Category: Articles

Emma Raducanu appears to have deleted her Instagram page just weeks after being forced to deal with a fixated spectator at the Dubai Tennis Championships.

Fans noticed on Thursday morning that the 22-year-old’s profile could no longer be found on the social media site.

Raducanu had over three million followers on the site and was one of the most-followed tennis players, with it unclear if this is a temporary social media break or a long-term decision to leave.

The former US Open champion’s profile on Twitter/X and page on Facebook are both still live, and it is not yet known if the Brit will also choose to remove her presence from those platforms as well.

Raducanu has not posted on Twitter/X since February 1st, though her last Facebook post came on March 4th, ahead of her Indian Wells campaign.

Indian Wells was Raducanu’s first tournament since the former world No 10 endured a nightmare stalking ordeal in Dubai, with the Brit noticeably disturbed during her match against Karolina Muchova.

The world No 55 had been approached by an unnamed spectator earlier in the week off-court and was left in tears when she noticed the same spectator was present courtside for her match.

The spectator was moved from the stadium, and a restraining order was put in place for the 22-year-old, who decided not to press charges.

Concerns about Raducanu’s personal safety were high in the aftermath of the incident and, speaking ahead of Indian Wells, she opened up about the precautions in place.

“It’s amazing to feel protected, to feel safe,” she said.

“And Mike [the head of her security detail] does an amazing job of just staying in the shadows. He’s always there, but you can’t necessarily see him.

“When I’m away from the courts, I don’t have private security right now, but I’m always with someone who could raise the alarm or could help in a scenario.

“Whereas before I maybe would have gone on walks alone, I’m pretty much chaperoned everywhere.

Indian Wells News

Coco Gauff crashes out in Indian Wells as recurring problem continues to haunt her

Novak Djokovic’s ‘real handicap’ highlighted by Steffi Graf’s ex-coach amid form struggles

“Security is very important. Even the player hotel [name] is public information: that’s not necessarily the most helpful and anyone can walk in. So that’s obviously a weak spot there – but I do my best.

“I’m always, now even more so, very aware and very alert and sensitive and don’t really go anywhere on my own.”

Raducanu’s departure from Instagram could spark further fears that she is struggling following her ordeal in Dubai, and with a tricky run of form at the start of 2025.

The Brit has won just three of her nine WTA Tour matches this season and was beaten 6-3, 6-2 by Moyuka Uchijima in her opening Indian Wells match.

Raducanu will next be in action at the Miami Open, which begins next week.

Read Next: 2025 Miami Open: When is the draw? Who are the top seeds? Will Novak Djokovic and Emma Raducanu play?

The post Emma Raducanu leaves Instagram weeks after stalking ordeal appeared first on Tennis365.

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are the dream names when it comes to endorsement for companies, not just on court, but off court as well.

Federer and Nadal may have retired, but both are still raking in money as they still have long-term sponsorship deals with many of the companies that backed them while they were still professional tennis players.

Djokovic, meanwhile, continues to earn big figures both on court with career prize money earnings and off court with endorsement and investment deals.

Let’s get that career prize money out of the way.

Djokovic tops the list and the big question is whether or not he will get to the magical $200,000,000 before he retires as he currently sits on $186,249,969.

Nadal retired in 2024 with $134,946,100 earned in prize money while Federer accumulated $130,594,339 before he called it a day in 2022.

But how does the Big Three’s major backers compare over the years, not in terms of money earned, but by the brands who have opted to investment in them?

Tennis Rackets

Novak Djokovic – HEAD – Wilson – HEAD

Head was Djokovic’s racket sponsor during his junior years and he also began his professional career with their rackets, but the Serbian won his maiden Grand Slam, the 2008 Australian Open, with a Wilson blade.

However, it was a brief relationship as he switched back to HEAD not long after and has now won 23 majors with the American-Austrian manufacturing company.

Rafael Nadal – Babolat

The 22-time Grand Slam winner has used Babolat since the age of nine and, despite retiring in 2022, he is still uses the French company’s rackets, even when he plays padel.

So Nadal won 92 career titles – including his 22 majors and 14 Roland Garros trophies – with Babolat rackets.

Roger Federer – Wilson

Federer had a Wilson racket in his kit bag throughout his professional career as he also started with them as a junior.

Like Nadal, even in retirement the company has stuck with the Swiss Maestro as he often appears at their sponsorship events.

Tennis Features

Roger Federer’s savvy investment nets him almost triple his tennis earnings

Rafael Nadal collects stunning cash windfall as his net worth expands

Tennis Shoes/Apparel

Novak Djokovic – Adidas – Sergio Tacchini – Uniqlo – Lacoste/Asics

A young Djokovic donned Adidas shoes and clothing early in his career, but the German giant decided to push for Andy Murray as their brand ambassador and that resulted in the Serbian signing with Sergio Tacchini.

It was a masterstroke from the Italy-based company as Djokovic went on to dominate tennis, but with it also came big payments as his deals were mostly based on performance. His success meant they had to fork out a lot.

It ultimately led to the sponsorship deal ending as Sergio Tacchini could not keep up with the payments and Djokovic briefly switched back to Adidas.

In 2012 he joined up with Uniqlo in a deal worth a reported €8 million per year while the following year he signed with Adidas to provide him with footwear.

But five years later he joined forces with Lacastoe and the French company remains his mains his apparel manufacturer while in 2018 he switched to Asics for footwear.

Rafael Nadal – Nike

Who can forget a teenage Nadal winning the 2005 French Open Open in his pirate, capri Nike pants and sleeveless shirt? Nearly two full decades later he is still with the American athletic footwear and apparel manufacturer.

These days Nadal has his own range with Nike and they also don the Nike Nadal signature bull logo.

Roger Federer – Nike – Uniqlo

He first signed with Nike in 1998 and five years later he won his maiden Grand Slam at Wimbledon.

Eventually he launched his own line and the monogrammed RF line was massive as the Swiss and Nike (as well as Wilson) cashed in on his worldwide appeal.

But in 2018 Federer stunned the sporting and business world when he switched to Uniqlo in $300m deal for 10 years although he continued to wear Nike shoes for a few more years. There was some dispute over the RF logo with Nike, but that was eventually resolved, while he switched to On shoes in 2021.

Federer remains a Uniqlo ambassador and Swiss manufactures On has gone from strength to strength since the tennis great became a shareholder.

Watch sponsors

Novak Djokovic – Audemars Piguet – Seiko – Hublot

After rising to the top in 2011, Djokovic signed up with Swiss watch manufacturer Audemars Piguet but in 2014 he switched to Seiko while in 2021 he joined forces with Hublot. In case you were wondering, there is a Big Bang Unico Novak Djokovic 42mm watch on sale for about $52,700.

Rafael Nadal – Richard Mille

The Spaniard started his partnership with Richard Mille in 2008 and since 2010 they have developed 11 models including the 2024 RM 27-05 Flying Tourbillon that is worth $1,150,000.

Roger Federer – Rolex

Federer kicked off his collaboration with Rolex in 2001 and following a successful first few years, they tied him down on a long-term 10-year deal worth about $15m (in total) in 2006.

With success flowing, Federer signed an $8m per year contract with no end date in 2016.

Car sponsors

Novak Djokovic – Mercedes-Benz – Peugot

Djokovic signed his first big deal with a car manufacturer in 2011 when he teamed up with Mercedes-Benz, but three years later he became a brand ambassador for French company Peugeot. However, in 2022 the company announced that they had parted ways.

There has been no official word an official car sponsor since the Peugeot deal ended.

Rafael Nadal – Kia

Korea manufacturer Kia Motors is another company that started working with Nadal early in his career as they teamed up in 2004.

Roger Federer – Mercedes-Benz

The Swiss great has been part of the Mercedes-Benz stable since 2008 and in 2010 they extended their relationship to a “multi platform global marketing partnership”.

Others

Novak Djokovic

Qatar Airways, Waterdrop, SILA and hospitality giant Aman are also part of his portfolio as per his official website.

He also teamed up with the Vienna-based bank Raiffeisen Bank International AG and printing company Lemero in 2021 and has deals with Telekom Srbija and FitLine.

Rafael Nadal

According to his website, his sponsors outside of the ones mentioned above are Cantabria Labs, Heineken N.V., Infosys, LVMH, Santander, Subway and Telefónica

Roger Federer

As per RogerFederer.com, he also works with UBS, Jura, Barilla, and Moët & Chandon, Lindt and NetJets.

The post Who are Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer’s major sponsors? appeared first on Tennis365.

Already a multi-millionaire thanks to his tennis career, Roger Federer’s greatest financial gain actually came away from the court.

The Swiss is third in the all-time career prize money top earners in tennis history, behind only Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, but his recent business ventures have seen make a lot more money than he ever did in his career.

Federer was already a fan of Swiss running shoe company On Running so reached out for a partnership with the brand and when your country’s biggest sporting star offers something like that, you say yes.

On Running sold 3% equity in the company to Federer, making him the face of the brand and also designing his own shoe, which had a huge boost to their fortunes.

With Federer’s support and fame, the shoe company’s value soared to $12 billion and when the company went public in September 2021, shares were sold at $24 meaning Federer’s cut was now worth a staggering $360 million almost three times as much as the $130 million he earned in tennis.

On told Tennis365 in April how Federer was involved in creating his own shoe line.

“Roger’s contribution towards the success and immense popularity of The ROGER Pro is unquestionable and he continues to be one of On’s most admired innovation leaders,” they said.

“Roger’s wealth of knowledge and expertise has been instrumental in every aspect of the performance design and technology adapted to meet the demands of the game.

Federer’s skill and marketability have made him one of the richest athletes in the world and in 2020, Forbes named him as the world’s highest-paid athlete.

The 20-time Grand Slam winner also earned a considerable amount from sponsors such as Rolex, Mercedes-Benz, and Wilson.

More Tennis News

Rafael Nadal reveals when Roger Federer was at his very best in surprise revelation

Compared: Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic past the age of 35

In 2018, Japanese apparel maker Uniqlo tempted Federer away from Nike with a 10-year $300 million deal, making it one of the biggest sponsorship deals of any athlete.

Elsewhere, Chilean plant-based food company NotCo received $330 million in investment from a number of the athletes, including Federer as well as F1 driver Lewis Hamilton and golfer Tiger Woods.

Federer is not the only tennis player to dip his toe in investments with Rafael Nadal recently receiving €100 million after selling 44.9% of his tennis academy in Mallorca. The Spaniard also earns money from being a tennis ambassador for Saudi Arabia.

Andy Murray has a number of investments such as Castore, Game4Padel, PerkBox and WeSwap.

The Scot also owns a £2 million hotel near his Dunblane home where he got married.

Last year, Djokovic unveiled a new wellness product, SILA, with Austrian company Waterdrop.

“The idea to create SILA started more than 10 years ago,” Djokovic said.

“I started being more disciplined, passionate and relentless about finding the best ways to improve myself both on and off the court.

“I was so inspired by the overall wellness state I was in and how it was affecting my performance, that I decided to look into creating my own brand that could enrich people’s lives the same way it did mine.”

Read next: Holger Rune on THAT tweener: ‘I thought I looked like Roger Federer’

The post Roger Federer’s savvy investment nets him almost triple his tennis earnings appeared first on Tennis365.

Novak Djokovic arrived in Indian Wells earlier this month hoping to boost his ATP Ranking ahead of the second Grand Slam of 2025 at the French Open in May, but that ambition was terminated in double quick time.

Djokovic lost against Dutch lucky loser Botic van de Zandschulp 2-6, 6-3, 1-6 in an error-strewn display, with his post-match comments suggesting he is starting to lose faith that he can revive his glory days as he approaches his 38th birthday.

“Yeah, hard to appreciate anything now, really,” said Djokovic. “I’m disappointed that I lost, but I guess, you know, if you put things in that larger perspective, of course I’ve had an incredible career. Being consistent for so many years, obviously you have high expectations of yourself.

“Things are different obviously for me the last couple of years. I’ve been struggling to play on the desired level. Every now and then, I have a couple of good tournaments, but, you know, mostly it’s really a challenge. It’s a struggle for me.

“So it is what it is. You know, I guess nothing can prepare you for that moment, in a sense. You have to experience it and try to deal with it in the best possible way.”

While a chase for ranking points is no longer a priority for Djokovic, the Serbian needs to ensure he does not slide too far down the ATP list as it will impact one of his last big ambitions in tennis.

Djokovic has made it clear that he wants to win a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title before he hangs up his rackets for the last time, but that mission will be made tougher if he drops out of the top eight of the ATP Rankings.

With Djokovic playing a limited tournament schedule in what may be the final year of his career, he is missing out on chances to claim ranking points and that affected his push for an 11th Australian Open title in January.

Djokovic was the No 7 seed in Melbourne and as a result, he was forced to take on French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals.

While he came through an epic match against Alcaraz that would have befitted the final in Melbourne, but the physical toll it took on him was evident as he was forced to pull out of his semi-final against Alexander Zverev due to injury.

If he was in the top four of the ATP Rankings for the French Open, there is a good chance he would avoid a clash against Jannik Sinner or Alcaraz until the semi-final and that would boost his hopes.

That ambition has been boosted in recent days, even though Djokovic has long since left Indian Wells.

More Tennis News

Novak Djokovic retirement bombshell may be imminent – his next move will be telling

Compared: Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic past the age of 35

Defeats for Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev and Stefanos Tsitsipas in the early rounds of the first ATP Masters 1000 event of the season have ensured Djokovic’s nearest rivals in the rankings will not overtake him this week.

So he looks set to move up from his current position of No 7 in the rankings to No 5 at the end of the Indian Wells event.

Daniil Medvedev, Alex de Minaur and Tommy Paul could all move ahead of Djokovic if they win in Indian Wells, but victory for any of the trio would be something of a surprise in a tournament where champion Alcaraz is favourite to retain his title.

READ NEXT: Rafael Nadal hails Novak Djokovic as ‘the best I ever played and ever saw’ in one key area

The post Novak Djokovic handed triple rankings boost despite his shock Indian Wells exit appeared first on Tennis365.

Rafael Nadal has heaped praise on Jannik Sinner for being able to stay focused during his “very tough process the last year”, while he also offered his views on fellow youngsters Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek.

Sinner currently sits at No 1 in the ATP Rankings on the back of his stunning form the past 18 months that saw him win three Grand Slam titles and the ATP Finals while four-time major champion Alcaraz is at No 3 and five-time Slam winner Swiatek is at No 2 in the women’s rankings.

The trio are expected to dominate tennis in the next few years – taking over from legends Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Serena Williams – and 22-time major winner Nadal was asked about the rising stars of the game during an extensive interview on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast.

“Carlos is a great kid. Great guy with a very good family behind him, with positive values. Humble. They’re good people. That’s true,” the former world No 1 stated.

“That’s why I think Carlos is how he is. Because in the end, the values you receive at home, the way you’re educated is the way that you show up. I see the same with Iga.”

There is no doubt that Sinner is currently the best men’s player, but he has had some problems away from the court.

The Italian failed two drug tests in March 2024 and, although he was initially cleared of any wrongdoing after he tested positive for the banned substance clostebol with the International Tennis Integrity Agency stating he bore “no fault or negligence”, the World Anti-Doping Agency [WADA] appealed against the decision to clear the 23-year-old.

After initially stating they would ask for a ban between 12 months and 24 months, WADA later reached an agreement with Sinner’s legal representatives that resulted in him accepting a three-month ban, which runs from 9 February until 4 May.

The ruling has caused a lot of controversy as some believe he should have been banned for longer while others feel he has done nothing wrong.

Rafael Nadal’s Big Interview

Rafael Nadal reveals when Roger Federer was at his very best in surprise revelation

Rafael Nadal hails Novak Djokovic as ‘the best I ever played and ever saw’ in one key area

Despite the doping cloud hanging over his head, Sinner won the US Open and ATP Finals last year and also successfully defended his Australian Open trophy at the start of 2025.

Nadal added: “Jannik is another good guy. Not much of a show off. He’s focused on what he’s doing. Of course, he went through a very tough process the last year. It’s amazing the way he was able to keep being focused on what he’s doing.

“It’s a new generation of great tennis players. I think they’re going to keep helping this beautiful sport to grow and to engage fans.”

The post What Rafael Nadal had to say about Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner appeared first on Tennis365.

Holger Rune produced the shot of the tournament at the 2025 Indian Wells Open, but he jokingly admitted afterwards that there was one disappointing element to it.

Stefanos Tsitsipas was the hot favourite heading into their last-16 match at the ATP Masters 1000 event as he was fresh from winning the ATP 500 Dubai Tennis Championships a fortnight ago.

Rune, meanwhile, came into the Indian Wells event on the back of a bout of food poisoning that saw him withdraw from the Mexican Open.

The Dane was the aggressor in the opening set as he broke twice, including to love in the ninth game, to take a one-set lead.

Tsitsipas looked to work his way back in the second set and was leading 15-40 on Rune’s serve in game eight when the moment of magic was produced.

Tennis News

Rafael Nadal hails Novak Djokovic as ‘the best I ever played and ever saw’ in one key area

Jannik Sinner’s 40 weeks as No 1: Italian set to rise up all-time standings despite ban

After the Greek lobbed him, the 12th seed raced back and produced a hot shot [tweener] that landed just in and evaded his opponent, much to the delight of the fans on Court 1.

It was reminiscent of Roger Federer’s famous tweener against Novak Djokovic at the 2009 US Open, but Rune was first to admit it didn’t quite match that feat.

Asked about his brilliant shot during the post-match press conference, the 21-year-old replied: “I think it felt better on the court, actually, but it also looked good on the phone, definitely.

“I kind of, you know, had the expectation that I looked like Roger Federer when I hit it, and I didn’t quite do that. So that was disappointing, you know. Definitely felt better.”

That piece of brilliance sparked his recovery in that game as he saved two break points and held serve to open a 5-3 lead before eventually serving out the match.

He later added on the Tennis Channel: “That was such an important moment. I saw him hit that lob and I was like, ‘go out, go out, go out! It just clicked on the baseline and I thought, ‘what am I going to do?’ The first instinct was just to hit the tweener.

“I hit it to try to make it, but I didn’t expect it to land in… I hit that shot and it was just unbelievable. I think it’s one of the better tweeners I’ve hit in my life.”

SHOT OF THE TOURNAMENT @holgerrune2003 what have you done #TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/2JY9HsYtLL

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 11, 2025

The 6-4, 6-4 victory helped Rune to extend his head-to-head record against Tsitispas to 4-0 and he was asked if there is a saying in the dressing for players who have won three or more matches in a row against the same opponent.

“What people say is that once you beat someone three times in a row you become his dad,” he laughingly answered. “It’s kind of silly to say and hopefully I will try not to make [Tallon] Griekspoor my dad on Thursday.”

Dutchman Griekspoor, who stunned top seed Alexander Zverev in the second round, has a 2-0 record against Rune with wins in Hamburg in 2022 and the 2024 Madrid Open.

The win over world No 9 Tsitsipas was Rune’s first top-10 victory on an outdoor hard court and he could return to the top 10 himself if he enjoys an extended run in Indian Wells.

After reaching a career-high No 4 in 2023, the Dane failed to live up to the expectations last year and slipped to No 17 at one point.

“I have learned my lessons. Things don’t happen without a reason. I think every player deserve to be where they are, so I deserve to be at my ranking. Whoever is at their ranking deserve it because it’s about, you know, making results, but at the same time improving your game and having stability,” he said.

“I think, you know, what I have done much better in this tournament so far is my mentality. Been more consistent there. This also results in, you know, better results and a more consistent game, I would say.

“Because I don’t believe I have become the worse player the last two years. I actually think the opposite. I think I have become a better all-around player.”

The post Holger Rune on THAT tweener: ‘I thought I looked like Roger Federer’ appeared first on Tennis365.

Emma Raducanu has experienced a tough start to 2025 and that is reflected in his current position in the WTA Race list.

While the 2021 US Open champion is at No 55 in the WTA Rankings, she is set to slide down that list when it is updated after losing in her first match at Indian Wells.

After reaching the third round at the WTA 1000 tournament last year, Raducanu will drop ranking points after her 6-3 6-2 defeat to Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima.

She will get a chance to lift her ranking with some wins at the Miami Open later this month, as she missed that tournament last year due to injury.

She will also have the chance to make progress up the rankings during the European clay court season after she opted against playing in qualifying for last year’s French Open to focus her attention on preparations for the grass court season.

Yet the omens are not good for the British No 2, as she has lost six of the nine matches she has played do far this year.

That poor run of form is reflected in her WTA Race ranking, which is focused on results in 2025 rather than the rolling 12-month ranking on the WTA Tour.

Raducanu’s current ranking in the WTA Race is down at No 72 and that will slide further unless she finds a winning run of form.

The bulk of the points still on her WTA Ranking were collected during last year’s grass court season in front of her British fans, as she reached the semi-finals of the Nottingham Open, enjoyed a couple of good wins in Eastbourne and then reached the fourth round at Wimbledon.

That run of form on grass saw Raducanu claim 446 ranking points and as she has just over 1,000 on her current record, she will be under pressure to find wins between now and the end of the grass court season to maintain her place in the top 100 of the WTA Rankings.

Raducanu has won just one match since the departure of former coach Nick Cavaday, who stood down for health reasons following the Australian Open in January.

Yet despite that poor run of form, she is upbeat about her prospects after working with Slovakian coach Vladimir Platenik in Indian Wells.

More Tennis News

Is the US Open win the best and worst thing to ever happen to Emma Raducanu?

Emma Raducanu’s struggles highlighted by stat on unwanted list

“It is good that I have someone who is very experienced here, and we will see how the work goes and how we get on as well on and off the court and the methods and everything,” she said.

“I am looking forward to seeing how it goes. I think I just need to keep trying to put one foot in front of the other and not look back too much.

“I think I will need to improve starting the point, I could improve being more aggressive and having a better quality of shot going forward into the court more.

“I think I could improve every area of my game, to be honest, after today’s performance.”

Respected broadcaster Marcus Buckland spoke to Tennis365 about Raducanu’s current trajectory in tennis, as he suggested she needs to find the right coach to offer her stability.

“What Raducanu needs to do is find a coach she can have a meaningful relationship with for an extended period of time, at least a couple of years,” added Buckland.

“She needs to find that consistency on court and build some momentum. I think the key for her is to establish a strong team off the court to give her the strength to deal with everything else that comes her way.

“There is a lot of mental scarring from everything that has happened to her since she won the US Open.

“It’s been such a roller-coaster ride, but she has a wonderful game. She can mix it with the best, but does she really believe that?

“Until she starts getting some big wins against the top players, those doubts are going to persist and that’s why she might start to ask why she is putting herself through this.”

READ NEXT: Emma Raducanu could ‘walk away from tennis’ like another British starlet

The post Emma Raducanu facing rankings collapse unless her form improves quickly appeared first on Tennis365.

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer enjoyed a rivalry that spanned a couple of decades, with their battles etched into tennis folklore as some of the greatest the sport has ever witnessed.

Federer’s dominance at the top of men’s tennis began when he won his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2003 and he was an invincible winning machine until Spanish superstar Nadal emerged as his biggest rival.

Nadal consistently beat Federer in the early years of their rivalry, with his brilliance on clay courts proving to be too much for the Swiss maestro to deal with.

The roles were reversed at the back end of their careers, as Federer devoted much of his attention to reshaping his game to repel the threats Nadal was throwing at him.

The end result was a story that saw Federer winning six of their last seven matches, including a memorable clash in the 2017 Australian Open and what proved to be their last meeting in the 2019 Wimbledon semi-finals.

Nadal was asked by former world No 1 Andy Roddick to sum up what version of Federer was the best and it was intriguing to see him select the latter stages of his career.

“When he was playing well, he beat me. Then when I was playing well, I beat him, especially on clay. On hard, it was always much more difficult for me,” said Nadal on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast.

“Then at the end of his career, he made a step forward and he was playing much, much more aggressive.

“For me, 2017 was the best level of his career. You felt that you were in his hands.

“He played very, very aggressive and his serve was so hard to read. For me, it was very difficult to predict what was going on.”

Nadal went on to suggest the respect he had for Federer and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic ensured their rivalry was not converted into animosity off the court.

More Tennis News

Compared: Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic past the age of 35

Botic van de Zandschulp reveals key to stunning Djokovic, Nadal, and Alcaraz

While he appeared to have a closer bond with Federer than Djokovic during his career, he hopes a positive example they set with the respect they showed each other.

“We, as rivals, we showed the world that we can be the biggest rivals, but at the same time we can be colleagues,” he added of his battles with Federer and Djokovic.

“I don’t say best friends, but we can have a good personal relationship and I think that shows a positive example to the next generations. I am proud of that.

“In some way, we had a wild rivalry with Roger, Novak and myself, but at the same time didn’t lose the perspective that we were human persons.

“We don’t fight against each other, we respect each other. This helps to show the new generations that you don’t have to hate your opponents. You can respect, you can appreciate your opponent.

“At the end of the day, they are an important part of your life. You don’t need to hate your opponents to give your best. That’s what we showed the world.”

READ NEXT: Rafael Nadal hails Novak Djokovic as ‘the best I ever played and ever saw’ in one key area

The post Rafael Nadal reveals when Roger Federer was at his very best in surprise revelation appeared first on Tennis365.

Rafael Nadal has given his verdict on why tennis fans enjoyed this rivalry with Roger Federer more than his battles with Novak Djokovic.

In an interview with former world No 1 Andy Roddick on his Served podcast, 22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal opened up on a wide range of topics as he looked back on his remarkable story in tennis. 

And when it came to the two rivalries that defined his career, Nadal suggested there was a reason why tennis fans around the world were more eager to see him play Roger Federer than they were to see him take on Novak Djokovic.

Nadal, Federer and Djokovic won a remarkable 66 Grand Slam titles between them as they re-write the record books, yet the Spaniard believes there was a reason why his matches with Federer resonated more with a tennis audience.

“With Roger, the rivalry was a little bit more attractive for the fans than with Novak against me,” he declared. 

“Even if I played more times against Novak and we played the same important matches or even more, but with Roger the strategy was more clear.

“He was trying to do one thing, I was trying to do another thing. I was trying to kill his backhand all the time and even if I had the chance to play the shot down the line (to his forehand side), it is only for two reasons. One, I go for the winner or two because I need to put him away from that side to create more space.

“He was trying to avoid that, he was trying to play more aggressive and every time he hit a forehand, I would take a step back. For me, his forehand was the best I played against.

“It was like a chess match. Everyone knows what’s going to happen. Everyone knows what the strategy is going to be.”

When he turned his attention to his matches against Djokovic, Nadal offered some generous words to a rival who will finish ahead of his two great rivals in the race to be known as the most successful male tennis player of all-time.

While Federer and Nadal’s rivalry has turned into a strong friendship between the duo, that has not always been reciprocated with Djokovic.

More Tennis News

Compared: Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic past the age of 35

The 10 men to complete the Career ATP Sweep as Stefanos Tsitispas achieves feat: Novak Djokovic No 1

Yet Nadal accepted Roddick’s suggestion that the three most prolific winners in men’s tennis drove each other to fresh heights as they rewrote the tennis record books.

“Against Novak, it was a little bit different. We can have a strategy, but I needed to play very well against him,” he stated.

“We don’t play the same style, but it is not a clear strategy against Novak. Against Roger, I damage him with his backhand. Against Novak, I don’t have that feeling.

“So I started to use the slice against him. Sometimes it worked me well. Also, I played more to the middle. Don’t give him a lot of angles.

“In terms of ball control, he is the best I ever played and I ever saw.”

READ NEXT: The 7 men with the most Indian Wells match wins: Roger Federer with 66

The post Rafael Nadal hails Novak Djokovic as ‘the best I ever played and ever saw’ in one key area appeared first on Tennis365.

A key part of Novak Djokovic’s game has been described as “unacceptable” during his shock second-round defeat at the Indian Wells by a well-known coach.

Weeks after he was beaten in straight sets by Matteo Berrettini in the first round of the Qatar Open, Djokovic followed it up with an early from the ATP Masters 1000 event in California.

Facing lucky loser Botic van de Zandschulp, the five-time Indian Wells champion would have fancied his chances of beating the Dutchman, but he went down 6-2, 3-6, 6-1.

The stats did not make for pretty reading as Djokovic was broken twice in the first set, once in the second and again two times in the decider.

The area where he struggled most was on his serve as he didn’t serve any aces, served four double faults and won only 63% (31/49) of points on his first serve while he was 29% (7/24) on his second serve. He also landed only 67% of his first serves compared to 71% from Van de Zandschulp.

He had some opportunities on return as he had four break points, but converted only two in the second set.

Former Russian world No 20 Dmitry Tursunov – who has coached the likes of Aryna Sabalenka, Anett Kontaveit and Belinda Bencic – says the above figures highlight why Djokovic struggled on the day, adding that 29% of points won on second serve “is unacceptable for the men’s tour”.

“I think everyone understands that Novak is far from his optimal playing form. That’s why the match didn’t go well. What’s striking is probably not a single ace, three double faults are not that critical,” he said on his Telegram channel.

“But the fact that there were no aces on the serve of one of the top tennis players is probably already a small warning sign. 67% of first serve hits is not that bad, Botik had 71%.

“The problem is rather in the percentage of winning first serve, which is 63% for Novak, 60% for Botik. That is, in this category, Novak was in the lead.

“But he has a huge gap in the percentage of balls won on the second serve – only 29% against 71% for Botik. This is unacceptable for the men’s tour. It is simply impossible to win with such a rate.”

Novak Djokovic News

Novak Djokovic ‘not as mentally tough as he once was’, argues former world No 9

Novak Djokovic retirement bombshell may be imminent – his next move will be telling

24-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic – who is now 7-4 in terms of win-loss rate in 2025 – himself admitted that his level of tennis was poor on the day.

“Obviously no excuses for a poor performance. Just it doesn’t feel great when you play this way on the court, but congratulations to my opponent. You know, just a bad day in the office, I guess, for me,” he said.

“You know, I regret for the level of tennis, considering how I practice these days. To be honest, the difference between the center court and the other courts is immense. Ball is bouncing on the center courts higher than some of the highest clay courts, to be honest.”

The post Key area of Novak Djokovic’s game was ‘unacceptable’ during Indian Wells defeat appeared first on Tennis365.