CNN
 — 

Novak Djokovic’s straight-sets victory over Cameron Norrie in the Italian Open boiled over when the British tennis star hit the back of the world No. 1’s leg with a smash.

The incident occurred at the start of the second set and despite an instant apology from Norrie, Djokovic did not respond well, proceeding to stare down his opponent.

The stare from Djokovic kept going as he walked towards the net before offering a verbal rebuttal to the British No. 1.

“Maybe you could say he didn’t hit me deliberately,” Djokovic told reporters after his 6-3 6-4 win in the round of 16.

“I don’t know if he saw me. I mean … you can always see where the player is positioned on the court.”

Djokovic added that he wasn’t altogether enamored with Norrie’s behavior in general throughout the match.

“It was not so much maybe about that, but it was maybe a combination of things,” said the 35-year-old Djokovic.

“He was doing all the things that we’re allowed. He’s allowed to take a medical timeout. He’s allowed to hit a player. He’s allowed to say ‘come on’ in the face more or less every single point from basically first game.

“Those are the things that we players know in the locker room it’s not fair play, it’s not how we treat each other. But, again, it’s allowed.”

However, Djokovic didn’t let his unhappiness with Norrie impact his form on the court as he eased towards a place in the Italian Open quarterfinals.

“He brought the fire, and I responded to that. I’m not going to allow someone behaving like this just bending my head. I’m going to respond to that,” added the 22-time grand slam winner.

“I got along with Cameron really well all these years that he’s been on the tour. Practised with each other. He’s a very nice guy off the court, so I don’t understand this kind of attitude on the court, to be honest.”

A representative of Norrie told CNN that the world No. 13 had no comment on Djokovic’s post-game remarks.

CNN
 — 

Novak Djokovic’s preparations for the French Open took another blow on Wednesday as the world No. 1 was beaten by Holger Rune in the Italian Open quarterfinals.

The 20-year-old Rune prevailed in wet conditions as rain continues to affect play in Rome, winning 6-2 4-6 6-2 to earn his second consecutive victory over Djokovic after his win in the final of November’s Paris Masters.

It will be the first time since 2004 that neither Djokovic or Rafael Nadal will be in the final of the Italian Open, according to the ATP.

“It’s really a big win for me,” world No. 7 Rune told the ATP Tour. “Obviously I did it last year in Paris as well, but every match is a huge challenge for me when I play against Novak. He’s one of the greatest that’s ever played the game.

“I knew I had to be at my best … and I was today. I’m super proud of myself and I enjoyed every moment out there. I stay humble of course. I have a lot to achieve. I think you should always be humble. I think I am, I hope so and I hope people see me this way.

“I’m a huge fighter on the court and I leave everything when I play my matches. I’m super proud I was able to get the victory today. I had to fight hard and play my best tennis. Huge credit to Novak, I’m a big fan of his. He’s a huge inspiration and I wish him all the best.”

Defeat marks another disappointing clay court tournament for Djokovic, who has now failed to advance past the quarterfinals in his three events on the red surface ahead of the French Open, which begins on May 28.

The Serb, a six-time champion in Rome, also appeared to be struggling physically during the match and required a medical timeout before going on to win the second set following a rain delay.

Djokovic was making his return to the court following his absence from the recent Madrid Open due to an elbow injury and the 22-time grand slam champion still looked well below his best.

However, credit must go to Rune for a brilliant performance that will cement his place among the title contenders at Roland Garros.

The Dane, appearing in his first Italian Open, will play either Casper Ruud or Francisco Cerundolo in the semifinals as the 20-year-old goes in search of a second career Masters 1000 title.

CNN
 — 

Rafael Nadal will miss the French Open for the first time since he made his debut in 2005 after the 14-time champion announced on Thursday that he has withdrawn from the tournament due to injury, adding that “next year is my last year” in professional tennis.

The Spaniard suffered a hip injury during his second-round Australian Open defeat to Mackenzie McDonald in January and initially said he hoped to be fit again within six to eight weeks.

However, in an update posted on social media on April 20 and then again on Thursday, the 22-time grand slam champion said his recovery process was taking longer than anticipated.

Nadal also revealed that he will be away from the court for the next “few months” as he continues to recover, meaning the 36-year-old will also likely miss Wimbledon.

“My ambition is to try to stop to give myself an opportunity to enjoy next year, that’s probably going to be my last year on the professional tour,” Nadal told a press conference at his Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor, Spain.

“That’s my idea, even then I can’t say 100% because you never know what can happen – but my idea and my motivation is to try to enjoy and try to say goodbye to all the tournaments that have been important for me in my tennis career during [next] year, and just try to enjoy that, being competitive and enjoying being on the court, something that today is not possible.

“I really believe, if I keep going now, I will not be able to make that happen. I don’t know if I stop if I will be able to make that happen, but I know the chances are much higher.”

The ‘King of Clay’ said he intended to return for the Davis Cup Finals, which get underway in September.

Roland Garros

Nadal has lost just three times at the French Open since his victorious debut appearance in 2005, undoubtedly one of the most dominant records in all of sport.

In 2009, he suffered one of the biggest upset in tennis history after losing in the round of 16 to Robin Söderling, before being beaten Novak Djokovic in 2015 and 2021.

In 2016, Nadal withdrew ahead of his third-round match against compatriot Marcel Granollers due to a wrist injury.

Nadal has not played since the Australian Open and in March dropped out of the world’s top 10 for the first time since 2005.

“Rafa, we can’t imagine how hard this decision was,” Roland Garros wrote on Twitter.” We’ll definitely miss you at this year’s Roland-Garros. Take care of yourself to come back stronger on courts.

“Hoping to see you next year in Paris.”

CNN
 — 

Ukrainian tennis player Anhelina Kalinina refused to shake hands with Veronika Kudermetova, her Russian opponent, following the former’s victory in the semifinals of the Rome Masters in Italy on Friday.

Speaking to reporters after the match at Foro Italico, Rome, Kalinina said, “We didn’t shake hands because the girl is from Russia basically. It’s no secret why I didn’t shake, because this country actually attacks Ukraine.

“So yeah, this is sport, I understand, but it’s also kind of political thing. So, yeah, it has nothing personal. But in general, yes, it’s not acceptable.”

Kudermetova was asked about her relationship with Kalinina and the influence of “political overtones”, and responded, “I mean, here we’re athletes. We’re here, and we love what we do here. Doesn’t matter from which country you are. We’re athletes and that’s it. We are here to play tennis.”

Kalinina denied the idea that her opponent’s nationality influenced the topsy-turvy nature of the match, describing Kudermetova as “a top player, a very great player. It was about tennis.”

Kalinina, who came into the tournament ranked No.47 in the world compared to Kudermetova at No.12, won in three sets 7-5 5-7 6-2.

The 26-year-old Ukrainian was asked about her family, who are currently living in Kyiv, and revealed a bomb exploded near the tennis academy where her parents work. She also said her grandparents eventually moved away from Nova Kakhovka, her hometown, after an explosion near their house.

In her on-court interview after the match, Kalinina said, “For me it’s also really important for me to win every match, because you know, what Ukraine goes through, I just want to say that I really hope I give a tiny small light and maybe some positive emotions for my country.”

Kalinina will face either Elena Rybakina in Saturday’s final. Rybakina was born in Russia but has represented Kazakhstan since 2018.

CNN
 — 

Daniil Medvedev revealed one reason behind his incredible form this year after winning the Italian Open: new racket strings.

The Russian world No. 2 has been using a different version of Technifbre strings and said the change to his game has been “unbelievable” since making the switch ahead of the Australian Open.

He has now won five titles this year – the most in his career – and Sunday’s 7-5 7-5 victory against Denmark’s Holger Rune in the Italian Open final marked the first trophy he has captured on clay.

“I think the strings help me … because they are just softer so the ball goes easier,” Medvedev told reporters after defeating Rune.

“Straightaway in Australia actually where I lost, with my coach we were like, ‘Wow, I have the easy depth on the ball, which is amazing,’”

“In Australia, it didn’t work. I was 100% doubting myself. Should I go back to the old ones, I was playing good with them? I said no, let’s try more. Now it’s unbelievable.”

After a one-hour, 40-minute delay due to rain in Rome, Medvedev battled through a tight first set against Rune, saving two break points at 2-2 before securing the crucial break at 6-5 when he raced to the net and pounced on a drop shot.

The 20-year-old Rune responded with two breaks in the second set to take a 5-3 lead, but from there Medvedev asserted his baseline dominance and won the next four games to wrap up the win.

Having won most of his titles – including his US Open triumph in 2021 – on hard courts, victory on clay at the Italian Open is a breakthrough moment for the 27-year-old Medvedev.

Following Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal from the French Open last week, the second grand slam of the calendar year is difficult to predict with World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and 22-time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic leading the men’s singles draw.

But Medvedev, who has never progressed beyond the quarterfinals at Roland Garros, will feel confident. He had to defeat the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev during his Italian Open campaign and has climbed five places in the men’s rankings this year.

“This one is special because I didn’t think it was going to be able to happen, (that I was) going to be able to make it,” he said of his latest title.

“I still kind of don’t believe – not that I won it, but that I played so well this week. I don’t believe it. The way I played, I’m really happy. Happy to have this trophy back home in some time.”

The French Open takes place from May 28 to June 11 and Medvedev, whose ground strokes look more potent than ever before, has emerged as a strong contender.

CNN
 — 

Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios is set to miss the French Open after injuring his foot during an incident where his car was stolen, his agent confirmed to CNN Sport on Thursday.

According to Daniel Horsfall, Kyrgios – the runner-up at Wimbledon last year – hurt himself in the “high-adrenaline rush” of the robbery in Canberra earlier this month.

Police said that Kyrgios’ mother was held at gunpoint and that his Tesla was stolen during the incident near his house in the Australian capital, Reuters reported.

“During the incident on May 1, they had the armed robbery at the house. With all the stuff that was going on, Nick lacerated the side of his left foot. We don’t know how,” Horsfall said.

“Basically, it’s just set him back about two-and-a-half weeks in terms of his loading schedule to get back on court for what we thought was going to be the grand slam.”

When contacted by CNN, Canberra police referred to a statement from May 1 which said that a 32-year-old man had been arrested for allegedly stealing a car from a residence in the suburb of Watson.

The statement added that the man had threatened a woman at the residence with a firearm and demanded the keys to a Tesla parked at the residence.

The man was charged with aggravated robbery, driving a stolen motor vehicle, furious driving, and failure to stop for police, police said.

Kyrgios’ last tournament was in Tokyo in October. He underwent knee surgery at the start of the year and had hoped to make a return at the French Open.

However, Horsfall said that the 28-year-old had suffered a laceration to his foot during the robbery, rendering practice difficult.

“He couldn’t slide, couldn’t get on court because every time he put a shoe on it moved and it would re-open,” said Horsfall.

“His knee, as far as we’re concerned, is actually in fantastic shape, the surgery went well.

“His fitness is at a fantastic level. It was just when we got to the last point of that rehab, the on-court loading, this freak accident happened.”

According to Horsfall, Kyrgios is planning to return to the tour in Stuttgart, Germany, at the beginning of June.

“The family has had it rough during the last month,” he told CNN. “Not just Nick and his mother Nill, but also his sister Hali and partner Costeen who was there the morning of the robbery.”

The French Open begins on May 22 and runs until June 11. Tournament organizers confirmed that Kyrgios had withdrawn but declined to give any further information.

CNN
 — 

Swedish tennis player Mikael Ymer was disqualified from the Lyon Open on Wednesday after smashing his racket against the base of the umpire’s chair.

The incident occurred after Ymer had pleaded with umpire Rogerio Santos to check a ball mark on the clay during his round of 16 match against France’s Arthur Fils.

Santos said he had seen the ball bouncing on the line and therefore wouldn’t check for a mark on the court – as umpires often do on clay – though Ymer was adamant the ball had gone out.

“I have never witnessed that a ref says, ‘I’m not going to go down and check the mark.’ It doesn’t happen. Why are you not checking the mark I’m giving to you?” Ymer said to Santos.

Fils then broke Ymer’s serve the following point to go 6-5 ahead, after which the world No. 53 smashed his racket twice into the umpire’s chair, breaking the racket head clean away from the handle on his second swipe.

A tournament official then told Ymer that he had been disqualified. The 24-year-old went over to congratulate Fils, who will face top seed Félix Auger Aliassime in the next round.

A similar incident involving German player Alexander Zverev occurred at the Mexican Open last year.

Zverev was handed a suspended eight-week ban and fined $25,000 for repeatedly hitting the umpire’s chair with his racket during a first-round doubles match.

At the time of the incident, he was ejected from the singles tournament, fined $40,000 and made to forfeit the $31,570 in prize money he had already accumulated, as well as all ATP Rankings points from the event.

CNN has contacted the ATP Tour regarding Ymer’s disqualification from the Lyon Open.

CNN
 — 

It felt like the beginning of the end of an era at the French Open when Rafael Nadal announced his absence from the tournament earlier this month.

Having struggled with a hip injury since the Australian Open, Nadal – a 14-time champion at Roland-Garros – is missing the second grand slam of the year for the first time since his debut in 2005.

He also announced that next year will be his last in professional tennis, which, when it comes, will be a defining moment in the history of the clay-court major – a competition Nadal has dominated for so long.

For now, there is the more pressing matter of who will win this year’s French Open in Paris when it gets underway on Sunday and concludes on June 11.

In the United States, the French Open is available to watch on NBC, streaming service Peacock, Tennis Channel, and Bally Sports. In European territories except France, the tournament is aired on Eurosport.

A list of international broadcasters and the full draw are available on the French Open website.

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz is a clay-court specialist and was unbeaten in 12 matches before suffering a shock defeat against world No. 115 Fábián Marozsán at the Italian Open.

If he is to capture his second grand title, the 20-year-old may have to get past Novak Djokovic – a two-time French Open champion – in the semifinals.

Victory in Paris would see Djokovic win his 23rd grand slam title and overtake Nadal at the top of the men’s all-time list, further staking his claim as the greatest male tennis player in history.

But the Serbian, victorious at the Australian Open at the start of the year, has struggled this clay-court season, failing to get beyond the quarterfinals of three events and missing another with an elbow injury.

“A new generation is here already,” Djokovic said after his quarterfinal defeat at the Italian Open.

“I mean, Alcaraz is No. 1 in the world from [May 22]. Obviously, he’s playing amazing tennis. I think it’s also good for our sport that we have new faces, new guys coming up. It’s normal.

“We’ve been saying this for years, that we can expect it to come, that moment to come when you have kind of a shift of generations.”

Djokovic’s failure to win a title since the Australian Open and Alcaraz’s surprise defeat in Rome perhaps gives hope to some of the other challengers in Paris this year.

Daniil Medvedev – last week’s Italian Open champion – is on an excellent run of form and has the benefit of being on the opposite side of the draw to Alcaraz and Djokovic.

Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas, both former French Open finalists, will be hopeful of having deep runs, while sixth seed Holger Rune looks to be a star for the future having ousted Djokovic at the Italian Open.

In the women’s draw, two-time French Open champion Iga Światek is the favorite, though she has not displayed the same dominance on clay compared to last year, when she cruised to the title as part of a record-breaking, 37-match winning streak.

Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina, ranked second and fourth in the world respectively, have emerged as fierce rivals to Światek at the top of the women’s game and both have beaten the Polish star in the past month.

That trio, which some are now calling the “Big Three,” have triumphed at the past four grand slams: Światek at the French and US Opens, Rybakina at Wimbledon and Sabalenka in Australia.

“The conditions in Paris should favor Światek, she feels comfortable there and is proving she is definitely playing at a high level of tennis,” said Eurosport expert and former world No. 7 Barbara Schett ahead of the tournament.

“I think it’s good for Iga to have these two players [Sabalenka and Rybakina] that can challenge her and make her stay at the No. 1 spot,” Schett added.

Światek, who has spent more than a year as world No. 1, could be dethroned by Sabalenka at the top of the rankings after the French Open. She begins her campaign against Spain’s Cristina Bucșa.

Women’s tennis has been blighted by controversies in recent weeks, placing renewed focus on the scheduling of the women’s draw at Roland-Garros.

At the Madrid Open: ball girls on the main court were instructed to wear crop tops and short skirts and players in the doubles final were not permitted to speak after the match.

The ball girls’ skirts were later changed for long shorts – although the crop tops remained – and tournament organizer Gerard Tsobanian said it was “unacceptable” not to give the finalists the chance to speak to fans at the end of their match.

Then at the Italian Open, the final between Rybakina and Anhelina Kalinina was rescheduled due to rain and didn’t start until 11 p.m. local time on Saturday – a situation former player Rennae Stubbs described as an “abomination.”

The WTA, however, said that moving the match later was the “right thing to do” in a statement to Reuters.

Questions about scheduling may persist in the coming weeks given the way night sessions were scrutinized at last year’s French Open.

Only one of the 10 games scheduled as a night session in 2022 featured a women’s match – the second-round contest between Alizé Cornet and Jelena Ostapenko. Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo explained how men’s tennis has more “appeal” than the women’s game, to which Światek responded by labeling Mauresmo’s comments “disappointing.”

There is no shortage of star appeal at this year’s French Open.

Alongside the talented trio of Światek, Sabalenka, and Rybakina, the likes of Jessica Pegula, Caroline Garcia, Coco Gauff and Ons Jabeur – none of whom have won a grand slam – will be vying for the title at Roland-Garros.

CNN
 — 

Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk refused to shake hands with Belarusian opponent Aryna Sabalenka following their opening round match at the French Open, leading to boos from some of the crowd.

After Sabalenka secured the 6-3 6-2 win, Kostyuk walked straight over to the umpire to shake her hand and then back to her seat, refusing to meet Sabalenka at the net for the customary handshake.

There were then boos from the crowd at Roland Garros and again as Kostyuk made her way off the court.

Kostyuk, who is from Kyiv, said at January’s Australian Open that she would not shake hands with any Russian or Belarusian opponent with war raging in her country.

Sabalenka fielded some difficult questions in her post-match press conference, including from one reporter who accused her of “twisting it as if Ukrainians hate you” and “avoiding” questions asking her to condemn the war, with Belarus being used as a key staging ground for Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Sabalenka said in March that she struggled to understand the “hate” she encountered in the locker room amid strained relations between some players following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“First of all, when I get questions about Ukrainians, they [journalists] ask me: ‘So, you know that they hate you?’ So I’m answering the questions like: ‘If they hate me.’

“About the war situation, I said it many, many times, nobody in this world – Russian athletes, Belarusian athletes – supports the war. Nobody. How can we support the war? Normal people will never support it.

“Why do we have to go loud [public] and say things, that’s like saying ‘one plus one is two,’ you know, of course we don’t support war. And if you could affect the war in any way, if we could stop it, we would do it, but unfortunately it’s not in our hands.”

Sabalenka later added that she understands why Ukrainian players don’t shake her hand and said Kostyuk didn’t deserve to be booed by the crowd.

Russian and Belarusian players are currently still competing on the tours as neutral athletes without their flag or country displayed.

After winning the ATX Open in Texas in March, Kostyuk also refused to shake hands with beaten Russian opponent Varvara Gracheva.

CNN
 — 

When you spend every moment of every day with another person – eating, sleeping, training, competing – it’s hardly surprising that you should develop a formidable partnership, even less so if you share the same DNA.

For Bob and Mike Bryan, their “twin energy” was at the heart of their triumphs and titles on the tennis court, a synergy that only grew stronger as they traveled the world together for the best part of 23 years.

The Bryan brothers, as they became known in the tennis community and beyond, announced their retirement from the sport in August 2020 as the most successful doubles team in history: 16 grand slam titles, 119 tour-level titles and 438 weeks at world No. 1.

Their partnership peaked in 2012 and 2013 when, practically unstoppable, they won the Olympic gold medal and all four majors in the space of 12 months.

“When everything was flowing and we were really positive, it was kind of eerie – our feet were moving at the exact same time and we just knew where to be,” Mike tells CNN Sport. “It was like a freight train once we got hot.”

This year’s French Open marks 20 since the identical twins from California captured their first grand slam title, though they had little sense at the time of the huge success that would follow.

Instead, they were focused on gaining a spot in the USA’s Davis Cup team by impressing captain Patrick McEnroe at Roland Garros – which they duly did.

Their progress through the French Open doubles draw was swift and ruthless, the brothers sweeping aside opponent after opponent in straight sets before a fit of nerves on the eve of the final almost derailed their path to the title.

“At the time, you think it’s a one-shot deal and you never know if you’ll get there again,” says Mike, reflecting on the 2003 French Open campaign. “We were just thinking about it non-stop, it got in our heads.”

Driven by adrenaline, they won the last 16 points of their final against Paul Haarhuis and Yevgeny Kafelnikov to claim a 7-6 6-3 victory, laying the foundations for the success that would soon follow.

“We partied all through the night,” says Bob. “We went straight from the club to I think it was a 9 a.m. photo shoot at the Arc de Triomphe with the trophies and the photos are unusable. That’s why you probably have never seen it – because we were so tired.”

While some tennis players switch between singles and doubles formats, the Bryan brothers devoted their whole careers to doubles and were steadfast in their commitment to each other.

It was only when Bob, the older twin by a couple of minutes, underwent hip surgery in 2018 that Mike sought a different partner and won Wimbledon and the US Open alongside American Jack Sock.

“We played every day together and lived together and just spent every moment together,” says Mike. “It worked out on the court – we were always on the same page and kind of moving like one entity.

“We knew that we were never going to break up with each other. And that kind of gave us that confidence too; you know you’re never going to turn your back on your brother and look for another partner.”

Bob agrees that singles was never on the brothers’ radar.

“We always had more enjoyment winning a doubles match, it was maybe a twin thing,” he tells CNN Sport. “But even our sponsors put bonuses in our contracts that were tailored to doubles – they wanted us to go to doubles. It came more naturally to us.”

With Bob a left-hander and Mike a right-hander, the pair were a natural fit on the tennis court, though unlike most left-right doubles partnerships, they tended to play on the backhand side when returning serve – a switch they made ahead of the 2003 French Open.

They were virtually inseparable over the course of their professional careers, even to the point of sharing a bank account. Tempers did boil over at times, especially during practice when they would hold each other to high standards.

“We practiced every time like we were playing a final,” says Mike. “Bob would get on me if I missed a couple balls and I’d get on him, and we had some rough practices. We had some physical altercations out there, but it did keep the quality extremely high.

“We actually only would do one-a-day practices because we went so hard. We’d fill maximum 90 minutes, but we wouldn’t even drink water. We probably only used two or three balls and just go drill to drill to drill to drill.

“By the end, we were just drenched in sweat. We practiced like it was a big final and he didn’t let me slack off for sure.”

Though fiercely competitive, the brothers never lost sight of their roles as entertainers. The chest bump – or Bryan bump, as The Stanford Daily named it during their college days – was their trademark after winning a tournament or a big point.

Feeding off the energy of the crowd, running, jumping and bashing their torsos together became an act of showmanship – one they inherited from another American doubles team, Luke and Murphy Jensen.

The Jensen brothers, coincidentally, won their only grand slam title at the 1993 French Open, 10 years before the Bryans captured their first.

“We started doing it at Stanford, and then we took it on the tour,” Bob says about the origins of the Bryans’ chest bump.

“It wasn’t really welcomed on the tour in those first couple of years because those salty veterans thought it was something out of disrespect to them.

“Honestly, we were just excited to be there and happy to be professionals traveling the world, and eventually, it was accepted and became our thing.”

Since retiring ahead of the 2020 US Open, the brothers have enjoyed a slower pace of life. After spending 40 weeks of the year traveling on tour, they now have more time with their families and can pursue another shared passion: music.

Bob plays keyboard, Mike guitar and drums; together, they have performed at bars, clubs and even tennis tournaments as part of the Bryan Brothers Band.

“Our music rooms have expanded,” says Bob, “and my kids are now playing, so I get to jam with them.”

That’s not to say that tennis has disappeared from their lives. They still play legends events at the grand slams, as well as the occasional exhibition tournament, and Bob has recently been named the USA’s Davis Cup captain ahead of this year’s event.

But the days of intense competition, ferocious practice sessions and high-flying chest bumps are behind them.

“Once you retire, it’s hard to turn the car back on once you turn it off,” says Bob.

“We knew we wanted to play as long as we were mentally and physically in it, and so when we did retire, we had no regrets.

“We both feel that we don’t have any unfulfilled dreams that we wish we’d have accomplished on the tour. I think we felt like we poured everything we could into our careers.”