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John McEnroe has called on Emma Raducanu to solve an “ongoing issue” that he believes is holding the Brit back from consistently competing at a high level.

Raducanu fell to a resounding 1-6, 2-6 defeat to No 5 seed and five-time major champion Iga Swiatek in the second round of the 2025 French Open.

The world No 41 downed 43rd-ranked Wang Xinyu 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in the opening round at the clay-court Grand Slam.

The 22-year-old Brit has amassed a 10-5 record across her last five tournaments — a run that includes her reaching the quarter-finals at the Miami Open and the last 16 at the Italian Open. She started a coaching partnership with former British No 1 Mark Petchey in Miami.

Raducanu is up to 37th in the Live WTA Rankings after her opening round win in Paris and is already at her highest ranking position since August 2022 — just before she dropped the points from her 2021 US Open title win.

Speaking at a TNT Sports event attended by Tennis365, McEnroe shared his thoughts on Raducanu.

“I see that she’s still in and out to some extent with injuries. Finding the right team seems to be an ongoing issue,” the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion said.

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“I don’t know why, I haven’t spoken to her. I’ve met her a couple of times in my entire life. I certainly wish her the best. Anyone that’s won a Slam, you want to see them continue to compete at a high level.

“It boils down to sort of getting, to me, the right situation around you so that you can be eager to get yourself as healthy and fit as possible, so that you can then go compete at the level you want to consistently. That’s the key. I don’t know where she’s at there.”

Former world No 1 Jim Courier — another TNT Sports analyst — has also discussed Raducanu’s encouraging recent results.

“It’s a rebuilding year for her, she’s been working on rebuilding her body, now she’s working on rebuilding her confidence,” the four-time major winner said.

“And some of that comes down to also once you get that confidence you get a little bit more aura and you bring some swagger back to the court and that affects how your opponents view playing you as well.

“So, this is going to be a very interesting rest of the year for her. I wish her the best. I hear she’s a wonderful person.

Watch every moment of the French Open live and exclusive on discovery+

READ NEXT: Emma Raducanu makes ‘uncomfortable’ admission, but determined to ‘keep going’

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Chris Evert has told Tennis365 that Emma Raducanu could get back into the top 10 of the WTA Rankings, but her optimism came with a caveat.

Raducanu was resoundingly beaten by Iga Swiatek in a one-sided second-round clash at Roland Garros, with the Polish star beating the Brit 6-1, 6-2.

The chasm in class between the two players was evident throughout the match and Evert has given this website her exclusive thoughts on what comes next for Raducanu.

Seven-time Roland Garros winner Evert believes Raducanu’s 2021 US Open win may have hampered her development, as she suggests the magnitude of that success in New York has had a negative impact on her career.

Evert compared Raducanu’s stuttering career after her maiden Grand Slam win to that of Naomi Osaka, who enjoyed more sustained success but also struggled to deal with the scale of the fame her success generated.

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“I just feel she has lost so many years of her career because of the whole thing around the one big win,” Evert told Tennis365 in her role as a TNT Sports analyst at Roland Garros.

“It’s the same with Naomi. You could through so and all of a sudden you have that one big win.

“Emma is a beautiful girl and that probably didn’t help. The endorsements came in, the coaches were coming in an out and still her expectations are right up there now.

“She’s not there yet. She’s got to build, go back to the drawing board and build-up slowly. Maybe she had to swallow her pride a little because she’s not up there yet.”

Evert went on to suggest Raducanu can aim to get back in the mix at the top of the game, even though she questioned whether that US Open win almost four years ago was as a result of circumstances as much as the brilliance of a then 18-year-old player who shone without any expectations on her shoulders.

“I think she can get top 10 again,” added Evert. “If there is a solid commitment from her, I think top 10 can happen again.

“You have to remember a lot of people [top players] lost when she won that US Open and the player Emma beat in the final, Leylah Fernandez, had nothing left.

“Leylah beat three players in the top five. Emma didn’t beat anyone in the top ten. I remember commenting on the match and you could see that. 

“If Leylah had won, her life may have changed forever, but Emma is the one who had to live through that experience. We will never see a qualifier come through and do what she did again, but it was tough for her after that.”

Former British No 1 Tim Henman also spoke to Tennis365 at Roland Garros, as he suggested Raducanu’s defeat against Swiatek highlighted why the British player needs to set realistic expectations for what she can achieve in her career.

“What is success? It is for her to get back into the top 30 or maybe the top 10? It’s about being the best version of yourself and maximising your potential,” Henman told Tennis365.

“Now she has got a good team around her and I hope she sticks with it. She has played lots of tournaments, been on court for a lot of matches and built up that physical resilience over what is a long season.

“I’m sure she will be licking some wounds after that defeat (against Swiatek) and the upside of finishing early at Roland Garros is she can put the clay court shoes away, head home and get ready for grass. I don’t have any concerns so long as she keeps on this path.”

Raducanu will now take some time off before focusing on the grass court season and while the players at the top of the women’s game appear to be a step or two ahead of her, her tennis story in 2025 is on an upward trajectory.

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Tim Henman believes the expectations of what constitutes success need to be moderated around Emma Raducanu after her latest heavy defeat at the hands of Iga Swiatek.

Four-time Roland Garros champion Swiatek had far too much firepower for Raducanu as she recorded her fifth straight-set win against the 2021 US Open champion in a one-sided second-round match in Paris.

The 6-1, 6-2 scoreline highlighted the gulf in class between the two players, with the noise echoing around Court Philippe-Chatrier emphasising the ball striking abilities of the two players.

Tennis365 were courtside for the Swiatek vs Raducanu match in Paris, with the sound of the ball as it came off Swiatek’s racket delivering more of a thud than that of her beaten rival.

It was one of the reasons why Raducanu was forced to accept an overwhelming defeat and spark fresh questions over whether she would ever compete with the game’s modern greats.

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Now Henman has put some perspective on her defeat and performance at Roland Garros, as he admitted Raducanu has much to do to challenge the players at the top of the women’s game.

Yet he also offered some words of encouragement, as Raducanu looks ahead to the grass court season that should help her game.

“She has just gone up against the best clay court player of her generation and she was overpowered, that’s fair to say,” Henman told Tennis365 in an exclusive interview at TNT Sports studios at Roland Garros.

“Swiatek is a four-time champion here. She is one of the greatest clay court players of all time. There is the bar Raducanu and the rest have to get to.

“Emma has a great game, but it is almost as if Swiatek has an extra gear. She has extra power on both wings, her movement in and out of corners is a bit better.

“That’s a lesson she learned. Emma is the kind of person who will embrace the challenge in front of her and try and find the solutions.

“She can take a lot of positives out of the clay season. She was moving in the right direction on clay and she has had some success on this surface in recent weeks. Now she can go away and work out how she can get better.”

Raducanu will now turn her attention to play at the brand new WTA 500 tournament at The Queen’s Club on grass courts in a couple of weeks, with Henman confident she will have a chance to shine on a surface she favours.

The long-term position of coach Mark Petchey is uncertain given his commitments to broadcasters, but Henman has urged her to embrace stability in her camp and have a long-term vision for her ambitions.

“She is moving onto a surface that will give her little more assistance and will suit her game,” he added. “This is not about the next four weeks for Emma, it’s about the next four years and where she can go.

“What is success? It is for her to get back into the top 30 or maybe the top 10? It’s about being the best version of yourself and maximising your potential.

“Now she has got a good team around her and I hope she sticks with it. Petch has been around the game for a long time and has been good for her.

“She has played lots of tournaments, been on court for a lot of matches and built up that physical resilience over what is a long season.

“I’m sure she will be licking some wounds after that defeat [against Swiatek] and the upside of finishing early at Roland Garros is she can put the clay court shoes away, head home and get ready for grass. I don’t have any concerns so long as she keeps on this path.”

Raducanu could be on course to be back in the top 40 of the WTA Rankings when they are updated after Roland Garros, but she still seems to be a long way from competing with the true greats of the women’s game.

Watch every moment of the French Open live and exclusive on discovery+

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The ATP Rankings system as well as the tour’s Bonus Pool have come under fire from Casper Ruud as he feels it forces players to compete even when they are not 100% fit.

Two-time Roland Garros finalist Ruud suffered his joint-earliest exit from the tournament as he was stunned by unseeded Nuno Borges in the second round in Paris.

The Norwegian was hampered by a leg injury throughout the 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-0 defeat as he admitted after the match that he had been struggling for several weeks.

Ruud has played in all the big clay-court events the past two months, losing in the round of 16 in Monte Carlo and the quarter-final in Barcelona before winning the Madrid Open.

He then suffered a last-eight exit from the Italian Open and was due to play in the Geneva Open last week, but withdrew due to the injury.

“Hopefully it is nothing too serious but for the last couple of weeks I’ve been struggling with knee pain,” the world eight stated.

“In practice it is easier to avoid certain movements, certain shots. But when you play matches you can’t control it the same way.

“Sometimes you kind of forget that this is a shot I shouldn’t go for maybe in terms of pain in the knee. I still played good tennis in the first two sets. It’s a Slam, I didn’t want to retire.”

But he then asked about taking an extended period from the ATP Tour to fully recover from an injury and gave a frank reply as he criticised the rankings system and the Bonus Pool.

“It’s kind of like a rat race when it comes to the rankings,” he started off.

“You feel you’re obligated to play with certain rules that the ATP have set up with the mandatory events. You feel like you lose a lot if you don’t show up and play, both economically, point-wise, ranking-wise and opportunity-wise.

“For me I know these weeks and months are really important for the remainder of the year and for my career. Of course, if my leg is broken, I won’t play.

“But it’s tough anyways, especially when there’s a time with mandatory events to skip them because the punishments are quite hard, in terms of everyone else will play, gain points… and you won’t. Also there’s a certain bonus system set up that is reduced if you don’t show up to the mandatory events.”

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In terms of the rankings, players have to defend their points from the previous year at tournaments and that ultimately determines their position during the season and whether or not they qualify for the season-ending ATP Finals and the Bonus Pool.

According to the official ATP website, “ATP Masters 1000 and Nitto ATP Finals Bonus Pool payments in 2025 will be awarded to the 30 players who earn the most PIF ATP Rankings points at ATP Masters 1000 events and the Nitto ATP Finals this season, subject to participation.

“The total of this Bonus Pool is $21 million, up from $11.5 million in 2022.”

There is also extra money up for grabs for playing in ATP 500 events and as per the official website: “Players also have an opportunity to earn a share of $3 million in the ATP 500 Bonus Pool, which is distributed among the top six players in the standings (also subject to participation).”

Ruud continued: “It’s a questionable system because on one hand you don’t want to show up injured, and you maybe give the spot to other one. I’m not sure if you’re aware.. but if you don’t play a mandatory event, they cut 25% of your year-end bonus.

“You’re kind of forcing players to show up injured or sick, or whatever, when that is not what I think is very fair. Anyways it’s been deal-able, like I said.

“I’ve been able to deal with the pain. It hasn’t been too bad. Some days worse than others. I’m just looking forward to not being on some painkillers for some days now [smiles]. Let it really heal and rest and see where I’m at in a few weeks.”

The post Casper Ruud exposes ‘questionable’ ATP system – ‘It’s kind of a rat race’ appeared first on Tennis365.

Stefanos Tsitsipas will drop to his lowest ATP Ranking in almost seven years after a stunning French Open exit to world No 167 Matteo Gigante.

Greek star Tsitsipas, the 20th seed at Roland Garros, was beaten 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 by Gigante out on Court Simonne-Mathieu, the Italian saving multiple break points as he closed out the match.

It is just the second time that Gigante has played at a Grand Slam tournament and the first time he has reached the third round of a major tournament.

“I feel very, very good for sure,” said Gigante on court. “It was a fight. He’s an amazing player, so I play very well and I’m very happy.

“This is the fruit of the job that I do every day. I say thank you to my team and nothing else.”

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Having come through qualifying to reach the third round of Roland Garros, world No 167 Gigante is projected to rise to 129th in the ATP Rankings, eclipsing his previous career-high of world No 132.

The 23-year-old will face 13th seed Ben Shelton in round three on Friday, with the American having received a walkover into the third round of the event following the withdrawal of Hugo Gaston.

Gigante is the first qualifier in 17 years to defeat a former French Open finalist in the men’s singles, following Eduardo Schwank’s win over Carlos Moya back in 2008.

However, while it was joy for Gigante, a stunning defeat to an opponent 147 places below him in the ATP Rankings cements Tsitsipas’ recent struggles.

The Greek fell out of the top 10 after failing to defend his Monte Carlo Masters title back in April and has now suffered his earliest French Open exit since a round-two exit to Dominic Thiem in 2018.

Tsitsipas had reached at least the fourth round of the tournament every year since then, including runs to the semi-final in 2020 and the final in 2021.

Former world No 3 Tsitsipas was defending 400 quarter-final points at Roland Garros following a run to the last eight back in 2024.

However, with only 50 ranking points offered to those who lose in the second round, the Greek will drop from 2,270 to 1,920 points when the rankings update post-tournament.

Currently ranked 20th in the world, Tsitsipas will drop at least five places to world No 25 on Monday, June 9th.

He will be knocked down to world No 26 in the ATP Live Rankings should current world No 26 Flavio Cobolli defeat Matteo Arnaldi in their second-round clash on Thursday.

Tsitsipas has not been ranked outside the top 20 since August 2018, when he leapt from world No 27 to No 15 after a run to his first Masters 1000 final at the Canadian Open.

A two-time Grand Slam finalist at the peak of his powers, he faces an uphill task to rescue his ranking over the coming months.

Wimbledon and the US Open have traditionally been his weakest Slams, never making it past round four at SW19 or round three at Flushing Meadows.

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The post Stefanos Tsitsipas’ shock slump confirmed after stunning French Open loss to world No 167 appeared first on Tennis365.

Emma Raducanu’s French Open campaign came to an emphatic end following a heavy defeat to reigning Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek.

World No 41 Raducanu failed to make a significant impact inside Court Philippe Chatrier, falling 6-1, 6-2 to the world No 5.

It was a fifth straight-sets loss in as many meetings for the Brit against Swiatek, who dropped just one game when the two last met at the Australian Open back in January.

Raducanu’s French Open exit brings an end to a mixed clay-court swing, with her focus now turning towards the grass-court season.

Here, we look at what ranking points and prize money the Brit earned at Roland Garros.

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Ranking points

Raducanu did not play at the French Open in 2024, choosing to prioritise the grass court swing as she continued her comeback from injury.

That means that, regardless of her result, the 22-year-old would increase her ranking points in Paris.

Raducanu automatically earned 10 points for entering the main draw, and then her second-round triumph against Wang Xinyu of China saw her move up to 70 points for the tournament.

Though she was unable to add to that following her loss to Swiatek, an increase of 70 points looks set to secure a significant rankings move.

Currently the world No 41 with 1,319 points, Raducanu moves to 1,389 after her Roland Garros exploits and is provisionally up four places to world No 37 in the WTA Live Rankings.

Barring a major swing in results across the remainder of the fortnight, the Brit looks likely to be ranked inside the top 40 of the rankings post-tournament.

Raducanu needs to be in the top 32 to seal a seeding for Wimbledon, and a top-40 ranking heading into the grass-swing will significantly boost those hopes.

Had Raducanu beaten Swiatek, she would have moved up to world No 35 in the WTA Live Rankings.

Prize money

Despite her second-round exit, the former US Open champion is also still set for a significant payday.

Like all players in the men’s and women’s singles events, Raducanu automatically earned €73,000 for entering the main draw, the equivalent of approximately $82,457 or £61,181.

However, by reaching the second round, she has increased her prize money earnings to €110,000 – the approximate equivalent of $124,251 or £92,211.

In contrast, the 22-year-old earned just €86,000 for her run to the second round of the French Open back in 2022, meaning a prize money increase of 27.9% between the two payouts.

Raducanu’s French Open winnings will mean she has earned approximately $5.1m across her playing career to date.

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Iga Swiatek kept her French Open title defence and an impressive Grand Slam streak alive with a convincing win over Emma Raducanu.

The world No 5 faced little trouble in a blockbuster second-round contest inside Court Philippe Chatrier on Wednesday, breezing past fellow Grand Slam winner Raducanu 6-1, 6-2.

Swiatek’s triumph continues her dominant head-to-head over Raducanu, with the Pole having won all five matches – and all 10 sets – the two have contested.

“I just want to play my game,” said Swiatek.

“For sure, I felt good on court. I felt I could do whatever I planned to, whatever I wanted to. I just needed to adjust to the wind as conditions were pretty tricky today.

“I’m happy that I did that well and that I’m through.”

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Victory for Swiatek was her 23rd straight win at the French Open, the Pole having not lost at this tournament since a 2021 quarter-final loss to Maria Sakkari.

The Pole now holds a staggering 37-2 record overall at the tournament, with her only other defeat coming to Simona Halep on her tournament debut back in 2019.

This year’s Roland Garros also represents the 21st straight Grand Slam tournament where the world No 5 has reached at least the third round.

Swiatek has not tasted defeat before round three at a major since her US Open debut in 2019, where she was beaten in the second round by 12th seed Anastasija Sevastova.

In the Open Era, only Martina Navratilova (35), Conchita Martinez (30), and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (25) have achieved more consecutive round-three appearances at Grand Slams.

Defeat for Raducanu ends her hopes on clay for another year, though she will take positives from her opening-round win on Monday, beating Xinyu Wang in her first Roland Garros match since 2022.

Victory over the Chinese helped propel Raducanu back into the top 40 of the WTA Rankings for the first time in over three and a half years, with the Brit currently 37th in the live rankings.

However, her second-round defeat means that she has missed the chance to potentially move further up the rankings – and boost her Wimbledon hopes.

Had she stunned Swiatek, Raducanu would have moved up two places to world No 35 in the WTA Live Rankings, just below current British No 1 Katie Boulter.

With her clay swing now over, the 22-year-old will look to boost her hopes of a Wimbledon seeding when the grass court season begins.

Raducanu has semi-final points to defend in Nottingham before the seeding cut-off one week before the Championships, meaning it is touch and go as to whether she will be ranked inside the top 32 by then.

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Former world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki has admitted she finds it “hard to see” who can beat Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner when the duo are at their best.

Alcaraz and Sinner are the two clear favourites for the title at the 2025 French Open.

Between them, Sinner and Alcaraz have split the last five Grand Slam titles, with the Italian securing the three hard-court majors in this period and Alcaraz triumphing at the French Open and Wimbledon last year.

World No 1 Sinner is seeking his maiden French Open crown, while Alcaraz is chasing his third big clay title of 2025 after winning in Monte Carlo and Rome.

Speaking in her role as a TNT Sports pundit, Wozniacki was asked if men’s tennis was wide open or whether Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominance has already closed that window.

“Well, I think it’s still wide open,” the Dane said at an event attended by Tennis365. “Obviously these two guys are such incredible athletes and have proven that they’re great champions. And what they’ve been able to do in a short amount of time is absolutely incredible.

“And obviously Jannik, winning in Australia and making the final (in Rome) after not playing for three months, coming back in Rome and still being in tip-top shape, just shows what an incredible player that he is.

“Carlos, you know, he has been, obviously when he’s on his peak, probably the best player in the world, but he’s a little bit more up and down, but I think it’s so fun to watch him just do the magic that he does on court.

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“You still have other young players, other players that have been around for a long time, like [Alexander] Zverev and [Stefanos] Tsitsipas and other players who are still trying to break through, who you feel for them that maybe their window has closed.

“Zverev is getting to the finals of Slams, he’s getting close, but he just can’t… you know, he reaches Sinner and Alcaraz and it’s uphill.

“When you’re so young, so many things can happen. They need to have their body feel good at all times, they need to stay healthy, but I mean, how they’re playing right now when they’re playing their best, it’s hard to see who can beat them.”

The 2018 Australian Open winner also weighed in on which young players could challenge Alcaraz and Sinner at Roland Garros.

“Jack Draper has shown that he’s been playing some incredible tennis lately and I think he’s up there,” said Wozniacki.

“I mean, he obviously hasn’t won the Slams like Sinner and Alcaraz, but I think he can beat anyone on a good day, on any surface.

“And obviously, being a Dane, I like to believe in Holger Rune. He hasn’t been doing and having the results lately and I think he’s had some sickness, some injuries, changes of coaches.

“But I think the consistency of going back to his old coach has really helped him and hopefully he can get his fitness back. I would like to see him up there challenging for Slams and feel like he’s in contention.

“Now, do I feel like he’s in contention for this French Open and this Wimbledon? I don’t know. Maybe not. But you know, I’d like to think that when we look into the next couple of years, that he will find his way. And he’s young and I would like to think that he can contend for the big trophies at some point.”

Watch every moment of the French Open live and exclusive on discovery+

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Carlos Alcaraz navigated the second hurdle of his French Open title defence impressively as he downed Fabian Marozsan in four sets.

The No 2 seed downed the dangerous Marozsan 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 on Court Philippe-Chatrier in the second round of the Paris major.

Alcaraz broke Marozsan eight times and was dominant in sets one, three and four, while the world No 56 showed the threat he poses in the second set.

The Spaniard was upset by Marozsan in his first encounter with the Hungarian at the 2023 Italian Open.

In his on-court interview with tennis great Mats Wilander, Alcaraz was asked if he is having fun every time he plays.

“Most of the time (laughs). Sometimes, it’s difficult to have fun on the court, you know, I had to suffer. It depends on the opponent as well,” the 22-year-old said.

“But most of the time, I’m trying to not think about anything else but enjoying playing, enjoying being on these kind of courts.

“The Philippe-Chatrier is a really beautiful court, so I have to enjoy once I step on the court. Just trying to show good tennis, trying to make the people happy to watch my matches as well. That’s the way I enjoy playing tennis.”

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The four-time Grand Slam champion added: “It was a great, great match. I started pretty well, the first set I had a really high confidence.

“I think the second set, he started to play much better, really aggressively. He didn’t miss at all, so it was a little bit difficult to deal with his game in the second set.

“But really happy to stay strong, just refreshed in the third set, started to play better and better and have been a really good last two sets.”

Alcaraz’s win against Marozsan was his 20th victory at the French Open in just his 23rd match at the tournament.

Since the turn of the century, only Rafael Nadal has reached 20 wins at Roland Garros in fewer matches, with the Mallorcan titan having won all of his first 20 matches. Nadal, a 14-time champion at the French Open, was undefeated in his first 31 matches at the clay-court Slam.

Alcaraz also has the third-highest ATP win percentage on clay among players who have contested at least 25 matches on the surface, with an outstanding 98-19 (83.8%) record.

Nadal (90.5%) and Bjorn Borg (86.1%) are the only men with a better win rate on clay.

Alcaraz will face either Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard or Damir Dzumhur in the third round.

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Daniil Medvedev fell at the first hurdle at the 2025 French Open as he lost a five-set thriller to Cameron Norrie – and the result could benefit Novak Djokovic.

Norrie, a former world No 8 currently ranked 81st, stunned Medvedev 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 1-6, 7-5 on Court Simonne-Mathieu on Day Three at Roland Garros.

No 11 seed Medvedev was on the brink of completing a sensational comeback when he led 5-3 in the fifth set, but he failed to serve the match out at 5-4 as Norrie won the final four games to seal a sizeable upset.

Asked what was in his mind during the match point, Norrie said: “Not a lot, to be honest (smiles). Yeah, it was an incredible atmosphere and thank you to everyone for supporting me.

“I really felt like I had momentum there, it was kind of similar to the first set and I just felt a lot of energy there and managed to get over the line. I think he was a little bit tentative, but honestly it was a crazy match.

“He’s so tough to beat, I think I deserve a diploma for beating Medvedev, he’s got me the last four or five times. So yeah, unreal match.

“He raised his level and I dropped my intensity [in the third and fourth sets] and I was not able to hang with him, but I was able to find some energy in that fifth set.

“And yeah I was just moving really well and yeah, I don’t really remember much of the fifth and being 5-4 down and suddenly winning the match, it was crazy.

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“Nice to get through the first round and beating Daniil and I just really enjoyed the match start to finish, it was incredible tennis from both. An amazing win for me, so much fun.”

The 29-year-old Brit’s triumph has earned him a great opportunity to progress further as he will face 144th-ranked lucky loser Federico Agustin Gomez in the second round.

Medvedev is the latest high-profile star to exit the men’s singles draw in the opening round after fourth seed Taylor Fritz and 18th seed Francisco Cerundolo crashed out on Monday.

Cerundolo, a dangerous clay-courter, was a potential fourth round opponent for third seed Alexander Zverev, while he could have met No 6 seed Djokovic if he reached the quarter-finals.

Medvedev was projected to play Djokovic in the last 16, and his loss has only improved what was already seen as a great draw for the 24-time Grand Slam winner.

While Medvedev has been far from his best this season, his pedigree as a former world No 1 who holds five wins over Djokovic — including in a Grand Slam final — made him the biggest threat the Serb could have faced before the last eight.

With the 29-year-old Russian’s exit, the only seeded player Djokovic could now meet in the fourth round is 22nd seed Ugo Humbert — who is at his least comfortable on clay by a significant margin.

Norrie and another unseeded British player — Jacob Fearnley — are other potential last 16 opponents for Djokovic.

Djokovic is facing Mackenzie McDonald in his opening round match, while he would likely play Corentin Moutet in the second round and Denis Shapovalov in the third round.

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