ICYMI at The ATP Tour Finals: Federer not ruling out Davis Cup

LONDON -- Just when we thought Roger Federer couldn't possibly achieve any more with his career, the 36-year-old admitted to the press room on Thursday that he wasn't ruling out future Davis Cup and Olympic action.

In his postmatch news conference -- after beating Marin Cilic in three sets to secure his 14th semifinal place in 15 appearances at the ATP Tour Finals -- Federer said "I haven't officially retired from the Davis Cup" though he admitted the Tokyo 2020 Olympics were a bit far ahead to be thinking about. However, he didn't rule out the possibility, either.

This could mean that we see Federer competing for the Olympic singles gold medal -- one of the few accolades he has yet to win throughout his career -- nearing his 40s. We can only dream ...

Nadal wins doping case

He may have withdrawn from the tournament on Monday, but Rafael Nadal has been kept busy with affairs concerning a different type of court.

Former French Sports Minister Roselyne Bachelot has been ordered to pay the World No.1 12,000 euros (£10,700; $14,000) in damages by a Paris court. The Spanish player sued Bachelot for comments she made during a TV interview last year, saying on air that Nadal's extended break in 2012 was due to a hidden doping ban.

---

Roger not the only survivor

As Roger Federer was battling to a fraught 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-1 victory over Marin Cilic on Centre Court, friend and other born survivor Bear Grylls was watching on from close quarters.

The pair filmed Bear Grylls' NBC adventure show "Running Wild" together in February this year. Grylls described Federer as "a humble, fun, determined, family-centered man." Although, not everything was smooth sailing.

We're sure he'll have been looking on with pride at Federer's survival efforts on Thursday.

---

An early exit for Herbert & Mahut

Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut's ATP journey came to an abrupt end on Thursday when Herbert put out his back during a practice session.

The French duo was set to face No. 2 seeds Henri Kontinen and John Peers, who will now face the winner of group Woodbridge/Woodforde on Saturday. Ever the nice guy on tour, Roger Federer was quick to send his condolences to the French doubles player, and lend some advice from his own injury experience before the 2014 Davis Cup final.

"I wish him a speedy recovery," said Federer. "I mean, what can you do? Time is of the essence here. Of course, he wants to be there. So it's about rehabbing, treatment, antiflammatories [sic], whatever it takes to get better."