Categories: ATPTop StoryVideo

Rafa hits out with 97-year-old ‘fan’

Rafael Nadal welcomed a special fan to his Academy in Mallorca this week for a hit out – 97-year-old Ukrainian player Leonid Stanislavskyi.

Stanislavskyi holds the Guinness World Record as the oldest player in the world with an International Tennis Federation (ITF) licence.

The pair hot out on court in what was described as an ‘unforgettable day’ for Leonid.

Stanislavskyi, who has been competing in amateur tennis for over 50 years, wrote to the ITF months ago asking them to create a new veteran category for players in his age range. The ITF has since introduced a new category for over-90s.

Peter Rowe

Recent Posts

Nadal goes down in final match

Rafael Nadal lined up for what was to be the final match of his career…

3 days ago

Sinner flattens de Minaur in runaway home start

Jannik Sinner took charge in front of his home crowd on Sunday, crushing ATP Finals…

2 weeks ago

Madcap Medvedev suffers temperamental Turin Finals loss

Daniil Medvedev went into meltdown mode on Sunday during a highly charged 6-4, 6-3 loss, with opponent…

2 weeks ago

Team Sinner considering skipping Monte Carlo

Jannik Sinner could well be missing from the opening European clay event of next season…

2 weeks ago

Davis Cup Final to mark Nadal goodbye to tennis

Rafael Nadal will bring down the curtain on his career next month as he plays his…

1 month ago

Wimbledon lowers the boom on human linecalling

Wimbledon on Wednesday brought an end to human linecalling at the most traditional of the…

1 month ago