a champion," Federer wrote on Twitter, congratulating Nadal for tying his record. "As my greatest rival over many years, I believe we have pushed each other to become better players."

pic.twitter.com/TzQhBeuwML

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) October 11, 2020

The road to breaking that record for the No. 2 player in the world won't get any easier in 2021.

Some pleasing symmetry now as Federer and Nadal are tied at 20 Slams apiece:

Federer had won four Slams before Nadal won his first;

Nadal has won four Slams since Federer won his last*.

*last meaning most recent, who knows what the future holds.

— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) October 11, 2020

Federer's 2020 season ended early when he underwent knee surgery, but he plans to return in time for the 2021 campaign. If he does, it will set up yet another battle between the top three men's players in the world, and will certainly complicate Nadal's—or Djokovic's—journey to his record.

Federer hasn't won a major since his record-setting Australian Open victory in 2018, when he tied the then-all-time record that was held by Djokovic and Roy Emerson before Djokovic earned his seventh title there in 2019. Federer was ranked No. 1 in the world in 2018 before Nadal took it over with an Italian Open win. That year, he also fell to Djokovic in straight sets at Cincinnati and lost to him again at the Paris Masters.

Nadal controlled much of Federer's 2019 season, when he ousted him in the French Open semifinals before Federer defeated him at Wimbledon in their first meeting there since 2008, setting up a five-round final loss at Wimbledon to Djokovic.

After Federer earned his first win over Djokovic since 2015 in the 2019 ATP Finals, he fell in the 2020 Australian Open semifinals, where he sustained his season-ending injury.

With the tennis world's Big Three slated to be back in action in 2020, Nadal will be on pace to continue his greatness but not without the pressure from having both his rivals back in action. 

After Rafael Nadal earned his record-tying 20th Grand Slam title with a French Open win over Novak Djokovic on Sunday, his fellow record holder Roger Federer took to Twitter to congratulate him.

"I have always had the utmost respect for my friend Rafa as a person and as a champion," wrote Federer, who also holds 20 Grand Slam victories. "As my greatest rival over many years, I believe we have pushed each other to become better players." 

Federer also noted Nadal's 13 victories at Roland Garros before offering congratulations to his team. 

"I hope 20 is just another step on the continuing journey for both of us," he wrote. "Well done, Rafa. You deserve it." 

Nadal's 20th victory was a meeting of two of the biggest stars in the sport. Nadal, ranked No. 2 in the world, fell to the top-ranked Djokovic when the pair met in the finals of the 2019 Australian Open, their last finals meeting, before defeating him in straight sets (6-0, 6-2, 7-5) Sunday to deny the Serbian his 18th Grand Slam victory. 

At 34, Nadal became the oldest winner of the French Open since 1972 and has been championing the sport since 2005, when he earned his first win at Roland Garros. He holds the longest span of Grand Slam titles, with 15 years between his first win and most recent, per USA Today's Jimmy Hascup. 

Federer's season ended early when he had knee surgery earlier this year, but the 39-year-old plans to return in 2021. 

However, Nadal is not concerned with becoming the greatest player of all time. Back in May, he told La Voz de Galicia, a Spanish newspaper, that he "doesn't obsess" over Federer's record, or the possibility of Djokovic overtaking him (h/t the New York Times).

"One has to be satisfied with what one does. And this is what I have done throughout my career, and I am very satisfied for that. Even if Federer or Djokovic finishes with more Grand Slams than me, it won't affect my happiness 10 years from now."

The three titans of men's tennis finished 2020 with two of the year's three Grand Slam titles. 

Rafael Nadal won his fourth straight and 13th overall French Open crown Sunday over 2020 Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic, 6-0, 6-2, 7-5.

Nadal's victory at Roland Garros put him on level terms with Roger Federer for the most majors won by a single man. 

Federer did not participate at the French Open or U.S. Open, but he was a semifinalist at the Australian Open back in January. 

If all three players are healthy by the turn of the calendar, they should head to Melbourne, Australia, as three of the favorites to capture that title. 

Since Federer captured his first Grand Slam win at Wimbledon in 2003, only nine players outside the big three have won major titles. The most likely disruptor to the dominance of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic is Dominic Thiem, who became the first player to win his first Grand Slam title since 2014 at the U.S. Open.

Thiem appeared in the 2018 and 2019 French Open finals against Nadal and tested Djokovic over five sets in the 2020 Australian Open championship match. 

Now that he has a major crown on his resume, Thiem may play a bit looser in the upcoming majors since he does not have the pressure of winning his first Grand Slam hanging over him again. 

There is a small list of challengers beneath the Big Three and Thiem, but none of them have been consistent enough at majors to be considered a threat.

Alexander Zverev reached his first two major semifinals in 2020, but he did not play Federer, Djokovic or Nadal in those matches. 

Zverev lost in four sets to Thiem at the semifinal stage in Australia and battled through a five-set semifinal win over Pablo Carreno Busta just to get to the U.S. Open final, where he failed to finish off Thiem after winning the first two sets. 

Daniil Medvedev advanced to back-to-back semifinals at the U.S. Open, and he took second behind Nadal in New York in 2019, but he has not been effective at the other three majors.

The Russian has not made it past the fourth round in Australia, the third round at Wimbledon and has never won a French Open match. Until Medvedev proves he can be more consistent across all majors, he should not be favored above the small group of Grand Slam winners entered in each field. 

If the Australian Open comes down to some combination of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer, the Serbian may be considered the favorite to win.

Djokovic owns three of the last five Australian Open titles and has appeared in seven championship matches in the hard court majors during that span.

Australian Open Prediction: Novak Djokovic. 

Tennis superstar Roger Federer is starting to mull retirement. 

"Retirement is getting closer, and I will miss tennis so much," he told Zeit (h/t Jose Morgado of Diario Record). "It would be easier for me to retire now, but I wanna give myself a chance to keep enjoying my time on court."

Federer, 38, hasn't lost much of a step as he nears his 40s. He is currently ranked No. 4 in the world and reached the Australian Open semifinals in January, losing to Novak Djokovic in straight sets. He was excellent in 2019, going 53-10 with four singles titles and a semifinals loss at the French Open and a finals loss at Wimbledon in a brilliant, five-set thriller against Djokovic that was decided by a tiebreaker at 12 games all. 

If Federer retired tomorrow, he would do so as the most accomplished male tennis player in the history of the sport, with 20 Grand Slam singles titles and 310 total weeks atop the ATP rankings throughout his career. He also holds an Olympic gold medal in doubles (2008) and a silver in singles (2012).

That's a pretty good resume. 

Federer has been a central figure in what has arguably been the golden age in men's tennis, battling the likes of fellow superstars Djokovic (17 Grand Slam singles titles), Rafael Nadal (19 Grand Slam singles titles) and to a lesser extent Andy Murray (three Grand Slam singles titles).  

That his era coincided with that of Serena Williams—winner of 23 Grand Slam singles titles and four gold medals, making her the greatest female tennis player of all time and arguably the game's greatest player ever, period—has been a real treat for tennis fans. 

Thankfully for those fans, it sounds as though Federer still has some tennis left in him, though it won't happen in 2020 as he recovers from knee surgery.

pic.twitter.com/zXnR7gAZQA

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) June 10, 2020

But Federer should be back in 2021. Based on his comments Wednesday, it might be his last season. 

Roger Federer announced Wednesday that he will miss the remainder of the 2020 ATP tennis season with a knee injury:

pic.twitter.com/zXnR7gAZQA

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) June 10, 2020

The 38-year-old veteran said he had a setback in his recovery that forced him to undergo a "quick arthroscopic procedure" on his right knee. Federer added that he is looking forward to the start of the 2021 season.

Play on the ATP tour has been suspended since March because of the coronavirus pandemic. Wimbledon was canceled for the first time since 1945, while the French Open was moved from May to September.

Federer is one of the greatest tennis players of all time with 20 Grand Slam singles titles to his credit. Even as he approaches 39 years of age, Fed is still among the top players in the sport and a constant threat to win Grand Slams when healthy.

His most recent Grand Slam title came at the 2018 Australian Open, but Federer has reached a pair of Grand Slam semifinals and one final since then. At the 2020 Aussie Open—which remains the only Grand Slam tournament that has been played this year—Federer fell in the semis to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.

Federer has dealt with some injuries in recent years and has opted to take time off in an effort to remain as fresh as possible. He didn't play the French Open in 2018 and took off the clay-court season from 2016-18 in order to give himself the best chance to compete at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

With Federer out of the picture for the remainder of 2020, it means there is one fewer top-tier player standing in the way of Djokovic and Rafael Nadal should the 2020 season resume at some point.

It could also provide an opportunity for someone else to step up and become a true Grand Slam title contender, such as Dominic Thiem, Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas or Alexander Zverev—all of whom are 26 or younger and could be the future of tennis.

There remains a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the rest of the 2020 tennis season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, so taking additional time away to heal properly is a logical move on Federer's part and one that could help him continue to be competitive on the big stage moving forward.

Tennis legend Roger Federer topped Forbes' 2020 list of the world's highest-paid athletes with $106.3 million in total earnings from salary, winnings and endorsements.

Federer, who ranked fifth on last year's list, leapfrogged soccer superstars Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, along with boxer Canelo Alvarez, to take the No. 1 spot.

Here's a look at the new top 10 based on earnings from the past 12 months:

• Roger Federer (tennis): $106.3 million
• Cristiano Ronaldo (soccer): $105 million
• Lionel Messi (soccer): $104 million
• Neymar (soccer): $95.5 million
• LeBron James (basketball): $88.2 million
• Stephen Curry (basketball): $74.4 million
• Kevin Durant (basketball): $63.9 million
• Tiger Woods (golf): $62.3 million
• Kirk Cousins (football): $60.5 million
• Carson Wentz (football): $59.1 million

It's the first time the 20-time Grand Slam champion has ranked atop Forbes' annual list.

The 38-year-old fan favorite's ascension despite being in the latter stages of his playing career was buoyed by $100 million in endorsement earnings, highlighted by a 10-year, $300 million contract signed with Japanese retail company Uniqlo in 2018.

"We feel the greatest impact of Roger Federer is yet to come," Uniqlo head of global creative John Jay told Kurt Badenhausen of Forbes. "Of course, it will be fueled by his status as the greatest of all time, but Roger's ability to bring positive change to the world is his future and ours."

On the court, Federer added two more titles to his Hall of Fame resume over the past 12 months with triumphs in the Halle Open last June and the Swiss Indoors in October. He's won 103 singles championships, second to only Jimmy Connors (109) in tennis' Open Era.

Here are the top earners from sports not represented in the top 10:

• Boxing: Tyson Fury ($57 million; No. 11 overall)
• Racing: Lewis Hamilton ($54 million; No. 13)
• MMA: Conor McGregor ($48 million; No. 16)
• Baseball: Clayton Kershaw ($27.3 million; No. 57)

No hockey player qualified for the top 100, which had a $21.8 million cutoff. The Toronto Maple Leafs' Mitch Marner had the highest base salary for the 2019-20 NHL season at $16 million, per CapFriendly.

Meanwhile, Naomi Osaka posted the highest single-year earnings for a female athlete in the history of Forbes' tracking at $37.4 million.

Earlier this month, the 22-year-old Japanese rising star said she's working to overcome "crippling shyness" to use her new global platform in a positive way.

"For me, I have a lot of regrets before I go to sleep, and most of the regret is that I don't speak out about what I'm thinking," Osaka told CNN Sport.

Forbes noted the coronavirus pandemic has made an immediate impact on athletes' earnings, as the combined $3.6 billion earned by the top 100 is a nine percent drop from last year.

The Roger Federer Foundation announced Wednesday that it has donated $1 million to help feed school children in Africa.

The foundation's official Twitter account tweeted: "COVID-19 is a global health and economic crisis. As a humanitarian response, the Roger Federer Foundation has granted one million USD to provide nutritious meals for 64,000 vulnerable young children and their families through our partners in Africa while schools are closed."

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, schools are closed in many countries across the world. Some families rely on schools to provide their children with breakfast and lunch, and the tennis star's donation will help fill the void for some children and families in Africa.

Federer, who is a 20-time Grand Slam singles champion and arguably the greatest tennis player of all time, created the foundation in 2004 with the goal of helping underprivileged families in Africa and his native Switzerland, per TMZ Sports.

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a significant toll on nations across the world since the first case was reported in December. According to CNN, there have been nearly 3.7 million known cases of coronavirus worldwide, leading to nearly 260,000 deaths.

Coronavirus has resulted in the temporary closing of businesses across the globe, and tennis is among the many sports that have been impacted.

Both the ATP and WTA suspended operations in March, resulting in the cancellation of Wimbledon and the postponement of the French Open. Even as some countries slowly start the process of reopening, it is unclear if or when the 2020 tennis season will resume.

Should tennis pick back up at some point in 2020, the 38-year-old Federer will undoubtedly be among the top contenders to vie for the remaining Grand Slam titles.

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Bleacher Report's David Gardner interviews athletes and other sports figures for the podcast How to Survive Without Sports.

Tennis legend Roger Federer believes there is a way for the sport to "come out of" the coronavirus pandemic with one stronger body instead of two weaker bodies.

He posed the idea of merging the governing bodies of the ATP and WTA in a series of tweets Wednesday, suggesting men's and women's tennis should "be united and come together as one."

He said it "should have happened a long time ago" and explained that wouldn't mean merging the on-court competition during tournaments.

Just wondering…..am I the only one thinking that now is the time for men’s and women’s tennis to be united and come together as one?

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) April 22, 2020

It probably should have happened a long time ago, but maybe now is really the time.
These are tough times in every sport and we can come out of this with 2 weakened bodies or 1 stronger body. https://t.co/30SbbAla5g

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) April 22, 2020

I am not talking about merging competition on the court, but merging the 2 governing bodies (ATP and WTA) that oversee the men’s and women’s professional tours….

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) April 22, 2020

Federer also said: "It's too confusing for the fans when there are different ranking systems, different logos, different websites, different tournament categories."

He is not the only tennis great who feels this way, as Rafael Nadal, Simona Halep and Garbine Muguruza responded in agreement:

Hey @rogerfederer as you know per our discussions I completely agree that it would be great to get out of this world crisis with the union of men's and women's tennis in one only organisation 🎾👍🏻 https://t.co/fTCfvMiU4G

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) April 22, 2020

You are not the only one 😊

— Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) April 22, 2020

Yes, would be a good idea https://t.co/Xu9AXLFX7z

— Garbiñe Muguruza (@GarbiMuguruza) April 22, 2020

The Associated Press (h/t Sports Illustrated) noted the ATP was founded in 1972 and has run the men's game since, while the WTA was founded by Billie Jean King in 1973 and has run the women's game since.

King remains a major voice in the sport and was emphatic in her agreement with Federer as well.

"I agree, and have been saying so since the early 1970s," she tweeted. "One voice, women and men together, has long been my vision for tennis. The WTA on its own was always Plan B. I'm glad we are on the same page. Let's make it happen."

Major stars from the past like King and the current game like Federer, Nadal, Halep and Muguruza getting behind the idea would surely provide momentum and help usher in a new era of tennis.

Despite the two governing bodies, men and women do play at the same tournaments a number of times each year, most notably at the four Grand Slam events.

Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal want to find a way to help their fellow tennis players who have been financially impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. 

Per the Associated Press, Djokovic said in an Instagram Live conversation with Stan Wawrinka that he had a "long conversation" with Federer and Nadal about what they can do to "help lower-ranked guys who obviously are struggling the most."

Djokovic noted the ATP and "most likely" the Grand Slam tournaments would get involved to help raise between $3 million and $4.5 million, which would potentially be distributed to players ranked from roughly Nos. 200 to 700 in the official standings. 

There hasn't been an ATP tournament since Rafael Nadal won the Mexican Open by defeating Taylor Fritz on Feb. 29. 

All ATP and WTA events have been suspended until at least July 13. The French Open, originally scheduled to run from May 24 to June 7, was moved to a Sept. 20 start. Wimbledon was canceled for the first time since World War II, because of the pandemic. 

Tennis legend Roger Federer kept fans entertained Monday by posting a video of himself executing trick shots against a wall in the snow. 

Federer made several between-the-legs and behind-the-back shots look easy:

Making sure I still remember how to hit trick shots #TennisAtHome pic.twitter.com/DKDKQTaluY

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) March 30, 2020

With the ATP season suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, nearly four million fans got their tennis fix by watching Federer's video as of Tuesday morning.

Federer underwent knee surgery in February but seems to be doing well in his recovery. The surgery would have forced the Swiss to miss the French Open, but it was moved from May and June to September and October as a result of COVID-19.

The 38-year-old veteran is the No. 4-ranked player in the world currently and has 20 career Grand Slam singles titles to his credit.

Federer reached the semifinals of the Australian Open earlier this year, and while he hasn't won a Grand Slam since the 2018 Aussie Open, he remains one of the top players in the sport when healthy.

During his time away from tennis, Federer is not only working on his trick shots and rehabbing his knee; he and his wife, Mirka, also announced they will donate $1.2 million to vulnerable families in Switzerland, per ESPN.