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Novak Djokovic’s use of large blue gloves at the change of ends during his match against Sebastian Korda sparked a big talking point among tennis fans and now the story behind his latest innovation has been revealed.

With temperatures soaring at the Miami Open, Grigor Dimitrov and Emma Raducanu are among the star names who have been struggling to control their body temperatures.

Djokovic also had a dip in his physical levels after he got off to a flying start in his quarter-final match against Korda and that is when he turned to his gloves.

Made by Newgo, the cooling gloves are a cut-price option to regulate your temperature, with the description of a product that costs around £20 or $25 highlighing the benefits.

“This hand ice packs measure 25.5×20.5cm, designed to provide cold therapy for your entire hands, finger and wrist,” it reads.

“Adjustable straps with velcro help to fix the ice gloves in place for hands-free application. With a wide opening, you can easily put on & take off the gloves even swollen hands.

“Specially designed to provide targeted pain relief for hands, finger, wrist, this reusable ice gloves actively relieve inflammation, carpal tunnel, hand injuries, finger pain, arthritis and tendonitis, can also speed up hands surgery recovery. Great for chemotherapy patients and those with neuropathy.

“The outer layer of ice pack gloves is made of leak-proof knitted fabric, comfortable for direct skin touch, can also keep coldness in so you can enjoy the cold therapy for longer time, without worring about any leakage or tear. Filled with 30% more soft gel, this ice mittens stay flexible even after frozen, mould easily around your hands and ensure a tight fit without any restriction.

“These ice gloves can be used for hot and cold therapy according to your needs. Simply put the hand ice packs in the storage bag provided and cool them in the freezer for 2-4 hours for cold therapy. Or heating the hand ice pack in a microwave oven for 30 seconds for hot therapy.”

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova applauded Djokovic for finding an alternative way to control his body temperature, as she spoke to Sky Sports Tennis.

“They’ve had this years ago, it can lower your body temperature in like 30 seconds,” said Navratilova. “It cools down the blood supply. I don’t know why more people haven’t been using them.

“Novak is ahead of everybody when it comes to technology. It’s magic and I don’t know why tournaments don’t have them for all the players.”

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The move certainly seemed to help Djokovic, as he eased into his first Miami Open semi-final since 2016, as he eyes up a 100th career title.

“I am very relieved I won in straight sets,” Djokovic told Sky Sports. “I was quite nervous to be honest, because you never know what comes from Korda.

“He’s so aggressive, so talented and can play any shot. I was on the back foot and it was a tense match.

“It was the best serving performance for me so far. I was quite nervous because you never know what comes from Korda – he’s so aggressive and talented.

“I was on my back foot, waiting for his error rather than dictating from the back of the court. When I needed a first serve I got it but a tense match and great performance.”

READ NEXT: Novak Djokovic breaks another Roger Federer record as he storms into Miami Open semi-finals

The post Why was Novak Djokovic wearing gloves in his latest Miami Open match? appeared first on Tennis365.

The stage is set for a blockbuster Miami Open women’s singles final.

Top seed Aryna Sabalenka and fourth seed Jessica Pegula will meet on Saturday, with two of the WTA’s best hard-court players battling for the WTA 1000 title.

However, while the champion is yet to be crowned, there is already plenty to digest from the tournament, particularly from a rankings perspective.

WTA Rankings (w/c March 17, 2025)

1) Aryna Sabalenka, 9,606
2) Iga Swiatek, 7,375
3) Coco Gauff, 6,063
4) Jessica Pegula, 5,361
5) Madison Keys, 5,004
6) Mirra Andreeva, 4,710
7) Jasmine Paolini, 4,158
8) Elena Rybakina, 4,448
9) Zheng Qinwen, 3,985
10) Emma Navarro, 3,859

No matter what happened in Miami, world No 1 Sabalenka was guaranteed to stay atop the WTA Rankings.

The key question was whether she could extend her lead or if world No 2 Swiatek would close the gap in her bid to return to the top.

Behind Sabalenka and Swiatek, an interesting US battle between Gauff, Pegula, and Keys was set, with potential movements possible in the fight to be American No 1.

Further down the top 10, plenty of movement was possible – particularly with world No 8 Rybakina defending finalist points.

WTA Live Rankings (as of March 28, 2025)

1) Aryna Sabalenka, 10,191
2) Iga Swiatek, 7,470
3) Coco Gauff, 6,063
4) Jessica Pegula, 5,796
5) Madison Keys, 4,949
6) Jasmine Paolini, 4,843
7) Mirra Andreeva, 4,775
8) Zheng Qinwen, 4,135
9) Paula Badosa, 3,821
10) Elena Rybakina, 3,808

With Sabalenka in the final and Swiatek falling in the last eight, the Belarusian’s lead will grow significantly.

The Belarusian is guaranteed to hold over 10,000 ranking points for the first time in her career – and will hold 10,541 points should she beat Pegula in Saturday’s final.

Pegula’s run to a first Miami Open final has grown her points lead over world No 5 Keys, and the 31-year-old will move to 6,146 points – overtaking Gauff – if she wins the title.

Meanwhile, Paolini’s run to the last four has seen her move back ahead of Andreeva and up to world No 10, while a run to the fourth round sees Badosa back up to No 9 despite her injury issues.

However, there’s potentially bad news for Rybakina, who is set to fall to world No 10 on Monday.

Big Winners

Perhaps the biggest winner towards the top is Sabalenka, who now holds an even more commanding lead as the world No 1.

With world No 2 Swiatek defending a huge chunk of points this clay season, the Belarusian looks set for an extended stay as the world’s best player.

However, no woman will make a bigger leap than surprise semi-finalist Alex Eala.

The Filipina’s stunning run to the semi-final – which saw her beat both Keys and Swiatek – will see her break into the top 100 come Monday.

Currently ranked 140th in the world, Eala is projected to rise 65 places to a new high of world No 75 on Monday, and become the first woman from the Philippines to reach the top 100.

There is also good news for Emma Raducanu after an encouraging – and much-needed – run to the quarter-final in Miami.

By reaching her first WTA 1000 quarter-final, world No 60 Raducanu is projected to leap 12 places to world No 48, and be ranked inside the top 50 for the first time since 2022.

Elina Svitolina is projected to jump four places to world No 18, while compatriot Marta Kostyuk will move back up five places to world No 24.

US stars Ashlyn Krueger and McCartney Kessler are both projected to reach new career-high rankings – world No 34 and No 42, respectively – while there’s also good news for Naomi Osaka.

The Japanese is set to return to the top 60 and move up five spots to world No 56.

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Big Losers

Having reached the final the past two years, a second-round exit to Krueger sees Rybakina drop 640 spots and two places.

With the Kazakh set to skip her WTA 500 title defence in Stuttgart in April, a fall from the top-10 looks inevitable.

Also slipping down the rankings post-Miami is Danielle Collins, who fell in the fourth round of her title defence to Sabalenka.

The US star is set to be ranked outside the top 20 on Monday, slipping seven places to world No 22.

2024 semi-finalist Ekaterina Alexandrova will fall six places to world No 26 after her second-round exit, while there’s even worse news for Victoria Azarenka.

Also a semi-finalist in 2024, the former world No 1’s retirement in the second round means she is projected to drop 15 places to world No 47.

After falling out of the top 50 post-Indian Wells, Maria Sakkari will now be outside the top 60 and fall 12 spots to world No 63 after a third-round exit.

Meanwhile, with a projected fall of 27 places to world No 101, Caroline Garcia will be ranked outside the top 100 for the first time since 2013.

Read Next: Why Emma Raducanu was a big winner despite her Miami Open defeat

The post WTA Rankings Winners & Losers Miami Open: Raducanu top 50, Eala +65, Sabalenka hits new milestone appeared first on Tennis365.

Teenage sensation Alex Eala’s fairytale run at the 2025 Miami Open is over, and she will leave the tournament with huge boosts to her ranking and earnings.

Eala pushed world No 4 Jessica Pegula hard in the semi-finals at the WTA 1000 event before ultimately falling 6-7(3), 7-5, 3-6 after two hours and 26 minutes.

The 140th-ranked wildcard made history by becoming the first player from the Philippines to reach the last four of a tour-level event.

The 19-year-old defeated three Grand Slam champions during her run at the Hard Rock Stadium: Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek.

Her stunning 6-2, 7-5 quarter-final win over Swiatek, a five-time major winner and the current world No 2, was a seismic upset.

Eala earned all four of her victories in Miami in straight sets, while she also received a last 16 walkover from Paula Badosa, who was forced to withdraw due to injury.

Following her loss to Pegula, Eala told reporters: “Of course, I’m disappointed.

“But there’s so many times in tennis where you have to dig out the dirt to look for the positive and now I’m enjoying it because there’s so much positive around me and I don’t know how many times that has happened, so I’m just lucky to have been able to experience these two weeks.

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“The match I played was amazing and she played amazing. I definitely had my chances and I definitely have things that I could’ve done better, but I literally gave everything I had — as you see I’m taped up like a mummy.”

Eala added: “I think I’m going to reset and build my body back up so that my next tournament I can go all out full and can give everything I have again. It’s not easy because if it was, everybody would be doing it.”

By reaching the semi-finals in Miami, Eala has collected 370 ranking points, which has seen her soar 65 places in the live WTA Rankings from 140th to 75th.

The Filipino’s previous career-high ranking was world No 134, and she will become the first player in her nation’s history to break into the top 100 of the women’s or men’s rankings next week.

Eala’s run at the WTA 1000 tournament has earned her $332,160 in prize money, with her total career earnings prior to the tournament standing at $498,901.

READ NEXT: The 5 lowest-ranked women to beat Iga Swiatek in a WTA match: ft. Alex Eala

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It’s not often that a tennis player leaves the court as a winner after a disappointing three-set defeat, but that was the story for Emma Raducanu at the Miami Open.

Roll the clock back to the start of March and Raducanu’s mind was not focused on runs to the latter stages of WTA 1000 tournaments for so many reasons.

In fact, she was not even thinking about playing tennis in America and competing in the ‘Sunshine Double’ that includes events in Indian Wells and Miami.

After a challenging start to the season on and off the court that included a run of defeats that impacted her confidence, questions were being asked about Raducanu’s ability to compete at the top of the women’s game.

That was before the incident in Dubai where she was approached by a man who was described as displaying ‘fixated behaviour’, leaving her shaken and pondering what would come next in her career.

The 2021 US Open champion admitted she considered pulling out of the WTA 1000 tournament at Indian Wells as she looked to recover from the shock of that incident, with some suggesting she may ever be considering taking a break from the game.

Her first round exit at Indian Wells highlighted her lack of preparation for that tournament, but Raducanu refocused for the Miami Open and the results were so impressive.

Wins against Emma Navarro, Mccartney Kessler and Amanda Anisimova highlighted a thrilling resurgence in Raducanu’s game, but her performance against world No 4 Jessica Pegula took her story in Miami to the next level.

Pegula was in brilliant form as she stormed to the first set, with Raducanu doing well to get three games against an opponent who was solid from the back of the court and clinical when she moved forward.

Raducanu could have been expected to slip away in the match after she conceded that first set, but she stormed back with a sensational burst of games in the second set and should have won it before finally sealing the deal on the tie-break.

The decider was also evenly balanced, as Raducanu fought to the end despite feeling unwell and calling for medical assistance, with her 6-4, 6-7[3] 6-2 defeat only telling part of this story.

Raducanu’s performance against Pegula was the display of a player who belongs in the top 10 of the WTA Rankings, as she went toe-to-toe with last year’s US Open finalist and pushed her all the way before finally accepting defeat.

“It was tough. I played a good first set, a little let down in the second, got it back, went up 2-0 in the tiebreak, but it kind of flipped,” said Pegula.

“She started moving the ball really well, serving good… sometimes it just happens, but I just wanted to come out in the third really strong, really quick, and just kind of jump on her and not keep the third set too close.”

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The improvements on Raducanu’s serve were noticeable all week and that may be down to the presence of Mark Petchey on her coaching team once again.

Raducanu’s Miami Open started with the shock exit of coach Vladimir Platenik after just one game working with the Brit, but it opened the door for Petchey to step in from his role as a Tennis Channel broadcaster to revise his coaching career.

This appears to be a temporary coaching move, but it clearly had a big impact as Raducanu’s service motion was dramatically enhanced and the double fault issue that has haunted her for some time was also erased.

Her power hitting from the back of the court was back in glorious fashion and her return of serve, especially when attacking her opponent’s second serve, was overwhelming for her rivals.

Raducanu’s reward for her efforts in Miami was prize money of $189,075 and a return to the top 50 of the WTA Rankings when they are updated on Monday.

Of much more value will be her reboot of confidence after her best run of results since the US Open win three and a half years ago.

The revamped version of Raducanu we saw in Miami is a player who can compete at the highest level of the women’s game and a month that started with doubts over her future in the sport is ending with revived hopes that she could be back in the top 10 of the WTA Ranking back the end of this year.

READ NEXT: Emma Raducanu ‘takes a risk’ every time she goes on court says Patrick Mouratoglou

The post Why Emma Raducanu was a big winner despite her Miami Open defeat appeared first on Tennis365.

Patrick Mouratoglou believes the true greats of tennis will always have the perfect mix of technical brilliance and an unshakable mental strength that gets them over the line when the pressure is at its peak.

The former coach to tennis legend Serena Williams is uniquely placed to assess the importance of mental strength in tennis, as he played a role in helping the 23-time Grand Slam champion realise all of her potential.

Williams boasted an unshakable confidence and a depth of belief that carried her over the winning line when some of her opponents may have doubted themselves and now Mouratoglou has suggested the most talented players in the world will not claim glory unless they control the mental battle they will endure on court.

In an exclusive interview with Tennis365 ahead of the release of his new book Champion Mindset takes a deep dive into the mentality of life on and off the court, Mouratoglou suggested the battle of the mind is what separates top players from the greats.

“A champion is always the complete package and that is the game and the mind,” Mouratoglou told Tennis365. 

“You cannot separate one from the other and that is why it is so important to understand players mentally because you can do or say something that can put some doubts in their mind if you don’t say it at the right moment. 

“If you touch on the technique of a player, you will also touch on the mental side of their game, for sure. It is the same with the physical and the tactical. You can bring stress that can create doubts.

“Tennis players are very fragile machines. They are not robots, as that would be too simple. If it was just about executing a shot and a plan, then they would be robots, but it’s more than that. The emotional side of tennis is so big and plays a massive role.”

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Mouratoglou has seen great players lose belief when it matters most, with controlling emotions on court so important for a player to realise his full potential.

He highlights Britain’s Emma Raducanu as an example of a player who goes onto court with more than just the burden of her own expectations to contend with, as criticism and the threat of it can also impact a match.

“Most players are confident as they have the ability to play good tennis when they reach the top of the sport, but so many of them don’t believe in themselves when they play certain opponents,” he continues.

“When they lose a few matches, they lose belief to beat others and when you are in the locker room, you can see how some of them are scared before matches and it’s crazy.

“But there is so much on the line every time they play a match because first of all, they are evaluating themselves.

“Then they have the press evaluating them and when you are in a big country like Britain and there is a lot of publicity around tennis, a player like Emma Raducanu takes the risk that people will write or say bad things about you every time you go on court. That is not easy to deal with.

“Players are stressed and they need a lot of confidence to deal with that stress or they will not be able to deliver.”

A tennis coach needs to be a psychologist and a master of the technical and tactical side of the game and having lived through a challenging childhood he battled self-esteem and emotional issues on a daily basis, Mouratoglou is perfectly placed to offer his players a unique set of skills.

READ NEXT: Patrick Mouratoglou admits he was ‘losing every day’ and was ‘deeply depressed’ in emotional Tennis365 interview

The post Emma Raducanu ‘takes a risk’ every time she goes on court says Patrick Mouratoglou appeared first on Tennis365.

Alex Eala pulled off one of the biggest shocks in tennis history with an astonishing 6-2, 7-5 win over world No 2 Iga Swiatek on Wednesday.

The world No 140’s win over the five-time Grand Slam champion has sent shockwaves across the tennis world – and has seen Eala make a fair chunk of history.

First Filipina woman to reach a WTA semi-final

Tennis is becoming increasingly a global sport, and Eala’s success is a testament to that.

The 19-year-old is not only the first woman from the Philippines to reach a WTA 1000 final, but she is also the first to reach a semi-final at any WTA event.

She was already the highest-ranked Filipina in the history of the WTA Rankings, having reached a career high of world No 134 back in January 2025.

Reaching SF as a wildcard

Thanks to her connection with IMG – the event owners – Eala received a wildcard into the main draw, having also received wildcards in 2022 and 2023.

However, in the 40 years since the Miami Open was first held in 1985, the teenager is just the third wildcard to reach the last four of the women’s singles event.

And, the previous women to do just that are both world No 1’s and multiple-time Grand Slam winners.

The first wildcard to reach the last four was seven-time major champion Justine Henin, who – like Eala – beat the second seed (Caroline Wozniacki) in the quarter-finals in 2010.

Eight years later, two-time Australian Open champion – and three-time Miami winner – Victoria Azarenka also reached the last four as a wildcard after beating Karolina Pliskova in the last eight.

Both Henin and Azarenka would ultimately lose their semi-finals, meaning Eala could become the first wildcard to reach the final.

Reaching first SF in Miami

Before Miami, Eala had only two WTA main draw victories to her name.

Now, she finds herself in a first WTA semi-final at one of the biggest events in the calendar, and has become only the third woman to reach her first tour semi-final at the Miami Open.

In 1988, a 16-year-old Mary Joe Fernandez reached her first semi-final in Miami, the 15th seed having stunned third seed Gabriela Sabatini in the fourth round.

Three decades later, qualifier – and future Miami Open champion – Danielle Collins reached her first tour semi-final at the event, shocking Venus Williams in the last eight.

Both Collins and Fernandez were beaten in their semi-finals but, encouragingly for Eala, would later reach Grand Slam finals.

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Second-youngest left-handed semi-finalist

Eala has the fairly unique advantage of being a ‘lefty’, something that could cause issues against some players in the future.

And, in the four decades of the Miami Open, only one left-handed woman has reached the semi-final of the event at a younger age than the Filipina.

That player happened to be Monica Seles, undisputedly one of the all-time greats of the sport.

Seles reached back-to-back semi-finals as a 16 and 17-year-old in 1990 and 1991, and would go on to lift the title in both years.

Top 100 breakthrough

Eala had already made rankings history for her nation, with no other women from the Philippines having cracked even the top 200 of the WTA Rankings.

However, the 19-year-old is now guaranteed to become the first Filipina to reach the world’s top 100 thanks to her Miami Open run.

Eala was just outside the top 100 of the live rankings, but having beaten Swiatek, she has moved up to world No 75 – a staggering leap of 65 places.

She would move inside the top 60 if she reached the final, and inside the top 40 should she lift the title.

Read Next: Who is Alex Eala? Teen star making history with Miami Open run

The post 5 incredible Alex Eala statistics after stunning Iga Swiatek at Miami Open appeared first on Tennis365.

Novak Djokovic and Sebastian Korda’s quarter-final match at the Miami Open failed to materialise on Wednesday evening as organisers’ scheduling decision backfired.

Five matches were set to take place on the showpiece Stadium Court at the Hard Rock Stadium on day nine of the joint ATP-WTA 1000 tournament in Florida.

The Iga Swiatek-Alex Eala match started proceedings and was followed by Alexandra Zverev’s clash against Arthur Fils before Grigor Dimitrov and Francisco Cerundolo completed the afternoon session.

The night session kicked off with Emma Raducanu and Jessica Pegula with Djokovic and Korda set to be the final clash of the day.

However with the Zverev-Fils match and the Dimitrov-Cerundolo encounter both going to three sets, it meant the evening matches were off to a delayed start.

The Pegula-Raducanu match then also went the distance and it meant the Djokovic-Korda quarter-final was set to be pushed back.

Organisers initially rescheduled it for later, but they were forced to postpone it until Thursday as matches are not allowed to start later than 23:00 local time.

According to ATP and WTA rules, matches that haven’t started by 10:30pm must be moved to a different court before 11:00pm. However, if the match hasn’t started by 11:00pm, then special approval is needed from the supervisor, management and players before it gets underway.

It was then decided to rather postpone the match and it will now be the third match of the day on Stadium Court on Thursday.

Fils will take on Jakub Mensik and they will be followed by Aryna Sabalenka against Jasmine Paolini before Djokovic and Korda complete the afternoon session.

Fans who waited all day for the Djokovic-Korda match were naturally disappointed, but organisers confirmed that they will be allowed to purchase tickets for Session 19 at a reduced $10.

But organisers were criticised for their unwillingness to move some matches to the Grandstand Court when it became obvious that they would run out of time.

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“I’m glad that the tours are finally helping the players, but again, there is Grandstand, there are other courts that maybe some matches could have gone off to, instead of filling up Stadium only,” former pro turned pundit Coco Vandeweghe said on Tennis Channel Live.

And there is potentially bad news again for the late starters on Thursday as five matches have again been scheduled for the main court.

Taylor Fritz and Matteo Berrettini will kick off the evening session before Pegula takes on Eala in the women’s semi-final and if some of the earlier matches drag on, then the WTA match could well be moved to another court or suffer the same fate as the Djokovic-Korda clash.

The winner of the Djokovic-Korda match will face Dimitrov for a place in the final.

The post Novak Djokovic-Sebastian Korda match hit by late-night drama appeared first on Tennis365.

Grigor Dimitrov pulled off a remarkable win against Francisco Cerundolo to seal his place in the Miami Open semi-finals, but the epic victory came at an alarming cost.

Dimitrov saved a match point to secure a 150th match win at the ATP Masters 1000 level in a gruelling match that finally came to an end after two hours and 48 minutes as the Bulgarian sealed a 6-7[6], 6-4, 7-6[3] win.

He fell 3-0 behind in the decider and appeared to be close to defeat, but found a way to battle back and then found the energy to get back in contention.

Even though the 33-year-old looked to have run out of energy long before the end of the match, but found a way to come through and could barely control himself as he tried to comprehend his victory.

After sharing a warm exchange with Cerundolo, Dimitrov could be heard asking tournament officials to delay his on-court interview as he asked for some medical assistance.

He appeared to be suffering from cramps, was drawing big breaths and after a lengthy period of treatment that included medics checking his blood pressure readings, Dimitrov made his way off the court with the help of medical officials.

“He was running on fumes at the end of the second set,” said tennis legend Martina Navratilova as she summed up the worrying images of Dimitrov at the end of the match on Sky Sports Tennis.

“What an amazing effort from Grigor. He was down and just kept coming back. Cerundollo looked much less tired and I would have backed him to win, but Grigor did it.

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“I’ve never seen a player collapse after the match they have won. The fact that he was still able to win when he was feeling this lousing was an amazing emotional and physical effort.

“At least he has got a day off to hopefully recover. He probably won’t be playing tomorrow and will just do some light bike work to get the blood flowing.

“It was amazing that he was able to play this well when he felt so lousy about his prospects.

“It is a good thing that we have tie-breaks in the final set because one or both of them would have been taken out of here on a stretcher.”

The challenge for Dimitrov will be to try and recover for his semi-final on Friday and there must be some doubts over whether he will be ready to compete after such a demanding battle.

Even if he fails to win his next match, his long run in Miami will give Dimitrov a huge lift after a challenging start to 2025 and it means he will be back in the top 20 of the ATP Rankings when they are updated on Monday.

READ NEXT: The 5 men with the most titles in Indian Wells & Miami combined: Novak Djokovic on 11, Roger Federer 2nd

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Iga Swiatek has identified the biggest reason for her shocking defeat to world No 140 Alex Eala in the quarter-finals of the 2025 Miami Open.

The world No 2 was stunned 6-2, 7-5 by the inspired Eala, 19-year-old Filipino wildcard, after an hour and 39 minutes at the Hard Rock Stadium.

Swiatek was broken in eight of her 10 service games as she suffered one of the biggest upsets in recent WTA memory.

Here is everything Swiatek said in her post-match press conference.

Impressed by Eala’s performance

“The fact that she was left-handed didn’t surprise me, but the truth is, she went all out. She made those returns quite long, and it wasn’t easy to return those shots. Plus, she was very relaxed and went all out. She felt the rhythm was good, and that helped her.

“I didn’t know she was going to play so flat, but she was very aggressive and stayed on target the whole match. And a lot of these shots were coming out of nowhere. But I could still clearly see that she was trying to push forward and pressure me. So it worked out pretty well for her.”

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On her improvement in the second set and whether she hopes Eala’s level would drop

“No, I wasn’t really thinking about her. I was just happy to feel a little better. But then again, I couldn’t sustain her game anyway. So I thought I was kind of back on my feet and feeling the game a little bit better. But I didn’t really think about her.”

The biggest key to the match

“I think it was just a really good return, and I wasn’t ready for the next ball. I’m sure I made a lot of mistakes, but I think I also made mistakes when I was crossing the ball.”

On her tough start to the season

“I don’t want to think about it too much. It’s good to learn from defeats, but yes, there are other things ahead, and I’m happy we’re going to be playing on clay now. I don’t know what it will be like this year, but I’m definitely going to work hard to be ready for the first tournaments.”

READ NEXT: Iga Swiatek harassed by ‘aggressive and taunting’ man during Miami practice session

The post Everything Iga Swiatek said after her stunning Miami Open loss to Alex Eala appeared first on Tennis365.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s rivalry remains one of the most enduring in tennis history, with the two tennis greats helping to define an era of the men’s game.

The Miami Open proved to be a key event for the development and legacy of the ‘Fedal’ rivalry, with the two meeting on four separate occasions at the tournament.

With this year’s Miami Open in full swing, we look back at Federer and Nadal’s four iconic meetings at the tournament.

2004 – Round of 32

This season marks 21 years since Federer and Nadal for the first of their historic 40 meetings, their debut clash coming at this very tournament.

At the time, Federer was approaching the peak of his powers, having risen to world No 1 off the back of Wimbledon and Australian Open victories in the previous months.

The Swiss came into Miami having triumphed in Dubai and Indian Wells since his rise to the top of the ATP Rankings, though he was nearly beaten by a young Nikolay Davydenko in his round two match.

That set up a first meeting against Nadal, then a 17-year-old already ranked high enough to be seeded, and widely recognised as one of the hottest prospects in the men’s game.

With Federer perhaps a little fatigued after an astonishing start to the year, Nadal took full advantage, with the 32nd seed not facing a break point on his way to a 6-3, 6-3 victory in the third round.

“I’m very happy because I played one of the best matches in my life. Obviously, he didn’t play his best tennis and that’s the reason why I could win,” said Nadal afterwards.

“I mean, if he had played his best tennis, I would have had no chance, but that’s what happens in tennis. If a player like me plays at a very, very good level and a top player like Roger doesn’t play his best tennis, I can win.”

Nadal’s campaign ended in the next round with a defeat to 21st seed Fernando Gonzalez, but his win was a sign of his potential – and how much of an issue he would become for Federer.

The Spaniard went on to win six of their first seven matches – though Federer’s one victory was significant.

2005 – Final

Twelve months later and, having not faced off since, Federer and Nadal met for the second time at the Miami Open – this time in the final.

While 29th seed Nadal had remained steady in the ATP Rankings, Federer had continued his dominance towards the top of the men’s game, winning four of the last seven Grand Slam tournaments.

The Swiss came into the tournament having again triumphed in Indian Wells and rounded into form nicely in Miami, beating Tim Henman in the quarter-finals and Andre Agassi in the last four.

Federer, though, was quickly under the cosh against a rampant Nadal – the 18-year-old competing in his first Masters 1000 final.

The Spaniard raced to a two-set lead and looked primed to take home what would have been a fourth career title, but, perhaps thrown by a string of contentious line calls, ever so slightly lost his way.

That allowed Federer back into the contest, and ultimately it was the world No 1 who captured his first Miami Open title, battling back to seal a 2-6, 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-1 triumph.

It was his first win over Nadal and a rare early success against his Spanish rival, whom he would lose to five times in a row before victory in the 2006 Wimbledon final.

Meanwhile, spurred on by his loss, Nadal would win 14 straight finals before that SW19 defeat – including a rampant 2005 clay season run that culminated in the first of 14 titles at Roland Garros.

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2011 – Semi-final

Six years after the final, the pair met again in the last four of the tournament in 2011.

This meeting came at a significant time for Federer, who, for the first time since 2003, was not the reigning champion at at least one Grand Slam, having not won a major since the 2010 Australian Open.

A dominant Nadal had won the remaining three Grand Slam titles in 2010 and was ranked as the world No 1 coming into this clash, though it was Novak Djokovic who had dominated the start to 2011.

The Serbian had won his second major at the Australian Open in January and was yet to taste defeat that season, having downed Nadal in the Indian Wells final.

With Djokovic awaiting in the final for the winner of this contest, Nadal faced little trouble in dispatching the Swiss in a comprehensive 6-3, 6-2 victory over world No 3.

It was a match emblematic of the issues Federer faced against both his main rivals in the early 2010s, with the Swiss not winning another Slam title until Wimbledon in 2012.

Nadal, after defeats in the 2005 and 2008 final – the latter to Davydenko – again missed out on the Miami Open title, falling 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) to Djokovic.

The Spaniard went on to beat Federer and claim a sixth French Open title, though he lost both the Wimbledon and US Open titles – and the No 1 ranking – to Djokovic that summer.

2017 – Final

Thirteen years on from their first Miami match, Federer and Nadal met for the fourth and final time at the tournament – once again facing off in the championship match.

Both men had stunned the world with resurgent Australian Open campaigns months before, culminating in the Swiss winning a thrilling five-setter to claim his 17th Grand Slam title – a first since 2012.

The two met again in Indian Wells with Federer breezing to a straight-sets victory and, after years of Nadal dominating large parts of their rivalry, was riding a three-match win streak against the Spaniard.

With a newfound aggressive mindset that seemed to trouble his rival, Federer again triumphed to win his third Miami Open title, beating Nadal 6-3, 6-4 to complete the Sunshine Double.

It extended his run over Nadal to four consecutive wins, and he would make it five in a row with victory in the Shanghai Masters final later that season.

The Swiss ultimately won six of their last seven clashes to close the head-to-head to 24-16 in Nadal’s favour, their last meeting being a four-set win for Federer in the 2019 Wimbledon semi-finals.

Defeat for Nadal in the 2017 final was his fifth and last loss in a Miami Open final, making it one of the biggest titles he never lifted.

However, while Federer won Wimbledon, he would win both Roland Garros and the US Open that season to cap off his resurgence, finishing the year as world No 1.

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