Page 2 - Tennis

Defending champion Swiatek, world No. 2 Rybakina crash out of Wimbledon

Defending champion Iga Swiatek was knocked out by 21-year-old Alexandra Eala, who scripted the biggest win of her career with a 7-6 (9), 6-2 victory on Centre Court

ATP faces backlash as doubles players oppose prize money cut proposal

Doubles players fear for their tennis future after being told by the ATP Tour that prize money and tournament sizes will decrease significantly starting in 2028. A group of leading doubles players issued a statement Friday saying they are not "a carnival sideshow", and that it will be impossible for anyone outside the top 30 in the ATP doubles rankings to make a living if the new proposals are adopted. The statement comes after doubles players met with ATP officials at Wimbledon this week to discuss the future of a format that is struggling to draw an audience. "The ATP is proposing to slash doubles draws, gut doubles prize money, and hand Challenger entry to singles players ahead of specialists who have built their careers in this discipline," the players' statement said. They said the proposal would give doubles players just 10 percent of the prize money at ATP tournaments - down from 20 percent - while halving the size of the doubles fields. At the premier Masters tournaments,

Wimbledon's £64.2 mn prize fund tests its tradition-first business model

The men's and women's singles champions of Wimbledon 2026 will each receive £3.6 million (about $4.93 million), while first-round losers are guaranteed £80,000 (about $109,600)

The Wimbledon Debenture: A front-row seat and a winning investment

Each Debenture provides the holder a premium seat on Centre Court or No.1 Court for The Championships for five years, along with the use of exclusive restaurants and bars.

Serena Williams' return headlines Wimbledon as demand soars for seats

Anticipation is building at Wimbledon for Serena Williams' first singles match in nearly four years. The 44-year-old Williams is scheduled to play an opponent less than half her age, 20-year-old Maya Joint of Australia, in the third match Tuesday on Centre Court - the patch of grass where the American standout won seven of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles. "I think everyone's feeling the same way: Cannot wait to be watching Serena back on Centre Court again," Sally Bolton, the chief executive of the All England Club, said Monday. Wimbledon organizers took the unusual step of holding up an eighth and final wild card spot for Williams until she accepted the invitation at almost the last possible moment the weekend before qualifying began. "We were all sitting there sort of quietly keeping our fingers crossed that that's what would happen," Bolton said when asked by The Associated Press how anxious the club was while Williams pondered her decision. "She is such an icon of the sport a

Asics, Rohan Bopanna academy join hands to nurture young tennis players

The partnership will provide product access, performance education, clinics, masterclasses and support to tennis professionals at Rohan Bopanna Tennis Academy (RBTA)

Serena Williams to make stunning Wimbledon singles return aged 44

It's been talked about ever since Serena Williams announced nearly three weeks ago that she was returning to professional tennis after almost four years away from the sport. Still, seeing the single-sentence announcement from The All England Club that the 23-time Grand Slam champion will play singles at Wimbledon was stunning nonetheless. "Serena Williams (USA) receives the final ladies' singles wild card," read the key line in Sunday's announcement, which was issued eight days before the grass-court Grand Slam begins. At 44, Williams will actually play both singles and doubles at Wimbledon after already accepting a wild card for the doubles competition with older sister Venus. "This is not a drill," Wimbledon said on its social media accounts Sunday. Commented the WTA Tour, "Name a more iconic returnwe'll wait." Wimbledon held open the eighth and final women's singles wild card spot until Williams made up her mind. As recently as earlier this week after losing a doubles match in

French Open 2026: Alexander Zverev secures first Grand Slam crown

Alexander Zverev is no longer one of the best players never to win a major title. He's finally a Grand Slam champion. In his fourth major final, Zverev beat Flavio Coboll 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-1 for the French Open title on Sunday. It was a unique opportunity for Zverev without Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz across the net and the third-ranked German took full advantage on the red clay of Roland Garros. When Cobolli missed an overhead on the second championship point after more than four hours of the five-set encounter, Zverev dropped on his back to the clay and covered his face with his hands as he began sobbing. When he got up, with his shirt and arms covered in clay, Zverev put his hands back on his face before he lifted both arms in celebration. Zverev has now joined an elite group of players that captured their first major in their fourth final: Eight-time major champion Andre Agassi, 2001 Wimbledon winner Goran Ivanisevic and 2020 U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem. No

19-year-old Mirra Andreeva claims first Grand Slam with French Open triumph

Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva was already a tennis phenom at age 15. At 19, she's a Grand Slam champion. The eighth-ranked Andreeva ended the run of 114th-ranked Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska by 6-3, 6-2 in the French Open final on Saturday. Andreeva became the youngest player to win the women's singles title since Monica Seles, who was 18 when she landed her third straight French Open in 1992. "You're so young and talented. It's so annoying," Chwalinska told Andreeva during the awards ceremony. When Andreeva executed a backhand cross-court winner on her first match point, she threw her racket into the air and dropped on her knees to the clay to celebrate. During the trophy presentation, Andreeva took the unusual step of thanking herself "for believing in myself, always giving my 100%, even when it's tough, trying every day to be better as a person and as a player, believing that I can do this, fighting so many demons inside of me. "Only I know how tough it was for me," And

French Open: World number 1 Aryna Sabalenka knocked out by Schnaider

Shnaider recovered from a set down to defeat Sabalenka 3-6, 7-5, 6-0, ending the Belarusian's hopes of improving on last year's runner-up finish at Roland Garros.

Kalinskaya outlasts Potapova in epic contest to reach French Open 2026 Q/F

Anna Kalinskaya of Russia made it to the quarterfinals of the French Open for the first time by defeating Anastasia Potapova of Austria 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (10-7) on Monday. Their contest on Court Suzanne-Lenglen stretched to almost three hours after Potapova failed to serve out the match twice in the decider and Kalinskaya overturned a 4-1 deficit in the super tiebreak. It will be 22nd-ranked Kalinskaya's second quarterfinal at a major after she advanced that deep at the 2024 Australian Open. Despite pre-tournament men's favorite Jannik Sinner losing in the second round, Italian fans will have at least one player in the quarterfinals. Tenth-seeded Flavio Cobolli advanced to the second Grand Slam quarterfinal of his career - and also his first here - after beating American Zachary Svajda 6-2, 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (5). His next opponent will be the winner of a fourth-round match later Monday between No. 4 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and unseeded Alejandro Tabilo. Big-serving Matteo Berretti

Serena Williams makes long-awaited tennis return at 44 after retirement

- Serena Williams is coming back to professional tennis at the age of 44, returning to the sport she dominated for two decades before famously "evolving" away from the daily grind of competition. First up for the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion is the doubles tournament at Queen's Club. But Wimbledon and the U.S. Open could be next. "It seems like she's trying to work her way up maybe to the U.S. Open, and those fans would be so ready to see her back on a singles court there," former No. 1 Lindsay Davenport said at the French Open after the WTA Tour announced Monday that Williams has accepted a wild-card invitation to play doubles at next week's grass-court tournament in London. Williams won seven Wimbledon titles and six at the U.S. Open before stepping away from the game in 2022. In doubles, she won six titles at Wimbledon and two at the U.S. Open - all with her older sister Venus Williams. "She's a legend. It's inspiring to see," top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka said. "I'm excited

French Open 2026 May 31 Matches: Zverev, Swiatek look to secure Q/F berths

Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud headline the French Open 2026 Day 8 schedule, with both players aiming to maintain their title challenge

Gauff's French Open title defense ends in 3rd-round loss, Osaka through

Coco Gauff finally met a player in Paris who could match her court coverage in long baseline rallies. Anastasia Potapova ended Gauff's French Open title defense in the third round with a 4-6, 7-6 (1), 6-4 victory over the American on Saturday. The match was played before mostly empty stands inside Court Philippe-Chatrier as French fans stayed away to watch the Champions League soccer final. Gauff's second Grand Slam title came with a victory over top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in the final at Roland Garros a year ago. The 30th-ranked Potapova, who was born in Russia but now represents Austria, improved to 3-2 in her career against Gauff. She's having quite a clay season after reaching a final in Linz, Austria, and the semifinals of the Madrid Open as a qualifier. The fourth-ranked Gauff was coming off a run to the Italian Open final. She waved to the crowd and quickly walked off court when the match was finished. When Gauff shanked a forehand wide on Potapova's first match point, Pot

French Open 2026 May 25 Matches: Sabalenka, Sinner continue Round 3 action

The women's singles draw at the French Open 2026 promises an exciting day of third-round action, with several leading contenders looking to book their spots in the last 16

Fonseca shocks Djokovic, ensuring first-time men's French Open champion

There will be a new men's champion at the French Open after Novak Djokovic followed Jannik Sinner out of Roland Garros in a five-set stunner on Friday. Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca beat 24-time major winner Djokovic 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 in the third round to follow Thursday's huge upset, when No. 1 Sinner - last year's runner-up lost to 56th-ranked Juan Manuel Cerundolo. "Ten minutes after the match I could realize a little bit what I did, what I achieved," the 19-year-old Fonseca said. "How difficult it was and how amazing it was for me." Djokovic's latest quest for a record 25th Grand Slam singles title was ended and it was just the second time he lost from two sets up, the other also coming in Paris in 2010. Along with Daniil Medvedev, Marin Cilic and Stan Wawrinka, all the men's major winners are out, thus guaranteeing that a new pair of hands will raise the Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy aloft on June 7 on Court Philippe-Chatrier. "Of course, Jannik and Djokovic out, ..

French Open 2026 May 29 matches: Swiatek, Djokovic headline Round 3 action

Later in the evening session, world No. 2 Alexander Zverev will go head-to-head with Frenchman Quentin Halys.

French Open 2026: World no. 1 Sinner knocked out by Cerundolo in 2nd round

Losing 6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 1-6, 1-6 on the day, Jannik was one game away from a straight sets win but eventually pulled something in his leg that halted the game with him receiving treatment.

French Open 2026 May 28 matches: Sabalenka, Sinner headline Round 2 action

Jannik Sinner will kick off the day session against Argentina's Juan Manuel Cerundolo, while women's top seed Aryna Sabalenka takes on French player Elsa Jacquemot later in the day.

Coco Gauff involved in 'mini car accident' on her way to French Open match

Coco Gauff was involved in a car accident on the way to Roland Garros for the first match of her French Open title defense. She did not appear injured. "We got in a mini car accident on my way to the site today," Gauff told TNT Sports with a laugh. "We ran into a (pole). You felt a little impact. I spilled my juice all over the car. "The car was not drivable. So we ended up taking a taxi," Gauff added after beating fellow American Taylor Townsend 6-4, 6-0. Gauff started her match earlier than expected when there was a retirement in another match on Court Philippe-Chatrier. "And then right before I went onto court, my dress got stuck, so my physio was in the bathroom trying to help me take it off," Gauff said. "It was an eventful day. But I feel like whenever that happens, it lets you not think about the match too match. I'm just happy to be here in one piece." Gauff beat Aryna Sabalenka in last year's title match in Paris.