Awkward Iga Swiatek shuts down journalist: I'm too stupid to answer that question
World No.2 Iga Swiatek was caught off guard after a journalist asked her a certain question in the press conference following her quarterfinal win over Madison Keys in the Madrid Open 2025. On Wednesday, April 30, Swiatek rallied back from a set down to beat the reigning Australian Open champion 0-6, 6-3, 6-2 and advance to the semis.After the match, one of the reporters asked Swiatek, also a five-time Grand Slam champion, about the comparisons drawn between the ATP and WTA.advertisement'People say the ATP Tour is becoming more and more like the WTA Tour. I think they mean it in a negative way. What do you think about this comparison?' the reporter asked.
Swiatek was taken by surprise by the journalist's reply, but she composed herself and responded to the question gracefully. Replying to the query, Swiatek asked. 'I don't know what they mean. I have no, I need more details.''I don't know, because last, I mean, Jannik [Sinner] and Carlos [Alcaraz] have been winning all the Grand Slams last years, you know. I don't think, I don't get it. I have no opinion then. I'm too stupid to answer that question,' Swiatek added.The ATP Tour has followed a familiar pattern this year, with no player managing to establish themselves as a consistently dominant presence. Rising talents like Jack Draper and Jakub Mensik have captured titles at some of the season's most significant events.advertisementThis unpredictability has led some tennis fans to draw parallels with the WTA Tour, where unexpected champions have become a common theme in recent years.While Draper won the Indian Wells Masters, beating Holger Rune in the final, Mensik got the better of 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in the Miami Open final.As far as Swiatek is concerned, she will next be up against the USA's Coco Gauff in the semi-final at Madrid.Trending Reel
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Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
‘I will start with Jannik': Carlos Alcaraz's speech after beating World No.1 in longest French Open final is epic
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, the flagbearers of modern-day epic tennis rivalry, wrote a glittering, record-breaking and pulsating first chapter of what could turn out to be a regular sight for global tennis fans. The first-ever men's singles major final between players born after 2000 also turned out to be the longest French Open final, lasting five hours and 29 minutes. It was only fitting that after the match, which the Spaniard won in a comeback for the ages to defend his French Open title, both Sinner and Alcaraz started their speeches mentioning each other. Alcaraz, who saved three match points in the fourth set to beat Sinner 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(10-2), spent the entire first half (1 minute 15 seconds of his 3 minute 30-seconds-long on-court speech) of his winner's speech talking about Sinner. Alcaraz congratulated the World No.1 for being an inspiration to himself and millions of budding tennis players across the globe. "I want to start with Jannik. It is amazing the level you have. Congratulations on an amazing two weeks. I know the hard work that you and your team put in every day. It is huge," Alcaraz said, turning to Sinner, who smiled and nodded. "I know how hard you are chasing this tournament. I'm sure you're gonna be a champion not once but many, many times. It's a privilege to share the court with you in every tournament, making history with you. I'm very happy to make history with you in this tournament and every other tournament. You are a huge inspiration for young kids, for me as well. I have to say thank you to you for being such a great inspiration. Good luck and all the best for what's coming," Alcaraz said. Alcaraz's on-court speech came moments after Sinner had started his post-match speech, explaining, albeit with a bit of difficulty to formulate words after a gutwrenching loss, the greatness of the World No. 2. "First of all, Carlos, congrats. Again, an amazing performance, amazing battle, amazing to you and your team. I'm very happy for you and you deserve it," Sinner said. It was Alcaraz and Sinner's first appearance in a Grand Slam final. Both of them were unbeaten in slam finals. Sinner was yet to lay his hands on the French Open title and Alcaraz had not gotten off to the best of starts this year. In the head-to-head record, Alcaraz had the clear upper hand, but Sinner hadn't dropped a set in his road to the final. He even brushed aside Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the semi-final. It was one of the most evenly matched and anticipated Grand Slam finals of recent times, and boy, did it live up to the hype. After 3 hours, 43 minutes, Sinner had his first match point. But with just over five hours since the match began, Alcaraz served for the title at 5-4 up. The drama was still not over. Sinner made a remarkable retrieve from yet another superb Alcaraz drop shot. At the very limit he could stretch to, Sinner glided the ball over the net, with the ball landing with the softness of an autumn leaf and out of Alcaraz's reach to make it 15-40. When Sinner won the game to make it 5-5, it was his turn to milk the applause and he was two points away from victory in the 12th game, with Alcaraz on serve and at 15-30 and at deuce. But Alcaraz made a staggering cross-court backhand to make it 6-6 and force a tiebreaker, with the crowd going wild when Alcaraz's cross-court winner made it could not find a way back and Alcaraz won the match with a superb forehand pass down the line and then fell onto his back to celebrate.
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Alcaraz vs Sinner: A Roland Garros epic promising a golden post-Big Three era
The Big Three, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic, would have watched Sunday's 5-hour, 29-minute epic at the French Open with a mix of pride and quiet relief. These titans forged tennis into a symphony of brilliance and passion, painting a golden era in men's singles. On Sunday, it was two young gladiators in their early twenties who took center stage, reigniting the flame of a sport many feared was losing its spark. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner traded fierce punches on the red dirt of Paris, reminding the world that the magic of men's singles tennis is alive and roller-coaster final is our Extraordinary Moment by @HaierOfficial #RolandGarros Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 8, 2025advertisementTwo years after Federer retired, a year after Nadal hung up his boots, and just days after Djokovic's final shot at clay-court glory slipped through his fingers, Alcaraz, 22, and Sinner, 23, summoned the ghosts of the golden era, the artistry, the fire, the unbreakable spirit, to signal the dawn of a new era forged from the echoes of any sport to thrive, the torch must be passed. Fresh faces, wunderkinds bursting with potential, are essential to writing the next chapter. But as the golden generation stretched its reign, so did a growing fear: who would carry that torch forward? The dominance of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic was so overwhelming that anyone even half as good risked being seen as a disappointment. Could the next anointed flagbearer create those moments of magic that tied billions to their TV sets and filled stadiums, year after year?advertisement The late 2010s were a nervous time for tennis's top brass. Federer's magic was fading; Nadal's fiery fight was nearing its twilight; and Djokovic, though still winning, was entering his 30s without his legendary rivals meeting him on the biggest stages as frequently as 2021, Djokovic delivered a cheeky yet pointed jab at the buzz around the Next Gen in men's singles tennis.'The Next Gen young people? Me, Rafa, and Roger are reinventing the Next Gen,' he said after capturing both the Australian and French Open titles that wasn't arrogance. It was a stark critique of the emerging stars who hadn't yet risen to the pressure of carrying the sport's momentum. Up until then, only Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka had broken through with multiple Grand Slam titles outside the Big Three since 2010. It wasn't until 2020 that Dominic Thiem became the first man born in the 1990s to claim a Slam, winning the US reality was, to say the least, unsettling. Even as whispers grew louder about a Spanish wunderkind doing extraordinary things with the calm assurance of a future great. Around the same time, the world's gaze shifted toward a lanky teenager from Italy who announced himself by winning the Next Gen ATP Finals at just 18, showcasing ice in his veins and fire in his WATERSHED SEASONThen came 2024, a watershed year. For the first time since 2003, not one member of the Big Three lifted a Grand Slam trophy. Alcaraz and Sinner had stepped into the spotlight, splitting all four majors between them and becoming the new faces of men's tennis. By year's end, Sinner was World No. 1. Alcaraz, No. and rankings alone do not forge legends. To truly declare themselves the heirs of greatness, they needed a night like Sunday in Paris, a clash drenched in sweat, spirit, and the electric charge of destiny. Just their first Grand Slam final meeting felt like a blaze that sparked a new THE BAR HIGH: SINNER AND ALCARAZ Their first Grand Slam final meeting was an all-time blockbuster (Reuters Photo) On Sunday night in Paris, time paused for five hours and 29 minutes—long enough for two young warriors to go toe-to-toe and ensure tennis will carry forward the spirit of the golden era, with battles fought like there's no started like a man in control of time itself—his strokes crisp, his decisions unhurried. The World No. 1 glided through the first two sets with the composure of someone who'd been here before, even though he hadn't. It was his first French Open final, and he had returned from a three-month doping ban only last month, playing just one tune-up event in the lead-up to Roland-Garros. At one point on Sunday, it appeared as if he would dethrone the new King of Clay without dropping a set in the entire corner he painted, every angle he found, drew gasps from the crowd that seemed too stunned to take clay has memory. And Alcaraz, raised on its grit and ghosts, began to rise. Slowly, then suddenly. He broke in the third, survived in the fourth, and by the time the fifth set arrived, he was at his YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS #RolandGarros Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 8, 2025The Spaniard's forehands began to spit fire, his drop shots drew Sinner into the dirt, and the match turned into a grind only the strongest could points grew longer. The shots sharper. The tension louder. At 5–4, with Alcaraz serving for it all, Sinner lunged for a drop shot like a man refusing to surrender his fate. He broke back. The battle twisted then, the tie-break. Alcaraz played it like a dream—his feet floating, his racquet dancing, and the ball the final point was won after five hours and 28 minutes, Alcaraz dropped to the clay—a champion twice over. There were no toilet breaks, no medical timeouts in this brutal marathon. At times, they even corrected calls that had gone in their the red dust of Chatrier, Alcaraz and Sinner gave us something we hadn't dared expect so soon: a match that belonged on the same shelves as the great ones. A night that made the future feel already golden.A new era has dawned. If this is how it begins, what follows will be lived and remembered forever by generations to come.
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Carlos Alcaraz comes back from the dead to beat Jannik Sinner in all-time great contest to retain French Open men's singles title
As Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner went into the sixth hour of their titanic battle in Sunday's French Open final, one distinct quality separated the two players in a match where advantages were gained and lost, momentum shifted, and levels of tennis went up and down gears. On the biggest stages such as this, crucial moments are often seized by nerveless ease under pressure. The glow of the spotlight cannot dim one's abilities, but should actually make them shine brighter. And Alcaraz has a certain predilection for the spotlight that few, or any, of his contemporaries have shown in the recent history of men's tennis. The Spaniard would defend his Roland Garros title, win his fifth Grand Slam title and become the only player other than Roger Federer to win his first five Major finals after coming out on top in an epic five-set battle 4-6 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (10-2) in five hours and 29 minutes. Down three match points after spending most of four sets being stretched to all corners of the court and being blown away by Sinner from the baseline, Alcaraz came up with his very best. He stubbornly stuck to his guns, applied the same weight of shot to his huge forehand, and artistry to his variegated game, to win 13 of the next 14 points, break Sinner as he served for the match, and then thundered his way through the resultant tie-breaker to steal the fourth set. In the ensuing fifth set, he had all the momentum his way until Sinner was the one who rose from the dead, breaking the Spaniard when he served for the match and producing some rollicking tennis to take the contest into the first-to-10-points tiebreaker. Once again, as an ocean of pressure surrounded him, as hours of tennis went into his legs, as the crowd grew wild, Alcaraz produced a perfect exhibition of tennis in the match tiebreaker. He was clutch in the big moments: the one thing that separated these two phenomenally talented young players in a tightly-fought encounter that went to the wire. In a high-wire contest of momentum swings, destructive shotmaking, and a distinct contrast of approaches, Alcaraz defeated the 23-year-old World No. 1 from Italy in a match that will be remembered for years and signal the new generation coming out of the shadow of the previous Big Three – Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. The wildness of this match and the sky-high intensity that the two players produced was representative of the ridiculous look of the scoreline. The match did not have some of the sustained high-quality tennis that these two have produced in the past, but given the high-stakes occasion and the sheer ability both showed in not relenting under pressure, the five-and-a-half-hour-long slugfest will go down as one of the most enthralling finals ever witnessed on the hallowed, unforgiving red clay of Court Philippe Chatrier. Sinner would leave as the loser only by the barest of margins, having played a phenomenal match but not decisively coming up with the goods in the most important moments. This is the bridge he still needs to cross, despite being the dominant World No. 1 who has won 47 of his last 50 matches (each of the three losses coming against Alcaraz), as he needs to outlast his opponents, not only outplay them. Alcaraz was patchy, at times outplayed, and made a bunch of errors in the first half of the match, but held his nerve and produced his best when put under the most intense pressure, a mark of greatness, the same quality he has been marked for as he has risen remarkably up the ranks of tennis to become the man to beat at the Majors. For most of the contest, Sinner was the superior player. His crosscourt backhand singing the court, his forehands on the run finding accuracy and power, his returns right down the middle disrupting Alcaraz's rhythm. He had met the challenge and raised his level when put under pressure, and was the better player in the decisive moments over the first two sets. CARLOS YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS #RolandGarros — Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 8, 2025 This was a clash of different approaches. Sinner had brilliantly executed a clear-headed gameplan that had gained him so much success throughout this tournament. Alcaraz was instead playing far more on instinct, going for broke and the spectacular more often, playing big even when not required. It resulted in massive winners and highlight-worthy moments, but also several errors. In the opening two sets, Sinner had shown composure and just played the decisive moments better, Alcaraz's errors giving him the breakthrough in the first, and his nerveless display in the tie-breaker (after again failing to serve out the set) giving him the edge in the second. Alcaraz went up a gear in the third, as the defending champion and a four-time Major winner is bound to do, but Sinner never left him. The two traded barbs as the contest improved in both quality and intensity, hitting destructive shots from the baseline but also coming up with creative ways to finish points: drop shots, volleys, lobs and approach shots. A fragility on serve proved key, Sinner went up a break but conceded it immediately. Alcaraz served for the set but conceded that, and Sinner made no good use of it either. The fourth set would not have been particularly daunting for Sinner, a 2-1 set lead is hardly a disadvantage. He had the confidence in his firepower to know that he could rely on his well-worked game plan and execute it to good effect. And so he did, fashioning a chance to serve for the match, before, for the first time, blinking under the pressure and wasting his chance to serve for the match. Alcaraz was back, and he never ceded ground. The fifth set produced some of the best tennis of this encounter, both players giving their best together for the first time in the match and then exchanging barbs; Alcaraz going ahead first, Sinner coming back big, and Alcaraz coming up with his best in the match tie-breaker. Ultimately, it would be Alcaraz's tendency to raise his game when put under the most pressure that made the difference. It is an ability that his opponent, in a rivalry expected to guide this sport into an exciting new era, must unquestionably imbibe in his more grounded, consistent, and methodical game. A little bit of flash.
