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The debate over what would happen if a top male player played one of the elite female players has been reignited by confirmation that the hardest backhands hit at this month’s US Open were hit by Amanda Anisimova.

On court technology suggested Anismova’s backhand was being struck at 77mph during the final Grand Slam of the tennis year, while defending men’s champion Jannik Sinner hit his backhand at 76mph, on average.

Those numbers sparked an inevitable debate around the power battle at the top of tennis, with losing finalist Anisimova striking the ball at a velocity that suggests she could compete with some of the biggest names in the men’s game.

Yet the notion that ball speed alone confirms a top female player could take on an elite male player is misguided, as so many aspects would go into a contest if we were to see it for real.

There are suggestions that world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka will play former Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios early in 2026, with that contest likely to provide another snapshot of a debate that was answered by Serena Williams long ago.

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“For me, men’s tennis and women’s tennis are completely, almost two separate sports,” she said on an American chat show in 2017.

“So I am like: ‘If I were to play Andy Murray, I would lose 6-0 6-0 in maybe five to six minutes, maybe 10 minutes’. It’s true.

“It’s a completely different sport, the men are a lot faster and they serve harder, they hit hard, it’s just a different game. And I love to play women’s tennis. And I only want to play girls because I don’t want to be embarrassed.”

Improved racket technology and strings development may have allowed women to close the power gap on men since Williams made those comments and her former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, has given his verdict on the debate in a post on LinkedIn.

“I can’t count how many times I’ve been sent this stat: Anisimova’s backhand was faster than those of Alcaraz and Sinner during the US Open,” wrote Mouratoglou.

“Here’s another intriguing fact from the broadcast: Sabalenka’s numbers are just as impressive.

“Honestly, I’m not surprised. First, because we’re talking about the backhand.

“Anisimova trusts hers 100%. She goes full throttle with minimal spin, sending the ball low over the net but with exceptional pace.

“Compared to the men’s shots, her backhand travels faster and stays lower, generating more speed.

“Of course, that comes with increased risk. She plays close to the line and embraces a high-risk style, reminiscent of Ostapenko in this regard.

“I also see similarities between Anisimova and Jessica Pegula in their timing. Both unlock effortless power thanks to their precise timing and technique.

“In women’s tennis, taking calculated risks and hitting flatter shots is a powerful strategy. Men cover the court much more quickly—that’s the key reason. Early, strong shots to open the court often pay off in the women’s game.

“So yes, you read that right – some women are consistently hitting shots faster than Alcaraz and Sinner. But above all, it’s not that surprising.”

While this is a fun topic that will always divide opinions, tennis should focus with pride on the equality it has always inspired among both female and male players.

This is the only sport where equal prize money is not disputed at the highest level and both sets of athletes compete on the same stage.

The revamped mixed doubles tournament at the US Open was a snapshot of what could happen when top female players try to return serves from their male counterparts and in general, they confirmed they could make some solid returns.

Maybe we will get more insight into this fascinating battle of the sexes if Sabalenka and Kyrgios tee off against each other in the coming months.

READ NEXT: The ‘real’ tennis rankings revealed – Sabalenka, Swiatek, Osaka and Raducanu in the mix

The post Amanda Anismova’s incredible backhand speed sparks tennis gender debate appeared first on Tennis365.

The WTA Tour has an array of rising young stars who look set to take the tennis world by storm over the next few years, and now another player has forced her way into that conversation.

Few would have been aware of Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah heading into the SP Open Sao Paulo this week, though the 19-year-old now finds herself a WTA champion after her triumph at the WTA 250 event.

Having surged up to a new career-high ranking of world No 131 in this week’s WTA Rankings, the French star — who prefers to go by Sarah Rakotomanga — looks set for further big breakthroughs over the coming weeks and months; here is all you need to know about the rising star.

Early life and background

Rakotomanga Rajaonah was born in Antsirabe, Madagascar in December 2005 to parents of Malagasy heritage, and moved to France as a young girl, living in Montpellier.

She began playing tennis at the age of six, inspired by both Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal, and trains across both Toulouse and Plaisir in France.

Career to date

The Frenchwoman has so far spent the bulk of her career competing on the ITF Tour, with four career titles at ITF level to date.

Rakotomanga Rajaonah defeated Alba Rey García to win her first ITF title in Valencia in December 2022, and has won further titles in Melilla, Gonesse, and Arequipa since then.

Before her run in Sao Paulo, she reached what was the biggest final of her career to date at the W100 Open de Biarritz in June 2025, falling to Mayar Sherif in the final.

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WTA Tour experience

Aged only 19, the French star has only limited WTA Tour experience, with her Sao Paulo Open triumph coming in just her third main-draw appearance at tour level.

Rakotomanga Rajaonah made her WTA Tour-level debut at the Rouen Open earlier this year, taking a wildcard into qualifying before beating both Emily Appleton and qualifying top seed Jessika Ponchet to reach the main draw.

In her first-ever tour-level main draw match, the teen star stunned seventh seed Lucia Bronzetti with an impressive 6-2, 6-3 victory, before beating Jaqueline Cristian by the same scoreline to reach the last eight of the WTA 250 event.

Her campaign was ended in the last eight by Suzan Lamens, though it was a huge step forward for Rakotomanga Rajaonah — and she then made her Grand Slam main draw debut later that spring.

She received a wildcard into her home Grand Slam at the French Open, where she fell in the opening round to Spanish qualifier Leyre Romero Gormaz in straight sets.

Rakotomanga Rajaonah also received a wildcard into the women’s doubles event at Roland Garros, with she and Émeline Dartron falling in their opening match.

After an opening-round defeat in US Open qualifier, the 19-year-old entered the SP Open and qualified for the main draw, battling from the brink of defeat to beat Ana Sofía Sánchez in round one.

She would later beat both eighth seed Panna Udvardy and fifth seed Renata Zarazua to reach the final, before beating Tjen in the championship match.

Read Next: What prize money & points did Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah earn at SP Open?

The post Who is Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah? Rising French WTA Tour star appeared first on Tennis365.

Iga Swiatek is set to kickstart her Asian swing with a debut appearance at the Korea Open this week — though is the Pole fit ahead of her return to action?

World No 2 and six-time Grand Slam singles champion Swiatek has not been in action since the US Open earlier this month, where her campaign was ended by Amanda Anisimova at the quarter-final stage.

In the days after the match, the 24-year-old — who triumphed at Wimbledon earlier this year — revealed on social media that she had been “managing” a foot issue and had been “pushing through a lot” across her campaign, thanking US Open physios and medical staff for their support.

Swiatek’s comments on social media led some to believe that the Pole would hold a managed schedule across the Asian swing, with the Korea Open in Seoul an event that she could consider withdrawing from.

However, the world No 2 has been in Seoul for a handful of days and is the top seed at the WTA 500, with Swiatek still the favourite for the title despite a tricky draw early on in the Korean capital.

And, in encouraging news for the tournament and her fans, the 24-year-old has revealed she is not playing with “any pain”, even if she is short of time on the court.

She said: “I haven’t been practising a lot because I needed time to recover and to do everything to just be ready to play matches.

“So physically, I feel great. I feel like I need to practice some more, but I don’t have any pain or anything. It’s all good.”

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After winning Wimbledon, the Pole did not take too much time away from the court, reaching the fourth round of the Canadian Open just weeks later.

That was followed by her run to the Cincinnati Open title and then her US Open mixed doubles campaign straight afterwards, with her and partner Casper Ruud reaching the final of the revamped event.

A rumour did emerge that the mixed doubles was the cause of Swiatek’s foot issue, with the Pole not convincing across most of her women’s singles campaign.

However, in an interview with sport.pl, Swiatek’s coach Wim Fissette debunked such talk.

“I’m not one to judge whether the mixed doubles made things worse,” said Fiessette.

“I talked to Maciej [Ryszczuk, Swiatek’s physiotherapist] about it. I asked him if it was something we shouldn’t have done, looking back. He didn’t think it made much difference.

“The root of the problem turned out to be the tournament in Cincinnati, where it was really hot, which in Iga’s case, with her sliding and intense movement, is even more important. I think it was just bad luck.

“Of course, we’re trying to learn from it and see how we can do things better. Maybe we should tap more often when it’s really hot, when there’s a higher risk of blisters, maybe we should change our socks or shoes more often.

“We’ve talked about how to avoid this in the future and hopefully it won’t happen again.

“Playing with a numb foot means you approach matches with much more thought than a normal match, which was a big challenge. I’m proud of Iga for how she handled it, and I think we can be happy with this [US Open] quarter-final.”

Swiatek has the advantage of extra time to rest ahead of the start of the campaign, with all of the top four seeds receiving an opening-round bye in the main draw.

However, she does not have the easiest pathway through, with Zhu Lin or Sorana Cirstea set to be her opening opponent.

That could then be followed by a quarter-final against eighth seed Emma Raducanu, and potentially a semi-final versus third seed Clara Tauson — who beat her in Montreal this year.

Read Next: Who is Jaqueline Cristian? Emma Raducanu’s first opponent at the Korea Open

The post Iga Swiatek and coach respond to foot injury concerns ahead of Korea Open campaign appeared first on Tennis365.

2025 has been a year of huge breakthroughs for Alex Eala, with the Filipina star making plenty of history throughout her landmark season.

After historic runs at the Miami Open and US Open earlier in the season, Eala won the biggest title of her career at the WTA 125 event in Guadalajara last weekend, and then backed that up with a quarter-final finish at the SP Open in Sao Paulo.

Having competed in back-to-back events in the Americas, the 20-year-old is now among the leading WTA stars heading towards Asia for the upcoming Asian swing, always a crucial part of the season — with plenty of opportunities for several players.

Here, we look at Eala’s potential schedule for the remaining months of 2025.

Jingshan Tennis Open — September 22-28

After her exploits in the Americas, Eala is rather wisely taking a rest week, though she is set to return to action at the Jingshan Tennis Open in China, starting on September 22nd.

The Filipina would have been ranked high enough to enter the China Open, a WTA 1000 event in Beijing, though she has instead decided to compete in the WTA 125 event in Hubei province.

World No 57 Eala is by far and away the highest-ranked player in the draw as things stand, with world No 123 Talia Gibson currently set to be the second seed at the event.

Much like the event she triumphed at in Guadalajara, 125 ranking points are available for the eventual champion, with a total prize money commitment of $160,000.

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On paper, Eala will be a heavy favourite to lift the title at the event.

Where will she play after Jingshan?

After the Jingshan Tennis Open, Eala’s remaining schedule remains a little under the radar.

Currently, the Filipina is not entered into the 2025 Wuhan Open — the second of two WTA 1000 events in China this Autumn — though it is possible she could still receive a wildcard for the event.

Eala received a wildcard to make her event debut back in 2025, though she was beaten in the opening round by Katerina Siniakova; could she look to pick up her first match win at the tournament?

Action in Wuhan starts on October 6th, although there are further WTA 125 events that she could choose to play around that point if she prefers.

The Suzhou Ladies Open, starting on September 29th, and the WTA 125 Jinan Open, beginning on October 13th, are options for the star at WTA 125 level.

There is an array of WTA-level events that Eala may also target across October and November, though an appearance at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok this December is also a possibility.

After winning three bronze medals at the 2021 SEA Games when she was just 16 years old, she could set her sights on gold this year.

Read Next: The Rafa Nadal Academy junior Grand Slam success story: Alex Eala and Ivan Ivanov among young stars

The post Alex Eala’s Asian swing schedule: Where will star play to finish 2025? appeared first on Tennis365.

There were no changes in the top 20 of the WTA Rankings in the first week after the US Open, but several rising stars secured massive boosts with incredible performances at the Guadalajara Open and the SP Open.

The biggest stars on the WTA Tour all took a break after the season-ending Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows with world No 22 Elise Mertens the highest-ranked player in action last week, and she lost in the second round in Mexico, while world No 27 Beatriz Haddad Maia was the top-ranked player in action in Sao Paolo.

As a result, it is a case of as you were as Aryna Sabalenka still leads the rankings by a massive 3,292 points from Iga Swiatek with Coco Gauff another 59 points adrift in third place.

Swiatek will have a chance to chip away at that big lead as she will be in action at the WTA 500 Korea Open and she has no points to defend. Sabalenka and Gauff, meanwhile, will only return to action at the China Open next week.

Sabalenka has now spent 48 consecutive weeks at No 1 for a total of 56 weeks, which puts her at No 13 on the all-time list for most weeks at the top of the WTA Rankings, just eight weeks behind Simona Halep.

Back to the Guadalajara and SP events, the teenagers ruled at both tournaments as 17-year-old Iva Jovic was victorious in Mexico while 19-year-old Tiantsoa Rajaonah – who prefers Sarah Rajaonah – won in Brazil.

Jovic defeated Emiliana Arango in the WTA 500 final and was rewarded with a 37-place surge to help her break into the top 50 for the first time. The American now sits at a new career-high of No 36. Arango has also secured a new high as she is up 33 spots to No 53.

The 19-year-old Nikola Bartunkova and 22-year-old Elsa Jacquemot lost in the semi-finals in Mexico and the former rose 84 places to No 144 while Frenchwoman Jacquemot is up 21 places to No 62.

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Over in Sao Paolo, Rajaonah also claimed her maiden title as she defeated Janice Tjen in the final, resulting in an 83-place surge to new high at No 131.

Rajaonah only made her Grand Slam debut at this year’s French Open after receiving a wildcard, but her wait for a first win continues as she lost in the first round, while Indonesian Tjen won her debut at this year’s US Open before losing in the second round.

Tjen climbed to a new high of No 130 after the US Open and she is now up another 27 places to No 103 after finishing runner-up.

Great Britain’s Francesca Jones reached the semi-final and she is up 12 places to No 73 while Philippines star Alex Eala lost in the quarter-final against Tjen and she is up four places to No 57.

Jones’ compatriot Sonay Kartal was one of the biggest fallers last week as she is down 29 places to No 82.

WTA Rankings Top 20

1. Aryna Sabalenka – 11,225 points
2. Iga Swiatek Poland – 7,933
3. Coco Gauff United States – 7,874
4. Amanda Anisimova United States – 5,159
5. Mirra Andreeva – 4,793
6. Madison Keys United States – 4,579
7. Jessica Pegula United States – 4,383
8. Jasmine Paolini Italy – 4,006
9. Zheng Qinwen China – 4,003
10. Elena Rybakina Kazakhstan – 3,833
11. Ekaterina Alexandrova – 3,026
12. Clara Tauson Denmark – 2,721
13. Elina Svitolina Ukraine – 2,606
14. Naomi Osaka Japan – 2,489
15. Karolina Muchova Czech Republic – 2,488
16. Daria Kasatkina Australia – 2,421
17. Belinda Bencic Switzerland – 2,334
18. Emma Navarro United States – 2,310
19. Diana Shnaider – 2,246
20. Paola Badosa Spain – 2,195

The post WTA Rankings: Swiatek has chance to close gap, Jovic +37, Eala +4, Tjen +27, Rajaonah +83 appeared first on Tennis365.

The WTA Rankings provide a snapshot of the current state of play in the women’s game, but they might not offer an insight into the current form of the top players.

Aryna Sabalenka confirmed she is the queen of women’s tennis as she successfully defended her US Open title earlier this month and she is favourite to finish the year as world No 1.

Her long-time rival is Iga Swiatek is hot on her heels once again after an impressive return to form saw her win her first Wimbledon title in July, yet the current form of the chasing pack may not be refelected in the updated WTA Rankings.

Here is our Tennis365 assessment of the pecking order of the women’s game:

1. Aryna Sabalenka (WTA Rankings No 1)

Sabalenka has been disappointed too many times for her liking in 2025, with her defeats in the Australian Open and French Open finals sparking inner desire to put it right at the US Open.

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The Belarusian responded impressively to lift the title in New York and she is the undisputed world No 1.

2. Iga Swiatek (WTA Ranking No 2)

Swiatek has been one of the big talking points of this tennis season, with her slide in form at the start of the year backed up by a revival that included wins at Wimbledon and the WTA 1000 tournament in Cincinnati.

She fell short of her own expectations at the US Open, but will be a threat heading into the Asian and indoor swing on the WTA Tour.

3. Amanda Anisimova (WTA Ranking – No 4)

The American No 1 is up to No 4 in the WTA Rankings after her thrilling run to the US Open final, but she may well be the third best player in the world right now.

After reaching the final of the last two Grand Slam events, Anisimova has lifted her reputation to an entirely different level and she should be recognised as a contender for all major titles from this point forward.

4. Naomi Osaka (WTA Ranking No 14)

After a solid run of results saw her reach the final of the WTA 1000 tournament in Montreal prior to the US Open, Osaka then reached the semi-finals in New York and she had chances to beat Anisimova in that last four match.

Osaka’s game has been unleashed since she exploded back to form after dispensing of the services of coach Patrick Mouratoglou and she will fancy her chances of getting in the mix for another Grand Slam title in 2026.

5. Jessica Pegula (WTA Ranking No 6)

Pegula struggled for large sections of 2026, but she was back to her best as she reached the semi-finals at the US Open and she pushed Sabalenka all the way in that last four contest.

That run should inspire the American to push for more in the final weeks of the season, with her form now pointing in the right direction once again.

6. Elena Rybakina (WTA Ranking No 10)

The former Wimbledon champion has not enjoyed her most consistent season in 2025 for a variety of reasons, but she remains one of the most feared players in the women’s game.

When Rybakina is at her best, she can take anyone to the cleaners, including Sabalenka and Swiatek. The trouble is, she has too many days when he radar it off target.

7. Mirra Andreeva (WTA Ranking No 5)

Still only 18, Andreeva will need time to get her to best and that might not come for another two or three years at least.

If she can avoid injuries and add some more power to her game, this engaging youngster is the player to watch over the next few years.

8. Coco Gauff (WTA Ranking No 3)

It is remarkable to recall that Gauff was French Open champion in June and her game and especially that temperamental serve has fallen part since then.

She needs to take time to get the serving issues resolved with her new technical coach Gavin MacMillan and if that area of her game is repaired, she will instantly be a contender for all the top titles once again.

9. Jasmine Paolini (WTA Ranking No 8)

This has been an up and down season for the Italian who triumphantly lifted the WTA 1000 title in front of her home fans in Rome back in May, with her setback since then more plentiful than her successes.

Paolini’s fine run to the final in Cincinnati last month means she is in contention to seal a place in the lucrative WTA Finals if she can have a strong end to the end.

10. Clara Tauson (WTA Ranking No 12)

Tauson has been a thorn in the side of the top players in women’s tennis this season, with Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys among her victims on her run to the semi-finals in Montreal last month.

A gutsy performer who can get a lot of balls back into court, she is an outside contender to claim on of the eight spots up for grabs in the WTA Finals.

11. Ekaterina Alexandrova (WTA Ranking No 11)

Alexandrova has won the fourth most matches on the women’s tour this year, with only Sabalenka, Swiatek and Pegula claiming more wins.

She has come up short against the biggest hitters in tennis, but is a consistent performer who is currently sitting in tenth place in the WTA Race rankings.

12. Emma Raducanu (WTA Ranking No 34)

Radaucanu’s results against the top players suggest she is still some way off contending for the biggest prizes in tennis, but her record against most players outside of that elite three or four has been exceptional in 2025.

Adding more power to her serve will allow her to stay in matches against players of Sabalenka, Swiatek and Rybakina’s class, but she is knocking on the door of a return to the top ten of the rankings at some point next year if she continues her progress.

READ NEXT: Emma Raducanu’s former coach says ‘I’d have told her not to play Billie Jean King Cup’

The post The ‘real’ tennis rankings revealed – Sabalenka, Swiatek, Osaka and Raducanu in the mix appeared first on Tennis365.

The sporting world has been blown away by the level of tennis being served up by Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner and for players striving to climb the rankings, the levels being produced by the game’s greats are hard to fathom.

Alcaraz and Sinner have been saluted for playing the best tennis we have ever seen in recent months, with all-time great John McEnroe among those suggesting the new top two in the men’s game are a step ahead of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in their prime.

The new ‘Big 2’ have won the last eight Grand Slam titles between them and in the opinion of Ireland’s No 1 tennis player Michael Agwi, Alcaraz and Sinner are playing a brand of tennis that is hard to imagine.

“It’s just ridiculous what we are seeing from Alcaraz and Sinner,” began 22-year-old Agwi, who reached a career high of No 407 last year.

“When you look at the Roland Garros final from a few months ago, it was like tennis we have never seen.

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“They hit it so hard, so fast and then never missed a ball. Honestly, you can only dream about playing like this for a match once, but they do it every week.

“You have to say it’s incredible. To be that consistent, to hit it that hard and to make so few mistakes is incredible.”

Agwi, who lead the Ireland team in their Davis Cup tie against China in Dublin this weekend, admits the standards being set by Alcaraz and Sinner are beyond most striving to make an impact in the game, as he suggested he only had one occasion when he felt he played tennis to take him to the next level.

“One moment that stands out in my career was a couple of years ago and I had a day when everything went in,” continued Agwi.

“I was outside the top 1000 and I played a Spanish guy and he was looking at me wondering what was happening. He was around 400 in the world at the time, so he was a better player than me.

“I was just ripping everything. Forehand, backhand, serve, return. I couldn’t miss. My opponent was laughing at how good I was. I was laughing as well.

“This was the day when everything worked for me, but if I did that against Alcaraz or Sinner, it would not be so easy to do that because they would get everything back. This is what we see with the great champions.

“What we can do is look at the great players and try to take something from them. I always watched tennis growing up and you have to aspire to be like the greats.

“I always loved Federer and Nadal and then there was a period to time when I loved Dominic Thiem. Now it’s Djokovic. This might sound strange, but I admire him so much. I liked him even when everyone was supporting Federer and Nadal and Novak was the bad guy.

“The treatment he gets is unfair, especially when you consider his backstory. Coming from Serbia when they are in a war, to achieve what he has done is amazing.”

READ NEXT: Retired tennis player claims biggest cash prize of his career – now he has a new dream

The post Ireland’s top player finds a word to describe Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner appeared first on Tennis365.

Emma Raducanu should not be blamed for opting not to represent Great Britain in the upcoming Billie Jean King Cup Finals as the tennis schedule “makes zero sense”, according to Mark Petchey.

World No 34 Raducanu was initially part of Team GB’s squad to face Japan in the quarter-final of the Finals in Shenzhen, China, during the week of September 16, but she announced her withdrawal from the tournament shortly after her exit from the US Open.

Instead, the 22-year-old will now compete in the Korea Open – which runs from September 15-22 in Seoul – after being handed a wildcard entry for the WTA 500 event, although the move did not go down well with LTA officials.

The BBC reported there was there was “considerable anger within the LTA at Raducanu’s decision” and a statement from a spokesperson read: “Of course, we are disappointed. However, we believe we have a great team and we’re looking forward to competing in Shenzhen.”

Petchey, who coached Raducanu on an informal basis from March until August this year before Francisco Roig – who was part of 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal’s coaching set-up from 2005 until 2022 – took over ahead of the Cincinnati Open, says playing a WTA Tour event instead of the Billie Jean King Cup is the correct decision for Raducanu.

“There’s always two sides to everything,” Petchey told tennis betting site BetVictor.

“It’s very easy to come down on the side that you should want to represent your country.

“To be fair to Emma, when you look back at what she achieved on the clay against France, she proved that when she’s put up against it, she can A, produce the goods and B does want to play.

“I don’t think you can blame Emma for a schedule that makes zero sense.

“For me when I was with her and before Francisco took over the reins full-time, it was a 50-50 call for me in that regard. If you’re asking me personally, from a purely selfish point of view of wanting to be in the best position for Australia, I would tell her not to play.

“From a PR point of view, you know that people are going to take it badly. But a tennis player’s career is short. She’s suddenly on an upward curve. She understands the importance of wanting to get seeded.”

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Raducanu also played at the Korea Open in 2024 and reached the quarter-final before she was forced to retire with a foot injury after losing the first set against Daria Kasatkina.

She then missed the rest of the regular WTA Tour season due to the injury before returning to action in November to represent Great Britain at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.

Petchey added: “The tournament in Seoul is one that she obviously has played well at in the past. Tennis players obviously want to go back to environments that they feel good in, in conditions that they feel good in.

“It’s early after the US Open; you’re never quite sure what motivation level other players have at that particular stage. So, if you’re asking me, I would have told her to make the same decision that she ultimately ended up making.”

The post Emma Raducanu’s former coach says ‘I’d have told her not to play Billie Jean King Cup’ appeared first on Tennis365.

Novak Djokovic has given up on winning a 25th Grand Slam with Boris Becker suggesting he waved goodbye to US Open fans for a final time following his exit from this year’s tournament.

Tennis great Djokovic has now gone two years without winning a major with his last Slam trophy coming at the 2023 US Open as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have dominated the past 24 months with each winning four majors.

The Serbian lost in the semi-final of all four Grand Slams this year as he retired injured from his match against Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open before losing against Sinner at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and Alcaraz at the US Open, which is a popular tennis betting event.

After his defeat to Alcaraz at Flushing Meadows, the 24-time Grand Slam winner appeared to be emotional and took his time to wave to the crowd on Arthur Ashe Stadium, sending a heart signal before exiting.

And the 38-year-old also acknowledged after the loss that he realistically can’t keep up with the younger Alcaraz and Sinner in the best-of-five sets.

“I can do only as much as I can do. And yeah it will be very difficult for me in the future to overcome the hurdle of Sinner and Alcaraz in the best of five in the Grand Slams,” he said.

“I think I have a better chance in best of three but best of five, it’s tough. I’m not giving up on Grand Slams in that regard. Having said that, I’m going to continue fighting and trying to get to the finals and fight for another trophy at least. But it’s going to be a very, very difficult task.”

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Fellow former world No 1 Becker believes Djokovic’s comments suggest that he has accepted he can’t win Grand Slams anymore.

“He’s playing against Sinner or Alcaraz, and he doesn’t know yet how long his Grand Slam career will continue. So, for the first time, it was openly discussed that 2026 might be his last Grand Slam year,” he said on the Becker-Petkovic podcast.

“He mentioned that he can still keep up with the best of three sets. That’s true. But why is he playing tennis, to win Rome or Monte Carlo … or to achieve 25 Grand Slam victories? And I think it’s the latter.

“And I admit that I now believe that, due to his age and the strength of the young guns, he can’t realistically do it anymore. What exactly does that mean? Does that mean that he’ll stop at some point? Do you have any idea when that might be? Do you think he’ll play a full Grand Slam year?”

Djokovic has stated that he wants to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics as he is the defending champion after beating Alcaraz in the singles gold medal match at the 2024 Paris Games.

Becker added: “On the other hand, he’s still dreaming of the 2028 Olympics, where he wants to defend the gold medal for Serbia.

“In three years, I personally find that unrealistic, but the US Open sounded a bit like a farewell to me.”

Former world No 1 Andrea Petkovic also believes Djokovic’s farewell was more than just a normal goodbye.

“Yes, I thought so too, and also when he left, he was on his way out, he stopped again, took off his bag again, and showed his heart to the audience again,” the German commented.

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Saying you are an OnlyFans creator can often come with certain connotations but in recent years, the subscription service has become an increasingly visible presence in the world of tennis.

For those of you unaware: OnlyFans allows users to pay money to their favourite creators who will then produce content exclusively for their subscribers. The platform was started in 2016 in the UK but has grown rapidly and as a sign of its expansion, they paid over £100m in taxes to the UK government last year, bringing out some snobby comments who would rather their schools were funded by someone else.

The snobiness comes with the association surrounding the company with it initially being known for a different kind of love but in recent years, the world of sports, and tennis in particular, has been growing on the platform.

In December 2023, Nick Kyrgios – who is not afraid of making headlines – signed up, saying the company was “revolutionising social media” and he “wanted to be a part of that.”

Last year, WTA Tour player Sachia Vickery signed up. The reason behind her decision was a shoulder injury that sidelined her for six months and the finances of tennis being what they are meant her income came to a sudden halt.

Tennis, as with other individual sports, sees the athletes rely on prize money rather than a salary and while the very top players do not need to be too concerned about the ones and zeros, those lower down the rankings sometimes find their winnings don’t come to much once coaches have been paid and taxes taken.

OnlyFans then was a way for Vickery to make some money while she was stuck away from the court.

She is not alone either. In March, Chloe Paquet joined and in May, the self-dubbed “sexiest professional tennis player” Alexandre Muller signed up, saying that he expects many of his colleagues to join him.

One of the latest names to sign up is world No.52 Pedro Martinez who spoke with Tennis365 about why he decided to join.

“A couple of months ago, I spoke with my manager and he told me it was a possibility to change the platform, to connect more with the fans, and I think it was attractive to just try to sell the content and don’t give it all for free on social media,” he said.

“So we thought about it. I talked to one of my team to record a couple of videos, and then I shared them there.”

But before you get your hopes up, topless photos seem to be reserved for Muller with Martinez instead showing fans what it takes to be a tennis player away from the matches.

“I’ve been sharing some exercises that I can do in the gym that I cannot post all on Instagram,” he said from Spain as he prepared for his country’s Davis Cup qualifiers.

“If I have a good practice, maybe just something that I normally don’t post on other platforms like Instagram or Twitter, and then I share it through there. Or maybe I had a good practice with some videos on Roland Garros or on Centre Court. So I think that’s something that you cannot see on Instagram.

“Now I have a lot of pictures from the Davis Cup so I’m putting this kind of content out that people can be closer to me and to get to know me more.”

With career prize money north of $5m, Martinez is not short of a dollar or two but he said that extra income is always handy when the costs begin to stack up.

“Tennis is pretty expensive, but now the earnings are bigger than what they used to be like 10 years ago. So I’m earning a decent amount of money, but you know, it’s always good to make something extra because it’s a really expensive sport, because you have to pay everything for yourself.

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“You have to pay your coach. You have to pay your fitness coaches. You have to pay your physio. You have to pay all the expenses of all of them traveling around the world – hotels, flights, meals and if you want to fly with your family, you have to take care of expenses as well.

“You are always wasting money but it is what it is. In Spain, we say you have to try to put more in than you let go out more.”

With Kyrgios down in the 600s, Martinez along with Muller, are the highest-ranked male players on the platform and while it remains to be seen if the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner may ever join, the Spaniard pointed to other sports as an example of where the top-level players sign up.

“Let’s see in the future,” he said of his colleagues potentially joining. “Now we have Alex Muller, Kyrgios, Chloe Paquet,” the 28-year-old said. “I think I saw other sports players getting into OnlyFans.

“And now, with Charles Oliveira joining the platform as well, I follow a lot of MMA and you can maybe find something if you really like MMA about stuff you cannot see on any other platform so you can follow through there.

“So I think it’s a platform that is going to keep growing.”

Read next: Why Carlos Alcaraz could break a Novak Djokovic prize money record in 2025

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