Latest news with #RotterdamOpen
New York Times
30-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Jannik Sinner: ‘Players looked at me differently' at Australian Open, considered ‘break' from tennis
Jannik Sinner said he 'didn't feel at ease' during the Australian Open in January and considered taking a break from tennis after he was sanctioned for two anti-doping violations. Sinner, men's world No 1, twice tested positive for banned anabolic steroid clostebol in March 2024. The Italian, who was found by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) to bear 'no fault or negligence' for the two violations, accepted a three-month ban in February after reaching a case resolution agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Advertisement Sinner opened his 2025 season by winning his second consecutive Australian Open title in January, defeating Alexander Zverev in straight sets in the final. In an interview with Italian broadcaster TG1, Sinner said he 'thought about taking some time off' after the Melbourne major and felt a shift in how he was perceived by his peers. 'I remember the Australian Open this year. I didn't really feel at ease in the locker room, in the player dining area,' said Sinner. 'There were some players that looked at me differently, and I didn't really like it. It's heavy, to live tennis this way — I was always someone who joked around, who went in the locker room talking with this person, that person, anyone — and at that time I was a different person, I didn't feel at ease. 'At that time I said to myself, maybe some time off after Australia, a break for a little bit, would do me good.' Sinner withdrew from the Rotterdam Open, the ATP 500 event in the Netherlands that takes place just over a week after the Australian Open final. At the time, he said he needed to give his body 'time to rest,' missing an event at which he was defending champion. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed the ITIA's finding in September and sought a period of ineligibility of at least a year, but later deemed a three-month ban an 'appropriate outcome.' Sinner was free to resume training from April 13, having parted ways with trainer Umberto Ferrara and physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi following the initial decision in his case. He is set to return to competition at the Italian Open in May. 'Sometimes it goes very well, at other times there is a drop and I don't know why,' he said about his level in training. 'I will be very happy to return to the match court, especially in Rome, a very special tournament for me … I miss competition.'
Sharjah 24
11-04-2025
- Sport
- Sharjah 24
Alcaraz advances to Monte Carlo semifinals
A tough battle on clay Alcaraz had to battle through a challenging three-set match, ultimately winning 4-6, 7-5, 6-4. The contest lasted two hours and 23 minutes, with the young Spaniard overcoming a spirited performance by Fils, who at 20 years old is just a year younger than Alcaraz. A tournament of redemption This marks Alcaraz's second appearance at the Monte Carlo tournament. He previously exited in the first round in 2022, making this run to the semifinals a significant improvement. Eyes on a sixth Masters 1000 title Now just two wins away from his sixth Masters 1000 title, Alcaraz hopes to build momentum and leave behind what has been a slow season so far. His only title in 2024 came on hard courts at the Rotterdam Open two months ago.
Forbes
03-04-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Alcaraz and Zverev Haven't Made Hay While Jannik Sinner Has Been Away
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 26: Jannik Sinner (R) of Italy consoles Alexander Zverev (L) of ... More Germany at the Men's Singles trophy presentation following the Men's Singles final during day 15 of the 2025 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 26, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by) When Jannik Sinner returns to tennis in the Italian capital at the Masters 1000 event after his three-month doping suspension ends on May 4, he will still be at the top of the rankings. Having time off, however unplanned, can make the best player in the world look even better than the rest. Sinner's suspension was the result of a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency in February over his two positive drug tests at Indian Wells on March 10 last year and then out of competition eight days later. WADA had originally aimed for a two-year suspension for the World No. 1 but accepted that the player 'did not intend to cheat' and that the substance offered no performance-enhancing benefit. There were cries of a rotten system and in its recent lawsuit against the tennis authorities, the PTPA has belittled the current system as unfit for purpose. The net result is that the 23-year-old is free to return to the ATP tour on his own patch in a month. The Italian's absence presented his nearest rivals with a real chance to close the gap numerically and mentally. It's safe to say they have failed on both counts. Carlos Alcaraz won the Rotterdam Open on the same day Sinner's ban commenced and looked set to stack up some much-needed ground on his follow Next Gen graduate. Alcaraz and Sinner look destined to dominate the Slams, having shared the last five between them. However, after losing to Jiri Lehecka in Qatar, Alcaraz hit a roadblock at the Sunshine Double. He lost to Jack Draper in the semi-finals at Indian Wells and then fell to Belgian veteran David Goffin in Miami. The resounding parting shot was not the defeats, but the 21-year-old's admittance that he was mentally wounded and genuinely more worried about the opponent (Draper) than his own game. Novak Djokovic was making good sounds and good points in Miami all the way up to the final when he succumbed to a man almost half his age in Jakub Mensik. The 37-year-old was gracious in defeat and as competitive as he could be on the court when fighting an eye infection and the long haul wait for that 100th title. His resigned air in the press conference felt like a man who had too much to juggle to cross over the line first. Djokovic is only interested in the Slams number now. It was progress at least. It was the same story last fall at Shanghai when Sinner beat Djokovic for the fourth time in the last five meetings. 'I think I played some really good tennis. Obviously congratulations to Jannik, he was just too good today, too strong, too fast,' said the 24-time Slam winner in the post-match comments. Add to that consistency. If ever there was a metronome of equanimity in shot-making and mental approach, the baton has passed from the Serb to the Italian. His level rarely drops as he demonstrated in the Australian Open, going virtually unthreatened at the business end of the tournament by winning the last 11 sets. Alexander Zverev, the beaten finalist at Melbourne can win Masters events but the big ones are too big for him at the business end. In the emotion of his defeat on Rod Laver Court, the German openly admitted that he wasn't good enough to win in Australia - or Wimbledon, New York and Paris by extension. While Sinner graciously and genuinely comforted him at the time, there is no escaping the fact that the 27-year-old has demons that will be difficult to dismantle after three Slam final defeats. Zverev lost to Tallon Griekspoor at Indian Wells as the top seed. The Dutchman hadn't beaten a top-five player in 18 previous attempts. At Miami, the German was downed by Arthur Fils who also psyched him out in a fiery Hamburg Open final last year. Zverev has admitted that there are problems 'with a bit of everything' in his game currently. The Italian is not one to savour other's misfortune, but the path to a big Slam number is opening up. Now that Daniil Medvedev has dropped out of the current top 10 rankings, there are seven players in there who have never won a singles major. The clay is not his best surface, having never won a major ranking event on the red dust. Where there's work to be done, Sinner will do the hard yards. Statistically, Sinner has a huge 2,685 ranking points lead over Alexander Zverev, while Alcaraz is 3,610 points behind. The forthcoming Monte Carlo Masters and the subsequent Madrid Open get the clay court swing underway with a combined 2000 points up for grabs for the winner. Alcaraz and Zverev have won the latter twice, but never the former. BEIJING, CHINA - OCTOBER 02: Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Jannik Sinner of Italy poses with the ... More winners trophy after the Men's Singles Finals match on Day 10 of the China Open at National Tennis Center on October 02, 2024 in Beijing, China. (Photo by) As for the doping furore, Jannik Sinner's sanctuary has been the tennis court and there is no reason to believe that he won't be as effective when the return to action happens. 'Rome wasn't built in a day' reads the famous proverb. The groundstrokes and groundwork were years in the making.
CBC
01-03-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Auger-Aliassime falls short of 3rd title in 2025 with loss to Tsitsipas in Dubai final
Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime fell short in earning a third ATP Tour title in 2025 on Saturday, losing 6-3, 6-3 to Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Dubai Tennis Championships final. The Montreal native was ahead 3-2 in the opening set, but the turning point came in the seventh game when Tsitsipas won five straight points from 40/0 to break Auger-Aliassime's serve and run away with the first set. In the second set, Auger-Aliassime saved two break points in the third game, but was unable to convert the three he created. After tying it at 3-3, he surrendered the final three games to Tsitsipas. Auger-Aliassime falls short of 3rd straight ATP Tour tournament title, defeated by Tsitsipas 56 minutes ago Duration 2:57 "Tonight wasn't meant to be for me but that's congrats to Stefanos and his team, it's well deserved," Auger-Aliassime said post-match. "Big tournament, great level today, you know we've known each other for a long time and tonight you played at a very high level. "I'll push to get better and hopefully we'll have more chances to play more finals in the future." The 24-year-old Auger-Aliassime, the world No. 21, had four aces to two double faults and won 71 per cent of his first-serve points. He failed to break on all seven of his chances. Tsitsipas, the world No. 11, had four aces and four doubles along with winning 83 per cent of his first-serve points. The 26-year-old converted on 3-of-6 break point opportunities. Auger-Aliassime and Tsitsipas had met nine times before Saturday's final, with Tsitsipas leading 6-3. Tsitsipas triumphed in their most recent meeting, the second round of the 2023 Paris Masters. Prior to that, Auger-Aliassime claimed his first ATP Tour singles title by defeating Tsitsipas in straight sets in the 2022 Rotterdam Open final
NBC Sports
20-02-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Carlos Alcaraz stunned by Jiri Lehecka in Qatar Open quarterfinals
DOHA, Qatar — Top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz lost for just the second time this year when 25th-ranked Jiri Lehecka beat him 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open. Alcaraz's only other defeat in 2025 was to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open quarterfinals. The 21-year-old Spaniard, ranked No. 3, won the Rotterdam Open. The 23-year-old Lehecka, who is from the Czech Republic, next will face either eighth-seeded Jack Draper or Matteo Berrettini. 'The match was up and down since the beginning,' Lehecka said after beating Alcaraz. 'So for me to win a match like that against a player like this is a super big achievement. I believed in myself. I knew that I had the level to produce that kind of tennis. 'I didn't back down,' he continued. 'I wanted to push him to his limits. The way I trusted my game was the key today.' Fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev saved one match point and needed eight of his own to subdue second-seeded Alex de Minaur 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (8). Rublev reached his fourth semifinals in Doha, where he won the title in 2020. He'll next face Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime, who beat Daniil Medvedev when the Russian retired after losing the first set 6-3. 'Unfortunately, I had food poisoning. Very disappointed to end my run here in Doha like this as I feel like I was playing well,' Medvedev said in a statement. Auger-Aliassime said on court he thought Medvedev was 'playing normal' until he retired. 'And then I broke, I held my serve. And he just told (the umpire) that he didn't want to shake our hands because he was sick. I hope it's nothing too bad. I was surprised,' the Canadian said.
