Category: Tennis

Nike’s awesome tribute to Rafael Nadal will absolutely give you chills

What an incredible tribute to Nadal here

Nike has always been great at making its athletes stand above the competition. It’s as good of a marketing company as it is a sportswear company.

Knowing that, it’s easy to be cynical about some of the ads we watch with the brand’s athletes. Usually, Nike makes things feel a bit bigger than they actually are.

READ MORE: The tennis world showed Nadal so much love after he announced his retirement.

But, man. It’s hard not to get emotional when watching this ad for Rafael Nadal.

Nike released this spot before Nadal’s debut at the 2024 Davis Cup for Team Spain. It’s absolutely chilling.

Nadal wiping the clay surface that he dominated his entire career clean in that way just brings back so many memories. This was awesome.

Fans gave Rafael Nadal a standing ovation at the Davis Cup after he lost his potential last match

If this is it for Nadal, it’s been a great ride.

Rafael Nadal has had a long career spanning through two decades. In that time, he’s become one of the greatest tennis players we’ve ever seen.

Now, he’s retiring. And he may have played his last professional match ever at the Davis Cup on Tuesday.

FEDERER SHOWS LOVE: Nadal received a beautiful tribute from Roger Federer on Instagram ahead of his match

Nadal played the first match for Team Spain on Tuesday, where he lost 6-4, 6-4 to Botic van de Zandschulp of Team Netherlands. Since it’s a team competition, we don’t know whether this is truly it for Nadal here.

But, regardless of if it is, fans still took the time to shower him with love. He received a standing ovation from the crowd after the match.

This is so well-deserved for Nadal. What a career. What a moment.

Roger Federer’s Rafael Nadal tribute before retirement is just beautiful

This is beautiful.

Rafael Nadal is about to officially head into retirement after the Davis Cup, and with the possibility that we’ll see him play his final match on Tuesday, his friend and rival Roger Federer penned a beautiful message to Rafa on social media.

“As you get ready to graduate from tennis, I’ve got a few things to share before I maybe get emotional,” Federer started.

He went on to talk about how Nadal made him work harder on his game, how he thought he was on top of the world in 2004 … and then Nadal and “those biceps” showed up.

“We were both at the start of our journey and it’s one we ended up taking together,” he wrote. “Twenty years later, Rafa, I have to say: What an incredible run you’ve had. Including 14 French Opens—historic! You made Spain proud… you made the whole tennis world proud.”

There’s so much more. Read the whole thing below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DCi2LcnxT5O/?hl=en&img_index=1

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Ben Shelton eyes big week in Paris following Sinner withdrawal, advances to second round

Former Florida tennis star Ben Shelton is looking to make a deep run at the Paris Masters this week, following World No. 1 Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal.

Former Florida tennis star [autotag]Ben Shelton[/autotag] was already eyeing a big week in Paris at the final 1,000-point Masters of the season, but his path to a deep run just got a bit easier following World No. 1 Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal from the event.

Shelton cleared the first hurdle Tuesday afternoon with a 6-3, 6-7 (8), 6-3 victory over French qualifier Corentin Moutet less than 48 hours after coming up short in the finals of the Swiss Indoors.

Defeating Moutet in front of his home crowd was no easy task, especially after dropping a second-set tiebreak. In typical Shelton fashion, he leaned on his big serve and youthful endurance to take the Round of 64 match. Shelton won 78 percent of his first serves (56 of 72) and saved both break points he faced. He sent 36 winners across the net, including two aces.

Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal clears path

Shelton entered the tournament expecting to face Sinner in the Round of 32, but the World No. 1 withdrew from the Paris Masters earlier this morning, clearing the way for the former Gator.

Instead of facing the best tennis player in the world, Shelton will face lucky loser and World No. 85 Arthur Cazaux on Wednesday. The match is scheduled on central court not before 3:30 p.m. ET, but it could end up being played much later in the day, as it is the fifth match of the day on that court.

Advancing through the Round of 32 would set up a potential match between Shelton and 13th-ranked Holger Rune, who faces No. 33 Alexander Bublik tomorrow.

Three of the four players ranked immediately ahead of Shelton — who is currently No. 19 in the world — have already lost at the Paris Masters. A run to the semifinals would likely move him to No. 16 or higher, but that requires Shelton to win at least four games on tired legs.

Stay tuned throughout the week as Gators Wire tracks Shelton’s quest to finish the 2024 calendar on a hot streak.

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Ben Shelton’s finishes as runner-up at Swiss Indoors

Ben Shelton wanted to add another championship trophy to his mantle, but he settled for the runner-up in the Swiss Indoors final.

It’s not often that [autotag]Ben Shelton[/autotag] comes out of a big-serve match as the loser, but 21-year-old Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard outdueled the former Florida tennis star on Sunday to claim the Swiss Indoors Basel championship, 6-4, 7-6(4).

“First of all, I wanna congratulate Gio on a great match today,” Shelton said after finishing as the runner-up. “So many parts of your game have improved, and you’re such a great young talent.”

Shelton joked that he nearly killed himself trying to return Mpethsi Perricard’s serve. The Frenchman averaged 140 mph on first serve and 129 mph on second serve, while Shelton averaged 120 mph on first serve. It’s rare to see Shelton out-powered, but the ATP rookie was on a mission to crack the top 35 — Mpetshi Perricard began the year outside the top 200.

Despite the loss, Shelton will move back into the top 20 thanks to the 300 points earned for making the final. He’ll move to No. 19 with a chance to improve in his final tournament of the year, the Paris Masters, a 1,000-point event.

Shelton’s draw is tough, though. He’ll face lucky loser Corentin Moutet in the Round of 64, following a withdrawal from current world No. 19 Felix Auger-Aliassime, and then a date with world No. 1 Jannik Sinner looms. Should Shelton advance to the Roud of 16, potential matchups include top-15-ranked Holger Rune and top-40-ranked Alexander Bublik.

No match time for Shelton’s Round of 64 battle has been set, but it should take place Monday evening.

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Ben Shelton secures spot in 2024 Swiss Indoors finals

Ben Shelton has dominated all week at the Swiss Indoors Basel with his powerful, lefty serve, and he’ll play for a championship on Sunday.

Ben Shelton will only spend a week outside the ATP Top 20 this year after securing a spot at the Swiss Indoors Basel with a straight-set victory over World No. 20 Arthur Fils, 6-3, 7-6(9).

Shelton didn’t face a break point in the 78-minute semi-final and won 88% (45/51) of his first serves against Fils. Still, the match looked destined for a third set when Fils went up 5-1 in the second-set tiebreak. Shelton rallied to secure his spot in the finals.

“I served really well today, and I had to because I know what Arthur is capable of when he touches the ball,” said Shelton after the match. “The goal was to let him know I got clean hits on the ball as much as possible, and I executed really well. He served well, so there weren’t that many long points. A really high-level match and I’m not sure how I pulled that tie-break out in the second set.”

Shelton faces 21-year-old Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who upset fourth-seeded Holger Rune in the other semi-final match. Rune is also 21, and Fils is 20. At just 22, Shelton is the veteran of the four semi-finalists.

“I think that shows how strong our next-gen is,” he said. “I’m the oldest of the four, so that’s kind of crazy to think about. Probably the first time that’s happened to me in the semi-finals.”

Mpetshi Perricard holds the head-to-head advantage over Shelton, beating him in the Round of 32 at the Cinch Championships in London this June. The championship match will begin not before 9:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, following the doubles final.

Shelton is guaranteed to move up to at least No. 19 in the world with a chance to move to No. 18 with a tournament victory.

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Ben Shelton upsets top seed at Swiss Indoors, advances to semifinal

Ben Shelton has struggled in quarterfinals throughout the season, but he pulled off a big upset over World No. 7 Andrey Rublev to advance to the semifinals at the Swiss Indoors on Friday.

Ben Shelton desperately needed a strong performance at the Swiss Indoors Basel after dropping 490 points and six places in the latest ATP rankings update, and the former Florida tennis star clinched at least 180 points with a quarterfinal win over top-seeded and World No. 7 Andrey Rublev — 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-4 — on Friday morning.

Known for his left-handed power serve, Shelton has dominated while starting off the rally at the Swiss Indoors. He’s yet to drop a serve in three wins, denying all 12 break points throughout the tournament — six of which came against Rublev.

The match wasn’t without drama, though. Lingering smoke from the player introductions delayed the first set, and Rublev began to take control after forcing a tiebreak in the second. Shelton’s game is built around that devastating serve, and longer rallies tend to work against him. But Shelton stuck to his game and overpowered Rublev in the end.

It’s Shelton’s second top-10 win of the season and puts him just two more wins away from claiming the ATP 500 event. Shelton hasn’t performed great in quarterfinals this year, advancing five times in nine tries.

“I struggled a lot this year in quarterfinals and I’ve lost a lot of them against top 10 players,” Shelton said. “It’s been a tough hump to overcome. To get to the second-to-last week of the year and finally do it is huge for me. Especially with the way I was able to overcome everything Rublev threw at me.”

It won’t be easy reaching the final, though. Shelton faces “one of his best friends on the tour,” 20-year-old Frenchman Athurt Fils, who is coming off an upset of his own.

Fils beat the No. 3 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets to secure his place in the final. He’s ranked No. 20 in the world — three spots higher than Shelton. Shelton won his first head-to-head with Fils at the 2023 Laver Cup, but the Frenchman won in a third-set tiebreak during the quarterfinals of the Kinoshita Group Japan Open in late September — a tournament Fils went on to win outright.

Both men are likely to be ranked inside the top 20 once the Swiss Indoors concludes, but the winner of the semifinal match will take a much bigger jump up the rankings. Making the finals guarantees at least 300 points. Winning the tournament would add another 200 points to the tally.

The semifinal matchup is set to begin not before 9 a.m. ET and can be watched on the Tennis Channel.

Read more: Ben Shelton secures spot in 2024 Swiss Indoors finals

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Who is Rafael Nadal’s wife? Meet Maria ‘Xisca’ Perello.

Meet Rafa Nadal’s wife, Mery.

Rafael Nadal will be spending a lot more time with his family now that he’s getting ready to retire in 2024, and that includes with his wife, Maria, who’s also known as Mery “Xisca” Perello, who is also from Mallorca.

Per People, “The couple dated for 14 years before tying the knot in October 2019, and have remained relatively quiet about their romance.” And in 2022, they welcomed their son, Rafa Junior, who has been seen at matches of his in recent years.

Here are a few photos of them, although we haven’t seen too many of those over the years given their privacy:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMhnXZDBOdn/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BEEK9mHwaqB/

Aug 29, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Rafael Nadal’s girlfriend, Maria Francisca Perello ‘Xisca’ in attendance for his match on day four of the 2013 US Open at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports 

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Rafael Nadal’s retirement announcement leads to so much love from the tennis world

Rafael Nadal is retiring and the tennis world paid tribute.

We sort of all figured it was coming, with Rafael Nadal at 38 years old and so many titles under his belt in a storied tennis career to go along with injuries he’s battled with.

But yes, he’s going to retire after the Davis Cup in November. He’ll finish with 14 French Open wins (a record), four U.S. Opens, two Wimbledon titles and two trophies from the Australian Open.

His announcement that dropped early Thursday morning that you can watch below was beautiful, and so many players and others in the tennis world paid tribute to Rafa as his retirement now approaches:

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Serena Williams jokingly claims Alabama’s Ryan Williams as her cousin after torching Georgia

Serena Williams had the best Ryan Williams joke.

Serena Williams has a fantastic sense of humor and brought it out at just the right time.

Williams is seemingly aware of another Williams — Alabama freshman sensation Ryan Williams. At just 17 years old, Ryan is gaining national attention for his tremendous skills, and an absurd game on Saturday against the No. 2 ranked Georgia Bulldogs.

The freshman lit up the field, wracking up 177 yards on six catches, including a 75-yard game-winning touchdown where he juked TWO Dawgs defenders mid-route and casually accelerated upfield and into the end zone. So many people have been talking about his impressive feat, including Serena Williams, who jokingly said Ryan Williams was her cousin.

Some fans immediately picked up on the joke and had some fun.

But there were others who thought she was totally serious.

Is Alabama receiver Ryan Williams related to Serena Williams?

Ryan Williams and Serena Williams are unrelated for clarity and to eliminate confusion. There is no evidence that suggests they are related.

Serena Williams’ tweet about her “cousin” Ryan Williams was purely a play on words. I’m sorry to rain on anyone’s parade who thought this may be the case. I’m sending my condolences to you.

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