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A Spanish tennis legend has said Carlos Alcaraz “trained at 55% last week” as he discussed his compatriot’s chances of playing at the 2026 US Open.

Alcaraz has been absent from the tour since he sustained a right wrist injury during his first round win at the Barcelona Open in April.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion is reportedly suffering from tenosynovitis — an inflammation of the tendon sheath in the wrist.

The Spanish superstar missed both Roland Garros and Wimbledon earlier this summer before he pulled out of the Masters 1000 events in Montreal and Cincinnati.

It is unclear whether Alcaraz will be ready to defend his title at the 2026 US Open, which will get underway on 30 August.

Alcaraz holds an outstanding 22-3 record in 2026, with the former world No 1 having won his first 16 matches of the season before losing to Daniil Medvedev in the Indian Wells semi-finals.

The 23-year-old started the year by winning his first Australian Open title, which made him the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam.

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Alcaraz secured the Qatar Open title in February, while he was a runner-up to Jannik Sinner at the Monte Carlo Masters in April — which was the last event he completed.

Emilio Sanchez, a former world No 1 in doubles who reached a career-high singles ranking of seventh, shared some information about Alcaraz’s training ahead of the US Open.

In an interview with Sky Sport Italia in Santa Margherita di Pula, Sanchez said: “I know he trained at 55% last week. If he’s back to 100%, we could see him at the US Open.

“I don’t know if he should wait until the fall, but then maybe he’ll go, play [the US Open], and surprise everyone like he’s done his whole life.”

During a career spanning from 1984 to 1998, Sanchez won 15 singles titles and 50 doubles titles — including three Grand Slams in men’s doubles.

The 61-year-old is the elder brother of Arantxa Sanchez Vicario — a WTA world No 1 and four-time major champion.

Sanchez founded the Sanchez-Casal Tennis Academy in Barcelona in 1998 with his former doubles partner Sergio Casal.

READ NEXT: Jannik Sinner injury update: World No 1 underwent ‘shockwave therapy’ treatment

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An update on Jannik Sinner’s fitness has emerged, with a report revealing that the Italian star has completed “shockwave therapy” treatment on his knee.

Sinner has not played since he defeated Alexander Zverev in four sets in the Wimbledon final on 12 July — a victory that saw him defend his crown at the All England Club.

The world No 1 missed the Canadian Open, which was not too surprising given he chose to skip it in 2025, but he then raised concerns by pulling out of the Cincinnati Open.

The five-time Grand Slam champion explained he chose to withdraw from the Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati due to a right knee injury.

“After consulting with my doctors and my team, I have to announce that I need to withdraw from the Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati,” Sinner said.

“My right knee has been bothering me and even though we have been working hard with my medical team, I have to accept that I’m not ready to compete yet.

“I can’t wait to be back next year and I’m now focusing on getting ready for the US Open.”

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Sinner’s withdrawal from Cincinnati means he is not scheduled to play any tournaments before the 2026 US Open, which will begin on Sunday 30 August.

In a report published today in Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, journalist Richard Crivelli shed light on Sinner’s current situation.

“The world No 1 remained until yesterday at JMedical in Turin, one of his primary clinical facilities, to complete shockwave therapy on the inflamed area,” Crivelli wrote.

“Now, he has a couple of days in Monte Carlo to celebrate his 25th birthday with his family, then between Monday and Tuesday, he’ll be packing his bags for New York.

“At that point, Jannik will have a dozen days of training [before the US Open].”

Sinner will aim to secure his second US Open title at this year’s edition of the New York major, having triumphed at Flushing Meadows in 2024.

At the 2025 US Open, Sinner was beaten by his biggest rival, Carlos Alcaraz, in a four-set championship match.

READ NEXT: Cincinnati Open withdrawal list: More stars join Alcaraz, Sinner, Osaka as absentee list grows to 17

The post Jannik Sinner injury update: World No 1 underwent ‘shockwave therapy’ treatment appeared first on Tennis365.

Maja Chwalinska captivated the tennis world with her stunning run at Roland Garros, and Polish legend Agnieszka Radwanska has spoken to Tennis365 about her compatriot.

Chwalinska dropped just one set across nine matches — three in qualifying and six in the main draw — to reach the final at the 2026 French Open, which she lost to Mirra Andreeva.

The Pole became just the second player in tennis history to reach a Grand Slam final as a qualifier after Emma Raducanu.

Having started Roland Garros ranked 114th — one place below her career-high ranking at the time — Chwalinska soared to world No 21 following her run.

Chwalinska, who is currently ranked 23rd, has played just two matches since the final of the Paris major on 6 June.

The 24-year-old lost 6-2, 5-7, 2-6 to Mananchaya Sawangkaew in the first round at Wimbledon after suffering an ankle injury in the second set.

She then fell 5-7, 1-6 to Talia Gibson in her opening match at the Canadian Open, which was her WTA 1000 debut.

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In an exclusive interview, Tennis365 asked Radwanska if she thinks Chwalinska can establish herself as a top 30 player.

“Well, it’s a good question, but also, nobody knows,” said the former world No 2.

“Because for the first time she’s top 30, for the first time she’s going to play the big tournaments, for the first time she’s going to face all the pressure that we all have, for the first time she’s going to play tournaments where she’s going to face top 70 and top 50 players.

“It’s a different story, so it’s not going to be easy, for sure. But I think she’s the girl that was wanting all her life to be here.

“She’s also a very hard worker, so I hope she’s going to do that. It’s definitely going to be a challenging couple of months, for sure. And that pressure is going to be bigger.”

Radwanska also addressed whether Chwalinska’s unique game style could continue to be an advantage for her, as it was at Roland Garros.

“Well, on the clay, for sure. And we could see that because that’s always very tricky, because you can mix it up and slow down the game and everything; the balls are heavy,” said the 2012 Wimbledon finalist, who won 20 WTA Tour titles.

“On the hard-court, it’s going to be hard. I don’t see [Chwalinska playing] much of that exact same tennis that she was playing in Paris.

“I think she needs to step it up a little bit more on hard courts. But we all want to see that this year. But probably, the clay is her surface.”

Chwalinska will face Cristina Bucsa in her opening match at the Cincinnati Open.

READ NEXT: Iga Swiatek reveals why she was ‘angry’ after calling out critics following Canadian Open win

The post Cincinnati Open: Maja Chwalinska sent candid message by Agnieszka Radwanska appeared first on Tennis365.

Time is running out for Novak Djokovic to claim a 25th Grand Slam title, but he will have another opportunity at the US Open.

Djokovic has enjoyed differing results at the Grand Slams so far this year as he continues to challenge the very best on the ATP Tour at 39 years of age.

He was phenomenal at the Australian Open as he defeated Jannik Sinner en route to the final, before losing in four sets to Carlos Alcaraz.

He fared less well at Roland Garros, as he was defeated in the third round by Joao Fonseca, despite taking a two set lead against the Brazilian teenager.

At Wimbledon, Djokovic reached the semi finals of the grass court Grand Slam, but he was eventually defeated by Sinner in straight sets.

At the US Open, he could have an advantage as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner look to be entering the tournament having suffered injury issues.

Alcaraz is set to return to tennis after a five month absence at Flushing Meadows, while Sinner is dealing with a knee injury that kept him out of the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open.

Djokovic, meanwhile, has revealed that he is feeling better than he has done in the last two years.

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Speaking to Eurosport, Djokovic said: “I honestly wanted to have one tournament coming into the US Open. I haven’t played since Wimbledon and my body reacted quite well after Wimbledon. It was the best that my body felt after any Grand Slam in the last two years.

“In the other Grand Slams I’ve played in the last two years, I’ve had some kind of injury, different severity that took more time for me to address and come back competing. This time I was healthy and I really wanted to play, so here I am.”

Djokovic has proved that he is the best player outside of Sinner and Alcaraz at the Grand Slams in the past two season, with Fonseca’s defeat of him at Roland Garros being the only player outside of the top two to defeat the Serbian in the past three seasons.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion just needs a stroke of luck and that could come with Sinner and Alcaraz being rusty ahead of the last Grand Slam of the year.

Djokovic is playing the Cincinnati Open too, which will give him a chance to get up to speed on North American hard courts before the US Open.

It is said often, but Djokovic’s chances of winning a Grand Slam are becoming slimmer and slimmer with every major, and the US Open could be his last major opportunity.

With Djokovic feeling fresh, and Alcaraz and Sinner needing to work their way into the tournament, this year could be the Serbian’s chance to claim a piece of tennis history.

The post Novak Djokovic’s latest comments prove he’s ready to win the US Open appeared first on Tennis365.

Leading injury prevention and athlete welfare expert Stephen Smith has spoken to Tennis365 about Jack Draper’s ongoing struggle with an arm injury.

Draper has been suffering from a bruised humerus in his left arm for over a year, while he was also sidelined during this year’s clay-court season due to a right knee problem.

The British star has played just 16 matches since his second round defeat to Marin Cilic at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships over 13 months ago. He reached his career-high ranking of world No 4 in June last year after an excellent first half of the 2025 season, but he is currently ranked 143rd.

Earlier this month, Draper made his latest comeback at the Canadian Open, where he lost to Terence Atmane in the opening round.

In the third set of that defeat, Draper’s serve speed dropped significantly, and he broke down in tears during a changeover when trailing 1-4.

The 24-year-old was then beaten 6-3, 7-5 by Martin Landaluce in the first round of the Cincinnati Open on Thursday.

Draper was unable to convert six set points in the second set as he lost the last five games after leading 5-2.

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In an exclusive interview, Tennis365 asked Smith – who is the founder and CEO of Kitman Labs, the world’s leading sports science and performance intelligence company – whether it is common for a bone bruising injury to persist for so long.

“I wouldn’t say it’s uncommon,” said Smith.

“What we saw at the Canadian Open was genuinely difficult to watch. He’s been navigating that bone bruising injury in his left arm for a significant period, and bone bruising is notoriously slow to resolve.

“What would happen if you keep overloading that is it could end up resulting in a stress fracture, as well. You can’t accelerate that biological process too much. You manage your load around it.

“The drop in his serve speed during the match, they were pretty visible data points that he was having an issue.

“When a player’s serve speed falls that much from their baseline, that’s a flag that something is limiting their ability to generate force through the kinetic chain.

“So, for his comeback to continue, I think the priority has to be honest load monitoring — not just how the arms feel day to day.

“I think there would need to be very, very serious quantification of load, and not just time on court, but the actual physical demands — speeds, impacts, changes of direction, racket speed.”

Draper missed over five months before returning to the tour in February, and Smith explained why more rest may not be the solution to his arm injury woes.

“Even rest alone doesn’t solve these things. Okay, the symptoms might resolve, but then you go straight back out there and you go from 0 to 100 miles an hour in terms of the demands that are placed on you — and that’s what’s causing some of this,” Smith said.

“There needs to be a steady physiological base that’s there. It’s not just about load management, it’s actually about that interaction between load and response.”

Asked if the psychological challenge of trying to come back from injuries is underappreciated, Smith said: “Massively. It’s so hard.

“Especially in an individual sport. In a team sport like football or rugby, there’s potentially areas where the camera’s not on you, and you can potentially get a break.

“It’s just a different dynamic. And they know. They know what it feels like. They’re top tier athletes, and they know exactly what it feels like to be at the peak of their game, and they know when they’re hurting, they know when they’re struggling, they know when they’re not able to do the things they normally do.

“And when you get injured and you spend months building back up to that, and you come back out and you’re ready to go, and it doesn’t feel right… yeah, that’s hard.”

READ NEXT: Exclusive: Will Carlos Alcaraz play the US Open? Leading injury expert ‘would be shocked’

The post Jack Draper gets honest verdict from leading injury expert after Cincinnati Open exit appeared first on Tennis365.

Former world No 4 Greg Rusedski has revealed why he does not think Alex Eala should be fazed by her tricky-looking draw at the 2026 Cincinnati Open.

Eala, who is the 17th seed in Cincinnati, will face world No 74 Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the second round after receiving a first round bye.

The world No 20 is then projected to meet Amanda Anisimova — the ninth seed and a two-time Grand Slam finalist — in the third round at the WTA 1000 event.

The 21-year-old Filipina has won 10 of her last 12 matches, having reached the fourth round at Wimbledon and the Canadian Open either side of her victory at the Washington Open.

Speaking on the latest episode of his Off Court With Greg Rusedski podcast, Rusedski described Eala as “the one to look out for in Cincinnati.”

“Obviously Eala, even though she didn’t win the tournament (Canada) had a seven-match win streak on the WTA Tour, which was impressive,” said the 1997 US Open finalist.

“By match eight against [Belinda] Bencic, she ran out of gas a little bit. So, she’s the one to look out for in Cincinnati.”

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Rusedski then addressed whether Eala could break into the top 10 of the WTA Rankings by the end of the US Open as he also discussed her tough draw in Cincinnati.

“Yeah, no question about it,” said the former British No 1.

“But why should she care whether she’s playing [Amanda] Anisimova, or whoever’s in the section?

“Look at the people she beat to win Washington — it was world-class players from start to finish. Then she goes to Toronto running on fumes and emotions and still wins a couple of matches, as well.

“So, I’m not worried about it. She competes, she fights, she’s so mentally tough that it doesn’t matter who’s in her way.

“You’ve got to play great tennis to beat her. And I see her only going one direction, and that’s up.”

Rusedski recently dismissed concerns about Eala’s busy schedule prior to the US Open.

“I feel like physically she’s already in good shape, she’s strong mentally — the mind and body go hand in hand. And when you’re young, the body bounces back a lot quicker than when you get into your 30s and later years,” said Rusedski.

“So, I’m not worried about that. She’ll play Cincy, and then she’ll have a week off to prepare for the US Open. That’s what all the big names do, so for me, there’s no concern.”

READ NEXT: Alex Eala close to rankings breakthrough as Aryna Sabalenka loses No 1 spot

The post Alex Eala ‘shouldn’t care’ about tough Cincinnati Open draw, says Grand Slam finalist appeared first on Tennis365.

Andy Murray has joined a growing contingent of tennis greats calling for service lets to be scrapped from the sport.

Since hanging up his racket in the summer of 2024, Murray has been able to pursue other interests outside of tennis.

One such hobby is golf, while he has also tried his hand at coaching Novak Djokovic, where they had a short stint together in early 2025, and more recently Jack Draper.

Less than a year before the Scot retired, Murray announced the launch of his own Padel franchise called ‘Team AD/vantage’ and since then he has invested in the business, Game4Padel, too.

The 39-year-old has recently been filmed playing the fast-growing sport, which combines some elements of squash and tennis and includes walls, and was asked about what tweaks he would make to Padel.

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The three-time major winner told LTA Padel, “I would probably get rid of a let on serves. Same thing with tennis, don’t like it.”

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Murray is not the only tennis icon to say this. Indeed, at this year’s Wimbledon, Martina Navratilova echoed similar sentiments.

During Karolina Muchova’s quarter-final victory over Naomi Osaka, the 18-time Grand Slam women’s singles winner described the service let cord rule as “useless”.

She said on BBC One, “Do away with that let cord, you know I talk about it all the time. Nobody’s moving forward on that; get rid of it, it’s useless!

“No, play the let, play the ball, it’s a live ball. Every once in a while, you get that dribbler that would be an ace, but that happens once every three matches, so just play. Most of the lets are just a little nick, keep playing, speed up the game.”

And seven-time major winner, John McEnroe, believes if the point carried on from a service let, it would be more exciting.

He said on BBC Radio 5 Live in 2025, “Play lets, I would play lets. I think that is more exciting, but the top players would not want it because it adds an element of uncertainty and luck. That is why I don’t think you will see it, but I would like to see it.”

It seems, for the time being, though, service lets are here to stay.

READ MORE: Alex Eala warned by legendary coach over ‘almost impossible’ immediate fix as Roger Federer comparison dismissed

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Iga Swiatek sent a strong and telling message to her critics after she ended her title drought with her victory at the 2026 Canadian Open.

The six-time Grand Slam champion defeated world No 2 Elena Rybakina in the final at the WTA 1000 tournament in Toronto.

Swiatek did not lose serve and broke the big-serving Rybakina four times as she secured her maiden Canadian Open crown in dominant fashion.

The 25-year-old Pole’s triumph saw her claim her 26th WTA Tour title and first since she won the Korea Open in September last year.

In her speech during the trophy ceremony, Swiatek dedicated her title to “everyone who is dealing with unfair judgment and hate.”

“I’m really happy about this tournament. It means so, so much to me because all these past months were not easy,” said Swiatek.

“I’m really happy that I kept focusing on growing, changing my game a little bit, improving, despite all the opinions that many people have about me every day on the internet. It’s not easy to deal with all of that.

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“So, I’m happy that the reality is different. The reality is that I have people that know me so well and people that support me every week, every day. They’re here to give their best work, and yeah, just keep pushing. So, thank you to the team that is here.

“And yeah, as I said, I want to dedicate this title to everyone who is dealing with unfair judgment and hate. Just keep pushing, keep growing, keep focusing on yourself because you know what’s the best for you.

“And always remember what’s ahead and what might be possible. So yeah, here we are (smiles).”

In her post-match press conference, Swiatek explained why she felt anger after the final.

“Well, all the things that I mentioned in the speech. Like, just the unfair judgment, and sometimes the, like, people just judging and hating,” said the world No 5.

“But it’s good to focus on how to create space for you to just focus on yourself. It’s not so easy to do that. But the best thing about this two weeks for me was that I could kind of let it go. Yeah, this anger came like after I won.

“But during the whole process I was really focused on just growing and progressing. The same happened after Wimbledon when I started practising on hard courts.

“So, for sure, I feel like I worked hard through kind of all this noise, and unnecessary noise, that’s what makes me angry. Because it shouldn’t be like that and it doesn’t need to be like that.”

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Serena Williams’ former coach Rick Macci believes Alex Eala was “incorrectly” taught as a junior when working on her serve.

Eala is arguably the hottest property in tennis right now, as an army of fans follow her every move amid her ascent up the rankings.

After winning the Washington Open, in what was her first WTA Tour title, the 21-year-old has cracked the top 20 for the first time, but the youngster is not done yet.

However, many believe that if she wants to win a Grand Slam, she needs to improve her serve, which ranks outside of the top 50 for aces and first and second serve win percentage.

Rennae Stubbs initially said that the 21-year-old could not win a major but after her triumph in Washington, the Australian has softened that view. Moreover, Andy Roddick has outlined why the left-hander’s serve is trickier to deal with than meets the eye.

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But Macci, who has trained five No 1 ranked players in Roddick, Serena, Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, and Jennifer Capriati, is not so complimentary.

The 71-year-old thinks it will be “almost impossible” to change Eala’s serve until the off season, her delivery needs big changes to improve it, and she doesn’t use her legs enough.

Roger Federer was praised for having such a smooth and technically sound serve but Macci thinks Eala is a long way from that.

He wrote on Instagram this week, “Almost impossible to change Eala’s serve ’till the off season. This is heavy-duty, in-depth reconstructive surgery, all science-based with a biomechanist.

“Any tip, suggestion, tweak or change is a band-aid. She is smooth, relaxed, and flowing but was taught incorrectly as a junior when growing [up].

“Number one culprit on the WTA Tour, the leg drive does not initiate racquet entry at the proper time. If you do millions of anything, it will get better, but the timing will never be like Federer.”

Earlier this week, Macci took to social media to say that if Eala can get “biomechanical help” on her serve, it is time to fasten your seatbelts with the Filipina.

While he is critical of her serve, the American tennis coach did laud her “lethal” groundstrokes, calling her the “Philippine Machine”. All eyes will be on Eala as she begins her Cincinnati Open campaign ahead of this year’s US Open.

READ MORE: Alex Eala and Aryna Sabalenka going in different directions in tennis rankings

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After years of chasing the shadows of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer, the early Gen Z up-and-comers wanted to cash in on the tennis action.

At the age of 20, Alexander Zverev ended 2017 ranked fourth in the world, partly due to winning his first Masters 1000 crowns in Rome and Canada.

Stefanos Tsitsipas enjoyed a breakout run at the 2019 Australian Open as a 20-year-old, beating defending champion Federer in the fourth round before being thumped by Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals.

The pair seemed the most likely to take up the mantle that these all-time greats had held for so long. Perhaps they felt, after years of near misses, that it was their divine right to ascend to the tennis throne. However, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner had other ideas.

When the fourth-seeded Tsitsipas lost to a 19-year-old Holger Rune in the fourth round of the 2022 French Open, he uttered words that have not aged well.

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The Greek said, “These kids are going to want to beat me badly because obviously they are chasing. I’m chasing too, but I’m at a different kind of position than they are. I’m hungry to beat them too. Now that they have beaten me I want payback.”

While Tsitsipas ended the year in fourth, Alcaraz went on to win the US Open, reach world No 1 and overtake the two-time Grand Slam finalist and Zverev in the rankings.

Although Zverev has bided his time and pounced when the draw opened up for him at this year’s French Open, Tsitsipas dropped outside the world’s top 50 as players increasingly targeted his seemingly fragile backhand.

So, why didn’t former world No 3 Tsitsipas and Zverev kick on in the way many predicted? According to former Barcelona footballer Miguel Nadal, who happens to be Rafael Nadal‘s uncle, it is down to a number of factors.

One, their “mentality”. And two, their lack of “ambition”.

The former Spain international told Casinostugan, “There are players who I think have gone through a slump, more mental, I think, though it is not only mental either, because if it were, it would be simpler.

“Tsitsipas was a player who could have been up there; Zverev was a player who should have been up there too, and I think what he has lacked is ambition.

“Now we have seen him win Roland Garros and reach the Wimbledon final, but there are other players who had potential and have more or less disappeared. I think the two at the very top [Sinner and Alcaraz] clearly make a difference compared with the rest, but you see players who clearly have potential, and then…

“That is why I say it is about mentality. There are players who have the ability but lack the mentality, the ambition, and I think that is what is missing on the tour right now. But no doubt some will come through.”

Zverev has shown he can consistently be a top five player over the years, while 2019 ATP Tour Finals winner Tsitsipas seems unlikely to challenge the game’s elite again. For the Greek, in particular, it may be a case of what might have been.

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