Tennis: Swiatek starts French Open bid as Djokovic defiant in Kosovo row

PARIS, France -- Iga Swiatek begins her bid to become the first woman in 16 years to successfully defend the French Open title on Tuesday as Novak Djokovic remained defiant after controversially weighing in on the Kosovo crisis.

World number one Swiatek, a two-time champion in Paris, faces Moldovan-born Cristina Bucsa of Spain as she looks to emulate Justine Henin, the last back-to-back women's winner at Roland Garros in 2007.

The 21-year-old Pole arrives in Paris shrugging off a thigh injury suffered in Rome.

"Luckily nothing serious happened. I'll be good for my first round. That's the most important thing for me," she said.

Also getting underway is world number two Daniil Medvedev who was buoyed by clinching his first ever clay court title at the prestigious Italian Open last week. It was also his fifth trophy of 2023.

The Russian has endured a bitter-sweet relationship with the French Open, losing in the first round in his first four visits. He ended that streak with a run to the quarter-finals in 2021.

The eccentric Medvedev faces former US Open junior champion Thiago Seyboth Wild, a Brazilian ranked 172 and who had to play the qualifiers.

Meanwhile, Djokovic insisted he does not fear being punished for his potentially explosive "Kosovo is the heart of Serbia" message he scribbled on a courtside TV camera on Monday amid fresh violence in Kosovo.

The Belgrade-born superstar, chasing a record 23rd Grand Slam title in Paris, wrote the message in Serbian after his opening round victory over Aleksandar Kovacevic on the showpiece Philippe Chatrier Court.

"Kosovo is our cradle, our stronghold, center of the most important things for our country," 36-year-old Djokovic told Serb media.

His comments came after NATO-led peacekeepers dispersed Serb protesters who clashed with police in northern Kosovo to demand the removal of recently elected Albanian mayors.

Around 30 soldiers were injured during the clashes, along with over 50 demonstrators.

- 'I have no remorse' -

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. However, Serbs in Kosovo remain largely loyal to Belgrade, especially in the north, where they make up a majority and reject every move by Pristina to consolidate its control over the region.

"As a public figure but also a son of a man who was born in Kosovo I feel additional responsibility to express my support to our people and Serbia as a whole," said Djokovic.

"I hear that there were many complaints on social media and from international journalists, saying someone would punish me but I have no remorse and would do it again as my stance is clear.

"But I am against war, violence and conflict of any kind and I have always publicly shown that."

Djokovic was hailed in his native Serbia.

"A man of his word and integrity. He proved to be one many times over, and repeated it in Paris by doing something that raced the hearts of all Serbs," commented the Alo tabloid newspaper.

On the court at Roland Garros early Tuesday, 16-year-old qualifier Mirra Andreeva marked her Grand Slam debut with a 56-minute 6-2, 6-1 victory over Alison Riske-Amritraj of the United States.

Andreeva, the youngest player in the tournament, has reached 143 in the world from 312 in April and hit the headlines at the Madrid Open earlier this month where she reached the last 16.

Later, fourth seed Casper Ruud, the runner-up to Rafael Nadal last year, faces Swedish qualifier Elias Ymer while sixth-ranked Holger Rune, a quarter-finalist on his debut in 2022, tackles Christopher Eubanks of the United States.

Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, the fourth seed, faces Czech teenager Brenda Fruhvirtova with 2022 runner-up Coco Gauff taking on Rebecca Masarova of Spain.

Agence France-Presse

Tennis: Nadal pulls out of French Open, set to end career in 2024

Rafael Nadal on Thursday withdrew from the French Open because his hip injury has not healed and said he expects 2024 to be his final year in professional tennis.

"It's not a decision I'm taking, it's a decision my body is taking," said the 36-year-old Spanish player, who has played at the claycourt major every year since 2005 and won it 14 times.

Nadal said he was taking a few months off, meaning he will also definitely miss Wimbledon and most likely the US Open, before starting to play again.

And he said next year would bring down the curtain on a career that has so far produced 22 Grand Slam singles titles.

"It's probably going to be my last year on the professional tour, I can't say this 100 percent because you never know what's going to happen," he told a news conference.

"The injury I suffered in Australia has not healed as we hoped.

"Roland Garros became impossible. I will not be there after many years, with everything that (tournament) means to me."

Nadal said he will not set a date for his return, but said the Davis Cup in November could be a potential target.

The former world number one has not played since the Australian Open in January where he picked up a hip injury in a shock second round loss to Mackenzie McDonald of the United States.

He was expected to recover inside six weeks, comfortably in time for the claycourt season and to launch an assault on a record-extending 15th title at Roland Garros.

However, with his 37th birthday little over two weeks away and having skipped Masters events in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome, Nadal appears to be facing a final battle he cannot win.

After a career plagued by knee, wrist and foot injuries in particular, the alarm bells have been ringing ever louder over the last year.

Nadal's undefeated start to 2022, which saw him pick up a second Australian Open title, ended with a chest injury at Indian Wells.

"It feels like a needle all the time inside," he admitted.

He swept to a 14th French Open in June but only after revealing he had required daily pain-killing injections in his foot, a consequence of suffering from Mueller-Weiss Syndrome, a rare degenerative condition.

"I played with no feeling in the foot, with a pain-killing injection in the nerve. The foot was asleep, and that's why I was able to play," he said at the time in Paris.

He added that he would undergo a treatment which would involve burning the nerves in his foot to permanently dull the pain.

Weeks later, his dream of a third Wimbledon title ended in a semi-final withdrawal due to an abdominal strain.

- Dropping -

Nadal's lengthy absence this year has also seen him drop out of the world's top 10 for the first time in 18 years.

His record at the French Open is unlikely ever to be broken.

Since his 2005 championship winning debut, he has racked up 112 wins and only been defeated three times.

Two of those losses came against great rival Novak Djokovic in 2015 and 2021. The other was to Robin Soderling in 2009.

Djokovic, who shares the men's record of 22 Slams with Nadal, will start as French Open favourite this year alongside world number one Carlos Alcaraz who is desperate not to see his Spanish compatriot throw in the towel.

"Let's hope he continues to play for a long time and that we can enjoy his tennis," said Alcaraz, the 20-year-old heir apparent to Nadal's throne.

Agence France-Presse

Djokovic aiming to be ‘as ready’ as possible for French Open

Novak Djokovic said on Monday that he is aiming to be “as ready as I can be” for the French Open as he prepares for just his third tournament of the season in Belgrade this week.

The world number one was deported from Australia ahead of the Australian Open in January over his COVID-19 vaccination status, before also missing Indian Wells and the Miami Open in the United States.

In the Serbian star’s absence, Rafael Nadal won a record 21st Grand Slam singles title in Melbourne, moving out of a tie with Djokovic and Roger Federer.

Djokovic will be hoping to match his great rival’s tally at the French Open, which begins on May 22.

“Roland Garros is the quintessential clay-court tournament and I’m partly already there in my thoughts, in terms of preparation and everything I’m doing at the moment to get there as ready as I can be,” Djokovic told reporters in Belgrade.

The 34-year-old also said he was planning to play in the Madrid Masters and the Italian Open ahead of Roland Garros.

“My current plans include Madrid and Rome,” he added.

“It depends, really, on my result here and the shape I’m in. We’ll decide then.”

Djokovic lost in his opening match of the Monte Carlo Masters last week to eventual runner-up Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, after a quarterfinal exit in Dubai in February.

“I was not fully ready for the tournament in Monte Carlo and I knew that before the tournament started,” he said.

“However, I need match practice and this is the surface (clay) that requires a lot of time spent on the court during training sessions, and even more during matches.

“I hope to play more matches in Belgrade than in Monte Carlo.”

Djokovic won an ATP event in the Serbian capital last season, the week before the start of the French Open, which he won for the second time despite trailing Stefanos Tsitsipas by two sets in the final.

“I had never before played a tournament in the week ahead of Roland Garros but last year I decided to do just that.

“Because it was Belgrade and I needed the feeling that the audience is the wind beneath my wings. It came true, I won the tournament, and it turned out I made a good decision ahead of the French Open.”

Top seed Djokovic will face a compatriot when he enters the tournament in the second round — either Laslo Djere or Hamad Medjedovic.

He could face former US Open champion and two-time French Open finalist Dominic Thiem in the quarterfinals, as the Austrian plays his first ATP event since last June after a series of injury setbacks.

Agence France-Presse 

Naomi Osaka into Rome quarters, wraps up French Open top seeding

Japan’s Naomi Osaka won twice on Thursday to reach the Italian Open quarterfinals, retaining the world number one ranking ahead of the start of the French Open next week.

She eased into the last eight in Rome with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Mihaela Buzarnescu.

Osaka beat the 29th-ranked Romanian in 78 minutes after earlier beating Slovak Dominika Cibulkova by the same scoreline in one hour and 42 minutes in the second round, as players doubled up after the previous day was washed out.

At the start of the day, the 21-year-old had needed to make the quarterfinals to ensure Romanian Simona Halep could not swipe the number one ranking and with it top seeding in the French Open.

But Osaka’s top spot was guaranteed when reigning Roland Garros champion Halep fell to Czech Marketa Vondrousova 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 in the second round.

“I have to think about winning tournaments. That’s sort of what I’ve been thinking about this entire tournament,” said Osaka.

“Of course, it’s a relief (to be top seed at Roland Garros) because that definitely was a very big goal of mine.”

Osaka next meets Madrid Open champion and sixth seed Kiki Bertens for a place in the final four.

The two players have met twice before, but never on clay, with Bertens winning at the WTA Finals last year to avenge a straight sets loss to the Japanese star in Acapulco in 2016.

Osaka, who broke through by winning the US Open last year and Australian Open this year, did not survive the second round in her two previous appearances in Rome.

Before this year Osaka had never made the last eight of any clay tournament, but has now also reached the semi-finals in Stuttgart and quarterfinals in Madrid as she warms up for the French Open start on May 26.


With a game often pigeon-holed as ideal for harder courts than clay, Osaka insists she is getting used to the slower European surface.

“One of the biggest things is instead of complaining about it, I’m just trying to figure out how to adapt to it. This is, like, an inevitable part of the season.

“This is the clay season, I can’t just skip this entire swing. I also feel like I want to be a player that’s great on all surfaces. I think one of the biggest steps is, of course, starting to do well on clay, learning how to adapt.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Nishikori falters against Chung in all-Asian match in Paris

PARIS — Hyeon Chung fought back from two sets down against Kei Nishikori to keep alive his bid to become the first South Korean to reach the fourth round of the French Open.

Nishikori was leading 7-5, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 0-3 when rain stopped play on Saturday. The match will resume Sunday.

It is the first time in the Open era two Asian men have met as late as the third round in a Grand Slam tournament.

Chung has never beaten a top-10 player in six attempts.

But he was making the eighth-seeded Nishikori, the first Asian man to contest a Grand Slam final at the 2014 U.S. Open, look ordinary.

Nishikori had to save a set point in the first set. In the second, the Japanese star appeared to have problems with the same right wrist he had treatment on in his second-round win over Jeremy Chardy. But he prevailed, and appeared on course for a straight-sets victory in his first meeting with Chung.

However, Chung took the third set in a tiebreaker, bringing up set point with a backhand down the line and clinching it when Nishikori hit long.

Chung broke twice at the start of the fourth set, prompting Nishikori to hurl his racket to the clay in disgust, and breaking it.

Nishikori had treatment on his back, and shortly after the rain started.

Chung began playing tennis with his parents at 6, and continued when a doctor recommended that looking at the color green helped his weak eyesight. ATP players voted him the most improved player in 2015.

In April, he reached the Barcelona quarterfinals as a qualifier, and in May he made his first ATP semifinals in Munich.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Djokovic says Grand Slams, No. 1 ranking no longer priority

BELGRADE, Serbia — Novak Djokovic says Grand Slam trophies and the No. 1 ranking are no longer his priorities.

The top-ranked Serb, who has won 12 major titles, said after a light training session in Belgrade on Friday that he felt emotionally drained after winning the French Open in June for his first Grand Slam on clay. He became only the third man to win all four major tournaments in a row, something last done almost 50 years ago.

“I psychologically felt huge pressure, and now I’m no longer thinking about the number of titles. If they come, super, I will accept them,” Djokovic said. “After all, tennis is not the only thing in the world.”

He had a poor midseason, losing early at Wimbledon and the Olympics, and was undone in the U.S. Open final. He has reportedly had physical and personal issues which reflected on his recent results.

Djokovic said he will “sit and talk” with his coach Boris Becker about their future cooperation. The German has helped Djokovic win seven Grand Slam titles.

“I’m happy with the cooperation … he helped me a lot,” Djokovic said.

He withdrew from the China Open next week because of an elbow injury. He said he expects to play at the Shanghai Masters from Oct. 10.

Djokovic said the “micro injury” hampered his serve during the U.S. Open, where he was stopped in the final by Stanislas Wawrinka.

source: sports.inquirer.net

French Open: Serena sweeps aside Svitolina, schedule fears

Defending champion Serena Williams brushed off concerns about a busy playing schedule after powering into the French Open quarter-finals on Wednesday.

Williams reached the last eight at Roland Garros for the 10th time after pulverizing 18th seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 6-1, 6-1 in just over an hour on Court Philippe Chatrier.

But the world number one, who next plays Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva, faces the challenge of playing four matches in four days in her pursuit of a record-equalling 22nd Open era Grand Slam title.

“Four in a row? I think for us…when we play regular tournaments you play four, five matches in a row. It’s what happens,” said Williams.

“In Rome I played four in a row? Five? I don’t know. But, you know, in Miami and Indian Wells you just play every day. It’s something you just get used to. It’s totally fine I think for me and for everyone.”

Swiss eighth seed Timea Bacsinszky dumped out sister Venus 6-2, 6-4 to rule out the prospect of the two Williams siblings meeting in the semi-finals.

Bacsinszky, who reached the semi-finals in Paris a year ago, reeled off nine of 10 games after trailing 0-2 in the first set to lay the foundation for her victory.

“If I could play here every day of my life, I would do it,” said Bacsinszky, who will meet unseeded Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens next.

“Being in a quarter-final in a slam is like every player’s dream. Like some have achieved it way more times than others, but for me it’s my third.

“I still sometimes cannot believe it, especially if you have a great win over such a good player.”

Bertens reached her first Grand Slam quarter-final after defeating American 15th seed Madison Keys 7-6 (7/4), 6-3.

The world number 58, conqueror of Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber in the first round, has now won 11 straight matches after arriving in Paris fresh from lifting the Nuremberg clay-court title as a qualifier.

Putintseva, 21, the youngest player left in the draw, extended her best run at a major with a 7-5, 7-5 victory over Spanish 12th seed Carla Suarez Navarro.

“I think I have been always playing well. It’s just in last few years I had some troubles with like sometimes fitness, sometimes my game that I have to change a little bit in the more aggressive way.

“But I think it’s just the moment came and now I’m playing better in this tournament,” said Putintseva, the world number 60, who was beaten in straight sets by Serena at Indian Wells this year.

“She’s a legend. I’m just gonna go there and show my game, show my best, and we’ll see what’s going to happen.

“Like I have nothing to lose obviously against her. Yeah, I’m just gonna go and play. What else can I do?”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Halep sweeps into first Wimbledon semifinal

LONDON — Romania’s Simona Halep swept into her first Wimbledon semifinal with a crushing 6-4, 6-0 victory over former finalist Sabine Lisicki on Wednesday.

Halep recorded her 250th career win in memorable fashion as the world number three dismissed German 19th seed Lisicki, beaten by Marion Bartoli in the final 12 months ago, in just 57 minutes on Center Court.

The 22-year-old reached her maiden Grand Slam final at the French Open last month and, after winning 11 consecutive games to sink Lisicki, she will play Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard or Germany’s Angelique Kerber for a place in the another major final at the All England Club.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Venus Williams loses in 2nd round at French Open

PARIS — Venus Williams was eliminated from the French Open in the second round, the eighth time in her last nine major tournaments that she has failed to win more than one match.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion won the first set and was up an early break in the second against Anna Schmiedlova of Slovakia. But Schmiedlova responded by taking eight of nine games and won 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Since reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2011, Williams has been eliminated in the first or second round at every Grand Slam tournament she has played except the 2013 Australian Open, where she reached the third round.

Later Wednesday, defending champion Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova were scheduled to play. In the men’s tournament, both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic were to play.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Sharapova sails into French Open second round

PARIS — Seventh seed Maria Sharapova encountered little resistance as she reached the second round of the French Open on Monday with a 6-1, 6-2 win over fellow Russian Ksenia Pervak.

The 27-year-old needed only 27 minutes to wrap up the opening set as qualifier Pervak, the world number 156, was broken in all three of her service games.

Sharapova, who has won all four Grand Slams including the French Open in 2012, rode a strong first serve throughout the match and pinned her opponent to the baseline with deep ground strokes.

The Florida resident, who lost last year’s final against Serena Williams, looked comfortable under cloudy conditions on the Philippe Chatrier court as she broke her opponent five times in total.

Sharapova stays on course to face Williams, who won her opening match in straight sets on Sunday, in the quarter-finals.

Pervak, who has also represented Kazakhstan, has never been past the first round at Roland Garros.

Sharapova will now face Bulgaria’s 2010 Wimbledon semi-finalist Tsvetana Pironkova for a place in the third round.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Serena Williams into French Open second round

PARIS — Defending champion and top seed Serena Williams reached the French Open second round on Sunday with a 6-2, 6-1 win over French wildcard Alize Lim.

Williams will face either compatriot Grace Min or Spain’s Gabrine Muguruza for a place in the third round where she could play big sister Venus.

Venus Williams began her campaign with a 6-4, 6-1 win against Swiss teenager Belinda Bencic.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Djokovic’s day at the French Open ends in despair

PARIS  — Novak Djokovic’s day at the French Open quickly turned from lightheartedness to grief.

After making up for a recent loss to Grigor Dimitrov by beating him 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 to reach the fourth round, the No. 1-ranked Djokovic wowed the center court crowd by addressing them in decent French afterward.

The charm reached its peak when Djokovic pledged to open a Serbian restaurant in Paris one day, drawing a roar of appreciation that could probably be heard all around Roland Garros.

Minutes later, his mood was quite different.

When Djokovic got back to the locker room, his team delivered the news that his first coach, Jelena Gencic, had died earlier Saturday in Belgrade, Serbia, at the age of 76. She coached him for about five years, starting when Djokovic was 6.

It was the second time in a little more than a year that Djokovic has been hit by a personal loss during a tournament.

At the Monte Carlo Masters in April 2012, he learned of his grandfather’s death and decided to keep playing on, winning his third-round match just hours later. He reached the final there.

On Saturday, word was sent to reporters that Djokovic was too distraught to attend a post-match news conference.

He is scheduled to play his fourth-round match against 16th-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany on Monday, when seven-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal hopes to celebrate his 27th birthday with a win against 13th-seeded Kei Nishikori.

Before that, Sunday’s fourth round men’s matches are: 17-time major champion Roger Federer against 15th-seeded Gilles Simon, No. 4 David Ferrer against No. 23 Kevin Anderson, No. 6 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga against Viktor Troicki, and No. 11 Nicolas Almagro against No. 32 Tommy Robredo.

The women’s matchups Sunday to decide quarterfinal berths: 15-time major champion Serena Williams against No. 15 Roberta Vinci, 2008 French Open titlist Ana Ivanovic against No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska, 2009 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova against No. 8 Angelique Kerber, and 2012 runner-up Sara Errani against No. 20 Carla Suarez Navarro.

Elsewhere on Saturday, 35-year-old Tommy Haas of Germany let a record 12 match points slip in the fourth set, then saved a match point in the fifth en route to eliminating big-serving American John Isner 7-5, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-7 (10), 10-8 in 4 hours, 37 minutes.

Nadal overcome another sloppy start to get past 27th-seeded Fabio Fognini of Italy 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-4.

After dropping the opening set in his first two matches, he trailed 4-2, was down a break at 6-5, and looked mightily relieved to win the tiebreaker, which was even at 4-4.

“I really need to play better,” Nadal said. “Otherwise I can go back to Mallorca and go fishing.”

“I played too short, and with mistakes.”

The Spaniard is looking to become the first man to win eight titles at the same Grand Slam tournament. He improved to 55-1 at Roland Garros despite committing 40 unforced errors and facing 11 break points.

Fognini showed off his array of spectacular shots, nearly doubling Nadal’s winners total. But the Italian let himself down just as much with some sloppy shots, making 59 unforced errors.

Fognini’s eccentricity was perfectly summed up in the second game of the second set. After missing an easy forehand at the net, he tossed his racket up in the air and tried to kick it with his foot — like a skillful Italian soccer player would.

He missed.

Nishikori, meanwhile, became the first Japanese man in 75 years to reach the French Open’s fourth round, beating Frenchman Benoit Paire.

“He’s a fantastic player,” Nadal said about Nishikori. “He can play very aggressive.”

source: sports.inquirer.net