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Carlos Alcaraz raised serious concerns as he fell to the court after appearing to suffer an injury early in his debut match at the Japan Open.

The world No 1 took a 2-0 lead against 41st-ranked Sebastian Baez in his opening round match at the ATP 500 tournament before his 24-year-old Argentine opponent levelled.

With Baez serving at 2-2, Alcaraz pulled up and fell to the court after moving to chase down a drop shot from deep behind the baseline.

Alcaraz lay on his back and covered his face with his hand as he looked in visible pain and distress.

The issue appeared to be with Alcaraz’s left ankle or Achilles, and the Spaniard received treatment from the physio mid-game.

Alcaraz in serious discomfort

Doesnt look good. Achiles?pic.twitter.com/uBAU6HVsXQ

— Tennis Masterr (@tennismasterr) September 25, 2025

Despite the scare, Alcaraz was in good enough condition to continue and, while he was not in full flight in terms of movement, went up a break at 5-4 in the first set before play was suspended due to rain.

The six-time Grand Slam champion is playing the Tokyo tournament for the first time in his career, having previously appeared at the China Open in Beijing in the same week of the calendar.

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In his pre-tournament press conference, Alcaraz spoke about making his Japan Open debut.

“I know it is a great tournament. I know the players who have played this tournament before and the players who have won this tournament before,” the Spaniard said.

“I just really wanted to come here, play great tennis, perform well and try to win the trophy. That’s why I’m here just to feel great on court, giving myself the chance to win the trophy to win the tournament.

“At the end of the week I just really want to put my name next to the past champions that I know it’s an honour to be next to, to those names as well.”

Alcaraz added: “I’m really excited about playing in different places, in different stadiums, and feel the energy from the Japanese people.”

The 22-year-old, who won his second US Open title earlier this month, competed at the Laver Cup in San Francisco last week — playing four matches across singles and doubles.

READ NEXT: Japan Open predictions: Will Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz book final clash?

The post WATCH: Carlos Alcaraz falls to the court in big injury scare on Japan Open debut appeared first on Tennis365.

Tennis icon Bjorn Borg has given his verdict on Novak Djokovic’s chances of winning a 25th Grand Slam title and also named the player he considers to be the greatest ever.

Djokovic holds the all-time record for the most Grand Slam men’s singles titles, having secured his 24th and most recent major at the 2023 US Open.

The 38-year-old holds almost all of the other most significant records in men’s tennis, including: weeks spent as world No 1 (428), ATP year-end No 1 finishes (eight), ATP Finals titles (seven) and Masters 1000 titles (40).

The Serbian fell at the semi-final stage at all four majors this season, and he will play his first event since the US Open at the Shanghai Masters next month.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Borg gave his backing to Djokovic in the GOAT debate and also in his quest to win another Grand Slam.

“I think the way he’s playing, Djokovic, for me, is the greatest player to have ever played the game,” said the 11-time major champion.

“And then the second place comes to (Roger) Federer and (Rafa) Nadal. They tied for the second place.

“It’s amazing how he (Djokovic) can play that kind of tennis, 38 years old. I’m very impressed.

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“I know he wants to win that 25th Grand Slam tournament. I hope he’s going to play one more year, at least next year too, because the tennis he’s playing.

“It’s going to be tough with [Jannik] Sinner and [Carlos] Alcaraz and some other players too, but still, he can do it.”

In an interview with Tennis365, Rick Macci — a childhood coach of Venus and Serena Williams — shared his thoughts on Djokovic’s future.

“I think he’ll keep playing simply because, once again, kind of like Venus [Williams] — but obviously it’s different – he just loves the competition,” said the American.

“Why would you want to put your body through that, get up every day, he has a family… you’re not doing it for a paycheck! He just loves the competition. And I think if he feels he can win, okay, he’ll continue to play.

“I think he’ll keep playing because he loves the competition. But, the minute he doesn’t play the Grand Slams; game, set, match — he’ll call it a career.

“But as long as he still loves it and he feels he has a chance, he’s gonna go for it. And never, ever, ever underestimate the heart of a champion.”

READ NEXT: Novak Djokovic ‘door is closed’ as retirement predicted soon by leading tennis voice

The post Bjorn Borg goes against the grain with Novak Djokovic Grand Slam statement as he names the GOAT appeared first on Tennis365.

There was a time when the world didn’t know enough about Aryna Sabelenka and the initial impressions may not have been all positive, but the world No 1 has transformed that initial pessimism from some tennis fans into a wave of popular support over the last few years.

In an era when too many sports guard are desperate to give their fans as little as possible when it comes to glimpsing into their private lives, Sabalenka has gone the other way and become the tennis queen of TikTok, with the fun she has off the court allowing her to build up a huge social media following.

She loves to post images of her dances with her team, practical jokes they may have played on each other and if not afraid to make fun of herself by posing for comical photos or taking party in playful dances.

The intense tennis player who screams her way through matches and often gives the impression that she is an explosive character who struggles to contain her anger, but the reality is a little different when she puts her rackets down.

Sabalenka has long been one of the jokers of the tennis world, with her beaming smile and endearing personality shining through as she made a positive impression on the Netflix show Break Point, which took tennis fans behind the scenes on the women’s and men’s tours.

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By then, she was already building up her following on social media, with her delightful TikTok dances especially appealing to young girls were were also part of that booming trend.

Her followers have lived through the trauma of her battling service yips that came close to forcing her out of the sport in 2022 to witnessing her impressive comeback and rise to world No 1, with that story hard to resist.

We have also seen her vulnerable side on numerous occasions, with US Open chiefs cheekily releasing video of her smashing a racket after she lost the 2023 US Open final against Coco Gauff.

She has had numerous meltdowns on court that make her triumphs all the more relatable and when she makes a mistake, she is always quick to own it.

That was the case after this year’s French Open, when she suggested Gauff’s win was primarily down to how bad she had played.

That narrative did not paint Sabalenka in a good light, but she didn’t take long to step back from her error and put it right.

“I did what I did. I get what I deserve, I believe,” Sabalenka said, referring to the media fallout following her comments after the French Open final.

“I didn’t want to offend her. I was just completely upset with myself and emotions got over me. I completely lost it. Of course she’s got my respect. She knows it. I’m happy that she was, like: ‘Yeah, it’s all good, don’t worry.’”

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A post shared by Aryna Sabalenka (@arynasabalenka)

Sabalenka that confirmed she was on good terms with Gauff by doing what she does best and performing a TikTok dance with her in the days before Wimbledon.

Here is an example of an athlete who appreciates she has a voice and wants to use it for the greater good and it doesn’t feel like her social media fun is a show just to bring in more sponsors or make her brand more marketable.

Instead, the Sabalenka show on TikTok and Instagram is a delight to watch and the recent images she posted from her holiday with boyfriend Georgios Frangulis already created plenty of headlines.

Her revealing bikini images and loving embraces with her partner allowed fans to glimpse into their Greek holiday and she is also happy to talk about her romance in interviews.

“We met when I was signing the contract with Oakberry. He’s the founder and owner of the brand,,” she said in an interview earlier this year.

“I went to see the team, and he was there. We talked a little bit, but then later on, we just went out for dinner, and that’s how everything started. We’ve been together for a year.

“It’s very important for me to have my partner next to me. It’s really cool that his work is also global.

“I realize not everyone is as lucky as me to have a partner who can travel with me and my crazy schedule while still working. It’s just cool to see him in the box when I play. He motivates me to keep going. It means a lot.”

Sabalenka has allowed us all a window into her world and we like what we see from an engaging sporting hero who is not afraid to show us her flaws and gives us all a chance to realise what a great champion she is on and off the court.

READ NEXT: WTA Rankings: How Iga Swiatek can chase down world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka at China Open

The post How Aryna Sabalenka transformed her image by allowing the world to see her true character appeared first on Tennis365.

Injury has been an unwanted companion for Jack Draper throughout his career and his latest setback looks set to be the most costly of his career so far, as he is set to miss out on a succession of big-money cash windfalls.

Draper revealed after his defeat against Marin Cilic at Wimbledon that he was struggling with an arm problem that had been affecting him for the few weeks leading into the grass court season.

He then attempted to come back at the US Open and managed to get through a round in New York before pulling out of the final Grand Slam of the year and calling time on the rest of his 2025 season.

“Unfortunately, the injury to my arm is something I have to rest and means I’ll be sitting out the rest of 2025,” said Draper as he confirmed he was taking an extended break from tennis.

“It is very difficult for me to accept, as I was building some incredible momentum this year and playing some great stuff.

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“However, I’ve been through this before – and I always come back stronger as I’m so motivated to fulfil my potential as a player.”

Draper’s injury was diagnosed as bone bruising and the best cure for that issue is rest, but the time he will be missing over the next few weeks will leave a huge hole in Draper’s bank balance and also hit his ATP Ranking.

The British No 1 started this season on sparkling fashion and enjoyed the biggest moment of his career when he won the Indian Wells Masters in March.

After that win in California, Draper appeared to be the most likely candidate to challenge Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz at the top of the men’s game.

His run to the Madrid Open final on clay was further evidence of his rise, but Draper has struggled to maintain those standards as he nurses the arm problem that continues to trouble him.

By sitting out the final months of the year, Draper will see 700 ranking points drop off his total, with the bulk of those coming from his ATP 500 win in Vienna last October.

That drop will see him slide out of the top ten of the ATP Rankings by the end of the year, but it is the financial blow that may be harder to take.

Draper could have won the biggest cash prize in tennis as he was one of the select group of players invited to play in the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia next month.

A win in that event could have seen him collect $6m and he is missing out on a guaranteed $1.5m appearance fee in that exhibition event.

He is also losing out on big prize money in this Asian swing of the ATP Tour and the indoor events, where he would have been expected to perform well.

Draper was also on course to qualify for the ATP Finals in Turin for the first time in his career, where Jannik Sinner took home $4,881,100 after winning that event last year.

If Draper had enjoyed a winning run in this phase of the season, he could have conceivably collected in excess of $10m in prize money, but that is all on hold as he looks to get his arm right to relaunch his career in 2026.

READ NEXT: Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic – we reveal the real tennis rankings

The post Jack Draper set to surrender a staggering amount of money over the next few weeks appeared first on Tennis365.

Twelve months after one of the most memorable and successful weeks of her career, Coco Gauff is back in Beijing for her China Open title defence — and will look for a strong start in her opening match.

Gauff has been far from her best since winning the French Open title back in June, though she has defied calls from some to take time away from the game to work on her serve, and will be hoping to strike magic once again inside the Beijing National Tennis Center.

Having received a bye in the opening round, the world No 3 and second seed now knows she will face world No 89 Kamilla Rakhimova in her first match; here, we look at all you need to know about the American’s first opponent in her title defence.

Who is Kamilla Rakhimova?

Born in Yekaterinburg in August 2001, Rakhimova was still a teenager when she made her WTA Tour main-draw debut at the 2019 Baltic Open, and has been plying her trade across both the WTA and ITF circuits since.

The biggest title of her career to date came at the WTA 125 Guadalajara Open in 2024, beating Tatjana Maria in the final, while she was also a finalist at the WTA 125 Golden Gate Open in August 2023.

Rakhimova has never reached a singles final at WTA Tour level but is a three-time doubles champion on the main draw, with a further four finals to her name.

Having reached a career-high of world No 60 at the end of 2024, the 24-year-old has now dropped down to 89th in the WTA Rankings after a difficult season to date; she currently holds a 25-28 record for the year.

Her biggest highlight during her challenging 2025 season was arguably her run to the third round of Wimbledon, where she picked up the biggest win of her career to date.

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After rallying from a set down to beat Aoi Ito in the opening round, Rakhimova then came from a set down again to stun fourth seed and 2024 SW19 finalist Jasmine Paolini in round two, before falling to 30th seed Linda Noskova in round three.

That was the third time she had made the third round of a Grand Slam, after similar runs at the 2021 US Open and 2023 French Open.

Rakhimova was on a three-match losing streak heading into Beijing, falling in the second round of the US Open, the opening round of her WTA 125 Guadalajara Open, and then in the opening round of the WTA 500 event in Guadalajara.

However, her China Open campaign began with a confident 6-4, 6-1 victory over Lucia Bronzetti on Wednesday, the opening day of the tournament.

Head-to-head and match time

This will be the first meeting between Gauff and Rakhimova, who have never previously met at any level.

However, despite her own struggles as late, world No 3 Gauff should enter as a significant favourite, with Rakhimova’s Wimbledon win over Paolini the only time in eight attempts that she has beaten a top-10 opponent.

Gauff and Rakhimova’s match time is yet to be confirmed though, with the two on the bottom half of the draw, they will likely head onto court on Friday.

Read Next: WTA China Open predictions: Swiatek’s resurgence, Gauff’s title defence, Anisimova returns

The post Who will Coco Gauff play in her first China Open match? World No 89 Kamilla Rakhimova appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz has revealed he intends to stay fully “focused” in his rivalry with Jannik Sinner after predicting the Italian will come good on his promise to improve as a tennis player.

World No 1 Alcaraz and No 2 Sinner are not in action at the same tournament this week, with the Spaniard making his debut appearance at the Japan Open and the Italian returning to the China Open — where he was beaten in the final by Alcaraz last year.

But, despite competing at different events, their ongoing dominance at the top of the men’s game remains a key talking point, with the two combining to win the last eight Grand Slam tournaments.

However, while they have won four Slams apiece across the last two seasons, Alcaraz has surged ahead when it comes to their direct rivalry.

The Spaniard has won seven of their eight meetings since the start of 2024, and now has a commanding 10-5 lead in their overall career head-to-head.

Sinner’s sole victory over Alcaraz since the start of 2024 came in this summer’s Wimbledon final, though it was the Spaniard who triumphed in the French Open and US Open finals this year.

After a four-set defeat in the US Open final continued a worrying trend against Alcaraz, Sinner vowed to improve in his post-match press conference.

“I can say that I’m gonna become a better tennis player and I’m gonna change a couple of things on the serve, just small things, but, they can make big differences and then we see how it goes,” said Sinner.

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The Italian appears to have been good to his word, with the 24-year-old spotted working on a new service motion at the China Open this week.

And, when asked about the Italian’s comments in his pre-tournament Japan Open press conference, Alcaraz admitted he full expected a new and improved Sinner in their next encounter.

“I know he’s going to change something from the last match,” said Alcaraz.

“It’s the same thing that I did when I lost to him a couple of times, I tried to be a better player the next time I was going to face him.

“I have to be focused and I have to be ready for that change.”

World No 1 Alcaraz will begin his quest for a first Japan Open title on Thursday, facing Sebastian Baez in the opening round, with Sinner set to face Marin Cilic at the China Open tomorrow.

Though they are at different tournaments this week, they will both be in action at the Shanghai Masters, with Alcaraz the top seed and Sinner the second seed.

World No 2 Sinner enters as the defending champion, having beaten Novak Djokovic in the final last Autumn, while Alcaraz will look to improve on his 2024 quarter-final showing.

The pair have gone on to meet in the final of the last five tournaments they have both entered, and will be favoured to make it six at the penultimate Masters 1000 event of 2025.

Read Next: Japan Open predictions: Will Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz book final clash?

The post Carlos Alcaraz makes Jannik Sinner prediction after Italian vowed to ‘become a better tennis player’ appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz continues to reign supreme at the very top of the ATP Rankings, though Jannik Sinner now has his first chance to claw back some ground as both men return to tour-level action.

World No 1 Alcaraz returned to the top of the ATP Rankings for the first time in two years following his US Open final win over Sinner, ending the Italian’s 65-week reign, and is in pole position to end the year at the very top — with fewer points to defend than his main rival.

However, in his first event since the US Open, Sinner now has the opportunity to claw back some points on the Spaniard and potentially kickstart a strong end-of-season surge.

The Italian is defending 330 finalist points at the China Open in Beijing, having lost the final to Alcaraz twelve months ago, with the world No 1 defending 500 points.

Alcaraz is not in Beijing this year but is instead in action at the ATP 500 Japan Open in Tokyo, meaning he has the same number of points to defend from last year despite competing at a different tournament.

The gap between the two will marginally close if Alcaraz fails to triumph in Tokyo, or if he does prevail but Sinner also triumphs in Beijing; however, Alcaraz could extend his lead if he significantly betters the Italian’s result.

There are no rankings moves inside the top 10, with Lorenzo Musetti missing the chance to move up to world No 8 in the Chengdu Open final.

Musetti spurned two championship points in a thrilling final versus Alejandro Tabilo, and remains at world No 9 in the ATP Rankings — just 40 points behind No 8 Alex de Minaur.

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However, triumph brings good news for Chilean star Tabilo, significantly boosting his ranking after a hugely challenging season so far.

Ranked as high as 19th in the world last July, the 28-year-old had fallen outside the top 100 following a nightmare year.

However, his triumph in Chengdu propels him back up 40 spots in the ATP Rankings to world No 72, and he will now look to end his season building on the momentum generated this week.

Meanwhile, there is also good news for Alexander Bublik, who lifted the fourth title of his stunning 2025 season at the Hangzhou Open on Tuesday.

The Kazakh has moved up three places in the ATP Rankings to world No 16, a brand new career-high ranking for the 28-year-old.

There is also good news for beaten finalist Valentin Royer, who moves up 12 places to a new high ranking of world No 76.

ATP Rankings Top 20 (W/C September 22, 2025)

1) Carlos Alcaraz, 11,540
2) Jannik Sinner, 10,780
3) Alexander Zverev, 5,930
4) Novak Djokovic, 4,830
5) Taylor Fritz, 4,675
6) Ben Shelton, 4,280
7) Jack Draper, 3,690
8) Alex de Minaur, 3,545
9) Lorenzo Musetti, 3,505
10) Karen Khachanov, 3,280
11) Holger Rune, 3,090
12) Casper Ruud, 2,755
13) Felix Auger-Aliassime, 2,755
14) Andrey Rublev, 2,610
15) Tommy Paul, 2,510
16) Alexander Bublik, 2,445 (+3)
17) Jiri Lehecka, 2,415 (-1)
18) Daniil Medvedev, 2,410
19) Jakub Mensik, 2,380 (-2)
20) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, 2,225

Read Next: ATP China Open Draw: Jannik Sinner learns his path as Alexander Zverev on course to play his nemesis

The post ATP Rankings: Carlos Alcaraz reigns over Jannik Sinner, Alexander Bublik career-high, Alejandro Tabilo +40 appeared first on Tennis365.

Alexander Bublik has made a habit of winning in recent months, and his latest success at the Hangzhou Open has seen the Kazakh join a very exclusive group of players this season.

Seeded third at the ATP 250 event in Hangzhou, world No 19 Bublik did not drop serve once across four straight matches to lift the title, defeating qualifier Valentin Royer 7-6(4), 7-6(4) to lift the title.

The Kazakh is just the second man this year to win an ATP title without dropping serve and dropped just one set in total, and is now set to hit a new career-high of world No 16 when the ATP Rankings update on Wednesday.

“Honestly I always say that wins don’t make me go through the roof and losses don’t put me to the ground,” said Bublik.

“I try to stay stable. I enjoy what I do. I’m happy that I’m able to travel, play tournaments and stay healthy, and the wins are coming — that’s beautiful.”

It is another impressive triumph for Bublik, and he has now achieved a feat only one other man can match in 2025.

Hard, clay, and grass success

2025 has undoubtedly turned into the greatest season of Bublik’s career to date, with four titles now won across the past three months — alongside a maiden Grand Slam quarter-final at Roland Garros.

Prior to the start of the year, the Kazakh had won four titles across his whole career, meaning he has doubled his overall ATP title collection since June.

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An incredible run of form saw Bublik win a second Halle Open title in June, before back-to-back titles at the Swiss Open and Austrian Open in Gstaad and Kitzbuhel in July.

That has now been followed by his latest success in Hangzhou, with the 28-year-old holding a perfect 4-0 record in ATP finals this season, after holding a 4-7 record heading into 2025.

Most remarkably, Bublik has now one title on all three main tennis surfaces this year.

His Halle title came on grass courts, his Gstaad and Kitzbuhel titles came on clay courts, while the Hangzhou Open was contested on hard courts this past week.

Thanks to his Hangzhou triumph, Bublik is now one of just two men to lift titles on all three surfaces this year — alongside world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz.

Alcaraz has won the Rotterdam, Cincinnati, and US Open titles on hard courts this year, the Monte Carlo, Rome, and French Open titles on clay, and the Queen’s Club titles on grass.

In fact, sitting on seven titles, Alcaraz is currently the only man to have won more ATP singles titles than Bublik in 2025.

The only other men to have come close to winning titles on all three surfaces this season have been Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev, who have reached finals on every surface.

World No 2 Sinner lifted the Australian Open title on hard courts and the Wimbledon title on grass, while also finishing runner-up to Alcaraz at Rome and Roland Garros on clay.

Zverev lifted the Munich Open title on clay, was the runner-up to Sinner at the Australian Open, and was also the runner-up to Taylor Fritz on the grass courts of Stuttgart.

Read Next: ATP China Open Draw: Jannik Sinner learns his path as Alexander Zverev on course to play his nemesis

The post The stunning Alexander Bublik feat that only Carlos Alcaraz can match this season appeared first on Tennis365.

Novak Djokovic’s future in tennis has been a big talking point since the 2025 US Open, but the legendary Serbian’s return to action has been confirmed.

The world No 4 will play for the first time since his US Open semi-final loss to Carlos Alcaraz earlier this month at the Shanghai Masters, which will be held from October 1-12.

Djokovic will compete at the Shanghai Masters for the second consecutive year, having reached the final at the 2024 edition, where he lost to Jannik Sinner.

The 38-year-old has won a record four titles at the Masters 1000 tournament in Shanghai, having triumphed in 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2018. In addition, he won his maiden ATP Finals title in Shanghai in 2008.

He’s back

Our 4-time champ, @DjokerNole will return to Shanghai this year!#RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/PaF2DPfcM5

— Rolex Shanghai Masters (@SH_RolexMasters) September 23, 2025

The Serbian is also a six-time champion at the China Open — the ATP 500 event in Beijing he last played in 2015.

Djokovic’s appearance at last year’s Shanghai Masters ended a five-year absence from China, with his previous appearance coming at the 2019 edition of the same event.

No ATP Tour events were held in China between 2020 and 2022 due to Covid-19 restrictions, while Djokovic opted not to play when tennis returned to the country in 2023.

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After Djokovic’s straight-set defeat to Alcaraz at the US Open, he was asked about his plans until the 2026 Australian Open.

“That’s far. Australia is far. I mean, I mean, at least at this stage of my career. I mean, I’m not thinking that far, to be honest,” Djokovic said.

“I don’t know. I’m planning to play Athens tournament, that’s for sure. But other than that, it’s really still a question mark where I’m going to go and what I’m going to do.”

In the same press conference, Djokovic admitted he favours his chances of beating Alcaraz and Sinner in the best-of-three set format compared to best-of-five at Grand Slams at this stage of his career.

“I mean, I still want to play Grand Slams, Grand Slam season, full Grand Slam season next year,” the 24-time major champion explained.

“Well, let’s see whether that’s going to happen or not. But, you know, because Slams are Slams, you know, they are just different from any other tournament. They are the pillars of our sport, the most important tournaments we have.

“But yeah, I do fancy my chances a bit more in best of three, you know, I guess one-week tournaments or the Masters tournaments where you have almost two weeks with quite a few days between matches. So, you know, that could, that could serve me better in the matchups against them.”

Djokovic reached the semi-finals at all four majors in 2025, while he secured his most recent — and record-extending 24th — Grand Slam at the 2023 US Open.

READ NEXT: Novak Djokovic ‘door is closed’ as retirement predicted soon by leading tennis voice

The post Novak Djokovic’s return date confirmed after US Open exit raised questions appeared first on Tennis365.