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After nearly two decades, Rafael Nadal is back in Bastad. The Spaniard on Thursday enjoyed his first practice at the Nordea Open, where he will compete next week as a wild card at the ATP 250.

The former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings greeted fans and hit with home #NextGenATP talent Ludvig Fredrik Hede in Sweden. Nadal is a former champion in Bastad, where he triumphed on his most recent appearance in 2005.

✍️ You get an autograph, you get an autograph, everybody gets an autograph? pic.twitter.com/hMZq4JWXPY

The 38-year-old Nadal, who has stated that 2024 may be the final season of his career, will be playing his first competitive match since his first-round Roland Garros defeat to Alexander Zverev on 27 May. He is 7-5 for the season so far, with his best result a fourth-round run on home soil in Madrid.

World No. 6 Andrey Rublev will compete as top seed and defending champion in Bastad. World No. 8 Casper Ruud, Cameron Norrie and Tallon Griekspoor also feature in the field.

Here are some of the best American tennis players, both male and female, who have left a significant impact on the sport: Male Players1. Pete SamprasGrand Slam Titles: 14Wimbledon: 7 titlesUS Open: 5 titlesAustralian Open: 2 titlesCareer Highlights: Known for his powerful serve and volley game, Sampras was ranked world No. 1 for a record 286 weeks ...

“Despite being 21 years old, he listens and tries to learn."

These are the words of Juan Carlos Ferrero on Carlos Alcaraz as the three-time major champion prepares for his clash with Daniil Medvedev in his second straight Wimbledon semi-final and his sixth in a major. Ferrero, who has coached the No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings for a number of years, is in no doubt about what those numbers mean and he is asking for prudence as Alcaraz bids to defend his Wimbledon title.

“They are very significant stats, but you have to take it day by day, this isn’t a given,” warned Ferrero. “Then we have to go to the US Open and do everything again to try and reach these kinds of rounds. The most important thing is that he has a very, very high natural level and really in five-set matches his opponents have to play very well to beat him if he’s at a normal level.

“He’s feeling very good. He’s grown into it against tough players. [Frances] Tiafoe and [Tommy] Paul are difficult. He feels good and he’s managed to solve the problems that he’s faced, but now we’re very focused on the match with Medvedev, not thinking about the title.

‘We can’t think much beyond Friday because that would be a mistake. Medvedev has earned the respect of all the players. So we’re approaching it with the utmost concern.”

The Italian title charge is alive and kicking at Wimbledon.

Lorenzo Musetti delivered arguably the Grand Slam performance of his career so far on Wednesday to outlast Taylor Fritz 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2, 3-6. 6-1 at the grass-court major. In doing so, the 22-year-old became just the fourth Italian men’s singles semi-finalist in event history.

Even after World No. 1 Jannik Sinner fell to Daniil Medvedev on Tuesday, Musetti gave an immediate reminder of the strength-in-depth of Italian tennis with a classy and composed display in his maiden major quarter-final. The 25th seed deployed his slice backhand to great effect to outfox an elite grass-court opponent and set a last-four meeting with Novak Djokovic.

"I don't think I've realised yet what I have done," Musetti said in his on-court interview. "I was talking with my team about how to play on the big stage... It was the first time I've had the opportunity to walk out on this amazing stadium and it's been an honour for me.

"At the start of the match Taylor was really leading the game, especially with his serve and I couldn’t return well. In the second set I had a big reaction after breaking at the start and that changed my mind, my attitude. That probably made the difference and hopefully on Friday I will have the same one."

After coaching for two years in Miami, Federico Agustin Gomez gave up feeding balls to chase his professional tennis dream.

One glitch? The Argentine was not training regularly and any time with a racquet in hand was spent in a continental grip, feeding and coaching for 11 hours a day.

A 2019 graduate of the University of Louisville, Gomez was figuring out his post-college life in south Florida. A summer internship required Gomez in the office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and robbed him of any time to polish his game. Recognising he was not able to fully commit to training, Gomez decided to pursue coaching. Then the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 was just another roadblock in his hopes of playing beyond the collegiate level.

“I was like, ‘Okay, what am I doing? The Tour is not going anywhere, everything is stopped, so I’m just going to stop here and start teaching,’” Gomez told ATPTour.com.

Trying to make ends meet in his new role, Gomez was missing the thrill of competition. Then, in September 2021, Gomez’s friend, Pedro Caniza, approached him and offered financial help to kickstart his career.

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the Nordea Open due to exhaustion.

The 22-year-old Italian felt unwell during his quarter-final loss to Daniil Medvedev at Wimbledon on Tuesday and has now withdrawn from the ATP 250 clay-court event in Bastad.

Sinner holds a 42-4 record on the year and is currently first in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin.

Former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings Rafael Nadal, defending champion Andrey Rublev and former titlist Casper Ruud are all set to compete in Bastad, with the Swedish event held from 15-21 July.

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Retirement is treating Roger Federer well, with the Swiss legend announcing himself as a ‘Swiftie’ after attending Taylor Swift’s concert on Tuesday night in Zurich.

The former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings became the latest star to watch 'The Eras Tour' live at Stadion Letzigrund. Federer posted a selfie with Swift on Instagram at the event, where he was wearing several friendship bracelets.

Last week Federer attended Wimbledon, where it has been a Cruel Summer of weather in west London. With a Blank Space in his diary, Federer then headed to Zurich to watch Swift perform.

In June, WTA star Iga Swiatek's Wildest Dreams came true when she received a handwritten note from Swift after watching the pop star in Liverpool.

Top seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon on Wednesday when they moved past Germans Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz 6-4, 7-6(3).

The Spanish-Argentine duo is chasing its first major title together and have been impressive on the lawns in west London this fortnight. Granollers and Zeballos are yet to drop a set and were strong in the decisive moments against Krawietz and Puetz, saving all four break points they faced to advance after one hour and 32 minutes.

Earlier this season, Granollers and Zeballos won their sixth ATP Masters 1000 title as a team in Rome before they advanced to the semis at Roland Garros. Granollers and Zeballos, who lost Wimbledon finals in 2021 and 2023, will next face Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson after the Australians beat Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 6-4, 6-7(8), 6-3.

Purcell won the Wimbledon doubles title with Matthew Ebden in 2022. Thompson had never been beyond the third round in the doubles event at the grass-court major before this year.

Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten sprung a surprise when they defeated fourth seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(10-7).

Alex de Minaur has withdrawn from Wimbledon prior to his quarter-final clash against Novak Djokovic due to injury.

The ninth-seeded Australian announced he was unable to compete against the seven-time champion Djokovic at a press conference. He had spoken of jarring his hip in the closing stages of his fourth-round victory against Arthur Fils, and he was unable to recover in time to take on the second-seeded Djokovic on Centre Court on Wednesday.

"I'm devastated, but I had to pull out due to a hip injury, a little tear of the fiber cartilage that is at the end to the adductor," De Minaur said. "I felt a loud crack during the last three points of my match against Fils and got a scan yesterday and it confirms that this was the injury. [There is] a high risk of making it worse if I was to step on court."

De Minaur defeated Fils in four sets to reach the quarter-finals at a major for the third time. The Australian, who was set to compete in the last eight at Wimbledon for the first time on Wednesday, feels he had no option but to withdraw.

"It's no secret that at this stage in my career this was the biggest match of my career," De Minaur said. "I wanted to do anything I could to play. I got the results yesterday. I knew what the results were yesterday. I still wanted to wake up today hoping that I would feel some sort of miracle and not feel it while I'm walking.

The Hamburg Open is one of 13 ATP 500 events that will host world-class players for a week of the 2024 season. Among those in action this year in Hamburg will be defending champion and hometown favourite Alexander Zverev, Holger Rune, Gael Monfils and Arthur Fils.

Here's what you need to know ahead of the German tournament:

When is the Hamburg Open?
The ATP 500 event will be held from 15-21 July. The clay-court tournament, established in 1968, will take place at the Am Rothenbaum in Hamburg, Germany. The tournament director is Enric Molina Mur.

Who is playing at the Hamburg Open?
Zverev, Rune, Monfils, Fils, Sebastian Baez, Francisco Cerundolo and Zhang Zhizhen are among the field in Germany.

When is the draw for the Hamburg Open?
The Hamburg Open singles draw will be made on Saturday, 13 July at 1 p.m. local time (CEST).

With the day's business successfully taken care of following his four-set win over Tommy Paul in the Wimbledon quarter-finals, defending Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz turned his attention to the second important sporting contest of his day: Spain's semi-final clash against France at Euro 2024.

Arriving to his media conference a little after kickoff, Alcaraz was asked first up whether the game was on his mind at any stage of his 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 win over the American.

"Honestly, at the beginning of the match I wasn't thinking about it," Alcaraz said. "Once I feel like I'm dominating the game, 5-1 in the fourth set, yeah, I thought about it (smiling). I thought a little bit I was on time. I wasn't.

"After I finished, I did everything in a rush just to be in time to watch a bit of Spain."

The 21-year-old, who is two matches away from completing the rare Roland Garros-Wimbledon double in the same year, rallied from a set down to beat Paul, No. 13 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Alcaraz has conceded four sets so far this fortnight, having taken four sets to beat 16th-seeded Frenchman Ugo Humbert in the fourth round and five sets to run down American Frances Tiafoe in the third round.

Jannik Sinner’s Wimbledon journey ended at the quarter-final stage on Wednesday. During the Italian’s clash with Daniil Medvedev, he received a medical timeout in the third set due to illness. Sinner had his pulse taken by a doctor and then left the court before he returned to lose in five sets.

“Already this morning I didn't feel great. I had some problems,” Sinner said in his post-match press conference. “Then with the fatigue, it was tough. But take nothing away from Daniil. I think he played very smart. He played good tennis. That’s it. I went off the court. I didn't want to go off. The physio told me it was better to take some time because he watched me and I didn't seem in shape to play. I was struggling physically. It was not an easy moment. I tried to fight with what I had today.

“I was not feeling great. I didn't vomit. But I took some time because I was dizzy quite a lot. Off court, I had the toughest time. When I went back, I tried my best.”

Sinner was aiming for a second consecutive Wimbledon semi-final appearance. The 14-time tour-level titlist had won his past five Lexus ATPHead2Head meetings with fifth seed Medvedev, who now holds a 7-5 lead.

The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, who won in Halle last month, is frustrated he was unable to play at his best.

Carlos Alcaraz is digging deep in defence of his Wimbledon crown.

The Spaniard rallied to a 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 triumph against the in-form Tommy Paul on Tuesday to book a semi-final spot at the grass-court major. For the third consecutive match, Alcaraz’s resolve was given a stern test by his opponent, but the 21-year-old third seed kept his cool to seal a three-hour, 11-minute comeback victory on Centre Court.

“He has been playing great tennis on grass. He won Queen’s and has been doing great stuff here at Wimbledon, beating great players,” said Alcaraz of Paul in his on-court interview. “Of course today was a really difficult match for me.

“At the beginning, the first set and the beginning of the second set, it kind of felt like I was playing on clay. Big rallies, 10 to 15 shots every point. So I had to stay strong mentally when I lost the first set. It was difficult for me a little bit, but I knew it was a long journey, a long match, and I just had to stay there. I’m really happy to find the solutions and the good path.”

? CARLOS ?
? ALCARAZ ?

Defending champion @carlosalcaraz comes from a set down to defeat Paul 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-2 to join Medvedev reaching his second #Wimbledon semi-final! @Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/O9Zy0cCYnG

Daniil Medvedev gained revenge against Jannik Sinner on Tuesday at Wimbledon, where he earned an epic 6-7(7), 6-4, 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-3 quarter-final win to snap a five-match losing streak against the Italian.

Earlier this year, Sinner rallied from two sets down to defeat Medvedev in the Australian Open final before he dispatched him in straight sets en route to the title in Miami.

History looked on course to repeat itself on the lawns of west London after Sinner won a tight first set, but Medvedev had other ideas. The fifth seed stood deep behind the baseline and went into lockdown mode to grind down the World No. 1, who received a medical timeout in the third set due to illness.

At 1-2, the Italian had his pulse checked by a doctor before he walked off court to receive further treatment. Sinner continued on, but had his head in his towel at times during changeovers.

Medvedev ruthlessly took advantage of Sinner’s slight drop in intensity, hitting 55 winners to inflict just a fourth defeat of the season on the World No. 1. With his thrilling four-hour win, Medvedev improved to 7-5 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. Tuesday's quarter-final marked his first victory against Sinner since the 2023 Miami final.

Jannik Sinner has returned to Centre Court to resume his Wimbledon quarter-final against Daniil Medvedev after leaving the court for a medical assessment.

Sinner was visited by the physio at the changeover trailing 1-2 in the third set. Looking unwell, he had his pulse taken and then walked off the court for further assessment.

The Italian took the first set 7-6(7) before Medvedev levelled the match by taking the second 4-6.

After Sinner received a medical timeout, he returned to court but was unable to regain the lead against Medvedev, who won the third set 7-6(4) to move to within a set of his second Wimbledon semi-final.

Sinner has won his past five meetings against Medvedev, including at this year’s Australian Open where he rallied from two sets down in the final to clinch his first major title. The top seed, who holds a 42-3 record on the year, is aiming to become the first Italian man to reach multiple Wimbledon semi-finals. The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings lost in the last four to Novak Djokovic last year.

Andre Agassi is a retired American tennis player, widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Here's an overview of his career and contributions to the sport: Early Life and CareerBirth: Andre Kirk Agassi was born on April 29, 1970, in Las Vegas, Nevada.Early Tennis Training: Agassi's father, a former Olympic boxer, introduce...

#NextGenATP Learner Tien and Gabriel Debru will not soon forget their Sunday triumphs on the ATP Challenger Tour. The American Tien claimed the Cranbrook Tennis Classic in Michigan while Debru won on home soil at the Internationaux de Tennis de Troyes, becoming two of the three youngest champions on the ATP Challenger Tour this year.

Tien, 18, needed a deciding set in all five of his matches, earning a final victory against 19-year-old countryman Nishesh Basavareddy 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to claim his maiden ATP Challenger Tour crown. In just the third final in Challenger history to feature two American teenagers, Tien fought back from a set and a break down to lift the trophy.

"Fifteen sets in five matches, went the distance in all of them. I was just really happy and relieved to get through all of them," said Tien, World No. 267 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. "I'm really happy to get my first Challenger. That was one of the goals that I wanted to cross off my list this year."

A two-time major boys’ singles finalist, Tien is the youngest American Challenger champion since 2016, when an 18-year-old Frances Tiafoe won in Granby, Canada. Tien, who arrived at the Bloomfield Hills Challenger after three consecutive trophies at ITF M15 level, is the 10th-youngest American Challenger champion since 1990.

The lefty is up 14 spots to eleventh in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah. Tien is aiming for his maiden trip to the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, which runs from 18-22 December in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Top seeds and two-time finalists Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos cruised into the Wimbledon quarter-finals Monday with a convincing 6-3, 6-3 win over Sebastian Baez and Dustin Brown.

The Spaniard and Argentine, who finished runners-up in 2023 and 2021, await the winner of Tuesday's clash between Americans Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow and Germans Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz.

Argentine duo Maximo Gonzalez and AndresMolteni had the toughest path to the quarter-finals Monday, holding out Britons Charles Broom and Arthur Fery 6-2, 6-7(4), 7-5. They will play Australians Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson, 6-4, 6-3 winners over Andreas Mies and John-Patrick Smith.

Fourth seeds and recent Roland Garros champions Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic advanced to the last eight with a 6-4, 7-6(1) win over Frenchmen Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul. Arevalo and Pavic have this week climbed past Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori to lead the PIF ATP Doubles Race To Turin.

Daniil Medvedev is back in the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the second consecutive year.  Ahead of the tournament, he played “a great practice set” with World No. 1 Jannik Sinner. But that was training.

On Tuesday, the former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings will be tasked with snapping a five-match losing streak against the star who currently holds top spot.

“Look, the funny thing is I lost five times. But if I remember right, four times were really close. Did I get unlucky or not?” Medvedev wondered. “Even Beijing, two tie-breaks. What was it? Vienna, quite a crazy match. Turin, still a close match. I feel like maybe he won it easier, the Australian Open, close match. Then Miami he won easy.

“I feel like I was not far, but great job from him to win it five times in a row. [This will be the] first time we play on grass, I'm definitely going to come up with something.”

As difficult as it is entering a clash knowing he has lost five straight against Sinner, Medvedev still leads the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series 6-5. Seven of those meetings have come since the start of 2023, which Medvedev’s head coach, Gilles Cervara, likes.

Taylor Fritz earned a thrilling two-sets-to-none comeback victory against Alexander Zverev on Monday in the Wimbledon fourth round. It was the third time he has rallied from two sets down and now he will face 25th seed Lorenzo Musetti for a place in the semi-finals.

ATPTour.com caught up with Fritz's coach, Michael Russell, who detailed his charge's comeback, what the American has learned from his previous major quarter-finals, facing Musetti and more.

You've coached Taylor in a lot of big matches. How would you describe how he was able to make that comeback?
His composure and collectiveness in the pressure moments and being down two sets to love was so perfect. It really was. He didn't panic. He was playing excellent from the ground. Sascha was just having one of those service days where he was serving 80 per cent first serve, he's averaging 133 miles an hour on the first and 111 on the second and hitting spots. So you look over at the scoreboard, you're down two sets to love, but you're playing well.

He played maybe a little tentative in the second-set tie-break. But in this sport, especially on grass, it's the smallest of margins that can turn a match around, and Taylor did a great job of just staying in it and focusing on his service games, making sure he takes care of his service games and then kept putting the pressure on on Sascha. He was able to gut out a break in the third and the whole match just completely changes because now it's two sets to one and you're in for a dog fight.

How big of a sign was the double fault at 4-4 in the third set?
He hadn't really double-faulted very much. So as soon as you see that, you think of the psychological factor, he's feeling a little bit of pressure getting into the deeper end of the match. And that's a big confidence booster for Taylor, because he sees that as well, because for two sets, the guy was infallible.