Del Potro's dream of meeting Pope Francis comes true

At last, Juan Martin Del Potro met His Holiness Pope Francis, the first Pope from South America and a fellow Argentine, after attending Mass at the Vatican on Wednesday.

Image © ATP World Tour

"It was an incredible experience with Pope Francis, something that I'll never forget,” said del Potro according to an ATP Tour press-release. “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 for ever." Del Potro was thrilled with the Pope's nomination back in March and was planning to meet His Holiness in Rome during the Masters. 

And to his surprise, Del Potro was recognised today by the Pope in the crowd after the Mass. "He told me that he knew I was playing at the tournament in Rome, he blessed me and wished me the best. I congratulated him and thanked him for the opportunity to talk to him." The World Nº7 gave the Pope a racquet used during his 2009 US Open final victory over Roger Federer.

John Isner, we're coming over!

John Isner opened the door of his new place to ATP World Tour Uncovered - "Cribs" edition. The house is located in the Avila Golf & Country Club in Tampa, Florida. Take a look: 

ATP bans blue clay in 2013

ATP decided to ban blue clay courts and won't allow Madrid Masters to continues its experiments next year. Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal criticized the blue surface, which was introduced for the first time at this year's tournament, and said they wouldn't be playing in Madrid again in 2013.

After so much controversy, ATP agrees with Rafa and Novak and defends that blue clay is not safe to play tennis. Players complained the court was too slippery. According to Spanish newspaper Marca, ATP executive chairman and president Brad Drewett said that "regardless of colour, we must first ensure that courts are safe and fair for players." "While the blue clay may have offered better visibility on television, there were clearly issues with the quality of the courts in Madrid this year, which were not acceptable at an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament, one of our top events worldwide", added Drewett.

Madrid Open was won by Roger Federer and Serena Williams. Top seeds like Nadal and Djokovic crashed out early in the tournament and blamed the court surface for their poor performance.

Nadal regains Rome title and number 2 spot

Credit: Internazionali BNL d’Italia 

Rafael Nadal regained the 2nd position in the ATP men's ranking, by defeating Novak Djokovic this Monday in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia final.

The Spaniard triumphed 7-5, 6-3 in a 02h20 match, and regained his Rome crown, won by Djokovic in 2011. The final had been delayed by a day because of rain and was only played on Monday.

It’s Nadal’s sixth Rome title and his 21st ATP Masters 1000. The Majorcan will now move ahead of Roger Federer in the ATP World Tour's ranking.

Rome final. Credit: Internazionali BNL d’Italia 

Rafa vs Nole head-to-head will continue at the French Open. Credit: Internazionali BNL d’Italia 

After his victories in Monte Carlo and Barcelona, Nadal is considered a favourite to win the French Open. But the player is not happy about his game level yet. “I didn't consider myself that good. I can do better. When you are not serving 100% perfect then you are in trouble because he (Djokovic) returns hard. I am trying to play more aggressive and I am touching the ball better and my forehand is more painful than last year and that is why I am able to go more to the side", said Nadal at Rome's post-match press-conference.

Nadal was back home in Majorca later this Monday. Credit: Nadal's FB page

On the other hand, Novak Djokovic is heading to Roland Garros in "his top form", as he admitted after the Rome final. The world Nº1 wants to win four majors in a row at the French Open, where he’s never made the championship match. Despiste his confidence, he considers Nadal to be the best player in the world on clay surface.

ATP World Tour and Tennis Warehouse launch online store for Europe

The ATP World Tour and retail store Tennis Warehouse have launched the ATPWorldTourStore.com official website for Europe.

Europeans can now buy ATP players’ gear online, but the store ships to customers around the world. The website offers costumer service in five languages (english, french, german, italian and spanish).

Accordind to ATP World Tour website, "Tennis Warehouse, a division of Sports Warehouse Inc., was started in 1992 as a 500-square-foot specialty tennis shop in San Luis Obispo, California. Since then it has grown to be the largest online specialty tennis retailer in the world and is the official online partner of ATP World Tour and the WTA Tour. In 2008 Tennis Warehouse expanded to include a European division, Tennis Warehouse Europe, located in Schutterwald, Germany."