By Chris Oddo | Monday February 8, 2016
Here’s what’s Happening around the tennis world on Monday, February 8:
Video: Belinda Bencic led the Swiss to a massive Fed Cup victory over Germany, in style.
Spain’s Olympic Chief Wants Nadal as Flag Bearer: According to NBC Olympic talk, the Spanish Olympic Chief, Alejandro Blanco, puts Nadal’s name at the top of the list.
American Vicky Duval to have knee surgery : The 20-year-old, who was declared cancer-free last season, will have to take time off for meniscus surgery. As usual she was upbeat about the situation, and pledged to be back to the tour in the few months.
Get to know the tour’s top Dominican player: A nice Q&A with the ATP's top Dominican player can be found at Tennis-Prose.com. It's from last year, when Victor Estrella-Burgos won his maiden ATP title in Quito, but it's still a nice get-to-know piece that is worth revisiting.
Halep says no nasal surgery for now: After playing a weekend’s worth of Fed Cup ties in Romania this weekend, Simona Halep now says she will forego nasal surgery in the short term, but left the door open to do it later in the season. This surely is a story to keep an eye on. Hopefully Halep's making the right call here.
Borna Coric saves a string of set points : 19-year-old Coric says he got lucky, but he’ll certainly take the win after saving 10 set points in the opening set of his first match at the ABN Amro in Rotterdam
Bartoli can’t turn the TV off when Federer is playing : Marion Bartoli heaped some praise on the ever deserving Roger Federer in this recently published article, though we don’t know that calling Federer “probably” the greatest player ever is a massive endorsement.
Here's what Marion said according to ZeeNews:
The things he has managed to accomplish and the level to which he has taken the game is amazing. When he is playing, his style is so flawless and beautiful. It is almost like a ballet when he is playing. If I watch Federer`s match on television, I cannot even switch it off."
There are five American teenagers in the Memphis draw : Three got wild cards, but hey, it’s the first time there have been this many American teens in an ATP draw in 27 years. Well, there were five teens in the draw. It’s down to four now.
Miracle in Moscow : The Dutch are calling their shocking upset of the Russians the “Miracle in Moscow,” and we’re not arguing. Did you know that Kiki Bertens now owns a 13-1 Fed Cup singles record?
Can Nadal bounce back on clay? : By far the most compelling storyline of the week will be whether or not Rafael Nadal can regain some of his dominance on clay by defending his Argentina Open title. The competition is stiff. Here’s a rundown of all five tour-level events happening this week.