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The debate over Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek’s positive doping tests continues to be a huge talking point in tennis, with comments from former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash on the subject sparking a big reaction on social media.

Sinner and Swiatek both posted positive doping tests last year, with both only handed moderate suspensions in what were viewed as controversial verdicts.

Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension at the back end of 2024 after successfully proving that a product she was using to help her sleep was contaminated, while Sinner’s case was a little more complex and continues to be a point of conjecture for many.

The world No 1 claimed he had been contaminated after a member of his team applied a spray to treat a cut on his finger that contained an anabolic steroid.

Sinner’s legal team argued contaminated when the team member gave him a massage, with a one-year suspension looking likely until he agreed a deal with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to serve a three-month ban.

The timing of that suspension ensured he didn’t miss any Grand Slam events and after missing match points against Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open final last month, Sinner then won his first Wimbledon title with a win against Alcaraz.

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Some high-profile ex-players and journalists were quick to suggest the triumphs for Sinner and Swiatek were a bad look for tennis, but former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash gave some pointed advice to the critics of the duo with a passionate Instagram post.

“Well done Jannik,” said Cash, in a post on his Instagram account.

“I’m happy for him and his team. I know his coach Darren Cahill very well, he is a good mate of mine.

“I have followed what has been going on over the last six months or so, especially around the drug bans.

“I’ve heard a lot of stuff pop up on social media about the ‘drug cheats’ winning Wimbledon, but it’s a little sad that this is still going on.

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A post shared by Pat Cash (@thepatcash)

“Before you spout out some rubbish, I think people need to do a bit of homework. Even ten minutes of homework. Just check out what other champions are saying and know about the drug testing.

“Swiatek and Sinner were contaminated. It was not performance-enhancing. If you think WADA and the International Tennis Integrity Unit don’t do their homework and check this out, then you are absolutely insane.

“So please stop this. It’s misinformation. They are not drug cheats. They are the best players in the world for a reason.

“They are great players, they are determined and focused. Their mental capacity is incredible when you think of what Sinner has been through. I’m very happy for them and let’s acknowledge and accept their greatness rather than taint them because your favourite player didn’t win.”

Those comments proved to be a cue for critics of Sinner and Swiatek to voice their annoyance at Cash’s views, with Tennis365’s X post referencing his comments gaining huge interactions, with many of the comments negative.

Pat Cash claims people need to do “homework” after criticism of Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner’s Wimbledon wins ️#Tennis #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/GLzZrzU7wZ

— Tennis365 (@tennis365com) July 17, 2025

This is a story that will continue to run and run, with the wins for Sinner and Swiatek coming at a time when many observers have suggested they could have been serving suspensions following their positive doping tests.

After a long and detailed examination of the circumstances surrounding their positive doping tests by the International Tennis Integrity Agency and the World Anti-Doping Agency, plenty of tennis fans have decided the time has come to move on from the debate.

Yet fans of players like Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka may not be keen to ensure these stories are never forgotten.

READ NEXT: Jannik Sinner’s true Wimbledon prize money revealed as winner set to lose third of his earnings

The post Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek ‘drug cheat’ debate reignites after pointed comments from former Wimbledon champion appeared first on Tennis365.

Holger Rune has been spotted training in Washington under the watchful eye of Andre Agassi, sparking rumours that the two are trialling a player-coach relationship.

The Dane’s coaching situation has remained flexible throughout his career, with Kenneth Carlsen currently filling the role, whilst Patrick Mouratoglou – a highly esteemed coach – having split with Rune in July 2024.

The former world No 1 had previously worked with Novak Djokovic from 2017 until 2018, before joining Grigor Dimitrov’s team from 2018 until 2020.

Agassi wouldn’t be the first former Grand Slam champion to join Rune’s team, with Boris Becker having occupied the lead role from October 2023 until February 2024.

A pretty legendary guy was out on the practice court working with @holgerrune2003 on Friday in Washington, D.C.
Read on to find out more.https://t.co/Dj7bi1rkAf pic.twitter.com/GREsIKPMdy

— Stephanie Myles (@OpenCourt) July 19, 2025

“After working with the same coach for 15 years — my entire tennis life — it is not easy to find the perfect match on the first try,” Rune admitted, after splitting with Becker in 2024.

“I have learned a lot and found out what is important for me to feel good and at the same time develop as I want. I have big ambitions and big goals, and I need people around me who have the same vision.

“And people I can trust to achieve my goals. I need people who know me – who can be there all the time. It gives me security and joy in a world with changing environments and conditions every week.”

Rune has had a mixed 2025 season, reaching the fourth round at both the Australian Open and the French Open, but being forced out of Rotterdam with illness and Acapulco due to food poisoning.

After retiring at the Mexican event, he took three weeks to rest and recover, before making his first final in 15 months at Indian Wells – falling to Jack Draper – and crashing out in his opening match at the Miami Masters.

On the clay, the incosistency continued, retiring whilst 6-2, 3-0 down to Pedro Martinez in Monte Carlo, but, later, producing some of his best-ever tennis on the surface in Barcelona by dethroning defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the showpiece match.

Most recently, Rune fell to Nicholas Jarry 4-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 in the opening round of Wimbledon, with the one-time Masters 1000 winner putting the blame on knee pain.

“I mean, if I play normal, I’m beating him nine out of ten times, with all respect for Nicolas Jarry,” said the Dane, during his post-loss Wimbledon press conference.

“Obviously today didn’t make it a lot easier with my knee, but yeah, it was not great.

“Fourth set, I started to feel my knee and then got some treatment. Yeah, never was able to serve and hit my backhand as I was able to do in the first two sets.

“I’m going to check now with the head doctor and physio and will take it from there.”

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Unfortunately for the former world No 4, the knee issue appears to be a reoccurring injury – having retired against Flavio Cobolli at the Madrid Masters earlier this season.

“I’ve had it before,” explained Rune.

“I have not had it for a long time. I don’t know. I know what it is, and especially being extremely low on the grass, it can bother that area. You know, obviously didn’t expect it to come back, but that can happen, yeah.”

Whether or not Agassi will join officially join the team, it seems that Rune will be supervised by the all-time great during thr ATP 500 event in Washington, taking place from July 21-27.

The post Holger Rune sparks coaching rumours after being spotted training alongside Andre Agassi appeared first on Tennis365.

Iga Swiatek’s mentality and mindset have been compared to that of Serena Williams, one week on from her Wimbledon triumph.

Last weekend saw the Pole claim her first title at the All England Club and her sixth Grand Slam title overall, handing a historic double bagel to beaten finalist Amanda Anisimova.

Swiatek dropped just one set on her way to the final, against Caty McNally back in round two, and completed the ‘Surface Slam’ with her victory, with major titles won on hard, clay, and grass courts.

Victory at SW19 cemented an astonishing turnaround in form for the 24-year-old, who had not lifted a title since winning her fourth French Open in June 2024.

The ensuing 13 months saw Swiatek deal with a shock loss at the Olympic Games, a split from long-time coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, losing her world No 1 ranking, and a one-month doping suspension, among other factors.

Grass had widely been considered the Pole’s weaker surface heading into 2025, which made it all the more of a surprise when she ended her 13-month wait for a final at the Bad Homburg Open last month.

Though she was beaten by Jessica Pegula in the pre-Wimbledon warm-up event, Swiatek’s rediscovered confidence on the surface ultimately powered her through her SW19 campaign.

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Taking to Twitter/X,  Rick Macci, a former coach of the Williams sisters and Maria Sharapova, credited Swiatek’s “mindset” as a key factor in her success.

He wrote: “Iga had the mindset to be more aggressive and dictate on grass. Easier said than Done but the Polisher Punisher stepped up stepped in and the competition was Done.”

And, in a further post, the American then compared Swiatek to 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Williams, whom he coached as a junior.

Macci added: “Iga is one of the best we have seen mentally since Serena. At Wimbledon once she got a hold of you she was like a Polish Pitbull and would not let go.”

Swiatek’s sixth Grand Slam title means that only 10 women in the Open Era have won more majors than her, including Williams, whose 23 titles remain the Open Era record for a female player.

Williams also remains one of just three women this century to have won more Grand Slam singles titles than Swiatek, with Venus Williams and Justine Henin both winning seven Grand Slam titles.

Swiatek is currently set to return to action at the Canadian Open, which gets underway on July 27th.

The Pole has never won the WTA 1000 event, with a best semi-final showing back in 2023, and is also a two-time beaten semi-finalist at the Cincinnati Open, which takes place after action in Montreal.

However, the world No 3 will likely be full of confidence ahead of the final Grand Slam of the year at the US Open, which gets underway on August 24th.

She will be searching for her second title at Flushing Meadows, having previously triumphed back in 2022.

Read Next: Iga Swiatek reveals why Wimbledon win is ‘hard to describe’ as she reflects on SW19 success

The post Iga Swiatek compared to Serena Williams in one key area by US icon’s ex-coach appeared first on Tennis365.

João Fonseca has been tipped as the “new challenger” for Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz amid the pair’s domination of men’s tennis in recent months.

World No 1 Sinner defeated Alcaraz in four sets to win his first Wimbledon title last weekend, just five weeks after they had met in the French Open final.

On that occasion, it was world No 2 Alcaraz who prevailed, though Grand Slam success is something both have become accustomed to.

The pair have combined to win the last seven straight major tournaments between them, one of the greatest Grand Slam men’s singles duopolies of the Open era.

The last male player to win a Grand Slam title outside of Sinner and Alcaraz was Novak Djokovic at the 2023 US Open, though the 24-year-old has reached just one major final since then.

Sinner and Alcaraz have moved clear of the rest of the field with former potential challengers, such as Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas, falling down in the ATP Rankings in recent months.

With world No 3 Alexander Zverev also struggling to get over the Grand Slam hurdle, all eyes are on who could rival the Italian and the Spaniard in the future.

Rising stars such as Jakub Mensik and Arthur Fils have been tipped in the past, though teen star Fonseca has consistently attracted attention.

And, speaking on The Tennis, former ATP Tour player Luke Saville has tipped the Brazilian to rival the ‘New Two’ in the future.

He said: “I feel like they’re [Alcaraz and Sinner] clearly the two best in the men’s game right now, and it’s just great to see when they both go at it – amazing tennis.

“I think everyone’s looking at Fonseca to be the next challenger to those two. It’s Carlos and Jannik and then there’s daylight, at the moment.

“I feel like Medvedev, Zverev, Tsitsipas a few years back, they were kind of the three everyone was looking at.

“Still Zverev, he’s made a bunch of finals and just hasn’t quite broken through for that maiden Slam title.”

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Fonseca is still only 18 years old, but there is plenty to like about the Brazilian’s game and potential.

The teen star already has one of the biggest and most dangerous forehands in the men’s game, and has consistently moved up the ATP Rankings in 2025.

Fonseca came through qualifying to reach the second round of the Australian Open in January, famously beating ninth seed Andrey Rublev in his first-ever Grand Slam main draw match.

The Brazilian has since gone on to reach the third round of Roland Garros, beating Hubert Hurkacz in round one, and also made round three at Wimbledon.

His showing at the All England Club propelled Fonseca into the top 50 of the ATP Rankings for the first time, with the 18-year-old ranked 48th in the world.

Fonseca is already an ATP Tour titleist, triumphing at the Argentina Open back in February.

Read Next: Exclusive – Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner compared to ‘Big 4’ by a player who has faced them all

The post Carlos Alcaraz & Jannik Sinner’s ‘next challenger’ named as rising star tipped to threaten dominance appeared first on Tennis365.

Mats Wilander believes that Jannik Sinner is a better role model for young people than Carlos Alcaraz because ‘everyone can play’ like the Italian if they have ‘total dedication’.

The Swede heaped praise on the two men who have shared the last seven Grand Slam titles, including the last two Grand Slam finals.

Sinner and Alcaraz’s most recent meeting occurred in the showpiece match of Wimbledon, with the world No 1 triumphing 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

“I’ve never seen anyone play tennis as aggressively as Sinner,” commented Wilander to L’Equipe.

“It’s not that he hits everything that moves like a madman, it’s that he’s always looking to get the ball early. Some people hit it harder than him, but no one gets to the ball as quickly to play it on the rise, never waiting for it to come back down.

“I think his tennis is five or ten years ahead of what I imagined the evolution of the game would be. A bit like when, in football, for the first time, there was quick one-touch passes: the speed of the game was turned upside down.

“He’s leading the way and will quickly serve as a role model, because not everyone can play tennis like Alcaraz. That requires extremely rare talent. On the other hand, everyone can try to play like Sinner, which doesn’t require exceptional talent in itself, but total dedication.”

Sinner’s victory now brings the Grand Slam tally to 5-4 in Alcaraz’s favour, with the Spaniard also leading the head-to-head 8-5.

However, many of the clashes could have gone either way, including the French Open final in June, where Sinner held three championship points in the fourth set.

“Watching this final unfold, it was hard to believe that Carlos Alcaraz had won his last five matches with Jannik Sinner,” added the seven-time Grand Slam champion.

“And easy to remember that, yes, Jannik should have won at Roland Garros a month ago. There, as here, he was the better player.

“He has improved more than Carlos over the last two years combined, which, consequently, also leaves the latter more room for improvement in the future, particularly in terms of choosing his shots better, sometimes.

“It’s more the emotional or the motivational part that you have someone who is young, who wins basically everything. You have to be ready, no, if you want to keep up.”

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“It was amazing what he [Sinner] has just pulled off,” said John McEnroe, three-time Wimbledon champion, speaking to ESPN after the latest Alcaraz-Sinner clash.

“He was hitting the ball as big as anyone has ever hit it. That is impressive. But it was the way he took it to Alcaraz and got Alcaraz physically discouraged. Imagine how hard that is.”

Sinner and Alcaraz will both return to the tour at the Masters 1000 event in Toronto, which takes place from July 26 – Aug 7.

The post Mats Wilander reveals what separates Carlos Alcaraz from Jannik Sinner appeared first on Tennis365.

Great sporting rivals often struggle to develop a friendship away from the heat of battle, but Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are continuing to show mutual respect for each other after their tennis battles came to an end.

Federer and Nadal won a stunning 42 Grand Slam titles between them and that total may have been higher for both if they were operating in a different era of the sport.

Initially, Federer was not welcoming of the young upstart threatening his dominance at the top of the men’s game, but the duo have since developed a strong bond and that was confirmed as the Swiss star visited the Spaniard’s Rafael Nadal Academy base.

Images of Federer and Nadal spending time together warmed the hearts of fans of the duo who were eventually overtaken by Novak Djokovic in the race to finish their careers with the most Grand Slam titles.

The duo tagged ‘Fedal’ by their fans clearly have a good relationship and Nadal spoke about how that developed as he took part in Federer’s farewell event at the Laver Cup in 2022.

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“Roger was always there in front of me,” reflected Nadal.

“For me, he was always the guy to beat. So at some point, we were probably the biggest rivals – I think always in a very good way.

“We have never had any big issues and always respected each other and our families as well.

“But our personal relationship has got better and better over the years, and we approach life in a similar way.

“On court, we have completely opposite styles, and that’s what probably makes our matches and our rivalry so big and interesting.

“I’m very proud to be part of his career in some way, but even happier to finish our career [rivalry] like friends after everything we shared on court as rivals.”

An unforgettable day with @RafaelNadal & @rogerfederer at the @rnadalacademy! pic.twitter.com/Ko8yGW5sSX

— Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar (@rnadalacademy) July 18, 2025

Nadal later went on to clarify his comments, as he insisted he would not describe his cordial relationship with Federer as a friendship.

“I wouldn’t consider him a friend, but someone familiar, with whom I have a great relationship,” Nadal stated.

“We have shared most of our careers. We have helped each other.

“We have also taken away a lot. We have achieved a level of self-demand that is difficult to repeat because we knew that we could not fail. That competition pushed us to the limit.”

Whether Nadal considers Federer to be a friend or an acquaintance, it is clear that they enjoy spending time together and we do not see occasions like this with Federer or Nadal visiting Djokovic, who has always been viewed as something of an outsider in this story.

READ NEXT: The top 5 US Open men’s finals of all time as hard court season begins

The post Roger Federer cements friendship with Rafael Nadal after reunion in Spain appeared first on Tennis365.

Former British No 1 Tim Henman has insisted Emma Raducanu is ‘a much better player’ than she was when she won the US Open title almost four years ago.

Raducanu’s breakthrough win in New York catapulted her to international superstardom, but she has predictably struggled to back up that success in the four years since.

Yet Henman suggests the 22-year-old Brit will be heading back into action next week in Washington with renewed hope and belief, after some impressive performances on grass courts in recent weeks.

After reaching the quarter-finals at the new WTA 500 tournament at the Queen’s Club, Raducanu pushed world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the third round at Wimbledon and Henman believes she is now maturing into a player ready to compete at the top of the women’s game.

“She’s a much better player than she was in 2021 because she’s had four more years of experience and now she’s started to build more of a team around her,” Henman told Sky Sports News.

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“She’s been competing so much more this year, which therefore emphasises the physical resilience that she’s got because she was always getting injuries.

”So I just hope she can continue in that vein because if she keeps doing the right things on the practice court, the results will come on the match because she’s that good a player. And I think it was great to see her on the biggest stage in our sport against the number one player in the world.

“She had a really good chance to win that match and I’m sure that will motivate her now moving onto the hardcourt swing in America to keep building.”

Henman also admitted Britain’s Jack Draper has a huge task on his hands to compete with for Grand Slam titles, with new Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner and his big rival Carlos Alcaraz winning all seven of the last major titles between them.

Draper crashed out of Wimbledon early after a second round defeat against Marin Cilic, with Henman impressed by the consistency of the top two in the men’s game.

“I don’t think anyone can deny that those two, Alcaraz and Sinner, have certainly separated the way that they’ve dominated the Grand Slams in the last 18 months to two years,” added Henman.

“But Jack has made unbelievable strides this year and has been top five in the world. He didn’t have the best Wimbledon, but I think that’s a steep learning curve to be playing at home. 

“He’s played so well on clay and hard courts and I think he needs to adapt his game a little bit on grass. And the reality is, you don’t get long to play on grass.

“There are only three weeks between the French Open and Wimbledon and then Wimbledon itself. But he’s got a great team around him. He would have taken many learnings away from the Championships this year and I’m sure in 12 months’ time he’ll be a better player and better prepared.”

Raducanu is set to return to action in a WTA 500 tournament in Washington next week, with Draper’s next match coming a week later at the ATP Masters 1000 National Bank Open in Toronto that gets underway in the last week of July.

“I think what they’ve done in such a short period of time is absolutely incredible,” said Henman. “And I think there were understandable concerns about who the next generation was going to be in the men’s because of what [Roger] Federer, [Rafael] Nadal and [Novak] Djokovic had done. They won 66 Grand Slams between them.

“I think at times they’ve almost raised the bar unfairly high. However, Alcaraz has now won five and Sinners won four, and in the grand scheme of the great champions of our sport, you look at [Stefan] Edberg, [Boris] Becker and [John] McEnroe and [Jimmy] Connors and [Andre] Agassi, they won six, seven and eight and they are absolute legends of the sport.

“All of a sudden, we’re asking the question, ‘Well, is Alcaraz going to get to 15 and 20?’ I mean, it’s mad, but they are phenomenal players. I think they benefit from each other because that rivalry will continue to motivate them and push each other to keep improving their games. And it’s other players’ jobs to try and get into that conversation.”

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The post Tim Henman makes telling Emma Raducanu claim as she prepares to return to action appeared first on Tennis365.

The grass season is finished for another year which means attention turns back to the hard court and the upcoming US Open.

The final slam of the year kicks off in a little over a month and while we wait, we’ve put together a list of the best finals in men’s singles history.

5.) Andy Murray v Novak Djokovic – 2012

In 2012, there were questions over whether Andy Murray would always be the bridesmaid, such was the skill and dominance of the Big Three, but the Scot answered his critics with a brutal five-setter against Djokovic.

Murray won the opening two sets but did so both times by tiebreak, perhaps explaining why Djokovic was able to draw level with a 6-2 and 6-3 run.

At two sets apiece, many thought Murray was down for the count but this match of momentum swung back to the Scot in the fifth set. He broke Djokovic twice during a match that set a then-record for the longest US Open final, clocking in at 4 hours and 54 minutes.

Murray, at the fifth time of asking, had won a Slam final.

Murray won 7–6(12–10), 7–5, 2–6, 3–6, 6–2

4. Rafael Nadal v Daniil Medvedev – 2019

With Djokovic retiring in the fourth round and Roger Federer losing in the quarters, many thought Nadal was to be the easy winner of the 2019 US Open.

Fifth seed Daniil Medvedev had other ideas.

Following a run that saw him beat Stan Wawrinka and Grigor Dimitrov, Medvedev faced Nadal in the final, having played him just once before, a 6-3, 6-0 defeat in Canada earlier that year.

Nadal went two sets up, suggesting this final was going to be a quick one, but Medvedev regrouped to win the third and fourth, taking both players to the deciding fifth set. With Nadal leading 5-2, Medvedev saved a number of break points before breaking back, putting the score back to 5-4. But after 4 hours and 50 minutes of gruelling tennis, Nadal showed grit under pressure to win.

Nadal won 7–5, 6–3, 5–7, 4–6, 6–4

3. Andre Agassi v Roger Federer – 2005

All eras come to an end and eventually, every player must pass the torch but just as Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have found in recent years, the departing veteran does not go without a fight.

Ahead of their meeting Stateside, Federer was coming off the back of a Wimbledon win but the 35-year-old Agassi had the home crowd behind him.

Even losing the first set 6-3 was not a fatal blow for the American legend as he hit back 6-2 in the second before forcing a tie break in the third.

But it was to be Federer who prevailed, winning the fourth set 6-1 to seal the match, as the Swiss secured his second of what would go on to be five US Open titles.

Federer won 6–3, 2–6, 7–6, 6–1

2. Novak Djokovic v Roger Federer – 2007

In 2007, US Open spectators were treated to the first of what would become five slam finals contested between the two iconic players.

While he would go on to surpass Federer and have a winning record against him, in 2007, Djokovic was very much the underdog against the experienced Swiss.

In his first Slam final, the Serbian failed to make the most of his chances, not converting set points in the first and second set and allowing Federer to recover.

Two tie breaks in the first two sets came before a 6-4 win for Federer and the first punch of this rivalry was landed.

Federer won 7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–2), 6–4

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1. Federer v Juan Martín del Potro – 2009

The upset of all upsets.

Heading into the 2009 final, a dominant Feder was on a run of five consecutive US Open titles and every sign pointed towards a sixth.

Del Potro had never beaten Federer with the Swiss winning their last six matches, all in straight sets, on a variety of surfaces.

But the first hint of a surprise result came in the semi-finals when Del Potro not only beat Nadal but did so in a commanding fashion. Three sets, all won 6-2, put Del Potro into his first Slam final.

In that final, Federer entered as favourite and a 6-3 score in the first game suggested it would be light work for the Swiss. Instead, Del Porto fought back, winning the next set 7-6 before losing again in the third.

A fourth set win, again via tie break, set up a deciding set but Del Potro’s forehands and brave play broke Federer’s aura of invincibility.

The Argentinian won the final set 6-2, bringing an end to the four-hour macth and becoming the fourth man from his country to win a slam.

Del Potro won 3–6, 7–6(7–5), 4–6, 7–6(7–4), 6–2

Read next: Jannik Sinner’s coach in retirement decision U-turn as 2026 plans revealed

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