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Nadal reflects on win over Nishikori to set more records in Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo: Rafael Nadal powered to a straight sets 6-3, 6-2 victory over Kei Nishikori in 93 minutes to lift a record eleventh Monte Carlo crown.

The Spaniard bettered his own records in the following categories:
- Most consecutive sets won on clay (36)
- Most titles on clay in the Open Era (54)
- Most Masters Final Appearances (47) – tied with Roger Federer
- Most Masters Final Titles (31) – overtaking Novak Djokovic
http://gty.im/950029690

He reflected on his record-breaking day during an interview with Sky Sports:

Nadal: “It’s so special no? and yeah it doesn’t matter if it’s the 11th. Every year is different feelings, and yeah especially coming back from injury it is so special for me. The history of this tournament with me is something difficult to describe now since the first time that I came here in 2003 it was so special.”

“So very happy with everything and the great news that I have had the chance to finish a week and playing so well during the whole week.”

It was a very special day for you today. The first three games were pretty tight and you were down a break in that first. How did you completely take control of the match?

Nadal: “From there yeah I had an opportunity to be 2-0 in the first – but I miss a forehand on the line and yeah I think I have it but you know that game – always I make few mistakes tactically now and then he had the break.”

“But mainly I think I changed it a little bit. Now I try to start to move him more than and what I was doing was opening the court and then I see more space. I open up the court with the backhand and then the match completely changes now it opened full possibilities for me and then yeah…”

“It was important to close that first set I had the tough game in at 5-3 and then in the second I started with advantage so that was big for confidence.”

You are now on your 54th clay court title. How does this set things up for you for the rest of the clay court season and how excited are you for things up ahead?

Nadal: “Well today is the moment to enjoy Monte Carlo, no? and then tomorrow we’re going to start thinking about Barcelona. I have a very difficult draw so I’ll just enjoy this day and of course it is a great feeling to start the clay court season in this way – winning five straight matches here and two last week in the Davis Cup so yeah, great feelings but it’s day by day and today the only thing that matters is to have this trophy with me again”

Match Highlights:

Highlights: Nadal Clinches 11th Monte-Carlo Crown

Watch as Rafael Nadal defeats Kei Nishikori to win his 11th Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters title and a record 31st overall ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown. Photo: Realis/Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com. Watch matches live at http://tnn.is/streamlive.

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April 22, 2018
Another record breaking opportunity for Nadal in Monte Carlo.

Kei Nishikori has his work cut out on Sunday when he faces off against Rafael Nadal on the red clay of Monte Carlo. A foregone conclusion? Not quite, but a huge ask of the Japanese ball striker.

Nishikori might take some heart from the fact that he beat Nadal in their last encounter (a third-place playoff match in the 2016 Olympics) but that was on hard court and Nadal was playing through injury. Another positive he might take comes from a performance on clay back in 2014 where he won a set in Madrid before retiring injured in the deciding stanza.

Aside from that, the omens aren’t good. Nadal has been imperious all week. In particular, the 6-0, 6-2 thrashing of Dominic Thiem sent a huge statement to the locker room.

“He’s been playing amazing, dominating all the matches” was Nishikori’s blunt assessment of Nadal’s progress. The Spaniard has only lost here once in the last twelve years.

Another finals victory would extend a record Nadal already owns. Last year in Monte Carlo, he became the first male player in Open era tennis to win the same tournament ten times. The smart money says he makes it eleven.

Who was Nadal texting after the match?

Some of you might have caught Nadal texting on his mobile phone straight after the Dimitrov match. The recipient?

“I was texting Carlos to tell him that we need to book a court quick, I just wanted to hit some forehands winners that I think I need for tomorrow” Nadal explained.

The Historical Head to Head

Nadal leads 9-2

2016 Olympic Tennis 0 Hard Kei Nishikori Rafael Nadal 6-2 6-7(1) 6-3
2016 Barcelona F Clay Rafael Nadal Kei Nishikori 6-4 7-5
2016 Indian Wells Masters QF Hard Rafael Nadal Kei Nishikori 6-4 6-3
2015 Canadian Masters QF Hard Kei Nishikori Rafael Nadal 6-2 6-4
2014 Madrid Masters F Clay Rafael Nadal Kei Nishikori 2-6 6-4 3-0 Ret’d
2014 Australian Open R16 Hard Rafael Nadal Kei Nishikori 7-6(3) 7-5 7-6(3)
2013 FO – RG R16 Clay Rafael Nadal Kei Nishikori 6-4 6-1 6-3
2012 Miami Masters R16 Hard Rafael Nadal Kei Nishikori 6-4 6-4
2011 Miami Masters R64 Hard Rafael Nadal Kei Nishikori 6-4 6-4
2010 Wimbledon R128 Grass Rafael Nadal Kei Nishikori 6-2 6-4 6-4
2008 Queen’s R16 Grass Rafael Nadal Kei Nishikori 6-4 3-6 6-3

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April 21, 2018
Barcelona Tennis Open 2018

Photo by SuiteLife Barcelona (www.SuiteLife.com)

“I had this perfect dream, This dream was me and you, I want all the world to see, A miracle sensation” – so begins the song “Barcelona” performed by Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé. Based on the lyrics, it could have been penned by Rafael Nadal talking about his place in Barcelona tennis folklore.

The King of Clay will roll into the Catalan capital campaigning for a record eleventh title at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona.

Who else is playing?

The field has been boosted by the late entry of former world number one Novak Djokovic. Djokovic decided to enter the tournament following his the third round Monte Carlo exit at the hands of Dominic Thiem. The Serb will be seeded six at a tournament he last played in 2006 at the tender age of 18 years old.

Dominic Thiem arrives in Barcelona licking his wounds after being on the wrong end of a drubbing administered by Nadal in Monte Carlo. The Austrian won only 2 games during the match and was ushered out of the facilities in less than 68 minutes. Still, Thiem is one of only a few players to have beaten Nadal on the red dirt in the past.

Grigor Dimitrov, David Goffin, and Pablo Carreno Busta will also hope to make an impression.

Flying under the radar is Kei Nishikori. Nishikori is seeded a lowly 14th this year on the back of a series of injury timeouts that ravaged his ranking but he has won twice here before in 2014 and 2015.

More Than Tennis

The tournament is more than just a sporting event in the Barcelona calendar, it’s also an esteemed social event that plays host to various activities and events around the village complex.

Fact Flash

Barcelona nearly became home to the Eiffel Tower. If everything had gone according to Gustave Eiffel’s initial plan, Paris’ most famous landmark would now be in Barcelona. Unfortunately, Spain rejected the architect’s project, deciding that it was too “radical” and did not fit the city’s aesthetics.

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April 21, 2018
Istanbul Cup 2018, WTA Tennis

Caroline Wozniacki will be the marquee name heading up the field at the Istanbul Cup. The Australian Open champ is the only Top 10 player heading to the Turkish tournament with most of her peers electing to play the Premier event in Stuttgart.

Despite the lack of other Top 10 entrants, the field is given a boost in name value by double major winner Svetlana Kuznetsova, Agnieszka Radwanska and the in-form Naomi Osaka. 2017 winner Elina Svitolina is not defending her title.

Photo by karlnorling

$226,750 prize money is on offer for this WTA International event.

Fact Flash

Istanbul is the only city in the world that straddles two continents: Asia and Europe.

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April 21, 2018
Porsche Tennis Grand Prix – WTA Stuttgart Open 2018

Known locally as the “Cradle of the automobile”, Stuttgart is home to Daimler, Mercedes-Benz, primary sponsor Porsche and of course, the Stuttgart Open – a WTA premier event.

The city is the capital of the German state of Baden-Württemberg and ranks as the country’s sixth largest.

The Open is the oldest indoor tennis tournament in Europe and the only indoor venue to use clay. It’s been a Premier event on the WTA circuit since 2009. $816,000 of prize money is on offer with sponsors Porsche throwing in an added bonus of a gleaming new 718 Boxster GTS for the champion.

The winner of the Stuttgart Open won’t be getting a bus home. Porsche will be providing a new 718 GTS Boxster.

Who’s playing?

The better question might be, “Who isn’t playing?” given the star cast signed up for Stuttgart.

Serena Williams is sitting this one out. Tournament Director Markus Günthardt said the American wasn’t planning on coming to Europe so early and would arrive on the continent in time to play Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros.

Sister Venus will not play either. The only other Top 10 player not to feature is Caroline Wozniacki. The Dane has elected to play in Istanbul.

World #1 Simona Halep tops the seeds. Halep made the semi-finals last year and will be looking for a strong start to the clay swing.

Simona Halep will be looking to go better than her 2017 Semi-Final.

Germany is well represented, with two-time former champion Angelique Kerber, in-form Julia Görges and defending champion Laura Siegemund in the mix. Kerber professes not to like clay too much, but she clearly likes the indoor venue at Stuttgart and will be one to watch.

Garbiñe Muguruza and Jelena Ostapenko could also feature strongly. Ostapenko won the doubles here last year and demonstrated her clay court prowess at the highest level by annexing the French Open last year. Muguruza can’t be ruled out on any surface, let alone clay, a surface on which she triumphed at the 2016 French Open.

US Open champion Sloane Stephens will play. The enigmatic American has one (green) clay title on her resume but is enjoying a purple patch after following up her Flushing Meadows title with a win in Miami.

Other top players who will challenge include Caroline Garcia, Petra Kvitova, and Elina Svitolina.

Fact Flash:

Stuttgart has been voted by the players on the WTA tour as their favourite premier event for 9 of the last 11 years. Indian Wells won the vote in 2009 and 2013.

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April 21, 2018
The Top 10 Social Media Followings in Women’s Tennis

Serena Williams has been the dominant player of her era, but is she the Queen of social media?

Tennis Frontier went on a fact-finding mission to see which players were rocking the realm of Cyberspace with social media followings. We checked out the Twitter, Facebook and Instagram followings of the major players. Overall figures are shown in brackets.

No.10 Agnieszka Radwanska (Followers: 1,543,660)

Polish playmaker, Aga Radwanska squeezes into the Top 10 edging out Spanish starlet Garbiñe Muguruza (1,524,314) and Martina Hingis (1,353,066) by virtue of a pretty hefty Facebook following.

Facebook: 948,660
Twitter: 312,000
Instagram: 283,000

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No.9 Petra Kvitova (1,553,991)

Czech powerhouse and two-time major winner Petra Kvitova chimes in at Number 9 on the list. Petra has a pretty balanced following across all three of the major social media networks.

Facebook: 664,991
Twitter: 535,000
Instagram: 354,000

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No.8 Angelique Kerber (1,649,984)

Former world number one Angelique Kerber ranks 8 on the list. The German star posts in both English and her native language.

Facebook: 834,984
Twitter: 357,000
Instagram: 458,000

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No.7 Simona Halep (2,219,669)

The pride of Romania, Simona Halep performs solidly on Facebook and Instragram, less so on Twitter where she would rank outside the Top 10.

Facebook: 1,412,669
Twitter: 196,000
Instagram: 611,000

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No.6 Victoria Azarenka (3,500,028)

Vika has a solid following of over 3.5 million. The Belarusian former world number one is particularly active on Twitter and this reflects in her numbers.

Facebook: 1,490,028
Twitter: 1,410,000
Instagram: 600,000

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No.5 Eugenie Bouchard (4,924,200)

Genie bats way above her tennis accomplishments when it comes to social media. The Canadien weighs in at Number 5 on the overall list and No.3 on Instagram. Photogenic, sassy and a marketers dream.

Facebook: 1,524,200
Twitter: 1,700,000
Instagram: 1,700,000

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No.4 Venus Williams (4,995,700)

Legendary veteran Venus Williams appears at Number 4 on the list. Not quite as active on social media as some of her counterparts, she still rides high.

Facebook: 2,285,700
Twitter: 1,770,000
Instagram: 940,000

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No.3 Caroline Wozniacki (5,947,376)

Caro’s recent major winning exploits have given her a boost, but she was doing pretty well in any event. Wozniacki is very active in promotional work and Sports Illustrated photoshoots don’t harm the cause.
The Danish star ranks 3.

Facebook: 1,567,376
Twitter: 3,180,000
Instagram: 1,200,000

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No.2 Serena Williams (23,996,996)

Serena Williams transcends the sport. Nearly 24 million followers give her a buffer of over 18 million followers to third-placed Caroline Wozniacki. Williams is ranked #1 on both Instagram and Twitter in comparison to her peers.

Facebook: 5,296,996
Twitter: 10,800,000
Instagram: 7,900,000

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No.1 Maria Sharapova (26,834,575)

Maria Sharapova comes top of the list, courtesy of a mammoth 15 million + Facebook following. The Russian can rightfully claim the title of “Tennis Queen of Social Media”. With nearly 27 million overall followers, Sharapova is the marketing gift that just keeps giving.

Facebook: 15,214,575
Twitter: 8,620,000
Instagram: 3,000,000

Photo by Visit Victoria

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April 13, 2018
The Top 10 Social Media Followings in Men’s Tennis

Swiss superstar Roger Federer is deemed by many to be greatest of all time when it comes to tennis records and accolades, but can he add the title of King of Social Media to his list of achievements?

Tennis Frontier went on a fact-finding mission to see which players were rocking the realm of Cyberspace with social media followings. We checked out the Twitter, Facebook and Instagram followings of the major players. Overall figures are shown in brackets.

No.10 David Ferrer (Followers: 1,562,114)

The diminutive Spanish baseliner, David Ferrer has utilised Twitter well, engaging the public and boasts a whopping 1.15 million followers on that channel (down from a high of 1.4 million). Ferrer has also tapped into Facebook but his numbers are negated by a pretty meagre Instagram footprint.

Facebook: 399,414
Twitter: 1,150,000
Instagram: 12,700

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No.9 Kei Nishikori (1,905,105)

Nishikori is a huge name in Japan and the likelihood is that he has his own huge following on Japanese social media channels, but in terms of Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, he weighs in at Number 9 on the list with just under 2 million followers.

Facebook: 682,105
Twitter: 888,000
Instagram: 335,000

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No.8 Grigor Dimitrov (1,923,449)

Baby Fed has never quite lived up to his strapline on the court, but Grigor Dimitrov boasts the 8th largest social media following in men’s tennis. Dimitrov didn’t have an Instagram presence a couple of years ago but made up for lost time and now boasts a healthy following of 768,000 followers on that medium alone.

Facebook: 698,449
Twitter: 457,000
Instagram: 768, 000

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No.7 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (2,294,956)

Tsonga is a likable fellow and this is reflected in his social media statistics. Good followings on Facebook and Twitter didn’t stop the Frenchman tapping into Instagram to boost his online profile.

Facebook: 824,956
Twitter: 989,000
Instagram: 481,000

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No.6 Stan Wawrinka (3,338,388)

The Swiss star and three-time major winner has leveraged his success into building a social media following approaching three and a half million followers. Wawrinka has successfully tapped into the younger demographic, boasting a healthy 847,000 followers on Instagram.

Facebook: 751,388
Twitter: 1,740,000
Instagram: 847,000

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No.5 Juan Martin Del Potro (7,005,616)

Del Potro wasn’t in the Top 10 two years ago when it came to social media followings. Either his PR team is doing something well, or fans are piggybacking his resurgence to relevance. The truth is likely somewhere in between. Either way, Delpo has over 7 million followers – more than twice the number of Stan Wawrinka, who is only one place further back.

Facebook: 2,085,616
Twitter: 3,320,000
Instagram: 1,600,000

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No.4 Andy Murray (8,872,243)

Murray was an early advocate of social media, particularly Twitter, and now boasts a healthy 8.8 million+ followers across the major channels.

Facebook: 3,752,243
Twitter: 3,720,000
Instagram: 1,400,000

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No.3 Novak Djokovic (19,447,035)

Photo by Marianne Bevis

Former World Number One and iconic Serb, Novak Djokovic boats a staggering 19 million+ following, a huge increase on #4 Andy Murray.

Facebook: 7,157,035
Twitter: 8,490,000
Instagram: 3,800,000

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No.2 Roger Federer (32,294,374)

Photo by Marianne Bevis

Arguably, the greatest player to pick up a tennis racquet, Roger Federer ranks #2 on our social media list with a whopping 32 million+ followers. Federer leads the sport on Instagram and Facebook followers. Despite joining Twitter less than two years ago, he has amassed a staggering 12.4 million fans. Such figures transcend the sport, yet he still falls marginally short of his long-term rival, Rafael Nadal

Facebook: 15,094,374
Twitter: 12,400,000
Instagram: 4,800,000

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No.1 Rafael Nadal (34,745,623)

Photo by Marianne Bevis

The Spanish Bull boasts a staggering following of nearly 35 million and ranks #1 among active male tennis players. Nadal was an early advocate of Twitter but took to Facebook fairly late. He is second to Federer on Facebook and Instagram but his Twitter following propels him above the Swiss in the overall count. Nadal holds the GOAT title of social media.

Facebook: 14,645,623
Twitter: 15,600,000
Instagram: 4,500,000

Photo by Marianne Bevis

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April 13, 2018
Monte Carlo Masters 2018

Photo by Fabio Pani

If awards were given out for the most picturesque venue among ATP tournaments, then the Monte-Carlo Country Club would have few contenders with its stunning views over the Mediterranean.

Monte Carlo hasn’t been a mandatory masters event since 2009 but still retains it’s allure in attracting top players with good prize money, a fantastic location and rich storied history. Rafael Nadal has won here a record ten times and returns as the defending champion and overwhelming favourite.

Novak Djokovic, one of only two active players other than Nadal to have won here (Wawrinka being the other) has reunited with longtime coach Marian Vajda and will hope it sparks an upturn in form.

Dominic Thiem already has seven clay court titles to his name but is yet to win a Masters crown. He’s well placed to start making an impression on the European clay swing but the question mark for him at Monte Carlo is that hasn’t played since injuring an ankle at Indian Wells.

Grigor Dimitrov, Sascha Zverev, and David Goffin are other contenders who will be looking for a good start to the European clay season. Lucas Pouille will be the primary French flag bearer.

Strange But True…

The Monte Carlo Country Club is not actually in Monte Carlo or even Monaco. It’s situated in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, a French commune bordering the city-state.

One to Watch…

All eyes will be on Djokovic. The former #1 is in the most turbulent phase of his illustrious career with injuries and coaching changes. Will the real Novak Djokovic stand up?

Singles Field: 56
Prize Money: €4,872,105

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April 12, 2018
Serena all set for tennis return

Serena Williams. Photo by Edwin Martinez

Serena Williams sabbatical from the women’s tour will come to an end as she prepares for her first match in 14 months at Indian Wells.

The last time Williams set foot on the court for a competitive tour match was January 2017, where she completed a successful Australian Open campaign in Melbourne to net her 23rd Grand Slam title.

The American star’s time out of the game has been eventful. She married Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and gave birth to a baby girl, Alexis.

Serena Williams on X (formerly Twitter): “Thrilled to cover @voguemagazine’s February issue with my daughter! This is a moment I will never forget: https://t.co/aQ6ZpxZeB4 pic.twitter.com/iTwDMoGZf7 / X”

Thrilled to cover @voguemagazine’s February issue with my daughter! This is a moment I will never forget: https://t.co/aQ6ZpxZeB4 pic.twitter.com/iTwDMoGZf7

March 4, 2018
Nadal pulls out of Indian Wells and Miami

16-time Major Winner, Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from contesting the Sunshine Double of Indian Wells and Miami, citing an ongoing hip injury. The announcement was made shortly after Nadal withdrew from the Acapulco Open in Mexico.

Nadal’s 2018 campaign has been beset by the recurring injury. He pulled out of the Australian Open at the beginning of the year during a Quarter Final clash with Croat Marin Cilic.

Cover Photo (Creative Commons License): Marianne Bevis

March 4, 2018