RF Tennis News 2019

ROGER FEDERER : Nice to be back in front of a Japanese crowd for the 1st time in 13 years. Can't wait to be back in 2020 #UNIQLOLifewearday (from FB) #tennissamurai #japan #tennis #tenis #Federer pic.twitter.com/Gv1eIFwQEq

— LoveSetMatch (@LoveSetMatch_) October 17, 2019

Nitto ATP Finals 2019:  Nadal and Djokovic top groups, with battle for No. 1 on the line

Federer drawn in Djokovic’s group,  Nadal with Medvedev

By Marianne Bevis at The O2
Thursday 7 November 2019, 18:45 UK



Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer at the 2015 ATP Finals (Photo: Marianne Bevis)


Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are the top three seeds at the ATP Tour’s most prestigious tournament, the final championship in the calendar that features the most successful eight players this season.

Hard to believe, then, that the same three men were the top three seeds when their paths first collided at the ATP Finals back in 2007. Then, it was called the Masters Cup, and was played in Shanghai, and No1 Federer won his fourth year-end title.

This year, the 38-year-old Swiss is seeded third, and has been drawn into the same group as the 32-year-old five-time champion Djokovic, while 33-year-old Nadal, who snatched back the No1 ranking this week, tops the other group.

As if their longevity and consistency needed any further evidence, the same three men have held that top spot between them exclusively since February 2004, aside from a nine-month residency by Andy Murray between 2016 and 2017. Indeed that same quartet are the only men to have held the No2 ranking since 2005.

And as 2019 draws to a close, Federer at 36, Nadal at 33 and Djokovic at 32 are—perhaps not surprisingly—the oldest No1s aside from a 33-year-old Andre Agassi. Timely, then, that one of this year’s groups is named after the American.

However, this year, in the penultimate playing of the event in its 12-year residency at London’s O2, there is certainly a pleasingly youthful contingency alongside the current triumvirate.

While four of the other men who contested that 2007 title have long since retired—the likes of Nikolay Davydenko, Andy Roddick and Fernando Gonzalez—four of the qualifiers this year are age 23 and under, and three of them are debuting at the tournament: 23-year-olds Daniil Medvedev and Matteo Berrettini, and 21-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas. The fourth young face? He happens to be the defending champion, after winning last year at just 21, Alexander Zverev.

Even so, probably the biggest stories destined to unfold in London will again focus on the old guard, for several reasons.

· Djokovic can reclaim the No1 ranking by the end of the tournament—though he is likely to need to win the title to recoup a 640-point deficit, and if Nadal wins all three round-robin matches and his semi-final, he will be untouchable.

· Nadal is in pursuit of the only big title in tennis that has eluded him.

· Federer is hoping to extend his record number of victories to seven, but Djokovic is aiming to equal him with his sixth.


The Groups

Schedule: Doubles begin at midday and 6pm, Singles at 2pm and 8pm

Doubles final: Sunday, 17 November at 3.30pm; Singles final not before 6pm


Group Andre Agassi—matches begin Monday

Nadal has a 51-6 match run for the season and has qualified for the ATP Finals for a record 15th consecutive year. He was runner-up in 2010 and 2012. He is 11-1 against the rest of his group, with only Tstisipas picking up a win.

[1] Rafael Nadal
[4] Daniil Medvedev
[6] Stefanos Tsitsipas
[7] Alexander Zverev


Group Bjorn Borg—matches begin Sunday

Djokovic has a 53-9 match record in 2019, has qualified for the season finale for the 13th time, and won five times. He is 26-22 against Federer, 6-3 versus Thiem. Federer is 51-8 for the year.

[2] Novak Djokovic
[3] Roger Federer
[5] Dominic Thiem
[8] Matteo Berrettini

Alternates: Roberto Bautista Agut, Gael Monfils


Facts and figures

· O2 arena holds 17,800
· Total prize money: $9,000,000; undefeated champion can pocket $2,712,000
· Most singles titles: Federer (6), plus four additional finals
· Most singles appearances: Federer (16), first in 2002
· Oldest champion: Federer 30 in 2011
· Youngest champion: John McEnroe, 19 in 1978
· Lowest-ranked champion: No12 David Nalbandian, 2005
· Most match wins: Federer (57)

Roger Federer Says He’s Wide Open To Playing Beyond 2020: ‘Why Not?’

By Adam Zagoria, Contributor - Forbes      
SportsMoney

Nov 25, 2019



MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - NOVEMBER 23: Roger Federer of Switzerland plays a shot during 'The Greatest  Match' between Roger Federer and Alexander Zverev at Plaza Mexico on November 23, 2019 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Angel Castillo/Jam Media/Getty Images)


Roger Federer has a jam-packed schedule for 2020 that includes plans to play in all four Grand Slam tournaments as well as the Olympics and the Laver Cup.

But the 38-year-old tennis legend hasn’t ruled out playing beyond 2020, either. The 20-time Grand Slam champion will turn 40 in 2021.

“So 2020 is set but 2021, I just don’t know because it’s too far away but of course if I have the chance to play and everything’s still working sure why not?” Federer said Monday at a press conference in Manhattan to promote his association with the Swiss sneaker brand On.

Federer’s legion of fans dread the word “retirement” and Federer is careful to avoid using it. He says he’ll continue to play as long as his family – which includes his wife, Mirka, and two sets of twins – support him, and as long as his body holds up and he can continue to be competitive.

Here at a presser with Roger Federer who is promoting the Swiss sneaker brand On pic.twitter.com/c2rnDkU6eO

— Adam Zagoria(@AdamZagoria) November 25, 2019

Federer will end 2019 as the No. 3 player in the world behind rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, both of whom are closing in fast on Federer’s all-time men’s mark of 20 majors. Nadal won the French Open and U.S. Open in 2019 to get to 19, while Djokovic captured the Australian Open and Wimbledon to move to 16. Nadal, 33, could tie and surpass his Swiss rival in 2020.

“If the family is happy and healthy, that needs to be the case,” Federer said of his plans beyond 2020. “If my wife feels the same way, that is important because happy wife, happy life. You know how that works so it starts there. And then the body and the results.

“It’s going to come down to that. Usually I don’t think over a year and a half ahead of time. I usually think a year ahead of time or a year and a little bit.”

Federer currently has 103 career titles, having captured title No. 103 at his hometown Swiss Open in October. He’s now six behind Jimmy Connors’ all-time men’s mark of 109. The pursuit of that mark could also motivate him to play beyond 2020.

Federer just completed an exhibition tour of North and South America that reportedly earned him approximately $10 million. More than 42,000 fans watched on Saturday as Federer beat Alexander Zverev in three sets in the Plaza de Toros, a bull ring in Mexico City. On Sunday, Federer beat the German again in the Ruminahui Coliseum in Ecuador.

 

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - NOVEMBER 23: Roger Federer and Alexander Zverev celebrate after receiving award during 'The Greatest Match' between Roger Federer and Alexander Zverev at Plaza Mexico on November 23, 2019 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Angel Castillo/Jam Media/Getty Images)

“I’m looking forward to vacation after this,” a slightly tired-looking Federer said Monday. “It’s been an incredible last few weeks with so many emotions and so many great moments in Latin America, Mexico. It was a once in a lifetime. After this I gotta regroup, reset, train hard in the off-season and get ready for what’s next.”

After the Australian Open in January, Federer will meet Nadal in an exhibition in Capetown, South Africa.

“I’m excited about the match I have Feb. 7 in Cape Town where we’re going to be playing in front of 48,000 people,” he said. “I’m going to play that with Rafa. That’s obviously very exciting for me as well.”

In several recent years, Federer has opted to skip the clay court season to rest his body for the grass, but he returned to play the French Open in 2019 and reached the semifinals before losing to Nadal in straight sets. He then went on to beat Nadal in the Wimbledon semifinals before blowing a double-match point in the final against Djokovic for what would have been his 21st career major.

Now he plans to play all four majors, including Roland Garros again in 2020 but says he’ll play a more limited clay schedule.

“The schedule might look heavy but I think it’s a really balanced schedule which I think is going to work very well,” he said. “I’m confident about that.”

“I’m going to play the clay again this year like last year,” he said. “I’m just not going to play the full clay court schedule. I’m going to take time again to rest and train before the big swing of the French, Wimbledon, and then the Olympics and the U.S. Open. I’m really looking forward to it. I hope I’m going to stay as injury free as this year because it was a lot of fun playing this way because I just felt good and then when you feel good, you just play good as well.”

Having missed the 2016 Olympics with a knee injury, Federer is especially excited to play the Tokyo Olympics next summer. He has won an Olympic gold medal in doubles but never in singles.

“I’m very excited to be playing in the Olympics again,” he said. “I missed the Rio Olympics in 16 because of my knee. I played the three Olympics before that.

“It’s always been special for me to go to. Tokyo, it’s no different.”

Federer was asked by a Japanese journalist whether he might don the On sneakers at the Olympics. For now the company has not yet announced a tennis sneaker but that may soon change. Federer dropped his Nike sponsorship in 2018 and hasn’t had a shoe deal since.

“About tennis shoes, we have talked about but we can’t really share anything about that,” he said. “May be in the works, may be not. May be happening, may be not. It’s a secret, let’s be honest.”