Category: Tennis

Nadal beaten by De Minaur as clay comeback halted in Barcelona

April 17, 2024

Rafael Nadal’s clay comeback was halted in the second round in Barcelona as he was beaten by in-form Alex de Minaur.

Playing his first tournament in four months due to injuries, Nadal hit 11 winners and 42 unforced errors as he lost 7-5 6-1.

It is the earliest 12-time champion Nadal has lost at the Barcelona Open since his debut in 2003.

De Minaur has been one of the form players on the ATP Tour this year and broke Nadal’s serve in the opening game.

Nadal rallied to get level at 3-3, unleashing his trademark backhand with a drilled cross-court winner past an outstretched De Minaur.

But De Minaur finished the set on a hot streak as he won 11 points in a row to move ahead.

Nadal saved a break point in the first game of the second set but couldn’t hang on in his next service game as a loose forehand and missed volley gave De Minaur the break.

Nadal continued to battle but was coming off second best in most exchanges as De Minaur moved 4-1 ahead with another break of serve.

The Australian wrapped up the victory in just under two hours as Nadal went long with another forehand.

Draper fights back to reach Bavaria quarters

British No. 2 Jack Draper came from a set down to beat Rudolf Molleker and reach the quarter-finals of the Bavarian International in Munich.

Draper didn’t create a single break-point chance in the opening set, but came out firing after a 45-minute rain delay and won 4-6 6-1 6-1.

He will face third seed Taylor Fritz or Alejandro Moro Canas in the last eight.

“He played an amazing level in the first set,” said Draper.

“The conditions were very rainy and slow, so it was tough to come out and play a certain way. In the second and third, the sun came out and I started feeling better. better. I’m really proud of how I played.”

Top seed Alexander Zverev was leading 7-6(3) 0-1 against Jurij Rodionov when the match was suspended due to rain.

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Nadal and Murray on French Open entry list, Raducanu misses out on Roland-Garros guarantee

April 17, 2024

The 14-time king of Roland-Garros, Rafael Nadal, has been included on the entry list for the 2024 French Open, alongside British superstar Andy Murray.

However, there isn’t such good news for Great Britain in the women’s draw, with Emma Raducanu not guaranteed of her place in Paris.

Murray is currently out of action with an unknown return date, after sustaining ruptured ankle ligaments at the Miami Open in March, although he doesn’t require surgery. Indeed, a spokesperson confirmed earlier this week that “his rehab is going well”.

Incredibly, Murray has played in just one French Open match since his semi-final appearance in 2017. He lost in straight sets against Stan Wawrinka in the first round of the 2020 edition, missing every other year through injury.

The 36-year-old has made the semi-finals four times across his career, with his three Grand Slam wins coming at Wimbledon (2013 and 2016) and the US Open (2012).

Another man who has struggled greatly with injury, Nadal, is of course no stranger to tasting glory on the clay courts of South Paris, though was absent last year after previously winning five in six.

In fact, he has missed out on four consecutive grand slams, with his most recent appearance being a second-round exit via straight sets to Michael McDonald at the 2023 Australian Open. The Spanish icon has since seen his place at the top of the all-time standings for major wins (22) taken by Novak Djokovic (24).

Meanwhile, Raducanu will have a much tougher task to climb back to the top of the mountain, following her 2021 US Open triumph. In the nine grand slams since, she has appeared at six, failing to make it past the second round on every occasion.

As such, the 21-year-old has plummeted in the world rankings to No.303, and is not assured of a place at Roland-Garros. One of three scenarios will see her make it: five players withdraw, progression via the qualifiers, or a wildcard entry.

In more positive news for Raducanu, she claimed she is playing ‘career-best tennis’ this week, after helping Great Britain qualify for the Billie Jean King Cup finals with a win against France.

Stream top tennis action, including the 2024 French Open, live on discovery+.

Nadal and Murray on French Open entry list, Raducanu misses out on Roland-Garros guarantee

April 17, 2024

The 14-time king of Roland-Garros, Rafael Nadal, has been included on the entry list for the 2024 French Open, alongside British superstar Andy Murray.

However, there isn’t such good news for Great Britain in the women’s draw, with Emma Raducanu not guaranteed of her place in Paris.

Murray is currently out of action with an unknown return date, after sustaining ruptured ankle ligaments at the Miami Open in March, although he doesn’t require surgery. Indeed, a spokesperson confirmed earlier this week that “his rehab is going well”.

Incredibly, Murray has played in just one French Open match since his semi-final appearance in 2017. He lost in straight sets against Stan Wawrinka in the first round of the 2020 edition, missing every other year through injury.

The 36-year-old has made the semi-finals four times across his career, with his three Grand Slam wins coming at Wimbledon (2013 and 2016) and the US Open (2012).

Another man who has struggled greatly with injury, Nadal, is of course no stranger to tasting glory on the clay courts of South Paris, though was absent last year after previously winning five in six.

In fact, he has missed out on four consecutive grand slams, with his most recent appearance being a second-round exit via straight sets to Michael McDonald at the 2023 Australian Open. The Spanish icon has since seen his place at the top of the all-time standings for major wins (22) taken by Novak Djokovic (24).

Meanwhile, Raducanu will have a much tougher task to climb back to the top of the mountain, following her 2021 US Open triumph. In the nine grand slams since, she has appeared at six, failing to make it past the second round on every occasion.

As such, the 21-year-old has plummeted in the world rankings to No.303, and is not assured of a place at Roland-Garros. One of three scenarios will see her make it: five players withdraw, progression via the qualifiers, or a wildcard entry.

In more positive news for Raducanu, she claimed she is playing ‘career-best tennis’ this week, after helping Great Britain qualify for the Billie Jean King Cup finals with a win against France.

Stream top tennis action, including the 2024 French Open, live on discovery+.

Gauff feeling ‘really optimistic’ as she looks to end clay title drought

April 17, 2024

Coco Gauff says she is feeling “really optimistic” for the clay season and now feels like a “contender” in every tournament she plays.

The world No. 3 has enjoyed success in the past on clay, reaching her first Grand Slam final in 2022 at the French Open, where she also won the title as a junior.

However, it has been three years since she won the only clay title of her professional career at the Emilia-Romagna Open.

Gauff is looking to put that right as she starts her 2024 clay swing in Stuttgart this week.

“For the clay court season this year, I’m really optimistic,” she said.

“Obviously the goal is to win French Open, but that’s every season of any top player. Your goals should be to try to win the big tournament.

“But I’m not looking at French Open right now. I’m focused on Stuttgart. I want to try to win Madrid or Rome or here. The last time I won a clay-court title was a couple years ago if I’m not mistaken, so I kind of just want to get a recent clay title under my belt.

“So any of the ones along the next couple weeks would be nice.”

Gauff will start her Stuttgart campaign against fellow American Sachia Vickery.

“I’m always feeling confident about myself,” added Gauff.

“Especially after the US Open, I can be a contender. Semifinal in Australia, losing to Aryna who ended up winning.

“I feel like I’m definitely a contender in all the tournaments, and it just comes down to the crunch-time moments and who can perform better.”

Gauff has added to her coaching team ahead of the Stuttgart Open.

Former coach Jean-Cristophe Faurel, who first worked with Gauff at the age of 14, has joined to work alongside Brad Gilbert.

The previous partnership between Gauff and Faurel ended on good terms in 2020.

“It actually wasn’t either of our choices to stop working together,” said Gauff.

“He was having visa issues and couldn’t get into the US for a long time, a couple years. So once he got that all figured out and it became a perfect opportunity and the timing worked to be back together, I knew when we had stopped I always wanted to go back to him when all of that stuff got sorted.

“It’s nice to have someone on my team that knows me since I was young and knows me well. So I’m really, really excited to have him back on the team.

“I’m glad that the government let us be together again!”

Gauff could face fifth seed Qinwen Zheng if she wins her opening match.

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‘Proud’ Swiatek reveals which stat about herself she finds ‘pretty cool’

April 17, 2024

Iga Swiatek has revealed which stat around her she finds “pretty cool” as she starts her bid for a third straight Stuttgart Open title.

Swiatek has been the best player on the WTA Tour for the last two years and next week will start her 100th week as world No. 1.

She has just moved ahead of Lindsay Davenport into ninth spot for most weeks spent as No. 1, and next has Justine Henin (117 weeks) and Ashleigh Barty (121 weeks) in her sights.

Asked ahead of her Stuttgart opener whether there are any stats around herself that make her sit up and take notice, Swiatek said: “Honestly, yeah, this is one of these stats actually.

“I think overall, that I’m in the top 10 of all time in terms of weeks at No. 1, I wouldn’t expect that ever a couple of years back.”

Swiatek became world No. 1 when Barty unexpectedly retired in March 2022.

She has remained No. 1 for almost the entire time since, except for an eight-week spell when she was displaced by Aryna Sabalenka last autumn.

“I’m proud of my progress and everything in terms of how I’ve handled all the different challenges during my career,” added Swiatek.

“Belonging to the top 10 of players in terms of weeks at No. 1 is pretty cool.

“I’ve learnt to deal with expectations, especially with outside pressure. I concentrate on setting my own goals and not to let myself be influenced by outside expectations.”

Swiatek has beaten Sabalenka in the final of the Stuttgart Open for the last two years in a row.

She comes into the tournament this year having played at the weekend on indoor hard courts for Poland in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers.

“I felt today that I can do the transition pretty quickly,” she said about switching to clay.

“I’m not expecting that I’m going to feel comfortable from my first match because you always need some matches to just gain confidence on any surface, even if you feel comfortable on it.

“Stuttgart is an ideal start to the clay court season. The pace of the surface here is between hard courts and normal clay which helps me to transition. Though I had my first practice on clay today, I feel ready especially as I have good memories in my mind of how I played here last year.”

Swiatek will face Elise Mertens in her opening match on Thursday.

Stream top tennis action, including the 2024 French Open, live on discovery+

‘Proud’ Swiatek reveals which stat about herself she finds ‘pretty cool’

April 17, 2024

Iga Swiatek has revealed which stat around her she finds “pretty cool” as she starts her bid for a third straight Stuttgart Open title.

Swiatek has been the best player on the WTA Tour for the last two years and next week will start her 100th week as world No. 1.

She has just moved ahead of Lindsay Davenport into ninth spot for most weeks spent as No. 1, and next has Justine Henin (117 weeks) and Ashleigh Barty (121 weeks) in her sights.

Asked ahead of her Stuttgart opener whether there are any stats around herself that make her sit up and take notice, Swiatek said: “Honestly, yeah, this is one of these stats actually.

“I think overall, that I’m in the top 10 of all time in terms of weeks at No. 1, I wouldn’t expect that ever a couple of years back.”

Swiatek became world No. 1 when Barty unexpectedly retired in March 2022.

She has remained No. 1 for almost the entire time since, except for an eight-week spell when she was displaced by Aryna Sabalenka last autumn.

“I’m proud of my progress and everything in terms of how I’ve handled all the different challenges during my career,” added Swiatek.

“Belonging to the top 10 of players in terms of weeks at No. 1 is pretty cool.

“I’ve learnt to deal with expectations, especially with outside pressure. I concentrate on setting my own goals and not to let myself be influenced by outside expectations.”

Swiatek has beaten Sabalenka in the final of the Stuttgart Open for the last two years in a row.

She comes into the tournament this year having played at the weekend on indoor hard courts for Poland in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers.

“I felt today that I can do the transition pretty quickly,” she said about switching to clay.

“I’m not expecting that I’m going to feel comfortable from my first match because you always need some matches to just gain confidence on any surface, even if you feel comfortable on it.

“Stuttgart is an ideal start to the clay court season. The pace of the surface here is between hard courts and normal clay which helps me to transition. Though I had my first practice on clay today, I feel ready especially as I have good memories in my mind of how I played here last year.”

Swiatek will face Elise Mertens in her opening match on Thursday.

Stream top tennis action, including the 2024 French Open, live on discovery+

Ostapenko knocked out of Stuttgart in first round by teen debutant Noskova

April 16, 2024

Jelena Ostapenko has been dumped out of the Stuttgart Open, losing to Linda Noskova 6-3 6-1 in the first round.

Ostapenko entered the tournament as the No. 8 seed, but the Latvian was far from her best against her 19-year-old opponent, losing the match in one hour and seven minutes.

Noskova, who has now registered her third top-10 win in 2024, will play either Great Britain’s Emma Raducanu or Germany’s Angelique Kerber in the last-16.

“I was just trying to focus on the match, it was my first match on clay this year so I was just trying to be as careful and focussed as possible,” the world No. 31 said after her win.

“I was trying to get it under control at all times and not allow any chaos to come in.”

Noskova got off to a fast start in the match, reeling off the first four games of the set. Ostapenko broke back when Noskova held a 5-3 lead, but Noskova broke Ostapenko to love in the very next game to take the set.

Noskova played with even greater confidence in the second set, winning 82 per cent of her points on her first serve, and she won the first five games in a row.

Ostapenko won one game on her own serve to avoid being bagelled, before Niskova served out the match.

Elise Mertens beat Germany’s Tatjana Maria 6-1 4-6 6-0 earlier in the day to set up a last-16 encounter with world No. 1 Iga Swiatek.

World No. 7 Qinwen Zheng took just one hour and 16 minutes to beat Sorana Cirstea 6-2 6-3 and book her place in the next round.

World No. 8 Marketa Vondrousova had little trouble dispatching Donna Vekic, beating the Croat 6-4 6-3.

In the day’s opening match, Jasmine Paolini breezed past her compatriot Sara Errani, who entered the tournament as a qualifier, 6-1 6-0 in 47 minutes.

Stream top tennis action, including the 2024 French Open, live on discovery+.

Nadal siegt beim Comeback in Barcelona

April 16, 2024

Rafael Nadal ist zurück – und das standesgemäß mit einem Sieg. Nach langer Verletzungspause präsentierte sich der Sandplatz-König in guter Form. Auch ein Deutscher erreicht die 2. Runde.

Zurück auf der Tour: Rafael Nadal feierte am Dienstag einen Sieg.

Zurück auf der Tour: Rafael Nadal feierte am Dienstag einen Sieg.

AFP via Getty Images

Spaniens Tennisstar Rafael Nadal hat ein erfolgreiches Comeback nach mehr als drei Monaten Zwangspause hingelegt. Der 37-Jährige setzte sich am Dienstag beim ATP-Turnier in Barcelona auf seinem Lieblingsbelag Sand gegen den Italiener Flavio Cobolli mit 6:2, 6:3 durch und zog souverän in die zweite Runde ein. Dort trifft der 22-malige Grand-Slam-Turniergewinner auf den an Nummer vier gesetzten Australier Alex de Minaur.

“Ich habe es schon öfter in meiner Karriere probiert, und jedes Mal wird es schwieriger. Vor allem, wenn man im fortgeschrittenen Alter ist. Das macht die Dinge schwieriger”, sagte Nadal im Anschluss lächelnd über seine erneute Rückkehr auf den Platz: “Ich bin durch schwere Momente gegangen, aber zur gleichen Zeit bedeutet es mir sehr viel, wenn ich ein paar Tage auf der Tour sein kann, mit den Jungs trainieren und mich mit ihnen im Wettkampf messen kann.” Die Freude daran sei weiterhin sehr groß.

In seinem ersten Match seit Anfang Januar präsentierte sich Nadal in guter Form, auch wenn ihm verständlicherweise in gewissen Spielsituationen der fehlende Rhythmus anzumerken war. Nachdem der Spanier seinen zweiten Matchball nach 85 Minuten verwandelt hatte, reckte er die Faust und ließ sich von den spanischen Fans feiern.

Wegen einer langwierigen Hüftverletzung nach den Australian Open im Januar 2023 hatte Nadal alle Turnier-Teilnahmen abgesagt. In diesem Jahr hatte der Spanier vor dem ersten Grand-Slam-Turnier des Jahres in Brisbane sein Comeback gegeben, sich dort aber erneut verletzt und danach bis zu seinem Barcelona-Auftritt kein Match mehr bestritten.

Sportlicher Höhepunkt der Sandplatzsaison sind die French Open, die Ende Mai in Paris beginnen und bei denen Nadal Rekordsieger ist. Bereits im vergangenen Jahr hatte der Spanier angekündigt, dass 2024 sehr wahrscheinlich sein letztes Jahr auf der Tennis-Tour sein werde.

Auch Altmaier eine Runde weiter

Auch der deutsche Tennisprofi Daniel Altmaier hat den Sprung in die zweite Runde geschafft. Der 25-Jährige aus Kempen setzte sich gegen den Australier Alexei Popyrin 6:3, 7:6 (7:4) durch. In der zweiten Runde trifft Altmaier auf den Franzosen Arthur Fils. Altmaier ist einziger deutscher Teilnehmer in Barcelona. Das Turnier findet parallel zu München statt, wo neben anderen die deutsche Nummer eins Alexander Zverev antritt.

Marterer vergibt Matchball und verliert – Koepfer unterliegt Garin

April 16, 2024

Dominik Koepfer kommt auf Sand in diesem Jahr einfach nicht zurecht. In München scheiterte der Schwarzwälder gleich in Runde eins. Auch Maximilian Marterer musste sich geschlagen geben.

Verpasste eine Überraschung knapp: Maximilian Marterer.

Verpasste eine Überraschung knapp: Maximilian Marterer.

IMAGO/Hasenkopf

Der deutsche Davis-Cup-Spieler Dominik Koepfer ist beim ATP-Turnier in München schon in der ersten Runde ausgeschieden. Der an Nummer sieben gesetzte Tennisprofi aus Furtwangen verlor am Dienstag gegen den Chilenen Cristian Garin mit 6:7 (3:7), 3:6.

Der 29 Jahre alte Schwarzwälder kassierte bei seinem dritten Sandplatzturnier in diesem Jahr die dritte Erstrundenniederlage. Nach 1:37 Stunden verwandelte Garin, der die BMW Open in München 2019 gewonnen hatte und drei Jahre nach Platz 17 im ATP-Ranking auf Rang 106 abgerutscht ist, seinen vierten Matchball.

Marterer kann seinen Matchball nicht nutzen

Bei dem mit 651.865 Euro dotierten Event standen am zweiten Turniertag die Spiele von drei weiteren deutschen Profis auf dem Programm. Maximilian Marterer (Nürnberg) wurde dem einstigen Top-Ten-Spieler Felix Auger-Aliassime aus Kanada zugelost und hat eine große Überraschung verpasst. Der 28 Jahre alte Nürnberger unterlag dem an Nummer fünf gesetzten Kanadier Felix Auger-Aliassime 6:7 (5:7), 7:6 (8:6), 6:7 (3:7).

Das zähe Ringen auf dem Centre Court dauerte 3:24 Stunden. Seine große Chance, erstmals seit Oktober 2023 wieder ein Match auf der ATP-Tour zu gewinnen, vergab Marterer im dritten Satz, als er erst beim Stand von 5:2 seinen Aufschlag abgeben musste und beim Stand von 6:5 seinen einzigen Matchball nicht nutzen konnte. Die Niederlage ist für den 101. der Weltrangliste bereits die achte in Serie in einem Auftaktmatch.

Hanfmann kämpft sich durch – Topo bricht ein

Yannick Hanfmann war in seinem Match gegen den Kasachen Alexander Shevchenko richtig gefordert. Es ging über drei Sätze, mit dem besseren Ende für den Deutschen, der sich 6:7, 6:3 und 7:5 durchsetzte. Nicht ganz so erfolgreich lief es für den 20 Jahre junge Münchner Marco Topo, der mit einer Wildcard antreten durfte und am Ende in drei Durchgängen gegen Marc-Andrea Hüsler aus der Schweiz verlor (6:3, 1:6, 3:6).

Molleker weiter – Zverev am Mittwoch

Bereits am Montag hatte Rudi Molleker (Oranienburg) als weiterer deutscher Wildcard-Akteur sein Erstrundenmatch gewonnen. Die vier topgesetzten Starter um Favorit und Olympiasieger Alexander Zverev sowie dessen Davis-Cup-Kollegen Jan-Lennard Struff steigen nach Freilosen in der ersten Runde am Mittwoch oder Donnerstag im Achtelfinale in das Turnier ein.

aho, DPA, SID