Category: Tennis

• ‘Tennis became a race against time’ after 2005 diagnosis

• ‘The suffering was less than my passion,’ says tennis great

Rafael Nadal has revealed he spent most of his career in pain as he willed himself to play through a chronic foot injury and went on to win 22 grand slam titles while spending two decades ruling men’s tennis alongside Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

The Spaniard, who retired in 2024, said he took immense risks with his health to keep his career going, after a Netflix series called Rafa provided an in-depth look into his physical and mental struggles to pursue greatness.

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• Comments ‘unacceptable’, tournament officials say

• Organisers to fine player over criticism after Kouamé loss

French Open organisers have said a “significant sanction” will be imposed on Adolfo Daniel Vallejo after the Paraguayan player said his second-round match should not have been umpired by a woman. Vallejo sparked controversy by saying his the Brazilian Ana Carvalho was unable to keep home supporters in check as he tumbled to defeat at Roland Garros, and can now expect a fine.

Vallejo was facing the French teenager Moïse Kouamé on Thursday in what turned out to be one of the matches of the tournament so far. Kouamé, 17, was roared on by compatriots on Court Suzanne Lenglen, eventually winning 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (8) after four hours and 56 minutes.

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• Italian’s dream of career slam evaporates against Cerúndolo

• ‘I wasn’t dying because of the heat,’ world No 1 claims

Jannik Sinner said his lack of energy in a stunning French Open loss was down to a combination of factors, including a long clay court swing, during which he played and won three successive events to arrive as the favourite in Paris.

Sinner, who was targeting a maiden French Open title and career grand slam in the absence of his injured rival Carlos Alcaraz, was hampered by illness for a 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 second-round defeat by Juan Manuel Cerúndolo.

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Updates from the fifth day’s play at Roland Garros
Mensik: playing in Paris heat ‘insane’ | Mail Daniel

Back with Kouame, he’s up advantage, takes control of the next rally, and a deep backhand incites Vallejo to net on the forehand! The 17-year-old takes the first set 6-3, with two breaks, and Lenglen is jumping!

Kouame holds for 5-3, then makes 30-40 and set point; Vallejo saves it well, serving out wide then putting away a shoulder-high volley. But he’s soon down advantage, Kouame missing his backhand down the line to restore deuce, but Vallejo shanks his forehand so back round we go. Meantime, Jovic outlasts Navarro in a protracted game on 14, taking her sixth break point to leads 6-0 2-0. She’s taking an experienced top-10 talent to the absolute cleaners.

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Women’s No 2 seed Elena Rybakina was ejected by Yuliia Starodubtseva, while there were wins for Iga Swiatek and Novak Djokovic

Khachanov saves another break-back point but Trungelliti earns another and they swap loopy, high-bouncing forehands … until the underdog tries a drop. Khachanov hares in to return it but cedes initiative in the process, and though he then has a chance to finish the rally with a forehand, he overhits, and we’re back level at 5-5, Trungelliti saluting the crowd and enjoying his morning.

Bencic, serving at 40-15, comes in to meet a loopy return, and though she doesn’t finish the point, Mcnally dumps her riposte, and that concludes a 6-4 set, taken by the no 11 seed.

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• Queenslander holds nerve to win 6-2 1-6 6-1 1-6 6-4

• Alex de Minaur into third round after opponent injured

Wildcard Adam Walton has pulled off the biggest victory of his career at the French Open, staying cool in the Paris heat to shock a frazzled Daniil Medvedev for the second time in nine months.

His victory came as Alex de Minaur was given an unexpected but welcome free pass into the last 32 because of an injury to his dangerous second-round opponent.

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Updates from the third day’s play at Roland Garros
Players tackle heat in test of endurance | Mail Daniel

Kouame holds for 6-6 in the first; he and Cilic will now play a first-set tiebreaker, and I’d not be at all surprised if the 17-year-old took it. I’m almost tempted to post one of my school reports from the same age just to make clear how ridiculous what he’s doing is.

On Chatrier, Sabalenka and Bouzas Maneiro are ready to start. Can the world no 1 win a major on a non-hard surface? I’m sure the answer is yes, but equally, I’m not sure it’ll be this one, this year.

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• Alex de Minaur disposes of qualifier in straight sets

• Daria Kasatkina also wins in Paris heat

Thanasi Kokkinakis has roared back from the brink of defeat after four-and-a-quarter hours in sweltering Paris heat to launch another trademark five-set comeback at the French Open.

On a manic, mixed Monday for Australia’s elite, with Alex de Minaur and Daria Kasatkina also braving “brutal” conditions to prevail, injury-plagued Kokkinakis, who feared at the Australian Open his career could be finally be sunk by chronic shoulder trouble, again defied all odds to outlast French leftie Terence Atmane.

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Updates from Sunday’s first-round action in Paris
French Open agrees to player talks in row | Mail Daniel

Khachanov has reached the last eight of this competition twice – Wimbledon likewise – and the last four of the other two slams. That tells us he’s got an all-court game, with the eye-test advising that he lacks the power-augmenting finesse go further. He does, though, have Gea’s number … so of course, as I type, the young Frenchman flat-bats an incredible pass cross-court to save set point. For all the difference it makes, Khachanov closing out from there to lead 6-3.

It looks a lovely day in Paris, by the way – which isn’t always the case. It’s going to be seriously hard work for those involved in tight matches, given clay-court rallies and soaring tempteratures.

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• British No 1 was out for two-and-a-half months

• Faces Argentina’s Solana Sierra in Sunday’s first round

Emma Raducanu is hopeful her health problems are behind her as she prepares for her opening match at the French Open on Sunday. The British No 1 takes on Argentina’s Solana Sierra in the first round for her second match since March after two-and-a-half months out with a post-viral illness.

She lost a close contest with Diane Parry in her opening match in Strasbourg this week, but being healthy again is the most important thing for the 23-year-old. “I feel a lot better,” she said.

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• ‘Unfortunately I’m still not ready to compete’

• Spaniard had already pulled out of the French Open

Carlos Alcaraz has been forced to withdraw from Wimbledon as he continues his recovery from the wrist injury that will force him out of action for at least three months during the most significant part of the tennis season.

Alcaraz has not competed since withdrawing from his second-round match at the Barcelona Open last month after feeling pain in his right wrist in his opening match of the tournament. The 23-year-old had already been forced to withdraw from the rest of the clay-court season, including the French Open, which begins on Sunday.

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• France’s Diane Parry wins 6-4, 7-6 (4) in first round

• Raducanu competes for first time since Indian Wells

Emma Raducanu’s return to competition for the first time in more than two months ended in a frustrating defeat as she fought hard but failed to convert a string of early opportunities, eventually falling 6-4, 7-6 (4) to France’s Diane Parry in the first round of the Strasbourg Open.

This was an unsurprising result for Raducanu, who now faces the challenge of regaining her rhythm, form and confidence after not competing since her straight-sets loss by Amanda Anisimova at Indian Wells in early March. She was outplayed here by a talented and accomplished clay-courter in Parry, the world No 94, who dominated with her forehand while effectively using her variation to keep Raducanu uncomfortable.

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• World No 1 into Rome semi-finals with stroll past Rublev

• Can become first Italian winner of men’s event in 50 years

Jannik Sinner reached the semi-finals of the Italian Open on Thursday after seeing off Andrey Rublev and establishing a new record of consecutive wins in Masters 1000 tournaments.

Another straight-sets victory, this time 6-2, 6-4 over Rublev, moved Sinner up to 32 straight wins in the ATP’s top-ranked events, one more than the previous record established by Novak Djokovic in 2011.

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• Two-time champion to help Draper in grass-court season

• Sinner equals Djokovic record following win in Rome

Andy Murray will make his return to tennis as part of Jack Draper’s coaching team during the grass-court season, following Draper’s decision to part ways with his coach Jamie Delgado.

“I am very grateful for everything Jamie Delgado has done for me over these past six months, said Draper in a statement. “He is a world-class coach and a great man. In the interim, I will continue to be supported by the excellent team at the LTA, with the addition of Andy Murray, who will be supporting me throughout the grass-court season.”

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