The 36-year-old has won the first two majors of the year and the next generation do not look ready to challenge him in finalsAt the 2006 edition of the French Open, Novak Djokovic took one of the first great steps of his young career by reaching his first grand slam quarter final at 19. He had already beaten three seeded players, including the explosive world No 9, Fernando González, but greatness awaited. Djokovic stepped on Court Philippe Chatrier for his first quarter-final against Rafael Nadal, the 20-year-old defending champion.It was not quite the longest encounter of what would go on to be a 59-match rivalry. Two sets in, Djokovic retired while trailing 6-4, 6-4 with a lower back injury. Afterwards,...
Wily record holder is now the uncontested keyholder to the French Open – as well as the wider world of men’s tennisNo longer the polite and begrudging ripple of applause. No longer the soft shuffle of designer shoes towards the exits. This time the sound of triumph would be resounding and unqualified: from the plush seats where Zlatan Ibrahimović and Tom Brady were on their feet, to the windswept upper tiers where the cascade of Serbian flags caught the evening Parisian light. Roland Garros, and by extension the lineage of men’s tennis, is now the house of Novak Djokovic.He wore a royal red training top emblazoned with the number 23. He gave his victory speech in flawless French. And in...
The champion lost a set for the first time in this tournament but she knew how to drag herself out of a dangerous placeThe man holding the camera leaned in towards Iga Swiatek. The man holding the pen held it out to her. The new French Open champion thought for a while about how to encapsulate her torrent of thoughts and emotions into a little glass square around the size of a Pop Tart. Eventually she scrawled a number – #4, for her fourth grand slam title – and a single word. “Surréel”.And it really was surreal, or at least as about as surreal as it can ever be watching a habitual major champion win another major. For if the...
The Spaniard dominated the men’s singles at the Madrid Open, while Sabalenka and Swiatek served up a thrilling women’s finalFrom the moment Carlos Alcaraz took his first steps inside Madrid’s Caja Mágica this year, the level of expectations and attention resting on his shoulders was immense. His achievements as a teenager had already commanded so much attention, but in the absence of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic he was, on home soil, the show.Throughout the fortnight at the Madrid Open, Alcaraz could not train without lines of spectators surrounding his court, who also demanded lengthy autograph sessions of him each time he walked from the practice courts to the locker room. The stadium was filled for every match he played...
Stuttgart event has a limited field which means even many top female tennis players must look elsewhere to surviveFew events signify the refreshing early days of a new clay season in tennis quite like the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart. Over the years this has become one of the most beloved tournaments on the Tour among players and spectators, its popularity reflected in an entry list tightly packed with quality every year.This year, it is practically the Tour’s own battle royal. Nine of the top 10 players have descended upon the WTA 500 event this week (Tour events are divided into 1000, 500 and 250 categories in order of prestige and prize money) and the lowest-ranked player able to gain...