As the tennis gears up for another edition of the Rome Open, former ATP stars John Isner, Sam Querrey, Jack Sock and Steve Johnson recalled some of their own memories from the tour on their "Nothing Major Show" podcast.
Querrey in particular remembered how Rome Open used to have only two practice courts for both men and women. And to make matters worse, Spanish legend Rafael Nadal would occupy the court for two straight hours.
“Do you guys remember, if you go back kind of seven or eight years ago, they really only had like one or two practice courts on the actual site of Rome,” said Sam Querrey.
“It was kind of there in front they had like one practice court for men and women, and Rafa would have it for like two straight hours,” said Querrey with exasperation.
“Yeah, which was fine, you know, like the 2 to 4 p.m. — just Rafa, you know, while everyone else is like off, hitting 20 minutes away, four and a court, and it was brutal,” he added.
Rafael Nadal is not known to rush things when it comes to his routines and rituals on the court.
However, because there were over a 150 people waiting to practice, especially during the first week, it made it particularly difficult for the other players. Other elite players such as Serena Williams and Roger Federer were also given ample amount of time on the court.
“It's impossible to practice there,” said Querrey. “Firstly, it’s just a single court, literally one practice court for like a hundred and fifty players and Serena would have it for two hours, and then like Rafa for two hours – Federer would take it for about ninety minutes, and everyone else is down at Pietrangeli,” he added.
Today, the Rome Open has expanded its infrastructure significantly. However, the comments from Querrey highlight the logistical struggles players once faced at the Rome Open, especially when you had marquee names like Serena and Nadal on the tour.
