Latest news with #Eurosport
Daily Mirror
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Novak Djokovic's extraordinary meltdown when tempers boiled over at French Open
Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic has been crowned champion at Roland Garros on three occasions, though his most recent success didn't come without an outburst Novak Djokovic couldn't keep a lid on his frustrations during the 2023 French Open final, furiously accusing an umpire of rushing him. The 24-time major winner had long failed to grasp glory at Roland Garros, but in 2016, he bested Andy Murray to complete a Career Grand Slam. Since then, the Serbian perennial champion has been victorious twice more on the clay of Paris and eased through an opening-round clash this time around against American Mackenzie McDonald in straight sets. He beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2021 to lift the title. And two years later, he breezed past Carlos Alcaraz en route to another final on Court Philippe Chatrier, where he'd face Casper Ruud. Although the match ended up being a rather straightforward affair, the first set frustrated Djokovic, whose temper boiled over during an altercation with umpire Damien Dumusois. Norwegian challenger Ruud broke Djokovic early, and in a tight opening set, he sat on a 5-6 lead with the battling Serb up to serve next. However, in what was a crucial game, Djokovic felt as though he was not being given an ample amount of time to changeover by umpire Dumusois. Djokovic asked: "Where is the rush? Why are you rushing?" He was serving to stay in the set for the second time, before Dumusois hit back and replied: "I'm not." "Wait for us to sit down and then call the score," continued the Serb, whose anger was clearly building. "Can you call the score when we come down or not? We're playing one hour and 10 minutes for one set, best-of-five Grand Slam on clay. I mean, you're rushing the score. There's 10 seconds left." The umpire swiftly replied: "You can see that I'm really trying to understand," but Djokovic interrupted, clarifying that he was unhappy with the time given to changeover. Icon Tim Henman was on commentary duty for Eurosport, and chimed in on the exchange, saying: "I think it has actually been an issue at the change of ends how quickly they have been having to change around, not just between points. They are both complaining about different things and the umpire has got his hands full!" Simon Reed also commented, adding: "I think he's hardly rushing Novak, to be honest, but Novak feels rushed. He is exerting a little bit of pressure on him. Casper is seemingly trying to put on the opposite pressure." Bickering then ceased, and while many may have thought such an altercation would bug Djokovic, it did not. Returning to the baseline, he held to force a tiebreak and ran away with that 7-1. After an hour and 21 minutes, the first set went in Djokovic's favour. What occurred next can only be described as pure dominance. Djokovic claimed the next set by a decisive 6-3 scoreline. The last set would mirror the first, but no tiebreak was necessary as the Serbian star won it 7-5 to be crowned French Open champion for a third time. With this victory, he surpassed the great Rafael Nadal with 23 Grand Slam titles, as the Spaniard sat on 22, and later retired in December 2024 with that same number to his name. Djokovic, on the other hand, would go on to win the US Open that year, bringing his major tally to an unfathomable 24, and added an Olympic gold medal to his mantlepiece the following year.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Germany's Degenkolb hopes to make cycling comeback in fall
German cyclist John Degenkolb from Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL takes part in the rider presentation, during the UCI WorldTour. Arne Dedert/dpa German cyclist John Degenkolb hopes to return to action at the end of the season after suffering multiple fractures in a heavy crash at the Tour of Flanders in April. "I fractured several bones in this crash, in my wrist, forearm, elbow and collarbone. Unfortunately, everything that could break, did break," the former Paris-Roubaix champion told broadcasters Eurosport. Advertisement Degenkolb was involved in a mass crash little over halfway through the 269 kilometres race in Belgium. The complexity of the injuries on his right side and the overall situation are more difficult than after the horrific accident in 2016, when he was hit by a car with a training group from his team in Spain. But the German is not thinking about retirement. "For me personally, it's very motivating that I never got to the point where I said: 'That's it.' It's my big goal, my big wish to race again. "Next year I will hopefully be at the starting line for the Paris-Roubaix again," he said. Degenkolb, 36, won Paris-Roubaix and Milan-Sanremo in 2015 and has stage wins at all three grand tours, the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana.
New York Times
3 days ago
- General
- New York Times
Juan Ayuso withdraws from Giro d'Italia after bee sting: ‘I can't see out my right eye'
Juan Ayuso has withdrawn from the Giro d'Italia after a bee sting left the 22-year-old struggling to see. 'Yesterday during the stage, I was stung by a wasp or a hornet, and people can see how my eye looks,' he told Eurosport ahead of Thursday's stage 18. 'I can't see out of my right eye. I'm here because I want to support the team. My team (UAE Team Emirates) told me not to start, but I wanted to at least try, to test myself in the first few kilometres.' Ayuso eventually pulled up and withdrew with around 110km remaining, having already been distanced by both the peloton and grupetto on the opening climb. Juan Ayuso abandona el Giro y se mete directo al coche del equipo.#GirodItalia — (@Eurosport_ES) May 29, 2025 The Spanish rider had also been suffering from a knee injury, having lost almost 50 minutes on the general classification (GC) over the past two days. This has been a chastening Giro for Ayuso, who entered the race with genuine hopes of overall victory — having told Spanish newspaper Marca that anything but a podium would be a disappointment. Advertisement After beating his rival GC contenders to win stage seven — a sharp climb to Tagliacozzo — Ayuso briefly appeared race favourite. However, Ayuso's 21-year-old teammate Isaac del Toro took the Maglia Rosa two days later, distancing his team leader on the white gravel roads of Tuscany. Ayuso needed three stitches on his knee after crashing, which he says has worsened throughout the race. The Spniard was definitely dropped by the peloton on the penultimate climb of stage 16, before riding with the grupetto the following day. Ayuso's withdrawal, given his injuries and lack of form over recent days, is unlikely to significantly affect Del Toro's chances of pink — the Mexican has strong climbing domestiques like Rafa Majka, Adam Yates, and American Brandon McNulty still in support. The Giro returns to the mountains on Friday, ahead of two decisive stages.
Indian Express
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
How does Alcaraz trap Sinner in the backhand corner? Like Nadal used to do against Federer
This weekend, after 20 years, Rafael Nadal wouldn't be competing for the French Open title. Novak Djokovic will be there, but in a way, he too isn't in the competition to take the Cup home. At 38, he looks too jaded, too uninspired to win five-setters on clay against Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, the 20-something stars ready to conquer the world. Generational shifts can take a toll on fans. It's tempting to get wistful about the end of tennis's golden age, entertain thoughts of staying aloof to the happenings at Roland Garros. It's also a guilt-ridden ordeal to switch loyalties, root for the new stars when the old ones are still around. But like market analysts love to say during every churn — it is always wise to stay invested. The new crowd-pullers, Alcaraz and Sinner are still works in progress but there is a bit of the Biggest 3 in the current Top 2. Watch Alcaraz, and Sinner carefully to stumble upon a few snatches of the incredible era that has just passed us. When the two face-off — like they did in the Italian Open this week and a repeat is expected this French Open — there is a whiff of those many iconic duels that divided the world that felt lucky to have lived in the Age of GOATs. Not full-length blockbusters to match the classics, but reels and shorts. At Rome where Alcaraz won 7-6, 6-1, there were those fleeting moments that reminded of the cat & mouse hustle of Federer vs Nadal vs Djokovic match days. Alcaraz beating Sinner on his home ground wasn't a match for ages. Historically, the Spaniard has the Italian's number, he mostly gets the better of him. But it is not to say Sinner didn't have a chance or that his straight sets loss didn't have intrigue or promise of a riveting rivalry in the future. Not quite the teaser, it was more of a prequel before the French Open. El vigente campeó n°1 de mundo. El reencuentro en #RolandGarros entre Alcaraz y Sinner. ¿Se verán por primera vez en una final de Grand Slam? 👀 — (@Eurosport_ES) May 23, 2025 Like it was on Italian clay last Sunday, when the two meet, rallies are expected to be on one side of the court – a series of backhand cross-courts by two hard-hitting right-handers stationed slightly on the left of the court. Both would try to press the other to hit a soft return probably around the mid-court so that they can unleash their big inside out forehand. Whoever manages to play percentage tennis – deep incisive shots on the rival's backhand – would be favourite to win. In Rome, Alcaraz did it and so he won. This trend was best captured by that one crucial point that decided the match. Sinner was a point away from taking the first set, he led 6-5, 40-30. This was the time when Alcaraz had to play percentage tennis and also be true to his Plan A. The Spaniard hit a near perfect top-spinner on the backhand that landed close to baseline and he stood waiting for a lame return, expecting a defensive shot in mid-court that he could destroy. Sinner thought of attacking the ball and opted for a very difficult backhand down-the-line, one-knee jump backhand pass. Glory or nothing. He missed the line by a distance. If it was not clay, had it not been Alcaraz, Sinner might have been able to pull off the tough shot. But not against Alcaraz, when he is landing the ball where he wants — deep in the backhand corner. This 'play' has history, it is part of a very important tennis culture. Like any self-respecting Spaniard, the boy from El Palmar who grew up on red-clay, banks on this heavy top-spin ball to pin his opponents on the baseline. It's Spain's national clay-tactic from the days of Sergi Bruguera and later mastered by the Clay King himself, Nadal. Alcaraz's spin on the ball is nowhere near Nadal's whiplash forehand that would send the ball in a crazy tizzy but he does get a mean bounce. Nadal re-romanticised Federer's famous single-handed backhand with this tactic. He exploited the limitation of one wrist, forearm and shoulder to control and impart power to high top-spinners. The Swiss champion would always find it tough to bring the ball down that never stopped climbing on him. Later in his rivalry with Nadal, he would opt for a racket with a larger frame as he wanted a bigger sweet spot. Tout le monde aurait perdu ce point Alcaraz a finalement écœuré Sinner — TennisTemple (@tennistemple) May 18, 2025 'Backhand heist' Alcaraz's 'backhand heist' against Sinner is slightly different. At Rome, he would reduce the pace of his shot but made it a point to play them deep on Sinner's left. Once in a while, he would even float a moon ball. Alcaraz knows that in case he engages Sinner in fast backhand cross court rallies, he could be blown away. The Italian has power and consistency. But hitting the ball in slow parabolas, he can possibly disturb Sinner's rhythm and force him to generate his own power. This results in unforced errors or feeble returns that can be despatched with ease. Hitting the ball consistently on the baseline has another advantage on clay. Since it's the court's most foot-stomped area, bounce also isn't consistent. There isn't an inch of clay court that the Spaniards don't know. What will always give Alcaraz an edge over Sinner on clay is his footwork and shot variety. The Spaniard has it in his tennis DNA to float around on clay, nor scamper around. He doesn't over-run the ball or stutter before hitting it. Sinner, on clay, does both at times. A problem that vanishes on hard courts. When in flow, Alcaraz makes his opponents look inadequate with his variety. The point with which he broke Sinner for the first tie in the second set showcased his arsenal. A flat hard first serve, few forehand cross courts, a moon ball on the backhand, deep slice on the forehand and finally the sucker punch. Having left the left side of the court vacant chasing the slice on the forehand, the Italian gets ready to sprint towards the backhand. Just as he takes off, Alcaraz, at the very last minute, decides to play his trademark audacious drop shot. The ball drops dead close to the net, Sinner deflates at the baseline. Mind you, the points won and lost at the Rome finals didn't end with full stops, it was a comma and they came with 'to be continued' post-script. Rome gave an idea about what Paris could be and how future Alcaraz-Sinner clay encounters would unfold. The French Open wouldn't be what it used to be. The page has turned, characters replaced, storyline changed but the play has a 'seen this before' feel. It's new wine, new bottle but there is a strange aftertaste that seems all too familiar.
Metro
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Metro
French Open 2025 full schedule: Order of play, dates, prize money and wildcards
French Open tennis is back for 2025 on Sunday as the world's best players fight it out to land a major title on the iconic clay courts in Paris. Carlos Alcaraz is aiming to defend his crown in the men's singles while Iga Swiatek is the current champion in the women's singles at Roland-Garros. The Grand Slam tournament is being shown live on a new TV channel in the United Kingdom for 2025, having previously been on Eurosport. Here's absolutely everything you need to know for the 2025 French Open including the full schedule, draw, order of play, dates and start times… The main draw for the 2025 French Open gets underway on May 25. It is set to finish on June 8, which is the date for the men's singles final. Singles play begins at 10am UK time every day until the semi-finals, with night sessions starting around 7.30pm UK time every day until the last four too. The singles draw for the 2025 French Open took place on May 22. Click here to find out who is playing who in the opening round. Before the main draw, there was a qualifying tournament for players ranked below the world top 104. French Open qualifying began on May 19. The men's and women's main draw each feature 128 singles players. The top 104 players automatically gain direct entry, with 16 qualifying spots up for grabs, which totals 120. There are then eight French Open wildcard spots up for grabs. The French Tennis Federation get to decide who will be picked as wildcards. More Trending This year, six spots have been handed to French players who did not automatically qualify – Lois Boisson, Elsa Jacquemot, Leolia Jeanjean, Chloe Paquet, Diane Parry and Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah. The French Tennis Federation have also handed spots to Australia's Destanee Aiava and the USA's Iva Jovic as per their reciprocal wildcard agreement with Tennis Australia and the United States Tennis Association. Men and women's singles – first round Men and women's singles – first round Men and women's singles – first round Men's doubles Men and women's singles – second round Mixed doubles – first round Men and women's singles – second round Men's doubles – second round Mixed doubles – first round Women's doubles – first round Men and women's singles – third round Men's doubles – second round Mixed doubles – second round Women's doubles – third round Men and women's singles – third round Men's doubles – third round Mixed doubles – second round Women's doubles – second round Men and women's singles – fourth round Men's doubles – third round Mixed doubles – third round Women's doubles – third round Men and women's singles – fourth round Men's doubles – quarter-finals Mixed doubles – third round Women's doubles – third round Men and women's singles – quarter-finals Men's doubles – quarter-finals Mixed doubles – third round Women's doubles – quarter-finals Wheelchair – first round Men and women's singles – quarter-finals Mixed doubles – semi-finals Women's doubles – quarter-finals Wheelchair – first and second round Women's singles – semi-finals Men's doubles – semi-finals Mixed doubles – final Wheelchair – second round and semi-finals Men's singles – semi-finals Women's doubles – semi-finals Wheelchair – semi-finals Women's singles – final Men's doubles – final Wheelchair – final Men's singles – final Women's doubles – final Men's singles – Carlos Alcaraz – Carlos Alcaraz Women's singles – Iga Świątek – Iga Świątek Men's doubles – Marcelo Arévalo and Mate Pavić – Marcelo Arévalo and Mate Pavić Women's doubles – Coco Gauff and Kateřina Siniaková – Coco Gauff and Kateřina Siniaková Mixed doubles – Laura Siegemund and Édouard Roger-Vasselin – Laura Siegemund and Édouard Roger-Vasselin Wheelchair men's singles – Tokito Oda – Tokito Oda Wheelchair women's singles – Diede de Groot – Diede de Groot Wheelchair quad singles – Guy Sasson – Guy Sasson Wheelchair men's doubles – Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid – Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid Wheelchair women's doubles – Diede de Groot and Aniek van Koot – Diede de Groot and Aniek van Koot Wheelchair quad doubles – Sam Schröder and Niels Vink – Sam Schröder and Niels Vink Boys' singles – Kaylan Bigun – Kaylan Bigun Girls' singles – Tereza Valentová – Tereza Valentová Boys' doubles – Budkov Kjær and Joel Schwärzler – Budkov Kjær and Joel Schwärzler Girls' doubles – Renáta Jamrichová and Tereza Valentová – Renáta Jamrichová and Tereza Valentová Wheelchair boys' singles – Maximilian Taucher – Maximilian Taucher Wheelchair girls' singles – Ksenia Chasteau – Ksenia Chasteau Wheelchair boys' doubles – Ruben Harris and Maximilian Taucher – Ruben Harris and Maximilian Taucher Wheelchair girls' doubles – Ksenia Chasteau and Maylee Phelps The total prize money for the 2025 French Open tennis tournament is up by 5.21 per cent from 2024 with a pot of €56,352,000 (£43.3m) up for grabs. In the men's singles and women's singles, prize money for each player will depend on how far they progress in Paris: Champion : €2,550,000 (£2.2m) : €2,550,000 (£2.2m) Runner-up : €1,275,000 (£1.1m) : €1,275,000 (£1.1m) Semi-finalist : €690,000 (£591,630) : €690,000 (£591,630) Quarter-finalist : €440,000 (£377,270) : €440,000 (£377,270) Round 4 : €265,000 (£227,220) : €265,000 (£227,220) Round 3 : €168,000 (£144,000) : €168,000 (£144,000) Round 2 : €117,000 (£100,300) : €117,000 (£100,300) Round 1: €78,000 (£67,000) For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: French Open 2025 odds: Carlos Alcaraz can fend off Jannik Sinner to successfully defend his Roland Garros crown MORE: Kevin De Bruyne can savour Manchester City send-off with goal against Bournemouth MORE: French Open 2025: Full schedule, dates, TV channel and how to watch from UK
