Tennis News: Roger Federer, Caroline Garcia, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Novak Djokovic

We are in the final week of no tennis for the next 11 months. In three weeks, the Australian Open will be underway. In other words, tennis fans, now is the time to start planning the flavor of popcorn you will be eating for most of the next year.

While the United Cup starts this weekend, no players will be earning ATP and WTA points. The event is more about wanting to play well and win for one's country. Some of the big names involved are Novak Djokovic for Serbia and Iga Swiatek for Poland.

In a different event that starts over the New Year's weekend is the Brisbane International. Players will be earning points for the 2024. This includes Rafael Nadal who will be making his comeback from a January 2023 injury. Here is some other news for Thursday.

Carolina Garcia dreams of coffee with Roger Federer

Roger Federer has been an inspiration for decades. This goes beyond the tennis court as well. The Roger Federer Foundation, for example, helps children in Switzerland and Africa with better education. A lot of people are going to know and like the Federer brand in a way that has nothing to do with tennis.

But one tennis player who finds inspiration from the way Federer played tennis but also handles himself off the court is WTA No. 20 Caroline Garcia. Garcia recently posted on X about her dream of having coffee with the Swiss great. Garcia simply wrote the words lots of us truly feel. (My favorite part of the tweet, though, might be the "getting a member card to Wimbledon.")

Stefanos Tsitsipas long-term health might be an issue

Tsitsipas is a taller player and for some who participate in tennis back problems can develop. While that is the case for anyone, taller players need to bend more and bend quickly. This can cause a great strain on the back. Tsitsipas was forced to withdraw after playing a full match and part of another one at the ATP Finals in November. He doesn't seem to have fully recovered from the injury either.

At the World Tennis League event last weekend, Tsitsipas had to withdraw from part of the action as well. Now he is about to play a full season and one might rightly wonder if he can be healthy from January through October. Speaking with media at the WTL event, Tsitsipas said he simply hasn't had time to recover and prepare for 2024 due to the 2023 tennis season-ending only in November.

Tsitsipas told media, "I wasn’t able to get the preparation that I actually needed – I’m talking about all the weeks (I was hoping to get)...I did spend a few weeks trying to find a solution to all of (his physical issues) and I think it paid off, going for many days in a row into rehab and committing myself to the process of absolute healing."

Novak Djokovic has learned from Tom Brady

Tom Brady might arguably be the best example of how an athlete kept himself in fantastic condition and this allowed him to be successful into his 40s. After winning six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, Brady left to play with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and won another Super Bowl at age 43.

Novak Djokovic will turn 37 in 2024 but is friends with Tom Brady. Djokovic likes to surround himself with people who have been successful enough that he can learn from them. That says a lot since Djokovic is arguably the greatest tennis player ever and others should be learning from him.

According to an article from ESPN, Djokovic says about Brady, "He has put a lot of hours and a lot of time into self-care, into recovery, into making sure that in a way every aspect of his body and mind is covered so that he can have a long-lasting, successful career. I know him personally and I learned a lot from him, from his example, and hopefully, I can have a career that goes up to 40 or maybe even beyond - let's see."

Read more from Lob and Smash