Tag

Carlos Alcaraz

Browsing

Serbia’s legendary tennis star Novak Djokovic has stated that Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz reminds him of former world number one Rafael Nadal.

The 21-year-old is already regarded as one of the best players currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category along with the likes of Italy’s Jannik Sinner.

Djokovic, who is currently taking part in the ongoing Australian Open, was asked by the media about the possibility of facing the reigning world number three in the quarterfinal of the first Grand Slam of the year. In response to that, the former world number highlighted that seeing the young Spaniard play reminds him of the legendary tennis star Nadal who recently retired from the sport after winning 22 Grand Slam titles.

Novak Djokovic reveals wish for his rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz

READ: Djokovic: “In that Melbourne hotel they gave me food that poisoned me”

“I mean, it’s quite far to talk about potential matchup against him in quarters,” he said. “But just overall, you know, he brings so much energy and intensity on the court. From that perspective, reminds me a lot of Rafa. Just such a complete player. He can hurt you from anywhere on any court on any surface. He has shown that. His versatility is amazing. That he was able at such a young age to reach that level of tennis and I think mental maturity on the court, which is impressive. Makes him one of the best players in the world the last three, four years, without a doubt. He’s winning slams every year now consecutively for few years in a row. I’m sure that he’s not going to stop here. We’re going to see Carlos many years to follow.”

Djokovic registered his place in the second round after beating America’s Nishesh Basavareddy with a score of 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. The contest lasted more than three hours. On the other hand, Alcaraz secured his spot in the round of 64 after beating Alexander Shevchenko in straight sets with a score of 6-1, 7-5, 6-1.

With the Billie Jean King Cup Finals and Davis Cup Finals sharing a site in Malaga, the top ATP and WTA names who are involved mingle amongst each other and that was the case with Emma Raducanu as well as Carlos Alcaraz.

Raducanu is currently playing against Rebecca Marino in the first singles rubber of the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Quarter-Finals and is as of time of writing 4-0 up. Leylah Fernandez faces off against Katie Boulter in the second singles match afterwards but it seems that Raducanu is putting the country in the box seat.
She also looked happy as she was throwing an american football with her team with a jovial Carlos Alcaraz watching on. But as a social media user pointed out, it does nothing but add fuel to the fictional stories that circulate online. He was bizarrely asked at Wimbledon after the final about Raducanu attending.
Emma Raducanu Carlos Alcaraz

JUST IN: ‘They Still Think It Was a Fluke’ – Venus Williams Boldly Confronts Unfortunate Misconceptions About Her and Serena Williams

“I don’t know, I don’t know. I think a lot of people came to see the final,’ he said. ‘I think Novak and I always put on a good game, a show on the court. I think it is a beautiful game to watch.
“And she is from here, so I imagine that she wanted to come and see it. If there was a Grand Slam in Murcia [his home town] I would 100 per cent go to the final, even if I wasn’t playing. I don’t know if she came to the finals or if she came to see me. Who knows? You have to ask her, but I hope she enjoyed the final.”
Often in the past social media users in the tennis space have created fake quotes about Alcaraz saying he is in a relationship with Raducanu that often fool others. They have occasionally gone viral and also saw Raducanu barraged with comments about when her and Carlos are going public.
With this image now circulating, social media was very much fearing another situation similar to this. After his ATP Finals ended amid illness and a swift exit in Round Robin, Alcaraz now has more pressure. He faces Netherlands with Spain in the Davis Cup Finals in Rafael Nadal’s farewell.

Pablo Carreno Busta believes it is too early to assume Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will “reign for the next 20 years” as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic did. 

The former world No 10 declared he does not think the future will belong only to Alcaraz and Sinner and argued other players will “make things difficult for them.”

Alcaraz and Sinner are the two leading stars of their generation and they have split the four Grand Slam titles between them this year.

Branded to Be the Next Fedal”: Novak Djokovic Supporter Targets Rivals'  Fans Again for Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz Injuries - The SportsRush

JUST IN: Jannik Sinner overtakes Novak Djokovic with impressive statistic as he sets up Carlos Alcaraz showdown

Sinner won his maiden major at the 2024 Australian Open before adding the US Open crown, while Alcaraz secured the French Open and Wimbledon titles to take his Grand Slam tally to four.

The duo are the only ATP players born after 1996 to win a Grand Slam title, with 2021 US Open winner Daniil Medvedev, who is 28, is the next-youngest major champion in men’s tennis.

Some analysts expect Alcaraz and Sinner, who are 21 and 23 respectively, to form a ‘Big Two’ in men’s tennis and dominate the sport in a similar way to that of the ‘Big Three’ of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.

In an interview with Punto de Break, Carreno Busta argued it is premature to suggest Alcaraz and Sinner will be unstoppable forces for the next two decades.

“They are still very young, both Sinner and Carlos,” said the Spaniard. “It is clear that they are very good, but we already assume that they will reign for the next 20 years as Roger, Rafa and Novak did.

“Many things can happen, it is not easy to maintain the level of demand for so long, or the level of success to share the four Grand Slams, as has happened this year.

“New people can also come, another very good player can appear who is four years younger than Carlos, for example.

“I do not think that the future belongs only to these two players, others will come who will make things difficult for them, but it does look like these two are going to be there for many years.”

Carreno Busta, who missed large periods of the last two years due to injury, also spoke about what changed on the ATP Tour during his absence.

“Sinner has improved a lot, Carlos has consolidated himself, Novak finds it a bit more difficult to win… but I have noticed the big difference in the rest of the players, especially in the top 20 and below,” he assessed.

“Players who were good when I left, but were in the top 60 and top 80; now they are already in the top 30.

“Arthur Fils, Alexei Popyrin, Jordan Thompson. I need to play against these players again to see where they are, because they are not where I had left them (laughs).”

Jannik Sinner downed Bu Yunchaokete in straight sets in the semi-finals of the 2024 China Open to set up a blockbuster final with Carlos Alcaraz. 

The world No 1 earned a 6-3, 7-6(3) victory against the 22-year-old Chinese wildcard to progress to the final of the ATP 500 event in Beijing for the second straight year.

Sinner converted one of the six break points he had in the opening set to earn the only break of the match after saving three break points on his own serve in an important fifth game.

Jannik Sinner beats Novak Djokovic in Australian Open semi-final – The  Frontier Post

READ: WATCH: Jannik Sinner’s lawyer speaks out after WADA appeal decision to clear world No.1

The Italian then won a tight second set in a tiebreak to hold off the impressive Bu — who has jumped from 96th to a new career-high of 69th in the ATP Live Rankings.

Sinner has now won 17 of the last 18 tiebreaks he has played in a staggering run that illustrates how remarkably well he has performed under pressure during his superb 2024 season.

By reaching the Beijing title match, Sinner has become the ATP player with the highest percentage of finals reached at hard-court events played since the start of 2023 (with a minimum of 10 main draw appearances).

The 23-year-old has now made the final at 13 of the 23 hard-court tournaments (56.5%) he has competed in since the beginning of last season.

He has overtaken Novak Djokovic, who had been top in this category with his six finals from 11 hard-court events entered (54.5%) in the same period.

Percentage of finals reached at ATP hard-court events played since 2023

Jannik Sinner – 56.5% (13/23)

Novak Djokovic – 54.5% (6/11)

Daniil Medvedev – 43.5% (10/23)

Carlos Alcaraz – 25% (4/16)

Alex de Minaur – 20% (5/25)

Sinner will face his biggest rival, Alcaraz, in a mouth-watering final at the China Open on Tuesday. The Italian prevailed 7-6(4), 6-1 when the duo met in the semi-finals of the same event last year.

It will be the 10th meeting between Sinner and Alcaraz, with the Spaniard leading the head-to-head 5-4 having won the pair’s two previous meetings this year.

Sinner is aiming to defend the title he won in Beijing in 2023, while Alcaraz is seeking a maiden title in China.

This will be just their second encounter in a final after the 2022 Umag title match, which Sinner won in three sets.

Jannik Sinner‘s career has been nothing short of a roller coaster lately.

After his impressive victories at the Cincinnati Masters and the US Open, the Italian star now finds himself in the midst of a renewed doping controversy. In a shocking turn of events, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), seeking a lengthy ban on Sinner. This surprising move comes despite the ITIA ruling that had previously cleared him of all charges. As the storm around Sinner continues to brew, many in the tennis world have stepped forward with their opinions—and the latest voice in the conversation is none other than Carlos Alcaraz.

Cameron Norrie gives five reasons why Carlos Alcaraz is a better player  than Jannik Sinner

READ: Carlos Alcaraz reveals Rafael Nadal Davis Cup wish as retirement rumours grow

Alcaraz engaged in an interaction with the press at the China Open as he gears up to take on Karen Khachanov in the quarterfinals. When quizzed about his opinion on Sinner’s latest troubles, Alcaraz seemed to extend his support to the Italian dynamo. He expressed his surprise over the entire matter and highlighted the impact of the entire situation on the tennis community.

Speaking at the interview, the Spaniard said, “it’s really sensitive things to Jannik and tennis in general. I mean, after everything was decide, let’s say, before Cincinnati, that the ITIA said that Jannik Sinner saying he didn’t do anything wrong, and now came again, it is open again.” Sinner tested positive twice for low levels of a metabolite of clostebol, a banned anabolic substance, during the Indian Wells tournament. However, the ruling of ITIA that came ahead of the US Open, was in Sinner’s favor.

It was found that Sinner’s physio, Giacomo Naldi, had used an over-the-counter spray containing clostebol to treat a cut on his own finger. Naldi then massaged Sinner without gloves, inadvertently passing the substance to the player’s body. But for Alcaraz, the entire episode seems to be surprising. Continuing further, he said, “I thought it was closed, anything is going to happen again, Jannik is innocent, and they saw that Jannik didn’t do anything wrong.This month I didn’t know what happen exactly. I just saw the news and it surprise me a little bit.” The 21-year-old once again emphasized the impact of the case on the sport in general.

“I don’t know how it’s going to be the next months. For sure to tennis, not a good sign.” Alcaraz’s latest remarks are also interesting because of his previous take on the entire case where he took a subtle dig at the World No. 1. Ahead of the US Open, Alcaraz said that there is a lot more to the story than is known to the public and that he believes in the idea of  “clean sport.”  

For the unversed, WADA took a firm stance on Sinner’s doping case, stating that the Independent Tribunal’s decision of “no fault or negligence” was improper under the applicable standards. It also sought a ban on the player for at least 1 to 2 years. But amidst the stressful times, Alcaraz is not the only player who has rallied his support to the Italian star.

Jannik Sinner has remained stoic despite the increasing troubles against him. He has expressed his innocence in the controversy and has continued to highlight that the entire episode took place accidentally and unintentionally. While he has received a great amount of backlash despite the ITIA ruling, there are some players who have expressed their support for Sinner and Mark Petchey is one of them.

Responding to WADA’s latest appeal, Petchey rallied behind Sinner. Taking to X, the former British player wrote, “Just for the record there is ZERO scandal in the Sinner case. He and his lawyers worked within the framework of what the rules are in the situation he found himself and got a decision based on the evidence presented. No conspiracy, no cover up.” He also seemed to question the entire process and the appeal. “WADA today have looked at it and decided that they want to appeal the decision based on the “no fault or negligence” was not correct under the applicable rules. This is how the law works every single day.

Jannik Sinner’s first win since his US Open triumph clearly meant more to him than most.

Sinner was forced to work hard as he beat Nicolas Jarry 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the first round of the China Open.

As he won the last point of the match, he pointed to the sky and appeared to get emotional, as this was a first win since his beloved auntie Meggi Rauchegger passed away.

Top-ranked Sinner fights back to launch China Open title defence |  SuperSport

READ: Carlos Alcaraz reveals Rafael Nadal Davis Cup wish as retirement rumours grow

Sinner mentioned his auntie in his US Open winners’ speech in New York earlier this month and he was eager to devote his second Grand Slam win to her memory.

“I would like to dedicate this title to my aunt because she is really not feeling well health-wise. I don’t know how much longer I still have her in my life,” said Sinner in New York.

“It’s so nice that I can share positive moments still with her. She was a very important person for my life and she still is.

“If there would be a biggest wish, I would wish everyone the best health, but unfortunately, it’s not possible.”

Sinner kept his emotions in check to see off the dangerous Jarry and he made some interesting comments about a key area of his game after the match was won.

We have not seen Sinner on a tennis court since his US Open win, but it is clear that he has been working hard on one big area of his game with coach Darren Cahill.

“The second serve I still have to improve a little bit,” he confirmed. From after US Open we worked very hard (on the serve).

“I’m happy about my process, obviously there is still a lot of room to improve.”

On the match against Jarry he added: “He played some very good tennis, the first set, he was serving very well, I was struggling to return his serve.

“I just tried to stay there mentally, first round is always tough, playing against him is very tough. Happy about the performance and how I ended the match.”

Sinner has confirmed he will only play for more events in 2024, as he looks to take some time away from the court in a move that will mean he won’t defend his Austrian Open title in Vienna.

Speaking ahead of the China Open in Beijing, where he is the defending champion, Sinner offered his thoughts on the debate around scheduling in tennis.

Carlos Alcaraz has suggested the amount of mandatory tournaments players are required to play needs to be trimmed and Alexander Zverev offered up similar sentiments.

Yet Sinner admitted players can take time off from events if they choose to do so.

“The schedule is quite long these years. But as players, we can still choose what to play and what not to play,” said Sinner.

Carlos Alcaraz expressed his hope that the Davis Cup Finals are not Rafael Nadal’s “last dance” after the 22-time Grand Slam winner was selected as part of the Spanish team.

Nadal joins Alcaraz in making up part of captain David Ferrer’s team for the Finals, which will take place in Malaga this November.

Spain last won the men’s team event in 2019 where they were anchored by Nadal, who had won the French and US Open titles earlier that season.

Alcaraz hopes Davis Cup will not be Nadal's 'last dance'

However, rumours are swirling that this year’s event could be the final tournament of the 38-year-old’s career, after repeated physical issues over the past two seasons.

Nadal has not played since the Olympic Games in Paris, where he fell in the second round of the men’s singles to Novak Djokovic, and reached the doubles quarter-final alongside Alcaraz.

The former world No 1 was set to play the Laver Cup this past weekend but pulled out – with Alcaraz proving to be the main star of the event.

Speaking just under two months ahead of the Finals, Alcaraz revealed that he does not “want to think” about the possibility of Nadal retiring at the tournament.

“It’s always great having Rafa around,” said the world No 3.

“I miss him. I’m not going to lie, I missed him in the Laver Cup. Obviously, as much time as I can spend with him, it’s a privilege for me.

“I don’t want to think that it’s a potential last dance for him in Malaga. I just want to enjoy seeing him on court as much as I can.

“It’s great support having him in the team. He can bring a lot of experience to the Davis Cup.”

Alcaraz played a key role in securing Spain’s place at the Finals, winning two singles rubbers and a doubles rubber in his nation’s successful qualification campaign in Valencia two weeks ago.

After guiding Team Europe to Laver Cup glory, the French Open and Wimbledon champion returns to ATP action at the China Open in Beijing

Alcaraz is the second seed in the Chinese capital, only behind world No 1 Jannik Sinner, and comes into the tournament feeling confident after his Laver Cup performances in Berlin.

“I played great matches in the Laver Cup, which helped me a lot to have more confidence coming to this tournament,” added the 21-year-old.

“I beat Ben Shelton, who was playing great, and Taylor Fritz, who came from the final in New York.

“Having those victories, it’s great for my confidence and level to come here with extra energy knowing I’m ready to do a good result, knowing that I have a really tough draw.”

Iga Swiatek may be destined to face the same fate as Novak Djokovic with tennis fans.

Where is the love for Iga Swiatek?

The world No 1 is undoubtedly the best player in the women’s game and her commanding lead at the top of the world rankings confirms her levels of consistency are in a different league compared to all of her rivals.

Yet when the lists of most popular tennis players are compiled, Swiatek rarely gets a mention.

French Open news: Tennis duo gang up on Novak Djokovic as Iga Swiatek shows  true colours | Tennis | Sport | Express.co.uk

READ: Novak Djokovic facing alarming rankings blow as he could miss key tournament

In the men’s game, it is easy to pick out Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner as the fans’ favourites, with Frances Tiafoe, Grigor Dimitrov, Jack Draper and Ben Shelton also enjoying a strong fan base.

In the women’s game, Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka, Paula Badosa, Ons Jabeur and even the rarely seen Emma Raducanu tend to get more positive media coverage than the best player in women’s tennis.

It may be that Swiatek’s efficient brilliance has not captured the imagination of some fans, with her clinical ability to hand out 6-0 sets to her overwhelmed opponents a trait that some find less than appealing.

One of Iga’s biggest ‘crimes’ may be that she is just too good, with the way she wins tennis matches in such a brutal and swift fashion failing to serve up the excitement fans crave.

Away from her reputation as a winning machine, Swiatek is everything we want from our sporting greats.

She is vulnerable at times, shows her frailties on court and can collapse under pressure on the rare occasions when she allows an an opponent to get on top of her in a match.

Swiatek is also an outspoken supporter of making life better for players, with her pleas for a trimmed-down tennis schedule backed up by her honest confessions over the social media abuse that comes her way.

“The amount of hate and criticism that me and my team get after even losing a set is just ridiculous,” she said earlier this month. “I want to encourage people to be more thoughtful when they comment on the Internet.

“It’s kind of sad for me to see that people I work with and myself, we are really judged.

“I would like to encourage people to be more thoughtful and to also focus on the positive side of what we are doing. We all sacrifice a lot, and we are all working really hard to be in that place. We are always giving 100% of what we can do every day.

“I’m only kind of seeing the messages from my close ones, the ones that I already accepted, but for sure there is a lot of hate.

“It would be nice if we can try to educate people and also maybe in the future have some solutions as, you know, using Al to make it safer for us.

“Because I feel like we can’t be on the internet and feel like kind of safe anymore. You have to really be careful about what you’re reading and who you’re following.

“I know that there are some tools that, for example, Roland Garros offered for us, like this app that we can have on the phone, and it’s going to block the hateful messages.

“My team also has been kind of looking in my case what kind of messages have been blocked or not when we’re using this app. It would be nice if we had more opportunities to use this kind of tools because it’s always some kind of help.”

Novak Djokovic is reeling from his shock US Open defeat and the rest of 2024 appears to be laced with peril for the 24-time Grand Slam king.

Djokovic said he “played some of the worst tennis I have ever played” after he followed Carlos Alcaraz in crashing out of the US Open.

Alcaraz was the subject of one of the tournament’s biggest upsets when he was dumped out by world number 76 Botic van De Zandschulp on Thursday night.

Novak Djokovic exacts US Open revenge on Daniil Medvedev to take title –  The Irish Times

JUST IN: Watch as Serena Williams lifts Iga Swiatek’s spirit before victory over Pavlyuchenkova

And 24 hours later, defending champion Djokovic joined him in leaving New York early after 28th seed Alexei Popyrin won 6-4 6-4 2-6 6-4 in the third round.

Defeat for Djokovic means it is the first time since 2017 he has not won a major title and is his earliest exit at a major since the Australian Open that year.

It extends the Serbian’s wait for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title and, at 37, his domination may be coming to an end.

What comes next will say much about Djokovic’s commitment to continue to push for more at the top of the game, with confirmation that he will play for Serbia in their Davis Cup World Group I playoffs against Greece later this month.

Serbia need to win that tie to get back into a position to challenge for Davis Cup glory in 2025 and if Djokovic plays against Greece, it suggests he still has ambitions to win the Davis Cup once again next year.

He has also been entered into the Shanghai Masters, but it is unclear whether he will make the decision to fly to China to take part in that part of the ATP Tour season.

Djokovic has not played in Shanghai since 2019, but he will need to make a decision on whether to make the long trip this time as he is in danger of missing out on a place in the end-of-season ATP Finals in Turin in November.

The Serbian won the ATP Finals last year, beating Jannik Sinner in a thrilling final to confirm his status as the world No 1.

With his limited schedule and poor results, by his standards, on the first half of 2024, Djokovic is down in seventh place in this year’s ATP Race To Turin.

The top eight players in that list will play in the ATP Finals, with Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul pushing to overtake Djokovic in the ATP Race at this year’s US Open.

The top eight players qualify for the lucrative ATP Finals, with Djokovic’s win at that event last year securing him 1,300 ATP Ranking points.

He also has 1,000 points to defend from his win at the Paris Masters event last year, but the biggest concern for Djokovic will be securing a chance to defend his ATP Finals title.

If he opted out of playing in China and didn’t enjoy success at this year’s Paris Masters, Djokovic may well be outside of the top eight places in the ATP Race To Turin.

Djokovic may not be too concerned about his ATP Ranking at this late phase of his career, but he will want to be part of the ATP Finals, where he is a seven-time champion.

He will need to improve on his performance if he is to get into the mix for a return to Turin, with Djokovic scathing of his performance, against Popyrin.

“Honestly, the way I felt and the way I played from the beginning of this tournament, third round is a success,” said Djokovic.

“I have played some of the worst tennis I have ever played, honestly, serving by far the worst ever.

“If you play on a quick surface like this without the serve, without the ability to win free points there, very low first-serve percentage, many double faults, then you can’t win.

“You can’t win, especially against the guys who are in form like Alexei who is serving big, puts a lot of pressure on your service game. It was just an awful match for me.”

Jannik Sinner addressed the upset defeats suffered by his rivals Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 US Open as he continued his title bid with a dominant victory. 

The world No 1 reflected that the surprise losses prove “anything can happen in this sport” as he outlined his approach of staying focused on himself.

Alcaraz crashed out of the hard-court major in a stunning straight-set second round defeat to Botic van de Zandschulp on Thursday. The 21-year-old Spaniard, who was seeded third, won the previous two Grand Slams at the French Open and Wimbledon.

Jannik Sinner never gives US Open opponent hope of an upset like those  against Djokovic and Alcaraz - The Press Democrat

READ: Defeated Carlos Alcaraz makes brutal ‘not changing’ admission after stunning US Open loss

Djokovic, who was the defending US Open champion, followed Alcaraz out of the tournament on Friday after a four-set third round loss to Alexei Popyrin. The 37-year-old Serbian claimed the gold medal at the Paris Olympics in his previous event.

With the exit of his two biggest competitors, Sinner emerged as the clear favourite to win the men’s singles title at the US Open.

The 23-year-old Italian star solidified this status by steamrolling Christopher O’Connell 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 on Arthur Ashe Stadium court in the third round at Flushing Meadows.

Sinner broke the 30-year-old Australian five times and did not face a single break point on his own serve in a one-sided contest. He now holds a 2-1 record against O’Connell, who is currently ranked 87th in the world.

In his on-court interview after his victory, Sinner gave his reaction to the upsets of Alcaraz and Djokovic.

“As we see, anything can happen in this sport,” Sinner said. “I try to stay on my side of the net. Taking it day by day. Each opponent is a tough challenge. Trying to enjoy every moment on the court.

“There have been a couple of upsets. Let’s see what’s coming. I’m happy to still be here and hopefully play as many matches as possible.”

On the match, Sinner added: “For sure, today was a great match. I knew I had to play very solid throughout the whole match. We played a few times.

“The serve was working well today. I’m happy about my performance. Obviously thanks everyone for the support. It’s been amazing.”

Sinner will face either Tommy Paul or Gabriel Diallo in the last 16 of the US Open as he continues his bid to add a second Grand Slam title to his 2024 Australian Open crown.

Verified by MonsterInsights