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Jannik Sinner has given an update on his health and declared that he took a “step forward” with his win over Felix Auger-Aliassime at the 2026 Monte Carlo Masters.

The world No 2 downed seventh-ranked Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-4 in the second quarter-final at the Monte Carlo Country Club on Friday. It was Sinner’s 20th consecutive Masters 1000 win.

Sinner broke his 25-year-old Canadian opponent once in each set and saved the only break point he faced in the fourth game of the second set.

The 24-year-old Italian appeared to struggle with sickness in the second set of his 6-1, 6-7(3), 6-3 win against Tomas Machac in the previous round on Thursday.

In his interview with Tennis TV after beating Auger-Aliassime, Sinner was asked to give an update on his physical condition and assess his level.

“Yeah, I feel like a step forward today, it was a very, very tough match, I knew that I had to get better in certain areas,” said Sinner.

“The serve is not there yet, where I would love to, but all things considered, I’m very happy.

ATP Tour News

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“Yesterday, I was very tired. I recovered very good in this night’s sleep and let’s see what’s coming tomorrow, but in any case, very happy to be in the semis.”

The four-time Grand Slam champion was also asked about the impressive overhead he hit to convert break point in the second set.

“I feel like on these shots, when you start with the intention to hit, I don’t doubt. I’d rather miss and go for it than hoping at times,” Sinner replied.

“It is a shot where we try to improve. It is a shot we are working on a lot, even though from outside it seems always an easy shot, the smash, but it’s definitely not.

“Today, the weather with the clouds… I feel like a bit more confident to hit the serve, when it’s blue sky, for example, I’m someone who struggles a bit more.

“But yeah, happy that I made it, and now knowing that [the shot was going out], it was a key moment, for sure (laughs).”s

Sinner set for Alexander Zverev showdown

Sinner will face world No 3 Alexander Zverev in the last four in Monte Carlo — the third consecutive Masters 1000 semi-final meeting between the pair.

Zverev saw off world No 40 Joao Fonseca 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-3 in the first Monte Carlo quarter-final.

Following his victory, the German said: “I don’t think it was still a great match to be honest, from both of us.

“But as I said, this is the first week on clay for all of us; it’s not going to be easy, it’s not going to be the prettiest tennis.

“How I won, I’m in the semi-finals, I’m super happy about that. I feel like the best set of tennis was a third set for me, so that shows improvement.

“And again, that’s the most important thing this week to show improvement, to find also my aggressive game a bit more, because I’m struggling a little bit more on clay than I was on hard courts with that, but overall, I’m in the semis, and I’m happy about it.

“It’s about rhythm a little bit. I feel like I’m still mistiming quite a few balls, but again, I’m in the semi-finals. I’m very happy about that.

“I’d much rather mistime a few and be in the semis than be perfect and lose first round, you know? So, again, it’s about improving.

“I feel like it’s going to be hopefully a good clay-court season for me, but yeah, there still needs to be improvements made.”

READ NEXT: Carlos Alcaraz on the brink of eye-watering prize money breakthrough in Monte Carlo

The post Monte Carlo Masters: Jannik Sinner gives candid verdict on his level ahead of Alexander Zverev clash appeared first on Tennis365.

Renowned tennis Brad Gilbert will be keeping close tabs on Iga Swiatek’s game in the coming months as he is eager to see how her new coach Francisco Roig and tennis great Rafael Nadal improve her game.

Following a difficult start to the 2026 season, Swiatek has slumped from No 2 to No 4 in the WTA Rankings as she has failed to make it past the quarter-final in the three months of the year.

On the back of her second-round defeat at the Miami Open, the reigning Wimbledon champion announced that she had parted ways with Wim Fissette, who had only joined her as coach in October 2025.

Three weeks later and she announced Roig – who had coached Emma Raducanu until the end of January – would become her new mentor, starting immediately.

Swiatek started her new partnership with Roig at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca and 22-time Grand Slam winner Nadal was on hand to share tips with the former world No 1 and he even taught her how to play his trademark forehand.

Gilbert, who coached the likes of Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Andy Murray and more recently Coco Gauff, started off by explaining the difference between Roig’s former charge Raducanu and his current one Swiatek.

“So the big difference between those two [Swiatek and Raducanu] is movement,” he said on the Big T Podcast.

“Iga is unbelievably fast. She’s probably the second-best mover on the women’s tour behind Coco. So if he does want her to, or Rafa wants her, to maybe extend the points, she can do that.

“I feel like with Emma, maybe she doesn’t feel like she can do that. She probably needs to add that to her game.”

Iga Swiatek News

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Of course, the big question is whether or not there will be obvious changes to Swiatek’s game following her sessions with Nadal and Gilbert is keen to see if her game evolves.

The American added: “But it will be interesting to see how he does it – how much Rafa is going to be involved, because, what he’s been doing the last few days – you see him on the practice court – has to be invaluable.

“And he was showing her the ‘buggy whip’ forehand, I thought that was incredibly cool. A lot to learn from.

“And on this surface, at least you’re starting with a player that’s most comfortable on the surface. You know, she’s been great at Roland Garros, and can she put it together and all of a sudden get some wins?

“She’s yet to make a semi-final this year, but I think that you’re starting on a surface that she’s most familiar with.”

The post Brad Gilbert underlines big difference between Iga Swiatek and Emma Raducanu after Roig switch appeared first on Tennis365.

Joao Fonseca’s run at the 2026 Monte Carlo Masters ended with a three-set quarter-final loss to Alexander Zverev, but how much prize money and how many ranking points did he collect?

The Brazilian star was beaten 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-3 by world No 3 Zverev at the clay-court Masters 1000 tournament at the Monte Carlo Country Club on Friday.

In what was the first-ever encounter between the pair, a single break of serve proved decisive for Zverev in both the first and third sets, while Fonseca battled back from 1-3 down to win the second set.

Fonseca, who was making his debut at the Monte Carlo Masters, overcame Gabriel Diallo, Arthur Rinderknech and Matteo Berrettini en route to the last eight.

The 19-year-old reflected on the achievement of advancing to his maiden Masters quarter-final after his last 16 victory over Berrettini on Thursday.

“It is super special,” Fonseca said. “I was looking for this result for a long time. Of course I want more. I am very confident and focused. I was very happy with the way I fought today.

“From the beginning, putting a lot of pressure. Playing huge return games and very good serve games. I was putting a lot of pressure and that helps you stay more calm during the match.”

More Tennis News

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Fonseca’s Monte Carlo Masters prize money

By reaching the quarter-finals in Monte Carlo, Fonseca has secured €158,700 ($183,865) in prize money.

Prior to his appearance in the Principality this week, Fonseca had earned $289,980 this year, while his total career prize money stood at $2,968,665.

Monte Carlo Masters prize money 

Champion: €974,370 ($1,128,880)
Runner-up: €532,120 ($616,500)
Semi-finalists: €290,960 ($337,100)
Quarter-finalists: €158,700 ($183,865)
Round of 16: €84,890 ($98.351)
Round of 32: €45,520 ($5,2738)
Round of 64: €25,220 ($29,219)

Fonseca’s Monte Carlo Masters ranking points

Fonseca’s run to the last eight in Monte Carlo saw him amass 200 ATP ranking points.

This has seen Fonseca increase his points total to 1,315, which has lifted him five places to world No 35 in the Live ATP Rankings.

The Brazilian reached his career-high ranking of world No 24 in November 2025 following his victory at the Swiss Indoors in Basel the previous month.

Monte Carlo ranking points breakdown

Champion: 1,000 points
Runner-up: 650 points
Semi-finalists: 400 points
Quarter-finalists: 200 points
Round of 16: 100 points
Round of 32: 50 points
Round of 64: 10 points

READ NEXT: Carlos Alcaraz surprised that his statement about No 1 battle ’caused a stir’

The post Joao Fonseca’s Monte Carlo Masters prize money & ranking points revealed after Alexander Zverev loss appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have dominated the Grand Slams the past two years as, between them, they have won nine consecutive majors, leading one rival to claim they are “untouchable” when it comes to the four biggest tournaments on the tennis calendar.

Their dominant streak started at the 2024 Australian Open with Sinner winning the title while he also lifted the US Open trophy that year, with Alcaraz successful at the French Open and Wimbledon.

The Italian successfully defended his crown at Melbourne Park last year and also won Wimbledon while his rival tasted success at Roland Garros and Flushing Meadows.

And Alcaraz has kept the streak going in 2026 as he started the year by beating Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final to complete his Career Grand Slam.

Djokovic was the last man not named Alcaraz or Sinner to win a major and that was at the 2023 US Open while he is also the last player to make a final following his loss to the Spaniard in Melbourne.

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During the recent Ultimate Tennis Showdown in Nimes, world No 11 Alexander Bublik told Spazio Tennis: “Perhaps they might correct me, but I believe that in Grand Slams, they are untouchable.

“The only ones to defeat Jannik in a Grand Slam have been Carlos and Novak. That’s it, no one else. Nobody is getting close to them.

“If I put myself in their position, why would I care about anything else? I need to achieve great things, get closer to Federer, to Novak: to do that, I have to focus on those tournaments.

“If I see Jannik and Carlos going to five sets against someone ranked 80th in the world, then I would say that there are people getting closer to them. At the moment, that’s not happening.”

Seven-time Grand Slam winner Alcaraz, who has appeared in four consecutive Grand Slam finals, was asked about Bublik’s comments during the Monte Carlo Masters.

“Yes, it’s true that we have won the last nine Grand Slams, I believe, but even so, I don’t think we’re invincible in Grand Slam,” he said.

“When someone like Bublik, a top-10 player, says that… it gives you a lot of confidence. Someone who understands this sport as well as Bublik stating that we can’t lose in a Grand Slam, it helps us gain more confidence.

“Still, I don’t agree with him.”

The post Are Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner ‘untouchable’ at Grand Slams? Spaniard responds to rival’s claim appeared first on Tennis365.

World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka’s wait to win a Porsche at the Stuttgart Open will continue for another as she has become the latest player to withdraw from the WTA 500 event.

The four-time Grand Slam winner was due to be the top seed at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, but she confirmed that she won’t feature due to injury.

The German event was due to be Sabalenka’s first tournament since she completed the Sunshine Double in March by winning both the Indian Wells Open and Miami Open.

The Belarusian has reached four finals in Stuttgart as she lost last year’s final against Jelena Otapenko while she also finished runner-up to Iga Swiatek in 2022 and 2023, and was beaten in the 2021 final by Ashleigh Barty.

“Hi Stuttgart. I’m very sad to say that I won’t be able to play the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix this year,” the reigning US Open champion wrote on her Instagram Story.

“I always love coming back to Stuttgart. The atmosphere, the fans, and the support I feel there are so special to me. And of course, I was really hoping to have another chance to fight for that Porsche.

“Unfortunately, I suffered an injury after Miami, and even though I tried everything to recover in time, I’m not ready to compete. I’m really sorry to miss this amazing tournament. Wishing everyone a great week in Stuttgart, and I hope to see you all again very soon.”

WTA News

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Sabalenka was due to be the top seed at the WTA 500 event and she has been replaced in the main draw by Magdalena Frech.

The 27-year-old will drop 325 points following her runners-up finish last year, but she is assured of remaining top of the WTA Rankings as she has a lead of nearly 2,000 points following her double trophy run in Indian Wells and Miami.

Her next event is likely to be the Madrid Open.

World No 2 Elena Rybakina has replaced the Belarusian as the top seed at the tournament with Coco Gauff now headlining the bottom half of the draw with Iga Swiatek and Elina Svitolina third and fourth, respectively.

Other Players Who Won’t Feature

Sabalenka is the third player to withdraw from the clay-court tournament with world No 22 Anna Kalinskaya the first to pull out with Emma Navarro getting the nod as a replacement.

Alex Eala was next to earn a late entry as the rising Filipina star received the boost on the back of reigning Wimbledon champion Zhang Qinwen’s withdrawal.

The post Stuttgart Open withdrawal list: Aryna Sabalenka the latest to pull out of WTA 500 event appeared first on Tennis365.

The clay court season is set to move through the gears over the next few weeks, with this phase of the tennis season set to reach a crescendo at the French Open in Paris.

There will be plenty of twists and turns and lots of ranking points up for grabs between now and that second Grand Slam of the year at Roland Garros.

Here are your Tennis365 predictions on five of the biggest names who will be striving to make their mark on the red dirt.

Carlos Alcaraz

Status: World No 1 and French Open champion

Alcaraz has admitted he will lose his world No 1 ranking to his big rival Jannik Sinner imminently and the change at the top could come as early as next Monday.

Sinner will be back on top of the rankings if he wins the Monte Carlo Masters and if he doesn’t take the No 1 spot next week, he will almost certainly be at the top of the pile when he gets to Roland Garros.

Alcaraz is a potent threat on clay courts and will believe he has the edge over Sinner on this surface, but the young Spaniard has admitted he is feeling the pressure as one of the big scalps for all his rivals.

His brilliance will take him close to another Grand Slam title in Paris, but Sinner will fancy his chances of knocking him off his perch.

Verdict: Alcaraz will win clay court titles, but he may not take the one he really wants at Roland Garros?

More Tennis News

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Iga Swiatek

Status: Looking to bounce back with new coach Francisco Roig

The Queen of Clay is a four-time French Open winner, but she is heading into this phase of the season with clouds of uncertainty hanging over her.

Swiatek parted company with coach Wim Fissette after the Miami Open and has teamed up with Francisco Roig.

That has opened the door for Swiatek to spend some time on court with the 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal in recent days, as Roig called in the legend he once worked for to give his new charge some tips.

Swiatek has lost her way and her aura has been shattered over the last year, but she will be a threat on clay once again.

Verdict: Swiatek to roar back to form under coach Roig.

Jannik Sinner

Status: Eyeing up a career Grand Slam by winning the French Open

Sinner has achieved so much over the last couple of years, but there is one glaring void on his trophy-laden record.

The French Open title was a point away from his grasp on two occasions in his remarkable final against Alcaraz last year, but it eluded him in the final analysis and that will fire his desire to get the job done at Roland Garros this time.

Before that, Sinner will want to win the ATP 1000 title in front of his home fans in Rome and ensure that he has a comfortable buffer at the top of the ATP Rankings at the end of the clay court season.

Verdict: Sinner to be the big winner in this clay court season, including at Roland Garros.

Alex Eala

Status: Looking to make her mark on clay

The Filipina star continues to create a stir in the women’s game, but she needs to prove she has what it takes to shine on clay courts.

Eala has a couple of wins on her record at the WTA 1000 tournament in Madrid, but she has yet to win a match in the main draw at the French Open and has only won one match in a Grand Slam event.

She lost in the second round of the tournament in Linz at the start of her clay court campaign and may struggle to get past the game’s big hitters on a surface that will not give her too much assistance.

Verdict: Eala may perform better on grass courts this summer, but she has a big chance to get back into the top 32 of the WTA Rankings during this clay court season.

READ NEXT: ‘Andy Murray would be a good fit to coach Jannik Sinner’, says the Italian’s ex-coach

The post Carlos Alcaraz, Alex Eala, Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek – our big clay court predictions appeared first on Tennis365.

Joao Fonseca has been spoken about as the rising star of men’s tennis over the last couple of years, but he has taken a little time to find his feet in the professional ranks.

Now the Brazilian wonderkid is starting to make waves at the Monte Carlo Masters, after he stormed into his first quarter-final at an ATP 1000 tournament with an impressive win against experienced Italian Matteo Berrettini.

Fonseca came through a tight contest 6-3, 6-2 in front of a packed crowd at the Monte Carlo Country Club, with the 19-year-old relishing his best run at one of the marquee events on the ATP Tour.

“It is super special. I was looking for this result for a long time,” Fonseca said.

“Of course I want more. I am very confident and focused. I was very happy with the way I fought today.

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“From the beginning, putting a lot of pressure. Playing huge return games and very good serve games. I was putting a lot of pressure and that helps you stay more calm during the match.”

Fonseca is now making steady progress up the ATP Rankings and this run in Monte Carlo has taken him up five places to No 35 in the live rankings.

One more win would in this tournament would see him leap into the top 30 of the rankings and put him on course to secure a seeded position at the French Open next month.

Fonseca spoke about his ambitions on clay courts heading into this phase of the season, as he admitted he was not a contender to challenge the ‘Big 2’ of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner yet, after he lost to both in Indian Wells and Miami last month.

“I’m not close yet. I hope in the future, soon, I’ll be. I’ll say it was close matches, but they play like this, like, every match,” said Fonseca, as he was asked about Alcaraz and Sinner.

“I need to be more consistent. I need to work harder. But, yeah, I think I’m in the right path. I think I’m the right way.

“Everyone has their time. My time will come. I’m doing great, so yeah, keep with this routine, keep with this mentality to work quietly and hard, but yeah, I think the expectations are going to come.

“People see young players doing great things, and they pull us into the top of the rankings. People need time. Everyone has their own time, so I want to do my history. I hope I’ll be there competing against them, but people need to understand that I need time to become what they want me to do and I want to become.

“I want to become No. 1, but I know I need to take time. I’m still 40 in the world, so I need to be humble to understand this. Yeah, I think hopefully I can have a bright future ahead.”

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Former British No 1 Greg Rusedski has given his verdict on Fonseca, as he suggested the 19-year-old has shown he has the firepower to challenge Sinner and Alcaraz, but he suggests he will need to build for another year at least before he can join the battle at the top.

“Fonseca is a year away from joining that party of three because he’s still learning how to adjust those things,” said Rusedski on the latest edition of his podcast.

“We saw a lot of promise in Indian Wells, but he is the real deal. And you saw by the crowds, not only in Indian Wells, but especially in Miami, how popular this kid is. So this is only good for the men’s game.

“Also, Fonseca said one thing that was really interesting. It’s easier to play Jannik Sinner than it is to play Carlos Alcaraz.

“Alcaraz has those few extra dimensions with the drop shot, change of height, coming forward, transition.

“I wish Fonseca had gotten off to a better start because once you give Carlos the lead, he runs away with it. There were no lapses. As we saw great crowds for that match, this will be a rivalry we can look forward to a year from now.”

READ NEXT: Timeline on when Joao Fonseca will challenge Alcaraz and Sinner set by former British No 1

The post Joao Fonseca closing in on huge rankings breakthrough after Monte Carlo win appeared first on Tennis365.

Kim Clijsters admits she was “surprised” by Francisco Roig’s conduct when he decided to drop Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard for Iga Swiatek.

Following his split from Emma Raducanu after this year’s Australian Open, Roig started working with Perricard at the beginning of March, but a month later he swapped the Frenchman for six-time Grand Slam winner Swiatek.

Reigning Wimbledon champion Swiatek confirmed her decision to part ways with Wim Fissette on 23 March following her early exit from the Miami Open and a few days later Roig’s name was mentioned as a possible replacement.

The announcement that the Spaniard – who coached the great Rafael Nadal during his peak – would replace Fissette was made on 2 April and two days later a disappointed Perricard slammed Roig during an interview with L’Equipe over the way he handled the situation, saying: “It was my agent who informed me. He didn’t tell me directly. I trusted his word, what he could bring to the table.

“To throw all that away so quickly seems like a shame to me. Then, it’s a tough, ruthless world.”

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During the latest episode of the Love All podcast, co-host Blair Henley stated: “He [Roig] has had quite a year, he split with Emma Raducanu at the end of January, gets hired by Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.

“He was with him for a month-ish and then we hear the announcement about a week ago that he has joined Iga’s team and Mpetshi Perricard went on the record and said ‘Yeah, he didn’t tell me [he was leaving]. He told my agent, he didn’t tell me directly.

“And he used the term, I’m sure it was translated, it’s a ‘ruthless world’.”

Former world No 1 Clijsters replied: “That’s unbelievable.

“It is [tough for Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard] and to me, a little bit surprising, to hear it happened like that.

“I think that everything that’s attached to Rafa [Nadal], you set a very high standard, so it was surprising to hear that there was maybe no [discussion]… unless maybe he missed something! I don’t know, if there was no conversation, that’s understandably disappointing from his side.”

The four-time Grand Slam winner added: “There is a little bit of common sense and respect, even if it is hard news that you have to bring, to kind of just sit down, even if you’re in different parts of the world, but yeah… It is what it is, the world keeps turning.”

The post Kim Clijsters says Francisco Roig behaviour ‘disappointing’ during Swiatek-Perricard move appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz insists he has accepted that he will lose the world No 1 ranking to Jannik Sinner in the coming weeks, but says he will “push” hard to regain top spot from his big rival.

The Spaniard has been top of the ATP Rankings for the last 22 weeks as he overtook Sinner last October, but he is a man under pressure at this week’s Monte Carlo Masters as the Italian is hot on his heels.

Alcaraz started this week with a 1,190-point lead over the world No 2, but he then dropped 1,000 points as he is the defending champion in the Principality, while Sinner doesn’t have any points to defend after missing the tournament last year.

It effectively means he is just 190 points ahead of the four-time Grand Slam winner and if Sinner outperforms him in Monte Carlo, he will reclaim the No 1 spot.

After starting his title defence with victory over Sebastian Baez, Alcaraz told the media: “To be honest, I’m going to lose the number one of the world. I don’t know if it’s going to be in this tournament or in the next one.

“I defend a bunch of points that are going to be really difficult to defend all.”

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Some were surprised by his comments, but the seven-time Grand Slam winner knows he has a mountain to climb as he is also defending 325 points at next week’s Barcelona Open and another 1,000 points at the Italian Open while Sinner only has 650 points to defend in Rome.

When asked by Eurosport France about his remarks, he replied: “Getting back to Jannik and the world number one ranking, I saw that my statement caused a stir. But I mean it.

“He has several important tournaments coming up where he can earn a lot of points. I have to defend some, and I can’t defend them all. It’s going to be tough, but that’s also what makes our rivalry so exciting.

“He’s going to become world No 1 again, and I’m going to push him as far as I can to take that spot back. This battle for the top spot has been fantastic so far.”

Alcaraz was also asked about areas of his game that he has improved since he won the Australian Open in January.

“If I have to single out one in particular, it’s my serve. I’ve already invested a lot of time in that aspect, not only on the court but also off it,” he explained.

“How to improve my movement, my throw, my technique, my feel. I’ve worked on it a lot; for me, it’s crucial to visualise it both on and off the court.”

His main target at the start of the 2026 season was to win the season-opening Grand Slam at Melbourne Park to complete his Career Grand Slam and now that it has been ticked off the list, it’s about setting new objectives.

The 22-year-old added: “I’ve understood something for some time: when you reach a seasonal goal, you have to take the time to enjoy it. But at the same time, it immediately forces you to start from scratch, to set new short-term goals.

“What I have in mind, very clearly, are the Grand Slam tournaments. I still have three scheduled this year. So I’ve already shifted my attention to preparing for Roland Garros. It’s a fantastic tournament, I love playing it, so I can’t wait.”

The post Carlos Alcaraz surprised that his statement about No 1 battle ’caused a stir’ appeared first on Tennis365.

Alex Eala failed to make the most of some promising opportunities as she crashed out of the Upper Austria Ladies Linz tournament in a straight sets defeat against Jelena Ostapenko.

The Filipina star looked set to force the contest against the 2017 French Open champion into a decisive set as she raced into a 5-1 lead in the second set, but she could not maintain her momentum and went down to a 6-4, 7-5 defeat.

Eala struggled to maintain her levels of excellence for long enough to secure a win against a higher-ranked opponent and this defeat means she missed out on a chance to make a decisive move up the WTA Rankings.

Eala slipped down the WTA list after she failed to match her run to the semi-finals of the WTA 1000 event in Miami in 2025, with her defeat against Linda Noskova in Florida.

The 20-year-old went into Miami ranked at No 32, but she dropped down to No 46 after the defeat against Noskova, so she would have been hoping for a quick rise as she started her clay court campaign in Austria.

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Eala collected 60 ranking points in this event and has moved up one place to No 45 in the live WTA Rankings after winning her first round match in Linz, with her prize money total coming in at a relatively modest €15,690.

She will now move on to Stuttgart, where she will make her debut in the WTA 500 tournament that will also feature world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka, French Open champion Coco Gauff and Poland’s Iga Swiatek.

In the view of former British No 1 Greg Rusedski, Eala needs to add more facets to her game to compete with the best players consistently, as he gave his views on a recent edition of his podcast.

“She’s like Manny Pacquiao, and they’re always so hungry for a new superstar [in the Philippines],” he said on Off Court With Greg Rusedski

“She’s a lovely girl, she’s been at the Rafael Nadal academy for multiple years. We talked about the serve getting better.

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“It’s gonna be harder for people to hit a hole through her [on clay], it’s gonna be much more physically combative.

“Being at the academy with Rafa on clay, he’s spent a lot of time with her, so she knows what to do.

“I’d love to see her in the top 20; she is great for the WTA. We need more stars, we need more names, and we need new people. And she opens up a marketplace, and people just love her.

“Anywhere around the world where there are people from the Philippines, they’re always talking about her: ‘What meal can I cook for her? What can I do?’

“Automatically, her matches sell out, and for me, she is a huge, huge positive. I’d love to see her, on this surface, crack the top 20 in the world.”

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