Roger Federer takes questions from fans during a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” session. (Reddit)

Within 24 hours, Roger Federer went from being some stodgy 31-year-old dad to a hip tennis player who tweets and holds question-and-answer sessions on another social media platform.

One day after joining Twitter, Federer conducted an “AMA” (or “Ask Me Anything”) session on Reddit, where fans posted all kinds of questions Friday and Federer answered a select few.

Asked by Reddit user “Trikskier” about the most difficult matches of his career, Federer listed five:

1. 2003 Davis Cup semifinal vs. Lleyton Hewitt, who came back to beat Federer 5-7, 2-6, 7-6 (4), 7-5, 6-1 to help Australia eliminate Switzerland.

Read More…

(Twitter)

It happened. Roger Federer, one of the last high-profile holdouts in tennis, has finally given in and joined Twitter.

A little (blue) bird told me that the place to be is @twitter, so here I am! http://t.co/8AQzBsC6ia—
Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) May 23, 2013

The first four Twitter accounts he followed? All four Slams, of course. I guess he just really loves all those behind-the-scenes photos.

Read More…

Rafael Nadal is aiming for his eighth French Open title beginning next week. (Gabriel Buoys/AFP/Getty Images)

ROME  – Rafael Nadal trounced Roger Federer 6-1, 6-3 on Sunday to win his seventh Italian Open. Nadal improved to 20-10 overall and 13-2 on clay against Federer and won his sixth title in eight tournaments this year. The Spaniard will retake the No. 4 ranking from David Ferrer on Monday and assure himself of a top-four seed at the French Open, which begins next Sunday.

Three thoughts on the King of Clay’s remarkable comeback season and his prospects for capturing a record eighth Roland Garros title:

Read More…

Rafael Nadal’s rivalry with Roger Federer has hardly been close on clay, where Nadal sports a gaudy 12-2 record. (Clive Mason/Getty Images)

ROME — Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will meet for the 30th time Sunday in the final of the Italian Open. Nadal cruised past Tomas Berdych 6-2, 6-4 in the first semifinal Saturday and Federer pulled out a scratchy win over surprise semifinalist Benoit Paire 7-6 (5), 6-4 in the evening session. It will be the first meeting in a final between the two since the 2011 French Open, where Nadal prevailed in four sets. Nadal leads the head-to-head 19-10, including a 12-2 edge on clay and 13-6 advantage in finals.

“It’s nice to have those revival moments for the both of us because we’ve had some epics, particularly in finals,” Federer said. “I’m sure we’re both looking forward to it. I clearly am.”

Read More…

Andy Murray will be the No. 3 seed at Roland Garros if he plays. (Tiziana Fabi/AFP/Getty Images)

ROME — British media are reporting that Andy Murray has undergone a back scan in London and will make a decision on whether he will play the French Open on Wednesday, two days before the draw is to be made.

After undergoing scan in London, Andy Murray just announced he's resting & will make French Open decision on Wednesday.—
Barry Flatman (@Barry_FlatmanST) May 18, 2013

Andy Murray talking to specialists, French Open decision around Weds – sounds like nothing immediately conclusive with his scan.—
Mike Dickson (@Mike_Dickson_DM) May 18, 2013

That’s a slight step down from Murray’s ominous comments earlier in the week after he retired from his opening-round match in Rome with a back injury.

Murray, who made the French Open semifinals in 2011, revealed he had been struggling with the injury since the end of 2011 and reaggravated it on the clay, saying he would be “surprised” if he was able to get fit enough to play the French Open.

If the back scan revealed a more serious injury, it stands to reason that he would have announced his withdrawal sooner.

Novak Djokovic has lost before the semifinals in back-to-back tournaments. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

ROME — Tomas Berdych upset Novak Djokovic 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the Italian Open on Friday, snapping an 11-match losing streak against the world No. 1. Here are three thoughts on the two-hour, 22-minute match:

• Letdowns plague Djokovic: For all the questions surrounding Djokovic’s health after he sprained his ankle in Davis Cup in April and looked on the verge of withdrawing last month from Monte Carlo (where he went on to topple eight-time defending champion Rafael Nadal in the final), it’s been the Serb’s mental lapses in his last two matches that have raised questions for his French Open campaign.

Last week, he lost to Grigor Dimitrov 7-6 (6), 6-7 (8), 6-3 in his opening match at the Madrid Open. Djokovic stormed back from a 2-4 deficit in the second set, but he was broken immediately in the third set and Dimitrov held on for the biggest victory of his career.

Read More…

Rafael Nadal overcame a big-hitting display from Ernests Gulbis. (Clive Mason/Getty Images)

ROME — Ernests Gulbis had a simple approach to his third-round match against Rafael Nadal at the Italian Open on Thursday.

“I have to bring my A-game or I’m going to get three games,” Gulbis said a day earlier. “So I’m going to bring my A-game.”

Gulbis delivered on that promise during the type of early onslaught that Nadal seldom faces on clay. But Gulbis, despite believing that he was the superior player Thursday, wasn’t able to finish off his first victory over Nadal in six attempts. Nadal overcame the big-hitting Gulbis 1-6, 7-5, 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals, where the six-time champion will meet David Ferrer on Friday.

Read More…

Can the pope’s touch heal Juan Martin del Potro’s troublesome right wrist? (EPA)

Juan Martin del Potro met newly elected Pope Francis on Wednesday after attending mass at the Vatican. The 24-year-old presented the fellow Argentine with a Wilson racket that Del Potro used during his victory against Roger Federer in the 2009 U.S. Open final.

“It was an incredible experience with Pope Francis, something that I’ll never forget,” Del Potro told ATPWorldTour.com. “It was a dream come true for a guy like me. It was an unforgettable moment. I was very nervous before meeting him, to be able to congratulate him and talk with him. He was nice. Everybody knows he is very humble. Today was a day that I’ll remember forever.”

Read More…

Ernests Gulbis has raised his ranking nearly 100 spots this year, to No. 46. (Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

ROME — Ernests Gulbis isn’t one to mince words.

So when the 2008 French Open quarterfinalist was asked to sum up his clay season so far on the heels of his Delray Beach title as a qualifier and his fourth-round appearance at Indian Wells as a qualifier, what started out as a confident defense of his performance quickly devolved into a fit of laughter.

“My losses on clay were against good players,” Gulbis told SI.com. “I lost against Tommy Haas [in three sets in Munich], and he won the tournament not losing a set. I was the only one getting a set from him. I lost to [Milos] Raonic in Barcelona. That maybe wasn’t a good match because I didn’t play good.

Watch: Haas hits wild winner against Gulbis

“I lost to Juan Monaco [in Monte Carlo], but I went a little bit nuts. I got a game penalty,” he said with a laugh, recalling his racket-throwing tantrum. “That was my, mentally, worst match of the season.”

Read More…

ROME — Viktor Troicki went on a four-minute tirade at the Italian Open on Wednesday that had even his notoriously short-tempered opponent calling for the meltdown to finally end.

Troicki trailed 6-1 and faced break point in the first game of the second set against Ernests Gulbis when he hit a backhand that chair umpire Cedric Mourier overruled and called long, giving the game to Gulbis. Mourier inspected the mark and confirmed the call, believing there was space between the outline of the ball on the clay and the line. Not satisfied, Troicki hopped over the net and had a look for himself.

Read More…