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  • Emma Raducanu receives major boost as she makes key Wimbledon coach decision

    Emma Raducanu has been handed a big coaching boost for this year’s Wimbledon Championships, although she is unlikely to link up with British icon Andy Murray.

    The news of Murray’s split with Novak Djokovic on Tuesday sparked suggestions that the three-time major champion could coach Raducanu next.

    Murray revealed he would like to work with Raducanu when discussing the possibility of coaching in 2022.

    However, a Wimbledon collaboration between the two British stars has all but been ruled out — at least for this year.

    This is because Raducanu is set to continue working with Murray’s former coach Mark Petchey, according to The Telegraph.

    Petchey, a former British No 1 who works as a tennis commentator, has reportedly cleared his schedule to coach Raducanu for the grass-court season, including Wimbledon.

    Raducanu first called on Petchey at the Miami Open after a difficult start to the season, and the partnership has proven fruitful so far.

    The Brit holds an impressive 8-3 record since appointing the former world No 80, having reached the quarter-finals in Miami, the second round in Madrid and the last 16 in Rome. The 22-year-old had won just three of her nine matches in 2025 prior to Miami.

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    Raducanu gave insight into Petchey’s coaching approach ahead of her appearance in Rome.

    “He’s not a super technical coach, there are certain tweaks, as always, but that is something I am going away from,” she told Sky Sports.

    “I have been very technical in the past, there has been a time and a place for that because I needed to make improvements.

    “But from now on, it’s more about doing the right things, taking the ball on more, and just repetition of certain drills and patterns, which he is very good at setting up.”

    After winning three matches to reach to the fourth round at the Italian Open, Raducanu’s run ended with a heavy 1-6, 2-6 loss to Coco Gauff.

    Following the defeat, Raducanu said: “I would love to just keep improving, keep playing. I think that’s a positive for me.

    “I don’t want to go and hide in a hole somewhere, I want to get back out there, so that’s good.

    “We’ll see how it goes in the next week before the French, if I get into Strasbourg. But, for now, I’ve played a good 12 days on the trot, so I’m looking forward to a day off or so and then getting back to it.”

    READ NEXT: Emma Raducanu has one big concern after thumping Coco Gauff defeat in Rome

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  • Novak Djokovic attitude questioned by leading coach as he prepares to return to action

    Novak Djokovic has added an extra tournament to his schedule ahead of the French Open, but respected coach Patrick Mouratoglou believes the Serbian great may have made a mistake with his initial decisions in the European clay court season.

    Djokovic’s defeat against Alejandro Tabilo in Monte Carlo and his loss against Matteo Arnaldi in his first match at the Madrid Open suggested the 24-time Grand Slam champion was a long way from the form he needs to be in to challenge for the title at the French Open.

    The Serbian legend pulled out of this week’s Italian Open as he opted to take a break from tennis, but he has entered the lower-ranking ATP 250 tournament in Geneva next week as he looks to fine-tune his game ahead of the second Grand Slam of the season in Paris.

    Now Mouratoglou, who is the coach of four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka and former coach of Serena Williams, has suggested Djokovic was wrong to play in Monte Carlo and Madrid, as his motivation levels were clearly lacking for those tournaments.

    “I was very surprised watching Novak compete in Monte Carlo and Madrid. Not by the level, we all know what he’s capable of. But by the attitude,” Mouratoglou wrote on LinkedIn.

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    “He just didn’t look like he wanted to win. He didn’t even look like he cared to win.

    “Of course, he can play much better, he’s Novak Djokovic, but he didn’t look physically ready or mentally engaged. And for a player like him, if the motivation isn’t there, there’s really no point in being on the court. I’ve been saying this for a long time now: motivation is everything for Novak.

    “He doesn’t need to play a full clay season. But some matches, yes, with the right mindset and clear intention to win. Because nothing replaces match play. You don’t just show up at a Grand Slam and expect everything to fall into place magically.

    “His decision to play Geneva now makes sense. He wants to feel that winning rhythm again, even just a little, before stepping into Paris. The big question is: will it be enough?”

    Mouratoglou’s pessimism over Djokovic’s French Open hopes is contrasted by his belief that the soon-to-be 38-year-old is now undisputedly the greatest tennis player of all-time.

    Djokovic is set to finish his career with more Grand Slam titles than any male player, with Mouratoglou suggesting the debate over who should be recognised as the greatest player of all-time is over.

    “I remember the first time when Novak came onto the tour and Rafa and Roger were winning everything,” Mouratoglou told Tennis365.

    “All the other guys were thinking these two are unbeatable and then this young guy from Serbia comes onto the screen and he is about to play Roger in one of the first rounds of the Grand Slam.

    “He was getting interviewed before the match and Novak said ‘I’m going to beat him’.

    “Straight away, the reaction to these comments was really negative and people were asking who was this guy who thinks he can beat the great Federer.

    “Then another journalist said to Djokovic that he sounded a bit cocky and I remember his response. He was polite and said: ‘I’m not cocky, I’m just confident in my abilities’.

    “Well, he went on to prove it. Time and again. He became world No 1, he beat both Roger and Rafa time and again and ended up with the best record of the three.

    “It doesn’t please people when you say he is the best because the other two are more liked than Novak, but this is undeniable now. He is the greatest of all time.

    “When you look at Novak’s game and compare it to Roger and Rafa, you say how can this guy with this game have a better record than the other two, but it is because he is the best of all time mentally.

    “You can’t teach confidence like he had. You just have it and this is a big topic in my book. It is not a question of teaching confidence, but you can do things to build it in a person.

    “It can’t come from someone else. No one can give you the confidence and it doesn’t come by chance. It’s something you earn by doing the right things every day.

    “You look at what he is doing every day in his life and it gives Novak so much confidence. He builds his life around being the best he can be and he is the only one doing this.”

    Mouratoglou’s new book Champion Mindset is now available, as he reflects on his own battle with self-doubt and confidence issues and how he turned his life around.

    READ NEXT: Novak Djokovic has ‘one big advantage’ over Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in GOAT battle

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  • Carlos Alcaraz makes ‘physically struggling’ confession after tough Italian Open battle

    Carlos Alcaraz has given an update on his physical condition after coming through his first serious test since returning from injury.

    The four-time Grand Slam champion overcame Karen Khachanov 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 in the fourth round of the 2025 Italian Open.

    The hard-fought contest, which lasted two hours and 28 minutes, required a step up in physical output compared to Alcaraz’s first two matches in Rome.

    Alcaraz downed Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 6-3 in his opener before seeing off Laslo Djere 7-6(2), 6-2 in the second round.

    The world No 3’s participation in the Italian capital had been in doubt after he was forced to pull out of the Madrid Masters due to injury.

    The Spaniard sustained an adductor muscle injury in his Barcelona Open final defeat to Holger Rune and also revealed he was dealing with a hamstring a problem when he announced his Madrid withdrawal.

    Alcaraz has worn a black brace on his upper right leg during his matches at the Italian Open.

    Following his victory over Khachanov at the Foro Italico, Alcaraz spoke about the physical demands of facing the Russian.

    “It feels amazing to get the win at the end against a really big and really tough guy like Khachanov,” the 22-year-old told Tennis TV.

    “Physically I struggled a bit. Not any pain on any part of the body, but I was just tired. The match was really tough. I had to run a lot, so I’m just really proud of the way I fought for every ball.

    “At a break up in the second set, from then to the end of the second set, I probably lost focus a little bit.

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    “He started to play great, but I was really happy to forget it and come into the third set as good as I could. I just fought, and I’m really happy about that.”

    Speaking to reporters in Rome, Alcaraz added: “I had to run a lot. I had to fight every ball. Khachanov level in the match, it is insane. It is really, really high. He push you to the limit in every point.

    “To be present… I have to be present. I had to wait for my chances. That made me run a lot. I had to fight a lot.”

    On playing the early match, Alcaraz said: “I’m not used to playing at 11 am. Yeah, honestly I don’t want to wake up early, but today I had to.

    “Anyway, I had to find the positive things that I finish early. A lot of time to recover, a lot of times to do other things here in Rome.

    “But yeah, I had to be really focused in the beginning because the early starts sometimes is difficult to start the match. But I think I did it pretty well. Hope not playing too many matches first on, but if I have to, I will be ready.”

    READ NEXT: Meet the man behind Carlos Alcaraz – who is Albert Molina?

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  • Coco Gauff and Alex Eala set up exciting match in Rome as American reveals how partnership started

    The Coco Gauff and Alex Eala doubles partnership marched on at the Italian Open as the former revealed how they ended up playing together in Rome.

    Gauff is a former women’s doubles world No 1 as she won the 2024 French Open alongside Katerina Siniakova while she also finished runner-up at Roland Garros in 2022 when she partnered Jessica Pegula and at the 2021 US Open with Caty McNally.

    The 21-year-old enjoyed a lengthy and successful stint as Pegula’s partner, but that partnership ended last year and Gauff has played with several different WTA stars since then.

    Eala, meanwhile, is still new on the scene as the 19-year-old hasn’t played too many top-level doubles matches, but she does have success in the format as she won the 2020 Australian Open girls’ doubles and the 2021 French Open girls’ doubles.

    And the two exciting talents on the WTA Tour decided to team up at the WTA 1000 event in the Italian capital.

    They started with a straight set win over Alexandra Panova and Fanny Stoller in the first round and followed it up with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Italian wildcards Tyra Grant and Lisa Pigato.

    But who initiated the partnership?

    “She DM’d me on Instagram. She slid in my DMs and asked me to play. I was like, ‘Sure, why not?’”, Gauff said of Eala.

    “We really didn’t know each other, honestly, before Madrid. I said hi to her for the first time in Madrid or maybe Miami, we may have briefly said hello. I figured she would be nice so I was just hoping she would be, you know?

    “Obviously, she’s such a nice person. When there’s people finally my age on tour, I’m glad to interact.

    “For me, it was a good opportunity to play doubles but also have a relaxed vibe with another player. I’m super happy to play with her, and obviously she’s a killer in doubles: two junior Slams and probably some future ones too.”

    The Gauff-Eala team will next face the formidable seeds Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini for a place in the semi-final.

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    2023 US Open winner Gauff was also asked about Eala’s breakthrough this year.

    The teenager caused several upsets at the Miami Open when she beat three Grand Slam winners in Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek en route to reaching the semi-final.

    With that run, she became the highest-ranked Filipina in WTA Tour history as she surged into the top 80.

    “She seems to be handling it super well. There’s ups and downs in the sport, but you realise that the media is there to kind of paint that story and make it more interesting, but that shouldn’t be added pressure or anything like that,” the American said.

    “She seems chill. She seems like she’s working hard, so I don’t have any advice for her just because she seems relaxed. The only thing I did tell her was that doubles helped me a lot in that space, having some time on court where it’s a little less stressful. So, I encouraged her to play when she could.”

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  • Carlos Alcaraz joins Rafael Nadal among youngest players to reach all nine Masters 1000 quarter-finals

    Carlos Alcaraz accomplished some stellar feats as he earned a hard-fought win over Karen Khachanov to progress to the quarter-finals at the 2025 Italian Open.

    The world No 3 defeated 24th-ranked Khachanov 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 in the last 16 of the Masters 1000 event in Rome.

    Alcaraz won five straight games after falling 1-3 down in the opening set, but he saw a 3-2, break advantage slip away in the second as Khachanov staged a turnaround of his own.

    In the decider, Alcaraz’s 4-1 lead disappeared as Khachanov battled back to 4-4, but the Spanish star delivered the decisive blow when the Russian serve to stay in the match at 5-6.

    By reaching the last eight at the Italian Open for the first time, Alcaraz has now made the quarter-finals at all nine Masters 1000 tournaments.

    At the age of 22 years and 13 days, Alcaraz is the second youngest player to feature in the last eight of every Masters event on the ATP calendar since the category was introduced in 1990.

    Rafael Nadal is the only man to achieve this at a younger age, having reached his ninth different Masters quarter-final when he was 21 years and 154 days old.

    Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Marcelo Rios also progressed to the last eight at every Masters tournament before turning 23.

    Youngest players to reach the quarter-finals at every Masters 100o tournament

    Rafael Nadal – 21 years and 154 days
    Carlos Alcaraz – 22 years and 13 days
    Novak Djokovic – 22 years and 177 days
    Roger Federer – 22 years and 225 days
    Marcelo Rios – 22 years and 318 days

    Alcaraz’s win against Khachanov was his 75th Masters 1000 victory in his 98th match at this level of event.

    Only Nadal (91) and Stefan Edberg (97) have reached the 75-win milestone in fewer Masters matches.

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    Alcaraz will face world No 5 Jack Draper in the quarter-finals in Rome after the 23-year-old Brit downed Corentin Moutet 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the fourth round.

    The four-time major winner leads the head-to-head 3-2, with Draper having won their last encounter in the Indian Wells semi-finals in March.

    “Jack is playing great,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview. “The way he’s playing is really high. I’ve been watching his matches. His results lately are huge. I have to be ready for that. I think it’ll be a great battle.

    “My record in quarter-finals is pretty good. But every match is different. I have to show my best tennis if I want to beat him.

    “Let’s see. Last time I played him, I lost. I have to take the good things about that match and the bad things and I have to learn about that. Let’s see tomorrow.”

    READ NEXT: The 6 active men to reach the QFs at the four Grand Slams and nine ATP Masters events as Alcaraz secures feat

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  • Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray make major decision on their partnership ahead of French Open

    Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have ended their coaching partnership by mutual agreement ahead of the 2025 French Open.

    The tennis world was left shocked in November when Djokovic announced he had hired Murray as his new coach.

    The two former rivals worked together for the first time during the off-season and they joined forces at four tournaments this year, with the collaboration bringing mixed results.

    In his first tournament with Murray in his box, Djokovic reached the Australian Open semi-finals having beaten Carlos Alcaraz in the last eight, before a hamstring injury forced him to retire against Alexander Zverev.

    Djokovic also made a run to the final at the Miami Open with five dominant straight-set wins before he lost to Jakub Mensik.

    The 37-year-old lost his opening match at the other two events: in Indian Wells and Madrid.

    The Serbian pulled out of the Italian Open after his loss to Matteo Arnaldi in Madrid extended his losing streak to three matches.

    It had been expected that Djokovic and Murray would continue their partnership at the French Open and Wimbledon, but they both confirmed they had parted ways on Tuesday.

    In a post on social media, Djokovic said: “Thank you, coach Andy, for all the hard work, fun and support over last six months on and off the court. I really enjoyed deepening our friendship together.”

    “Thanks to Novak for the unbelievable opportunity to work together and thanks to his team for all their hard work over the past six months.

    “I wish Novak all the best for the rest of the season.”

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    Djokovic and Murray have not revealed the reason for the end of their partnership, with the timing leaving some fans surprised.

    Speaking on the Sporting Misadventures podcast in February, Murray opened up on the experience of coaching Djokovic at the Australian Open.

    “It wasn’t so much ‘this is what you did wrong’, it was more like ‘this is what you do right’,” the former world No 1 explained. “(It was) ‘when I was playing against you, you were doing this, it was so hard to play against for these reasons’.

    “I was more like trying to emphasise the positives of when he’s playing well, this is what it looks like and this is what it feels like for the player down the other end.

    “As a player, you never know the speed of your own shot, the speed of your ball, what impact it’s having on the guy down the other end, what are they feeling.

    “If I [had been] able to hear from Novak or [Roger] Federer or [Rafael] Nadal when I was playing against them, ‘oh, I hate it when you do this to me or when you hit this shot’, that would have been a huge, huge help to me to know that.”

    Djokovic will compete at the Geneva Open in the week before the French Open after accepting a wildcard for the ATP 250 tournament following his Rome withdrawal.

    It is unclear whether the 24-time Grand Slam champion will add a new coach to his team ahead of Roland Garros, which will begin on May 25.

    READ NEXT: The 7 ATP players with the best win percentage on clay: Rafael Nadal No 1, Novak Djokovic on 80.1%

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  • Novak Djokovic practice footage emerges and it has served up some big questions

    Novak Djokovic is preparing to return to action after a disastrous start to his clay court season and the latest footage of his practice session has set a few alarm bells ringing.

    Djokovic’s defeat against Alejandro Tabilo in Monte Carlo and his loss against Matteo Arnaldi in his first match at the Madrid Open suggested the 24-time Grand Slam champion was a long way from the form he needs to be in to challenge for the title at the French Open.

    The Serbian legend pulled out of this week’s Italian Open as he opted to take a break from tennis, but he has entered the lower ranking ATP 250 tournament in Geneva next week as he looks to fine tune his game ahead of the second Grand Slam of the season in Paris.

    Now footage has emerged of Djokovic’s practice ahead of his next tournament, as he again appeared to be struggling to find his feet on clay courts.

    Djokovic has looked off-balance in his defeats against Tabilo and Arnaldi and he also looked unsteady in his latest practice session.

    Djokovic will be hoping to get some matches under his belt ahead of the French Open, as he didn’t try to hide his disdain for his level of performance after the defeat against Arnaldi in Madrid.

    “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, 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.

    “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.”

    Former world No 1 Andy Roddick suggested critics of Djokovic should be wary of writing off the player who will toast his 38th birthday later this month.

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    “His year is littered with first-round losses. It’s like I can’t just show up at tournaments and be in the semis. It’s not something that is the norm for me anymore, but he doesn’t have to,” said Roddick on his Served podcast.

    “For me, it’s just a matter of can he get off the mark? What is his start? If it’s a 100m dash, I don’t know if he can kick and make up ground once he’s behind now.

    “But if he gets a couple of matches in, he is in the semis of Australia and might have been considered co-favourite.

    “We have very short memories. All we remember right now is [Matteo] Arnaldi. But he beat [Carlos] Alcaraz, and he was playing [Alexander] Zverev, and people are saying if he’s healthy, he is the favourite.

    “He can reset that expectation so quickly. If he looks great in his first two rounds at Roland Garros, we are throwing him right back up to the top of the favourites list. He can reset quicker than anyone.”

    READ NEXT: Novak Djokovic’s doubters given a firm reminder by world No 1 ahead of French Open

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  • Emma Raducanu has one big concern after thumping Coco Gauff defeat in Rome

    The scoreline in Emma Raducanu’s 6-1, 6-2 defeat against Coco Gauff at the Italian Open will do little to suggest she is ready to compete with the game’s top stars, but she should take some encouragement from the match. 

    Raducanu’s latest defeat against a top ten rival brings her record against players in that elite list to one win from eight matches, but there is no doubt that she will head into the French Open at Roland Garros with renewed confidence on the surface.

    This was her first appearance in the last-16 of a WTA 1000 clay court event and in passages of the match, she showed she could match Gauff.

    Former British No 1 Tim Henman agreed with that sentiment, as he gave his views to Sky Sports Tennis.

    “When you reflect on the score, it looks very straightforward, but I think there were a couple of really long games, but on each of those occasions it was Gauff who found a way to come through,” said Henman.

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    “It wasn’t the result or performance Raducanu was looking for. She didn’t have the opportunity to dictate because Gauff was hitting so aggressively from the back of the court.

    “But when you reflect on Raducanu’s clay-court season so far, it’s been very positive. The clay courts at Roland Garros are the trust, the best, they will suit Emma even more.

    “Her game is moving in the right direction, she’s up to 42 in the live rankings. A number in the back of my mind is 32 – can she be seeded pre-Wimbledon and get that protection in the early rounds on grass?”

    The game she played when Gauff was serving for the first set at 5-1 was bursting with power-packed winners and she also missed some presentable chances to close out games and put her American rival under pressure.

    That may be down to Raducanu’s lack of belief on clay courts, with world No 3 Gauff a much more experienced performer on this surface.

    The message Raducanu should take from this match should be that when she commits to her shots and attacks opponents, she is a threat to anyone on this surface.

    Yet she will be concerned by the serving issues that continue to trouble her.

    While the double faults that were a feature of her game prior to Mark Petchey’s arrival as her part-time coach have been erased, Raducanu is still struggling to land enough effective first serves to get through games quickly.

    That is giving her opponents real encouragement and also piling the pressure on Raducanu, who often find herself serving soon after she has battled her way through a long game of her own.

    It is an area that may improve when she gets on grass and hard courts, where her serve will be aided by the faster surface, yet it appears she doesn’t have the weapons she needs to challenge for big titles on clay.

    Her three wins in Rome have seen her move to within a couple of places of British No 1 Katie Boulter in the WTA Rankings and a couple of wins at the French Open may be enough to see her reclaim that position.

    READ NEXT: Coco Gauff consolidates key rankings breakthrough with Emma Raducanu Italian Open hammering

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  • Coco Gauff consolidates key rankings breakthrough with Emma Raducanu Italian Open hammering

    Coco Gauff booked her place in the quarter-finals of the 2025 Italian Open with a dominant victory against Emma Raducanu.

    The world No 3 dismantled 49th-ranked Raducanu 6-1, 6-2 on the Grand Stand Arena in the last 16 at the Foro Italico.

    In a clash of two former US Open champions, it was one-way traffic from start to finish as Gauff broke twice in each set and did not drop her own serve.

    Gauff saved three break points, which came in separate games: at 2-0 in the first set; at 5-1 in the first set; and at 3-2 in the second set.

    The American star now holds a 2-0 record against Raducanu, having won the duo’s first encounter in straight sets at the 2023 Australian Open.

    The 21-year-old was already ensured of returning to her career-high ranking of world No 2 when the WTA Rankings update after her rivals Iga Swiatek and Jessica Pegula both exited Rome at the third round stage.

    Gauff’s latest win has strengthened her position, though, as she has extended her lead over third-placed Pegula to 175 points in the live rankings.

    She is now 580 points clear of Swiatek, who has dropped to fourth in the live standings as she failed to defend the 1,000 points she earned for winning the 2024 Italian Open.

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    Gauff is the first American woman to reach their third quarter-final in Rome since Venus Williams in 2006.

    The 2023 US Open winner is chasing her maiden title at the Foro Italico, having reached the semi-finals in 2021 and 2024.

    Raducanu, meanwhile, is up seven places in the live rankings — from 49th to 42nd — with the 120 points she gained for her three wins in Rome.

    The 22-year-old Brit’s fourth round exit means, however, that she has narrowly missed the chance to claim the British No 1 spot from Katie Boulter.

    Victory over Gauff would have seen Raducanu climb above Boulter, who currently sits 40th on the live list. Raducanu peaked at 10th in the world in July 2022, the year after her stunning US Open victory.

    What next for Coco Gauff?

    Gauff will face either world No 7 Mirra Andreeva or 23rd-ranked Clara Tauson in the last eight in Rome.

    What next for Emma Raducanu?

    Raducanu is set to compete at the French Open for only the second time and the first time since 2022.

    READ NEXT: Emma Raducanu wins humorous WTA award – ‘Oops!… she did it again!’

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  • Alexander Zverev makes strong statement as he is asked if Novak Djokovic can win the French Open

    Alexander Zverev has asserted that Novak Djokovic is “still one of the most dangerous players in the world” as he weighed in on his rival’s French Open chances.

    Djokovic has accepted a wildcard for the ATP 250 tournament in Geneva, which will run from May 18 to 24 in the week before Roland Garros.

    The world No 6 will be seeking a fourth French Open crown and record-extending 25th Grand Slam overall at the clay-court major.

    The Serbian holds a 0-2 record on clay this season having suffered straight-set losses in his opening matches in Monte Carlo and Madrid to Alejandro Tabilo and Matteo Arnaldi respectively.

    Djokovic withdrew from the Italian Open, and he has not won a match since his Miami Open semi-final victory over Grigor Dimitrov in March.

    Zverev, who is competing in Rome, was asked if Djokovic “still has what it takes” to win Roland Garros as a journalist claimed the Serb has been “conspicuously absent from the tour the last couple weeks.”

    “Only here that he pulled out, right? He played all the other tournaments,” the German said in his press conference after beating Vilius Gaubas in the third round of Italian Open.

    “Maybe he didn’t play up to his standard or his liking, but who does sometimes? If you’re not winning the tournament, if you’re a top guy and you’re not winning the tournament, you always go home a little bit p**sed and a little bit upset.

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    “I still believe once he finds his game, he’s still one of the most dangerous players in the world. There’s no question about his ability at all.

    “It’s more whether he still wants to. It’s more whether he still wants to put in the work. That’s a question to him. I can’t answer that. His tennis ability is above everyone else’s.”

    Zverev holds a 5-8 record against Djokovic having prevailed in the pair’s most recent clash in the 2025 Australian Open semi-finals when the Serbian was forced to retire with an injury.

    The world No 2 also reaffirmed the fact that winning the French Open remains his biggest ambition.

    “Yeah, I mean, Roland Garros is my main goal, that’s for sure. I’ve said that last year. I think the Grand Slams are my main targets,” Zverev explained.

    “In Australia, I was in the finals. Of course it was very bitter, just sad for me to lose the way I lost in Australia. But luckily we have four chances a year.

    “For me, Roland Garros is always kind of the one I’m looking forward to the most. I hope I can play good tennis there, yeah, just show my strengths.”

    Zverev is the defending champion in Rome, where he will face world No 14 Arthur Fils in the fourth round.

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