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Tennis icon John McEnroe has lauded the talent of Carlos Alcaraz as he made a bold statement about the Spaniard in comparison to the Big Three of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Alcaraz is chasing his second US Open title and sixth Grand Slam in total at the 2025 edition of the hard-court major in New York. A 19-year-old Alcaraz became the youngest world No 1 in ATP history after claiming his maiden major crown at the 2022 US Open.

The world No 2 steamrolled world No 65 Mattia Bellucci 6-1, 6-0, 6-3 in the second round at Flushing Meadows. Alcaraz broke the 24-year-old Italian’s serve seven times and did not face a single break point in an utterly dominant display on Arthur Ashe Stadium court.

In the opening round, Alcaraz saw off huge-serving 67th-ranked Reilly Opelka 6-4, 7-5, 6-4. The 22-year-old will take on 32nd seed Luciano Darderi in round three.

Speaking on ESPN, McEnroe gave his verdict on who is better between Alcaraz and world No 1 Jannik Sinner.

“You want two great players in any sport to play their best,” said the seven-time major singles champion.

“In my opinion, if both guys play their best, Carlos Alcaraz is the better all around player.

“If he brings A- or below, Sinner is going to beat him. That is what it boils down to. This guy Carlos Alcaraz at 21 or 22 is the most talented kid I have ever seen on the tennis court.

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“That is more than Roger Federer, [Rafael] Nadal and [Novak] Djokovic, who I have great respect for. I idolised Rod Laver, I played Pete Sampras.

“This guy is astoundingly good when he is on. One of the quickest guys who has ever been on the court, incredible personality, the attitude is amazing. He has got every shot in the book. Everything.”

John McEnroe’s brother, Patrick, also weighed in on the debate and explained why he favours Sinner.

“I give Sinner the slight edge at the moment, although when you look at just the head-to-head, it favours Alcaraz very significantly,” said the French Open doubles winner.

“But this year, you have got to look at the fact Sinner has won two of the three majors. He wins Wimbledon for the first time and overall he is more consistent.

“I think this loss here at Wimbledon is going to give Alcaraz a little bit more of an edge. He looked, for him, like a little passive in that match.

“He couldn’t believe that Sinner was just taking it to him. I think he is going to come here to New York thinking, ‘Okay, now I have got something to prove’.

“So I give Sinner the slight edge, but I think Alcaraz is right there and he has a little bit of a chip on his shoulder.”

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The Jelena Ostapenko-Taylor Townsend heated exchange during the end of their US Open second-round match has escalated into accusations and denials of racism with the incident leaving a sour taste.

The unseeded Townsend upset 2017 French Open champion and 25th seed Ostapenko 7-5, 6-1, but the real drama occurred at the end of the match as there was a frosty handshake and lengthy, angry exchange between the pair at the net.

Townsend didn’t hold back during her on-court interview as she revealed: “She told me I have no class, I have no education, and to see what happens when we get outside the US. I’m looking forward to it. I beat her in Canada outside the US. So let’s see what else she has to say.”

Ostapenko then took to social media to give her version of the events, revealing her opponent refused to apologise for a net call, writing “she was very disrespectful as she had a net ball in a very deciding moment and didn’t say sorry”.

The incident, naturally, lit up social media and some users hit out at the Latvian and sent messages on her Instagram Status as they believe her comment that her opponent had “no class, no education” had racist undertones.

But the 28-year-old vehemently denied those allegations, writing: “Wow how many messages I received that I am a racist. I was NEVER racist in my life and I respect all nations of people in the world, for me it doesn’t matter where you come from.

“There are some rules in tennis and unfortunately when the crowd is with you you can’t use it in [a] disrespectful way to your opponent.

“Unfortunately for me, coming from such a small country I don’t have that support and a chance to play in [my] homeland.

“I always loved to play in the US and US Open, but this is the first time is approaching the match [in] this disrespectful way.”

She later deleted the post.

Townsend, meanwhile, kicked off her post-match press conference by telling reporters: “This is the type of day you all live for.”

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The 29-year-old insisted there was no “previous beef on my side”.

“No, there’s never been any history. I mean, I don’t know how she feels about Me, but there’s no, you know, beef on my side,” she said before going on to repeat Ostapenko’s comments.

“You know, she told me that I have no education, no class, and to see what happens if we play each other outside of the US,” the American explained.

“And I said, you know, I’m excited. Bring it. You know, I’ve never been the one to back down from anything like that, but I just thought that it was really interesting. You know, she was playing amazing in the first set and, you know, couldn’t miss. And, you know, I had my head down and head in my strings and just tried to continue to just plug away.

She continued: “You know, still is no beef. But again, like you guys saw, I didn’t back down because you’re not gonna insult me, especially after I carried myself a certain type of way with nothing but respect.

“And if I show respect to you, I expect respect as well. And that’s just the fact of the matter. And I think that that’s tennis, right? You know, no matter what’s going on, it’s me versus you. But at the end of the day, we have to respect each other and respect what happens out on the court.

“It’s competition. So, you know, it was unfortunate, but it’s something I could put on my TikTok.”

World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka was also asked her opinion on the incident as she revealed she tried to calm Ostapenko down.

“I actually spoke to Jelena after the match, but during our conversation, I didn’t know what had happened. Well, I have to say that she’s nice. She just sometimes can lose control. She has some things in life to face and some struggles.

“I was just trying to help her… I don’t know… not like face it in a more mature way, but I was just trying to help her to settle down. I was just someone she could speak to and just let it go.

“I think sometimes she just lose control over her emotions, which is pretty tough and I really hope that one day she will figure it out herself and she will handle it much better.”

The post Ostapenko-Townsend update: Latvian hits back at ‘racist’ accusations, Sabalenka’s calming attempt appeared first on Tennis365.

With trademark ruthlessness and efficiency, Jannik Sinner stormed into the second round of the US Open.

The world No 1 needed just 98 minutes and dropped just four games with a dominant performance inside the Arthur Ashe Stadium, dispatching Vit Kopriva without barely breaking a sweat.

The reigning US Open champion, and the winner of the last three hard-court Slams, it comes as no surprise to see Sinner earmarked by most as the title favourite this fortnight.

However, after a paint-by-numbers round one for the Italian, things should – and likely will – get tougher when he returns to court on Thursday.

Sinner will be the favourite to dispatch Alexei Popyrin when they meet, though the Italian will have to do something he has never done before: beat the world No 36.

‘I don’t feel too starstruck by the occasion’

It has been over four years since the sole meeting between Sinner and Popyrin, a match won by the Australian at the Madrid Open.

A 7-6(5), 6-2 victory in the Spanish capital remains the only time that Popyrin, a big-hitting 26-year-old from Sydney, has ever tested himself against the Italian.

Naturally, a lot has changed for Sinner since then, with the 24-year-old now a four-time Grand Slam champion with over 60 consecutive weeks as the world No 1.

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However, plenty has changed for Popyrin as well in the past four years.

Unexpectedly, the Australian hit the peak of his career just last summer, with a string of extraordinary results in North America.

With the odds stacked against him, Popyrin – ranked 62nd in the world – became the fourth-lowest-ranked player to win a Masters 1000 title at the 2024 Canadian Open.

That was followed by a career-best run to the fourth round of the US Open, famously stunning defending champion and recent Olympic gold medallist Novak Djokovic in four sets.

Beating Djokovic remains the finest win of his career, and his showdown against Sinner will likely see him return to the scene of that victory: the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Many would be overawed by playing inside the largest arena in tennis, but the Australian is not one to be overawed.

“I’ve walked out onto Arthur Ashe before, so I know what to expect of that stadium,” said Popyrin.

“I think walking out against Novak, I think it was a little bit different for me because I played him in two previous occasions that year and both in Slams.

“But then again, you’re walking out onto a big stadium and you’re playing one of the top guys in the sport and I think that’s the moments that I relish.

“That’s the moments where I kind of come out and play some of my best tennis, and I’m hoping I can do that again.”

Defeat to Alexander Zverev in this year’s Canadian Open quarter-finals saw Popyrin, who has a career-high of world No 19, drop significantly down the ATP Rankings at precisely the wrong time.

Popyrin heads into the US Open as the world No 36, just missing out on a seeding for the men’s singles event.

He was in convincing form against Emil Ruusuvuori in the opening round, but now faces taking on the world No 1 as early as round two.

Popyrin certainly faces an uphill task, but there are certainly reasons for optimism.

Expectations on the Australian will be lowered considering his opponent, though he will still have the confidence and belief to cause a seismic shock.

And, as he put it himself, he will be by no means overawed by facing the very best.

He added: “Jannik’s is the best in the world and is one of the best for a reason.

“But you know, I’m not, I’m not too, I don’t feel too starstruck by the occasion. I think I’ve been in that position before. I think last year is a great example of it.

“Yeah, for me, I feel like if I, if I can stick to my, if I can stick to my game, if I can play the way I want to play, then I can cause trouble.”

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Emma Raducanu was in a jovial mood after she served up another hugely impressive display at the US Open and she then revealed a bizarre plan that left former British No 1 Tim Henman speechless.

Raducanu swept aside qualifier Janice Tjen 6-2, 6-1 in exactly an hour to reach the third round at Flushing Meadows and set up what promises to be an explosive clash against No 9 seed Elena Rybakina.

Yet when Henman was informed by Sky Sports presenter Gigi Salmon that Raducanu was going to play golf after creating some time at the end of her day following her quick win against Tjen, he was a little confused.

Raducanu went back on the practice court after her quick-fire first round win, but she was planning to hit some golf balls after this latest win.

“She said I’ve been given the afternoon off and she was off to play golf. She said she has never played golf before,” Salmon told Henman.

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“Golf? Is this a joke or is this serious?” questioned Henman. “Okay, well that will test her back out,” he added.

Henman’s comment was not misplaced as Raducanu revealed her long-running back problem flared up a little in the second set of her win against Tjen.

“I just had a little bit of stiffness in the second set,” said the British No 1. “I think I have been doing a lot of training and I’m just happy it didn’t affect me too much in the second set and I was still able to compete and to perform well and keep putting out good serves, good returns.”

Raducanu went on to suggest she was content with her form ahead of what will be a huge challenge against Rybakina on Friday.

“I’m particularly happy because, on the court, I felt like my opponent was playing really good tennis,” said Raducanu of Tjen, who knocked out 24th seed Veronika Kudermetova in round one.

“I thought that she was very dangerous and any ball that I put mid-court was going to be punished. So I’m very pleased with how I kept dictating the points, I kept dictating the play and didn’t let her get her front foot on the court.

“She’s obviously been playing very well, done a lot of winning and took out Veronika in the first round. Of course, I was on full alert playing today. I’m just very pleased with that performance.

“I thought that I served very well and I put quite a few aces on the board today. It always helps me when I’m serving well. It just kind of seeps into the rest of my game.”

Despite his bemusement over her golf plan, Henman was full of praise for Raducanu.

“Raducanu will take so much confidence from that,” he added.

“If you take out of the equation the ranking of her opponent, and purely focus on the way Emma played, it was highly impressive.

“Today I thought he performance was brilliant. I’ve seen her around the place over the last few days and she is in a great place. The off-court stuff is just as important as the on-court stuff.”

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Tennis coaching legend Rick Macci has compared the current dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner to that of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

Sinner and Alcaraz have won the last seven Grand Slam titles between them since the start of the 2024 season, with the former securing four and the latter claiming three.

The pair have faced off in the finals at the last four events they have played, including the last two Grand Slam championship matches.

Alcaraz saved three match points en route to beating Sinner in an instant classic five-set French Open final lasting five hours and 29 minutes.

Sinner gained his revenge by delivering a stellar display to down Alcaraz in four sets in the Wimbledon title match last month.

In an exclusive interview with Tennis365, Macci backed both Alcaraz and Sinner to reach double figures in terms of Grand Slam titles.

“Listen, I think we’re seeing something very special in real time,” said the American, who coached Venus and Serena Williams.

“People are always gonna have their opinion, even four years ago when I said this about Alcaraz, where this was going with Sinner. And now here we are and here they are, and when I sit there – I don’t like throwing double digit Grand Slams out there – but to me, barring injury, mail it in.

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“But you don’t wanna put ‘em in the rare air with Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, you don’t even wanna go there because it’s such a journey, because there’s injury and so many things that can make a left turn for you.”

Macci continued: “At the end of the day, they’re both amazing role models because they’re great people. And I think for parents and coaches, you wanna follow guys like that just like people would with Federer.

“And then you’ve got Alcaraz, he’ll lose a 20-ball rally and smile at you! I mean what is that all about? You go on about flipping pressure. And this is what coaches have to try to stress because let’s face it, everybody gets nervous, everybody chokes, it’s a pressure cooker out there.

“And Sinner, he’s almost like a machine. He’s the best on the planet ‘cause his mind’s made of granite. Just watch what they’re doing… I don’t see anybody, I don’t see anybody – barring injury – there’s no one in that neighbourhood now. It’s those two.

“That doesn’t mean they’re going undefeated, that doesn’t mean people can’t beat ‘em. I mean, you don’t feel like playing, you’re gonna lose. Three out of five [sets] at a Slam is trickier because it’s more mental.

“But they’re in a different category. And you can back the truck up to Federer, Nadal, Djokovic – when they played the Slams, you almost knew one of those three were gonna win it. Very seldom did you have a cameo.

“So yeah, we’re seeing greatness right in front of us. And hopefully neither of them get hurt and we can be enjoying this for the next 12, 15 years.”

Sinner and Alcaraz are competing at the 2025 US Open, where they could meet in yet another final.

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The post Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s Grand Slam totals predicted by legendary coach appeared first on Tennis365.

Jack Draper has taken the tough decision to withdraw from the 2025 US Open before his second round match due to injury.

The world No 5 battled past world No 203 Federico Agustin Gomez 6-4, 7-5, 6-7(7), 6-2 in the opening round of the US Open on Monday.

That was Draper‘s first singles match since his shock second round loss to Marin Cilic at Wimbledon.

The Brit pulled out of the Masters 1000 tournaments in Toronto and Cincinnati as his preparations for the US Open were affected by an arm injury.

The US Open announced on Wednesday that Draper had withdrawn ahead of his second round clash with world No 48 Zizou Bergs.

Draper confirmed his arm was still causing him trouble as he addressed the decision in a post on social media.

“Hi guys, I’m sorry to say I’ll be withdrawing from the US Open,” Draper wrote.

“I tried my very best to be here and give myself the every chance to play but the discomfort in my arm has become to much and I have to do what is right and look after myself. Thank you for all the support.”

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After his opening round win, Draper said: “I wasn’t sure if I would make it here this year but we have done a great job with the team since Wimbledon to get myself back on court.

“It wasn’t my finest performance but credit to my opponent. He played some outstanding tennis. I’m looking forward to improving and hopefully getting better as the tournament goes on.

“I’m not putting too many expectations on myself. I’ve put in the work. If I can get that level back, I will be really tough to beat.

“There are so many amazing players in this draw. I’m just so happy to be able to compete here in New York.

“I haven’t played loads so I’m trying to conserve as much energy as I can.”

Former British No 1 Laura Robson reacted to Draper’s withdrawal on Sky Sports.

“He was on site this morning having a practice and it still seemed like it was quite positive but I think it was just too soon for him,” Robson said.

“That match intensity changes things. You don’t ever fully know until you actually step out there and play all out. Unfortunately, it was just a bit too much.

“It’s really disappointing because this was the tournament he did so well at last year, making the semi-finals.

“It’s a tough call, because he would so desperately want to be out there.”

Former world No 4 Tim Henman also shared his thoughts.

“Laura and I actually had breakfast with Jack this morning and he seemed in good spirits,” Henman said.

“He must have known that things weren’t ideal, but he was going to go out on the practice court and give it a go.

“You understand, playing at this level – best of five sets – it has got to be close to ideal in order to go out there, and his arm is something he’s struggled with for a long time.

“Hugely disappointing that Jack has had to pull out, but that’s where he and his team around him have made a wise decision not to aggravate things even more.”

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Emma Raducanu is reviving memories of her fairy tale in New York after she stormed into the third round of the US Open.

Four years have passed since Raducanu stunned the sporting world by coming through qualifying and winning her first Grand Slam title, with her US Open win propelling her to instant global superstardom.

Raducanu’s story since then has been less than glorious, as she has struggled to live up to the lofty standards she set for herself with that breakthrough win, with injuries and dips in form affecting her progress.

Yet the more mature 22-year-old is now starting to shine all over again, with her opening two performances at this year’s US Open confirming the new version of Raducanu is threatening to create waves at the top of the women’s game once again.

She dispatched qualifier Ena Shibahara in 62 minutes in her first round match on Sunday and then went one better as she recorded the fastest win of her career to dispose of qualifier Janice Tjen 6-1, 6-2 in precisely 60 minutes.

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Raducanu set a record for her fastest win in a Grand Slam event when she beat Shibahara and now she has bettered that as she moved up to No 33 in the live WTA Rankings.

“We are all getting excited by the level of performance we are seeing from Emma,” former British No 1 Laura Robson told Sky Sports.

“It was just a really solid performance. Raducanu came out with such a purpose; from the first game of the match you saw the intent on the groundstrokes. She just had that much more in every shot today than Tjen.

“She has been playing really consistent tennis but this was even a step up from the first round.

“You see Raducanu release her power on her forehand side to the Tjen backhand. And she always wanted to move forward.

“Then she was returning serve inside the baseline and if you are the server in that situation, you are always under pressure.”

The most impressive aspect of Raducanu’s game was her serve, which has often been an area of concern since that US Open win.

Against Tjen, Raducanu landed 79 per-cent of her first serves, which is a remarkably high number given the power and accuracy she was delivering.

She threw in just eight unforced errors in a almost flawless display as she dominated her outclassed opponent from first to last.

Cynics will argue the euphoria around this victory for Raducanu is misplaced given the level of her opponent, but wins of this nature have not been part of the Raducanu story in recent years and that is why her fans have every right to start beating the drum of optimism as she eyes up a place in week two of a Grand Slam for the first time since that iconic US Open win in 2021.

“I’m very pleased with how I played today,” Raducanu said in her on-court interview. “In the last few weeks, I’ve really stepped up with what I’m doing on and off the court.

“I’m just looking forward to building day by day, doing my best – that’s all I can do – and I’m putting a lot of trust in the work I’m doing behind the scenes.”

The calm and assured nature of Raducanu’s two performances at the US Open suggests she fully believes in what she is delivering on court and that bodes well for what is to come for her in New York.

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Emma Raducanu’s fine form continued with another dominant win at the US Open on Wednesday.

The world No 36 needed exactly one hour to dispatch Indonesian qualifier Janice Tjen inside Court Louis Armstrong, ending the 23-year-old’s historic run with a comprehensive 6-2, 6-1 victory.

Raducanu’s opening-round win over Ena Shibahara lasted 62 minutes and had been her quickest-ever victory at a Grand Slam, though that milestone ultimately only lasted two days.

It was a close to perfect performance for the 22-year-old, landing 79% of first serves in play, hitting 16 winners, and breaking her opponent four times.

“I’m very pleased with how I played today,” said Raducanu on court. “Second round after two days, it kind of breaks the rhythm a little bit

“I was playing Janice, a super dangerous opponent. She was playing extremely well, and I thought any ball that I put mid-court, that wasn’t necessarily good enough, she just put away easily.

“I’m really pleased with how I performed.”

Having not won a match at the US Open since her stunning triumph at this event four years ago, Raducanu is now back into the third round at Flushing Meadows.

It is the fourth time that the 22-year-old has progressed into the third round of a major, and the six games dropped across her two matches so far is the least amount of games she has ever dropped getting to this stage of a Grand Slam.

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Victory was also her 26th win of 2025, the most she has ever recorded in an individual season, with still over two months of tournaments still to come this year.

“I think the consistency of doing good practice days every day, building on that,” responded Raducanu, when asked about the key to her improvement.

“After Miami, I did some pretty good work, I started to do it, but I also feel in the last few weeks I’ve really stepped up with what I’m doing on and off the court.

“I’m really happy that I have those people [Francisco Roig and Jane O’Donoghue] in my corner over there, and I’m really grateful for them.

“I’m really looking forward to building day by day, doing my best – that’s all I can do. I’m putting a lot of trust in the work behind the scenes, so it takes a little bit of pressure off.

“But, at the same time, whenever you play a match on a big stadium, you feel a bit of pressure – but I like to try and use it as much as I can.”

After her opening two wins, Raducanu is provisionally up three places to world No 33 in the WTA Live Rankings, on 1,546 points.

However, should she triumph in her third-round clash on Friday, the Brit could be in line for a hugely significant surge.

Raducanu would move to 1,656 points with victory in round three, a total that would propel her inside the top 30 of the WTA Rankings for the first time since September 2022.

But things are unlikely to be easy for the Brit, who could face ninth seed Elena Rybakina in round three.

The Kazakh faces qualifier Tereza Valentova on Wednesday, though she dropped just one game when she beat Raducanu in Sydney three years ago.

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The battle for the American No 1 ranking is in full swing and there is every chance we will have a new holder of the title by the end of this tournament.

Taylor Fritz has been the leading American player for some time, with his run to last year’s US Open final cementing his position in the top five of the ATP Rankings throughout 2025.

Yet with the 1,200 points he collected in last year’s US Open dropping off his ranking at the end of this year’s tournament, Fritz’s status as America’s top player is under threat.

Big-serving Ben Shelton is up to No 5 in the live ATP Rankings after his first round win against world No 135 Ignacio Buse.

Next up for Shelton is a clash against experienced Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta, with Fritz in line to take on South Africa’s Lloyd Harris.

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Both will be expected to win their matches and make it into round three, but Fritz may be unable to stop Shelton overhauling him as America’s new No 1 unless he repeats his success of going all the way to the final of this year’s US Open.

As Shelton went out in the third round of last year’s US Open, he has huge potential to make rankings gains if he can get deep into the second week in New York and he is talking up his hopes of achieving that goal after a strong first win against Ignacio Buse.

“It’s starting to feel like home for me. This is the best court in tennis,” Shelton said after his round one win at Flushing Meadows.

“It’s my favourite place to play: favourite court, favourite tournament. So opening day, first match, there are always a little bit of nerves, but I’m really happy I came out here and you guys got to see me do my thing. I’m really appreciative of everyone who came out.”

“We take it one step at a time. I’m trying to get better every day,” Shelton said. “I think that as soon as you start looking ahead of yourself, you stumble over your own feet. So for me, it’s one match at a time, one day at a time and just grateful to be out here. 

“I’m happy to come back here every year. This is the one for sure. This is the pinnacle of tennis for me, what I dreamed about when I was a kid.”

Shelton is sitting at No 4 in the ATP Race, which charts points collected in 2025, and that position highlights his impressive displays over the course of this calendar year.

Fritz is down in sixth position in the ATP Race, with the top eight players on that list qualifying for the lucrative end-of-season ATP Finals.

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