Page 8 - Tennis

French Open 2022: Novak Djokovic beats Nishioka, storms into round 2

World Number 1 Novak Djokovic defeated Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka to register a thumping straight-set win in the opening round of the ongoing French Open 2022

Dominic Thiem out of sync, out of French Open with 10th loss in row

It all used to come so easily for Dominic Thiem on a tennis court his powerful forehand, his elegant backhand, his hit-which-shot-when calculations

Covid-19 seems thing of the past at full-capacity French Open stadiums

They sipped from glasses of Champagne or ros while seated on the sand-colored cushions of wicker couches on a "terrasse" overlooking some smaller courts at Roland Garros. They crowded walkways and stood in lines dozens deep for waffles painted with Nutella or baguettes layered with ham, cheese and butter and, sometimes, they gave up on those waits that could take 15 minutes or more. In the stands, they wore their white hats and cried Allez!" and punctuated points with rhythmic clapping. They took etiquette-breaching strolls through the stadium aisles during play. Most of all, and most important of all, they were there. The crowds at the French Open were back to their no-mask, no-distancing, full-capacity, pre-pandemic levels Sunday for the start of this year's edition, as much a part of the fabric of the event as the red clay that defines the Grand Slam tournament. A really festive atmosphere, observed Alice Dufour, a 21-year-old who was part of a group trip from her Miramont tenn

French Open: Felix Auger Aliassime downs Varillas to advance into R2

Felix Auger Aliassime of Canada on Sunday defeated Peruvian qualifier Juan Pablo Varillas in the opening match of the French Open 2022.

'Very worried,' says Naomi Osaka on returning to French Open after 1 year

Back in 2021, Naomi Osaka backed out of the French Open, after the incident she was fined 15,000 dollars.

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal seeded to meet in French Open quarterfinals

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, will have his task cut out at the French Open beginning on May 22 as he could face 13-time Roland Garros winner Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals

ATP men's tennis tour not to award ranking points for Wimbledon over ban

The ATP men's professional tennis tour will not award ranking points for Wimbledon this year because of the All England Club's ban on players from Russia and Belarus over the invasion of Ukraine.

World no 2 Medvedev loses to Gasquet in Geneva Open in return from injury

Second-ranked Daniil Medvedev lost his comeback match after a six-week injury layoff, beaten 6-2, 7-6 (5) by Richard Gasquet in the second round at the Geneva Open.

Murray sets up mouth-watering clash against No.1 Djokovic in Madrid

A resurgent Andy Murray of Great Britain defeated Denis Shapovalov of Canada 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 to reach the third round at the Madrid Open, an ATP 1000 tournament.

Djokovic tops Monfils in Madrid Open in his 'best' match of year

"I would probably rate it as the best performance of the year. I felt very good on the court," Djokovic said after saving all five break points he faced against the 21st-ranked Gael Monfils

Nadal, Djokovic slam Wimbledon ban on Russian players amid Ukraine war

The prominent players affected by the ban include reigning U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, and French Open runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who are all from Russia

Tennis star Boris Becker jailed for 2.5 years over bankruptcy dishonesty

Becker, a three-time Wimbledon winner, was accused of "deliberately and dishonestly" putting funds out of reach of creditors.

Naomi Osaka wants go easy on herself entering clay season in Madrid Open

I'm trying to embrace my mistakes compared to the previous years as well, so I'm not that hard on myself, she said Wednesday

Serbia vs Spain in Davis Cup group stage; Nadal-Novak matchup on the cards

Serbia and Spain will square off in the group stage of the Davis Cup Finals, organizers said after holding a draw. That could mean a matchup of Novak Djokovic against Rafael Nadal when their nations play as part of Group B along with Canada and South Korea in Valencia from Sept. 14-18. Nadal did not play for Spain last year; Djokovic helped Serbia reach the semifinals. Group A, hosted by Bologna, will include Croatia last year's runner-up along with Italy, Argentina and Sweden. Group C, in Hamburg, will pit Germany against France, Belgium and Australia. Britain, the United States, Kazakhstan, and the Netherlands will play in Group D in Glasgow. Serbia was in the draw to replace Russia, last year's champion, after it was expelled by the International Tennis Federation for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The top two teams of each group will advance to the knockout rounds, including quarterfinals, semifinals and final to be played in Spain's southern city of Mlaga from Nov. 21-27.

Novak Djokovic sweats it out in comeback three-setter to reach Serbia Open

Top-ranked Novak Djokovic dug deep for the second match in a row to reach the semifinals of the Serbia Open with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over Miomir Kecmanovic.

ATP condemns Wimbledon on barring Russian players, calls it discriminatory

The men's world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev of Russia and women's world No. 4 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus are the highest-ranked players to be affected by the All England Club's decision

Naomi Osaka makes Miami quarterfinals, says she's more grateful

Making the quarterfinals at a tournament used to be no big deal for Naomi Osaka. It was only a shock if it didn't happen.

Rafael Nadal suffers stress fracture in rib, out for up to 6 weeks

The 21-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal on Tuesday announced that he has suffered a stress fracture in one of his ribs.The Spaniard further said that he will be out of action for four to six weeks due to the fracture.Nadal enjoyed a personal-best start to the season, going 20-0 before suffering his first loss, which came in the Indian Wells final on Sunday against Taylor Fritz."Hi everyone, I wanted to let you know that I'm back in Spain and I went straight to see my medical team for tests after the Indian Wells final, which I played in discomfort," Nadal tweeted in Spanish. "I have a stress fracture in one of my ribs and I will be out for 4 to 6 weeks. It's not good news and I didn't expect this. I am devastated and sad because after such a good start to the season I have had.""Now is a very important time of the year for me and I had a very good feeling and good results. Well, I have always had that spirit of fighting and overcoming and what I will do is be patient and work ...

World No 1 Ashleigh Barty announces retirement from tennis at age of 25

Australia's world number one Ashleigh Barty on Tuesday announced her retirement from tennis aged just 25.

Novak Djokovic regains No.1 ATP ranking; Taylor Fritz biggest mover

Serbian tennis stalwart Novak Djokovic has wrested back his world No.1 spot on the ATP Rankings from Russia's Daniil Medvedev, who slipped to No. 2