Category: Tennis

One clip has been watched 25m times but a Netflix documentary shows him in his childhood bedroom with Wimbledon trophy

There’s a Carlos Alcaraz clip on YouTube that has to date been viewed 25m times. The whole thing is a seven-second loop of him catching a ball on his racket at Wimbledon. Currently it also has well over a thousand comments, engaged in a constantly shifting battle for most-liked, most-approved, most gushingly enthused-over.

You probably shouldn’t click on it because it is also addictive, a perfect moment of perfect Alcaraz, another endlessly replicating needle-prod of pleasure into your overstimulated brain.

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• World No 12 switched allegiance from Russia last week
• She overcomes nerves to beat Lauren Davis 6-1, 6-1 in Charleston

“And please welcome from Australia, Daria Kasatkina!” With those words from the MC introducing her on court at the Charleston Open on Wednesday, Australia’s latest tennis import admitted she was left feeling a bag of nerves about the advent of her new adventure.

She need not have worried. For just over an hour later, following her consummate first triumph as an Australian player, Kasatkina was soaking up the cheers of the US crowd amid the strains of “I come from a land Down Under”, while beaming a smile of relief mixed with joy.

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• Raducanu will miss matches in Netherlands next week
• British No 2 will focus on training after Miami Open run

Emma Raducanu has pulled out of Great Britain’s squad for next week’s Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers against Germany and the Netherlands.

The British No 2 reached the quarter-finals of the Miami Open last week, her deepest run at a WTA 1000 event and best tournament performance since her stunning US Open triumph in 2021.

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• Briton says ‘heart worked a little too hard’ in Bogotá
• Watson defeated in opening round of Charleston Open

Britain’s Francesca Jones has been forced to withdraw from the Colsanitas Cup in Bogotá after collapsing on court. The 24-year-old appeared to stagger after failing to return a serve from Argentina’s Julia Riera in the third set of their round-of-32 match and was unable to return to play. She fell to the ground and was removed from the court in a wheelchair but later said her heart had “worked a little too hard”.

“Due to a physical issue, Francesca Jones has withdrawn from her match against Julia Riera at 6-2, 5-7, 5-3 in favour of the Argentinian,” the tournament posted on X. “We wish the British tennis player a speedy recovery.”

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Loss to teenager Jakub Mensik in Miami final shows difficulty of maintaining such high standards at the age of 37

During a quiet period in the relentless calendar three years ago, the 16-year-old Jakub Mensik received an unexpected proposal. The Czech, who had just reached the boys’ singles final at the Australian Open, was invited by Novak Djokovic, his idol, to train together at the Serb’s academy in Belgrade. The pair quickly established a rapport, with Djokovic offering advice and counsel. For Mensik, this was a pivotal moment.

On Sunday, at the Miami Open, the pair stood across the net from each other again, this time as rivals, and he closed out a 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4) victory to win his first ATP title in one of the top tournaments.

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• Czech won first title but nearly pulled out of opener
• Physio visit led to him denying Novak Djokovic in final

Jakub Mensik claimed the first title of his career with a 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4) win over Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s Miami Open final, but the Czech teenager revealed he had nearly pulled out of the tournament due to inflammation in his right knee.

Shortly before his opener against Roberto Bautista Agut, the 19-year-old was on his way to the referee’s room to announce his withdrawal, but found that the official was out for lunch and he visited the physio’s room instead.

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• Milestone remains out of Serb’s reach after upset
• 54th-ranked Czech subdues veteran 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4)

Nineteen-year-old Czech Jakub Mensik beat his childhood idol Novak Djokovic 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4) in an upset for the ages, claiming his first ATP title at the Miami Open as he denied the former world No 1 in his bid for a milestone 100th.

The 54th-ranked Mensik faced tough odds in only his second ATP final but harnessed his best weapon to subdue the 24-time major winner with 14 aces and collapsed onto the court, overcome with emotion, after sealing it with an unreturnable serve.

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• Sabalenka consolidates status as women’s world No 1
• ‘I’m just speechless right now and super-happy’

Aryna Sabalenka further cemented her status as the best player in the world as she closed out a dominant fortnight with an imperious performance to win the Miami Open for the first time in her career with a 7-5, 6-2 win over the fourth seed Jessica Pegula.

With another formidable victory, Sabalenka has now won 19 WTA titles, including eight at WTA 1000 level alongside her three grand slam titles. A reflection of her consistency, Sabalenka is the third WTA No 1 in history to reach the finals of the Australian Open, Indian Wells and the Miami Open in the same year.

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Veteran proving his resilience again but faces test against Jakub Mensik if he is to become third man to win 100 titles

Novak Djokovic departed Indian Wells two weeks ago with serious concerns. Aside from his one encouraging result, a supreme performance in his Australian Open quarter-final win over Carlos Alcaraz, the first few months of the year had been grim. Father time had undeniably gained ground on him.

The hamstring injury Djokovic suffered against Alcaraz forced him to withdraw from his semi-final against Alexander Zverev after one set. After tearing his medial collateral ligament at the French Open last year, this setback marked his second grand slam withdrawal inside a year after two decades of good health.

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• 27-year-old has not been to Russia since coming out as gay in 2022
• World No 12 will be Australia’s new No 1 women’s tennis singles player

Russian-born tennis player Daria Kasatkina is switching allegiances to Australia after her application for permanent residency was accepted by the government.

The world No 12 has been playing on the tour as a neutral athlete after Russian and Belarusian players were banned from competing under their own flags following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

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• Serb beats Dimitrov 6-2, 6-3 for shot at 100th career title
• Djokovic misses six first serves in entire match

Novak Djokovic delivered an emphatic display to seal his place in the Miami Open final with a straight-sets victory over Grigor Dimitrov.

The 24-time grand slam champion needed only 69 minutes to secure a one-sided 6-2, 6-3 win against his Bulgarian opponent. Djokovic, 37, is bidding to land his 100th career title – and a record seventh in Miami – and his first since teaming up with Andy Murray as his coach.

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Now the 19-year-old Filipina’s challenge is to handle the unavoidable pressure and build a successful career

In the early hours of Friday morning, after nearly two weeks spent slaying giants, Alexandra Eala slumped in her chair inside the vast Hard Rock Stadium, her unforgettable run in Miami finally at an end. Before she could even begin to reflect on her mixed emotions of pride and disappointment, however, she was hit by a wall of noise.

The audience, still filled with Filipino fans at 12.45am, had opted to celebrate Eala’s achievements with a thunderous standing ovation. She responded immediately, raising both fists to the air and then blowing kisses to all corners of the stadium with a smile.

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She plays her best tennis in a positive environment but her setup at the Miami Open is unlikely to be for the long term

Not long before she was due on court for one of the more significant occasions of her career so far, Emma Raducanu was pictured surrounded by her temporary team of the week – Jane O’Donoghue, Mark Petchey and Yutaka Nakamura – on the player warmup lawn inside the hulking Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. While many players try to enjoy a quiet moment alone in their own thoughts before being called on to court, team Raducanu were preoccupied by an epic spikeball battle.

At one point during the game, which involves players rebounding a ball against a springy, circular net between them with their hands, Petchey threw himself on the ground in a doomed attempt to save the point. They were all soon doubled over with laughter.

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• Briton loses first career WTA 1000 quarter-final 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-2
• No 4 seed to face Alexandra Eala after her upset win over Iga Świątek

Emma Raducanu’s encouraging run at the Miami Open came to a difficult end in the quarter-finals on Wednesday night as she went toe-to-toe with Jessica Pegula for two-and-a-half hours before eventually being outlasted by one of the best players in the world. After three bruising, classy sets under the lights, the fourth seed sustained her excellent level in the decisive final stages as she closed out a 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-2 victory.

Pegula will next face Alexandra Eala, who pulled off one of the great upsets in recent years earlier on Wednesday by toppling Iga Świątek 6-2, 7-5. Eala, a 19 year-old ranked No 140 and the first Filipino player to reach the highest levels of the WTA tour, had already defeated Madison Keys, the reigning Australian Open champion, and former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.

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