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Roger Federer has floated the enticing prospect of a revival of his iconic rivalry with Rafael Nadal, in comments that will excite millions of tennis fans around the world.

While Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s exciting new rivalry has filled much of the void left behind following the retirements of Federer and Nadal, many tennis fans will always regard the battles between the Swiss maestro and his Spanish rival to be the best in tennis history.

So the prospect of seeing the duo back on court in the near future will set pulses racing and Federer has revealed in an interview with CNBC that he would be open to the prospect of returning to tennis for a seniors tour that could also feature Nadal.

When asked whether he would be open to leading a new tour that could feature the icons of tennis, Federer was quick to offer a positive response.

“Yeah, why not?” he said. “I love Rafa. I played four hours of tennis here in San Francisco and also an hour and a half in LA. I am playing a lot, I’m trying to keep in good shape.

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“I know Rafa is open to playing some more tennis. It sounds terrible… seniors tennis. Maybe we can create a tour. A ‘Fedal’ Tour.

“One of the reasons I started the Laver Cup was to shine a light on the past greats of the game and maybe a seniors tour, we’ve had it in the past.

“There is a lot of appetite to see past champions in tennis, so I could look into that, for sure.”

Federer spoke about life after tennis earlier this year, as he admitted he needed some time to adjust to his new life after he hung up his rackets following a doubles match alongside Nadal at the 2022 Laver Cup in London.

“I didn’t have any plans per se as I was always trying to come back and then all of a sudden I realised that was it,” Federer told the ATP.

“And then I was just ‘okay, it is over, what now?’ I think now I feel I am more in control of my schedule as before I was just… the afterburn of having just retired, so it has been good, honestly.

“I have to be careful I don’t do too many things, but at the same time I’m really happy to be busy, I like being with other people, love being with my family, I love to travel. But I guess sometimes you just have to make sure to find the right balance and I feel like I have that, so it’s great.”

“I am trying to go to the gym four times a week and I can’t believe I am actually doing that. I rent the space at home and put the machines in and I got it the week after the Laver Cup in London, so it was like, after my career I finally had a gym.

“A little bit weird once I had retired, so now I have to use it, so I do that well, and I don’t play so much tennis anymore so I have to be a little bit more careful with what I eat and stuff.

“I would still like to play some exhibitions down the road so I want to stay in shape and try to look good a little bit.”

Federer and Nadal may have hit their final balls in anger as professional players, but we might not have seen the last of their great rivalry after all.

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The post Roger Federer open to the prospect of thrilling comeback alongside Rafael Nadal appeared first on Tennis365.

Roger Federer’s huge presence will explode back onto the tennis stage this weekend as the Laver Cup tournament he brought to the take sees most of the biggest names in men’s tennis taking to the stage for the 2025 edition in San Francisco.

Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz and Alex De Minaur are some of the big names set to play in an event that has comparisons to golf’s Ryder Cup.

The presence of world No 1 Alcaraz will ensure there is plenty of spotlight on the Laver Cup and Federer suggests the young Spaniard and his great rival Jannik Sinner have now started a new dynasty in the men’s game.

Federer’s rivalry with Rafael Nadal transcended tennis for a decade a more, with Novak Djokovic adding to the mix as he started to disrupt their dominance and eventually become the world No 1 in his own right.

There were questions over how tennis would thrive when the ‘Big 3’ era came to an end, but now Federer has suggested this year’s epic Roland Garros final between Alcaraz and Sinner was the moment when a new era of men’s tennis officially kicked-off.

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Alcaraz and Sinner have been dominating the men’s game since the start of 2024, as they have won all the Grand Slam titles during the last two years, yet Fedrerer has suggested the drama and excitement created by Alcaraz’s sensational victory against Sinner in Paris was a moment when the sporting world appreciated new superstars had arrived in tennis.

“I think the French Open, for me, was the match the game needed to move on from the post Roger, Rafa and Serena time. To truly embrace this rivalry and this incredible shotmaking that Carlos and Jannik have right now.” the 20-time Grand Slam champion told CNBC, also referencing women’s legend Serena Williams.

“I think Novak (Djokovic) is right there as well. He played in all four semis (in Grand Slams) this year in the majors, which is incredible.”

Federer was speaking from the Laver Cup venue ahead of the sell-out event, where he believes fans can look forward to a different type of event this year.

Since the start of the Laver Cup in 2017, John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg have been the two team captains, but all that is changing this year.

The great Andre Agassi is taking over a Team World captain, with Team Europe being led by Frenchman Yannik Noah.

That change will bring a different dynamic to both teams and Federer is relishing the chance to see how the competition looks under new leaders.

“I think it will feel quite different, actually,” added Federer. “I think they are both extremely thoughtful, Andre and Yannik.

“I have tremendous respect for what they achieved on the court and I think Andre and Yannik are going to be incredible.”

Australian great Pat Rafter is assisting Agassi this weekend, with British tennis giant Tim Henman the new vice-captain for Team Europe.

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Emma Raducanu failed to convert three match points as the star missed a major chance to seal crucial ranking points in a nailbiting Korea Open defeat to Barbora Krejcikova.

After a tough opening-round performance against Jaqueline Cristian on Wednesday, Raducanu returned to court on Thursday night and was impressive early on against Krejcikova, a former world No 2 and two-time Grand Slam singles champion.

The British star broke at the end of a competitive opening set to move ahead and stormed to a 5-2 lead in set two, though failed to convert a match point when attempting to serve out the match when leading 6-4, 5-3 inside the Seoul Olympic National Tennis Center.

World No 33 Raducanu was then unable to convert two match points in a dramatic second-set tiebreak, with Krejcikova pulling off a Houdini act similar to her tiebreak exploits against Taylor Townsend back at the US Open.

And, much like against Townsend in New York, Krejcikova ultimately sealed victory, storming through the decider to claim a 4-6, 7-6(10), 6-1 victory.

“It was definitely a difficult, difficult match,” said Krejcikova, in her on-court interview.

“I was very down — I don’t know how I turned it around. I’m just happy to be through and happy to be so tough in my head.

“At one point, they [the fans] started cheering, and I think I was down. It was really nice, and it definitely gave me energy.”

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Defeat for Raducanu means that she missed out on the chance to test herself against world No 2 Iga Swiatek, who now awaits Krejcikova in Friday’s quarter-final line-up.

However, it also means that she faces a minor setback in her quest to be as highly ranked as possible by the end of 2025.

As things stand, Raducanu remains at world No 32 in the WTA Live Rankings, but a handful of players left in the Korea Open draw — including Krejcikova — could still move ahead of her by the end of the tournament.

Having reached the last eight of the WTA 500 event in 2024, Raducanu will drop 48 points when the WTA Rankings update next week.

The good news for Raducanu is that she has the chance to gain significant points throughout the rest of the 2025 season, with no more points to defend for the year.

The Brit injured herself in Seoul last September and did not play another tour-level event across the year, though she appears to be in good shape physically as things stand.

Raducanu is in line to next play at the WTA 1000 China Open in Beijing next week, before the final WTA 100-level event of the season at the Wuhan Open.

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Model and TV personality Brooks Nader refused to dwell on a rumoured ‘love triangle’ involving her, Carlos Alcaraz, and Jannik Sinner when quizzed about the situation on US television.

World No 1 Alcaraz and No 2 Sinner have dominated the men’s game in recent months, and their third straight meeting in a Grand Slam final saw the Spaniard claim his second US Open title and sixth Grand Slam title earlier this month.

However, in the days after the final between the world’s two best players, reports emerged that Sports Illustrated model Nader, 28, had been dating both Sinner and Alcaraz during the US Open.

Nader had initially been linked to 24-year-old Sinner during the tournament, though further rumours during the tournament connected the four-time Grand Slam champion to model Laila Hasanovic.

But, Nader’s older sister, Grace Ann, later claimed to E! News that Brooks was dating 22-year-old Alcaraz, describing him as the “man of the hour.”

This was later debunked by Spanish journalist Alberto Guzman, during an appearance on TV show No Somos Nadie.

“They [Nader and Alcaraz] are not a couple, it is not an official relationship,” said Guzman.

“He confirmed to his entourage that he is single and that he has no intention of having a serious relationship.

“Perhaps she [Grace Ann] is not well informed.”

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Now, Brooks has been asked directly about reports of a rumoured ‘love triangle’ involving her and the two multiple-time Grand Slam winners during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.

Asked directly by Cohen about reports connecting her to both Alcaraz and Sinner, the model did not address the rumours head on — but also offered little denial regarding either player.

She said: “I would just say, a lady never kisses and tells — especially twice, that’s just not nice.

“Dating is such a loose term these days. It’s just… I don’t know.

“By the way, my only thing is, guys do it all the time, so why can’t I do it?”

All eyes will be on whether and when either Alcaraz or Sinner responds to the rumours, with the former likely to be asked first about any connection to Nader.

Less than two weeks after his triumph in New York, the world No 1 will return to action at the Laver Cup in San Francisco, with the Spaniard likely to play a leading role for Team Europe in the competition.

He will then head to Tokyo to make his debut appearance at the Japan Tennis Open the following week, while Sinner will return to action at the China Open in Beijing.

Both men are then set to compete at the Shanghai Masters, where they will be in line to meet in the final.

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Iga Swiatek’s Korea Open campaign started in fine style on Thursday afternoon, and her time in Seoul brings her inspiring family story full circle.

Competing at the WTA 500 event in Seoul for the first time, world No 2 and top seed Swiatek was in impressive form against Sorana Cirstea, beating the Romanian 6-3, 6-2 to progress to the last eight of her first event since the US Open.

A six-time Grand Slam champion and a former world No 1, Swiatek has regularly competed at the biggest and most famous events in tennis, but action this week may provide a sentimental value that even the Grand Slams can’t match.

The WTA 500 event is held at the Seoul Olympic Park Tennis Center, the facility built for the 1988 Olympic Games in the Korean capital.

The Seoul Games remain one of the most celebrated and iconic Olympics of modern times, and welcomed tennis back into the Olympic fold after a 64-year absence, with Steffi Graf famously completing the Golden Calendar Slam.

However, outside of tennis, Swiatek has her own special connection to the Olympics.

The Pole’s father, Tomasz, competed at the Seoul Olympics as a rower, finishing in seventh place in the men’s quadruple sculls.

Tomasz was the key influence in Swiatek’s early tennis career, encouraging the world No 2 and her sister, Dorota, to compete in sports as children.

Swiatek herself has now competed at two Olympic Games, reaching round two at Tokyo 2020 and picking up bronze at Paris 2024.

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And, speaking after her win versus Cirstea in Seoul, the Pole admitted it was an “honour” to compete at the tournament due to her special family connection.

“I mean, the Olympics in 1988 were the highlight of his career,” said Swiatek.

“He’s been telling us stories about it, since me and my sister were kids. I’m happy to explore this city. He’s been talking about being here as a great adventure.

“I play a different sport, but still, we’re on the Olympic venue and I’m surprised how the whole city is still appreciating the Olympic tradition.

“I think it’s great, because this is the best event the world has in any area. Playing here for sure is an honour. Maybe next year, my dad will come.”

Swiatek’s father remains an important influence in her life, and he was present when the Pole lifted her sixth Grand Slam title at Wimbledon this summer.

Having had his own special summer in Seoul 37 years ago, he will surely be hoping his daughter can have her own magic moment in the city this week.

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The post How Olympic exploits of Iga Swiatek’s father are inspiring Korea Open campaign appeared first on Tennis365.

Tennis icon Bjorn Borg has claimed that a handful of players in his generation “were using things they were not supposed to use” as he discussed doping in tennis and the recent controversy surrounding Jannik Sinner.

Former world No 1 Borg is one of the most beloved and celebrated tennis players of all time, winning 11 Grand Slam singles titles across the 1970s and early 1980s.

One of the biggest names in the sport, the tennis world was rocked earlier this year when the Swede revealed that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, a revelation made in his upcoming autobiography, Heartbeats.

Despite his recent illness, Borg has remained a prominent figure in tennis in recent years, and captained Team Europe at the Laver Cup for the final time in 2024.

Doping in tennis is an issue that has come to the forefront in recent years and months, with several players — including Sinner and Iga Swiatek — falling foul of drug testing rules over the past 18 months or so.

And, in a new interview with BBC Breakfast, the tennis icon revealed that doping had also been a prominent issue during his era of tennis.

“When we played, my generation, I know for a fact, I know some players, they were using things they were not supposed to use,” said Borg.

“I don’t want to get into names, it’s not important. But today, I think it’s good, they test themselves, and sometimes I understand players have to test themselves so many times.

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“I think it’s good, it’s important to keep tennis a clean sport.”

Borg was also directly about Sinner’s case, with the world No 2 embroiled in significant controversy over recent months.

It was announced in August 2024 that the Italian was of “no fault or negligence” for two failed drug tests in March 2024, with the International Tennis Integrity Agency accepting his explanation that he was contaminated by a member of his team.

However, Sinner was later banned from February to May 2025, after settling with the World Anti-Doping Agency following the organisation’s appeal of the verdict of his case.

Borg, who spent 109 weeks as the world No 1 across his tennis career, admitted he was “surprised” by the mechanics of Sinner’s case.

He added: “I think I was very surprised when I read that.

“I think it happened twice. I mean if it happened one time…but it happened twice, I think. So, I think that’s very strange.

“What happened, I don’t really know. I hope really nothing serious happened.”

Borg also further discussed his cancer diagnosis, revealing he was going to have to “fight in the future” despite being in remission.

“I spoke to the doctor and he said this is really, really bad,” said Borg.

“He said you have these sleeping cancer cells [and] it’s going to be a fight in the future.

“Every six months, I go and test myself. I did my last test two weeks ago. It’s a thing I have to live with.”

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The draw for the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna has been revealed, with Jannik Sinner and Italy looking in a strong position to successfully defend their title on home soil.

Italy triumphed at the 2023 and 2024 Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, with world No 2 Sinner playing a leading role in both victories, and will look to become the first nation since the United States in 1971 to win three consecutive titles.

The host nation and reigning champions, captained by former player Filippo Volandri, have been handed a favourable draw in the Finals, though the same cannot be said for a handful of other nations — including Carlos Alcaraz’s Spain.

When can Alcaraz and Sinner meet?

Excitingly for tennis fans, Alcaraz and Sinner could potentially face off in the final of the Davis Cup this year, with Spain and Italy on opposite sides of the last eight draw.

However, that was also the case in 2024, when Spain were beaten in their quarter-final by the Netherlands, who ultimately went on to face Italy in the final.

And, there could well be a similar story in 2025, with Spain handed a tough quarter-final versus fourth seeds Czechia.

Assuming he plays, Alcaraz would be the favourite for any singles rubber, though the Czech team has huge strength and depth, with the likes of Jiri Lehecka, Jakub Mensik, and Tomas Machac to call on.

Czechia will also be buoyed by its impressive run to reach the Davis Cup Finals, having beaten the United States away from home in the second round of qualifiers this week.

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The winner of that quarter-final would then face a tough semi-final against either Argentina or the second seeds Germany.

German hopes may well sit on world No 3 Alexander Zverev, who chose not to play the Finals in 2024, while Francisco Cerundolo and doubles star Horacio Zeballos could well lead Argentina’s line-up.

The other side of the draw sees two-time defending champions and top-seeded nation Italy as arguably the clear favourite to reach the final.

Outside of star act Sinner, the nation has huge strength and depth to call on, including Lorenzo Musetti, Flavio Cobolli, and the doubles pairing of Andrea Vavassori and Simone Bolelli.

Italy will be overwhelming favourites to beat Austria in their quarter-final, and will then also be favourites to defeat third seeds France or Belgium in the last four.

A showdown between Sinner and Alcaraz inside the Supertennis Arena in Bologna would be something special, though the latter may have a trickier time of things getting to that stage.

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Emma Raducanu has the chance to surge up the WTA Rankings across a busy Asian swing, and her mission started with a gutsy opening win at the Korean Open on Wednesday.

After an elongated wait to take to court due to multiple rain delays across Tuesday and Wednesday, Raducanu produced a gritty display to beat Jaqueline Cristian in straight sets in Seoul, sealing a crucial boost in the WTA Rankings in the process.

Now, world No 33 Raducanu will return in round two looking to seal victory and match her quarter-final run at the WTA 500 event from 2024, though it will be far from easy against world No 39 Barbora Krejcikova — one of the most accomplished players of recent years.

Krejcikova’s success

Krejcikova’s career has been extraordinary, and what she has achieved is well above her current ranking.

The Czech has won three Australian Open mixed doubles titles and is a Golden Career Slam in women’s doubles, though she is also a two-time Grand Slam singles champion.

She stunned the tennis world with her shock triumph at the 2021 French Open, winning the title unseeded, before another surprising victory at Wimbledon in 2024.

Krejcikova peaked at world No 2 in February 2022 though her ranking has ebbed and flowed since then, and she was down outside the top 70 following a third-round defeat during her Wimbledon title defence this summer.

However, after nightmare injury struggles earlier in the season, the 29-year-old has found form this summer, capped off by an impressive run to her second US Open quarter-final.

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That has propelled her back inside the top 40 of the rankings, and she is provisionally up to world No 36 in the WTA Live Rankings ahead of this second-round clash.

Krejcikova looked in fine form in round one, dropping just three games versus Tatiana Prozorova.

This will be the first career meeting between Raducanu and Krejcikova and, with just six places between the two in the current rankings, there may be little to choose between.

When will the match take place?

The good news for both players — particularly Raducanu — is that the weather looks much improved in Seoul on Thursday, which means the match is likely to take place as scheduled.

Krejcikova and Raducanu’s clash will be the fourth and final match on Centre Court on Thursday, taking place not before 19:30 local time, around 11:30 UK time or 06:30 on the US East Coast.

Play will open at 14:00 local time, with French Open star Lois Boisson facing a tough test against second seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, in the latter’s first match of the tournament.

That will be followed by the Korean Open debut of world No 2 and top seed Iga Swiatek, who faces off against Sorana Cirstea.

Night session will begin not before 17:30 local time, with qualifier Katerina Siniakova facing fourth seed and 2024 finalist Daria Kasatkina, before Raducanu and Krejcikova take to the court.

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Emma Raducanu kickstarted her Asian swing with a gritty straight-sets win over Jaqueline Cristian at the Korea Open, though things aren’t set to get any easier for the former US Open champion.

World No 33 Raducanu and Cristian finally made it onto court at the WTA 500 event on Wednesday night local time, with the match again pushed back in the order of play due to rain — having previously been scheduled to take to court on Tuesday.

And, it was the British star who sealed victory, beating world No 41 Cristian 6-3, 6-4 to book her place in the second round of the Korea Open for the second straight year.

However, it was far from easy for Raducanu, with the match taking over two hours to complete inside the Seoul Olympic Park Tennis Center.

Raducanu faced a staggering 12 break points in the opening set and, though she saved 11 of them, found herself an early break down and had to rally from an early break down to claim an hour-long opening set.

The second set was also not easy but was marginally more straightforward, the world No 33 and Cristian trading early breaks before Raducanu sealed the decisive break in the ninth game, successfully serving out the match after two hours and two minutes.

Raducanu has quarter-final points to defend in Seoul and, while she has not defended all of those points quite yet, she has received a significant boost in the WTA Live Rankings.

The 22-year-old is provisionally up one place to world No 32 in the live rankings, moving ahead of Wang Xinyu — who is not in action on the WTA Tour this week.

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Should Raducanu successfully reach the quarter-final for a second consecutive year, she would remain at world No 32 in the WTA Live Rankings, though she would push into the top 30 if she were to progress any further.

Cracking the top 32 would be significant for Raducanu ahead of 2026, with the Brit looking to be seeded at the Australian Open next January.

However, she faces an incredibly tough test in her next Korea Open match, with Barbora Krejcikova awaiting in the second round.

A two-time Grand Slam champion and world No 2 at the very peak of her powers, Krejcikova has struggled with injury throughout 2025.

However, she has been in resurgent form this summer, with the Czech back inside the top 40 of the WTA Rankings after reaching the last eight of the US Open earlier this month.

Krejcikova was also in impressive form in her opening-round match of the Korea Open on Wednesday, dropping just three games against Tatiana Prozorova to progress.

This will be the first meeting between the two Grand Slam winners, and the winner could then go on to face top seed Iga Swiatek in the last eight.

Read Next: Emma Raducanu on the brink of reaching rankings goal and she may only need a couple of wins

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Aryna Sabalenka’s hopes of a dominant Asian swing have been dented after the four-time Grand Slam champion was confirmed to be withdrawing from the upcoming China Open.

World No 1 Sabalenka, who won her second US Open title less than two weeks ago, will miss the WTA 1000 event in Beijing due to what the tournament has described as a “minor injury”, with the Belarusian releasing a statement via the tournament.

She said: “Due to an injury sustained at the US Open and the ongoing recovery process, I regretfully announce that I will withdraw from this year’s China Open. I will focus on my recovery and strive to return to 100% condition as soon as possible.

“I can’t wait to see my fans in China! I look forward to returning to Beijing next year and wish you all the best for the tournament.”

Sabalenka’s withdrawal means she will likely not be in action until the Wuhan Open, the final WTA 1000 event of 2025, where she will be looking to win the title for a fourth straight edition of the event.

After a busy year which has seen her go deep at the vast majority of events she has contested, it may be wise for the 27-year-old to pull out of Beijing if there are any potential niggles that could be worsened by her participation.

However, her decision has also opened the door in the WTA Rankings for leading rival Iga Swiatek, whose hopes of a return to world No 1 by the end of the year have been boosted by Sabalenka’s decision.

How could it affect world No 1 race?

Sabalenka currently has a 3,292-point lead over Swiatek in the WTA Rankings (11,225 points to 7,933), though she is only 2,077 points ahead in the WTA Race to Riyadh, which monitors points won in 2025.

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While that is still a comfortable cushion for the Belarusian for now, Swiatek has the chance to significantly close the gap before the world No 1 returns to court.

Swiatek is in action at the WTA 500 event in Seoul this week and is still currently set to compete in Beijing next week.

Should the Pole triumph at both events, she would earn a combined 1,500 points — moving her within just 600 points of Sabalenka in the points standings for the season.

And, even if Swiatek does not triumph at one or both events, she can still close the gap on Sabalenka in the world rankings.

The Pole only has 400 points from the WTA Finals to defend for the rest of the season, having been provisionally suspended from the Korea Open, China Open, and Wuhan Open last year.

In contrast, Sabalenka has 400 points at the WTA Finals to defend herself, but has 1,000 points in Wuhan, and 215 quarter-finalist points in Beijing.

Should Swiatek triumph in Beijing this year — she won the event in 2023, so it is a distinct possibility — that would mean a 1,215-point swing between the two at one event.

She also has no points to defend in Wuhan, so, assuming she plays, she can close the gap on Sabalenka regardless of how the Belarusian fares in her title defence.

Both women are now also likely to be affected by rules concerning mandatory WTA events and points, though it will be the world No 1 who is affected more by this as things stand.

Sabalenka’s China Open withdrawal does not guarantee that she will lose the world No 1 ranking, and she still has a cushion for now.

However, it does open the door for Swiatek, whose chances of a third year-end No 1 finish have now increased.

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