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

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Carlos Alcaraz Davis Cup Rafael Nadal

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.”

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[VIDEO] “Father Time will catch up to him”: ‘Maybe’ Novak Djokovic’s time is running out

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Novak Djokovic US Open

Novak Djokovic was dumped out of the US Open by Alexei Popyrin and Martina Navratilova sees it as a sign that perhaps his career is heading closer to its conclusion.

Navratilova was asked about Djokovic in a Q&A for Sky Sports and said that Father Time could be catching up on him and he could yet decide to end his career.

Albeit with the caveat that a certain Margaret Court 25 Grand Slam record looms large that he will want to tackle, but it has left many including Navratilova pondering about what his future holds.

“He got the one he really wanted, which was the Olympic gold medal, but he also still wants that 25th, because then he has one more than Margaret Court,” said Navratilova on Sky Sports.

JUST IN: (VIDEO) Iga Swiatek breaks down in tears after tough Pegula US Open loss

“Father Time will catch up to him… and maybe it already is a little bit, because he really wasn’t himself in that last match.

“It depends how much the fire is still burning. If it’s still burning, I’m never going to say ‘you shouldn’t play’, because he’s never going to tarnish his legacy – it’s ridiculously good.

“I’m sure his wife is saying: ‘it’s time to hang it up, how many more of these do you need?’.

“Maybe just one more… but, then again, if he wins the Australian Open, he’s going to want to play Roland Garros and Wimbledon, right? He’s not going to quit then.

“It’s up to him. Either way, you can’t criticise because what a fantastic career. I would probably hang it up but if he loves, it why not?”

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(VIDEO) Iga Swiatek breaks down in tears after tough Pegula US Open loss

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Iga Swiatek Jessica Pegula US Open

World No.1 Iga Swiatek visibly let her emotions get the better of her after losing out to Jessica Pegula in the Quarter-Finals of the 2024 US Open on Wednesday.

The defeat ended her bid for a second US Open and a sixth Grand Slam. She came to New York after reaching the semi-finals of Cincinnati. She defeated Kamilla Rakhimova in straight sets before then seeing off Ena Shibahara, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Liudmila Samsonova to reach the last four.

READ: US Open: Iga Swiatek may be destined to face the same fate as Novak Djokovic

While Pegula came in with the better form but more scar tissue. She had won the Canadian Open and reached the final of Cincinnati. But had priorly lost in six major Quarter-Finals. But produced a shock win 6-2, 6-4 setting up a clash with Karolina Muchova in the last four.
Swiatek though let her emotions out as she often does with a video in the players room making it to social media where she was seen wiping away the tears and visibly struggling to cope with defeat.
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‘I felt a little bit sorry for him’: Roger Federer makes revealing comments after ‘chat’ with Rafael Nadal

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Roger Federer Rafael Nadal

Roger Federer may have inadvertently given insight into Rafael Nadal’s tennis playing future after he made some interesting remarks about the Spaniard during an interview.

Just a day after Nadal himself again addressed speculation about his future, Federer opened up about his long-term tennis rival’s current state of mind.

Having opted to skip this year’s US Open, Nadal appeared on Spain’s El Hormiguero on Monday and gave an update as he once again suggested he will continue to play if he is healthy.

Rafael Nadal says he and Roger Federer aren't friends in surprising comments, Novak Djokovic, tennis news | news.com.au — Australia's leading news site

JUST IN: US Open: ‘Fights for Every Point Like a Lioness’ – Iga Swiatek Touted as Clear Favorite Over Jessica Pegula

“What I have done during all this time is to give myself a margin, to give myself the option to enjoy again, to play tennis after a year and a half away from the courts. And that’s what I’m doing, trying to enjoy every day, trying to do my best every day,” the 22-time Grand Slam winner said.

Federer then appeared on NBC’s Today Show with Savannah Guthrie and blurted out that he recently had a “chat” with the 38-year-old and the Swiss’ comments may have deeper meaning.

The pair spoke about Nadal’s recent on-court struggles as he lost early at the French Open and Paris Olympics.

“I actually just spoke to him this last week. He wanted to ask me something, and we had a chat, and, I felt a little bit sorry for him,” the 20-time major champion explained.

“That his summer didn’t go as well as planned because, at the French Open he had a tough draw. Olympics, he had a tough draw as well. He was hoping, I think, to get a medal.”

And Federer then went further as he hinted that Nadal may well be ready to call it a day, saying “I just hope he can go out on his terms”.

“But you know, overall he can do whatever he wants,” the former world No 1 continued. “He’s been one of the most iconic tennis players we have ever had in our sport and that’s what I told him. So I just hope he can go out on his terms and the way he wants to, but he’s a great guy, great career.”

Nadal announced last year that the 2024 tennis season would likely be his last as a provisional, but he has made a lot of conflicting comments in recent months.

After waving goodbye to fans at the Madrid Open in April as he revealed he made his last appearance at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament, he then refused to confirm or deny in Rome and Roland Garros that he would not be returning.

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US Open: ‘Fights for Every Point Like a Lioness’ – Iga Swiatek Touted as Clear Favorite Over Jessica Pegula

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Iga Swiatek Jessica Pegula US Open

The US Open 2024 has already become memorable for Iga Swiatek.

The World No.1 won her 100th Grand Slam match during R4, in the presence of Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis. The Pole is riding high on success and positivity this season, as she marches into the quarterfinal clash against the home favorite, Jessica Pegula, with relative ease. Former Polish tennis pro, Wojciech Fibak, considers Swiatek the favorite to win the title to add to her wins at Roland Garros and the Olympics bronze medal.

Iga Swiatek has been one of the most consistent players in recent times. The World No. 1 has already claimed 5 Grand Slam titles, including the US Open 2022. And, after successfully getting past the initial challenges, she is anticipated to claim another title in New York. According to Fibak’s words in Onet on September 3rd, Swiatek exudes the spirit of a “lioness,” ready to claim the prey, despite challenges.

Iga Swiatek admits playing against Jessica Pegula is "never easy" ahead of their quarterfinal clash at 2024 US Open

READ: US Open: Iga Swiatek may be destined to face the same fate as Novak Djokovic

Praising Swiatek’s game, Fibak said, “Our Iga fights for every point like a lioness, even if something doesn’t go her way, even if she hits the ball with her frame.” Moreover, the former World No.10 thinks that Swiatek’s strong will to win makes her a role model for other tennis players in the circuit. He further remarked, “She gives everything to win. In this respect, her psyche is iron. She is a role model for all other tennis players.”

Moreover, Fibak feels that the US Open is Swiatek’s home, and in New York, the World No.1 would claim her 2nd US Open. “She won the US Open 2 years ago and I believe she will win this year. She will be the clear favorite,” the former pro added. In Swiatek’s road to the final though, stands Jessica Pegula whom the Pole will lock horns with in the QF.

It has been a long season for Iga Swiatek and the sports psychologist, Dariusz Nowicki, even gave the ‘iron psyche’ a burn-out warning after her Olympics win. He said, “Iga is very overloaded, and sooner or later, hopefully as late as possible, she will experience burnout syndrome.” However, the Pole has continued her tremendous run on the court, with the support of her fans and family. Now, she focuses on answering Pegula’s challenge in the quarters!

Back in 2022, Pegula lost the US Open quarterfinals against Swiatek. Fast forward to 2024, and they meet again. However, things might be a bit different this time. Talking about the overall results, Swiatek leads Pegula in H2H count with 6-3. However, when the 2023 results are taken into account, the score has been even. Both the players claimed two matches each, in an alternative order. Pegula might have found a way to restrain Swiatek!

According to Tennis Channel Live previews, Pegula needs to focus on her serve to reign in the World No.1. Pegula’s aggressive play would come in handy against Swiatek’s strong forehand grip. The opponents find it tricky to deal with the American tennis star because of her compact strokes, which stay low. But Pegula needs to get her first serve in, as Swiatek is lethal on second serves.

Though Iga Swiatek might be the favorite for some, Jessica Pegula can’t be written off. The Canadian Open champion is all set to tackle the challenges and claim her first Grand Slam title at home! This clash of the Titans should be a cracking watch.

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US Open: Serena Williams addresses calls to ‘change’ Coco Gauff’s forehand and serve

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US Open Serena Williams Coco Gauff

Serena Williams has shared her thoughts on whether Coco Gauff should make changes to her forehand and serve as the American exited the 2024 US Open. 

The tennis icon thinks the Gauff serve “can obviously be better”, but argued her compatriot does not need to adjust her forehand as she highlighted “confidence” as the key.

Gauff’s US Open title defence came to an end with a 3-6, 6-4, 3-6 loss to world No 12 Emma Navarro in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows.

Coco Gauff follows Serena Williams footsteps, makes top-10 debut at same age

JUST IN: US Open: Iga Swiatek may be destined to face the same fate as Novak Djokovic

The 20-year-old star was hamstrung by serving issues in the match as she made only 46% of her first serves and hit 19 double faults.

The American’s forehand, meanwhile, is a shot some analysts have identified as a weakness she must improve throughout her career to date.

During the world No 3’s defeat to Navarro, Williams was asked if Gauff needs to make any technical changes to her serve or forehand.

“I feel like she has a good serve,” the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion told ESPN. “I think that it can obviously be better, but I feel like she’s so young. She has the rest of her career to just improve.

“I wouldn’t change anything on her forehand. I’ve seen a lot of interesting forehands. And listen, if you’re just confident in whatever you have, keep it up, and just be confident about it.

“That’s literally all she needs to do is just have confidence, whether she’s hitting it with her wrist or elbow. Just have confidence doing it.”

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US Open: Iga Swiatek may be destined to face the same fate as Novak Djokovic

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Iga Swiatek Novak Djokovic

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.”

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

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Novak Djokovic US Open

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.”

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

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Iga Swiatek detailed the conversation she had with Serena Williams during the US Open.

The world No. 1 was dazzled by her encounter with the 23-time Grand Slam champion and admitted that it gave her a ‘positive boost’ before the third round.
The Polish player secured a comfortable victory over Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, winning 6-4, 6-2. Just before the match, the 23-year-old had a prolonged chat with Williams: “It was really nice to see her. She has a lot of positive energy,” commented Iga Swiatek.
Iga Swiatek's US Open peaks with overdue Serena Williams meeting, selfie

READ: Iga Swiatek admits she ‘doesn’t feel safe’ as ‘hate’ flows in her direction

“It is nice that she came on-site and she was chatting with the players because for me, even though we met before and for like a couple of years we have been on the same side and on the tours together, she is still like star-striking me,” she added, smiling. “It was nice that she approached me because I wouldn’t for sure find the courage to do that (smiling) if it was the other way. Yeah, she is really nice and really positive.”
“I’m happy that she is following tennis and likes my game because she told me she is cheering for me. It’s always nice to hear that from somebody like Serena,” added the 5-time Grand Slam champion. “She approached me, like, at 4:00, you know, today. It was before my warm-up. I would say it more inspired me and it gave me, like, a positive kick, so it was nice.”
Additionally, Swiatek was asked to compare the current level of tennis with that of two decades ago, but she acknowledged that it is difficult for her to draw conclusions: “It’s hard for me to judge the level I have because I am constantly looking at myself and other players, so it’s not easy to say if we are playing at our best level or at a higher level than five years ago,” she said.
“Surely we are playing better tennis than 20 years ago because our physical condition has improved, among other things. I’m not an expert, I haven’t watched many past matches, but it’s clear that you need to improve to move forward,” Swiatek added. “Becoming world No. 1 happened suddenly for me; I admit that at first, my opponents didn’t know what to expect from my game.”
“2023 was a challenge because I had a big target on my back; my rivals already knew my style, so that’s when you need to learn and have more variety on the court, you can’t keep playing the same tennis because people will figure it out, and it will be harder to win.”
“I don’t know if tennis is improving overall, but you need to enhance your game because here everyone analyzes you, and they will end up focusing on you to beat you.”

 

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[VIDEO] “Pretty mad at her for not showing up at my match”: Caroline Wozniacki about Serena Williams snub after US Open win

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Caroline Wozniacki and Serena Williams

Caroline Wozniacki and Serena Williams are former rivals but also close friends. So when the latter arrived on site at the US Open, it seemed likely that she was going to watch the Dane in action.

But instead Williams was seen on Arthur Ashe watching Jannik Sinner and also Tommy Paul play. This jokingly annoyed Wozniacki. The former World No.1 sealed passage through to the Last 16.
“I hope so. I’m gonna text her. I’m pretty mad at her for not showing up at my match I saw she was watching Tommy. We have to talk about that a bit later,” said Wozniacki post match.
Caroline Wozniacki and Serena Williams

JUST IN : Jannik Sinner reacts to Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz’s shock US Open exits after statement win

She defends her points that she accrued on her return last year and has battled a pretty open section of the draw. With Elena Rybakina falling by the wayside, Wozniacki has had it pretty comfortable and likely will until the latter stages.
But still a player no doubt looking to the end not the start, she wasn’t sure on her plans for the rest of the season but presumably may even prolong it if results continue.
She infamously took off the rest of the 2023 season after making her return which in a hunt for ranking points isn’t exactly the best move. As well as all the drama surrounding wildcards. But now putting that behind her, she is thriving again.

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