World No. 2 Rafael Nadal Upset by Diego Schwartzman at Italian Open
Sep 19, 2020
Argentina's Diego Schwartzman returns the ball to Spain's Rafael Nadal during their quarterfinals at the Italian Open tennis tournament, in Rome, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP)
Diego Schwartzman stunned World No. 2 Rafael Nadal in the Italian Open quarterfinals 6-2, 7-5 on Saturday in Rome's Foro Italico:
Schwartzman, who lost all nine of his previous meetings with Nadal, had won just two sets off the 19-time major winner entering Saturday.
Per ESPN Stats & Info, Schwartzman's win is Nadal's first loss on clay since the left-hander dropped a match to Stefanos Tsitsipas at ATP Madrid in May 2019.
The 28-year-old Argentinian was phenomenal all evening, and he seemingly had an answer for everything Nadal sent his way.
He excelled Saturday when it counted the most, converting five of his nine break-point opportunities. He also won 64 percent of his first-serve points.
Nadal, who has won nine Italian Opens, is gearing up for next week's French Open, which he has won 12 times. The 34-year-old has won at Roland Garros in each of the past three seasons and eight of the last 10 years.
This year's French Open begins on Sunday, Sept. 27. Seedings will be announced on Friday.
Schwartzman will also take part, but he'll now gear up for the Italian Open semifinals against Denis Shapovalov. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Casper Ruud form the other semi. Both matches will take place on Sunday.
Rafael Nadal Announces He Will Not Play in 2020 US Open amid COVID-19 Concerns
Aug 4, 2020
Spain's Rafael Nadal pumps his fist as he defeats Spain's Pablo Andujar in the opening round of the Mexican Open tennis tournament in Acapulco, Mexico, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Four-time U.S. Open champion Rafael Nadal announced Tuesday he won't take part in the 2020 tournament, citing concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.
We know that the reduced tennis calendar is barbaric this year after 4 months stopped with no play, I understand and thank for the efforts they are putting in to make it happen. We have just seen the announcement of Madrid not being played this year.
This is a decision I never wanted to take but I have decided to follow my heart this time and for the time being I rather not travel. pic.twitter.com/8VA0aSACVy
In June, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomosigned offon plans to stage the U.S. Open without fans at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The ATP Tour and WTA also moved the Western & Southern Open from its usual home of Mason, Ohio, to New York City as a tune-up for the U.S. Open.
Nadal's concerns appear to extend beyond just the U.S. Open, as he called the ATP's schedule "barbaric" after the pandemic forced officials to bring the season to a halt.
The ATP initiallyrolled outa six-week hiatus, during which time it would watch the situation evolve. Play won't officially resume until the Western & Southern Open, which begins Aug. 24.
Nadal hasn't stepped on the court for a competitive match since winning the Mexican Open in February.
In addition to the absence of the defending champion, the U.S. Open will have to cope without five-time champ Roger Federer, whoconfirmed in Junehe is sitting out the remainder of the season because of knee problems.
Jose Morgadoof Portuguese newspaperRecordnoted the 1999 U.S. Open was the last Grand Slam tournament that didn't feature either Federer or Nadal.
Rafael Nadal Says 2020 Season Is 'Practically Lost,' Preparing for 2021
May 5, 2020
Spain's Rafael Nadal holds up a ball as he prepares to serve in his second-round match against Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic, at the Mexican Tennis Open in Acapulco, Mexico, in the early morning hours of Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020.(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Rafael Nadal sounds like he isn't counting on having any tennis until next year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking to Spanish newspaper El Pais (h/t Tales Azzoni of the Associated Press), Nadal explained why he would prefer the sport to start planning for 2021 instead of trying to salvage anything from this year.
"I would sign up right now just to being ready for 2021," he said. "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.''
One concern voiced by Nadal is the difficulty of trying to have players travel from country to country for tournaments amid the pandemic.
There haven't been any ATP Tour events since the Dubai Tennis Championships, Mexican Open and Chile Open all took place between Feb. 24-March 1.
The ATP and WTA havesuspendedall tournaments through at least July 13. If play is able to resume, the ATP will hold the Hamburg European Open from Hamburg, Germany and Swedish Open from Bastad, Sweden.
Wimbledon has already been canceled. The French Open waspushed backfrom its May 24 start date to Sept. 20. The U.S. Open is still scheduled for its original Aug. 24-Sept. 13 dates, but United States Tennis Association CEO Mike Dowse told the AP (h/tBoston.com) a decision to postpone or cancel is expected by June.
Nadal won the Mexican Open in his last event before the pandemic halted the season. He defeated Taylor Fritz 6-3, 6-2 in the final.
Madrid Open 2020: Andy Murray Tops Rafael Nadal 3-0 in Virtual Event
Apr 28, 2020
Andy Murray of Britain poses with the trophy after winning the European Open final tennis match in Antwerp, Belgium, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019. Murray defeated Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland 3-6/6-4/6-4. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Since the 2020 Madrid Open had to be postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, tournament organizers decided to give fans a virtual experience that raises money to help aid in the COVID-19 recovery efforts.
Tuesday marked the second day of competition at the Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Tournament with the help of PlayStation 4 video gameTennis World Tour.
A total of 26 matches were on the schedule today, with a showdown between Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray leading things off.
Unfortunately, the matchup didn't live up to the real-life hype with Murray steamrolling Nadal in three straight games.
2020 Madrid Open Virtual Tournament Results - April 28
Andy Murray def. Rafael Nadal, 3-0
Karolina Pliskova def. Carla Suarez Navarro, 3-1
David Ferrer def. Dominic Thiem, 3-0 (Technical issues forced Thiem to forfeit)
Benoit Paire def. Rafael Nadal, 3-1
Fiona Ferro def. Carla Suarez Navarro, 3-0
Fabio Fognini def. Kei Nishikori, 4-2
Belinda Bencic def. Karolina Plsikova, 4-3(1)
David Ferrer def. John Isner, 3-0
Kiki Bertens def. Donna Vekic, 3-0
Andy Murray def. Denis Shapovalov, 3-0
Lucas Pouille def. Karen Khanchanov, 3-0 (Khachanov was unable to compete)
Match point for Murray turned into a good back-and-forth rally with Nadal, but the two-time Wimbledon champion was able to take advantage of a blunder by his opponent to seal the win:
One player who really got into the spirit of interactive competition was Bianca Andreescu, who didn't seem like she was messing around leading up to her match with Kristina Mladenovic:
That attitude served Andreescu well since she swept Mladenovic to advance to the quarterfinals on the women's side of the bracket. The 19-year-old has yet to participate in the actual Madrid Open, so this is turning into a good test run for her to prepare for the future.
Here are the quarter-final clashes at the #MMOPEN Virtual Pro
Joining Andreescu in the quarterfinal is Caroline Wozniacki, who ended her retirement to take part in the virtual Madrid Open. The former world No. 1 last made it this far at the Madrid Open in 2015, though her run ended with a loss to Maria Sharapova.
Madrid Open 2020: Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray Win in Monday's Virtual Play
Apr 27, 2020
ACAPULCO, MEXICO - FEBRUARY 29: Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates after winning championship point in his Men's Singles Final match against Taylor Fritz of United States during day six of the ATP Mexican Open 2020 at Princess Mundo Imperial on February 29, 2020 in Acapulco, Mexico. (Photo by Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
With the tennis schedule on hold because of the coronavirus, the biggest stars in the sport went virtual for the 2020 Madrid Open.
Players competed Monday in the Tennis World Tour video game, with 16 men and 16 women vying for a championship during the four-day event.
There is a prize pool of €150,000 in each bracket to donate to relief funds for "lower-ranked players whose incomes have dried up during the pandemic," per Jonathan Jurejko of BBC, creating a lot of motivation during the fun event.
Here is a look at what took place on Day 1 in homes around the world, with all games being streamed on the tournament's Facebook page.
Nadal is a five-time winner of the Madrid Open in real life and found similar success on the virtual clay.
The Spanish star kicked off his tournament with a match against Denis Shapovalov that went to a tiebreak, but Nadal was able to come through with the 4-3 (7-3) win.
Andy Murray is all in on his Madrid Virtual match...Grunting on his own points, screaming at the screen...awesome stuff & def. Paire 3-1 in 8 min match...No sign of any hip issues either #MMOpen#ATP
Though it is expected to be a while before fans see live tennis, this event is entertaining enough to hold people over for the next few days.
Djokovic, Federer, Nadal Want to Help Players Financially Affected by COVID-19
Apr 18, 2020
Switzerland's Roger Federer, right, congratulates Serbia's Novak Djokovic on winning their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)
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 beensuspendeduntil 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 wascanceledfor the first time since World War II, because of the pandemic.
Rafael Nadal, Pau Gasol Start Drive to Raise $12.1M for Coronavirus Aid in Spain
Mar 26, 2020
Spain's Rafael Nadal (R) poses with his trophy near US basketball player Pau Gasol after winning his men's final in the French Open tennis championship at the Roland Garros stadium, on June 5, 2011, in Paris. Nadal won the final against Switzerland's Roger Federer. AFP PHOTO / JACQUES DEMARTHON (Photo credit should read JACQUES DEMARTHON/AFP via Getty Images)
Pau Gasol and Rafael Nadal are helping their home country of Spain deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
They both posted videos on social media urging those who can to donate to a Red Cross fundraising effort. The Associated Press (h/t NBC Sports) noted they are trying to raise 11 million euros ($12.1 million).
Ha llegado la hora de que entre todos consigamos #nuestramejorvictoria💪🏼 Colabora en el proyecto #CruzRojaResponde enviando tu aportación a ES44 0049 0001 5321 1002 2225.
Mi donación y la de @RafaelNadal ya están en camino. ¿Te unes?
The AP pointed out former Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas said he would help, as well.
What's more, Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid will be put to use as a storage space for medical supplies. Real Madrid also said it will use its stadium to house donations that will then go to hospitals.
Spain has been one of the hardest-hit countries in the world during the pandemic.
As of Thursday, the World Health Organization confirmed there have been more than 465,000 cases of the coronavirus across the globe. Spain has the fourth-most cases at more than 47,000.
Roger Federer Beats Rafael Nadal in Charity Exhibition at Cape Town Stadium
Feb 7, 2020
Switzerland's Roger Federer reacts after a point against Spain's Rafael Nadal and American philanthropist Bill Gates during their double's tennis match at The Match in Africa at the Cape Town Stadium, in Cape Town on February 7, 2020. (Photo by RODGER BOSCH / AFP) (Photo by RODGER BOSCH/AFP via Getty Images)
Roger Federer beat Rafael Nadal 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in a charity match played at the Cape Town Stadium in South Africa on Friday.
The match was created to raise money for the Roger Federer Foundation, which provides education and athletic training to children in Africa. Both players also squared off in a doubles match earlier in the day, with Federer and Microsoft CEO Bill Gates beating Nadal and comedian Trevor Noah 6-3.
There was a notable moment for the home crowd before the start of play when Rugby World Cup winner Siya Kolisi presented Federer with a Springboks jersey.
A firm backhand gave Federer early control, but Nadal's service game was strong and so was his forehand. However, the Spaniard's serve was broken when he put a backhand wide and allowed Federer to take the first game.
It was 2-1 Federer when the Swiss stretched his advantage further by holding brilliantly on serve after racing into a 40-0 start. The players then traded holds, putting Federer closer to eventually seizing the set at 4-2.
Nadal's deft and precise lob at the net helped Nadal close it to 4-3. It was a well-controlled shot amid strong and difficult winds.
Nadal soon returned the favour when his superb drop shot forced Federer into a stunning rescue from the baseline. Nadal got to the ball to return in style, with Federer slicing a forehand into the net.
Federer had lost the point, but he was still serving for the set at 5-4. An ace helped the 38-year-old see things out.
Nadal took control of the second set with an early break for a 2-0 lead. Federer broke back, but Nadal stayed on top en route to building a three-game advantage at 4-1, before the ballboy and ballgirl played a point:
Federer's response was an emphatic one, wasting no time building a 3-0 lead thanks largely to a pair of quality service games. The score was 4-1 Federer when Nadal produced an exquisite trick shot, a terrific overhand volley when facing the other way, helping the 33-year-old halve the deficit.
As good as the shot was, Federer was still in a position to serve for the match three games later. He duly won with a clever drop over the net to hold serve to cap an occasion when two of the sport's greatest combined their talents to produce a true spectacle.
Australian Open 2020 Results: Wednesday Bracket Winners, Scores and Top Stats
Jan 29, 2020
Austria's Dominic Thiem celebrates after victory against Spain's Rafael Nadal during their men's singles quarter-final match on day ten of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 30, 2020. (Photo by Greg Wood / AFP) / IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE (Photo by GREG WOOD/AFP via Getty Images)
Dominic Thiem knocked top seed Rafael Nadal out of the 2020 Australian Open on Wednesday, beating the Spaniard in four sets at Rod Laver Arena to set up a semi-final clash with Alexander Zverev.
The win is the first time Thiem has beaten Nadal at a Grand Slam, and it also sends the 26-year-old Austrian into the last four in Melbourne for the first time in his career.
He goes on to face seventh seed Zverev, who beat 2014 champion Stanislas Wawrinka in four sets to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final.
In the women's draw, both Simona Halep and Garbine Muguruza booked their places in the last four on Wednesday. Fourth seed Halep cruised past Anett Kontaveit in under an hour in straight sets.
The Romanian will now take on Muguruza for a place in the final. The 26-year-old knocked out Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to reach her first Australian Open semi-final.
Thiem took four hours and 10 minutes to end Nadal's hopes of winning the Australian Open for the second time in his career.
The Austrian produced his best tennis when it mattered to edge a tense quarter-final clash. He claimed the first two sets on the tiebreak and then survived a typical Nadal fightback to win another breaker in the fourth.
Thiem's victory means he becomes only the second Austrian to reach the Australian Open semi-finals, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
He goes on to face Zverev, with the winner set to play either third seed Roger Federer or defending champion Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final.
Zverev suffered a poor start to his quarter-final against Wawrinka, losing the first set 6-1 in just 24 minutes.
However, the German responded well to the early setback and did not drop a point on serve on his way to taking the second set and levelling the match.
Zverev saw out the win against a tiring Wawrinka to become the first German to qualify for the semi-finals of a Grand Slam since Tommy Haas in 2009 at Wimbledon, per ATP Media Info.
Wednesday saw Halep in dominant form in a comprehensive win over Kontaveit. The 2019 Wimbledon champion is yet to drop a set at the tournament and cruised through the first in less than half an hour.
The second set was a similar story as Halep raced to victory, saving the only break point she faced in the match and winning all her net points.
The fourth seed will now aim to reach the final in Melbourne for just the second time in her career, but she must see off the challenge of former French Open and Wimbledon champion Muguruza next.
The unseeded Muguruza is into her first Grand Slam semi-final since the 2018 French Open after knocking out Pavlyuchenkova on Wednesday.
Muguruza lost her serve twice in the first set but broke straight back on both occasions. She was then gifted the first set when Pavlyuchenkova produced three double-faults and hit a backhand long when serving to force the tiebreak.
Muguruza broke Pavlyuchenkova again in the second to progress in straight sets and set up a last-four meeting with Halep. The winner will go on to face Australia's Ashleigh Barty or American Sofia Kenin in the final.
Australian Open 2020 Men's Semi-Final: TV Schedule, Start Time, Live Stream
Jan 29, 2020
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 28: Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates his victory in his quarter final match against Milos Raonic of Canada on day nine of the 2020 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 28, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by TPN/Getty Images)
The semi-finals for the 2020 men's singles competition at the Australian Open are set, with a quartet of big names in contention for a spot in the final.
On Thursday, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer will write another chapter in their longstanding rivalry, as they face off in what should be a thrilling encounter.
A day later, Dominic Thiem will be out to build on the momentum he accrued from his excellent win over Rafael Nadal. He will take on Alexander Zverev, who has begun to overcome his Grand Slam issues at this competition, making it to the final four of one of the majors for the first time in his career.
Here are the key details on where to catch what promise to be some absorbing contests in Melbourne.
Men's Semi-Final Schedule (GMT)
Thursday, January 30
Not before 8:30 a.m.: (2) Novak Djokovic vs. (3) Roger Federer
Friday, January 31
Not before 8:30 a.m.: (5) Dominic Thiem vs. (7) Alexander Zverev
It's no surprise to see both Federer and Djokovic in the semi-finals, but they've both taken different paths.
While Djokovic hasn't dropped a set since his first match and coasted past Milos Raonic in the quarter-finals, Federer has been on the brink of elimination a couple of times.
The Swiss somehow clung on in the quarters against Tennys Sandgren, when he saved seven match points and eventually clinched the clash in five sets.
Eurosport shared the highlights of one of the best comeback wins of Federer's career:
Given Federer was suffering with a groin injury during the Sandgren match and was taken to five sets in the previous round against John Millman, you suspect his 38-year-old frame will be sore as he prepares for the showdown with Djokovic.
It makes the Serbian, who is the defending champion and a seven-time winner of this competition, a big favourite to progress into Sunday's showpiece final.
Also looking to get there will be Zverev, who has displayed signs of finally delivering on his immense potential. In the quarters, he dug deep to beat Stanislas Wawrinka, fighting back from a set down and showing the sort of steely focus fans have long been demanding from him on this stage.
After the win, Zverev said he didn't have especially high ambitions at this competition:
The German's mindset will be fascinating going into the semi; already this is his best performance at a Grand Slam, but the pressure of playing this deep into a major event will be a new experience.
Thiem has played in two Grand Slam finals before, both at the French Open. In each of those he lost to Nadal, although he gained a measure of revenge on Wednesday by beating the Spaniard.
The Austrian showed both quality and resilience to best the top seed in four sets; that type of performance—given the opponent he beat and the manner of the win—should give him the confidence to win one of these major events.
