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  • Alexandra Eala makes honest confession as she compares herself to Iga Swiatek

    Alexandra Eala has admitted she has a long way to go in her development before she is ready to compete with the top players in the game consistently.

    Eala sent shockwaves through tennis as she beat Australian Open champion Madison Keys and five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek amid a stunning run to the semi-finals at the Miami Open.

    Those wins fired Eala into the top 100 of the WTA Rankings for the first time, but the 20-year-old has not repeated her Miami heroics in subsequent tournaments and she has told Tennis365 that time will be needed before she can challenge the game’s best players consistently.

    Some observers have compared Eala’s breakthrough to that of Emma Raducanu after her 2021 US Open win, but she has stressed that her path to the time will not be fast-tracked.

    “Do I feel like I am close to being a top ten player at this moment? I would say no,” conceded Eala in an exclusive interview with Tennis365 as she competes at the Lexus Birmingham Open.

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    “My level is there and I show that at times, but there are certain reasons why these players are top 10 and I’m not there yet.

    “That’s not to say I don’t have the potential to be there one day, but at the moment, I still have a lot more to work on in my game.

    “It is a little bit of everything I need to improve on. Mentally, technically. You look at a top 10 player and they have so many matches each year.

    “The average level they bring in each match is higher than the average level I bring at the moment. I have to try and work hard to get there.”

    Eala gave us a glimpse into her mindset when she is on court with giants of the game like Swiatek and Keys, as she insists she is not intimidated by the reputation of an opponent.

    “Of course there are going to be moments when you feel under pressure because these top players can play so well, but everyone has their own flaw,” she continued.

    “When you play someone like Swiatek, you know there are going to be moments when they do amazing things, but there also be moments when you will have a chance.

    “Nobody is perfect and you are always going to have a chance in every match. It all depends on you and how you perform in those moments.

    “My self belief has always been there, but when you have a run like that, it makes you have even more belief. Now I feel like I’m in a good moment. It has helped me and sparked a bit more belief.”

    Eala also spoke about her pride at the prospect of her success inspiring young girls back home in the Philippines to pick up a tennis racket, as she admitted that is the most satisfying part of her early success.

    “It just warms my heart that people in my country are looking at what I am doing and might try tennis,” she added.

    “I’m travelling all the time, so I don’t get to see what is happening with tennis in the Philippines, but I get sent a lot of videos and pictures of young people saying I am inspiring them and that is so exciting for me.

    “The youth and especially the young girls who are inspired by me and that makes everything so warm for me. In terms of the scale of my impact back home, I don’t have a big idea about it and I just focus on what is important and that is my tennis and trying to improve.”

    You can watch Eala in action at the Birmingham Open this week and tickets are available here.

    READ NEXT: Alex Eala’s grass-court schedule revealed ahead of Wimbledon debut

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  • Iga Swiatek’s stunning French Open milestones as she extends immense streak

    Iga Swiatek improved her incredible record at the French Open with a quarter-final victory against Elina Svitolina at Roland Garros.

    The five-time Grand Slam champion, who is aiming to win a record fourth consecutive French Open crown, downed 14th-ranked Svitolina 6-1, 7-5 on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

    Swiatek was made to work hard by the 30-year-old Ukrainian in the opening set despite the scoreline, while she battled back from a 3-1 deficit in the second.

    The world No 5 said: “I should have had better intensity in the beginning of the second set because Elina is this kind of player that plays better under pressure. When she loses, she kind of steps up always.

    “So I needed to be ready for that and I’m happy that, immediately after I saw that my intensity went low, I just got it high again and I wanted to be proactive and leading the game. And I’m happy that I did that until the end of the set.”

    Asked to explain the three aces she hit in the final game, Swiatek said: “I can’t (laughs). Honestly, you could see that the serve was kind of weird, also because of the wind. We both wanted to figure out how to do that, but at the end of the set, I felt like the wind went down a little bit, so I knew I can go for it.

    “Also, I had new balls, so I just went all in. I think I hit three lines, so pretty proud of that. It doesn’t happen often, so it’s nice to win some points for free.”

    Swiatek’s victory over Svitolina was her 26th consecutive win at the Paris Grand Slam, which sees her move above Monica Seles into second place for the longest women’s winning streaks at the event. Only Chris Evert (29) has won more successive French Open matches.

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    The Pole has equalled Serena Williams for the longest winning streak at a women’s singles Grand Slam tournament this century. Williams won 26 US Open matches in a row between 2012 and 2015.

    Across women’s and men’s tennis, Swiatek has become the joint-second fastest player to win 40 French Open matches, having matched Bjorn Borg by reaching the landmark in just 42 matches.

    Rafael Nadal, a 14-time Roland Garros champion, holds the record, having won 40 of his first 41 matches at the clay-court major.

    Swiatek is the fastest woman to 40 French Open wins, with Chris Evert and Monica Seles tied in second (43 matches).

    The three-time reigning champion will face world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in a blockbuster semi-final.

    “Yeah, these Madrid finals [in 2023 and 2024 against Sabalenka] were probably one of the best, most exciting finals that I played,” Swiatek said.

    “Aryna is always a challenge, she has a game for every surface. So, I need to just focus on myself, do the work, be brave with my shots and just go for it. For sure, I’m gonna prepare tactically tomorrow.

    “She’s been having great season, so I’m not gonna lie, for sure it’s gonna be a tough match, but I’m happy for a challenge.”

    READ NEXT: The 8 women with the most French Open titles: Chris Evert with 7, Iga Swiatek joint-third

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  • Novak Djokovic handed major ATP Rankings chance ahead of Alexander Zverev showdown

    Novak Djokovic is in fine form at the French Open – and is once again making history.

    Victory over Cameron Norrie in the fourth round saw the Serbian become just the second man in the Open Era to win 100 matches at Roland Garros, following in the footsteps of Rafael Nadal.

    Djokovic has also now reached a staggering 19 quarter-finals in Paris, the most of any man at an individual major tournament in the Open Era.

    Now, the 38-year-old will look to reach his 12th French Open semi-final, with the sixth seed taking on world No 3 and 2024 runner-up Alexander Zverev in the last eight.

    The match could be of huge significance for the context of the tournament, but will be of extra significance for Djokovic as he looks to remain as highly ranked as possible.

    Here, we look at the ATP Rankings ramifications for Djokovic across the rest of Roland Garros.

    As it stands

    Djokovic is currently the world No 6, just behind world No 4 Taylor Fritz and world No 5 Jack Draper; the top three of Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Zverev have a significant lead over the rest.

    Having reached the quarter-final in 2024 before his withdrawal, the Serbian had 400 ranking points to defend at the second Grand Slam of the year – more than Fritz and Draper.

    US No 1 Fritz had 200 points to defend after reaching the fourth round in 2024, while Draper had only 10 French Open points on his ranking after falling in the first round twelve months ago.

    Both Draper and Djokovic’s hopes of moving into the top four were significantly boosted when Fritz was stunned in round one at Roland Garros this year, beaten in four sets by Daniel Altmaier.

    Fritz holds 4,675 points in the current rankings, but will drop to 4,485 points once the rankings post-event.

    That meant that, regardless of results, Draper, who held 4,610 points, would move above the American in the ATP Rankings.

    The Brit progressed to the fourth round and holds 4,800 points in the ATP Live Rankings, though he was stunned on Monday by Alexander Bublik.

    Meanwhile, Djokovic has now successfully defended his 400 points and sits on his pre-tournament total of 4,230 heading into the last eight.

    Now, the three-time French Open champion can capitalise on both Fritz and Draper’s exits.

    How can Djokovic move up the rankings?

    In terms of his quarter-final against Zverev, the equation is simple for Djokovic: win, and he will overtake Fritz in the rankings.

    He would hold 4,630 points should he beat the German, eclipsing Fritz’s tally and pushing the American further down the rankings.

    That would then place Djokovic in the semi-final, where he will most likely face world No 1 Jannik Sinner; the Italian faces the unseeded Bublik in his quarter-final on Wednesday.

    Beating Sinner in a hypothetical semi-final would be no easy task, but should the 38-year-old reach the final, he would hold 5,130 points and ultimately overtake Draper.

    Djokovic would move to 5,830 points if he were to win a record-extending 25th Grand Slam singles title.

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    Who else is in contention?

    It is not just Djokovic looking to surge up the ATP Rankings, with a handful of other quarter-finalists looking to surge up the rankings by continuing their runs at Roland Garros.

    One of those is eighth seed and current world No 7 Lorenzo Musetti, who is into his first quarter-final at Roland Garros.

    The Italian has been in fine form this clay swing and holds 4,160 points in the ATP Live Rankings, though he would move to 4,560 points if he were to beat 15th seed Frances Tiafoe on Tuesday.

    That would see Musetti move up to No 6 in the live rankings and knock Djokovic down to No 7, though the Serbian could then move ahead of the Italian with a quarter-final triumph of his own.

    To move ahead of Djokovic in the rankings, Musetti would have to better the Serbian’s result by one round.

    Also in the conversation is 12th seed Tommy Paul, who is currently sitting at a career-high of world No 8 in the ATP Live Rankings.

    The American could move to 5,110 points if he were to win the title, ahead of both Musetti and Djokovic with semi-final exits or earlier.

    However, Paul faces a tough quarter-final against world No 2 and defending champion Alcaraz on Tuesday.

    Tiafoe could also move above Djokovic and Musetti in the rankings, though he would need to beat Musetti on Tuesday, win the title, and hope Djokovic loses to Zverev.

    Read NextThe 7 men with most French Open match wins: Rafael Nadal 112, Novak Djokovic hits milestone

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  • John McEnroe reveals who has ‘most impressed’ him from Draper, Fils, Mensik and Fonseca

    John McEnroe has named the player he has been “most pleasantly surprised” with out of Jack Draper, Arthur Fils, Jakub Mensik and Joao Fonseca.

    The young quartet of Draper, Fils, Mensik and Fonseca have all made impressive strides on the ATP Tour this year.

    Draper is enjoying an excellent 2025 season so far and is at a career-high ranking of world No 5, while Mensik is ranked 18th having secured his maiden title at the Miami Open in March.

    Fils is at a career-high position of 14th after strong Masters 1000 results, while Fonseca claimed his first career title in Buenos Aires in February.

    During a TNT Sports event, Tennis365 asked McEnroe which of Draper, Fils, Mensik and Fonseca does he view as the biggest long-term challenger to Alcaraz and Sinner.

    “Well, that’s pretty much the guys that I would throw into the mix right now,” the former world No 1 said.

    “Draper’s impressed me the most. I didn’t see the athleticism that he’s showing, that desire, you know, that willingness to dig as deep as he has, to fight through even times where he’s cramping, or illness.

    “So if I had to pick one guy that I’m most pleasantly surprised with, I would say it’s Jack.

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    “He was in the finals in Madrid. He’s had some good success on the clay, which is impressive.

    “But I would look at Wimbledon, where he’s gonna get a lot of crowd support, as the most likely one, and even on the hard courts.

    “But these other guys are coming along, and there will be a few other guys that will sort of step in as well, that maybe we don’t know about.”

    Draper won the biggest title of his career at the Indian Wells Masters in March and was also a runner-up at the Madrid Masters. The 23-year-old Brit’s impressive clay season concluded with a four-set fourth round French Open loss to Alexander Bublik.

    McEnroe also gave his verdict on 22-year-old American star Ben Shelton.

    The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion said: “I thought Ben Shelton had the opportunity to step into a void that’s opening up with Roger [Federer] retiring and Rafa [Nadal] – and Novak [Djokovic] 38 now, how much longer is he gonna play?

    “He (Shelton) seems to have levelled off. Perhaps, I don’t wanna say stepped back, but not enough steps forward. So, it would be nice for us here obviously if we were able to get an American male to win a major, which hasn’t happened in over 20 years.”

    READ NEXT: John McEnroe offers intriguing take as he answers Carlos Alcaraz question

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  • John McEnroe says Jannik Sinner’s ban ‘worked out pretty well’ after dominant win

    Jannik Sinner’s ban from tennis has “worked out pretty well” as it has helped him to up his game, according to John McEnroe while Mats Wilander is in awe of the Italian’s latest performance.

    In yet another ruthless display, Sinner sent Andrey Rublev packing from the French Open as he brushed the 17th seed aside in just over two hours, winning 6-1, 6-3, 6-4.

    Sinner has certainly looked fresh in the two tournaments he has played since returning from his three-month suspension for his failed drug tests in 2024.

    Having twice tested positive for the banned substance clostebol last March, Sinner was cleared of any wrongdoing and allowed to continue playing, but the World Anti-Doping Agency [WADA] appealed the decision as they felt he should serve a suspension.

    The 23-year-old’s lawyers came to an agreement with WADA officials in February this year as they settled on ban, starting on February 9 and ending on May 4 with his first tournament back the Italian Open.

    He went on to finish runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz in Rome and has continued his exceptional form at the clay-court Grand Slam.

    Following his emphatic win over Rublev, former world No 1 McEnroe gave his views to TNT Sports, saying: “To me, in a way, [his ban] was like, dare I say, a blessing in disguise.

    “Beause there was a lot going on, obviously, the suspension we were like ‘Is it gonna happen? Is it not? Then he was exonerated, then he wasn’t. Then he accepted this three-month ban.

    “He had won his second major, but to me, the good part was that he had a chance to sort of regroup get away from it, you know, and maybe ’cause I was unaware that this was even happening, so that must have been a lot of stress on him.

    “I know it was killing him, that he wasn’t playing, but I how many tournaments did he really need to be playing? I don’t think that many.

    “He needed a break after Australia. So perhaps he would have played two, three or four more, but I think it’s worked out pretty well for him to come back in Rome, get to the final, and now he’s looking great.”

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    The world No 1 is yet to drop a set at Roland Garros and will face Alexander Bublik, who upset Jack Draper in the fourth round, for a place in the semi-final.

    McEnroe’s fellow great Wilander hailed the three-time Grand Slam winner’s aggressive performance.

    “Can I say speechless? Because he’s unbelievable,” the Swede said. He literally doesn’t wait for the ball to go anywhere. He wants to take it as early as possible on both sides, especially on the backhand side.

    “I’ve never seen anyone be this aggressive from the baseline. And he’s looking to come forward, too, which I love.”

    Watch every moment of the French Open live and exclusively on TNT Sports and discovery+

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  • Novak Djokovic becomes oldest man in 54 years to achieve major French Open feat

    Novak Djokovic reached a remarkable milestone with his dominant straight-set win against Cameron Norrie at the 2025 French Open.

    The Serbian icon cruised to a 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 victory over world No 81 Norrie in the last 16 at the Paris Grand Slam.

    Djokovic broke seven times en route to improving his head-to-head record against the 29-year-old Brit to 6-0.

    In his on-court interview, Djokovic said: “I feel good. I expect each day to play better and better. I’ve played 12 really good, solid sets so far. Everything is looking good.”

    Asked about reaching 100 wins at Roland Garros, the former world No 1 added: “It’s a good number, a happy number for me. But the 101st victory is the most important (laughs).

    “It’s another victory but it’s obviously not finished here for me. I’m happy to add to the history of this sport that has given me so much. I hope there will be another win in a couple of days.”

    The No 6 seed has progressed to the quarter-finals without dropping a set in his four dominant wins.

    The 24-time major champion will face world No 3 Alexander Zverev in a quarter-final blockbuster. Zverev was leading Tallon Griekspoor 6-4, 3-0 in his fourth round match when the Dutchman was forced to retire.

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    Djokovic’s win against Norrie was his 100th victory at the French Open, which makes him the third man to reach a century of wins at a single Grand Slam event.

    Rafael Nadal won 112 matches at Roland Garros, while Roger Federer amassed 105 victories at Wimbledon and 102 at the Australian Open.

    Djokovic, who celebrated his 38th birthday on May 22, has become the oldest man to reach the French Open quarter-finals since Hungarian Istvan Gulyas in 1971.

    With his fourth round win, Djokovic extended his winning streak to eight matches — a run that includes four wins from his 100th ATP singles title run at the Geneva Open ahead of Roland Garros.

    The Serb is chasing a fourth French Open title and record-extending 25th Grand Slam overall.

    READ NEXT: Stefanos Tsitsipas told how he must improve by Novak Djokovic after hiring Serb’s former coach

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  • Lois Boisson relieved to be famous for something other than an infamous jibe

    Lois Boisson produced one of the most thrilling performances of this year’s Roland Garros so far, as she knocked out world No 3 Jessica Pegula in front of a raucous crowd in Paris.

    Boisson just about held her nerve and rode her luck in a tense final set to beat American rival Pegula 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in front of a packed Court Philippe-Chatrier crowd.

    “I’m not quite sure what to say, but playing on this court with this atmosphere was amazing, so thank you very much,” said Boisson.

    “I knew before the match there was a possibility [of an upset], but I knew it was going to be very, very tough. I gave it my all and in the end I won, which is incredible.”

    Aged just 22, Boisson has become the third-youngest French player to reach the women’s singles quarter-finals at Roland Garros in the Open Era, older only than Mary Pierce in 1994 and Brigitte Simon in 1978.

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    She is also the lowest ranked (No 361) to reach a women’s singles Grand Slam quarter-final since Kaia Kanepi at the US Open 2017 ( No 418) and the lowest ranked at Roland Garros in the last 40 years.

    This stunning win will also change the narrative around Boisson because if you type her name into a Google search engine, the top resilts that come up focus on a controversy in a match against Britain’s Harriet Dart last month.

    There have been some pretty brutal sporting jibes down the years, but may have taken verbal swipes to the next level in her match against French wild card Lois Boisson in the last 32 of the Open de Rouen.

    Boisson was in dominant form as her took the first set 6-0 against Dart, with her frustrations boiling over during a change of ends.

    As Boisson walked past Dart to resume the match, the experienced British player made a bizarre request to the umpire as she said: “Can you ask her to put on deodorant? She smells really bad.”

    It is unclear whether Boisson heard the swipe, but the umpire was not keen to grant Dart’s request to encourage Boisson to improve her personal hygiene and it inspired a swift apology from Dart.

    “I want to apologise for what I said on court today, it was a heat-of-the-moment comment that I truly regret,” wrote Dart on her Instagram page.

    “That’s not how I want to carry myself, and I take full responsibility. I have a lot of respect for Lois and how she competed today. I’ll learn from this and move forward.”

    Boisson made a joke about the incident on her own Instagram account, as she posted an edited photo of her holding deodorant with a logo of a well-known company, as she joked she “need a collab” with the body wash manufacturers.

    Now Boisson may well be attracting interest from plenty of sponsors for all the right reasons, with her run to the Roland Garros quarter-finals seeing her rise a staggering 241 places in the WTA Rankings, with another win set to see her break into the top 100.

    READ NEXT: Lois Boisson achieves incredible French Open feats with stunning Jessica Pegula win

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  • Tim Henman fires a warning to Carlos Alcaraz ahead of potential Jannik Sinner showdown

    Tim Henman fires a warning to Carlos Alcaraz ahead of potential Jannik Sinner showdown

    Tim Henman believes defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is the favourite to win another title at Roland Garros on Sunday, even though his great rival Jannik Sinner has been the stand-out player of the tournament so far.

    Sinner has been blowing his rivals away with displays of brutal ball striking and his 6-0, 6-1, 6-2 demolition of Jiri Lehecka in the third round was a masterclass that led many to suggest the world No 1 may be unbeatable in Paris.

    Yet former British No 1 Henman suggests the Sinner mindset may change when he faces Alcaraz, who has beaten him in seven of their eleven meetings so far.

    Speaking exclusively to Tennis365 at Roland Garros, TNT Sports analyst Henman believes the world No 2 has a record on clay courts that confirms he deserves to be the favourite to win another Grand Slam title in Paris.

    “I think Carlos is the favourite,” Henman told Tennis365. “You look at the clay court tournaments he’s played and his results are impressive.

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    “He won Monte Carlo, reached the final in Barcelona and he won in Rome, beating Sinner in straight sets in the final.

    “He’s won here, defending champion, he’s playing well and the only issue for me with Alcaraz is these dips in focus he seems to have in matches occasionally.

    “You can get away with that against the lower-ranked players and come back and find a way to win, but you can’t do that when you get to play the top players in the world and that’s the area Alcaraz needs to iron out of his game.

    “When you are having these lapses of concentration in matches against the lower-ranked played, you are increasing the chances of them happening at the end of the tournament.

    “So he needs to ingrain these good habits. If he has those dips against a player like Jannik Sinner in the final, Sinner will take advantage.

    “When you compare him to Sinner, he doesn’t have those dips. He is relentless in his ball striking when you see his match against Jiri Lehecka, it was incredible.

    “Lehecka is a good player, but he was struggling for points against Sinner, let alone games.

    “Sinner is looking fantastic and while we know Alcaraz gives him different problems, Carlos needs to play at his best to beat him.”

    Former world No 1 Mats Wilander also gave his verdict on the Sinner vs Alcaraz battle, as he revealed why the Spaniard takes the Italian out of his comfort zone more than any other player.

    Tim Henman on TNT Sports

    Tim Henman on TNT Sports

    “The main reason why Sinner struggles against Alcaraz is he is so fast at doing everything,” Wilander told Tennis365 in his role as a TNT Sports analyst.

    “The other reason Jannik doesn’t like playing against him he has a big forehand and that can knock you off balance.

    “The big thing with Sinner is he strikes the ball so hard and also the way he can strike it early, without making too many mistakes.

    “That is too much for a lot of people, but Alacarz is so quick that he can get to a lot of the balls other players cannot reach.

    “When Sinner has a forehand and time to hit it, the other players have to guess left or right to have a chance to get it. Carlos doesn’t have that problem so much as he is super fast.

    “I was in the front row watching their Rome final a few weeks back and for the first half an hour it looked like Alcaraz was struggling to hang with Sinner.

    “Then he started to absorb the power coming at him and found a way to swing it in his favour.

    “Okay, Sinner could have won the first set of that match and it could have been a different result, but you could see that Alcaraz was getting used to absorbing the pace and when he then got Jannik doing things he didn’t want to do, the match turned in his favour.”

    Alcaraz and Sinner could serve up a blackbuster final in Paris on Sunday, but the new ‘Big 2’ in men’s tennis have plenty of hurdles to overcome before that mouth-watering clash is confirmed.

    Watch every moment of the French Open live and exclusive on TNT Sports and discovery+

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  • Stefanos Tsitsipas told how he must improve by Novak Djokovic after hiring Serb’s former coach

    Novak Djokovic has shared his thoughts on Stefanos Tsitsipas appointing his former coach Goran Ivanisevic.

    Tsitsipas confirmed last week that he will start working with 2001 Wimbledon champion Ivanisevic at the beginning of the grass-court season.

    In a statement, Tsitsipas said: “Working with Goran is an exciting opportunity for me.

    “He is someone who has reached the highest levels of tennis, both as a player and as a coach. I am confident that his experience will help me grow further and I am really looking forward to that.”

    The collaboration comes after Tsitsipas’ disappointing second round French Open loss to world No 167 Matteo Gigante last week.

    The Greek has parted ways with Kerei Abakar and Dimitris Chatzinikolaou – coaches he has been working with this year.

    “I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude too Kerei and Dimitris for their dedication, support, and work over the past few months,” Tsitsipas wrote on his Instagram story.

    “Working with them has been a meaningful chapter in my journey, and I’m deeply thankful for the effort and commitment they brought to the team.”

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    Ivanisevic, a former world No 2, helped Djokovic win nine Grand Slam titles during an incredibly successful coaching collaboration between June 2019 and March 2024.

    The 53-year-old Croatian coached his compatriot Marin Cilic to his only major title at the 2014 US Open, while he also briefly worked with former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina at the start of this season.

    Djokovic spoke candidly when asked about Tsitsipas’ partnership with Ivanisevic.

    “I’m sure he can help any player, and especially Stefanos, mentally,” the 24-time major champion told the media at the French Open.

    “I can see that Stefanos has bigger fluctuations in that regard now. He doubts his game, it’s visible. I believe Goran can guide him a bit and draw his attention to the right things.

    “When we talk about Goran Ivanisevic, the serve is number one. Stefanos has a good serve, but there’s always an element that can be improved.

    “And the backhand – we all know that’s probably the weakest point of his game. Even though Goran played with a two-handed backhand, I’m sure he has a clear vision of what he wants to do with him. It will be interesting to see how their cooperation develops.”

    Ivanisevic is expected to be in Tsitsipas’ coaching box for the first time at the Halle Open, an ATP 500 grass-court tournament that will begin on June 16.

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  • John McEnroe names one player who should be up there with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz

    The legendary John McEnroe believes Holger Rune has the talent to challenge Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz at the top of the men’s game, but feels the Dane falls short in a couple of areas.

    Rune broke into the top 10 of the ATP Rankings in 2022 on the back of reaching the last eight at Roland Garros and winning the Paris Masters. The following year, he reached two more Grand Slam quarter-finals and peaked at No 4.

    However, he failed to kick on in 2024 and dropped to as low as No 17 before returning to the top 10 in April this year.

    He was seeded 10th for the French Open, but was sent packing in the fourth round by eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti, going down 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

    Former world No 1 McEnroe says the 22-year-old still has a lot of work to do to reach the top, but he is starting to “learn” how to deal with pressure.

    “Holger was the guy that I thought would be the third guy with the new big three, Alcaraz, Sinner, I thought it’d be Rune,” he told TNT Sports.

    “Rune got a lot to prove to try to get with the big boys. I remember when he played Ruud here a couple of years ago, he sort of brushed him off when he lost. Like, ‘how could I lose to this guy?’ And so it’s taken him a while to start to understand what it takes. But he’s learning that.

    “He seems to be more settled. Got the old coach back. Mom still seems very involved. There’s a fair amount of families like that, but seems to be on the upswing again.

    “I think that’s the reason he’s seeded 10 instead of seeded four, because concentration goes in and out.”

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    After finishing runner-up to Jack Draper at the Indian Wells Open in March, Rune won the Barcelona Open as he beat Carlos Alcaraz in the final but then went off the boil in the next four ATP Masters 1000 events.

    His fitness was also questioned by McEnroe.

    The American added: “It’s also conditioning. That happened to be the hottest or second-hottest day of the tournament.

    “He almost, to me, tapped out. He was this close to like it’s over, and he looked really negative. I mean, it was one of those days where it’s like a war of attrition.

    “I think he’s, you know, again, he’s… I like where he’s headed, but he’s still got some work to do to close that gap.

    “So, this would be, this is a huge match for these two guys to show like who’s got the mojo a little bit more, who can really press the Alcaraz, Sinners of the world.

    “I mean, there’s, you got Alcaraz, you’ve got Sinner, then you got Novak. Dare I say, Rune is someone of a distant third in terms of who can win it. Then you’ve got these two, Zverev and I’d throw Tommy Paul into the mix.

    “I’m not saying that he’s there yet, but it’s one of those five, six guys that’s gonna get their way up to three, four in the world soon, because there’s other guys dropping like flies.”

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