We don’t have to wait much longer for the 2021 season to begin. The ATP and WTA have released the calendar for the first two months of the year and are waiting to hear the fate of the Sunshine Double (which includes the Indian Wells and Miami Masters 1000).
The first major event of 2021, the Australian Open, will take place February 8-21 to allow all players to travel to Australia and complete the two weeks of mandatory quarantine.
It is not clear whether the Happy Slam will also sanction the return of Roger Federer, who has not been on the tour for almost a year because of a double operation on his right knee. The former number 1 in the world has kept a place in the top 5 thanks to the new ranking system, but recently admitted that he is not yet 100% fit.
During an interview with Digisport, the former WTA number 1 Simona Halep remembered her first encounter with the 20-time Grand Slam champion. The two met at Wimbledon in 2007, when the Swiss was already at the top of men’s tennis (unlike Halep, who had not yet made his debut on the women’s tour).
Halep: “He made me feel good”
“I went to Wimbledon in 2007, went to the training ground, had the junior badge and went out on the field to take a few shots.
I found him in front of me and got stuck ”- said the two-time Grand Slam champion. “I didn’t know what to do and asked him if he could give me an autograph. He asked me what I was doing there and how I was feeling.
I told him I liked tennis and that I was excited to be at Wimbledon as I had never seen a grass court before. He was very friendly and made me feel great. Although he was already very famous and was an icon of our sport, he stopped to speak to me and even wished me all the best “- Halep continued.
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