Category: Articles

Wednesday’s headlines from the 2026 Miami Open include Martina Navratilova’s reaction to Novak Djokovic’s withdrawal and Aryna Sabalenka suggesting she will boycott a big tournament in the future.

We also have news of Toni Nadal assessing that Carlos Alcaraz looks “tired”, while Emma Raducanu and Alex Eala’s first tournament of the clay season has been revealed.

Here is out latest roundup of the biggest headlines from the Miami Open and elsewhere in the tennis world.

Sabalenka hits out at Dubai tournament director

After Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek withdrew from the Dubai Championships last month, tournament director Salah Tahlak controversially claimed players should be “docked ranking points” for skipping events.

In her Miami Open pre-tournament press conference, world No 1 Sabalenka described Tahlak’s comments as “ridiculous” and suggested she may never play the WTA 1000 event in the United Arab Emirates again.

Read more: Aryna Sabalenka sends Dubai boycott warning – ‘I’m not sure if I ever want to go there’

20 players withdraw from Miami Open

A total of 20 players on the original Miami Open entry lists have pulled out across both singles events: 13 women and seven men.

Djokovic and Raducanu are the highest-ranked players to withdraw from each draw, and they are among four Grand Slam champions to pull out.

Read more: Miami Open withdrawal list: 20 players out as Djokovic & Raducanu among 4 Grand Slam winners

Navratilova on Djokovic’s Miami withdrawal

Djokovic pulled out of the Miami Open citing a shoulder injury after his gruelling fourth round loss to Jack Draper in Indian Wells.

The world No 3 has played only two tournaments in 2026, and tennis legend Martina Navratilova has argued that the 38-year-old Serb needs to play more matches outside of the Grand Slams.

Read more: Novak Djokovic’s Miami Open withdrawal leaves Martina Navratilova concerned for one reason

Toni Nadal says “tired” Alcaraz could skip tournaments

World No 1 Alcaraz’s unbeaten start to 2026 ended with a straight-set loss to Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals in Indian Wells.

Toni Nadal, the uncle and former coach of legendary Spaniard Rafael Nadal, thinks a “tired” Alcaraz may “stop playing in some tournaments.”

Read more: Carlos Alcaraz ‘looking a bit tired’ and should consider skipping some tournaments, says Toni Nadal

Darren Cahill on Sinner and Alcaraz’s rivalry

Jannik Sinner’s renowned coach Darren Cahill has discussed the Italian star’s rivalry with Alcaraz.

“The interest is there, the rivalry is great. Carlos being number one and Jannik number two at the minute gives Jannik something to chase, and so far he is doing a good job. I think the rivalry is something tennis needs,” said the Australian.

Read more: Jannik Sinner’s coach delivers verdict on Italian’s ‘great’ Carlos Alcaraz rivalry

Raducanu and Eala sign up for new clay tournament

Raducanu and Eala have signed up for the Upper Austria Ladies Linz, which has switched from indoor hard-court to indoor clay for this year’s edition.

The WTA 500, which will begin on 6 April, is set to be Raducanu’s next tournament after her withdrawal from Miami, while it will be Eala’s first event of the clay-court season.

Read more: Emma Raducanu’s next tournament revealed after Miami Open withdrawal as Alex Eala also set to star

Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for tennis coverage you can trust.

The post Sabalenka’s ‘ridiculous’ message, 20 players withdraw, Djokovic warned, Alcaraz to skip events? Miami Open roundup appeared first on Tennis365.

Coco Gauff has given an update on her fitness ahead of the 2026 Miami Open after the arm injury that ended her campaign in Indian Wells.

The two-time Grand Slam champion retired due to pain in her left arm when trailing 2-6, 0-2 against Alex Eala in the third round at the WTA 1000 in Indian Wells earlier this month.

Gauff said after the match that she thought the injury was “nerve-related” and revealed it was a “scary feeling.”

“Never had anything like this before, never felt anything, a sensation like this before,” the American said in Indian Wells.

“And then as the match played, it got progressively worse, even when I wasn’t using my arm on shots that I wasn’t even using my left arm for.

“It was feeling like fireworks at times. Yeah, it was a scary feeling, but yeah, I don’t know.”

In her pre-tournament press conference in Miami, Gauff revealed that her arm is improving each day.

“It was a nerve thing, like I said immediately after the match,” the 22-year-old confirmed.

WTA Tour News

WTA Rankings Race To Riyadh: Sabalenka closes gap to Rybakina, Mboko 5th, Gauff & Swiatek trailing

Aryna Sabalenka sends Dubai boycott warning – ‘I’m not sure if I ever want to go there’

Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for tennis coverage you can trust.

“Every day is different. But for the most part I’ll be fine playing this tournament. I may feel it sometimes on court, but I definitely feel it less and less every day, if that makes sense.”

Gauff, who was born in Florida, admitted she would likely have skipped the tournament if it was not the Miami Open.

“I think the goal was to play this tournament,” she said. “There was a thought of maybe skipping it, but if it wasn’t Miami I probably would skip it, but the fact that it is Miami, I really wanted to be here.”

The world No 4 also commented on undergoing an MRI scan for the first time.

“That was the first time I took an MRI, they’re expensive, and I felt like that’s what a coffin would feel like,” Gauff said. “It was very weird. I felt claustrophobic, so I definitely don’t want to go into one of those again.”

Gauff has not gone beyond the fourth round at the Miami Open in six previous appearances, and she expressed her wish to perform well at her home tournament.

“I would love to do well here; it seems like every time I do bad here, I end up doing well on clay, but this is a obviously a bucket list tournament for me,” Gauff added.

“I have stayed at home [during the Miami Open], but also played this tournament where I’ve stayed in a hotel, and neither was better, so I don’t know. Maybe this is the year.”

READ NEXT: WTA Miami Open Predictions: Sabalenka & Rybakina rivalry continues, Swiatek faces more disappointment

The post Miami Open: Coco Gauff issues update after MRI scan on ‘scary’ injury that felt like ‘fireworks’ appeared first on Tennis365.

Aryna Sabalenka has snapped back at the Dubai Tennis Championships tournament director following his calls for “harsher punishments” for players who withdraw from events at the last minute.

World No 1 Sabalenka and six-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek skipped this year’s WTA 1000 tournament in the United Arab Emirates with the pair announcing their intention to miss the tournament on the eve of the draw.

But they were not the only two women’s stars who didn’t feature in Dubai this year, as a total of 16 players who were on the main draw entry list pulled out of the tournament, leaving organisers upset.

And tournament director Salah Tahlak was unimpressed, particularly with Sabalenka and Swiatek, as he told The National: “It was an unfortunate surprise [on Friday] to get news of the withdrawal of Aryna and Iga. And the reasons for withdrawal were a bit strange

“Iga said she wasn’t mentally ready to compete, while Sabalenka said she has some minor injuries.

“So I don’t know. I think there should be a harsher punishment on the players [for withdrawing], not just fines, they should be docked ranking points.”

WTA Features

WTA Miami Open Predictions: Sabalenka & Rybakina rivalry continues, Swiatek faces more disappointment

WTA Rankings: Elena Rybakina and every woman to peak at world No 2

However, Sabalenka and Swiatek were defended by former world No 1 Andy Roddick and reigning French Open champion Coco Gauff with the latter saying players skip events in order to avoid burnout.

Sabalenka also missed the Qatar Open following her runners-up finish to Elena Rybakina at the Australian Open and only made her return at the Indian Wells Open at the beginning of March, but she went all the way to win the first leg of the Sunshine Double.

Leg two takes place in Miami this week and the four-time Grand Slam winner was asked about Tahlak’s comments and replied: “I think it’s ridiculous. I don’t think he showed himself in the best way possible.

“For me, it’s actually so sad to see ​that the tournament directors and ‌the tournaments are not protecting us as players. They just care about their (sales), about their tournament, and that’s it.

“His comment was ridiculous. I’m not sure if I ever want to go there after his comment. For me it’s too ‌much.”

Players have long complained about the demanding tennis schedule and Sabalenka had in the past suggested she could be forced to skip certain events in order to avoid burnout.

“Going into this season, we decided … to prioritise my ⁠health and make sure we have these little gaps in the schedule where I can reset, recharge, work and be better prepared for ‌bigger tournaments,” the reigning US Open champion said.

“I feel like the scheduling is going crazy and that’s why you see so many players injured, always ​taped and not delivering the best quality matches because it’s almost impossible.”

The post Aryna Sabalenka sends Dubai boycott warning – ‘I’m not sure if I ever want to go there’ appeared first on Tennis365.

The dust is only starting to settle on what was a thrilling women’s event in Indian Wells, but all attention now quickly turns to the Miami Open — the second half of the ‘Sunshine Double’.

Aryna Sabalenka defeated Jessica Pegula to lift the title at the WTA 1000 event twelve months ago, and both women are back in action this year, joining Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, and Coco Gauff among the top seeds and leading title contenders.

Here, we make our predictions for how the action could pan out in Miami.

Tennis News

Miami Open withdrawal list: 20 players out as Djokovic & Raducanu among 4 Grand Slam winners

Novak Djokovic’s Miami Open withdrawal leaves Martina Navratilova concerned for one reason

First Quarter

Projected Q/F: (1) Aryna Sabalenka vs (7) Jasmine Paolini

Entering as the defending Miami champion and the new Indian Wells champion, can Sabalenka retain her title and also complete the ‘Sunshine Double’ this year?

The world No 1 has a favourable draw early on, but could get an interesting test in round four, where she could potentially face 15th seed Madison Keys or 23rd seed Zheng Qinwen.

Victory there would lead Sabalenka to a projected quarter-final against seventh seed Paolini, whom she beat in the semi-final of this event twelve months ago.

Paolini has not been at her best so far in 2026, and the Italian has a tough draw early on, with a potential round-three clash against 25th seed Jelena Ostapenko, a former finalist in Miami.

The Italian is also projected to face ninth seed Elina Svitolina in the fourth round, with the Ukrainian in superb form across the opening months of the season.

Prediction: Sabalenka def Svitolina

Second Quarter

Projected Q/F: (3) Elena Rybakina vs (5) Jessica Pegula

Rybakina and Pegula have already met at the Australian Open and in Indian Wells this year, and are projected for yet another showdown in Miami.

The Kazakh won both their matches this season and looked in strong form in Indian Wells despite her final defeat, though she does not have the easiest early draw here.

She could again face 27th seed Marta Kostyuk, another player she beat in Indian Wells, in round three, before a potential blockbuster in the fourth round versus Naomi Osaka, the 16th seed.

2025 Miami runner-up Pegula could face Venus Williams in her opener and then face a test against 26th seed Leylah Fernandez in round three, before a potential fourth-round against 11th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.

The question for Pegula, if she does end up facing Rybakina, is: what can she do to snap her losing streak against the Australian Open champion?

Prediction: Rybakina def Pegula

Third Quarter

Projected Q/F: (6) Amanda Anisimova vs (4) Coco Gauff

Neither Anisimova nor Gauff have been at their free-flowing best throughout parts of 2026, and both American stars will be looking to rediscover their best form on home soil.

Sixth seed Anisimova has a kind draw in the opening rounds but could face a tough test in round four against 12th seed Belinda Bencic, before a hypothetical quarter-final against Gauff.

There are question marks over the fourth seed heading into Miami, following her Indian Wells retirement, and the 21-year-old does not have the easiest draw here.

Gauff could face Elisabetta Cocciaretto — who beat her in Doha last month — in round two, and then has a potential fourth-round versus 14th seed Linda Noskova.

Noskova has been in incredibly solid form over the past six to nine months, and comes in fresh off a run to the Indian Wells last four.

Prediction: Noskova def Bencic

Fourth Quarter

Projected Q/F: (8) Mirra Andreeva vs (2) Iga Swiatek

Swiatek was the Miami Open champion back in 2022, but has been in patchy form throughout the opening weeks of the season.

The Pole could face a Miami rematch against 31st seed Alex Eala in round three, twelve months on from the Filipina’s stunning upset at this very event, and is then, much like in Indian Wells, expected to face 13th seed Karolina Muchova.

All that is expected to lead to a quarter-final against Andreeva, but much like Swiatek, the Russian hasn’t always been at her best in recent weeks.

Looking to bounce back from her early Indian Wells exit, Andreeva could face 32nd seed Marie Bouzkova in round three, before a blockbuster clash against tenth seed Victoria Mboko.

Mboko and Andreeva have split their two meetings this season, though the Canadian is perhaps the in-form player of this mini-section — and quarter as a whole.

Prediction: Mboko def Swiatek

Semi-final predictions

Rybakina def Sabalenka

Noskova def Mboko

Final prediction

Rybakina def Noskova

Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for tennis coverage you can trust.

Read Next: Swiatek’s blunt warning, Raducanu’s potential rankings blow, Uncle Toni disagrees with Alcaraz – Miami Open roundup

The post WTA Miami Open Predictions: Sabalenka & Rybakina rivalry continues, Swiatek faces more disappointment appeared first on Tennis365.

Tennis icon Martina Navratilova has expressed her view that Novak Djokovic needs to play more matches outside of the Grand Slams after the great Serb’s Miami Open withdrawal.

Djokovic pulled out of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Miami due to a shoulder injury, with men’s main draw play at the Hard Rock Stadium set to begin on Wednesday.

The world No 3 is a six-time champion at the Miami Open and was a runner-up at last year’s edition — which was his first appearance at the event since 2019.

The 38-year-old tennis legend has played a limited schedule outside the four majors in the latter part of his career.

Djokovic has only played two tournaments so far in 2026, having reached the final at the Australian Open and the fourth round at the Indian Wells Masters.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Navratilova gave her reaction to Djokovic’s withdrawal from the Miami Open.

“The weather is causing havoc with the tournament and it’s really too bad, Novak last year’s finalist and the greatest, not being able to play,” said the 18-time Grand Slam singles champion.

Tennis News

Miami Open withdrawal list: 20 players out as Djokovic & Raducanu among 4 Grand Slam winners

Jannik Sinner’s stunning hard-court feat only matched by Novak Djokovic & Roger Federer

Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for tennis coverage you can trust.

“We did not see anything going on with his shoulder here, but the balls and everything is heavier in Miami, so who knows? Hopefully everything will be okay and we will see him soon again.

“I think he needs to have more matches before the big ones. I think he has pulled back so much that, even though he is as solid as he is, I think he needs a bit more match play to put yourself out there. But he knows better than me.”

Former world No 4 Tim Henman also weighed in on Djokovic’s absence in Miami as he looked ahead to the clay-court season.

“I don’t think it’s a massive surprise. He is very selective as to where he plays and dips in and out,” said the Brit.

“I will be very interested to see how much he plays on the clay. That is the most physically demanding surface.

“Will he play something before the French? Will he play the French at all? Will he just focus on the grass? Who knows.”

READ NEXT: Swiatek’s blunt warning, Raducanu’s potential rankings blow, Uncle Toni disagrees with Alcaraz – Miami Open roundup

The post Novak Djokovic’s Miami Open withdrawal leaves Martina Navratilova concerned for one reason appeared first on Tennis365.

The number of players to withdraw from the 2026 Miami Open has risen to 20 across both the men’s and women’s singles draws on the eve of the tournament.

By Saturday, 13 players had pulled out of the combined ATP/WTA 1000 tournament in South Florida, with Holger Rune, Barbora Krejcikova and Marketa Vondrousova the biggest names to withdraw.

Since then, five women and two men have joined the list, with Novak Djokovic — the world No 3 and a six-time Miami Open champion — the most notable.

Four players have withdrawn since the draws were made, with Emma Raducanu one of three women to pull out following the women’s singles draw on Sunday.

Both the ATP and WTA tournaments in Miami feature 96 players. Main draw action at the 2026 Miami Open will begin today (Tuesday) with the women’s singles event, while the men’s tournament will get underway on Wednesday.

This will be the 41st edition of the tournament, which has been staged at the Hard Rock Stadium since 2019.

Aryna Sabalenka and Jakub Mensik are the reigning Miami Open singles champions, with the duo having each claimed their maiden title at the event last year.

Tennis News

Swiatek’s blunt warning, Raducanu’s potential rankings blow, Uncle Toni disagrees with Alcaraz – Miami Open roundup

ATP Miami Open Draw: Alcaraz could face Fonseca, Sinner in same half as Zverev & Medvedev

Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for tennis coverage you can trust.

WTA Miami Open withdrawal list

A total of 13 players have withdrawn from the Miami Open women’s singles event, including Raducanu, Emma Navarro and Maya Joint — all of whom would have been seeded.

Navarro pulled out before the draw was made, while Raducanu — who is suffering from illness — and Joint, followed after the draw.

Decorated Czech stars Marketa Vondrousova, Barbora Krejcikova and Karolina Pliskova all ruled themselves out prior to the draw.

• Emma Raducanu (world No 23) – replaced by lucky loser
• Emma Navarro (world No 27) – replaced by Zhang Shuai
• Maya Joint (world No 31) – replaced by lucky loser
• Lois Boisson (world No 38) – replaced by Katie Boulter
• Marketa Vondrousova (world No 43) – replaced by Julia Grabher
• Barbora Krejcikova (world No 52) – replaced by Simona Waltert
• Sonay Kartal (world No 56) – replaced by lucky loser
• Veronika Kudermetova (world No 57) – replaced by Yulia Putintseva
• Daria Kasatkina (world No 64) – replaced by Elena-Gabriela Ruse
• Oleksandra Oliynykova (world No 66) – replaced by Oksana Selekhmeteva
• Julia Grabher (world No 85) – replaced by Dalma Galfi
• Karolina Pliskova (world No 260) – replaced by Alycia Parks
• Wang Yafan (world No 359 – entered with protected ranking) – replaced by Anastasia Potapova

ATP Miami Open withdrawal list

Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam winner who was a runner-up in Miami last year, was forced to withdraw from this year’s event on Sunday due to a shoulder injury.

Holger Rune and Tallon Griekspoor would also have been seeded, but they ruled themselves out well before the tournament having also missed Indian Wells.

Juan Manuel Cerundolo is the only man to pull out since the draw was made, taking the total number of withdrawals from the men’s event to seven.

• Novak Djokovic (world No 3) – replaced by Jacob Fearnley
• Holger Rune (world No 28) – replaced by Juan Manuel Cerundolo
• Tallon Griekspoor (world No 29) – replaced by James Duckworth
• Jaume Munar (world No 35) – replaced by Alexander Shevchenko
• Lorenzo Sonego (world No 62) – replaced by Miomir Kecmanovic
• Juan Manuel Cerundolo (world No 71) – replaced by lucky loser
• Jerry Shang (world No 261 – entered with protected ranking) – replaced by James Duckworth

READ NEXT: Daniil Medvedev answers if he is Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s biggest rival after Indian Wells

The post Miami Open withdrawal list: 20 players out as Djokovic & Raducanu among 4 Grand Slam winners appeared first on Tennis365.

The attention is switching from the Indian Wells Open to the Miami Open, but there are still a couple of stories from the California event that are making headlines.

Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz are two players who have received “feedback” following their earlier-than-expected exits from Indian Wells, while there will be no Emma Raducanu in the main draw of the Miami Open.

Without further ado, here is our latest roundup of the biggest headlines from the Sunshine Double in Indian Wells and Miami.

Elena Rybakina described as “kindest” player on the WTA Tour

We start with a “nice” story from the recently concluded Indian Wells Open as world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka has paid rival Elena Rybakina the ultimate compliment.

The top two in the rankings met for a third consecutive time in a final and Sabalenka reduced the deficit to 2-1 as she beat Kazakh star – who won the Australian Open at the start of the year and the WTA Finals last November – in three sets.

After the match, four-time Grand Slam winner Sabalenka had nothing but kind words to say about her opponent.

READ: Aryna Sabalenka discusses rivalry with ‘nice’ Elena Rybakina after Indian Wells classic

Iga Swiatek gets a warning from Emma Raducanu’s former coach

Now for the less than positive stuff with Iga Swiatek told that she is “unlikely to get out of this slump” by Dmitry Tursunov with the Russian believing she will continue to slump down the rankings.

Swiatek is now third behind Sabalenka and Rybakina and Tursunov feels she will drop further in the coming months.

READ: Iga Swiatek will struggle ‘to stay in the top five’ of WTA Rankings, says Emma Raducanu’s former coach

Carlos Alcaraz faces criticism over Indian Wells comments

World No 1 Alcaraz twice made reference to “having a target on his back” during his run at the Indian Wells Open, but Toni Nadal has basically told him to deal with it (our words, not Toni’s).

The seven-time Grand Slam winner believes players always up their game when they face him, but Uncle Toni says that will always be the case when someone faces the best in the world.

READ: Carlos Alcaraz: Rafael Nadal’s former coach ‘doesn’t agree’ with world No 1’s comments

Sinner joins exclusive club with Indian Wells Open trophy

Jannik Sinner not only sealed his maiden title in Indian Wells, but also his run also saw him join tennis icons Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in a highly exclusive hard-court club.

READ: Jannik Sinner’s stunning hard-court feat only matched by Novak Djokovic & Roger Federer

Emma Raducanu OUT of Miami Open

Over to the second leg of the Sunshine double and the withdrawal list from the Miami Open continues to grow with Emma Raducanu the latest to pull out as she is still struggling with a virus she sustained earlier this year.

The British No 1 reached the quarter-final last year so she is likely to suffer a blow in the rankings.

READ: Emma Raducanu set for rankings drop after sudden Miami Open withdrawal

Alex Eala and Joao Fonseca set for top billing

Rising stars Joao Fonseca and Alex Eala are set for centre court appearances at this year’s prestigious event.

Tournament director James Blake says “it’s going to feel like home matches for both of them” so they deserve to be centre court.

READ: Alex Eala and Joao Fonseca set for ‘centre court’ treatment as tournament chief speaks out

Miami Open draw means Blake will get his wish

Just hours of Blake’s comments, the draw for the Miami Open was made and Fonseca is basically assured of playing on centre court if he reaches the second round as he will face Carlos Alcaraz.

Of course, he will first need to get past Fabian Marozsan.

The rest of the draw sees Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev in the same half.

READ: ATP Miami Open Draw: Alcaraz could face Fonseca, Sinner in same half as Zverev & Medvedev

Points Alcaraz, Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev will drop in Miami

Alcaraz and Sinner are in good positions while Djokovic will slip down the rankings as he won’t defend his points from 2025 following his withdrawal from the ATP Masters event.

READ: How many points will Alcaraz, Sinner, Djokovic, Fritz, Mensik drop?

The post Swiatek’s blunt warning, Raducanu’s potential rankings blow, Uncle Toni disagrees with Alcaraz – Miami Open roundup appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz’s comments about “facing Roger Federer every round” and always “having a target on my back” have not gone down well with Rafael Nadal’s former coach and uncle, Toni Nadal.

After starting his 2026 season with back-to-back titles at the Australian Open and Qatar Open, Alcaraz’s unbeaten run was ended by Daniil Medvedev in the semi-final of the Indian Wells Open with the former world No 1 winning in straight sets.

During the post-match press conference, the seven-time Grand Slam winner claimed that life as the top-ranked player is tough as opponents usually up their game as they want to claim the big scalp of the world No 1.

“I said it when I played against [Arthur] Rinderknech [in Round 3], for example, that what I’m just getting tired a little bit is to get that target on my back all the time,” the Spaniard said. “As I said, I have never seen Daniil playing like this before.”

Carlos Alcaraz News

Carlos Alcaraz’s post match comments after his shock defeat at Indian Wells tell a big story

ATP Miami Open Draw: Alcaraz could face Fonseca, Sinner in same half as Zverev & Medvedev

Earlier in the week, Alcaraz needed three sets to beat Rinderknech and after that match he joked his rivals were turning into Federer, stating: “To be honest, I just sometimes get tired of playing Roger Federer every round. Sometimes just feel like, yeah, they playing really an insane level.

“I don’t know if I’m feeling not the right way, but I feel it’s just against me all the time. If they play like, you know, that level every match, they should be higher in the ranking. But, you know, obviously is something that concerns me. When I’m just playing, I think about that.

He added: “I feel like I have a target on my back, and I feel like if they don’t play that kind of tennis they can’t win.”

But legendary coach Nadal told Onda Cero’s Radioestadio Noche that players don’t necessarily target Alcaraz, it is more a case of they want to beat those who are better than them.

“It’s not about having a target on your back — I don’t agree with Alcaraz on that,” he said.

“When you play someone better than you, you know you have to take a lot more risks.

“And Alcaraz is better than Medvedev. It’s not that Medvedev is more motivated to face Alcaraz; he just knows he has to go for more to beat him.

“It’s not a battle against Alcaraz – it’s a battle against the best. And right now, Alcaraz is the best.”

Alcaraz will once again be the player being chased at the Miami Open as he will be the top seed with Jannik Sinner second and Alexander Zverev third.

Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for tennis coverage you can trust.

The post Carlos Alcaraz: Rafael Nadal’s former coach ‘doesn’t agree’ with world No 1’s comments appeared first on Tennis365.

Jannik Sinner has been one of the defining tennis players of his generation, and the Italian has found himself particularly at home on hard courts during his career.

That was evident at Indian Wells this week, with world No 2 Sinner not dropping a set on his way to the title in Tennis Paradise, defeating Daniil Medvedev 7-6(6), 7-6(4) to triumph at the Masters 1000 tournament for the first time.

Victory for the Italian not only sealed his maiden title in Indian Wells, but also saw him join tennis icons Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in a highly exclusive hard-court club.

Tennis News

Daniil Medvedev makes candid 28-word statement after losing to Jannik Sinner in Indian Wells final

WTA Rankings: Sabalenka increases lead, Rybakina No 2, Swiatek drops, Raducanu top 25, Eala top 30

Masters success

Sinner’s place as a legendary hard-courter was already secure, though his Indian Wells success has guaranteed his place in history.

The Italian had already won five different Masters 1000 events on hard courts, and his victory in Sunday’s final means that he has now completed the set of Masters titles on this surface.

Sinner lifted his first Masters 1000 title at the 2023 Canadian Open, and then triumphed at the Miami Open in 2024 — after previous final losses in 2021 and 2023.

He would also win the Cincinnati Open and Shanghai Masters in 2024, and would then claim the Paris Masters title in 2025.

Before 2026, Indian Wells was the only hard-court Masters 1000 event where Sinner had not reached the final, falling at the semi-final stage in 2023 and 2024.

By reaching the final, he became the sixth man to reach the championship match at all six current Masters tournaments on the surface.

However, by winning the title, he joins Federer and Djokovic as the only three men to lift the title at all six current Masters hard-court events.

Hard-court title set complete

Though Sinner has been supremely successful at Masters level on hard courts, he has also found huge success elsewhere.

The Italian has won three of his four Grand Slam titles on the surface, lifting the US Open title in 2024 and claiming back-to-back Australian Open titles in 2024 and 2025.

And, he is also a two-time ATP Finals champion on hard courts, triumphing in Turin in both 2024 and 2025.

Not only does Sinner follow in Djokovic and Federer’s footsteps as the third man to win all hard-court Masters 1000 events, but he succeeds them in becoming the third man to win every ‘big’ title on the surface.

Combining Masters, Grand Slams, and year-end championships, Sinner has 11 ‘big’ titles on hard courts — well behind both Federer and Djokovic for now.

However, the 24-year-old is the youngest of the trio to complete the hard-court set.

Federer was 30 when he completed his collection at the 2011 Paris Masters, having previously won the hard-court Madrid Open — before the introduction of the Shanghai Masters, which he then won in 2014.

Meanwhile, Djokovic was 31 when he achieved this historic feat at the Cincinnati Open in 2018.

Of course, Djokovic remains the only man to triumph at all nine Masters 1000 events, with Sinner still looking to lift clay-court titles in Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome.

It should also be noted that tennis great Andre Agassi won all of the events Sinner has now won on hard courts, though his ATP Finals and Paris Masters victories came when the events were still held on carpet.

Medvedev has also come close to joining this exclusive club, though he is a three-time runner-up at both Indian Wells and the Australian Open.

Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for tennis coverage you can trust.

Read Next: Sinner and Medvedev’s messages, Eala pressure, Djokovic suffers blow – Indian Wells and Miami roundup

The post Jannik Sinner’s stunning hard-court feat only matched by Novak Djokovic & Roger Federer appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev are all looking good ahead of the Miami Open in terms of points they are defending, while Novak Djokovic is set to drop down the rankings.

Sinner managed to close the gap to Alcaraz at the top of the ATP Rankings with his Indian Wells Open run as he didn’t have any points to defend following his ban last year while the Spaniard defended 400 points from a here ago.

But they will start off the 2026 Miami campaign on a similar footing as Sinner once again won’t drop points as he was still suspended 12 months ago while Alcaraz is defending only 10 points after his shock second-round exit to David Goffin.

With the top 32 seeds getting byes into the second round, Alcaraz and Sinner are guaranteed to each earn 10 points and that will put the top seed on 13,550 points while Sinner sits on 11,410.

An Alcaraz title run will see him finish on 14,550 while Sinner will be on 12,400 should he be the last man standing.

Points Selected Players Are Dropping In Miami

Jakub Mensik – 1,000

The defending champion starts the tournament at No 13 in the rankings, but he will slip 13 places to No 26 once his 1,000 points come off.

Tennis News

ATP Rankings: Sinner closes gap to No 1, Tien on verge of top 20, Tsitsipas out of top 50

WTA Miami Open: Points being defended by Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff, Raducanu and Eala

The good news is he can move up a couple of spots with a decent run.

Novak Djokovic – 650

The former world No 1 finished runner-up 12 months ago as he was upset by Mensik in the final and he won’t be able to win those points back in 2026 as he won’t feature at the 2026 edition due to injury.

It means Djokovic will slip to No 4 after the event as Alexander Zverev is not too far adrift.

Taylor Fritz/Grigor Dimitrov – 400

The above duo reached the semi-final in 2025 and Fritz will drop two spots to No 7 once his 400 points come off while Dimitrov is -47 to No 91.

Francisco Cerundolo/Arthur Fils/Sebastian Korda/Matteo Berrettini – 200

Cerundolo is set to remain at No 19, but Fils is down three places, Korda seven spots and Berrettini is -32 to No 100.

Alexander Zverev/Lorenzo Musetti/Alex de Minaur/Casper Ruud – 100

Speaking of Zverev, he was the top seed in 2025, but lost in the fourth round and will only defend 100 points and with Djokovic dropping 650, he will move ahead of the Serbian.

Musetti, De Minaur and Ruud were some of the other high-profile players to lose in the round of 16 last year.

The post ATP Miami Open: How many points will Alcaraz, Sinner, Djokovic, Fritz, Mensik drop? appeared first on Tennis365.