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Carlos Alcaraz says that he is ‘feeling better and better’ on the clay courts of Monte Carlo, after he dispatched Daniel Altmaier 6-3, 6-1 to reach his first quarter-final at the prestigious event.

The Spaniard looked like he was in trouble against Francisco Cerundolo during his opening match, losing the first set 6-3, before going on to dominate the Argentinian 6-0, 6-1 in the next two sets.

Against the German, Alcaraz continued that form and only improved as the match went along.

“Honestly it was difficult, Danny [Altmaier] is playing great,” stated Alcaraz.

“He’s a solid clay-court player with a difficult game: a lot of topspin shots and [he’s] really good physically. The score doesn’t show how difficult it was, I had to battle in the first set.

“It was good to get a break before the new balls, which helped with the serve. In the second set, I could be myself more, play more aggressively than in the first, and I took my chances.”

The former world No 1’s result means that he has now reached the quarterfinals of every Grand Slam and Masters 1000 tournament, apart from the Rome Masters – which he has only played once.

“I just felt more comfortable [compared to his first match],” continued the four-time Grand Slam champion.

“I think when you are coming to a new surface, you have to just play more time just to get better and better, to feel more comfortable.

“From the first match, I realised how I have to play here on clay, that I have to be myself all the time. That’s the way that I enjoy playing tennis. Just playing aggressive just doesn’t qualify me, and I realised that after the first set in the first round.

“After that, I think I’m just feeling better and better. As much time as I spending on court, I think I’m going to feel better.

“Hopefully in quarter-final, let’s see how it’s going to be, but I guess I’m going to feel better moving, playing, so I think it’s going to be better.”

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Alcaraz will next face Arthur Fils, who dominated former Monte Carlo champion Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-3 in just 61 minutes.

The Frenchman is the only singles player to reach the last eight of the Indian Wells, Miami, and Monte Carlo tournaments.

“He’s playing great,” commented the reigning Roland Garros champion.

“I think he’s the only player who made at least the quarter-final in every Masters 1000 (this year).

“His level is really high right now. I saw a little bit from his match today, and he’s playing great. I’m not going to be scared; that’s for sure.

“I’ll just try to play my tennis, try to show good tennis, put pressure on him. Let’s see how it’s going to be, but I’m excited about facing him for the first time.

“It’s going to be a really tough battle. But at the same time, it’s going to be beautiful to play and I guess beautiful to watch.”

The post ‘I’m just feeling better and better’ – Carlos Alcaraz gives insight into key playstyle change after reaching last 8 appeared first on Tennis365.

Arthur Fils has received a glowing endorsement from Gilles Simon amid his recent rise towards the top of tennis

French star Fils has long been recognised as one of the hottest prospects in the men’s game, and was just 18 when he won his first ATP title at the Lyon Open back in 2023.

However, a significant 2024 season saw him win ATP 500 titles in Hamburg and Tokyo and reach the second week of a major for the first time at Wimbledon, making his top-20 debut by the end of the year.

The 20-year-old made his first Masters 1000 quarter-final in Indian Wells last month, and has since progressed to the last eight of both the Miami Open and this week’s Monte Carlo Masters.

Fils is now the youngest man since the Masters 1000 format was introduced in 1990 to reach the last eight of the first three Masters events of the year, breaking Rafael Nadal’s record from 2007.

And, already sitting at a career-high of world No 15, he is currently projected to rise to world No 13 amid his run in Monte Carlo.

Fils looks set to be the leading star of a new generation of French tennis, following in the footsteps of the likes of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Richard Gasquet, Gael Monfils, and Simon across the past two decades.

And, speaking exclusively to Tennis365, Simon – a former world No 6 – has revealed his “hope” that Fils can compete for the biggest titles in tennis.

He said: “I knew Arthur – I saw him coming, because I was still on tour when he broke through the challenger level and went on tour.

“As a French player, I want the French players to play as good as possible. I always pay attention to what they are doing, even if I have no connection.

“I don’t work with him, I don’t really give advice or anything, I’m just really a supporter. I watch, and I just wish him the best.

“He’s improving, he’s getting a bit more attention than the other players, of course. I’m interested and I hope he’s going to win big titles.

“I really care about what he’s doing, even though he’s far away, and I’m really happy when the results are going in the right direction.”

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Things are certainly heading in the right direction for Fils in Monte Carlo, who has largely cruised into the last eight.

After coming from a set down to beat Tallon Griekspoor in round one, the 12th seed then breezed past recent Bucharest champion Flavio Cobolli in straight sets before an emphatic 6-2, 6-3 win over seventh seed Andrey Rublev.

Victory over world No 9 Rublev was the seventh top-10 win of his career and his second of 2025, having beaten world No 2 Alexander Zverev in the fourth round of the Miami Open last month.

Now, Fils will look to record another top-10 win and seal one of the biggest triumphs of his career against world No 3 Carlos Alcaraz on Friday.

It will be the first meeting between the two men, with a first Monte Carlo Masters semi-final at stake for both.

Alcaraz battled back from a set down to beat Francisco Cerundolo in his opening match, though he was in scintillating form against Daniel Altmaier in his third-round clash on Thursday.

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Paul Annacone, a former coach of Roger Federer and Pete Sampras, has offered his perspective on Novak Djokovic after the Serbian’s surprise early Monte Carlo exit.

Djokovic struggled badly in a 3-6, 4-6 loss against 32nd-ranked Alejandro Tabilo in the second round of the 2025 Monte Carlo Masters.

It was the tennis great’s third defeat in his opening match at a tournament in 2025 after losses to Matteo Berrettini in Doha and Botic van de Zandschulp in Indian Wells.

The legendary Serb, who was a runner-up at the Miami Open at the end of March, now holds a 12-6 record this season.

Djokovic’s second appearance of the clay season will come at the Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid, which will begin on April 22.

Annacone, who reached a career-high ranking of world No 12 in his playing days, explained why he was not concerned by Djokovic’s Monte Carlo defeat.

“Look, I think the hardest thing is, when you win as much as these all time greats win, you tend to only make news when you lose,” the American told Tennis Channel.

“And Novak now, because he’s not playing that much, he is losing what seems to be an inordinate amount of times.

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“But guess what, the most important thing for players at this stage, in this level, is to periodise, ‘How am I gonna get ready for Roland Garros? How am I gonna get ready for Wimbledon?’

“And guess what, he’s gonna have some of these losses, but because he knows how good he is, he’s not going to panic, his confidence isn’t going to crash, it’s about staying healthy and trying to peak at the right moment.

“So I’ve always believed that you never really want to bet against greats, particularly all time greats in the biggest moments.

“He’s not gonna probably win three and four majors over a couple year span all the time now, but he’s not going to be in every single major. But when the guy wants to play, I’m not betting against him in a big tournament yet.”

Andy Roddick pointed out that the conditions in Monte Carlo made life difficult for Djokovic.

“You know what else is kryptonite for someone who’s 38? Cold, slow and balls that are unresponsive,” the former world No 1 explained.

“We keep referencing him winning on clay in the Olympics last year — it was 90 degrees during parts of the Olympics last year. The ball was jumping, he got a little help. He got no help today in these conditions.”

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Andy Roddick has hit out at those who are calling for Carlos Alcaraz to replace his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero as he claimed expectations should be “reset” after the Big Three era.

Ferrero has been an integral figure in Alcaraz’s development as a player and meteoric rise to the top of the sport.

During an illustrious playing career spanning from 1998 to 2012, Ferrero reached world No 1 and won 16 titles, including the 2003 French Open.

Alcaraz has been coached by Ferrero since he started training at his compatriot’s academy in September 2018, when he was 16.

The Spanish star became the youngest world No 1 in ATP history after winning his maiden Grand Slam title at the 2022 US Open as a 19-year-old.

The 21-year-old, who is currently ranked third, has won a further three majors under Ferrero’s tutelage.

Despite the huge success the pair’s partnership has brought, Ferrero’s role has come under scrutiny from some fans amid a mixed start to the 2025 season for Alcaraz.

Ferrero faced criticism from some quarters for Alcaraz’s tactics in his defeat to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open quarter-finals in January.

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Alcaraz won his only title of the year to date at the Rotterdam Open in February and has since reached the quarter-finals in Doha, semi-finals in Indian Wells and second round in Miami. He is currently competing at the Monte Carlo Masters.

In a discussion on Tennis Channel, Roddick backed Ferrero and argued Alcaraz is being unfairly judged by standards of success set by the dominance of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

“Do you guys remember the crazy times before the Big Three when players didn’t make the finals every week,” said the former world No 1.

“Yeah, we kind of have to reset expectations, and one of [Paul] Annacone’s former charges, Pete Sampras, as great as he was, winner of 14 majors, six year-end No 1’s — he would lose third round sometimes. He just would. He would win one or two majors a year instead of three.

“We have to reset expectations, right? Carlos Alcaraz already has more majors than Andy Murray, he’s halfway towards icons like [Jimmy] Connors, [Andre] Agassi. It’s just absurd what he’s done.

“We need to reset a little bit, and anyone calling for a coaching change doesn’t know anything about coaching.”

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Novak Djokovic shut down concerns about his eye problem and a possible new injury after his loss to world No 32 Alejandro Tabilo at the 2025 Monte Carlo Masters.

The 37-year-old Serbian broke Tabilo in the opening game of the second round contest, but was badly out of sorts thereafter as he slumped to a 3-6, 4-6 defeat.

The 24-time major winner was broken three times by the 27-year-old Chilean, while he struck 29 unforced errors in a match that lasted less than 90 minutes.

Djokovic was playing his first match of the 2025 clay-court season, having been a runner-up in Miami at the end of March at his previous event.

Here is everything Novak Djokovic said to reporters in a brief press conference after his Monte Carlo exit.

Q. It wasn’t the best day in the office for you today…

DJOKOVIC: Best day (laughs)?

Q. Not the best day…

DJOKOVIC: It was actually more like the worst day. Look, I was hoping this is not going to happen, but it was quite a high probability I’m going to play this way. I don’t know, just horrible. Horrible feeling to play this way and I’m just sorry for all the people that have to witness this.”

Q. You have at least one explanation?

DJOKOVIC: I don’t know. I don’t have it. I have it and I don’t have it. I don’t really care.

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Q. Earlier they showed you grabbing your arm on the practice court and someone on your team helping you with it, as well?

DJOKOVIC: No, it’s all good. It’s all good. Just a minor, minor thing.

Q. And is your eye okay?

DJOKOVIC: There’s no injury.

Q. Tough one, I imagine. What’s your goal for this season on clay?

DJOKOVIC: Roland Garros.

Q. Roland Garros? That’s it?

DJOKOVIC: That’s it (smiling).

Q. I understand your mood, but the other day you said you didn’t have expectation, and I was surprised, because you should have always expectations.

DJOKOVIC: Well, I expected myself at least to have put a decent performance. Not like this, I mean this is horrible. I did not have high expectations, really. I knew I’m gonna have a tough opponent, and I knew I’m gonna probably play pretty bad. But this bad… I didn’t expect.

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Novak Djokovic apologised to everyone who had to “witness” his Monte Carlo Masters contest against Alejandro Tabilo after a surprise defeat to the world No 32.

In his first clay-court match of the season, third seed and world No 5 Djokovic was beaten 6-3, 6-4 by Tabilo – a man who had held a underwhelming 3-9 record for 2025 until beating the Serbian.

The Chilean had previously beaten Djokovic in Rome, and is now one of just three men to have played multiple matches against Djokovic without tasting defeat.

Defeat for the 24-time Grand Slam champion extended a poor run in Monte Carlo, with Djokovic having failed to reach the final since winning the title for a second time in 2015.

It also means that the 37-year-old will lose 390 points after failing to match his semi-final run from 2024, putting his hopes of a top-four seeding at the French Open in jeopardy.

Djokovic came into Monte Carlo off the back of a good run at the Miami Open two weeks ago, having reached his first final of the season in Florida.

Many had backed the Serbian to triumph in Monte Carlo ahead of the tournament, though Djokovic admitted before the tournament that a lingering eye infection was impacting his form.

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And, in a damning assessment of his performance against Tabilo, the 37-year-old claimed that he had failed to meet his already low pre-tournament expectations.

“I expected myself at least to have put in a decent performance. Not like this. It was horrible,” Djokovic said.

“I did not have high expectations. I knew I’m going to have a tough opponent and I knew I’m going to probably play pretty bad. But this bad, I didn’t expect.

“I was hoping it was not going to happen, but it was quite a high probability I’m going to play this way. I don’t know. [It was] just horrible.

“A horrible feeling to play this way, and just sorry for all the people that have to witness this.”

Victory for Tabilo follows a battling three-set win over Stan Wawrinka in the opening round, and represents the first time he has recorded back-to-back wins this season.

“It’s been a tough year,” said Tabilo. “So the nerves were there a bit. I tried to remember what I did well last time.

“Thank God I served well today. It helped me a lot to regroup my game after that first game. It was an unreal match I think.”

The Chilean, who has a career-high ranking of 19th, will next face 15th seed Grigor Dimitrov.

Bulgarian star Dimitrov battled from a set down to beat wildcard Valentin Vacherot 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 on Wednesday.

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The post Novak Djokovic reacts after ‘horrible’ Monte Carlo Masters defeat appeared first on Tennis365.

Novak Djokovic has lost a big opportunity to make up ground in the ATP Rankings as he fell to a shock defeat to Alejandro Tabilo in his first match at the 2025 Monte Carlo Masters.

The Serbian was beaten 6-3, 6-4 by Tabilo in the second round of the Masters 1000 tournament.

Djokovic broke the world No 32 in the first game of the match, but lost his own serve in the second and quickly found himself in trouble.

The former world No 1 failed to break Tabilo again in the match, with his only other chances coming late in the second set as his opponent sealed a convincing win.

The 24-time major winner now has a 0-2 record against Tabilo, having lost to the 27-year-old Chilean at last year’s Italian Open.

Tabilo, who held a 3-9 record in 2025 prior to the match, said: “It’s been a tough year. So the nerves were there a bit. I tried to remember what I did well last time.

“Thank God I served well today. It helped me a lot to regroup my game after that first game. It was an unreal match I think.”

On losing his first six matches of the year, Tabilo added: “It’s just been some tough times… personal. But we’ve been trying to take care of it. Match by match we’ve been getting a bit looser. Just so happy now that I’m feeling better.”

Djokovic, the world No 5, arrived in Monte Carlo in good form after reaching the final of the Miami Open, where he lost to Jakub Mensik.

The tennis great’s strong run in Miami improved his prospects of returning to the top four in the rankings — which could be important to his Grand Slam hopes.

This is because the top four seeds cannot play each other until the semi-finals at any tournament, which tends to be advantageous.

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At the Australian Open, a seventh-seeded Djokovic had to face Carlos Alcaraz in the last eight, and although he won the match, it certainly made his route harder.

Djokovic, the world No 5, had a great chance to close the gap to world No 4 Taylor Fritz in Monte Carlo as the American pulled out of the event.

However, the 37-year-old will finish the tournament 1,160 points adrift of the American after being only 770 behind at the start.

This is because Djokovic reached the semi-finals in Monte Carlo in 2024 and he will, therefore, drop 390 points due to his second round exit this time.

The Serbian was on the same side of the Monte Carlo draw as top seed Alexander Zverev, who lost his first match on Tuesday.

Djokovic will have further opportunities at the Masters 1000 tournaments in Madrid and Rome, while Fritz is set to play the ATP 500 tournament in Munich next week.

READ NEXT: The 5 men with the most wins from their first 100 clay matches: ft. Alcaraz and Nadal

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Novak Djokovic’s latest attempt at winning a 100th ATP Tour title has ended at the first hurdle.

The fifth seed was stunned in straight sets in his opening match at the Monte Carlo Masters, falling 6-3, 6-4 to world No 32 Alejandro Tabilo.

Victory for Tabilo extends a significant run in Monte Carlo for the Chilean, who battled past another former champion – Stan Wawrinka – in the first round.

And, it also maintains his perfect record against Djokovic.

Tabilo has played the former world No 1 twice and has won both times, making him one of just three men to play Djokovic multiple times – and never taste defeat.

Alejandro Tabilo (2-0)

Former world No 19 Tabilo has faced Djokovic on clay the past two years – and has beaten the Serbian on both occasions.

The Chilean dominated Djokovic when they met at the Italian Open last May, breezing past the six-time Rome champion with a 6-2, 6-3 third-round victory over the then-world No 1.

Despite that, Tabilo was a significant underdog heading into this clash; he had a disappointing 3-9 record for 2025 before this match, while Djokovic came in off reaching the Miami Open final.

However, in a match not too dissimilar from their Rome encounter almost 12 months ago, Tabilo made a flat Djokovic pay with another impressive straight-sets victory.

Marat Safin (2-0)

Perhaps the least surprising name on this list is Safin, a former world No 1 and two-time Grand Slam champion at the peak of his powers.

The Russian won the second of his two Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open in 2005 – and beat Djokovic on his way to glory.

Having come through qualifying to make his Grand Slam main draw debut, a 17-year-old Djokovic was drawn against Safin in round one – and was thrashed 6-0, 6-2, 6-1.

Three years later, the two met in the second round of Wimbledon – and this time the Serbian was the favourite to win.

Djokovic was the third seed and the reigning Australian Open champion, while Safin had fallen down the rankings.

However, the Russian channelled past glories with a scintillating display, stunning the world No 3 6-4, 7-6(3), 6-2, ultimately going on to reach the last four.

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Jiri Vesely (2-0)

In one of the craziest stats in tennis history, Vesely – a man who has never been ranked inside the top 30 of the ATP Rankings – has a perfect 2-0 record against the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

Much like with Tabilo, one of Vesely’s two wins over Djokovic came in the second round of Monte Carlo.

Nine years ago, Djokovic came into the 2016 Monte Carlo Masters as the reigning champion and as a dominant world No 1 – only to be stunned 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 by the Czech in his opener.

Six years later, the two met for a second time, and once again it was Vesely who proved to be a surprise victor.

The former world No 35 defeated Djokovic 6-4, 7-6(4) in the quarter-final of the Dubai Tennis Championships, the most recent meeting between the two.

Djokovic and Vesely were set to face off in the second round of the 2016 US Open, though the Czech was forced to withdraw pre-match.

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Carlos Alcaraz brushed off a shaky start in his first match of the clay season to earn a convincing victory over Francisco Cerundolo at the 2025 Monte Carlo Masters.

The four-time major champion prevailed 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 against Cerundolo on Court Rainier III in the second round of the Masters 1000 tournament.

Alcaraz looked in trouble in the opening game of the second set as he had to fend off two break points, but he dropped just one game thereafter as he blew the world No 22 off the court.

“Well, I didn’t start well,” the Spaniard admitted in his on-court interview. “I just wanted to get the good pace at the beginning of the match, but I think I made a lot of mistakes.

“I think I let him play inside the court, dominate the points, so I was more in the defensive part.

“So after the first set, I just knew that I had to do something else. I had to play more aggressively, I had to play my own tennis. I just enjoy that tennis, you know, drop shots, going to the net, playing more aggressive. I think I did it pretty well.

“I think the first and the most important adjustment was the return. I just tried to return more close to the line, just pushing him to defence [on] the first ball, and after that, playing good shots and dominate the game. I think I did it pretty well.”

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After his victory, Alcaraz expressed his appreciation for this period of the tennis season as he wrote “I missed clay” on the camera lens.

Carlos Alcaraz signs the camera after beating Cerundolo in Monte Carlo:

“I missed clay!” pic.twitter.com/VCD8JvC69S

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) April 9, 2025

Asked where he ranks clay on his list of favourite surfaces, Alcaraz said: “I don’t know. I always say that, until now, I always put it (clay) second, I prefer to play on hard-court.

“Right now, I don’t know, I’m gonna put it first. I just missed the clay season, yeah, since the Olympic Games that I haven’t played on clay.

“And I think I love this part of the year, I love watching the matches here on clay, I grew up playing on this surface. So I’m gonna put it [number] 1, first (smiles).”

The world No 3 will play 84th-ranked Daniel Altmaier in the third round.

READ NEXT: Carlos Alcaraz identifies what is ‘not fair’ as he responds to harsh criticism of his form

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Emma Raducanu has opted to take a short break from tennis following her impressive run to the quarter-finals of the Miami Open and her clay-court plans are now being firmed up.

Raducanu pulled out of Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup ties in the Netherlands this week and next week’s WTA 250 tournament in Rouen, France, as she looked to take a few days away from competitive action after a long run in Miami.

There was some uncertainty over when Raducanu would return to action, with some suggestions that she would look to play her first event of the clay-court campaign in Madrid later in April.

Raducanu’s name is still on the entry list for the Madrid Open, which gets underway on April 22, and now her name has appeared on the list of competitors for the Italian Open in Rome, which starts on May 6.

The 2021 US Open champion turned in a poor performance as she lost in the first round in Madrid last year and she was forced to retire in the only match she played in Rome back in 2022.

There will be 1,000 ranking points up for grabs for the winner in Madrid and Rome, with big hauls also available to players who enjoy a deep run in the competition.

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With just 108 ranking points to defend during the clay-court season, Raducanu has a great chance to climb the WTA Rankings, with her absence from last year’s French Open giving her a real chance to leap the list if she can make progress at Roland Garros.

While the 22-year-old lacks experience on clay courts, she turned in some impressive performances on the red dirt while playing for Great Britain in last year’s Bille Jean King Cup in France and she will be a player to watch over the next few weeks if she can find a winning formula on an unfamiliar surface.

After being heavily criticised for not playing enough tournaments in 2024, Raducanu has had a much more active schedule this year, with former British No 1 Tim Henman backing her decision-making on her schedule this year.

“If she can stay healthy and competes a lot, the results will come because she’s that good,” said Sky Sports Tennis analyst Henman.

“If she wasn’t good enough, you’d say she has to pick her tournaments and play some weaker events. With Emma, if she stays healthy, I’m convinced the results will follow.

“I never thought it was about her level. When she has played, her level has always been very good, but if you look at the breakdown of her ranking last year, I think she played 33 matches and 11 of them were on grass.

“When you look at the other 10 months of the year, to have only played 22 matches is so few. She is aware of that, I’m sure, and she will get a coach at the right moment, but for me, the physical work she is doing is most significant.

“I’ve always been a big, big advocate of playing matches. I always played a lot of matches and Emma is right to do that now.

“She talks about having fun and being authentic, which gives her the opportunity to express herself on the court. That being said, she does it differently. She is very comfortable. She’s changed coaches.

“That’s not necessarily what everyone else likes to do, but she’s comfortable changing that up.

“But for me, as Marion touched upon, building physical resilience, I think is the most important thing. That is what has been lacking because she’s almost had her career back to front, qualifying and winning that Grand Slam without really the physical foundation. Her body was breaking down when she was in competition.

“I think the big positive this year is that she’s been able to compete more consistently and hopefully the results are going to come.”

It should be noted that even though Raducanu’s name appears on the entry list for the WTA 1000 tournaments in Madrid and Rome, she could still opt to withdraw if she decides she needs more time away from the game.

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