MADRID – Casper Ruud was raised too well. Calm, thoughtful, friendly and humorous, the Norwegian is one of the players most deserving of moving from the ‘finalist’ category to ‘champion’ in a Grand Slam tournament. He deserves it for his
RIO DE JANEIRO – Joao Lucas Reis, the Brazilian who at the end of 2024 became the first male tennis player on the men’s circuit to come out as gay, is clear about one thing: it is very unlikely that
The French Open is perhaps the toughest of the four Grand Slams to win. The slow, sliding clay courts have made mincemeat of even the best players on the tour, especially throughout the Rafael Nadal era. Between 2005 and 2022,
RÍO DE JANEIRO – Under the tropical heat, with Christ the Redeemer embracing everyone from the top of Corcovado, Rio de Janeiro is further proof of the passion that tennis awakens in Latin America. Does the ATP know or understand
PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic — If Bob Marley had been a tennis fan instead of a football lover, what’s happening these days in the Dominican Republic might have inspired one of his songs. In just sixty days and with a
PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic – Rafael Nadal had a significant advantage over Roger Federer in their head-to-head record, but there was a period when the Swiss dominated him: “He was playing the best tennis of his life; I felt like
Why in football are penalties kicked from 11 metres away? Why not kick them from five metres from the goal? There would be more goals, more enthusiasm, more children playing football and more business! Why not allow in football, when
RIO DE JANEIRO – Gustavo Kuerten grabs his arm and says: “I’ve got goose bumps”. He is talking about Joao Fonseca. And Kuerten opens his eyes, smiles and says without hesitation: he would have been incapable of winning Roland Garros
RIO DE JANEIRO – Alexander Zverev abandons his serious expression for a moment, flashes a German smile and blurts out three words: ‘Best of five’. His interlocutor bursts out laughing. It is Monday in Rio de Janeiro, the city is
RÍO DE JANEIRO – It’s not normal to play for three hours and 15 minutes, reach the third set tiebreak at 6-6 and cross the net with a huge smile, serving for match point (for or against) without losing
RIO DE JANEIRO – The children crowd against the glass, open their eyes wide and ask enthusiastically, vociferously: ‘How’s Fonseca doing, how’s the game going?’. It is Sunday 16th February 2025 in Rio de Janeiro, those children, dozens and dozens
RIO DE JANEIRO – Alexander Zverev is not satisfied with the decision of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in the “Sinner case”. “For me, it’s either you have to decide was it his fault or was it not his fault”,’ Zverev told CLAY in Rio
