Showing posts with label #tennis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #tennis. Show all posts
Thursday, 10 September 2026
Tuesday, 1 September 2026
Monday, 31 August 2026
Sunday, 30 August 2026
Friday, 28 August 2026
Friday, 14 August 2026
Wednesday, 12 August 2026
Tuesday, 28 July 2026
Tuesday, 23 June 2026
Monday, 1 June 2026
SERENA WILLIAMS SET FOR COMPETITIVE RETURN TO LONDON'S QUEEN'S CLUB AT 44
The 23-time Grand Slam champion last played on the WTA Tour in September 2022, when she retired from professional tennis after a third-round loss at the US Open
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| Serena Williams of the United States gestures to the crowd after a match against Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia on day five of the 2022 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center. Reuters |
Tennis great Serena Williams will make her long-anticipated competitive comeback to tennis at the age of 44 on grass at Queen's Club in London this month as a wildcard entry into the doubles draw, the club said in a statement on Monday.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion last played on the WTA Tour in September 2022, when she retired from professional tennis after a third-round loss at the US Open.
"Queen's Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter. Grass has given me some of the most meaningful moments of my career, and I'm excited to be back competing on one of the sport's most iconic stages," Williams was quoted as saying.
Williams had re-entered the sport's anti-doping pool last year, spurring rumours of her return. The rumours persisted after she playfully dodged questions about coming back in an interview on NBC.
Novak Djokovic said in March that Williams could target Wimbledon for her comeback, while her former coach Rick Macci said she was "going all out" in training to get ready for a return to the sport she dominated for two decades along with her sister Venus, a seven-time Grand Slam winner.
Venus, 15 months older than Serena, is still playing and competed at the Australian Open in January as a wildcard.
- Reuters
Sunday, 24 May 2026
Friday, 22 May 2026
ARYNA SABALENKA ABRUPTLY ENDS PRESS CONFERENCE AS TOP PLAYERS WEIGH IN ON BOLD MEDIA DUTY SCALEBACK
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| Pictured L to R - Sabalenka, Swiatek, Djokovic |
Aryna Sabalenka abruptly ended her pre-tournament French Open press conference after it emerged that several leading tennis stars would significantly limit their media duties in an attempt to increase pressure on the Grand Slams over prize money.
The Belarusian enters Roland Garros as one of the favourites after reaching the finals of the Australian Open, Indian Wells, and Miami earlier this season.
However, Sabalenka’s clay-court campaign has proven inconsistent. She suffered a shock defeat to Hailey Baptiste in the Madrid Open quarter-finals despite holding multiple match points, before being knocked out by Sorana Cirstea in the third round of the Italian Open.
During the loss in Rome, Sabalenka also required a medical timeout due to back discomfort, sparking concerns over her fitness heading into Paris.
Nevertheless, after two weeks of rest, the world No 1 now returns in search of a maiden French Open title as the tournament’s top seed.
During her pre-tournament press conference, Sabalenka made headlines after revealing that she would limit her media duties to just 15 minutes.
The decision, which has also been adopted by several other leading players, comes amid an ongoing dispute surrounding Grand Slam prize money and player compensation.
“Well, guys, I feel like the whole point here, it’s not about me,” she began.
“It’s about the players who are lower in the ranking, who is suffering, and, yeah, it’s not easy to live in this tennis world with that percentage that we are earning,” Sabalenka stated.
“But as the World No 1, I feel like, you know, I have to stand up and to fight for those players, for lower-level players, for players who are coming back after injuries, the upcoming generation. I feel like our point is pretty clear and pretty fair to everyone. That’s what we are all about.
“I stand with my words. We wanted to do it in a respectful way at the beginning, and you guys know how much we respect you and we appreciate you.
“It’s not your decision, it’s not about you. It’s just we are trying to fight for a fair percentage.”
Indeed, during the Italian Open, Sabalenka suggested she could even consider boycotting future Grand Slam tournaments if the events failed to significantly improve prize money distribution.
Players involved in the discussions are reportedly pushing for the Grand Slams to allocate 22% of their overall revenue toward prize money by the end of the decade.
French Open organisers have defended their position by pointing to this year’s total prize pool of €61.723 million, representing a 9.53% increase compared to last year’s event.
Last year’s US Open increased prize money by 20%, while this year’s Australian Open introduced a 16% rise.
In addition to financial concerns, players have also raised issues regarding scheduling, ball changes, and healthcare contributions.
“We just wanted to make our point, and we are united, and 15 minutes better than zero, and I’m here to talk to you because I have my respect to you guys,” added the Belarusian before ending the English portion of her press conference.
“I guess we just do 10 minutes here and five minutes – what is the five minutes that we did, World Feed? That’s it.
“And now it’s time for national language, and thank you so much for being here, for asking questions. As I said a thousand times today, I have huge respect, but we know what’s happening here, so thank you so much.”
Iga Swiatek, a four-time French Open champion, has also backed the movement and followed the same 15-minute media limit.
“I feel like all of us, we have nothing against media, obviously, and we totally respect you guys. We know how our relationship is important,” the Pole argued.
“But with the tournament, you know, I feel like we will do more when the tournament will do more for us.
“Not only us, the top players, because obviously we are the ones that have the most contact with you guys, but, you know, for also the lower-ranked players and the whole structure, you know.
“So it’s personally, like, nothing against you guys, but for sure, this is the decision that we made, and we will follow it.”
However, world No 4 Novak Djokovic revealed that while he sympathises with the players’ concerns, he has not been involved in the internal discussions and therefore will not limit his own media appearances.
“I haven’t been part of the process, the conversation, the planning or decision-making so I can’t comment on that,” the Serb said.
“But what I can do is reiterate my own position that I have always been on the players’ side and tried to advocate for players’ rights and better future for players.
“We tend to forget how little the number of people that live from this sport is. I will never stop mentioning or talking about that.”
The French Open will take place from May 24 to June 7.
- Oliver Paton
Wednesday, 13 May 2026
ITALIAN OPEN: SINNER EQUALS DJOKOVIC WITH 31ST STRAIGHT MASTERS 1000 MATCH VICTORY
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| Italy's Jannik Sinner hits a shot against his compatriot Andrea Pellegrino in a men's singles round of 16 match at the Italian Open in Rome, Italy, May 12, 2026. /VCG |
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner continued his dominant run at the Italian Open on Tuesday, defeating fellow home hope Andrea Pellegrino in straight sets 6-2, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals and equal Novak Djokovic's record of 31 consecutive wins in Masters 1000 matches.
Sinner has now gone unbeaten in Masters 1000 events since retiring with cramps during a match against Tallon Griekspoor in Shanghai last October. Djokovic previously set the mark during his remarkable 2011 season.
"If you want to be a great player, you've got to play on all the surfaces and all the tournaments at your maximum," Sinner said. "It's the mind that makes the difference."
Backed by a capacity crowd at Campo Centrale in Foro Italico, with many fans dressed in Sinner's signature color orange, the top seed wasted little time asserting control. He broke his opponent's serve in the opening game and never let Pellegrino back into the contest, improving to 19-0 against Italian compatriots.
The victory also extended Sinner's overall winning streak to 26 matches. The 23-year-old has not lost since falling to Jakub Mensik in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open on February 19.
Sinner is now chasing more history in Rome. If he lifts the Italian Open trophy this week, he will become only the second man after Djokovic to win all nine Masters 1000 tournaments.
The 24-year-old has already claimed five consecutive Masters titles, and with Carlos Alcaraz sidelined by a right wrist injury, Sinner has emerged as the clear favorite both in Rome and heading into the French Open.
"It's time to take the title away from Adriano," read one fan's sign at Foro Italico, referencing Adriano Panatta, the last Italian man to win the singles crown in the nation's capital 50 years ago.
Panatta is scheduled to present the trophy following Sunday's final.
Sinner's next challenge will come against 12th-seeded Andrey Rublev, who rallied past Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2 to book his place in the last eight.
- CGTN
Saturday, 18 April 2026
Wednesday, 8 April 2026
Sunday, 8 March 2026
Saturday, 21 February 2026
Friday, 30 January 2026
Sunday, 18 January 2026
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