Page 27 - Tennis

Canadian Open: Novak Djokovic opts for rest after Wimbledon final defeat

Novak Djokovic withdrew from the National Bank Open, opting for additional rest after his loss to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final. Tennis Canada announced on Sunday that Djokovic pulled out of the only Canadian stop on the ATP Tour schedule due to fatigue. The 36-year-old, 23-time Grand Slam champion was set to begin his hard-court preparations for the U.S. Open after falling to the top-ranked Alcaraz last Sunday in a five-set final at Wimbledon. I have always enjoyed my time in Canada but after speaking with my team, we believe this is the right decision to take, said Djokovic, who has won the National Bank Open four times. I would like to thank Karl Hale, the tournament director, for understanding this decision. I really hope I can return to Canada and Toronto in the coming years to play in front of great fans there. American Christopher Eubanks will gain automatic entry into the main draw as Djokovic's replacement. Eubanks is fresh off a surprising quarterfinal run at ...

Sumit Nagal wins Tampere Open title, grabs 4th career Challenger trophy

Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal beat Dalibor Svrcina of the Czech Republic in straight sets to clinch the Tampere Open title here. Nagal beat Svrcina 6-4 7-5 to emerge victorious. It happens to be Nagal's fourth ATP Challenger title in five outings, with this being his second crown this year, having won the Garden Open in Rome in April. Nagal was off to a wobbly start to the match, losing his first serve game as Svrcina raced to a 3-0 lead and extended it to 4-1. However, the Indian immediately regained his composure and broke back successively on three instances to send the Czech onto the backfoot, as the seventh-seeded Indian seized the opening set 6-4, thanks to some great play from the baseline. Having shown composure in the latter stages of the opening set, Nagal started positively in the following set and broke Svrcina to race to a 4-1 lead. However, the fifth-seed Czech used his smartness and instantly broke back to have things back on serve. Regardless, the break wasn't

Alcaraz wins first match since Wimbledon triumph with win at Hopman Cup

Top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz won his first match since clinching a dramatic Wimbledon final by rallying to beat David Goffin of Belgium 4-6, 6-4, 10-8 in the Hopman Cup. The Spaniard, who beat 23-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic in a five-set Wimbledon thriller last Sunday, had three aces in a match where each player dropped serve twice. The exhibition event is at the Nice Lawn Club in southern France, with mixed teams representing their nation in singles and doubles. Alcaraz was playing later Friday in doubles alongside Rebeka Masarova against Belgian pair Goffin and Elise Mertens. Alcaraz is back in action on Saturday when he takes on No. 15-ranked Borna Coric of Croatia in singles, then teams in doubles against Coric and Donna Vekic. The final is schedule for Sunday.

Djokovic rues his missed chances after losing Wimbledon final in 5 sets

Regrets? Novak Djokovic has two. There was that tiebreaker pretty early in the Wimbledon final on Sunday, when the 36-year-old Serb was one point from taking a two-sets-to-none lead over his 20-year-old opponent, Carlos Alcaraz. And then there was that missed volley on break point early in the fifth set with all the momentum at that stage going the seven-time Wimbledon champion's way. "Some regrets," Djokovic said after losing 1-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 in a high-energy and highly entertaining championship match on Centre Court. "I had my chances. I think I could have closed out that second-set tiebreaker better. But credit to him for fighting and showing some incredible defensive skills, passing shots that got him the break in the fifth. He was a deserved winner today, no doubt. Djokovic has been a deserved winner on so many occasions in the past. Seven times right here at the All England Club, where he was one victory from matching Roger Federer with a men's record eight title

Sachin to Smith: Cricket fraternity lauds Alcaraz for 1st Wimbledon title

Legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar lauded the "next superstar of tennis" Alcaraz for his victory and lauded both players for their performances.

Carlos Alcaraz, new Wimbledon champion after 4.4 hours battle vs Djokovic

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz beat defending champions Novak Djokovic 1-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 in over four hours of epic battle in five sets in the men's singles final in Wimbledon 2023

Wimbledon 2023: Djokovic vs Alcaraz live match time, streaming in India

For the first time, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will be up against each other in the final of an event. The Serb will be chasing a record 8th Wimbledon and 24th Grand Slam title

Wimbledon: Vondrousova becomes 1st unseeded women's champion in open era

Wimbledon 2023: Marketa Vondrousovsa defeated Ons Jabauer in the Women's Singles final in straight sets 6-4, 6-4

Wimbledon: Carlos Alcaraz will face Novak Djokovic in a final for the ages

Novak Djokovic paid quite a compliment to Carlos Alcaraz. Before they'll face each other in the Wimbledon final on Sunday, Djokovic was asked to size up Alcaraz and he compared the kid to himself. Pretty good company. "He's been incredibly successful in adapting to the surfaces and (to the) demands and challenges of opponents on a given day," Djokovic said. "I see this as a great trait, as a great virtue. I see this as one of my biggest strengths throughout my career, that I was able to constantly develop, adapt and adjust my game, depending on the challenges, basically. That's what he's doing very early on in his career." And Alcaraz's assessment of Djokovic? "He has no weakness. He's a really complete guy, really complete player. He's amazing. He does nothing wrong on the court," Alcaraz said. "Physically he's a beast. Mentally he's a beast. Everything is unbelievable for him." The matchup on Centre Court at the All England Club to close the fortnight is absolutely the one b

Wimbledon: Jabeur vs Sabalenka & Svitolina vs Vondrousova in Women's semis

Aryna Sabalenka could tell before Wimbledon even started that Ons Jabeur would be one of the women to beat at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament. And now the second-seeded Sabalenka awaits a matchup against the No. 6-seeded Jabeur in the semifinals on Thursday. Actually we practiced here before Wimbledon, Sabalenka said of Jabeur. I felt like she's going to do well here because she played unbelievable tennis on the practice court. ... We always had tough battles against each other, very close matches. I'm really looking forward for this great battle. Sabalenka has been the most consistent performer in Grand Slams this year, winning the Australian Open and reaching the semifinals at the French Open before her run to the last four at the All England Club, where she beat Madison Keys in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Jabeur, meanwhile, is looking for her first major title after losing in the U.S. Open final last year. She came from a set down to beat defending champion Elena Rybak

Did Alcaraz's father film Djokovic during practice at Wimbledon 2023?

Someone apparently saw Carlos Alcaraz's dad filming Novak Djokovic during practice at Wimbledon. So Alcaraz was asked if that did, indeed, happen and he said he wouldn't be surprised if it did. That's because Alcaraz's father is a big fan of tennis. Spends all day at the All England Club, even, watching plenty of players other than the No. 1-ranked 20-year-old known as Carlitos. Dad keeps an eye on matches. On practices, too. And so, sure, maybe he pulled out his phone and snapped some video of Djokovic, the son said. To be able to watch Djokovic in real life, yeah, probably it is true he'd film the sessions, Alcaraz said. The practice courts at Wimbledon are accessible to reporters and a limited number of fans, who often line up to watch the sport's biggest names during their sessions and then record some footage as a keepsake. Players practice on adjacent courts that have no walls or barriers between them, so they can keep tabs on each other, too. If Alcaraz beats Daniil Medve

Wimbledon Day 10: Medvedev wins thriller, Alcaraz easy one to reach last 4

Wimbledon 2023: Danil Medvedev came from being 1-2 down to first win a tie-breaker in the fourth set and then the match 3-2 to reach his first-ever Wimbledon semi-final

Wimbledon: Bopanna-Ebden come from behind to reach Men's Doubles semis

Wimbledon 2023: India's Rohan Bopann and his Australian partner Matthew Ebden came from being 0-1 down to win back-to-back sets and reach their first-ever Grand Slam semis together

Wimbledon: Jabeur avenges 2022 final loss against defending champ Rybakina

Wimbledon 2023: With Ons Jabeur's victory over Elena Rybakina, the lineup for the Women's Singles semi-final is complete

Wimbledon 2023: Alcaraz faces old pal Rune for a spot in the semifinals

Carlos Alcaraz needs to beat old pal Holger Rune to stay on course for a potential Wimbledon showdown with Novak Djokovic. No. 1 Alcaraz and No. 6 Rune will square off Wednesday on Centre Court for a spot in the semifinals. They go way back OK, not that far back, they're both just 20, after all. Rune is six days older than the Spaniard. It's the first time since 2004 that more than one player under 21 has reached the quarterfinals at the All England Club. Rune, who is from Denmark, lost in the first round last year in his Wimbledon debut. He's been a two-time quarterfinalist at the French Open. They are 1-1 head to head. Rune acknowledged that he peeked ahead to this matchup when the draw came out. He recalled a time playing doubles with Alcaraz as kids. It's funny ... because obviously we're two singles players, I would call us, Rune said. "When a singles player plays doubles, they want to cover the court by themselves. We both try and did that a little bit, which is fun. Again

Old guns blazing: Bopanna-Ebden enter last 8 of Wimbledon Men's Doubles

Rohan Bopanna kept alive the Indian contention at Wimbledon after the 43-year-old and his 36-year-old Aussie partner Matthew Ebden defeated the pairing of Dutchman David Pel and USA's Reese Stalder

Wimbledon: Elina Svitolina of Ukraine upsets world number one Iga Swiatek

Ukraine's Elina Svitolina has caused the biggest upset of Wimbledon as she took out world number and top-seed Iga Swaitek in the Women's Singles quarter-final

Novak Djokovic wants Wimbledon to start matches earlier at Centre Court

Novak Djokovic is a bit tired of not getting on Centre Court at Wimbledon until nearly 9 p.m. The waiting. The uncertainty. The rushing to try to finish matches by the 11 p.m. local curfew or the annoyance at having to stop midway through a contest and wait until the following day to resume. He offered a solution Monday afternoon after winning his 32nd consecutive match in the grass-court tournament by wrapping up a 7-6 (6), 7-6 (6), 5-7, 6-4 victory over Hubert Hurkacz that began Sunday evening but was halted after two sets: Start play in the All England Club's main stadium earlier than 1:30 p.m. Maybe at noon, say. It would make a difference, said Djokovic, who is now into the quarterfinals and three wins away from what would be a fifth championship in a row at Wimbledon, an eighth overall at the place and a 24th career Grand Slam title. There are different ways that I'm sure they will address this issue, said Djokovic, whose shoes are stamped with the number 23, a reference to h

Wimbledon 2023: Carlos Alcaraz to face Holgar Rune in quarterfinals

Rune booked a place in the last 8 after he defeated Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov 3-6 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-4) 6-3

Wimbledon Day 8: Eubanks upsets Tsitsipas; Djokovic, Medvedev reach last 8

It has so far been an entertaining day of Tennis at Wimbledon on the eighth day as United States' Christopher Eubanks has continued his dream run to reach the last eight