Rafael Nadal to Retire After Davis Cup Finals in November

By some incredible good luck, I have run into both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in public (at non-tennis events!), so have photos with each of them. But I never had the opportunity to meet the legendary Rafael Nadal, or else I would be making his retirement announcement (even more) about me right now. 🙏

Weekend Tennis Roundup

Rafael Nadal, the year-end World No. 1, finished his season on a high by leading Spain to its sixth Davis Cup title. Nadal defeated Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 7-6(7) to clinch Spain’s 2-0 win against Canada. "It has been an amazing week," Nadal said on court after his win. "I could not be happier, honestly. It has been an unforgettable moment here in this amazing stadium. The crowd was just a joke, we can't thank all of them enough. Our team spirit prevailed. We fought hard." Nadal, who is now a four-time Davis Cup titlist, won all eight of his matches this week in Madrid, including five singles victories in which he did not drop a set. The 33-year-old has now won 29 consecutive Davis Cup singles matches, improving his singles record in the event to 29-1.

I still don't quite understand the new format. But if it leads to someone getting scooped up by Feliciano Lopez like this, I guess I'm OK with it ... not to mention these:

Denis knows of what he speaks.

And though Canada lost in the final, Vasek Pospisil was undoubtedly the event’s MVP.

I wanna go to rehab ...

Russia lost in the semis ...

But we learned Karen's a top ...

The British were cumming ...

The British were cumming!

And Nikola Mektic, whose ass rivals countryman Borna Coric, and former doubles partner (cum coach) Franko Skugor still make a hot team.

Around the net:

 Chris Evert says she is open to dating again, but that "all the good ones are married" ... like that's ever stopped her before! Read HERE.

I believe in Christian Harrison ...

If Alex Robein isn't banging Albano Olivetti ...

Then I will be tres disappointed ... 

 Quentin Halys could be menage-a-trois material for the boys.

Borna's coach has a type ...

The thighs have it ... 

Stevie Johnson's wife is lucky to go on this ride ...

Daniil Medvedev is in the Maldives ...

... as are Andy Seppi ...

and Damir Dzumhur ...

But you know who isn't?

!

Bosnian Nerman Fatic is an ass man ... 

Juan Martin del Potro wasn't able to play his exhibition match(es) against Roger Federer. But he did come by to watch his replacement in action. 

I'm ready for more of Stan's body ... 

Oliver Marach still likes younger guys ...

Jan-Michael Gambill basically wore boxerbriefs in his exhibition match versus Stevie Johnson, part of a fantasy camp in Maui led by Tracy Austin. 

Fantasy island ...

Weekend Tennis Roundup

An emotional Roger Federer extended his record number of title wins at the Swiss Indoors on Sunday, defeating Alex de Minaur in straight sets to lift the trophy in Basel for a 10th time. Federer, who was already the most successful player in the history of the tournament, was competing in his 15th final in his hometown after seeing off No. 3 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in a straight-sets semifinal win on Saturday. Meanwhile, 20-year-old De Minaur was vying for his fourth career title, with the previous three having all come this year in Atlanta, Zhuhai and his hometown of Sydney.

Earlier in the week, this David and Goliath clash got me hot 'n' bothered ...

The big man came out on top, winning 7-5 in the third.

The Wawrinka vs. Tiafoe Round of 16 match was a thriller -- and not just because the American had white shorts on and a hot guy in his box ...

Dominic Thiem defeated good friend Diego Schwartzman 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in front of a packed home crowd in the Austrian capital, bringing his best level in crucial moments to complete the win after two hours and 25 minutes. Thiem improves to 9-0 in his home country this year, having also lifted the Generali Open trophy in Kitzbühel without dropping a set in August. The 26-year-old becomes the first player to lift five tour-level trophies in 2019, breaking a five-way tie with fellow Top 5 stars Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Daniil Medvedev.

And in doubles, Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury increased their chances of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals on Sunday, defeating Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo 6-4, 6-7(5), 10-5 to lift the Erste Bank Open trophy. 

Perhaps even more thrilling is that they were in the company of Irish pro David O’Hare, who documented the occasion on Instagram. ☘️

The 4th seed Aryna Sabalenka captured the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai, defeating the top seed Kiki Bertens 6-4, 6-2. It is the fourth WTA crown in China for Sabalenka out of five in total, earning enough points to finish the season in the top-11, just behind Serena Williams, despite some poor results and early exits in 2019. Perhaps equally noteworthy was that on-again, off-again coach Dmitry Tursunov was back in the fold. Might 2020 be the year for the 21-year-old Belarusian?

Botic van de Zandschulp, left, has claimed his maiden crown on the ATP Challenger Tour. The 24-year-old Dutchman won the title of the inaugural Tennis Challenger Hamburg In a final between two unseeded players, van de Zandschulp battled past Bernabe Zapata Miralles of Spain 6-3, 5-7, 6-1 on Sunday afternoon at the venue of the Hamburger Tennis-Verband.

And in doubles, my new boyfriend Maxime Cressy and Jamie Cerretani  clinched their maiden team title. The Franco-American duo, who finished runner-up to Quentin Halys and Tristan Lamasine in Ismaning last week, upset the tournament’s top seeds Ken Skupski from Great Britain and John-Patrick Smith of Australia 6-4, 6-4.

Around the net ...

Who says romance is dead?

Jan-Michael Gambill's desert heat ...

Favorite Diana Ross song: “Upside Down” or “I’m Coming Out”?

Tommy Haas won his fourth Invesco Series QQQ title of the year Saturday by defeating U.S. Davis Cup captain and defending champion Mardy Fish 6-2 in the one-set final of the SoCal Honda Dealers Helpful Cup at the Sherwood Country Club. Haas, the former world No. 2 and silver medalist at the 2000 Olympic Games, increased to a perfect 8-0 on the year with the victory. Earlier this year, he won titles in Newport Beach, Calif, Maui, Hawaii and New Haven, Connecticut on the North American tennis circuit for champion tennis players over the age of 30. (Might need to bump that age requirement up a notch at the rate the Big Three are going!)

Big boy ...



I’m afraid to ask ...

Oh, Simone ...

Can Karen repeat in Paris?

Borna's looking fit, but has the light already burned out on his career?

Practice R. Nadal & N. Djokovic | Rolex Paris Masters 2019 https://t.co/tvbsTTtjMz

— Tanika (@SitTanyusha) October 26, 2019

Fun to see some "behind the scenes" footage of Djokovic and Nadal practicing ahead of Paris. Best part: Rafa's face when Nole goes all Juliet Prowse on him!

(With wire services)