Category: Tennis

Rafael Nadal said it will be “a joy” to return to action for the first time since January when he takes part in the Barcelona Open next week where he is a 12-time champion.

The 22-time Grand Slam winner has played just once, in an exhibition match, since he felt a hip injury flare-up during a quarter-final defeat by Jordan Thompson in Brisbane on the eve of the Australian Open.

“I’m happy to be here, of course, Barcelona is a place that has brought me a great deal of joy, and where I have spent periods of my life,” said Nadal at Saturday’s draw ceremony.

Nadal will play 63rd-ranked Flavio Cobolli of Italy in his opening match.

Nadal, who turns 38 in June, will be looking for a problem-free return as he builds towards seeking a record-extending 15th French Open title.

The former world number one has seen his ranking slip to 646 after missing all of the 2023 season following the Australian Open.

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“Over the last two years I’ve had very few days on tour, so spending days here, seeing people, being able to practise with players is a joy,” added Nadal.

“I’m keen to carry on. The tournament has some incredible players.”

The 2022 and 2023 Barcelona champion Carlos Alcaraz will begin his clay-court campaign after missing the Monte Carlo Masters due to a right arm injury.

World number three Alcaraz is the top seed and has a bye in the first round before facing either China’s Zhang Zhizhen or Luca Van Assche of France.

Nadal has never played Cobolli, 16 years his junior. If he gets past him, he will face the tougher task of 11th-ranked Australian Alex de Minaur in the second round.

There is the prospect of a tantalising semi-final meeting with Alcaraz on the centre court which now bears Nadal’s name.

On Saturday afternoon, Nadal trained with sixth-ranked Andrey Rublev of Russia and appeared to move smoothly around the court.

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Novak Djokovic reached a record 77th Masters semi-final on Friday when he defeated Australia’s Alex de Minaur in straight sets in Monte Carlo as in-form Jannik Sinner racked up his 25th victory of the year.

Djokovic, the 36-year-old world number one came through a rollercoaster quarter-final to win 7-5, 6-4 and make the last-four in the principality for the first time since 2015 when he went on to claim his second title at the tournament.

Djokovic, the oldest man to make the Monte Carlo semi-finals in the Open Era, will take on Casper Ruud of Norway for a place in Sunday’s championship match.

“It was tough for both of us. He is one of the quickest players on tour. He gets a lot of balls back that normally 99 percent of other players don’t,” said Novak Djokovic who avenged his loss to De Minaur at the United Cup in January.

“He did not surprise me with several passing shots. Particularly in the second set when I was up a break.

“But he said at the net it was ugly. The second set I think it was. We didn’t play at the high level and made a lot of unforced errors, him and I, and a lot of breaks of serve. It is kind of expected on clay but maybe not this many. But a win is a win and I am happy to be through.”

Saturday’s other semi-final sees Australian Open champion and world number two Jannik Sinner face two-time Monte Carlo Masters winner Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Sinner took his 2024 record to 25 wins and just one loss with a gruelling 6-4, 6-7 (6/8), 6-3 victory over 2023 runner-up Holger Rune.

Greek 12th seed Tsitsipas breezed past Karen Khachanov of Russia 6-4, 6-2.

Djokovic had appeared on course for a comfortable afternoon under the sweltering Riviera sun against 11th seeded De Minaur.

After pocketing the first set, he was quickly 2-0 ahead in the second.

However, five successive breaks of serve followed as the top seed saw leads of 3-1 and 4-2 retrieved by his opponent who clawed back to 4-4.

Novak Djokovic held for 5-4 and secured his fifth break of the match in the 10th game to claim victory in just over two hours and move two wins away from a 41st career Masters title.

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Sinner kept his cool as Rune lost his in a two-hour 40-minute marathon.

Rune, who will drop out of the top 10 next week, was warned by the chair umpire for unsporting behaviour after a sarcastic gesture to the crowd in the second set.

He was booed even more when he sat down and demanded the supervisor be called.

The 20-year-old Dane regained his composure, saving two match points to take the tie to a decider.

However, Sinner moved smartly into his fifth semi-final of 2024, gaining revenge for his loss to Rune in the last-four in Monte Carlo 12 months ago.

“One can try and create a little bit of chaos,” said Sinner of Rune’s antics.

“That is no problem. I learned from last year. That is all part of the learning process.”

Tsitsipas, winner of the Monte Carlo title in 2021 and 2022, needed just 81 minutes to record his eighth win in nine meetings against Khachanov.

“I was very effective from the start, I had a lot of pace and gained momentum,” said Tsitsipas.

“I tried to do my part and press and it worked out really well.”

Tsitsipas added: “There are many good memories here and stepping out and coming back revives those good memories. It brings me alive.”

Eighth-seeded Ruud saw off 14th seed Ugo Humbert of France 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 to make the semi-finals in Monte Carlo for the second time.

Ruud will look to overturn a 5-0 losing record against Djokovic on Saturday, a dismal run which includes a straight-sets defeat to the Serb in the French Open final last year.

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Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas kept alive his hopes of a third Monte Carlos Masters title as on Friday he breezed into the semi-finals dismissing Russian opponent Karen Khachanov 6-4, 6-2.

Tsitsipas, winner in Monte Carlo in 2021 and 2022, needed just 81 minutes to record his eighth win in nine meetings with an out of sorts Khachanov.

The 25-year-old Greek will meet the winner of the quarter-final between Holger Rune and Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner.

“I was very effective from the start, I had a lot of pace and gained momentum,” said Tsitsipas.

“I tried to do my part and press and it worked out really well.”

Khachanov had cheekily said to the umpire prior to the match “Are you going to stay focussed?” to which the official replied “Always, of course.”

It was Khachanov who should have asked himself the question as he rarely seemed to be and was way off the form he had shown in Thursday’s defeat of compatriot Daniil Medvedev.

The opening exchanges were messy from both players with three successive breaks of serve — Stefanos Tsitsipas breaking the run to open up a 3-1 lead.

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Khachanov finally won a service game of his own — to make it 3-2 — displaying a fine mix of power hitting, delicate touch and agility.

However, he required medical attention at the change over at 5-4 down, but returned to the fray only for Tsitsipas to serve out the set.

Khachanov, who seemed to be troubled by a pain in an upper quad, came under pressure on his serve at 1-1 in the second set — but he saved a break point and then held.

However, it was a very unhappy Khachanov who returned to his chair at the next change over as a series of errors gave his Greek rival the break at 3-2.

The 27-year-old Russian flung his racket angrily to the ground as he took his seat.

Stefanos Tsitsipas did not ease up winning 11 points in a row to surge to a 5-2 lead and served out easily for a place in the last eight.

He admitted the tournament brought out the best in him though it is yet to lead to him winning the big one on clay, The French Open.

“I would lie if I said it did not bring out the best in me,” he said grinning.

“There are many good memories and stepping out here and coming back here it revives those good memories.

“It brings me alive.”

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Novak Djokovic avenged last year’s Monte Carlo Masters defeat by Lorenzo Musetti to reach the quarter-finals Thursday, while Daniil Medvedev launched into an angry tirade during his defeat.

World number one Djokovic made a poor start and endured a second-set wobble before coming through 7-5, 6-3 against the 24th-ranked Musetti, the man who beat him at the same stage 12 months ago.

Novak Djokovic goes on to play Alex de Minaur, the 11th seed from Australia, in the last eight.

The Serbian top seed dropped serve in the opening game against Musetti before working his way back to level at 4-4, and then snatched the set on a double fault by his opponent.

Djokovic broke twice early in the second set either side of losing his own serve to surge 4-1 ahead. Musetti clawed back to within a game but Djokovic broke again for 5-3 before closing out the win.

Novak Djokovic has struggled to find his best form in recent times in Monte Carlo. He has not won the tournament since the last of his two titles in 2015, failing to advance beyond the quarter-finals in seven subsequent appearances.

Medvedev launched into another angry tirade against the officiating as he was beaten 6-3, 7-5 by Karen Khachanov.

Daniil Medvedev was hit with a point penalty to start the final game after berating chair umpire Carlos Bernardes and then became embroiled in a heated discussion with the tournament supervisor.

The world number four had already been warned after hurling his racquet when he double-faulted to lose his service game and leave Khachanov a game away from victory.

Medvedev, who took issue with two line calls in his second-round win on Wednesday, felt aggrieved a Khachanov forehand was not called out during a rally that resulted in the latter earning two break points at 5-5.

The arrival of the physio to treat a finger bleed at the ensuing changeover tipped Medvedev over the edge, with the Russian yelling “did I ask for the physio!” at the umpire.

He then demanded of the supervisor “who will take responsibility?” for the decisions.

Television replays appeared to show the shot in question from Khachanov had landed wide of the court.

“It’s second day in a row. Guys, open your eyes. Do something. It’s out,” raged Medvedev.

“The mark is out. They don’t know how to referee anymore. Who will take action?

“Yesterday the ball is out, it’s called in. Who will take action. This ball is out there. Who will take responsibility? It’s not my responsibility to referee the matches.

“It’s this guy in the glasses (the line judge). He doesn’t need glasses because he doesn’t see anything. He should not be a referee.”

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Khachanov and Medvedev traded breaks in the first four games of the match before the former landed the crucial blow at 4-3 en route to taking the opening set.

The second set followed serve and Khachanov saved a set point down 5-4 before Medvedev imploded in the next game, losing both his serve and temper, and eventually the match.

Khachanov’s reward is a quarter-final Friday against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who saw off fifth seed Alexander Zverev 7-5, 7-6 (7/3).

De Minaur moved into the last eight with a 6-3, 6-4 victory against fellow Australian Alexei Popyrin.

Grigor Dimitrov, last month’s Miami Open runner-up, continued his good form with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Miomir Kecmanovic in a second-round match that was suspended on Wednesday because of rain.

Seventh seed Holger Rune, the 2023 finalist, shrugged off Indian qualifier Sumit Nagal 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.

World number two Jannik Sinner, who owns a 23-1 record this season, takes on Jan-Lennard Struff in the ongoing Monte Carlo Masters.

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World number one Novak Djokovic flew past Roman Safiullin in straight sets at the Monte Carlo Masters on Tuesday, after third seed Carlos Alcaraz announced his withdrawal from the event due to injury.

After receiving a bye in the first round, Djokovic was imperious on the main Rainier III court as he won 6-1, 6-2 against the unseeded Russian.

“I am very pleased… I think even the games that I lost I had break points in those games. It is a really great first match at the start of the clay season,” said Djokovic.

The Serb needed just one hour and 10 minutes to make a return to winning ways in his first match since a shock early exit at Indian Wells to Italian Luca Nardi.

The 36-year-old became the oldest world no.1 in the history of the ATP rankings when he took to the court in Monte Carlo, surpassing Roger Federer’s record.

“It is nice, it is great,” said the 24-time Grand Slam winner.

“I met (Rohan) Bopanna yesterday, who is the oldest doubles no.1 in history. He said we had a combined age of 80, but he does contribute to the 80 more than I do. But it is fun.”

But there was no sign of Djokovic feeling his age as he broke Safiullin’s serve twice to race into a 4-0 lead in the first set.

Novak Djokovic went on to break his opponent’s serve five times over the course of a routine win and now faces a third-round meeting with either Lorenzo Musetti or rising French starlet Arthur Fils.

Before Djokovic took to court, Alcaraz announced he was pulling out of Monte Carlo after failing to recover from an injury to his right forearm.

“I have been working in Monte Carlo and trying to recover until the last minute from an injured pronator teres (muscle) in my right arm, but it was not possible and I cannot play,” Alcaraz wrote on social media.

The 20-year-old Spaniard, whose last match came in the straight sets defeat by Grigor Dimitrov in Miami last month, was due to go straight into Wednesday’s second round in Monte Carlo against Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.

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He will be replaced in the draw by Italian Lorenzo Sonego, who was drafted in as a lucky loser, the ATP announced.

The match against Auger-Aliassime was set to be the two-time Grand Slam winner’s second ever appearance at Monte Carlo, following his withdrawal from the tournament last year and a three-set defeat in his only match of the 2022 edition.

Earlier in the day, American Sebastian Korda, the man responsible for that defeat in 2022, stormed past Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1, 6-2 in the first round.

After a rain-hit morning causing a two-and-a-half-hour delay to the day’s play, world no.11 Alex de Minaur made up for lost time with a 62-minute straight sets win over Stan Wawrinka.

The 39-year-old wild card Wawrinka, formerly ranked no.3 in the world but now down to no.79, was no match in the first round for the Australian who prevailed 6-3, 6-0.

Wawrinka, the 2014 champion in Monte Carlo and a three-time Grand Slam winner, made 28 unforced errors to De Minaur’s 18 and landed just four winners to the 12 made by his opponent.

In the next round, De Minaur, who won this year’s title on the hard courts in Acapulco, will face Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor.

Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut beat lucky loser Facundo Diaz Acosta 6-2, 6-4, while China’s Zhang Zhizhen won in three sets against Marcos Giron of the United States.

The 10th seed Hubert Hurkacz overcame Britain’s Jack Draper after nearly two and a half hours on court to reach the second round, winning 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7/2).

After winning a first title in two injury-hit years in Marrakesh on Sunday, Italian Matteo Berrettini’s run in Monte Carlo Masters was cut short by Miomir Kecmanovic 6-3, 6-1.

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Andy Murray has pulled out of events in Monte Carlo and Munich next month with no timeline set for the three-time Grand Slam champion’s return to court after tearing ankle ligaments at the Miami Open.

Murray said earlier this year he did not plan to “play much past this summer” after slipping down the world rankings due to fitness problems and a struggle to recapture his best form.

A two-time Wimbledon champion, Murray was preparing for a farewell appearance at the All England Club and hopes to take part in one more Olympic Games in Paris in July.

However, with just over three months until Wimbledon, Murray faces a race against time to be fit.

The Scot said he had suffered a full rupture of his anterior talofibular ligament and a near full-thickness rupture of his calcaneofibular ligament in a third-round defeat in Miami to Tomas Machac on Sunday.

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“Following consultation with his team and medical experts, Andy Murray has taken the decision to miss the Rolex Monte Carlo Masters and BMW Open Munich,” said a statement from Murray’s management team on Friday.

“At this stage, it is still not clear how long Andy will be out of action, and he is continuing to review options with his medical team.

“Obviously this is very disappointing news for Andy and he has reiterated his desire to get back on court as soon as possible.”

The two-time Olympic champion also has little time to qualify for the Paris Games.

Direct entry into the Olympic men’s singles will be given to the top 56 players in the ATP rankings on June 10 with Murray currently 62 in the world.

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Novak Djokovic and Goran Ivanisevic are to go their separate ways, the tennis world number one announced on Wednesday, ending a five-year association which yielded 12 Grand Slams.

Djokovic brought Croatia’s 2001 Wimbledon champion on board as a member of the coaching team ahead of the grass court Grand Slam in 2019 and although the Serbian admitted their “on-court chemistry had its ups and downs”, it also resulted in huge success.

However, Djokovic has had by his high standards a poor start to the year, losing to eventual champion Jannik Sinner of Italy in the Australian Open semi-finals.

The 36-year-old Serbian then lost to Sinner’s unheralded compatriot Luca Nardi in the third round at Indian Wells, prompting him to withdraw from the Miami tournament for what he claimed were scheduling reasons.

“Goran and I decided to stop working together a few days ago,” Djokovic posted on Instagram.

“Our on court chemistry had its ups and downs, but our friendship was always rock solid.

“In fact, I am proud to say (not sure he is) that apart from winning tournaments together, we also had a side battle in Parchisi going on… for many years,” he said, referring to the online game.

“And -– that tournament never stops for us. Šefinjo, thanks for everything my friend. Love you.”

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Novak Djokovic said the volatile and charismatic Goran Ivanisevic had brought more than just his tennis acumen to the partnership, which was exactly what he and his then head coach Marian Vajda had been looking for.

“I remember clearly the moment I invited Goran to be part of my team,” said Djokovic.

“It was back in 2018, and Marian (Vajda) and I were looking to innovate and bring some serve magic to our duo.

“In fact, not only we brought serve, but also lots of laughter, fun, year end no1 rankings, record breaking achievements and 12 more Grand Slams (and a few finals) to the count since then.”

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Britain’s Andy Murray faces an “extended period” out of tennis after suffering serious ankle injuries in his third-round exit from the Miami Open on Sunday.

Murray exited the Miami Open for the final time and in characteristic style, he did so with a performance full of grit and skill but also plenty of passion.

The emotion of the game itself, a missed chance for a third straight win in a tournament for the first time in over a year, was enhanced by Murray knowing this week was his final appearance in a city he calls his “tennis home”.

The two-times Miami winner lost out in a thrilling third set tie-break to Czech Tomas Machac, managing to battle on after receiving treatment for an ankle injury.

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While he continued to play and was initially optimistic about his ankle he said on Monday that he had suffered a full rupture of his anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) and a near full-thickness rupture of his calcaneofibular ligament (CFL).

“I will see an ankle specialist when I return home to determine the next steps,” Murray posted on Instagram.

“Goes without saying this is a tough one to take and I’ll be out for an extended period. But I’ll be back with 1 hip and no ankle ligaments when the time is right,” he said.

 

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Murray, who will be 37 in May, has already indicated he will retire later this year after battling back from hip surgery in 2019.

He is likely to play at the Olympics in Paris and Wimbledon, where he has won twice, before departing from the sport.

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Britain’s Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from the Miami Open with a lower back injury, tournament organisers said on Tuesday, the latest setback for the 21-year-old.

Raducanu spent eight months out with wrist and ankle problems last year but returned to action in January and had an encouraging performance at Indian Wells last week where she reached the third round.

“I have been experiencing lower back pain and at this stage of my return to competition I don’t want to risk anything happening,” said Raducanu.

“I really tried my best to be ready and I’m sad to be pulling out of Miami as it’s a cool tournament but wish the event all the best.”

The 2021 US Open winner, a wildcard entry at Miami, was scheduled to play China’s Wang Xiyu in the first round on Tuesday.

Raducanu had surgeries on her ankle and both wrists during last year.

She was beaten in the Indian Wells third round by world number two Aryna Sabalenka.

Wang will now face Slovakian qualifier Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.

Tuesday’s action sees Romanian Simona Halep return to action after her four-year doping ban was reduced to nine months and she was cleared by the Court of Arbitration for Sport for an immediate return.

Halep, given a wildcard entry, will take on Spain’s Paula Badosa.

Venus Williams takes on Russian Diana Shnaider in the first round.

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World number one Iga Swiatek powered past Greece’s Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-0 on Sunday to claim her second Indian Wells WTA title two years after she beat Sakkari for her first.

The rematch of the 2022 championship showdown produced an almost identical outcome, as four-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek dominated the second set to seize her 19th career title and her second of 2024.

Sakkari, ranked ninth in the world, battled gamely through the opening set, erasing a break and saving two break points in the final game before Swiatek delivered a blistering forehand winner to pocket the set after 44 minutes.

It would take just 24 more minutes for the Polish star to wrap things up. She broke Sakkari at love for a 2-0 lead and rolled to the finish.

Iga Swiatek continued her strong comeback from a disappointing third-round exit at the Australian Open in January.

Since then, she has won the title at Doha and reached the semi-finals at Dubai. On Sunday, she became the 10th woman to win the Indian Wells title twice — no one has yet managed to lift the trophy three times.

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“It’s just amazing to be standing here again,” Swiatek told the Stadium Court crowd after winning her eighth WTA 1000 level title.

Swiatek’s run included a grudge match victory over Linda Noskova — the Czech teen who stunned her in the third round at the Australian Open in January.

Swiatek, who lost just 21 games and didn’t drop a set in the course of the tournament, seized the initiative early, breaking Sakkari for a 3-0 lead.

Sakkari, whose two career titles include last September’s 1000-level event in Guadalajara, broke back in the fifth game and leveled the set with a love hold for 4-4.

But serving to stay in the set, she quickly found herself down 0-40 and once Iga Swiatek had the set in hand she was away, winning the last eight games of the match.

“Credit to Iga,” said Sakkari, who came through a testing, rain-disrupted semi-final against US Open champion Coco Gauff to book her rematch with Swiatek.

Although she has won three of six meetings with Swiatek, she hasn’t beaten her since 2021.

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