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
 — 

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
 — 

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
 — 

Novak Djokovic got his French Open campaign off to a winning start with a dominant victory over American Aleksandar Kovacevic in the first round.

The No. 3 seed beat Kovacevic in straight sets, 6-3 6-2 7-6(7-1), at Roland Garros as he begins his quest for a third title at the grand slam.

The victory continues his undefeated record in first round French Open matches, moving to 19-0 for his career.

The Serbian also matched a record first set by Roger Federer, becoming the second player in the Open Era to win 65 consecutive first-round matches at grand slam events – between Roland Garros 2006 and 2023.

Without 14-time champion Rafael Nadal in the men’s draw, there is a big opportunity for many players to step up and claim the Coupe des Mousquetaires.

Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz is one of the favorites as the top seed, but Djokovic also has a great chance to win a 23rd grand slam title, which would see him overtake Nadal at the top of the men’s all-time list and further staking his claim as the greatest male tennis player in history.

If Djokovic is able to claim a third French Open title, he would return to the top of the men’s world rankings. He also now has 86 wins at the grand slam, second only to Nadal’s 112.

But the 36-year-old has struggled this clay-court season, failing to get beyond the quarterfinals of three events and missing another with an elbow injury.

In the opening two sets against Kovacevic though, Djokovic showed no signs of rust or nerves, calmly dissecting the 24-year-old.

However, Kovacevic – who was a self-professed Djokovic fan as a child and posed for a picture with the Serbian as a seven-year-old at the 2005 US Open – rallied in the third set, breaking Djokovic when he was serving for the match.

Djokovic was the subject of boos from the watching fans when he cupped his ears to the crowd after going up 4-3 in the third set.

Kovacevic eventually battled hard enough to force the third set to a tiebreak which Djokovic won tidily.

The 22-time grand slam champion will now face Hungarian Marton Fucsovics in the second round.

CNN
 — 

Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic left a political message on a TV camera lens at the French Open on Monday in response to violent clashes in Kosovo.

Following his first-round victory against American Aleksandar Kovacevic, Djokovic wrote “Kosovo is the [heart] of Serbia. Stop the violence” in Serbian on a camera lens, using a heart symbol.

The message was displayed on the big screen of Court Philippe Chatrier.

Tensions have been rising in the past week in Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008. There were clashes with protestors on Monday after ethnically Albanian mayors took office in northern Kosovo, a majority Kosovo Serb area, following April elections that Kosovo Serbs had boycotted.

At least 34 soldiers with NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Kosovo were injured during the clashes.

Djokovic elaborated on his message in Serbian at a press conference, saying: “This is the least I could have done. I feel the responsibility as a public figure – doesn’t matter in which field – to give support.

“Especially as a son of a man born in Kosovo, I feel the need to give my support to our people and to the entirety of Serbia. I don’t know, and I think many others don’t know, what the future brings for Kosovo and for Serbian people, but it’s necessary to show support and demonstrate unity in these kinds of situations. I don’t know what will happen.”

Djokovic’s reference to the “entirety of Serbia” reflects the policy of the Serbian government, which still considers Kosovo to be an integral part of its territory and has not recognized the country’s independence.

NATO’s Kosovo Force (KFOR) said that recent developments in Kosovo had prompted it to increase its presence in the northern part of the country on Monday.

According to the Italian defense ministry, some KFOR soldiers were injured when protesters threw “Molotov cocktails with nails, firecrackers and stones.”

Reuters reported that Djokovic said he had not been approached by French Open organizers about the message he wrote on the camera lens, a photo of which he also shared on Instagram. CNN has contacted the French Tennis Federation for comment.

“My stance is clear: I am against wars, violence and any kind of conflict, as I’ve always stated publicly. I empathize with all people, but the situation with Kosovo is a precedent in international law,” the 36-year-old added.

As a child growing up in Belgrade, Djokovic lived through NATO’s 78-day bombing campaign in 1999, which was intended to end atrocities committed by troops of Yugoslavia’s then-president Slobodan Milošević against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.

Djokovic is aiming to win his 23rd grand slam title at the French Open, which would move him clear of Rafael Nadal at the top of the men’s all-time list.

CNN
 — 

Jimmy Butler’s talents have been lauded this postseason. From his toughness to his elite shot-making, there is a reason he has earned the nickname ‘Himmy Buckets.’

But one talent we didn’t know the Miami Heat star had was clairvoyance. But according to tennis star and Heat fan Coco Gauff, Butler is either excellent at predicting the future or just extremely confident.

In the lead up to the French Open, Gauff hinted she had a “funny story” about Butler but was “going to save it” to avoid jinxing it.

However, after her victory in the first round at Roland Garros on Tuesday and, more importantly, the Heat’s dominant Game 7 win over the Boston Celtics to book their ticket to the NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets, Gauff said she was finally ready to tell the story.

Gauff, who said she didn’t watch Game 7 as it was on in the middle of the night before her first round match but was “very relieved” to see the result, explained that before the playoffs, Butler reached out to her to offer her tickets for the final home game of the season in April, before contacting her a few weeks later offering her tickets for the postseason.

“I said: ‘I won’t be here. I’ll be in Madrid and then Rome and then France,’” Gauff told reporters.

“And then he said: ‘OK, when we make the Finals, let me know if your family wants some tickets.’ So this was before [the Heat] were even in the playoffs.

“This is before we lost to the Hawks for the first Play-In game. Everybody is like we have a 3% chance of making the Finals, but when he sent me that, I knew we were making the Finals because he didn’t say, ‘If we make the Finals,’ he said: ‘When we make the Finals.’ Now that we are in the Finals, I can say that story.

“But I remember screenshotting it and sending it to my family and I was, like: ‘Oh, we’re going to the Finals!’”

Butler’s confidence stuck with the 19-year-old, as she said: “I just really like that mentality of him.”

Gauff also revealed she took heart from the Heat’s resolve in Game 7 having relinquished a 3-0 lead to the Celtics in the series only to come out on top.

“Honestly, today, I told myself if Jimmy Butler didn’t freak out when they were up 3-0 and all of a sudden it’s 3-all, then I shouldn’t freak out after losing the first set,” Gauff said on court after her comeback win against Rebeka Masarova.

Butler has played a vital role in the No. 8 seed Heat’s miraculous run to the NBA Finals, beating the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks, the No. 5 New York Knicks and most recently the No. 2 seeded Celtics.

The NBA Finals begin on Thursday in Denver.

CNN
 — 

Elina Svitolina came from behind to beat Storm Hunter at the French Open – just one day after watching husband Gaël Monfils win a mammoth game against Sebastián Báez.

Svitolina dropped the first set against her Australian counterpart 6-2 but stormed back in emphatic fashion winning the last two sets 3-6 1-6 to wrap up the second round win.

Monfils also dropped the opening set when he faced Báez. The Frenchman battled back and eventually won the game in five sets with a 3-6 6-3 7-5 1-6 7-5 victory in a game that lasted three hours and 47 minutes in front of a roaring home crowd.

Monfils’ game going the distance meant that Svitolina’s preparations were slightly more unusual than normal, but this didn’t impact her performance.

“I watched the whole match. I was up until midnight when the match was done and went to bed straight away,” the Ukrainian explained. “Actually was sleeping good. Had a solid seven hours of sleep, which is quite good for the grand slam.

“It gave me actually motivation to go again today. He was there for me today. Made such a big effort to come and support me, especially in a tough day like today. So really it motivated me to fight and not give up and play every point, try to put 100% effort out there,” Svitolina continued.

The pair got married on July 16, 2021, and welcomed their daughter Skaï Monfils in October 2022. Skaï is present at the French Open and Monfils dedicated his win to her. It’s also the first tournament that both mom and dad have been playing after Monfils’ previous struggles with injuries.

“First tournament for us where we are both playing at the same tournament, and Skaï is here with us in Paris as well. It’s really, really special,” Svitolina said after her win.

“So far everything is going well, and we really enjoy our time off the court together, and on the court as well, we try to be focused and play as good as we can.

“Of course, it’s really important to have a team for Skaï, who takes care of her, so then we can focus on tennis. And especially at such a big event with lots of pressure and lots of things going on, it’s important that your mind is calm about your child and then you have 100% head[ing] into the tennis.”

Aside from raising a child and competing in a tennis grand slam, Svitolina also struggles with an inescapable “heaviness” on a day-to-day basis as a result of the war in Ukraine.

“I feel anger. I feel sadness. I feel pain in my heart to see all of that. I have a few Telegram channels where I follow the news of my hometown in Odessa, of all the Ukraine, and they post the news what is happening, when the alarm is on, or where missiles landed, you know, how many missiles were hit by our Ukrainian Army, Air Force,” said the 28-year-old.

“These kind of moments I feel mixture of different feelings, but they are bad feelings. You know, they are anger, they are sadness, just heaviness. It’s like this heaviness that I have on a daily basis, and all Ukrainians have. You cannot escape from this, and this is for the past one-and-a-half years we have that in our life.”

The world No. 192 also touched on how she uses the war as inspiration to fuel her tennis exploits.

“For me, when I step on the court, I just try to think about the fighting spirit that all of us Ukrainians have and how Ukrainians are fighting for their values, for their freedom in Ukraine. And me, I’m fighting here on my own frontline, you know,” Svitolina outlined.

“I cannot be sad. I cannot be distracted in some ways. I’m just going to lose, you know. So that’s why I remember when the war started, I was in Mexico in Monterrey, and I was very, very sad. I almost cried when I entered the court. I had, like, really heaviness in me.

“Then I thought, you know, now each time I step on the court, I’m going to go 100% out and give everything because I’m here to do something for my country. I have a flag next to my name, so I’m fighting for my country, and I’m going to do that each time I step on the court.”

Svitolina will wait to see who she faces in the third round at Roland-Garros while Monfils prepares to take on Holger Rune in the second round.

CNN
 — 

The Kosovan Olympic Committee (KOC) has called for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Tennis Federation (ITF) to take disciplinary action against Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic.

On Monday, Djokovic left a political message on a TV camera lens at the French Open in response to violent clashes in Kosovo, writing: “Kosovo is the [heart symbol] of Serbia. Stop the violence” in Serbian.

In a letter written by KOC President Ismet Krasniqi and addressed to the IOC, the KOC said Djokovic’s message “breached the fundamental principle of the IOC charter on the point of political neutrality and involved yet another political statement in sport.”

CNN has reached out to Djokovic’s representation for comment.

The KOC claimed Djokovic “yet again promoted the Serbian nationalists propaganda and used the sport platform to do so,” thereby raising “the level of tension and violence between the two countries, Kosovo and Serbia.”

Tensions have been rising in the past week in Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008. There were clashes with protestors on Monday after ethnically Albanian mayors took office in northern Kosovo, a majority Kosovo Serb area, following April elections that Kosovo Serbs had boycotted.

Djokovic elaborated on his message in Serbian at a press conference this week, saying: “This is the least I could have done. I feel the responsibility as a public figure – doesn’t matter in which field – to give support.

“Especially as a son of a man born in Kosovo, I feel the need to give my support to our people and to the entirety of Serbia. I don’t know, and I think many others don’t know, what the future brings for Kosovo and for Serbian people, but it’s necessary to show support and demonstrate unity in these kinds of situations.”

Djokovic’s reference to the “entirety of Serbia” reflects the policy of the Serbian government, which still considers Kosovo to be an integral part of its territory and has not recognized the country’s independence.

Krasniqi warned that, if no action was taken against Djokovic, it “sets a dangerous precedent that sport can be used as a platform for political messages.”

He added: “I respectfully urge that IOC reacts within its framework and requests to the ITF to follow the principles regulated by the Olympic Charter and investigate on this matter by opening a disciplinary proceedings against the athlete.”

In a statement sent to CNN, an ITF spokesperson said: “We have received and acknowledged a letter from the Kosovo Tennis Federation and have forwarded it to the relevant Grand Slam authority.

“Rules for player conduct at a Grand Slam event are governed by the Grand Slam rulebook, administered by the relevant organiser and regulator. There is no provision in this that prohibits political statements.”

The IOC told CNN that the French Open is run by the relevant grand slam authority and governed by their rules.

“Only during the Olympic Games the players are under the authority of the IOC,” it said.

Djokovic plays in the second round of the French Open against Hungary’s Márton Fucsovics on Wednesday.