How the major players live in confinement
Like the better half of the world, tennis players are confined due to the coronavirus outbreak. But they still give news to their community via social networks or other ways.
Stefanos Tsitsipas on YouTube
Novak Djokovic: Father time and challenges
- Where he is: In a house in Spain, with his wife Jelena and their two kids.
- How can we know: Djokovic shares videos and posts on social networks almost on a daily basis. He responded to tennis challenges from Andy Murray, with whom he made an Instagram Live on April 17, and Roger Federer, and submitted some to his community. He said he was in Spain during this live session.
Idemooo the 💯 volley challenge was too easy for @jelenadjokovic haha bravoo 😂👏🏼💪🏼. Thanks for the fun nomination Kim and @andymurray!
Keep the challenges coming!!! 🔥 #100volleychallenge #tennisathome #stayhome #teamdjokovic #nolefam pic.twitter.com/tffUO9OOCs
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) April 10, 2020
- What he does: Djokovic seems to enjoy father life and shares pictures having fun with his kids. With his wife Jelena, who got him an haircut, and the Novak Djokovic Foundation, he donated 1 million euros for the purchase of medical equipment to help fight the covid-19 in Serbia. Djokovic appeared on several Instagram Lives, with Andy Murray or Stan Wawrinka. He stays in shape by practicing yoga or playing tennis at home with frying pans.
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Competition never stops 💪🏼😂 #tennisathome🎾🏠 Такмичење није престало 😂
- On the tour: Djokovic was undefeated in 2020, winning the ATP Cup, the Australian Open and in Dubai. He was aiming for the Grand Slam this year, or at least he was looking to close the gap with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in Grand Slam titles.
- To know him better: Novak Djokovic: Sampras, Ivanisevic, Jelena, the 10 questions you may ask about the Serb
Rafael Nadal: Money raising and cooking
- Where he is: At home in Manacor, on the island of Mallorca, in the Balearic Islands, Spain. He is with his wife.
- How can we know: Nadal shares videos and pictures of his confined life, even though he is relatively quiet on social networks since April began.
- What he does: Nadal initiated with Spanish basketball player Pau Gasol the Reply Red Cross Challenge, with the #NuestraMejorVictoria. He invited compatriots to donate to achieve the 11 million dollar-goal and plenty of fellow sportsmen responded to their call. He shares videos of him cooking or running – and sweating – on a home-trainer. Nadal did a very anticipated Instagram Live with Roger Federer. He participated to the virtual Mutua Madrid Open, with a round robin exit.
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- On the tour: The suspension of the tour as the clay-court swing came closer was a tough break for Nadal, who won the Acapulco tournament in February. There is still hope that the French Open will be held in September, which would be a great opportunity for him to win his 20th Grand Slam.
- To know him better: Rafael Nadal: Roland-Garros, Carlos Moya, Real Madrid, 10 questions you may ask about the Spaniard
Dominic Thiem: Intense workouts and video games
- Where he is: In Austria with his parents, his brother and his dog.
- How can we know: Thiem did a Skype video shared by the ATP in March to explain how he lives in confinement.
Checking in from home with Hugo! #TennisAtHome @atptour pic.twitter.com/gsnGLKh0u5
— Dominic Thiem (@ThiemDomi) March 23, 2020
- What he does: Thiem explained his daily routine in an interview to Red Bull, one of his sponsors : “I sleep relatively long every day. Then it’s time for fitness training: torso, stomach, back, upper body, legs – as good as it gets at home. After that I try to go running every day too. Most of the time I’m done with everything relatively early, around 5 or 6 p.m.” Thiem plays video games with friends and participates in some FIFA 20 tournaments organised to raise money in the fight against Covid-19. He watches classic tennis matches, two or three a week, including some involving him.
- On the tour: Thiem just played his first Grand Slam hard-court final, during the Australian Open. He was even leading Novak Djokovic two sets to one, before losing in a five set-thriller. Ranked 3rd in the world for the first time of his career, Thiem had the opportunity to cement his place on the podium during the clay-court swing.
- To know him better: Dominic Thiem: Mladenovic, coach, Muster, the 10 questions you may ask about the Austrian
Roger Federer : Volleys in the snow and Wimbledon video
- Where he is: At home in Switzerland.
- How can we know: Federer shares videos from home on social networks, sometimes under the snow !
- What he does: We can’t really know, but Federer seems ready to practice 7 weeks after his knee surgery. He is on social networks almost on a daily basis and ran a challenge of playing tennis close to a wall. He also gave his voice to a video produced by Wimbledon and donated 1 million francs suisse (943,000 euros) to the most disadvantaged families in Switzerland. Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Federer called for an ATP-WTA merger.
Play is suspended, but we cheer for a different kind of champion.
Narrated by @rogerfederer.#StayHomeSaveLives | #ClapForCarers | #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/76pBLWOrRr
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) April 9, 2020
- On the tour: Federer was supposed not to play between February and June because of a knee operation. He would have lost a lot of points during this time. His fellow countryman Stanislas Wawrinka thinks he might come back better.
- To know him better: Roger Federer : GOAT, coach, origins, the 10 questions you may have about the Swiss
Daniil Medvedev: FIFA 20 and workouts in his garage
- Where he is : At home in Monte-Carlo, Monaco.
- How can we know : Even though he is quiet on social networks, Medvedev posted photos of him at home, to celebrate Easter or reveal a crocodile drawing, for his sponsor Lacoste.
- What he does : Medvedev took part in a FIFA 20 tournament in Russia, the “Cup of Hope”. Playing with Bayern Munich, he lost against Rostov defender Mikhail Osinov Jr in the first round in an eight player-bracket with seven pro football players. A video on Instagram showed working out in his garage with dumbbells.
- On the tour : Coming off a strong finish in 2019, Medvedev was having a tough start of 2020, with a Round of 16 loss to Stan Wawrinka at the Australian Open, a first-round defeat in Rotterdam and a quarter-final collapse against Gilles Simon in Marseille. Maybe the break can help him get back on track.
- To know him better : Daniil Medvedev: Andreï Medvedev, wife, coach, 10 questions you may ask about the Russian
Stefanos Tsitsipas : YouTube and social networks
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- Where he is : In Biot, France, at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy.
- How can we know : Tsitsipas shares workout videos and pictures from his life at the Academy.
- What he does : Generally active on social networks, Tsitsipas still is during the lockdown. He posted several videos on his prolific YouTube channel, including one no-edit 30 minute-program in which he reflects about the coronavirus crisis alone with his camera. He interacts with his community on Twitter, like when he asked for phrases to pronounce in different languages. He created the “Beyond100” fund to help players ranked +100 in the ATP rankings.
- On the tour : Back-to-back winner in Marseille and finalist in Dubai, Tsitsipas helped Greece qualify for Davis Cup’s World Group II play-offs. After a mediocre start of the season, he was in a much better shape when the season got suspended. He had a lot to lose during the clay-court season, after a good 2019 season on this surface (winner in Estoril, runner-up in Madrid and semi-finalist in Rome).
- To know him better : Stefanos Tsitsipas: YouTube, AEK fan, coach, 10 questions you may ask about the Greek
Alexander Zverev : Classic NBA games and board games
- Where he is : With his brother Mischa’s family.
- How can we know : Zverev shared a video to encourage his community to stay at home with Mischa appearing at the end.
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- What he does : Zverev is training hard, with a complete set of bodybuilding tools at his disposal. He even did a training session with Bayern Munich players, via Zoom. In his spare time, he watches classic NBA matches or TV shows and plays board games. He tried golf without a great success and played the Madrid Open Virtual Pro, losing to Andy Murray in the quarter-finals.
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Nothing like a good 5am workout 🎧💪🏽🔥 #hometeam @adidas_de @fcbayern
- On the tour : Zverev played his first Grand Slam semi-final at the Australian Open, lost to Dominic Thiem. But he lost four of his five games elsewhere than Melbourne in 2020. The hiatus could be helpful for him, even though he had a lot to gain in the coming months, because he had been very inconsistent from Indian Wells to Wimbledon in 2019.
- To know him better : Alexander Zverev: Mischa, Russian origins, girlfriend, 10 questions you may ask about the German
Matteo Berrettini : No Netflix and languages practicing
- Where he is : In Boca Raton, Florida, in the Evert Tennis Academy, with his girlfriend Alja Tomljanovich’s family.
- How can we know : The Croatian player and him joined an Instagram Live with Chris Evert, Tomljanovich being a regular from the American legend’s academy, on April 8.
- What he does : Berrettini detailed his fitness program : “Without training, I feel a lot of pain, so I can’t stop it, explained Berrettini to Stats Perform. You can’t work very hard for 2 or 3 months because you would become crazy ! You need to find the right balance between having fun and working hard.” He signed a sponsorship deal with Red Bull on April 1st. Avoiding too much binge-watching on Netflix, he wants to use this time to learn cooking and practice languages.
- On the tour : Injured to abdominals and adductor muscles, Berrettini missed the Rio Open. But he was on his way to a comeback for Indian Wells. In 2020, he just played the Australian Open, where he exited in the second round. If he was 100% healed, he had an opportunity to climb up the stands, as he lost in the first round in Indian Wells, Miami and Monte-Carlo in 2019, or in the second round in Roland-Garros.
- To know him better : Matteo Berrettini: Tomljanovic, coach, Fiorentina, 10 questions you may ask about the Italian
Gaël Monfils : Twitch debut and video games
- Where he is : At home in Trélex, Switzerland, with his girlfriend and Ukrainian player Elina Svitolina.
- How can we know : They shared a fun video in the first days of confinement on their joint Instagram account and posted several pictures doing workouts together, or highlights from an intense table tennis match.
- What he does : Monfils doesn’t post many training pictures or videos, but he launched his own Twitch channel. He aired on it a new show named “L’invité smash” with Alizé Lim as co-host. He was schedule to compete in the virtual Mutua Madrid Open, as he is often playing video games, but an issue with image rights prevented him to participate.
Merci énormément pour vos retours ulta positifs concernant le #SmashClub ! Je suis hyper fier de pouvoir vous donner rendez-vous chaque mercredi avec @AlizeLim & @NormanGenius ! Merci @BruceGrannec d’être passé nous voir !
On invite qui mercredi prochain ?
Love 🤜🏾🤛🏾 pic.twitter.com/ykEOFrAstz
— Gael Monfils (@Gael_Monfils) April 15, 2020
- On the tour : Monfils was on one of the best runs of his career and got stopped. After a Round of 16 loss to Dominic Thiem at the Australian Open, he was crowned in Montpellier and in Rotterdam, for the back-to-back. He even got 3 match points against Novak Djokovic in Dubai semi-finals, before losing to the Serb in three sets. He has a 16-3 record on the year and was ranked 3rd in the 2020 Race.
- To know him better : Gaël Monfils: Svitolina, junior star, coach, 10 questions you may ask about the Frenchman
Fabio Fognini : Baby-sitting and emergency call
- Where he is : At home in Italy with his wife and former US Open champion Flavia Pennetta, along with their two children.
- How can we know : Fognini shares photos and videos on Instagram.
- What he does : Fognini is taking care of their baby girl, born last December. He is playing tennis with Pennetta on their terrace. He voiced his discontent following French Open’s postponement to September-October, in an interview for La Stampa, and made a call to gather surgical masks for senior residences, his grandmother living in one. He competed in the virtual Mutua Madrid Open, exiting in the round robin.
Happy with my baby girl💕 🧸💘 pic.twitter.com/UIbPhmfdWN
— Fabio Fognini (@fabiofogna) April 4, 2020
- On the tour : Fognini won just 5 of 11 matches in 2020 and lost against world No.100 Tennys Sandgren in the Australian Open Round of 16. He had his Monte-Carlo title to defend during the European clay-court swing.
- To know him better : Fabio Fognini: Pennetta, Emporio Armani, Barazzutti, 10 questions you may ask about the Italian
Roberto Bautista Agut : Response to Nadal’s call and birthday
- Where he is : At home in Castellon De La Plana, Spain, where he is born.
- How can we know : Bautista Agut posts pictures of him working out in his home.
- What he does : Not playing tennis, as he swore the first thing he would when he could get out would be to go straight on the court. But Bautista Agut answered Rafael Nadal’s call for the Red Cross and celebrated his 32nd birthday on April 14.
🇪🇸Un cumpleaños diferente. Muchísimas gracias a todos por vuestras felicitaciones! 🥳
🇬🇧32 year young 😉 Thank you so much for all your birthday wishes!
#RobertoBautistaAgut #HappyBirthdayToMe pic.twitter.com/Vt2La98Pcf— Roberto BautistaAgut (@BautistaAgut) April 14, 2020
- On the tour : Undefeated during the ATP Cup with Spain, runner-up to Serbia, Bautista Agut then lost his mojo. He followed his Australian Open 3rd round-defeat with a 2nd round-exit in Rotterdam and a 1st-round fiasco in Dubai. Except for his Miami quarter-final, he had a tough spring in 2019 and had a chance to rejoin the Top 10 with a good run until Wimbledon.
Diego Schwartzman : FIFA 20 tournament and French Open critique
- Where he is : At home in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with his girlfriend Eugenia De Martino and their dog.
- How can we know : Schwartzman shares videos and pictures of their quarantine.
- What he does : Vocal about official decisions on the calendar, as the French Open postponement, he is maintaining in shape with fitness exercises and yoga. He helped organise a FIFA 20 tournament with Paulo Dybala for the Argentinian Red Cross. The bracket gathers sporting stars such as Sergio Agüero, Leandro Paredes, James Rodriguez or Dominic Thiem. He withdrew in the semi-finals of the Madrid Open Virtual Pro, because of a “connection issue”.
- On the tour : Schwartzman withdrew from the Buenos Aires semi-finals due to a right leg injury, after a three hours and 41 minute-thriller against Pablo Cuevas in quarter-finals. He reached the Cordoba final the week before his injury and was eliminated in the Round of 16 at the Australian Open. Apart from a semi-final in Rome, he had not so good clay-court performances in 2019 and did not have many points to defend.
Andrey Rublev : Toilet paper challenge and daily exercises
- Where he is : At home in Moscow, Russia.
- How can we know : Rublev posts sporadically on social networks.
Our future is our world. Each one of us needs to take care of our planet and the ocean, each one of us needs to keep the world clean and ocean clean. We need to learn how to love. How to love our world. Love is the answer. OUR WORLD IS OUR FUTURE🌎🌊🖤🖤 pic.twitter.com/FCwrkMofNr
— Andrey Rublev (@AndreyRublev97) March 16, 2020
- What he does : Exercising on a daily basis, Rublev also made a challenge involving a tennis racket and toilet paper. He was one of few players to back the FFT’s decision to postpone the French Open.
- On the tour : Rublev was in the form of his life to begin 2020, with back-to-back titles in Doha and Adelaïde. He then reached the Australian Open Round of 16, to lose against eventual runner-up Dominic Thiem. He lost in the quarter-finals in Rotterdam and in Dubai. He is 5th on the 2020 Race and his 14th place in the ATP rankings is the best of his career.
Karen Khachanov : New-born son and abs
- Where he is : At home in Moscow, Russia, where it was still snowing at the end of March.
- How can we know : He quickly explained on Instagram that he was coming back to Russia from the United States for the quarantaine.
- What he does : He enjoys the company of his new-born son and even does a morning fitness routine with him. He responded to Rublev’s “20 touch challenge”, but seemed to have shattered something in the process. He participated in the Living Room Cup, sponsored by Nike, by doing 144 abs in 45 seconds.
- On the tour : He was inconsistent to begin the 2020 season and reached just once the quarter-finals in five tournaments played.
All informations to date on April 30, 2020.
