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Aryna Sabalenka described herself as “an open book” when responding to a question from Tennis365 at the Wuhan Open last month and she has lived up to that billing over the last few weeks.

It took the tennis world some time to warm to a player who screams every time she strikes a ball ensuring she stood out from the crowd… but not always for the right reasons.

First impressions count and looking at an agitated and often angry Sabalenka battling with herself on court meant she was struggled to attract supporters in her formative days on the WTA Tour.

Yet all that changed when she started to embrace social media platforms at a level few in the game can match, with her eagerness to allow the world to see behind the curtains in her world, changing the perception many had of this engaging superstar.

Her rise up the WTA Rankings was halted by serving yips that threatened to derail her career, but the fightback from that problem and her success in winning four Grand Slam titles over the last couple of years has ensured the noise she makes on court now is drowned out by her success.

Tennis fans have also been allowed to get to know Sabalenka thanks to her regular appearances on TikTok and Instagram, where the fun side of her personality shines.

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Agents and sponsors are constantly urging the players they are associated with to post regular social media updates on their lives, but it seems Sabalenka does not need that encouragement as she has great fun making videos of her dancing with fellow players and he friends and sharing photos of her time on holiday with boyfriend, Brazilian businessman Georgios Frangulis.

Social media can be a platform that attracts unwanted attention, especially for female stars, so her decision to be so open about her life despite that threat was admirable and it has paid off.

Sabalenka has over five million followers across Instagram and TikTok and she he enjoying the chance to share her story with her army of fans around the world.

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“I feel like I’m like an open book right now,” she told Tennis365 in Wuhan. “Sometimes they ask me, what is something that people will be surprised to know about you? And I’m like, they know everything, like literally everything about me!

“I show everything. And, the main reason was that, you know, I look really aggressive on court, and I cannot look at myself, watch myself playing. I feel terrible about myself because I’m super aggressive.

“I felt like and I wanted to be connected with people. I wanted to feel support in the stadiums. I wanted to experience that support, so I felt like I need to share myself.

“I need to show people who, who Aryna is and everything came from there, and that’s why I started to share myself to just to make sure that I can stay connected with people.”

Sabalenka has not let herons down in recent days as she has been loading her Instagram page with images of her holiday in the Maldives and while now is the time to relax, the world No 1 will soon turn her attention to the 2026 season and what she hopes will be the pursuit of more Grand Slam titles.

The post How Aryna Sabalenka transformed her image by allowing tennis fans to step into her world appeared first on Tennis365.

Umberto Ferrara, the fitness trainer at the centre of Jannik Sinner’s doping controversy, has thanked the world No 2 for his “trust” in a social media message following his return to the Italian’s team.

Sinner’s 2025 season concluded with the 24-year-old winning his sixth title of 2025 at the ATP Finals in Turin, beating Carlos Alcaraz in the final to successfully defend his crown.

The world No 2 reached the final of all four Grand Slam tournaments in 2025, triumphing at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and also lifted trophies in Beijing, Vienna, and at the Paris Indoors.

Despite the Italian’s success, his season was marred by a three-month ban he served earlier in the year, with the 24-year-old settling his longstanding doping case with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Sinner initially tested positive twice for the banned steroid clostebol in March 2024, with the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s (ITIA) initial investigation holding Ferrara largely responsible.

The ITIA accepted Sinner’s explanation that he had been contaminated after Ferrara gave physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi a spray containing clostebol to treat a cut on his hand, before Naldi then treated Sinner without the use of gloves.

After the investigation was made public in August 2024, Sinner announced an immediate split from both Ferrara and Naldi, and was later suspended from February – May 2025 after WADA’s initial appeal regarding the ITIA’s ‘no fault or negligence’ verdict in his case.

However, after splitting with replacements Marco Panichi and Ulises Badio in June 2025, the four-time Grand Slam champion decided to bring Ferrara back into his team.

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The decision attracted questioning and criticism from some quarters, with Sinner refusing to comment too much further after an initial public statement.

Sinner ended the season strongly with consecutive titles at the Vienna Open, Paris Masters, and ATP Finals, also winning the China Open in September.

Ferrera was present for the world No 2’s post-title celebrations in Turin and, taking to Instagram, posted a message in which he reflected on his 2025 — and thanked Sinner.

He wrote (translated from Italian): “I’ve been in sports for many years but I’ll never stop being amazed at how beautiful it is.

“Sport is commitment, dedication, sacrifice; it’s emotion, smiles, tears; it’s victory and defeat, joy and disappointment; it’s comparison with oneself and others; it’s a desire to improve, analytical skills, confidence in work; it’s suffering in the dark moments that leave you inside a pain that is hard to digest, but it is also believing in the possibility of getting up and starting again with enthusiasm.

“It’s hard to condense it all into one post. This season (opened with the collaboration with Matteo [Berrettini], who I thank from the bottom of my heart) leaves me with so many unforgettable moments, which I was lucky enough to share with a fantastic team.

“Thanks to all of them but, above all, thanks to Jannik for the trust and the beauty of this common path.”

Sinner wrapped up his season following action in Turin, choosing not to play the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna, instead focusing on his preparations for 2025.

The Italian’s next official tournament will be the 2026 Australian Open, which he enters as the two-time defending champion.

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The post Jannik Sinner’s fitness coach thanks star ‘for the trust’ after return following doping saga appeared first on Tennis365.

Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek added to their already significant legacies in 2025, with both women tasting further Grand Slam success.

And, their triumphs throughout 2025 saw both world No 1 Sabalenka and world No 2 Swiatek join an exclusive prize money club, becoming just the fourth and fifth women to earn over $10m in an individual season.

Here, we look at the six greatest prize money seasons in WTA Tour history, and how Sabalenka and Swiatek’s years compare to other leading seasons of the past.

6) Iga Swiatek, 2025 – $10,112,532

Swiatek earned over $8.4m in 2024, and over $9.5m in both 2022 and 2023, though her 2025 prize money haul is now the biggest of her career.

The Pole earned $10,112,532 across 2025, her highest ever total in a season, and the sixth-highest season tally ever on the WTA Tour.

Swiatek’s year was highlighted by the £3,000,000 — close to $4,000,000 — she earned for her stunning Wimbledon triumph, with further Cincinnati Open and Korea Open triumphs to her name.

5) Angelique Kerber, 2016 – $10,136,615

Kerber’s 2016 was by far and away the greatest season of her career, with the German’s stunning rise propelling her to the year-end world No 1 ranking.

Her season was highlighted by Australian Open and US Open triumphs, as well as success at the Stuttgart Open, alongside runner-up finishes at Wimbledon and the WTA Finals.

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Kerber ended the year with $10,136,615 in winnings — close to one-third of her career prize money, and the fifth-highest ever won in a WTA season.

4) Serena Williams, 2015 – $10,582,642

The first of two Williams appearances on this list, the legendary American earned over $10m for the second occasion during her historic 2015 campaign.

She won the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon before a semi-final showing at the US Open, also winning the Miami Open and Cincinnati Open that season.

Williams’ haul of $10,582,642 was the second-highest she ever won in a season, and the fourth-highest of all time on the WTA Tour.

3) Ashleigh Barty, 2019 – $11,307,587

2019 was Barty’s incredible breakout season, with the Australian rising to world No 1, and sealing her first Grand Slam title at the French Open.

Barty was also the Miami Open and Birmingham Classic champion that year, and banked a then-record $4,420,000 thanks to her triumph at the WTA Finals in Shenzhen.

That triumph propelled the Australian to a staggering $11,307,587 for the year, the third-highest WTA prize money season in women’s tennis history.

2) Serena Williams, 2013 – $12,385,572

The second Williams appearance on this list, the American’s $12,385,572 won in 2013 was the record WTA prize money season up until now.

It was undoubtedly one of the most dominant seasons of the tennis icon’s career, winning a staggering 11 WTA titles in total — including victories at the French Open and US Open.

With further WTA 1000 triumphs in Miami, Madrid, Rome, Toronto, and Beijing to her name, as well as victory at the WTA Finals, Williams was well-rewarded for one of modern tennis’ greatest seasons.

1) Aryna Sabalenka, 2025 – $15,008,519

Williams’ record has now been broken by Sabalenka, who is now the first woman in history to earn over $15m in a single season of WTA Tour action.

The highlight of Sabalenka’s season was undoubtedly her triumph at the US Open, which banked her a staggering $5,000,000 in winnings.

The Belarusian was also the Miami Open, Madrid Open, and Brisbane International champion in 2025, and attained five further runner-up finishes — including at Roland Garros, the Australian Open, and the WTA Finals.

Sabalenka ended 2025 with $15,008,519 in winnings, a stunning new prize money record.

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The post The historic prize money milestone hit by Aryna Sabalenka & Iga Swiatek in 2025 appeared first on Tennis365.

Former ATP Tour star Jack Sock has questioned how close Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are off the court, suggesting that the narrative of their friendship was “being pushed way harder than reality.”

World No 1 Alcaraz and world No 2 Sinner have dominated the ATP Tour across the past two seasons, with the two splitting the last eight Grand Slam men’s singles titles between them.

2025 saw Alcaraz seal the year-end No 1 ranking and claim a staggering eight titles, including victories at the French Open and US Open, while Sinner won six titles — including Australian Open and Wimbledon triumphs.

The pair met in six finals across 2025, including three straight Grand Slam finals in Paris, SW19, and New York, alongside the ATP Finals.

Alcaraz and Sinner appear to be comfortably clear of their fellow ATP colleagues, and, despite the significance of the matches they often play, their relationship is known to be hugely respectful.

The Spaniard and Italian are hugely complimentary of each other during presentation ceremonies and off the court, with many hailing the perceived friendship between the two.

However, former world No 8 and three-time doubles Grand Slam champion Sock has now suggested some have pushed the narrative of a friendship between the two too far.

Speaking on Nothing Major this week, the American suggested that Alcaraz and Sinner were unlikely to be as “close” as many suggest.

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“I think Carlos would be more open to it [a friendship], based on personality. I think Jannik seems very closed off to his bubble and to his people,” said Sock.

“I think tennis fans in general obviously loved the Roger [Federer], Rafa [Nadal] narrative and everything, and they are good friends, and I think because they’re retired now and not around, people want that so much that they’re pushing this.

“Every tournament, I feel like every week now, you go on Twitter and it’s like: ‘Oh, Carlos and Jannik, look at this interaction they had as they’re passing by on the practice court.’

“Just because you dap somebody up and smile doesn’t mean you guys are like really close friends. Maybe it turns into that over the years with the rivalry and everything, but I think at the current moment, I think it’s being pushed way harder than reality.

“I agree that they’re friends, but the narrative that they’re really close is being pushed.”

The last meeting between Alcaraz and Sinner on court this year came at the ATP Finals in Turin, where the Italian prevailed in straight sets to successfully defend his title.

However, despite that defeat, Alcaraz still has a 10-6 advantage in their head-to-head.

All eyes will be on their rivalry in 2026, as to whether the Spaniard can move further ahead or if Sinner can close the gap in their head-to-head — and if anyone can come close to challenging their dominance.

The pair are set to meet in an exhibition match in South Korea in early January, shortly before the start of the first Grand Slam event of the year: the Australian Open.

Alcaraz heads into Melbourne looking to complete the Career Grand Slam, while Sinner will look to win a third straight title at the tournament.

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The post Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner ‘friends’ theory being ‘pushed way harder than reality’ appeared first on Tennis365.

Rafael Nadal has revealed that the first two sets of his 2020 French Open final victory over Novak Djokovic helped make that the favourite of the 14 championship matches he played at the tournament.

‘King of Clay’ Nadal memorably dominated the French Open for the best part of two decades, winning 14 of his 22 Grand Slam singles titles at Roland Garros during his legendary career.

No player in tennis history has won as many singles titles at one individual major as Nadal did at Roland Garros, with the Spaniard winning every final he ever contested at the tournament.

The Spaniard reached the final — and lifted the title — for the first time in 2005, and claimed the last of his 14 titles inside Court Philippe Chatrier in 2022, which proved to be his final career title full stop.

Nadal’s clay dominance meant that he was never once pushed to five sets in a final at the French Open, with many of his victories coming in straight sets.

However, in a video shared on the French Open’s social media channels, Nadal has revealed why his 2020 victory over Djokovic was so special.

The 39-year-old’s 13th French Open title was one of his most impressive, with the Spaniard beating his greatest rival 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 to triumph once again at the tournament.

Usually held in May and June, the 2020 edition of the event was held in cooler and more challenging October conditions due to COVID.

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Explaining why this final was so special, Nadal revealed that the fact he was considered slightly less of a “favourite” that year was a factor.

He said: “Maybe the first two sets of the 2020 final…very, very special.

“It was the year of COVID. We played Roland Garros later on [in] the season with much colder conditions, against Novak in the final, with the feeling that it was probably the year that I was less [of a] favourite.

“I was able to get in the final, and then in the final, I was able to increase my level of tennis in a very special way.

“These two sets, I think, have been so special.”

Nadal’s victory over Djokovic was the third time he had beaten arguably his greatest rival in the final at Roland Garros, after four-set victories in 2012 and 2014.

It was also the ninth and final time the two met in a Grand Slam final, the most such meetings between two men in the Open Era.

Nadal finished their rivalry with a slender 5-4 advantage across their nine major finals, though Djokovic ultimately won more Slams — 24 to Nadal’s 22 — and holds a 31-29 advantage in their overall head-to-head.

Outside of his victories over Djokovic in 2012, 2014, and 2020, Nadal also beat Mariano Puerta (2005), Roger Federer (2006-08, 2011), Robin Soderling (2010), David Ferrer (2013), Stan Wawrinka (2017), Dominic Thiem (2018-19), and Casper Ruud (2022) in French Open finals.

We asked Rafa to pick his favorite Roland-Garros final.

His answer: the first two sets of the 2020 final pic.twitter.com/JxnEKsF0hF

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) November 21, 2025

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The post Rafael Nadal reveals his favourite of the 14 French Open finals he won appeared first on Tennis365.

Ivan Ljubicic believes that Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will continue to dominate the tennis tour for the next two or three years, drawing upon similarities between the Spaniard and Roger Federer.

Alcaraz and Sinner have ruled the tennis scene for the last two years, winning all eight Grand Slams which have been contested within that period.

Arguably even more impressively, the pair have ended the 2025 season with more than double the number of ranking points that their nearest competitor, Alexander Zverev, posseses.

The Croat, who is a former world No 3, has stated that the rivalry is ‘fascinating’, even if he doesn’t believe the rest of the tour will provide for a ‘challenge’ in 2026.

“The rest are not there, they haven’t reach that level, so I don’t expect anything to change in the next two or three years,” Ljubicic predicted, in an interview with Punto de Break.

“Perhaps someone will emerge, but it will be individual performances here and there; I don’t think they will challenge Carlos and Jannik on a global level throughout the year.

“It’s interesting. They are two different players, two different personalities, so it’s great to see that contrast every time they face each other.

“The numbers show that Carlos is slightly ahead of Jannik, he is also a bit younger, but it’s fascinating and fantastic for tennis to have a rivalry like this right after the Big Three.”

Most recently, Alcaraz and Sinner faced off in the showpiece match of the 2025 Nitto ATP Finals – with the latter coming out on top via a 7-6(5), 7-5 victory to claim his second title in Turin.

It is Alcaraz who pipped the year-end No 1 title, leading Sinner 4-2 in their head-to-head for the season.

As a result of such a competitive rivalry at the top of the sport, many have sought to draw comparisons between the pair and that of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Federer.

More relevantly, Alcaraz has often been compared to the Swiss for his creativity and aggressiveness on court.

Ljubicic, who coached Federer from late 2015 until the end of his career, largely agrees with the comparison – caveating with the vast personality differences between the pair.

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“In terms of tennis, maybe, yes [he is most similar to Federer],” he said.

“In terms of personality and character, I think they are completely different, and I don’t believe you can disconnect one from the other.

“However, right now, Carlos is the most creative player, he is the player who generates the most excitement on a tennis court. Still, I think it’s too early to talk about these things.

“Yes, I believe he generates those emotions in tennis fans, in people who love this sport, he brings something different.

“There was a moment, five or ten years ago, when we were afraid that all players would be the same.

“He brought a different angle through his tennis. It’s fantastic.”

Alcaraz and Sinner are due to next face off on January 10^th 2026 in a Korean exhibition, prior to the season’s first Australian Open.

The post Roger Federer’s ex-coach reveals which of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner is most like the Swiss legend appeared first on Tennis365.

Tennis icon Jimmy Connors has claimed that the dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner is “not their fault” as he urged other players to “challenge” them.

World No 1 Alcaraz and world No 2 Sinner have been comfortably ahead of the rest of the men’s game for a number of months now, with the two sweeping tennis’ biggest titles.

The pair have now won the last eight Grand Slam tournaments between them, beginning from the 2024 Australian Open — with four major triumphs apiece during that time.

2025 was by far and away the best year of Alcaraz’s career, with the Spaniard winning the French Open and US Open titles, eight titles in total, and ending the year as the world No 1.

Despite a three-month suspension earlier in the year, Sinner still tasted success at the Australian Open and Wimbledon and won six titles, including the ATP Finals.

The Italian beat Alcaraz in the year-end championships final in Turin, and the two became the first men in the Open Era to meet in three Grand Slam finals in the same season, facing off at Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open.

The gap between the two and the rest of the tour is sizeable, with a staggering 6,340 points between world No 2 Sinner and world No 3 Alexander Zverev in the ATP Rankings.

All eyes are now on whether and when anyone can consistently challenge the pair in the future, with 38-year-old Novak Djokovic — who finished the year as the world No 4 — still arguably their closest rival.

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One player who knows all about dominance in the game is US great Connors, who won eight Grand Slam titles and spent a staggering 268 weeks as the world No 1 during his career.

And, speaking on his Advantage Connors podcast, the tennis legend claimed it was time for someone to step up and challenge the ‘New Two’.

“Yeah, you need somebody else to step in there and challenge those two,” said Connors. “But on the other hand, it’s not their fault.

“I hate to go back and say it, but my one-time manager Bill Reardon always said that when you get to the finals, there are 126 losers, and then you and your opponent. He’s right.

“Unless somebody steps up and challenges those guys, they’re going to keep dominating. Right now, nobody is.

“The big events, the major matches, the ones on TV, the ones that draw the big crowds and sell the major tickets, are Alcaraz and Sinner.”

The 2025 season is now over for both the Spaniard and the Italian, though their rivalry looks set to resume early on in 2026.

Alcaraz and Sinner are expected to be on court together at an exhibition event in Incheon, South Korea, on January 10, 2026.

The Australian Open will then get underway on January 18, with the two set to be the heavy favourites to lift the men’s singles title in Melbourne.

Sinner will be looking to win his third straight Australian Open title, while Alcaraz will look to complete the Career Grand Slam.

Read Next: Surprising Carlos Alcaraz statistics confirm he has big room for improvement in 2026

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Tennis legend Boris Becker has come to the defence of the “important” Novak Djokovic as he spoke openly about the Serbian’s long-term future in the sport.

Six-time Grand Slam champion Becker and Djokovic are known to have a close relationship, with the German coaching his fellow former world No 1 from 2013 to 2016.

Under Becker’s guidance, Djokovic produced some of the most dominant tennis of his career, winning six Grand Slam titles, two ATP Finals titles, and 14 Masters 1000 crowns during their time together.

Despite parting ways in 2016, the German and the 24-time Grand Slam winner still share a close relationship, with the two together as part of the Davis Cup tribute to Nikola Pilic this week.

The 2025 season saw Djokovic reach the semi-final of all four Grand Slam tournaments, though the Serbian had to retire injured at the Australian Open, was beaten by Jannik Sinner at the French Open and Wimbledon, and by Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open.

However, despite not winning a Grand Slam for the second straight year, Djokovic remains a leading figure in the game.

The 38-year-old won ATP Tour titles in Athens and Geneva this year, the 100th and 101st titles of his legendary career, and finished the season ranked fourth, with only Alcaraz, Sinner, and Alexander Zverev ahead of him.

Djokovic turns 39 next year and, having now gone two seasons without adding to his Grand Slam title collection, many have questioned his long-term future in the sport.

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The Serbian has himself revealed his goal of competing until the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, though that has done little to stop retirement talk.

But he has now found a welcome voice of support from his former coach.

Asked in an interview with The Guardian if he would be discussing retirement with Djokovic if he were still his coach, Becker suggested people should stop any “challenge” to the 38-year-old’s future.

“Look, I think he’s important for tennis today,” said Becker.

“He leads by example and shows the young players the amount of dedication you need to come to the top and then stay on top. He’s still chasing his 25th Grand Slam and reached all four major semi-finals this year and won two tournaments.

“Who are we to challenge Novak when to stop? I heard the other day that he wants to play at the Olympics in LA 2028. Let him. We need him.”

Former world No 1 Becker was also asked if Djokovic could win a record-extending 25th major title — a possibility the German refused to rule out.

He added: “Whoever was playing against Novak Djokovic lost a lot of money for the last 20 years. So I’d never bet against Novak.”

Djokovic ended his season with his victory over Lorenzo Musetti in the Hellenic Championship final earlier this month, choosing to skip the ATP Finals.

The 38-year-old will likely return to action next season at the 2026 Australian Open, which begins on January 18th.

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The post Novak Djokovic’s retirement stance defended by Boris Becker amid ongoing rumours appeared first on Tennis365.

The Davis Cup has been beset by problems in 2025 and now it has been confirmed that the prize money handed out to the winners in the tournament’s first year in Bologna will be substantially less than it was in Malaga last November.

Jannik Sinner triumphantly led Italy to a second successive Davis Cup win as he overpowered his rivals and took his share of the $2,678,571 in prize money that was split between members of the winning team.

The Netherlands team that lost in the final against a Sinner-inspired Italy were handed prize money of $1,607,143, while beaten semi-finalists Germany and Australia were presented with prize money of $1,071,429 each.

Now the figures for this year’s Davis Cup Final 8 event in Bologna have been confirmed and there is a big dip on the 2024 figures, with this year’s champions set to take home precisely $2million.

The runners-up in Bologna will get $1,500,000, while losing semi-finalists will be handed prize money of $750,000 and teams that lose in their first match in the Final 8 competition will get $500,00.

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The total prize money for this year’s event is $7million, with teams permitted to decide how the cash prizes are distributed at the end of the competition.

Sinner decided not to play in this year’s Davis Cup Final 8, even though the event was being staged in his homeland of Italy for the first time, was a huge blow to the competition.

When his great rival Carlos Alcaraz then followed Sinner by missing the competition due to injury, Alexander Zverev was the last of the top 10 stars left in the competition.

Zverev’s comments at the ATP Finals last week suggesting the Davis Cup had become little more than an “exhibition event” caused a stir, but he was quick to clarify his comments when he met up with the German Davis Cup team in Bologna.

“I said it before. The only reason I’m here is because of this team. I still say, and I will keep saying, that I prefer the old format of the Davis Cup,” said Zverev.

“I always said it, and I will continue saying it. I think it was history. I think it was a big part of playing the home and away matches.

“I also love this team. I understand everybody’s not getting younger. We all want to have success together. We only have a couple more years left to do that within this formation. This is why I’m here.

“I truly believe that we have a great team. I truly believe we have a team that we can win this thing with. I’m looking forward to competing together with these guys.”

This has not been a great year for the Davis Cup finale and it remains to be seen whether changes will be made to the competition to breathe fresh life into it and encourage the top players to compete in what has long been the most prestigious team event in tennis.

The post Davis Cup prize money takes a big hit as final total for 2025 winners is confirmed appeared first on Tennis365.

Roger Federer has revealed the one match that he would like to play again, but it is not the one that most tennis fans expect, as he insisted his 2019 Wimbledon defeat to Novak Djokovic did not leave him devastated.

Looking to win a record-extending ninth Wimbledon trophy and take his Grand Slam tally to 21, Federer defeated his great rival Rafael Nadal in the semi-final to set up a match against Djokovic.

The pair produced the longest Wimbledon final as they slugged it out for four hours and 57 minutes with the match going to a fifth set and a final set tie-breaker to decide the outcome. Federer found himself with two match points at 8-7 in the fifth set, but Djokovic saved both and broke back before winning 7-6 (7-5), 1-6, 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 13-12 (7-3).

The outcome left Federer fans devastated and it also turned out to be his last Grand Slam final, but in an interview with Tagesanzeiger.ch’s Simon Graf, the tennis legend said he moved on quickly from that defeat.

“Funnily enough, that one didn’t bother me for long. No idea why. Maybe it was because of the children. Maybe because I’d beaten Rafa in the semi-final,” he explained.

“But I felt like: It was over, I’d played a great tournament, shame I lost, and on we go. I analysed it very matter-of-factly for myself. In the following days I had the occasional flashback. But never again after that.

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When told that the match was traumatic for many of his fans, the former world No 1 replied: “Not for me. I said to myself: From now on it’s just a good memory.

“The last thing I wanted was to drive myself crazy over it. I didn’t deserve that, because I really had played well.

“I still remember coming back home after the final and the children rushing toward me. I said: ‘Hey, I just need five minutes.’ I had to let off steam briefly and lie on the bed. Then I went down to the living room. There were 30 people there, and we had a good evening together.”

Instead, the match that resulted in a lot of flashbacks was his defeat to Juan Martin del Potro in the final of the US Open in 2009.

After winning five consecutive titles at Flushing Meadows from 2004 to 2008, Federer was looking to become the first player to win six in a row at the US Open in the Open Era and he breezed into the final as he dropped only two sets.

But then he came up against the powerful Del Potro and the Argentine stunned him 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 to win his only Grand Slam trophy.

“I should have won that one,” Federer said. “Back then I had back pain in the warm-up and then missed so many chances. That was one of the matches I shouldn’t have lost. It also broke my streak at the US Open.”

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