Another month, another magazine cover for Rafael Nadal.
The global tennis star is featured on the cover of Celebrity‘s latest edition.
“Rafael Nadal, boy and man. I have observed every step of his extraordinary transformation from the fresh-faced junior tennis talent, to the leaping powerhouse electrifying crowds sporting his unique pirate garb, to respected ‘veteran’. The oldest French Open Champion, joint record holder of 20 Grand Slam Titles with over 1,000 ATP victories. Indeed, the youth I first interviewed in 2002 has become the finest ambassador, not only for his sport, but his much-loved home of Mallorca. In fact, the pride of Spain.”
The 2020 ATP CUP was comprised of 24 teams; 2021 will have a 12-team CUP draw.
The Davis Cup may be on its way out.
So far, good news for the clay season.
Per the ATP, “Confirmed details of weeks 8-13 will be announced separately, while all subsequent sections of the 2021 calendar, beginning with the Spring clay-court season from week 14, remain unchanged at this time, with all tournaments planned to take place as originally scheduled.”
Thanks Margo for all the information. Have you seen whether the players will be able to practice during the 14 day quarantine? I assume yes but who knows.
My main impression of the first seven weeks is that it’s pretty choppy. At least there won’t be crazy travel for the ATP Cup.
I would think that Rafa would like to get a competitive match early as he often does an exhibition in December. I don’t know though that he would be interested in the tournament in Turkey.
Thanks again.
David, from what I recall, the ability to train prior to the AO was a contentious subject and one that had the potential to derail the AO.
Supposedly players will be able to practice after testing negative 2 [or 3?] times after their arrival. In a previous post I believe I posted more details. I did check this AM but nothing from the ATP or AO on a granular level.
Choppy yes, but under the circumstances I think it gives more of the lower ranked players an opportunity to play some matches and win some money, especially those who didn’t make qualifying.
I don’t see Rafa going to Turkey but he may surprise me.
The latest was found on ESPN
“The Victorian state government has confirmed that all players at the Australian Open will be required to quarantine in Melbourne for 14 days before the delayed start of the Feb. 8-21 first Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year.
The government said on Saturday that quarantine plans have been endorsed by the Chief Health Officer and that it would work with Tennis Australia to finalize a COVID-safe plan that “ensures the safety of all parties … rigorous infection prevention and control measures will be central to these arrangements.”
Players are expected to arrive in Melbourne from mid-January, undertaking a mandatory two-week quarantine period that permits them to train for a maximum of five hours per day at Melbourne Park, site of the Australian Open.
A statement said players and their support teams will be tested prior to departing for Australia and then a minimum of five times during their quarantine period. If they test positive, they will be subject to standard quarantine arrangements until being cleared by public health officials.
The ATP Cup, two ATP events and two WTA tournaments will take place in Melbourne the week before the Australian Open. One WTA tournament will happen during the second week of the Australian Open, local media said.”
It will be interesting to see how “united” the ATP will be following the new short film “Tennis is Life.”
ATP NEWS RELEASE
18 DECEMBER 2020
ATP AND WTA SHARE UNITED MESSAGE IN NEW SHORT FILM ‘TENNIS IS LIFE’
LONDON: The ATP and WTA have today launched a film titled ‘Tennis Is Life’, reflecting on the coronavirus-hit 2020 season. The collaborative film documents the sport’s journey throughout the year while honouring those who made the return of tennis possible.
The film, created by London-based agency MATTA, is comprised of clips from tennis players’ own social media channels documenting their experiences from lockdown to competition. ‘Tennis Is Life’ is voiced by major stars from both Tours, as they read a powerful passage from Andre Agassi’s acclaimed autobiography, ‘Open’, which explores parallels between life’s ups and downs and the game of tennis, through the shared language of both.
Closing with the poignant line, “this is being stronger, united”, the film underscores the greater collaboration seen in tennis this year, and symbolises a vision for unity in the sport, to enable it to fulfil its true potential. ‘Tennis Is Life’ debuts on the heels of other notable collaborations between ATP and WTA this year, including Tennis United, an award-winning digital series launched in April and coinciding with the suspension of both Tours. Both organisations’ marketing teams will continue to embody the vision by coming together on joint campaign creatives, as well as through the alignment of tournament category nomenclature from 2021.
The ATP TOUR has posted its calendar for the first 7 weeks of 2021. Please refer to their News Release.
Roger had hopes of competing at the AO, but his attendance is now in question.
“I would love to be in Australia. But it will be very tight with my knee. I don’t want to take the next step until I’m ready. These three weeks might help a bit. The summer with Wimbledon, the Olympics and the US Open is my priority,” Federer said.
Roger last played in South Africa in the exhibition Match for Africa against Rafa who helped raise money for Roger’s charity.
Get better Roger.
Margo, any news on the tennis calendar for the first few months of 2021? From what I can tell, except for the dates of the AO, everything seems to be up in the air. Thanks.
David, tournaments have been waiting for Australia to announce their schedule. I don’t yet have a schedule as I’ve been checking all day.
Indian Wells has been canceled according to many different sources.
A condensed ATP Cup is being considered or possibly a 750 tournament during the first week of February.
Hopefully the ATP will publish a schedule soon.
Wishing Roger all the best. Better for him to mount a comeback fully fit than risk a setback at the AO. He’ll want to try to squeeze out another grand slam win and, of course, we know he’s desperate to win Olympic gold. I think that next year, the US Open will be Roger’s swansong, but who knows as, not surprisingly, Roger has always kept his cards close to his chest as far as retirement goes.
Erroneously, I was under the impression that this injury was the same as the one in 2016, the bathtub saga. That was the left knee: this one is in his right knee.
Roger has been very lucky with good health throughout his career. Is it possible that his body is telling him it’s catch-up time, i.e., the years of playing tennis is now starting to cause him problems. Or, does the type of meniscus injury he has ever completely heal.
I was surprised about his latest statement because recently he announced recuperation was going well, and that he no longer has pain.
I can see Rafa winning more Slams but think it would be a shame if Roger doesn’t get a crack at playing the Olympics, Wimbledon, or the USOPEN.
Good health to all.
Hi Margo. Yes, Catherine Whitaker still does the podcast too and Matt Roberts features as a relatively new addition. The podcast concerned is called ‘Running the ATP – Chris Kermode’ 10th December.
For anyone else interested, you can also get the shows by simply googling ‘tennis podcast’ and if you go into it, a list of shows will come up – that’s how I do it.
Thank you Lorna. I did listen to it and think it’s a pity even more, after having heard Chris Kermode’s explanation, why he wasn’t given a second term after everything he accomplished for both the players and the ATP.
The numbers he quoted for prize monies and attendance records under his watch are astounding. Additionally, there is also a players’ retirement fund which has increased considerably.
Let’s see if the TIU [Tennis Integrity Unit] does anything about addressing players’ negative behavior on-or-off court.
It’s still months away but he said the 2021 Monte Carlo Masters will take place. Chris is working for them in a consultancy capacity.
Yes, Chris has done a lot for the sport during his tenure as ATP CEO, so i don’t know what all the beef was about, coming from some players. Good to learn his side of the story. The figures speak for themselves.
There is a interesting podcast in which David Law interviews Chris Kermode, the former ATP CEO. He discusses a whole host of issues : running the ATP, distribution of funds, decision making, the creation of the Next Gen, the tour calender, the effect of the pandemic, the PTPA v ATP Players’ Council and policies and protocols in light of recent domestic abuse allegations against certain players.
[The Tennis Podcast on acast]
I used to religiously listen to that podcast. Wasn’t Catherine Whittaker also on it? I stopped listening about a year or so ago; no time. Will make it a point to listen to this one. What’s the date or title for it? Thanks.
I get it on Apple’s podcast app for those who don’t have acast.
I don’t think the following is fair, but I’m no tennis player.
José Morgado
@josemorgado
·
Dec 10
Woah
Quote Tweet
Parsa
@Parsa_Nemati
· Dec 10
Due to the cap on the number of people that can enter Australia right now, there are four tiers for the number of people players can bring with them to Melbourne.
+4 for former #AusOpen champs
+3 for top-10 players
+2 for main draw players
+1 for doubles players (two for a team)
😳 A class structure! 🤔
Exactly, Mimi.
Meanwhile, “An Australian COVID-19 vaccine will be abandoned after participants in a trial returned false-positive HIV tests. The vaccine, developed by the University of Queensland with biotechnology company CSL, contained a small protein fragment from the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which posed no risk to human health. However, some trial participants developed antibodies to the fragment, which could interfere with HIV screening tests that detect antibodies, giving a false positive result. At the beginning of the trial, the risk of false positives was thought to be low. “Everyone was very surprised at the unexpected prevalence of the false positive,” says Brendan Murphy, secretary of the Australian Department of Health.”
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald
Margo, thanks for sharing the information🙏
And thank you to all the clinical trial volunteers for their bravery! 🥰 When we have a safe vaccine, hopefully we can get back to the life we’ve missed and be normal again.
You’re welcome, Mimi.
I’ve been following the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccines as much as possible.
I thought AstraZeneca’s would come on top but it’s efficacy rate has yet to be established. There was some mixup during trials. No volunteers were harmed, according to reports.
The Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines appear to be safe, so far. The technology used, mRNA, has been studied for decades but it’s the first time being used in human trials for a vaccine. With an efficacy rate of 94-95%, it’s amazing. We can’t even get a flu shot that efficacious.
I can’t recall which one of the above vaccines will not be given to people with severe allergic reactions.
By the time I am eligible for my “jab” I hope the data are as promising as they now appear to be.
Hi Margo, I think it’s the Pfizer vaccine. Your last sentence 👍 I am with you😉
What’s with the four tier system? What nonsense. Definitely unfair. I’d be interested in knowing the rationale behind it. If anything, I would have thought that lower ranked players need more support. So what if you’re a former aussie open champion. It doesn’t mean you should be afforded any more privilege. As for doubles players, being able to bring only one person each, just highlights the relatively low status that doubles tennis is given.
All players are living through unprecedented times and with all the other restrictions imposed upon them, they should all be entitled to equal numbers of people that they can bring along with them. How about two for everyone?
On Saturday, tennis players will be notified of the schedule for the first trimester of 2021. This information was provided by Jean-François Caujolle, president of the ATP Marseille 250. The public will be notified either Sunday or, at the latest, on Monday.
Rafa a class athlete on the court and off. Congratulations on your well deserved cover story.
Diane
Style and class on show. Indeed Rafa is not only the pride of Spain, but the pride of the tennis world and a precious gift to sport in general.
Great read vamos rafa
Well said a can wet to se you in 2021 have Mary Christmas and happy New Year 🎈🎊 🎈😘🎾👍
What a true gentleman and a true spirited tennis player…God bless!!!
Vamos Rafa❤️ Can’t wait for the 2021 season.
Super happy for you dear, Rafa. God bless you. Rafa you are a gem of a human being. Just stay the way you are. Love you Rafa.
Enjoyed this article from an experienced fan. It confirms what we admire about Rafael Nadal. While he has earned an enviable lifestyle, he remains humble and grounded in his respect for family, tennis, and Spain. He is the real deal. Thank you for all you have given to tennis and your fans. We look forward to seeing you on court after this unprecedented year.🙏🎾❤️
Well said!👍
🤩😍❤️