Author: admin

If Emma Raducanu needs any inspiration as she prepares for a crucial few weeks in her career, the stunning rise of Jack Draper should remind her how glorious this game can be.

Back in November 2019, the Amazon Prime Video Future Talent Award saw Raducanu and Draper handed £60,000 after they were identified as the brightest young junior players bursting through the ranks in British tennis.

Raducanu and Draper were photographed standing alongside Andy Murray as the donation was announced and back then, it was young Jack who may have been the most likely prospect to make a big breakthrough in the game.

He had enjoyed a run to the Junior Wimbledon final the year before and he was seen as one of the brightest prospects in the game.

Raducanu was still very much a player for the future, but the world knew all about her less than two years later as she was crowned as US Open champion in what was one of the greatest sports stories of all-time.

More Tennis News

Emma Raducanu had made a ‘significant’ improvement since adding Mark Petechy to her coaching team

Emma Raducanu’s success inspiring a new generation of British hopefuls

“What Emma did was incredibly inspiring,” said Draper of Raducanu’s US Open win. ”I’ve known her from a young age and to see what she did was incredible. I was very proud of her, very excited, watching it thinking, obviously we’ve watched the likes of Andy Murray winning a Grand Slam from Great Britain, but her winning, it was just really a fairytale run.

“I definitely think as a competitor, it fuelled my fire. I really wanted to achieve what she’d done, winning a grand slam.”

Draper has yet to have his own Grand Slam moment, but his story was remarkably similar to that of Raducanu for the 18 months after her US Open win.

Injuries were a constant theme for the British duo as they struggled to adapt to the physical demands of life on the senior tour, with fleeting moments of hope interspersed with lay-offs that left questions over whether either could make it in the unforgiving tennis world.

Those questions started to evaporate for Draper as he proved he was a big-time player at the same venue where Raducanu won the US Open, as he reached the semi-final at Flushing Meadows last year.

He has kicked on from there to win his first Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells in March, bursting into the top 10 of the ATP Rankings in the process.

Now he will be a top five player when the rankings are updated on Monday after his thrilling run of success at the Madrid Open and he will head into the French Open and Wimbledon this summer as a live contender to lift both titles.

Raducanu is not in that position, despite some kind of wins and an impressive run to the quarter-finals of the WTA 1000 tournament in Miami in March.

Her performances in that event in Florida fuelled the belief that she could be a contender for the biggest titles in tennis once again, but she lost some of the momentum she appeared to be building up when she opted to take time away from tennis after building up that momentum attracted some predictable criticism.

Right now, the harsh truth must be that Draper has built himself into a player who can sustain success on the ATP Tour, but Raducanu is viewed a player who can threaten the best when she is fit and motivated… and those occasions are not frequent enough for her to be considered a contender for the biggest prizes in the women’s game.

This fine young player has the talent to silence all of her doubters as the tennis year enters its most significant phase, with the French Open and Wimbledon offering one of the most captivating players in the women’s game a stage to prove she can match Draper and thrive at the top of the sport.

Raducanu will always be a Grand Slam champion and while her critics like to suggest that win was something of a sporting fluke, the story she created in New York back in 2021 will always ensure she has a special place in tennis folklore.

If that is Raducanu’s only lasting legacy in tennis, it will be a fine one, as it inspired young girls around the world to pick up a racket and believe the impossible could be turned into reality.

If she can now add more glorious moments to her tennis story and join Draper as a consistent winner, Raducanu’s status in the sport will move to the next level.

READ NEXT: ATP Rankings Winners & Losers Madrid Open: Boosts for Draper, Musetti, Ruud as Zverev and Djokovic stumble

The post Emma Raducanu can draw inspiration from Jack Draper as she faces similar obstacles appeared first on Tennis365.

Jack Draper continues his stunning rise up the ATP Rankings following his run to the Madrid Open final, but Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic stumbled yet again.

With Jannik Sinner assured of remaining at No 1 until after the French Open and Carlos Alcaraz missing his home ATP Masters tournament due to injury, Zverev had an opportunity to edge slightly closer to Sinner while also opening a bigger gap between himself and Alcaraz.

Andrey Rublev won the title in 2024 when he defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime in the final so both men had a lot on the spell going into the 2025 tournament while Djokovic had an opportunity to move up to No 4.

ATP Top 10 Before Madrid Open

1. Jannik Sinner 9,930
2. Alexander Zverev 8,085
3. Carlos Alcaraz 8,050
4. Taylor Fritz 5,115
5. Novak Djokovic 4,120
6. Jack Draper 3,820
7. Alex de Minaur 3,585
8. Andrey Rublev 3,530
9. Holger Rune 3,480
10. Daniil Medvedev 3,290

Zverev, though, failed miserably in his quest as he was dumped out in the round of 16 by Francisco Cerundolo. As a result, he missed the opportunity to make a dent into Sinner’s points lead while Alcaraz is also still within touching distance despite not featuring in Madrid.

Sinner and Alcaraz dropped 200 points each so there is not much of a swing between the top three as the status quo will remain.

In fact, the top four will remain unchanged as Taylor Fritz will remain at No 4 even if Jack Draper wins the tournament.

ATP News

2025 Italian Open: Will Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Emma Raducanu, Alex Eala play? Draw dates, top seeds…

Novak Djokovic could face Jannik Sinner before French Open if he makes schedule change

Draper, though, is already assured of reaching a new career-high of No 5 thanks to his run to the final as he has 4,440 points and will move to 4,790 if he beats Casper Ruud in the final with Djokovic down one spot to No 6.

Ruud has had a +5 boost as he will return to the top 10 while he will jump as high as No 7 if he defeats Draper.

Lorenzo Musetti is the new name in the top 10 as the Italian has made his breakthrough after reaching the semi-final of the ATP Masters 1000 event before losing against Draper.

The 23-year-old’s previous career-best of 11 was achieved on the back of finishing runner-up to Alcaraz at the Monte-Carlo Masters in April.

ATP Top 10 Live Rankings

1. Jannik Sinner 9,730
2. Alexander Zverev 8,085
3. Carlos Alcaraz 7,850
4. Taylor Fritz 4,815
5. Jack Draper 4,440/4,790 (+1)
6. Novak Djokovic 4,130 (-1)
7. Alex de Minaur 3,635
8. Lorenzo Musetti 3,550 (+3)
9. Holger Rune 3,440
10. Casper Ruud – 3,365/3,715 (+5)

Rublev is the big loser in the top 10 as he will slide nine places to No 17 following his third-round defeat to Alexander Bublik.

Big Winners Outside Top 10

Francisco Cerundolo will be rewarded with a new career-high as he will climb three places to No 18 following his run to the last four of the Madrid Open.

Matteo Arnaldi stunned Djokovic in the second and the Italian will move up seven places to No 37 – seven spots below his previous best – after losing in the quarter-final.

Great Britain’s Jacob Fearnley came through qualifying and beat Bu Yunchaokete in the first round and 18th seed Tomas Machac in the second round. He will be up to a new high of No 58 on Monday after jumping 10 places.

But the biggest success story in the top 100 comes from Gabriel Diallo as the unseeded Canadian lost in qualifying, but then got a lucky loser’s spot and ended up reaching the quarter-final.

The 23-year-old will surge 24 places to a career-high No 58.

Big Losers Outside Top 10

Stefanos Tsitsipas didn’t lose too many places after losing in round of 32 as he is down one spot, but he is now close to exiting the top 20 as he sits at No 19.

Last year’s runner-up Auger-Aliassime did drop out of the top 20 as he is down eight places after losing in the second round while 2024 semi-finalist Jiri Lehecka slumps 11 places to No 38 after he also lost in the round of 64.

The post ATP Rankings Winners & Losers Madrid Open: Boosts for Draper, Musetti, Ruud as Zverev and Djokovic stumble appeared first on Tennis365.

Novak Djokovic’s decision to pull out of next week’s Rome Masters appeared to suggest he was happy to go into the French Open with just two clay court defeats on his record for this season, but he has a chance to put that right.

Djokovic’s defeat against Alejandro Tabilo in Monte Carlo and his loss against Matteo Arnaldi in his first match at the Madrid Open set alarm bells ringing louder than ever as a player who will toast his 38th birthday this month admitted he may be running out of time to win a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title.

“Kind of new reality for me, I have to say,” said Djokovic after the defeat against Arnaldi.

“You know, trying to win a match or two, not really thinking about getting far in the tournament. It’s a completely different feeling from what I had in 20-plus years of professional tennis, so it’s kind of a challenge for me mentally to really face this kind of sensation on the court, going out early now regularly in the tournaments.

“I guess, the circle of life and the career (smiling), eventually it was going to happen. Now I’m trying to, you know, use this as a driving force for the future. Obviously, Grand Slams, I was saying many times, are the most important tournaments for me.

More Tennis News

Novak Djokovic backed to ‘turn it on’ and win a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title

‘I still don’t feel it’s enough for me’ – Novak Djokovic makes telling motivation comment

“Which doesn’t mean that I don’t want to win here, of course I wanted to, but Grand Slams are where I really want to play the best tennis. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to do that in Roland Garros, but I’ll do my best.”

Djokovic may have been wise to step away from the game for a few weeks, with his motivation to play in regular ATP Tour events waning for some time now.

Yet he faced a similar scenario last year and came up with an unexpected solution.

While his performances in Monte Carlo and Madrid were not quite as poor as they were this year, Djokovic felt the need to get more matches on clay under his belt before heading to Roland Garros and opted to enter the ATP 250 tournament in Geneva.

The three matches he played in that event in Switzerland gave him some momentum heading into the second Grand Slam of the year and he got through to the quarter-finals in Paris before being forced to pull out with an injury.

Djokovic could follow a similar path this year and he could also enter the ATP 500 event in Hamburg in the same week when the Geneva tournament is being played.

World No 1 Jannik Sinner has entered Hamburg as he looks to build up match practice following his three-month drug ban, with the prospect of Djokovic not playing any more matches ahead of Roland Garros a gamble he should avoid taking.

“Pressure is part of the sport and part of what we do on this highest level, so it’s never going to go away, it’s just a different kind of pressure now,” he added in his final comments before he left Madrid.

“Every time I step on the court I feel the nerves, I feel stress, I feel everything that I guess all the other players feel, and excitement as well. So, still like to compete, it became a bit more challenging for me, to be honest.

“Of course, I’ll do my best for the future. Grand Slam, I’m not going into Roland Garros as one of the main favourites. Maybe that can help, I don’t know, we’ll see.”

Taylor Fritz has also confirmed he will play in Hamburg so Djokovic could face strong opposition if he decides to play one more clay court event before his assault on another Roland Garros title.

READ NEXT: Novak Djokovic takes a huge Roland Garros gamble with major announcement

The post Novak Djokovic could face Jannik Sinner before French Open if he makes schedule change appeared first on Tennis365.

The Italian Open is the final ATP and WTA 1000 event before the 2025 French Open and it is usually a key indicator of what to expect at the clay-court Grand Slam at Roland Garros.

The joint-ATP-WTA event will once again be staged at Foro Italico in Rome in what will be the 82nd edition of the tournament in the Italian capital. The men’s and women’s tournaments were held separately before it became a combined event in 2011.

When does the 2025 Italian Open take place?

The women’s tournament will start on Tuesday, May 6 while the men’s competition gets underway a day later on May 7.

For the women, this is the second and final WTA 1000 event on clay after the Madrid Open while for the men it’s their third Masters 1000 event on the red dirt with the Monte Carlo Masters and Madrid Open preceding the Italian tournament on the ATP Tour calendar.

Please tell us more about the draw…

The draw for both the ATP and WTA events is set for Monday, May 5 with the ceremony set to kick off at 11:00 local time.

Both tournaments are 96-player singles draw events and the cut-off for direct entries via the respective rankings was 71 on the women’s side and 78 on the men’s side.

Five players have been handed wildcards for the ATP tournament and eight for the WTA event. Twelve players (both ATP and WTA) will earn entry into the main draw via qualifiers while a few have entered via their protected rankings.

Tennis News

WTA Rankings Winners & Losers Madrid Open: Gauff rises, Swiatek & Pegula suffer blows, Sabalenka dominant

Novak Djokovic backed to ‘turn it on’ and win a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title

Who are IN and who are OUT at the 2025 Italian Open?

The biggest news ahead of the tournament is the return of world No 1 Jannik Sinner as it will be his first event back following his three-month suspension.

This will also be his first competitive event since he defeated Alexander Zverev in the Australian Open final on January 26.

For now, Carlos Alcaraz is also IN, but there are still doubts over the Spaniard’s fitness as he recently missed the Madrid Open due to a leg injury.

World No 6 Novak Djokovic is OUT as he has opted to skip the tournament in order to focus on the French Open.

On the WTA side, reigning Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova is the biggest casualty as the world No 16 remains sidelined with a back injury.

The top 32 players in the current WTA Rankings have all entered while Grand Slam winners Emma Raducanu and Naomi Osaka’s positions in the rankings were good enough for direct entries.

Rising star Alex Eala just missed the cut-off as she is outside the top 70 in the WTA Rankings, but she is second on the alternate list after Caroline Dolehide.

American Dolehide has already been moved into the main draw after Krejcikova’s withdrawal so Eala is next on the list and should feature at the WTA 1000 event.

Who are the seeded players for the 2025 event?

The top 32 players in the world will be seeded for the event, but there is a difference in the systems being used by the ATP and WTA.

The ATP seedings will be based on the ATP Rankings from May 5 while the WTA seeds are based on April 21’s rankings, which means Coco Gauff will be seeded fourth even if she wins the Madrid Open.

Top 10 seeds for WTA event:

Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, Madison Keys, Jasmine Paolini, Mirra Andreeva, Zheng Qinwen, Paola Badosa and Emma Navarro.

Top 10 seeds for ATP event (based on Live Rankings):

Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Jack Draper, Alex de Minaur, Lorenzo Musetti, Holger Rune, Casper Ruud and Daniil Medvedev.

What happened at the 2024 edition of the Italian Open?

Iga Swiatek won the second leg of her clay-court hat-trick as she followed up her Madrid Open title with the Italian Open crown before going on to win the 2024 French Open. She beat Aryna Sabalenka in the final to claim her third trophy in Rome.

In the men’s draw, Alexander Zverev won his second Italian Open title as he beat surprise finalist Nicolas Jarry in the final.

Defending champion Daniil Medvedev and six-time winner and top seed Novak Djokovic both lost early while Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz missed the tournament due to injury.

The post 2025 Italian Open: Will Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Emma Raducanu, Alex Eala play? Draw dates, top seeds… appeared first on Tennis365.

A well-known tennis journalist as launched a passionate defence of Iga Swiatek as well as Novak Djokovic following their Madrid Open exits as he revealed that “both are going through a complicated period”.

Swiatek endured a difficult title defence at the WTA 1000 tournament as she needed three sets to beat teenager Alex Eala in the second round, also went the distance against Daria Schnaider in the last 16 and was bagelled by Madison Keys in the opening set of their quarter-final before bouncing back to win three sets.

She was then humbled by world No 4 Coco Gauff in the semi-final as she suffered an extraordinary collapse as the American won 6-1, 6-1 in what was one of the five-time Grand Slam winner’s worst defeats.

“I couldn’t really get my level up,” Swiatek admitted after the match. “Coco played good, but, yeah, I think it’s, you know, on me that I didn’t really move well, I wasn’t ready to play back the shots with heaviness, and, yeah, with that kind of game like, yeah, it was pretty bad. ”

Djokovic, meanwhile, crashed out in the second round as he was beaten in straight sets by the unseeded Matteo Arnaldi with the defeat coming just a fortnight after he also lost early at the Monte Carlo Masters.

Journalist Benoit Maylin was the first to confirm that both tennis stars are dealing with incredibly difficult life issues away from the court as he wrote on social media platform X: “Before burying Djokovic and Swiatek after Novak’s strange behavior and Iga’s apparent nervousness, it should be noted that both are going through a complicated period.

“Several of Djoko’s close friends have health problems, and Iga lost his grandfather just before the tournament.”

Tennis News

Iga Swiatek may miss the grass-court season in favour of an extended rest period

Novak Djokovic backed to ‘turn it on’ and win a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title

Fellow journalist Michał Chojecki has revealed that Swiatek’s communications manager Daria Sulgostowska has confirmed that the world No 2 flew to Poland after her elimination from the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart on April 19 to attend the funeral.

She then travelled back to Madrid to prepare for the WTA 1000 event.

“I asked Iga Swietek’s team if the information given by this journalist about the death of Iga’s grandfather is true. Daria Sulgostowska confirms. Iga was at the funeral before the tournament,” Chojecki wrote.

Swiatek’s next tournament is her title defence at the Italian Open while Djokovic has decided to withdraw from the ATP Masters 1000 event with his next tournament the French Open.

There have been reports that Swiatek will take an extended break after Roland Garros and skip the grass-court season, including Wimbledon, following a difficult couple of months, but the Pole is yet to confirm her plans after the clay-court campaign.

The post Iga Swiatek and Novak Djokovic going through ‘complicated period’ with heartbreaking news about Pole ‘true’ appeared first on Tennis365.

Jack Draper’s stunning run of form in 2025 continued as he turned in another powerful performance to seal his place in the Madrid Open final.

The British No 1 beat Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 7-6[4] in a high-quality contest to book a place against Norway’s Casper Ruud in Sunday’s final, where he bids for a second Masters title in two months after his win in Indian Wells in March.

This would also be Draper’s first clay court title, with the young Brit leaping up to to No 2 in the ATP Race, which charts form over the course of the calendar year.

The win against Musetti saw Draper rise above Alexander Zverev in the ATP Race, with only Carlos Alcaraz now ahead of him in a ranking that will determine the eight players who will qualify for the prestigious ATP Finals in November.

Draper’s appearance in the Madrid final will also cement his place at No 5 in the official ATP Rankings when they are updated on Monday.

More Tennis News

Jack Draper joins Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas in criticising new Masters 1000 format

Jannik Sinner ‘hate’ over drug ban is not justified claims top 10 rival in outspoken comments

Once again, the 23-year-old was hugely impressive as he overcame Musetti, with his power-packed game blowing his rival away in the first set.

He then had to dig deep to come through the second set tie-break when Musetti was threatening, with Draper relieved to get over the line.

“I felt I went a bit passive in moments and at this level against that calibre of opponent, he is not going to let you off the hook,” Draper told Sky Sports Tennis.

“I think I did a great job changing tactically – serve-volleying and being a bit more on the front foot.

“In these moments now, I am thinking about all the pain I go through on a daily basis on the practice court, in strength and conditioning, all the sacrifices. I try and remember why I do it.

“It’s points like those where I have to push myself a bit more and be the braver person.”

Looking ahead to the final against Ruud, he added: “Ruud is a two-time French Open finalist and very accustomed to the clay. A big pro, always gives his best so that will be real, real challenge, but I am ready after beating someone like Lorenzo [Musetti]. I feel confident to give it my all and physically I feel good.

“I came through some five-setters at the Australian Open earlier in the year when not at my best and that has stayed in my memory.”

Draper’s optimism was contrasted by concern for Ruud, who admitted he was struggling with an injury as he beat Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo 6-4, 7-5.

“I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to finish the match, honestly. I felt something in my rib during the warm-up, just towards the end before going out (on court),” Ruud said.

“I felt it in nearly every shot, especially the serve. Luckily, I got some quick treatment on it. There’s not too much you can do, you only have three minutes (with the physio). So I will go and check it out more now.

“Hopefully it’s nothing too bad, it was quite sharp,. Not an ideal start, but I managed to keep it together and play some really good tennis when I had to.”

Draper will move to just 25 points behind world No 4 Taylor Fritz in the ATP Rankings if he beat Ruud in the final.

With Draper having no ranking points to defend at next week’s Rome Masters and Fritz defending 200 points from his run to the quarter-finals in that tournament last year, it now seems likely that the young Brit will be in the top four of the ATP Rankings heading into the French Open at Roland Garros later this month.

READ NEXT: Jack Draper joins Rafael Nadal in remarkable statistic after reaching Madrid last 4

The post Jack Draper up to No 2 in key ATP ranking after booking his spot in the Madrid Open final appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz has been back on the practice court after of what would be a surprise appearance at the Rome Masters and his speedy return could have a huge impact on the French Open.

Alcaraz looked set to miss the final ATP Masters 1000 clay court event ahead of the French Open after he pulled out of this week’s tournament in Madrid due to injury.

The world No 3 picked up the injury in the Barcelona Open final against Holger Rune last month, with the decision to pull out of the Madrid Masters coming after a scan a few days later.

Despite his disappointment at missing out on a Masters tournament on home soil, Alcaraz posted an upbeat assessment of his hopes of defending his French Open title in Roland Garros later this month.

“I don’t want to get ahead of myself, I don’t want to take anything for granted, but I think we’ll be confident for Roland Garros and we’re going to try to be in Rome,” said Alcaraz.

More Tennis News

Carlos Alcaraz sends out a big injury update ahead of a potential Jannik Sinner showdown in Rome

Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev slammed for ‘disastrous’ form during Jannik Sinner’s absence

“I also noticed an issue in my left leg when I had tests on Tuesday. I’ve been waiting, talking with my team, with the doctors, to see if I’d be able to play in good condition and without a job here in Madrid. I’ve done everything possible, everything in my power to make that happen, but things haven’t improved.

“I’m not really worried about it,” he said. “I believe it’s going to take one week, one week and a half, two weeks maximum, but I won’t have doubts about coming back and moving 100% again.”

Video footage of Alcaraz practising with his coaching team in Spain suggest he is weighing up the prospect of playing in Rome and that could be hugely significant looking ahead to the French Open.

With world No 2 Alexander Zverev the defending champion in Rome, he will be defending 1,000 ranking points in the Italian capital and he may need to defend the title to hang on to his ranking.

If Alcaraz were to win a few matches in Rome, Zverev’s hopes of heading into the French Open as world No 2 may be taken out of Zverev’s hands and that would be important ahead of the Roland Garros draw.

Alcaraz and world No 1 Sinner shared the Grand Slam titles between them last year and they will be the firm favourites to lift the title in Paris.

If Alcaraz is still ranked at No 3, there is a chance the ‘Big 2’ in men’s tennis could meet in the semi-finals in Roland Garros.

If he can move past Zverev in the rankings, he would have a path back to another French Open final that would not involve a match-up against Sinner.

There are big question marks over how the Italian will perform as he makes his return to tennis following an uncomfortable time away from the sport, but his dominance at the top of the rankings confirms he will be a contender at Roland Garros.

If Sinner and Alcaraz are not in the same half of the draw in Paris, the tennis world could get the dream final between the two great rivals who could dominate the men’s game for years to come.

READ NEXT: Carlos Alcaraz’s first coach on why leaving the Spaniard’s team was ‘the best decision’ he ever made

The post Carlos Alcaraz could be set to secure a massive French Open rankings boost appeared first on Tennis365.

Casper Ruud says he will get an injury ‘checked’ before the 2025 Madrid Masters final after experiencing rib discomfort during his semi-final match.

The Norwegian defeated Francisco Cerundolo 6-4, 7-5 to reach a second clay-court final at Masters 1000 level.

However, despite the accolade, Ruud received treatment from the tournament physio after just three games and appeared in significant pain.

“I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to finish the match, honestly,” admitted Ruud.

“I felt something in my rib during the warm up, just towards the end before going out [on court], and I felt it in nearly every shot, especially the serve.

“Luckily, I got some quick treatment on it. There’s not too much you can do, you only have three minutes [with the physio]. So I will go and check it out more now.

“I got a couple of painkillers, which is not the ideal thing, but at the same time in a situation like this, you have to do that now and then.

I was able to just play one game at a time really. It was easing and getting better as the match went on.”

His semi-final victory also ensured that the former world No 2 will return to the ATP top 10 after leaving the elite group two weeks ago – when he failed to defend his finalist points at the Monte-Carlo Masters.

Latest ATP News

Carlos Alcaraz’s first coach on why leaving the Spaniard’s team was ‘the best decision’ he ever made

Novak Djokovic backed to ‘turn it on’ and win a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title

Cerundolo had defeated Ruud in their last two meetings, including at the most recent edition of the Miami Open, but it was the latter’s ‘clutchness’ which proved fatal for the Argentine as he failed to convert on 15 of his 18 break points.

“Honestly, I went out today thinking I was a little bit of an underdog because he really slapped me around on the court in Miami a few weeks ago, and that’s not long ago, so I had no chance against him,” joked Ruud.

“Of course, clay, it’s a little slower, it sets off my shots a little better, my shots will be more effective than on a hard court but he’s become a really, really great player and competitor no matter the surface.

“It’s not like just because it’s clay I’m going to win every time, he beat me on clay a couple of times already also. I just tried to seek my revenge.

“I went yesterday and rewatched our match from the [2024 Paris] Olympics, that was the last match that I won against him and it was on clay so I kind of had that match in my mind and realised here in Madrid, it’s a little faster and anything can happen.”

If Ruud manages to win Sunday’s showpiece match, he will become the first Norwegian to win a Masters 1000 singles title since the category was introduced in 1990. In that final, he will face either Jack Draper or Lorenzo Musetti.

The post Casper Ruud puts Madrid final participation in doubt as he admits to ‘not ideal’ injury appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Santos, the first coach of Carlos Alcaraz, has revealed that he left the Spaniard’s team after a ‘small dispute’ within the camp.

Santos, who coached Alcaraz from the age of five to 12, has been promoting his book ‘Alcaraz: The Forging of the Champion’ [translated from Spanish] in which he discusses the early upbringing of the four-time Grand Slam champion.

“Especially at that stage from the age of 5 to 12, I dedicated myself, body and soul, to Carlitos,” Santos stated, in a recent interview with Punto de Break, translated from Spanish.

“Not only in terms of tennis, but also in physical preparation, nutrition, I travelled with him, I studied with him, not only the work on the court but all the management that existed around it.

“He [Alcaraz’s father] read it [the book] and congratulated me, he liked it, but he didn’t tell me to remove or add anything, he just said that.”

Former Spanish world No 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero has often been credited for the world No 3’s rise to the tennis elite, working with Alcaraz since he was 16-years-old.

However, it was Santos who taught the Spaniard the basics which have provided the foundation of his current game – with a ‘slight’ being observed by the childhood coach.

“No, I don’t think [I have been given enough recognition],” Santos admitted.

“I explain this issue well in the book, I tell what is the real reason why I stop training Carlitos. This did not sit very well with his father, from then on our relationship cooled down a little.

“Over the years it recovers again, but as a result of the book we distance ourselves again. I don’t know, I think I should be in another position, in the end, I have done everything I could for that child, to the point of changing my personal and professional situation.”

Latest ATP News

Carlos Alcaraz sends out a big injury update ahead of potential Jannik Sinner showdown in Rome

‘I still don’t feel it’s enough for me’ – Novak Djokovic makes telling motivation comment

Whilst he doesn’t reveal the exact details as to why he left the team, a contributing factor seems to have been the addition of a new member who carried with them the promise of an important sponsor.

“That [new] person does not join for what he or she could contribute, but for bringing a sponsor,” Santos commented.

“When he joins the team, he doesn’t take on that role for coming to help, but the father turns a little to him at first, until he realises that what he wants next to his son is a coach, but – before that – he had to control the sponsor.

“I don’t step aside just because that person comes, but it’s true that at that moment there is a small dispute to see who gets it [the job], although the father was clear about it.

“In the end, I ended up walking away from the project because I wanted something more than a handshake, something firmer.”

Alcaraz is next scheduled to appear at the Rome Masters.

The post Carlos Alcaraz’s first coach on why leaving the Spaniard’s team was ‘the best decision’ he ever made appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz was widely expected to miss next week’s Rome Masters tournament after he was forced to pull out of this week’s ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid.

Yet footage has emerged of Alcaraz back on court, with his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero working alongside him in images that have raised hopes he could be fit to play in the final ATP Masters 1000 warm-up event ahead of the defence of his French Open title at Roland Garros.

Alcaraz appeared to be moving well in the footage posted on Instagram by Christopher Boudames, who had a chance to meet his idol as he trained at the Ferrero Tennis Academy in Spain.

The world No 3 picked up the injury that kept him out of the Madrid tournament during his defeat against Holger Rune in the final of last month’s Barcelona Open and he was open about the nature of the problem as he spoke to the media. “In the Barcelona final I felt something in the left hamstring, I didn’t think that it was that serious,” Alcaraz said.

“I’m really disappointed that I’m not able to play here in Madrid. It is a place that I love playing in front of my people, in front of my family, my friends. They are not able to travel so much, so here is a special place for me. “It was a really difficult situation, really difficult to decide, not [being] able to play. I think it is what it is. Tennis is really a demanding sport.

More Tennis News

Why Carlos Alcaraz may have delayed his decision to withdraw from Madrid Open

Novak Djokovic compares Carlos Alcaraz to ‘Big 3’ in lavish comments

“Playing week after week, so many matches in a row and you have to heal your body sometimes and take difficult decisions. I will come back stronger. I will come back with a lot of power for the next tournaments. I’m really disappointed [to] not be playing here in Madrid.”

Carlos treinando hoje (02) em Murcia.

️ | christopherboudames via instagram story pic.twitter.com/AQr1axpOwh

— Carlos Alcaraz Brasil (@carlosalcarazbr) May 2, 2025

He went on to suggest he still intended to play in Rome as he added:  “My plan is to go to Rome. My mindset is to do everything it takes to be 100 per cent for Rome. I will do some tests at the beginning of next week just to see how it’s improved and from that let’s see how it’s going to be in the next days.

My hope is to play in Rome. If not, the next tournament is Roland Garros for me. So I will try to be on court as soon as possible.”

If Alcaraz plays in Rome, it will add to the hype around bubbling around a tournament that will see world No 1 Jannik Sinner make a return to action after his three-month suspension following a positive doping test.

Alcaraz started the clay court season in thrilling fashion as he won the Monte Carlo Masters in impressive fashion and he also looked in good form as he stormed into the final in Barcelona.

Yet he was stopped in his tracks by the injury that does not appear to be as serious as he feared as he is clearly preparing for the prospect of an appearance in Rome. READ NEXT: Jannik Sinner reveals his ‘favourite’ shot ahead of blockbuster Italian Open comeback

The post Carlos Alcaraz sends out a big injury update ahead of potential Jannik Sinner showdown in Rome appeared first on Tennis365.