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Glasgow Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Novak Djokovic scheduled to play during Champions League final
Novak Djokovic will play during the Champions League final (Christophe Ena/AP) This article is brought to you by our exclusive subscriber partnership with our sister title USA Today, and has been written by our American colleagues. It does not necessarily reflect the view of The Herald. Novak Djokovic has had his request to watch the Champions League final denied after being scheduled to play on Saturday night. A host of top players, including Paris St Germain fan Arthur Fils, had pleaded with organisers to ensure their third-round matches did not clash with the big game against Inter Milan in Munich. Djokovic even said after his win over Corentin Moutet: 'It's going to be PSG that I will support. Novak Djokovic will play on Saturday night (Lindsey Wasson/AP) 'I will definitely watch it if I'm not playing the night session. Yeah, that will be nice. FYI, Roland Garros schedule…' But the 24-time grand slam champion received bad news on Friday afternoon as his clash with Austrian Filip Misolic will begin at 8.15pm local time, 45 minutes before the final kicks off. Roland Garros tournament director Amelie Mauresmo does not believe the football will disrupt the tournament. 'The Champions League final won't change much for us,' she said. 'We are trying to do the utmost for the tournament. We are very happy for PSG but we are organising our own event. 'There will be 15,000 people here so we want to give them the best possible match. 'We can't prohibit people to watch their telephone and to follow the football match simultaneously. 'There won't be 10 or 20 goals. If once or twice we have a bit of an uproar, it's going to be fine.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
French Open 2025: Brazilian teen João Fonseca beats Hubert Hurkacz in Roland-Garros debut
The Roland-Garros logo stands out on the occasion of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) PARIS (AP) — João Fonseca is making a habit of drawing big crowds at tennis tournaments — and of beating seeded opponents in his Grand Slam debuts. The 18-year-old from Brazil delighted a loud and overflowing group of spectators at 1,500-capacity Court 7 on Tuesday and won the first French Open match of his nascent career, beating 30th-seeded Hubert Hurkacz 6-2, 6-4, 6-2. Advertisement 'I'm young, and I'm getting the experience of everything now,' Fonseca said. 'So I'm learning a lot from this circuit and this environment.' Fonseca needed just 1 hour, 40 minutes to wrap up the victory, producing more than twice as many winners, 36, as unforced errors, 15, and repeatedly delivering booming forehands. 'I mean, he's (got) a very powerful game,' said Hurkacz, who reached the Wimbledon semifinals in 2021 by beating Roger Federer in the last match of the 20-time major champion's career. "He's definitely an all-around player and can develop a lot. It's difficult to play against him." All along, Fonseca heard plenty of support from the Brazilians who haven't had a Grand Slam champion to cheer for since Gustavo Kuerten was winning three French Open titles in 1997, 2000 and 2001. Advertisement Fonseca, the 2023 U.S. Open junior champion and currently ranked 65th, played his first match in the main draw of a major at the Australian Open in January, when he knocked off No. 9 seed Andrey Rublev. ___ More AP tennis:
CTV News
7 days ago
- Sport
- CTV News
Rafael Nadal says he is content in retirement and hasn't picked up a racket in 6 months
Rafa Nadal reaches for his son Rafael Junior during a farewell ceremony at center court Philippe-Chatrier, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Sunday May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Japan Today
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Japan Today
French Open 2025: Doping cases, lingering lawsuit, players seek more Slam money and more to know
The men's, left, and women's trophies are displayed during the draw of French Open tennis tournament, Thursday, May 22, 2025 at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) tennis By HOWARD FENDRICH With the French Open set to start on Sunday, an argument could be made that the headlines about tennis lately have been as, or more, intriguing off the court — and in the court of law — than on the court of play. There were the high-profile doping bans served by Jannik Sinner, the man seeded No. 1 at Roland-Garros, and Iga Swiatek, the woman who is the three-time defending champion at the clay-court major. There's the pending class-action suit brought by players against groups that run the sport. And there's an effort by the athletes to get a larger share of revenues from the four Grand Slam tournaments. Yes, there is interest in who is going to win the titles two weeks from now, of course. And there are plenty of storylines connected to such things as whether Swiatek can snap out of her recent run of poor-for-her results, whether Carlos Alcaraz can win a second consecutive championship in Paris, whether Novak Djokovic can grab a record 25th Grand Slam trophy, whether Coco Gauff can grab her second at age 21, and so on. Here is what to know before the competition begin at the French Open: Hard to say yet. This is just at the beginning. The background: Djokovic, Gauff, Sinner and women's No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka were among 20 top players who signed a letter — obtained by The Associated Press in April — that was sent to the heads of the four Slam tournaments, seeking additional prize money, contributions to player welfare programs funded by the pro tours and more say in decision-making. Those events reportedly gave around 10% to 20% of their roughly $1.5 billion in combined revenues to players in 2024. Leaders of the four major tournaments — the French Open, Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Australian Open — met in Paris with some of the leading players. Jessica Pegula, the 2024 U.S. Open runner-up who is seeded No. 3 in Paris, was not in town in time for the face-to-face session. 'I think it went pretty well, from what I understood. Hopefully progress can be made. I know that several top players on the men and women sides were there and were present. We're showing — not just the top players, all of us; but led by a lot of the top players — that we're very unified on this topic,' Pegula said. 'Getting a higher revenue share based on what the tournaments are bringing in, (and) not just that, but player welfare, for pensions, for bonus pool for the men, (the Slams) don't contribute anything. And that's our issue. They're the four pinnacles of our sport and we're just asking for that to be a lot more equal and a lot more fair.' In March, the Professional Tennis Players' Association, a group co-founded by Djokovic several years ago, sued the WTA, the ATP, the International Tennis Federation and the International Tennis Integrity Agency in federal court in New York, calling them a 'cartel." The players said they don't get enough of the revenues and raised other complaints about how tennis is structured. This week, the four defendants jointly filed a motion to dismiss the class-action antitrust suit, saying the PTPA 'is not a proper plaintiff.' The WTA also filed a separate motion to dismiss, arguing that the male plaintiffs — including 2022 Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios — should not be suing the women's tour, and the female plaintiffs should be compelled to go to binding arbitration. Swiatek, banned for one month late last year, is going through a real rough stretch for her, failing to reach so much as a final since leaving the French Open last year and sinking to No. 5 in the rankings after three years no worse than No. 2. She's spoken about trying to recalibrate her mindset. Sinner returned at the Italian Open after serving his three-month suspension and promptly reached the title match there before losing to Alcaraz. Despite missing time, Sinner remained at No. 1. Alcaraz is seeded No. 2 and while he dealt with some leg injuries that troubled him during the clay season, his performance in Rome makes him a popular pick to win what would be a fifth Grand Slam championship. With Swiatek on shaky ground lately, there are several women considered candidates to come through with a first title in Paris. That list includes Gauff, the runner-up to Swiatek in 2022 and a finalist at Rome last weekend; Jasmine Paolini, the runner-up to Swiatek last year and the Italian Open champion; the top-ranked Sabalenka, whose best French Open was a semifinal run two years ago; and No. 6 seed Mirra Andreeva, who just turned 18 but has won a pair of Masters 1000 titles in 2025. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Alcaraz's confidence soaring before French Open title defense while Swiatek struggling
PSG soccer player Ousmane Dembele attends the draw of French Open tennis tournament, Thursday, May 22, 2025 at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) PSG soccer player Ousmane Dembele shows token during the draw of French Open tennis tournament, Thursday, May 22, 2025 at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) Title holder Iga Swiatek, of Poland, speaks during the draw of French Open tennis tournament, Thursday, May 22, 2025 at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) The men's, left, and women's trophies are displayed during the draw of French Open tennis tournament, Thursday, May 22, 2025 at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) The men's, left, and women's trophies are displayed during the draw of French Open tennis tournament, Thursday, May 22, 2025 at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) PSG soccer player Ousmane Dembele attends the draw of French Open tennis tournament, Thursday, May 22, 2025 at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) PSG soccer player Ousmane Dembele shows token during the draw of French Open tennis tournament, Thursday, May 22, 2025 at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) Title holder Iga Swiatek, of Poland, speaks during the draw of French Open tennis tournament, Thursday, May 22, 2025 at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) The men's, left, and women's trophies are displayed during the draw of French Open tennis tournament, Thursday, May 22, 2025 at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) PARIS (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz will open his defense of the French Open title against veteran Kei Nishikori and said he's 'excited' to be back in Paris on the back of an excellent clay-court season. Alcaraz has been the dominant player in the weeks leading to Roland-Garros and is the clear-cut favorite after claiming trophies in Barcelona and Rome. Nishikori is a former top-five player who has been struggling on the dirt in recent years. Advertisement Alcaraz holds a 15-1 record on clay this season. Having moved back to No. 2 in the rankings, he can't play top-ranked Jannik Sinner before the final in Paris because they are on opposite sides of the draw. 'It's been a great clay season so far,' Alcaraz said after Thursday's draw in Paris. 'I'm excited. The confidence is really high right now.' Together, Alcaraz or Sinner have won the last five Grand Slam titles. Back from his three-month doping suspension, Sinner pushed Alcaraz when they met in the Rome final this month, yet lost in straight sets. Sinner opens against local hope Arthur Rinderknech. Advertisement Alcaraz beat Sinner over five sets in the French Open semifinals last year. Alcaraz then successfully defended his Wimbledon title for his fourth Grand Slam trophy. Sinner has won only one of his 19 career titles on clay, in Umag, Croatia, in 2022 — when he beat Alcaraz in the final. Novak Djokovic, who finally won a match on clay this year at the Geneva Open on Wednesday, will face Mackenzie McDonald of the United States in the first round. The 24-time Grand Slam singles champion won the Paris Olympics gold medal last August at Roland-Garros but has struggled on clay since then. Sinner could run into No. 5 seed Jack Draper in the quarterfinals, with other possible matchups featuring Alexander Zverev (3) vs. Djokovic (6), Taylor Fritz (4) vs. Lorenzo Musetti (8), and Alcaraz vs. Casper Ruud (7). In the women's draw, four-time champion Iga Swiatek is still searching for her best form. Advertisement She has dropped outside the top four and has not won a title or reached a final since her victory at Roland-Garros last year. Seeded No. 5 in Paris, Swiatek will open her campaign against Rebecca Sramkova, ranked No. 41. She could meet former U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu in the second round. 'I'm proud of my achievements here,' Swiatek said. 'I'm working hard to be ready. For sure this season had more ups and downs than the years before. But I know my game is here.' No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka faces Kamilla Rakhimova while No. 2 Coco Gauff will take on Olivia Gadecki. An interesting matchup will pit No. 10 Paula Badosa against four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka. The possible women's quarterfinals are Sabalenka against No. 8 Qinwen Zheng, last-year's runner-up Jasmine Paolini against Swiatek, Jessica Pegula (3) vs. Mirra Andreeva (6), and Gauff against Madison Keys (7) The French Open starts on Sunday and concludes on June 8. ___ AP tennis:
