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Is this the week Casper Ruud or Holger Rune win their first clay-court ATP Masters 1000 title?

The Norwegian and Dane will meet at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia on Saturday in the first Masters 1000 all-Scandinavian semi-final since Jonas Bjorkman defeated Thomas Enqvist in Paris in 1997.

Ruud arrived in Rome having had a modest season by his standards. The fourth seed lifted his 10th trophy in Estoril but struggled at Masters 1000 events, failing to advance beyond the third round in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo or Madrid. The 24-year-old has looked back to his best on the clay in Rome, though, where he has earned victories against Arthur Rinderknech, Alexander Bublik, Laslo Djere and Francisco Cerundolo to reach the semi-finals in the Italian capital for the third consecutive time.

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"Tennis is a strange sport, as we all can tell. And I think I've really lived through it the last 12 months or so, some of my best moments of my career and some tougher losses in the past couple of months," Ruud said following his quarter-final win. "But here we are back in Rome and I feel great. I know that I've had success in Italy before in my career, here [I made] two times [the] semi-finals, Turin last year was amazing for me... It's something in the food maybe, I don't know."

Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas will renew their long-running rivalry when they meet for a place in the Internazionali BNL d'Italia final on Saturday.

Medvedev and Tsitsipas arrived in Rome last week having had contrasting fortunes at the clay-court event. Medvedev had never won a match in three previous appearances in the Italian capital, while Tsitsipas held a 10-5 record, advancing to the championship match last year.

The third seed Medvedev has found his best level in the Italian capital this fortnight, though, defeating Alexander Zverev en route to his second ATP Masters 1000 clay-court semi-final (Monte-Carlo 2019). The 27-year-old has enjoyed a standout season, earning a Tour-leading 37 wins, with 18 coming at ATP Masters 1000 events. Medvedev, who is currently first in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, has captured five ATP Masters 1000 titles, more than semi-finalists Tsitsipas (2), Rune (1) and Ruud (0) combined.

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The third seed has never clinched a tour-level crown on clay, though, and downplayed his chances of winning his fifth trophy of the season in Rome when asked by a journalist following his quarter-final win against German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann.

Stefanos Tsitsipas earned a commanding 6-3, 6-4 win over Borna Coric at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Thursday evening to set a blockbuster semi-final against third seed Daniil Medvedev. 

"He's been playing well and I'm playing [well] also," Tsitsipas said on court of his upcoming match against Medvedev. "I feel good on court, regardless if it's a night session or a day session and I really hope to bring the best out of me against him. I feel like he's playing better than the years before."

Tsitsipas is now 13-3 this clay-court season and he has earned all four of his victories at the Foro Italico in straight sets. The 2022 Rome finalist saved three of the four break points he faced against Coric to advance after one hour and 36 minutes.

Coric has long been a tough opponent for Tsitsipas. Entering Thursday’s clash, the Croatian had won three of their five ATP Head2Head meetings and one of Tsitsipas’ victories came by first-set retirement.

They met last year in the final of the Western & Southern Open, a match Coric won in straight sets. But Tsitsipas earned his ATP Masters 1000 revenge in Rome, where he was sharp throughout his triumph.

The top two seeds at this week’s ATP Challenger Tour 175 event in Turin, Italy are safely into the semi-finals, including World No. 40 Sebastian Baez.

The 22-year-old Argentine, seeded first, overcame a second-set slump Thursday to move past Thiago Seyboth Wild 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 at the Piemonte Open Intesa Sanpaolo.

Rain forced the match to be halted for 50 minutes midway through a lengthy second game that featured seven deuce points. Throughout the two-hour, 27-minute contest, Baez displayed smooth court coverage and didn’t face a break point in the decider to defeat the 23-year-old.

The Buenos Aires native Baez and the Brazilian Seyboth Wild were competing in doubles together this week. The duo defeated Sander Arends and Petros Tsitsipas in the opening round, before giving a walkover Thursday to Andrey Golubev and Denys Molchanov.

Oh No No No No ?#ATPChallenger | @sebaabaez7 pic.twitter.com/218s6VRY4p

Rafael Nadal is determined to end his career on his own terms. The Spaniard reflected on his outlook Thursday after announcing his withdrawal from Roland Garros.

"I don't like the word but I feel strong enough to say it:  I don't think I deserve to end like this,” Nadal said in Spanish. “I’ve worked hard enough throughout my career for my end not to be in a press conference.”

Nadal explained that his plan is to take time off. Although he is unsure when he will return, the Spaniard added the 2024 season will “probably” be his last. 

“After that you never know what can happen,” Nadal said. “I’m going to try to make my last year not just a party, I'm going to try to compete at the highest level, give myself the option to try to compete and win tournaments on this clay tour. The reality is that we'll have to wait for that.”

The 22-time major champion and former World No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings did not rush to his decision and instead listened to what his body told him.

Daniil Medvedev broke new ground at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Thursday when he cruised past German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann 6-2, 6-2 to reach the semi-finals in Rome for the first time.

The third seed had never won a match in the Italian capital before this fortnight, but has produced some of his best tennis to advance to the last four at an ATP Masters 1000 clay-court event for just the second time (Monte-Carlo 2019).

"I said before the tournament I was feeling really great in practice," Medvedev said. "It is always a danger to say this if you lose the first round and you think, 'Why did I say this'. But I am feeling great. The transition from Grand Stand to center court was not easy. He was struggling more than me and I am happy with the win and being in the semis."

In a dominant performance against Hanfmann, Medvedev sat deep behind the baseline to soak up the German’s powerful hitting, striking a number of stunning passing winners. The third seed moved well on centre court and timed the ball cleanly off both wings to advance after one hour and 20 minutes.

"I knew I had to put as many balls into the court as possible because he plays aggressively," Medvedev said. "There aren't going to be many points where you dictate, it will be mainly him. But what you have to do is play deep and try and make him miss. Maybe he didn't play his best match but that is how it works, you can't play your best match every day and I am happy I could neutralise his attacking style."

Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from Roland Garros, he announced on Thursday at the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar. The 14-time champion will not play in the season’s second major for the first time since his tournament debut in 2005. The 22-time major winner added that he will stop for an undetermined length of time and that 2024 is "probably" going to be his last year on the professional tour.

"I was even working as much as possible every single day for the last four months. It has been very difficult months because we were not able to find the solution to the problem that I had in Australia," Nadal said. "Today I'm still in a position that I am not able to feel myself ready to compete at the standards that I need to be [at] to play a Roland Garros. I am not the guy that is going to be at Roland Garros and just try to be there and put myself in a position that I don't like to be [in]."

The 36-year-old has not competed since January at the Australian Open, where he suffered an injury to the iliopsoas muscle in his left leg. Nadal and his team were expecting a recovery period of six to eight weeks, but the lefty has not returned to action. 

The Spaniard was happy with his on-court results, like when last year he won the Australian Open and Roland Garros. But he "was not able to enjoy [his] daily work" because of his physical problems.

“Since after the pandemic, my body was not able to hold the practices and to hold the daily work in a good way. So I was not able to enjoy the practices and the competition because [there were] too many problems, too many times having to stop for physical issues and too many days of going here practising but with with too much pain,” Nadal said. “So after I said that I need to stop. I need to stop for a while. So my decision is to stop. I don't know when I'm going to be able to come back to the practice court, but I'm going to stop for a while. Maybe two months, maybe one month and a half, maybe three months, maybe four months.

Having seen his clay-court ATP Masters 1000 runs falter in the quarter-finals in both Monte-Carlo and Madrid, World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas will be satisfied with nothing less than passage to the semi-finals of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia Thursday when he takes on Borna Coric in the feature night match.

Coric, who can make his debut in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings Top 10 should he win the Rome title, is looking for back-to-back semi-final showings after reaching the last four in Madrid less than two weeks ago.

Winless in Rome before this year, Daniil Medvedev will look to continue his roll in the Italian capital when he kicks off Thursday play with a first-time meeting with German Yannick Hanfmann, who has surged 37 places to World No. 64 during the tournament in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

Here is a look at Thursday’s two intriguing clashes at the Foro Italico.

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[3] Daniil Medvedev vs. [Q] Yannick Hanfmann (GER)

Medvedev’s 0-3 record in Rome coming into the event may have led many to discount him as a title contender, but the 27-year-old has passed three stern tests at the Foro Italico to back up his quarter-final run in Monte-Carlo and fourth-round appearance in Madrid.

Casper Ruud continued his Rome resurgence on Wednesday evening.

The fourth seed defeated 24th seed Francisco Cerundolo 7-6(5), 6-4 to reach the semi-finals of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. The Norwegian has advanced to the last four at the Foro Italico in three consecutive appearances and will next face Holger Rune, who upset Novak Djokovic earlier in the day.

"I'm just very happy to play good tennis and be in the semi-finals," Ruud said in his on-court interview. "It's going to be a very, very fun one, hopefully."

Ruud stepped onto centre court having lost two consecutive matches against Cerundolo, including a straight-sets defeat just weeks ago in Barcelona. But the 24-year-old earned revenge on the Roman clay after two hours and five minutes.

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Roger Federer may have brought his ATP Tour career to a close, but the Swiss great’s hard work off the court continues.

In his role as President of the Roger Federer Foundation, the 103-time tour-level titlist this week visited Lesotho to see the impact of projects designed to help vulnerable children in the southern African nation access early formal schooling.

Federer met with key stakeholders in early childhood care and education, including His Majesty King Letsie III and Her Majesty Queen ’Masenate Mohato Seeiso, Minister of Education Ntoi Rapapa and representatives from the corporate and non-profit sectors.

Roger Federer poses with His Majesty King Letsie III and Her Majesty Queen 'Masenate Mohato Seeiso at the Royal Palace in Matsieng, Lesotho, on 15 May 2023. Photo: Roger Federer Foundation.

He also visited primary schools that have already participated in the foundation’s School Readiness Initiative, where he interacted with children and parents who are benefitting directly from the programme.

Stan Wawrinka and Andy Murray have combined for six Grand Slam titles and have met 22 times in their ATP Head2Head series. But on Wednesday, they battled on the intimate clay courts of the ATP Challenger Tour 175 event in Bordeaux, France.

The 38-year-old Wawrinka displayed vintage play from the baseline, firing hefty forehands to earn a commanding 6-3, 6-0 second-round victory against the Scot at the BNP Paribas Primrose.

In the opening set, Wawrinka earned an early break and had five set points at 5-2 in a marathon return game that featured seven deuce points. The Swiss then held his nerve to close the set on his own serve.

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The World No. 84 Wawrinka, who has been as high as No. 3, won 22 of 27 first-serve points and forced second-seeded Murray to cover all corners of the court as the Swiss stayed aggressive, often working his way forward to win the one-hour, 15-minute contest. It was a frustrating day for Murray, who was aiming to follow his title run at the Aix-en-Provence Challenger, where he defeated World No. 17 Tommy Paul in the final to claim his first title at any level since 2019.

Holger Rune joined an exclusive club on Wednesday when he defeated Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

The Danish star is one of only three active players to defeat the Serbian multiple times in tour-level matches and own a winning record against him. The other players are Nick Kyrgios (2-1) and Jiri Vesely (2-0).

Players w/Winning Record vs. Djokovic

Rune is now 2-1 in his ATP Head2Head series with the 38-time ATP Masters 1000 champion. Last year, aged 19, he stunned Djokovic in the final of the Rolex Paris Masters for his first Masters 1000 title.

Is this the week Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski capture their first title of 2023?

The Dutch-British duo, who collected seven team titles last season, advanced to the semi-finals at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Wednesday after they downed Australians Jason Kubler and Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-4.

Koolhof and Skupski won 81 per cent of second-serve points, compared to Kubler and De Minaur’s 56 per cent, to set up a semi-final contest against Dutchmen Robin Haase and Botic van de Zandschulp.

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Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos also advanced to the last four Wednesday, when they survived Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury 6-4, 5-7, 10-6. In the Match Tie-break, the Spaniard-Argentine pair jumped to an early 4/1 advantage to down the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals champions.

Novak Djokovic lost to Holger Rune in the quarter-finals of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Wednesday, but the Serbian remains undeterred.

After the six-time Rome champion’s title defence came to an end, a journalist asked the 38-time ATP Masters 1000 champion if he is still confident for Roland Garros.

“Yes,” Djokovic replied. The 35-year-old was also asked what else he needs going into the clay-court major.

“Nothing. I mean, just training and getting ready for the most important tournament of the clay season for me,” Djokovic said. “I know I can always play better. Definitely am looking forward to working on various aspects of my game, of my body, hopefully getting myself in 100 per cent shape. That's the goal. I always like my chances in Grand Slams against anybody on any surface, best-of-five. Let's see how it goes.”

Rune now leads the pair’s ATP Head2Head series 2-1, with both of his victories coming at Masters 1000 events. Djokovic was highly complimentary of his 20-year-old opponent.

A dramatic quarter-final between Novak Djokovic and Holger Rune was interrupted by rain late in the second set on Wednesday at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, where the Dane leads the defending champion 6-2, 4-5, 0/30 at the ATP Masters 1000.

Rune was under pressure serving to stay in the second set when the weather forced play to be suspended in Rome. The 20-year-old earlier raced to the opening set at the Foro Italico, where defending champion and top seed Djokovic appeared physically under par and was treated by the physio at 2-1 in the second set.

Djokovic is chasing his seventh title in the Eternal City, and a record-extending 39th ATP Masters 1000 crown overall, while Rome debutant Rune is chasing his second title at that level after defeating Djokovic to win the Rolex Paris Masters last November.

Sumit Nagal returned to the ATP Challenger Tour winners’ circle after four difficult years that saw the 25-year-old undergo hip surgery, fight Covid multiple times, and battle against his ‘own internal demons’.

But the hard work began to pay off two weeks ago, when the Indian advanced through qualifying en route to claiming the title at the Roma Garden Open.

“When I won, I had a very relieving, calm feeling,” Nagal told ATPTour.com. “Calm in a way because the last few years have been pretty tough for me, on and off the court. To play seven matches in that week and have the body feel all right, it was a relief.”

Following the clay-court title, Nagal shared on Instagram some of the difficulties he’s dealt with the past four years.

“It was hard to believe that this day would come,” Nagal wrote. “I struggled with numerous injuries, came back from surgery, fought covid multiple times, endured tough matches, tougher training regimes, and my own internal demons.”

Can anyone stop Novak Djokovic from successfully defending his Internazionali BNL d'Italia title?

Holger Rune will take his shot at defeating the top seed on Wednesday in Rome in one of two quarter-finals taking place at the Foro Italico. Casper Ruud meet Francisco Cerundolo in the day's other singles clash.

ATPTour.com previews the first two Rome quarter-finals.

[ATP APP]

[1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs. [7] Holger Rune (DEN)

Reigning champion Djokovic’s quest in Rome for a record-extending 39th ATP Masters 1000 title has been mostly smooth so far. However, he will face his toughest challenge yet when he plays Rune in the quarter-finals.

Stefanos Tsitsipas finished a long day at the Foro Italico at 1:43 a.m. Wednesday morning when he defeated home favourite Lorenzo Musetti 7-5, 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

When play began Tuesday in Rome, three Italian singles players remained in the tournament. By the end of the day, all three were eliminated, with Tsitsipas dispatching two of them. The fifth seed completed a straight-sets victory against Lorenzo Sonego in the afternoon and then ousted 18th seed Musetti in a match that did not begin until nearly midnight.

“It was a very full day, I’ll tell you that. Spent the entire day at the courts. It had to be done, the rain got in the way, so I’m happy the day ends like this,” Tsitsipas said in his on-court interview. “I put a great effort out there today. Tonight actually, not today!

"It’s been wonderful, delightful in fact, to be playing this way and I need to catch some Zs now, get ready. I think tomorrow’s a day off, so [I have] got to recharge and focus on the next one.”

The 24-year-old beat the last Italian in the field, but Musetti put up a big fight. The straight-sets scoreline does not show how closely the clash was contested.

When Daniil Medvedev defeated Alexander Zverev on Tuesday to advance to the quarter-finals at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, he also returned to the top spot in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin.

Medvedev (3,480 points) now leads Carlos Alcaraz (3,455 points) by 35 points and can stretch that lead further this week at the Foro Italico. The 27-year-old can reach as many as 4,300 points if he lifts the trophy in Rome.

Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin (as of 16 May)

It is possible for Medvedev to relinquish top spot before the tournament ends. Third-placed Novak Djokovic, who has 2,745 points, can max out at 3,565 points by claiming his seventh title at the Italian ATP Masters 1000 event. Alcaraz cannot improve because he lost in the third round.

Medvedev can guarantee he will leave Rome with a lead in the Live Race by reaching the semi-finals. He will play qualifier Yannick Hanfmann on Wednesday for a place in the last four.