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  • Defending champ Coco Gauff loses in US Open fourth round

    Defending champ Coco Gauff loses in US Open fourth round

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    NEW YORK — This is pretty much all anyone needs to know about defending champion Coco Gauff’s 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 loss to Emma Navarro in the U.S. Open’s fourth round on Sunday: Gauff wound up with more double-faults, 19, than winners, 14.

    It was the latest in a series of early-for-her exits in recent weeks, including bowing out in the third round at the Paris Olympics, then going 1-2 at hard-court tuneup events before arriving in New York.

    “I feel like there’s 70 other players in the draw that would love to have the summer that I had, even though it’s (the) least, probably, (I’ve) done well during this time of the year,” said the No. 3-seeded Gauff, who went 18-1 during the North American swing on hard courts 12 months ago, including the run to her first Grand Slam title. “So many people want to be in the fourth round. So many people want to make the Olympics. So many people want to be flag bearer. It’s perspective.”

    The 20-year-old from Florida did fight her way back into the match with a four-game run in which she claimed 14 of 17 points and grabbed the second set.

    “Had a little bit of a lull there,” said the 13th-seeded Navarro, an American who was 0-2 at the U.S. Open until this year, “but I was able to regroup.”

    After each of her past two contests in New York, Gauff headed back out onto the practice courts to work on her serve. That didn’t help much on Sunday, when she tied her career high for double-faults: She also had 19 in a loss at the 2020 French Open. Against Navarro, Gauff delivered a trio of double-faults in four different games. Eleven of the double-faults came in the final set alone.

    Gauff attributed her problems to a mix of issues with her mechanics — “I go down on my left side a lot on my serve, and it’s something I’m aware of, but it’s tough in the moment to, I guess, try not to do it,” she explained — and in her mind.

    “It’s sometimes more of an emotional, mental thing, because if I go out on the practice court right now, I would make, like, 30 serves in a row. I’ve done it before,” Gauff said. “I think it’s also just kind of a mental hurdle that I have to get over when it comes. … But I definitely want to look at other things, because I don’t want to lose matches like this anymore.”

    She finished with a total of 60 unforced errors — a whopping 29 on her forehand side.

    The 23-year-old Navarro, who also eliminated Gauff in the fourth round at Wimbledon in July, was far steadier on Sunday, although she still did have 35 unforced errors.

    “It was a little bit of a battle of will there for a bit. But proud of just my effort today,” said Navarro, a U.S. teammate of Gauff’s at the Paris Games. “I was able to stick in there through some tough moments.”

    This result follows a third-round loss by defending men’s champion Novak Djokovic on Friday, meaning the lengthy droughts without anyone winning consecutive titles in New York will continue. The last woman to win at least two in a row was Serena Williams with three from 2012-14; the last man to do so was Roger Federer with five from 2004-08.

    Frances Tiafoe eliminated No. 28 seed Alexei Popyrin, the player who stunned Djokovic, with a 6-4, 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-3 victory on Sunday night. The No. 20 seed advanced to his third straight U.S. Open quarterfinal and will play No. 9 Grigor Dimitrov, who held off Andrey Rublev 6-3, 7-6 (3), 1-6, 3-6, 6-3 with 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams watching and offering a thumbs-up at match’s end.

    Also moving on Sunday was No. 12 Taylor Fritz, who beat three-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2. Fritz’s quarterfinal opponent will be 2020 U.S. Open runner-up Alexander Zverev, who got past Brandon Nakashima 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.

    “I’m at the point now where I’m still happy to make quarterfinals, but I wouldn’t be happy with it ending here,” said Fritz, who has yet to reach a Grand Slam semifinal. “I definitely am at the point where I really want more than that.”

    The Wimbledon win over Gauff earned Navarro, the 2021 NCAA singles champion for the University of Virginia, her first appearance in a major quarterfinal. Her second will come Tuesday in New York against No. 26 Paula Badosa, a 6-1, 6-2 winner against Wang Yafan. The other women’s match that day will be between No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka — she was last year’s runner-up to Gauff and beat Elise Mertens 6-2, 6-4 on Sunday — and No. 7 Zheng Qinwen, who beat No. 24 Donna Vekic 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-2 in a match that ended at 2:15 a.m. Monday, the latest finish to a women’s match in U.S. Open history.

    The quarterfinals will give Navarro another chance to play at Arthur Ashe Stadium in front of a big crowd. She’d never hit a ball in the place until Sunday — and felt rather at ease, anyway.

    “I’ve been out on big courts before, where I just felt totally overwhelmed and almost like it’s an out-of-body experience. But I didn’t feel like that today,” Navarro said. “I felt comfortable from the time I stepped out onto the court, which I was a little bit surprised about. I kind of had prepared myself for the worst, just in terms of feeling overwhelmed and nervous.”

    Sure didn’t perform that way.

    Gauff was the one who was unable to bring her best.

    “I expect better, but at the end of the day it happened,” Gauff said, “and I know I can turn it around.”

    ___

    AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

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  • Coco Gauff loses at the U.S. Open to Emma Navarro, ending her title defense with 19 double-faults

    Coco Gauff loses at the U.S. Open to Emma Navarro, ending her title defense with 19 double-faults

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    NEW YORK — This is pretty much all anyone needs to know about defending champion Coco Gauff’s 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 loss to Emma Navarro in the U.S. Open’s fourth round on Sunday: Gauff wound up with more double-faults, 19, than winners, 14.

    It was the latest in a series of early-for-her exits in recent weeks, including bowing out in the third round at the Paris Olympics, then going 1-2 at hard-court tuneup events before arriving in New York.

    “I feel like there’s 70 other players in the draw that would love to have the summer that I had, even though it’s (the) least, probably, (I’ve) done well during this time of the year,” said the No. 3-seeded Gauff, who went 18-1 during the North American swing on hard courts 12 months ago, including the run to her first Grand Slam title. “So many people want to be in the fourth round. So many people want to make the Olympics. So many people want to be flag bearer. It’s perspective.”

    The 20-year-old from Florida did fight her way back into the match with a four-game run in which she claimed 14 of 17 points and grabbed the second set.

    “Had a little bit of a lull there,” said the 13th-seeded Navarro, an American who was 0-2 at the U.S. Open until this year, “but I was able to regroup.”

    After each of her past two contests in New York, Gauff headed back out onto the practice courts to work on her serve. That didn’t help much on Sunday, when she tied her career high for double-faults: She also had 19 in a loss at the 2020 French Open. Against Navarro, Gauff delivered a trio of double-faults in three different games. Eleven of the double-faults came in the final set alone.

    Gauff attributed her problems to a mix of issues with her mechanics — “I go down on my left side a lot on my serve, and it’s something I’m aware of, but it’s tough in the moment to, I guess, try not to do it,” she explained — and in her mind.

    “It’s sometimes more of an emotional, mental thing, because if I go out on the practice court right now, I would make, like, 30 serves in a row. I’ve done it before,” Gauff said. “I think it’s also just kind of a mental hurdle that I have to get over when it comes. … But I definitely want to look at other things, because I don’t want to lose matches like this anymore.”

    She finished with a total of 60 unforced errors — a whopping 29 on her forehand side.

    The 23-year-old Navarro, who also eliminated Gauff in the fourth round at Wimbledon in July, was far steadier on Sunday, although she still did have 35 unforced errors.

    “It was a little bit of a battle of will there for a bit. But proud of just my effort today,” said Navarro, a U.S. teammate of Gauff’s at the Paris Games. “I was able to stick in there through some tough moments.”

    This result follows a third-round loss by defending men’s champion Novak Djokovic on Friday, meaning the lengthy droughts without anyone winning consecutive titles in New York will continue. The last woman to win at least two in a row was Serena Williams with three from 2012-14; the last man to do so was Roger Federer with five from 2004-08.

    The player who stunned Djokovic, No. 28 seed Alexei Popyrin, was trying to reach the quarterfinals when he faced No. 20 Frances Tiafoe on Sunday night. The winner will play No. 9 Grigor Dimitrov, who held off Andrey Rublev 6-3, 7-6 (3), 1-6, 3-6, 6-3 with 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams watching and offering a thumbs-up at match’s end.

    Also moving on Saturday was No. 12 Taylor Fritz, who beat three-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2. Fritz’s quarterfinal opponent will be 2020 U.S. Open runner-up Alexander Zverev, who got past Brandon Nakashima 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.

    “I’m at the point now where I’m still happy to make quarterfinals, but I wouldn’t be happy with it ending here,” said Fritz, who has yet to reach a Grand Slam semifinal. “I definitely am at the point where I really want more than that.”

    The Wimbledon win over Gauff earned Navarro, the 2021 NCAA singles champion for the University of Virginia, her first appearance in a major quarterfinal. Her second will come Tuesday in New York against No. 26 Paula Badosa, a 6-1, 6-2 winner against Wang Yafan.

    That will give Navarro another chance to play at Arthur Ashe Stadium in front of a big crowd. She’d never hit a ball in the place until Sunday — and felt rather at ease, anyway.

    “I’ve been out on big courts before, where I just felt totally overwhelmed and almost like it’s an out-of-body experience. But I didn’t feel like that today,” Navarro said. “I felt comfortable from the time I stepped out onto the court, which I was a little bit surprised about. I kind of had prepared myself for the worst, just in terms of feeling overwhelmed and nervous.”

    Sure didn’t perform that way.

    Gauff was the one who was unable to bring her best.

    “I expect better, but at the end of the day it happened,” Gauff said, “and I know I can turn it around.”

    ___

    AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

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  • Defending champion Novak Djokovic is shocked at the US Open one night after Carlos Alcaraz’s loss

    Defending champion Novak Djokovic is shocked at the US Open one night after Carlos Alcaraz’s loss

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    NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — Novak Djokovic did not go easy on himself when assessing the listless way he performed from the start of the U.S. Open, pointing to his sloppy serving as the main reason the defense of his 2023 title surprisingly ended in the third round.

    “I have played some of the worst tennis I have ever played, honestly,” Djokovic said, just after midnight as Friday turned to Saturday. “Serving — by far — the worst ever.”

    With 14 double-faults, raising his tournament total to 32, Djokovic bowed out with a 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 loss to 28th-seeded Alexei Popyrin of Australia, another shocking result at Flushing Meadows one night after 2022 champion Carlos Alcaraz exited.

    It’s only the third time in the Open era that two of the top three men’s seeds at the U.S. Open are gone before the fourth round; the other instances were in 1973 and 2000.

    “It was just an awful match for me,” No. 2 Djokovic said. “I wasn’t playing even close to my best. It’s not good to be in that kind of state where you feel OK physically, and of course you’re motivated because it’s a Grand Slam, but you just are not able to find your game. That’s it. The game is falling apart, and I guess you have to accept that tournaments like this happen.”

    Not often for him, though.

    After all, Djokovic was trying to become the first player in tennis history with 25 Grand Slam singles titles. Instead, after knee surgery in June, he finishes a year without claiming at least one major championship for the first time since 2017. Before that, it hadn’t happened since 2010.

    Also of note: 2024 now becomes the first season since 2002 in which none of the Big Three of men’s tennis — Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer — earned a Slam trophy.

    The third-round exit equals Djokovic’s worst showing at Flushing Meadows; the only other occasions he was beaten that early at the U.S. Open came in 2005 and 2006. The man who defeated Djokovic 18 years ago, International Tennis Hall of Fame member Lleyton Hewitt, is now Australia’s Davis Cup captain and was sitting in Popyrin’s guest box in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

    Djokovic, Popyrin said, “wasn’t playing his best tennis; I was waiting for him to kind of step up.”

    “I didn’t want to be one of those moments where Novak kind of stepped up and came back from two-sets-to-love down,” Popyrin said. “That was going through my head.”

    Djokovic, who is 37, has reached the final in Ashe 10 times, leaving with the title in 2011, 2015, 2018 and 2023.

    On Friday, though, he was sluggish and emotionally flat, perhaps residual fatigue after collecting his first Olympic gold medal for Serbia by beating Alcaraz in the final at the Paris Games earlier in August.

    “Obviously, it had an effect,” Djokovic said. “I spent a lot of energy winning the gold, and I did arrive to New York just not feeling fresh mentally and physically. But because it’s the U.S. Open, I gave it a shot and I tried my best. I mean, I didn’t have any physical issues. I just felt out of gas. And you could see that with the way I played.”

    The No. 3-seeded Alcaraz entered the U.S. Open as the tournament favorite having won the French Open and Wimbledon, and acknowledged his energy was lower than he realized after getting eliminated by 74th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 on Thursday night.

    “I woke up this morning and showed my girlfriend straightaway, in shock. It was crazy. Results like that happen,” said Popyrin, who’d never set foot on the playing surface in 23,000-plus capacity Ashe until about 20 minutes before taking on Djokovic. “I thought to myself: Why not me today?”

    Djokovic replaced Alcaraz as the money-line pick to take the men’s title, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, but that status didn’t last long at all. Now the only past U.S. Open men’s champion remaining before Week 1 is even over is Daniil Medvedev, whose lone Slam title came in 2021. He plays No. 31 Flavio Cobolli on Saturday in the third round.

    For the 25-year-old Popyrin, this represents a real breakthrough: He had been 0-3 against Djokovic — including losses at the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year — and 0-6 in third-round matches at majors.

    But the strong-serving Popyrin is playing as well as ever, coming off the biggest title of his career less than three weeks ago at a hard-court tournament in Montreal, where he picked up five wins against opponents ranked in the top 20.

    Everything was working against Djokovic.

    Popyrin was terrific at the net, going 10 for 10 on serve-and-volley approaches and 25 for 36 overall on points when he pushed forward. Djokovic, in contrast, only won the point on 19 of his 40 trips to the net, in part because Popyrin kept flipping passing shots by him.

    Popyrin took big cuts with his powerful forehand, accumulating 22 of his 50 total winners with that shot.

    And he broke Djokovic five times, including for a lead of 3-2 in the fourth. That game felt titanic, lasting more than 10 minutes and including four break chances for Popyrin, who converted the last with an inside-out forehand to close a 22-stroke exchange, then rocked back on his heels, clenched both fists and let out a roar. He took Djokovic’s next service game, too, to make it 5-2.

    The first time Popyrin served for the match, he faltered, allowing Djokovic to break. The second time, Popyrin finished the deal, holding at love when Djokovic sent a forehand long.

    Now Popyrin will try to reach his first Grand Slam quarterfinal by getting past No. 20 Frances Tiafoe, who advanced Friday with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3 win over No. 13 Ben Shelton in a matchup between two Americans.

    “If he serves well, plays well, he can beat anybody,” Djokovic said about Popyrin. “Look, Alcaraz is out. I’m out. Some big upsets. The draw is opening up.”

    ___

    AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

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  • Coco Gauff keeps her US Open title defense alive by coming back to beat Elina Svitolina

    Coco Gauff keeps her US Open title defense alive by coming back to beat Elina Svitolina

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    NEW YORK — Coco Gauff turned things around after being a set down and beat Elina Svitolina 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the U.S. Open’s third round on Friday, extending the 20-year-old American’s defense of her first Grand Slam title.

    The third-seeded Gauff made mistake after mistake in the first set at Arthur Ashe Stadium and dropped its last 11 points against the 27th-seeded Svitolina, a three-time major semifinalist.

    “She’s a fighter,” Gauff said. “I knew I had to play my best.”

    Gauff managed to reel off nine of 11 games in one stretch and won despite losing the opening set, something she did three times en route to winning the 2023 trophy at the U.S. Open, including in the final against Aryna Sabalenka.

    The secret this time?

    “I tried to be more aggressive on my forehand side,” Gauff said, “and tried to make less errors on the backhand.”

    Sounds simple enough, right?

    By the conclusion of one set, Gauff’s totals were 16 unforced errors — nine on backhands — and just seven winners. She put only 45% of her first serves in. She went 0 for 3 on break points. She allowed Svitolina to claim 19 of the 28 points that lasted more than four strokes.

    All of those numbers got better across the last two sets. And something else changed, at the behest of her coaches: Gauff got the partisan crowd more involved.

    “My team was kind of like telling me that (the fans) were on the edge of their seats,” Gauff explained. “So I said, ‘OK, I need to erupt so you guys can erupt.’”

    This comeback ends a five-match losing streak for Gauff against opponents ranked in the top 50 and might be just what she needs to move past a recent slump that saw her win just five of her previous nine matches.

    Such a contrast to a year ago, when Gauff won 18 of 19, and 12 in a row, along the way to two tuneup titles on hard courts and then the championship at the U.S. Open that made her the first U.S. teenager to triumph at Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams in 1999.

    On Sunday, Gauff will play for a berth in the quarterfinals against No. 13 Emma Navarro of the U.S. — who beat Gauff in Wimbledon’s fourth round last month. Navarro defeated No. 19 Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

    Everything began to change for Gauff on Friday after 1 hour, 10 minutes, when she broke to lead 4-2 in the second set, smacking a cross-court forehand winner. She celebrated with a yell of “Come on!” and raised her left hand to wiggle her fingers and ask the spectators to get louder.

    Soon that set belonged to Gauff, who closed it with a 94 mph ace, shook a fist and shouted.

    In the third, with UConn women’s basketball stars Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd sitting in her guest box at Ashe, Gauff broke right away, then held to go up 2-0 with the help of one 38-stroke point that she took when Svitolina sent a backhand wide.

    Soon it was 5-1 for Gauff, whose only late wobble came when she served for the match at 5-2. She wasted three match points and got broken there. But Gauff broke right back to close things out.

    ___

    AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

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  • Does American tennis have a pickleball problem?

    Does American tennis have a pickleball problem?

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    NEW YORK (AP) — Does American tennis have a pickleball problem?

    Even as the U.S. Open opened this week with more than a million fans expected for the sport’s biggest showcase, the game’s leaders are being forced to confront a devastating fact — the nation’s fastest-growing racket sport (or sport of any kind) is not tennis but pickleball, which has seen participation boom 223% in the past three years.

    Women wait for friends to practice pickleball on the courts of CityPickle at Central Park’s Wollman Rink, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

    “Quite frankly, it’s obnoxious to hear that pickleball noise,” U.S. Tennis Association President Dr. Brian Hainline grumbled at a recent state-of-the-game news conference, bemoaning the distinctive pock, pock, pock of pickleball points.

    Pickleball, an easy-to-play mix of tennis and ping pong using paddles and a wiffleball, has quickly soared from nearly nothing to 13.6 million U.S. players in just a few years, leading tennis purists to fear a day when it could surpass tennis’ 23.8 million players. And most troubling is that pickleball’s rise has often come at the expense of thousands of tennis courts encroached upon or even replaced by smaller pickleball courts.

    “When you see an explosion of a sport and it starts potentially eroding into your sport, then, yes, you’re concerned,” Hainline said in an interview with The Associated Press. “That erosion has come in our infrastructure. … A lot of pickleball advocates just came in and said, ‘We need these tennis courts.’ It was a great, organic grassroots movement but it was a little anti-tennis.”

    Some tennis governing bodies in other countries have embraced pickleball and other racket sports under the more-the-merrier belief they could lead more players to the mothership of tennis. France’s tennis federation even set up a few pickleball courts at this year’s French Open to give top players and fans a chance to try it out.

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    A man jumps to return the ball as people practice pickleball on the courts of CityPickle at Central Park’s Wollman Rink, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

    But the USTA has taken a decidedly different approach. Nowhere at the U.S. Open’s Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is there any such demonstration court, exhibition match or any other nod to pickleball or its possible crossover appeal.

    In fact, the USTA is flipping the script on pickleball with an ambitious launch of more than 400 pilot programs across the country to broaden the reach of an easier-to-play, smaller-court version of tennis called “red ball tennis.” Backers say it’s the ideal way for people of all ages to get into tennis and the best place to try it is (wait for it) on pickleball courts.

    “You can begin tennis at any age,” USTA’s Hainline said. “We believe that when you do begin this great sport of tennis, it’s probably best to begin it on a shorter court with a larger, low-compression red ball. What’s an ideal short court? A pickleball court.”

    And instead of the plasticky plink of a pickleball against a flat paddle, Hainline said, striking a fuzzy red tennis ball with a stringed racket allows for a greater variety of strokes and “just a beautiful sound.” Players can either stick with red ball tennis or advance through a progression of bouncier balls to full-court tennis.

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    People practice pickleball on the courts of CityPickle at Central Park’s Wollman Rink, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

    “Not to put it down,” Hainline said of pickleball, “but compared to tennis … seriously?”

    So what does the head of the nation’s pickleball governing body have to say about such comments and big tennis’ plans to plant the seeds of its growth, at least in part, on pickleball courts?

    “I don’t like it but there is so much going on with pickleball, so many good things, I’m going to stick to what I can control, harnessing the growth and supporting this game,” said Pickleball USA CEO Mike Nealy.

    Among the positive signs, Nealy said, is the continuing construction of new pickleball courts across the country, raising the total to more than 50,000. There’s also growing investment in the game at clubs built in former big-box retail stores, pro leagues with such backers as Tom Brady, LeBron James and Drake, and the emergence of “dink-and-drink” establishments that tap into the social aspect of the game by allowing friends to enjoy pickleball, beer, wine and food under the same roof.

    “I don’t think it needs to be one or the other or a competition,” Nealy said of pickleball and tennis. “You’re certainly going to have the inherent frictions in communities when tennis people don’t feel that they’re getting what they want. … They’re different games but I think they are complimentary. There’s plenty of room for both sports to be very successful.”

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    People practice pickleball on the courts of CityPickle at Central Park’s Wollman Rink, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

    Top-ranked American tennis player Taylor Fritz agreed. “There are some people in the tennis world that are just absolute pickleball haters, and that’s fine. But for me, I don’t really have an issue with pickleball. I like playing sometimes. … I don’t see any reason why both of them can’t exist.”

    The relative health of tennis and pickleball is calculated by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, a marketing research group whose annual survey of 18,000 Americans on their preferences of physical activity has been widely cited for decades.

    Though the group’s President and CEO Tom Cove refused to hazard a guess on if or when pickleball could overtake tennis, he said the American pickleball boom is unlike anything his organization his ever seen and several key stats suggest it could be poised to keep going.

    For starters, though the initial growth of pickleball was fueled during the coronavirus pandemic by retirees looking for a socially distanced, low-impact way to get some exercise, the growth now is driven by those ages 18 to 34, with a million new players 17 and younger added last year. Also, of the current 13.6 million pickleball participants in SFIA’s survey, the core number, those who play eight or more times a year, is a robust 4.8 million.

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    People practice pickleball on the courts of CityPickle at Central Park’s Wollman Rink, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

    But perhaps more important than any stat, Cove said, is that pickleball puts up almost no barriers to entry. Equipment is relatively cheap, the game can be played almost anywhere, even on a driveway, and it takes almost no time to start having meaningful games with players of all ages and skill levels. That’s unlike nearly every other sport, including tennis, which can often take months of practice to learn, be physically demanding and require finding players of similar skill level to play competitive matches.

    “Pickleball has a unique quality to give enjoyment very early,” Cove said. “People figure it out and after one or two times. They say, ‘I like to play. It’s fun and I can do this. There’s enough competition, but not too much. There’s enough skill but not too much. There’s enough urgency but it doesn’t make me feel like I’m going to fall over. And I like the social part.”’

    The USTA is seeking to capture some of that vibe as it charts tennis’ future. The game is coming off its own 10% growth over the past three years, according to SFIA’s survey, and the USTA has a goal to increase its ranks from 23.8 million to 35 million players — about 1 in 10 of all Americans — by 2035.

    Building that base starts with outreach like a special “red ball” demonstration court set up next to stadium Court 17 at Flushing Meadows. A game that was once used almost exclusively to introduce children to tennis is now being promoted to adult U.S. Open fans — among the same people currently flocking to pickleball.

    “I have to say, I kind of like it better than pickleball,” 27-year-old Angelique Santiago of Boston said after her first-ever session of red-ball. “The ball is softer compared to the hard pickleball. The tennis racket has a softer feel. It’s just easier to get into a rally. … I’d definitely play it again.”

    Such comments are music to the ears of the USTA’s Hainline, who says comparing tennis to pickleball in terms of skill, nuance and athleticism is “like comparing apples to potatoes.”

    “We want to present another option,” he said, “and let the people choose.”

    ___

    AP Tennis Writer Howard Fendrich contributed.

    ___

    AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

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  • US Open: Coco Gauff, Caroline Garcia and other tennis players say cyberbullying is still a problem

    US Open: Coco Gauff, Caroline Garcia and other tennis players say cyberbullying is still a problem

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    NEW YORK — Caroline Garcia, a U.S. Open semifinalist two years ago, drew attention Wednesday to the ever-present problem of cyberbullying in tennis, particularly by people who bet on matches, after her first-round loss at the Grand Slam tournament.

    Other players echoed Garcia’s lament, including defending champion Coco Gauff, who said: “You could be having a good day, and then somebody will literally tell you, ‘Oh, go kill yourself.’ You’re, like, ‘OK, thanks.’”

    Garcia, a 30-year-old from France who has been ranked as high as No. 4, was seeded 28th at Flushing Meadows but was eliminated by Renata Zarazúa 6-1, 6-4 on Tuesday. Zarazúa is ranked 92nd and is making her U.S. Open debut.

    “Maybe you can think that it doesn’t hurt us. But it does. We are humans,” Garcia wrote on social media. “And sometimes, when we receive (these) messages, we are already emotionally destroyed after a tough loss. And they can be damaging. Many before me have raised the subject. And still, no progress has been made.”

    Garcia offered examples of “just a few” of the hundreds of messages she said she was sent after losing recent matches, including one telling her she should consider suicide and another that read, “I hope your mom dies soon.”

    “At the end of the day, I’m just a normal girl working really hard and trying my best, I have tools and have done work to protect myself from this hate. But still, this is not OK,” Garcia wrote. “It really worries me when I think about younger players coming up, that have to go through this. People that still haven’t yet developed fully as a human and that really might be affected by this hate.”

    As other players have mentioned in the past, she talked about the issue of being attacked verbally by gamblers upset about losing money.

    “Tournaments and the sport keeps partnering with betting companies, which keep attracting new people to unhealthy betting,” Garcia said. “The days of cigarette brands sponsoring sports are long gone. Yet, here we are promoting betting companies, which actively destroy the life of some people.”

    This sort of harassment via social media is nothing new, of course, and it’s not new to tennis.

    “You hear a lot of nasty things, and people talk about your appearance, your family’s appearance, and all these things,” Gauff said. “If you are already struggling with your own mental issues and, on top of that, you have people digging deeper, it is tough.”

    As Frances Tiafoe, a semifinalist in New York in 2022, said: “People are saying outlandish … stuff. It’s just wild.”

    “I try not to look at the comments,” 2019 U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu said, mentioning that she will ask her PR person to scroll through and let her know when there are positive ones. “Because there’s always going to be a negative comment and I’ve learned that the hard way.”

    Players have called it out in the past, and Grand Slam tournaments have been trying to help prevent messages from reaching the athletes.

    The French Open partnered in 2022 with a company that uses artificial intelligence to filter players’ social media accounts, and the groups that run the U.S. Open, Wimbledon, the women’s tour and the lower-level ITF Tour announced in December they were starting a service to monitor for “abusive and threatening content” on X, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and TikTok.

    “Many before me have raised the subject,” Garcia said. “And still, no progress has been made. Social media platforms don’t prevent it, despite AI being in a very advanced position.”

    She closed her message by addressing anyone reading it, suggesting that “next time you see a post from an athlete, singer or any other person, that has failed or lost, you will remember that she or he is also a human being, trying his best in life. Be kind. Give love. Enjoy life.”

    ___

    AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

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  • Novak Djokovic: The 2023 60 Minutes Interview

    Novak Djokovic: The 2023 60 Minutes Interview

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    Novak Djokovic: The 2023 60 Minutes Interview – CBS News


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    Tennis genius Novak Djokovic is no longer chasing records; he’s creating them. Ahead of the Australian Open, Djokovic explained how flexibility and mental strength help him dominate on the court.

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  • Today in Sports – Tiger Woods becomes first golfer since 1953 to win 3 majors in a calendar year

    Today in Sports – Tiger Woods becomes first golfer since 1953 to win 3 majors in a calendar year

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    Aug. 20

    1921 — Molla Bjurstedt Mallory beats Mary Browne, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to win the U.S. women’s national tennis title at the Germantown Cricket Club in Philadelphia.

    1931 — Helen Wills Moody beats Eileen Bennett Whitingstall 6-4, 6-1 to capture the women’s title in the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association championship.

    1944 — Robert Hamilton upsets Byron Nelson in the final round 1 up to win the PGA Championship.

    1960 — Holland’s Hairos II, driven by Willem Geersen, wins the second International Trot at Roosevelt Raceway before a record crowd of 54,861.

    1990 — George Steinbrenner steps down as NY Yankee owner.

    1995 — Monica Seles completes a remarkable first week back in tournament tennis, routing Amanda Coetzer 6-0, 6-1 to capture the Canadian Open. Her 74 games sets a tournament record for the fewest played by a champion.

    1999 — 7th Athletics World Championships open at Seville, Spain.

    2000 — Tiger Woods wins the PGA Championship in a playoff over Bob May, becoming the first player since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win three majors in one year. He’s the first player to repeat as PGA champion since Denny Shute in 1937.

    2003 — The U.S. wins the women’s overall team gold medal at the gymnastics world championships. It is the first gold for the Americans — men or women — at the biggest international event outside the Olympics.

    2004 — Michael Phelps matches Mark Spitz’s record of four individual gold medals in Olympic swimming by winning the 100-meter butterfly. He edges teammate Ian Crocker to win his fifth gold medal. Shortly after winning his seventh medal of these Olympics, Phelps gives up his spot in the medley relay to Crocker.

    2006 — Tiger Woods wins the PGA Championship for a five-shot victory over Shaun Micheel and his 12th career major. He becomes the first player to win the PGA twice on the same course, having done so at Medinah in 1999.

    2008 — Usain Bolt of Jamaica breaks the 200-meter world record, winning in 19.30 seconds at the Beijing Games. He is the first man since Carl Lewis in 1984 to sweep the 100 and 200 at an Olympics.

    2012 — Augusta National invites former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and South Carolina financier Darla Moore to become the first female members since the club was founded in 1932.

    2016 — Allyson Felix and LaShawn Merritt anchor the 4×400 relay teams, and the U.S. exits the final night of action at Olympic Stadium with 31 medals — its most in a non-boycotted Olympics since 1956. The U.S. women’s basketball team beats Spain 101-72 for a sixth straight title.

    2018 — Alabama becomes the second team to be ranked No. 1 in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll for three straight seasons. The preseason AP poll started in 1950 and since then only Oklahoma from 1985-87 had started No. 1 in three straight years.

    2023 — FIFA Women’s World Cup Final, Stadium Australia, Sydney: Spanish captain Olga Carmona scores the only goal of the game as La Furia Roja score a 1-0 win over England.

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  • ‘The one at the same level as us’: Nadal, Gauff and Djokovic on Andy Murray

    ‘The one at the same level as us’: Nadal, Gauff and Djokovic on Andy Murray

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    As tennis says farewell to Andy Murray after a thrilling final event at the Olympics, The Athletic has spoken to almost 30 players, coaches and other luminaries to understand what the three-time Grand Slam champion, double Olympic champion and legend of British tennis means to the sport.

    From those closest to him, such as his brother, Jamie, and Great Britain Davis Cup captain Leon Smith, to rivals including Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, and WTA players Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka, who have admired his fight for gender equality, the 27 people below have broken down the different elements of Murray’s game and personality, having seen him up close throughout his life and career. Murray himself also explains what he is most proud of from his 19-year career on the ATP Tour.

    GO DEEPER

    Fifty Shades of Andy Murray

    The Hall of Famer: ‘He was a monster – it was a “Big Four” for sure’

    First and foremost, Murray was a world-class player. One of his rivals, Stan Wawrinka, said recently that it was a ‘Big Four’ rather than a ‘Big Three’, with Murray meriting a place in that group with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, because of his incredible consistency. That’s why Wawrinka — a three-time Grand Slam winner, same as Murray, but nothing like as efficient in reaching major finals or winning other titles — puts the Scotsman in a different category from himself.

    Pretty much all of the players who faced Murray agree.

    Rafael Nadal

    One of Murray’s Big Four rivals during that era was Nadal, the 22-time Grand Slam champion. The pair played each other 24 times, with Nadal leading the head-to-head 17-7, which included two wins for Murray on clay.

    Nadal says: “We know each other since we were small kids. He’s one year younger. When we were playing by teams — Spain, Great Britain — he was on the team one year younger. We know each other very well. We grow together on the tour, even when he arrived a little bit later than me.

    “Andy had an amazing career. I think in some way… I mean, I don’t like to say he deserves more or less because, at the end, if I say I deserve more if I don’t have injuries, no? No, I don’t, because I had the injuries, no? He had a lot of finals. He was an amazing player who probably played in a difficult moment because he shared the tour at the prime time of Novak, Roger and myself.


    Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal after the latter’s triumph during the fourth round of the 2007 Australian Open (Richard A Brooks / Getty Images)

    “He was the one that was at the same level as us in general terms. In terms of victories, he achieved less but in terms of level of tennis, of having, mentally, the winning spirit week after week, he was the only one that was very close to being at the same level as us.”

    David Goffin

    Goffin’s game matched up terribly to Murray’s and he lost all eight of their meetings. The Belgian, once ranked No 7 in the world, was also the fall guy for one of Murray’s most famous wins — the one that secured Great Britain the Davis Cup in 2015. The final point, which Murray won with a trademark lob, was evidence of his exceptional court craft and shotmaking ability.

    Goffin is also in no doubt that Murray deserved his place in the Big Four group.

    Goffin says: “He killed me all the time. It’s amazing what Andy did for the sport. I played him many times, and I always felt that he was too good. It’s insane what he did, especially with the other three big guys playing with him.

    “He was part of the Big Four. He was world No 1. He won Grand Slams. He won so many Masters 1000s (14 in total). He was just a monster, a legend.”

    Stan Wawrinka

    Wawrinka, a longtime friend and rival says: “It’s been more than 20 years (that we’ve known each other). There are many memories. It was special to play here against him at home (at Wimbledon in 2009). He’s been an amazing champion. He pushed everybody. He’s been an example for many players.

    “And he’s a great guy. We’re good friends. We arrived a little bit at the same times. We spent so many times together — on the court, in practice court, we practise tons of times together. We always had a good relationship.”

    John McEnroe

    McEnroe never shared a court with Murray, but the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion is unequivocal on the Scot’s status within the game.

    “He’s one of the greatest the sport has ever seen,” McEnroe says. “He left no stone unturned to be the best he could be. Until he got hurt, it was the Big Four, it wasn’t the Big Three. He finished 2016 as the No 1 player, ahead of those guys — that’s quite an achievement. 

    “He won three Slams, reached 11 Grand Slam finals. First-ballot Hall of Famer. Incredible career, especially considering the players he was up against. Murray has the respect of everyone in the tennis world — ultimately, that’s all you can ask for.”


    McEnroe has recently called for Wimbledon to add a statue of Murray (Clive Brunskill / Getty Images)

    The competitor: ‘Even in doubles, he was getting fired up for every point’

    Djokovic and Murray were born within a week of each other, and after facing each other many times as juniors, shared 36 matches on the ATP Tour, including seven Grand Slam finals (two of which Murray won). Of his many attributes, Djokovic picks out his resilience and dedication. 

    Novak Djokovic

    Djokovic says: “Just incredible resilience throughout all his career. Multiple Grand Slam winner. Legend of the game. No 1 in the world. Going to play challenger circuit to build his rankings on clay, his least favourite surface, says a lot about his character.

    “Just huge inspiration to all the players. Doesn’t mind getting out on the court for hours every day. Incredible professional. His approach is something to study, no doubt.

    “His will to push and see how far he can go, even with an artificial hip, is something that is just inspiring but also serves as a great example I think to a lot of the athletes, younger ones, that start to complain about this and that.

    “So he has left a great mark on and off the court, no doubt, for the tennis. But something tells me, again, that he will keep going.”


    Murray and Djokovic played doubles together as juniors (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

    Sebastian Korda

    Murray’s fighting spirit is legendary, and it enabled him to produce so many amazing comebacks. We think of this mainly in the context of big Grand Slam singles matches with lots at stake. But even on the doubles court, towards the end of his career, in his mid-30s and with a metal replacement left hip, he was still scrapping for every ball.

    Earlier this year, American world No 21 Korda asked Murray if he fancied playing doubles with him. They joined forces in Miami in March, beating Tallon Griekspoor and Julian Cash in the first round before an ankle injury ruled Murray out of the event.

    Korda, 24, grew up watching Murray and could not believe how invested his partner was in that match.

    Korda says: “He’s an unbelievable person. He’s the biggest competitor out there. Even in our doubles match, he was getting fired up for every point. It was just awesome to see. And to see the legend that he is, and the way he carries himself on court. It’s just a massive inspiration.”

    Grigor Dimitrov

    The former Wimbledon semi-finalist and current world No 10 Dimitrov, says it’s Murray’s mentality that has always stood out to him.

    Dimitrov says: “We’ve always got on well and been close. You can learn a lot from him — on different aspects, like the way his mentality has been and what he’s been able to achieve. He always tries to come back and fight through — that’s pretty amazing.”

    The tactician: ‘Aged 11, he kept drop-shotting this guy because he knew he couldn’t beat him for power’

    One of Murray’s biggest assets was his tactical nous. He knew he didn’t possess some of the overwhelming shotmaking the other Big Four players did. He figured out how to use his smarts and court craft, which had always been a big part of his game growing up — Murray was on the shorter side until he was about 15, and went through a sudden growth spurt.

    Leon Smith

    Smith knows Murray as well as just about anyone. He would become his Davis Cup captain for 13 years, but he first saw Murray as a four-year-old, playing short tennis. His mother, Judy, who was in charge of tennis in Scotland, would bring him along to junior tournaments Smith was playing in.

    A few years later, Judy asked Smith, in his twenties and starting out as a coach, if he could act as a hitting partner for her son, who was then about 11. The pair got on well, and Smith took on an informal mentoring role and started taking the kid to tournaments — including the prestigious Orange Bowl event in Miami for top youngsters in 1999.


    Andy Murray, 12, en route to winning the Under-14 National Junior Championships in Nottingham (Craig Prentis / Getty Images)

    Murray won the event in the 12-and-under category and Smith got a first glimpse into how tactically clued-up he already was.

    Smith says: “When you put him on a match court, the guy just lit up. He wouldn’t want to lose. That final of the Orange Bowl, I remember him drop-shotting the guy (Tomas Piskacek from the Czech Republic) so many times. He kept drop-shot-and-lobbing him. This guy was much bigger than him — Andy wasn’t that big, he was more average to small size. And he kept drop-shotting this guy because he knew he couldn’t beat him for power, and I just remember so many drop-shot-and-lob combinations.”

    Beating more powerful players with his guile and know-how later became Murray’s calling card on the ATP Tour.

    Cameron Norrie

    British No 2 Norrie grew up watching Murray and, since turning pro and joining his compatriot on the British Davis Cup team, has soaked up as much information from him as possible.

    He says: “I ask him a thousand questions. If I needed help with anything, I was always asking and calling him, and he was always there to help me, and I got on really well with him in Davis Cup.”

    One of Norrie’s takeaways from all those conversations is that Murray will make a top coach one day — a view many others share.


    Cameron Norrie has found Murray’s advice indispensable (Glyn Kirk / AFP via Getty Images)

    Norrie says: “He’s a good guy to spend time around, and his tennis knowledge is unbelievable. He remembers all the details. It’s great to be around that level of professionalism. Getting the chance to play against him is always tough and really good. 

    “If you ask him about any player, he’ll give you the details on everything: where they like to hit their forehand and typically like to serve and how they move, their little tendencies and what they do. He’s watching a lot of tennis, not just practising. He knows how they play and he’ll be a good coach.”

    The locker-room legend: ‘A really respectful guy and a cool dude’

    As well as his exceptional achievements on the court, Murray will leave a legacy as a hugely popular figure within tennis off it. He was loved in the dressing room for his wry sense of humour and support for other players.

    Dominic Thiem

    Thiem had quite a bit in common with Murray. Both found their path to Grand Slam titles constantly blocked by the Big Three (Thiem lost three Grand Slam finals to Big Three players; Murray lost eight — five to Djokovic, three to Federer). Both were ultimately struck down by injuries.

    Thiem hopes that, one day, they can have a beer or two together and swap war stories.

    He says: “I admire him and I like him — as an athlete and a person. He was one of the people texting me when I got injured, when I was on my way back, and also now. After my farewell in Roland Garros (this year), he sent me a really nice message, which he didn’t need to do. He just said it was amazing to see how I got my farewell and how emotional it was. This gave me a lot of joy because he’s had his issues as well — although way worse.


    Murray in action during a defeat to Thiem in Barcelona in 2019 (Alex Caparros / Getty Images)

    “That’s the other thing about him — to do what he has done with a metal hip is simply amazing. He deserved way more. The Big Three were in the way for him. But then, the way he was fighting back with the metal hip and still playing, it’s admirable. He’s a big role model for every player.

    “We only spoke every now and then for a few minutes in the locker room, which is nice of course but is not enough. It would be really interesting, with him and the other guys, to have a really deep conversation, and maybe one day I’m going to come to Wimbledon and meet with him and talk about this stuff.

    “Yeah (over a beer or two), loosen up.”

    Carlos Alcaraz

    Reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion Alcaraz is a player Murray loves watching. He has been vocal in supporting the young Spaniard, right from the start of his career.

    Alcaraz has huge respect for Murray, who had another message for him when the pair hit together at the pre-Wimbledon tournament at Queen’s in London last week.

    Alcaraz says: “Every time I talk to him, I was really focused. Every word I’m hearing from him, it is amazing. I hear a lot of good things. He spoke to me on Twitter, on Instagram. He watched a lot of my matches. For me, these things are amazing.

    “When I practised with him (at Queen’s), he congratulated me about the French Open, that it was amazing stuff. Hearing these words from him, it was amazing. He’s a legend. I have huge respect for him, everything he’s done in sport. He has beaten the Big Three many, many times in their prime level. It is something amazing.

    “His legacy in tennis and in sport is going to be forever.”

    Tomas Machac

    One of Murray’s final matches was against Machac, in Miami in March this year. Murray played on after rupturing ankle ligaments but wished his opponent well at the end of a three-set defeat.

    Machac, 23, says: “It was a tough match, but when we shook hands he was super, like a legend. During the match, he tried everything to beat me but then at the end, he was very nice — he said, ‘Well played, good luck for the tournament’.

    “He’s a legend of the sport and a special person and player, so he’ll be missed a lot.”

    Gael Monfils

    At the other end of his career from Alcaraz and Machac is 37-year-old Monfils, Murray’s one-time rival at junior level. The pair have been playing each other for more than 25 years and in 2004, won all of the junior Grand Slams between them (Monfils the first three, Murray the U.S. Open).


    Monfils and Murray battling at the 2006 French Open. (Eric Feferberg / AFP via Getty Images)

    Monfils says: “It’s crazy because I played Andy the first time when I was 11 and he was 10. Everybody’s different — we have a different purpose et cetera. I’m a big fan of Andy. His achievements, his career, the guy he is. He is a really respectful guy and a cool dude. A legend of the sport.

    “I try to learn from him. What he’s done is crazy good.”

    go-deeper

    GO DEEPER

    ‘You know my name. It’s impossible. I made it’: Gael Monfils has no regrets

    The British flagbearer (and p**s-taker): ‘Inspirational but understated’ 

    Murray’s compatriots will perhaps miss him the most. He has been a huge source of support to them. “He’s given a lot of time to people — younger guys, practising with them when they weren’t established, offering them advice if they asked for it,” says Smith, who has seen up close in his role as Davis Cup captain how influential Murray has been.

    “A day after what happened here (the injury at Queen’s against Jordan Thompson this June), he’s down at pre-qualies, bloody Southfields at Wimbledon, watching a 17-year-old Charlie Robertson. Up rocks Andy Murray courtside. He’s just pulled out with an injury and who knows what that injury is, yet he’s out supporting a 17-year-old Scot. It’s not normal. It’s great values, great human skills.

    “In 2016, a few days after winning Wimbledon, he came to Serbia (to be with the British Davis Cup team, even though he wasn’t fit to play). That’s unbelievable. He said, ‘Would it be OK if I come over?’. ‘Err, yeah!’. I remember he’s got a ball-hopper and he’s doing the feeding to the guys. That already gives them such a lift. He’s here doing that. Amazing stuff.”

    Meanwhile, in McEnroe’s eyes, “Andy Murray changed the perception of being a British tennis player. He had that hunger and will to win that people hadn’t seen for a long time.”


    Murray’s always dry but surprisingly jovial humour has won over tennis fans. (John Walton / PA Images via Getty Images)

    But as much as Murray has been a motivator and inspiration, the other British players also appreciate his wicked sense of humour and love of taking the p**s out of them.

    Jack Draper

    Draper, the new British No 1 who will carry much of the nation’s expectations with Murray gone, said at Wimbledon of his one-time idol: “I wouldn’t be here without Andy. He’s an incredible guy off the court, so funny, so genuine, one of a kind. What a competitor, what a champion. Thank you very much.”

    He says: “It’s weird because he was such an inspiration when I was younger and around the National Tennis Centre.

    “Watching him win Wimbledon, I was starstruck. As I’ve come on to the tour and he’s had his injuries and been around, it’s been great to get to know him as a person. He’s incredibly genuine, a real hard worker, and we’ve got to practise a lot and it’s been great to learn from him. Everyone’s on a different journey but his main message is: ‘Learn from the matches, learn from the experiences — keep going, keep doing the right things like you’re doing and you’ll get to the place you want to be’.

    “He’s very supportive. Not so much in a match-by-match way, but he will give me a bit of banter in messages. Or saying, ‘Congratulations, well played today’. If I put something on Instagram that he’s not a fan of, he’ll let me know. He always goes on about my ‘stance’. The other day, I put up a photo and did the stance just to p**s him off. I hope, even after his career, that he still has a big impact on tennis and sticks around.”

    Neal Skupski

    A three-time Wimbledon champion (one in men’s doubles, two in mixed), Skupski has got to know Murray from playing Davis Cup ties together over the past few years. For Skupski, it’s Murray’s prowess in fantasy football that has left a lasting impression.

    Skupski says: “We’re in WhatsApp groups together — fantasy football, all that stuff. He’s great, a great character. One of the funny ones on tour.

    “You don’t have to be an active player to be part of the fantasy football group — his coach, Jonny O’Mara, is in the group as well. Jonny came last this year, so he’s having to do a forfeit, which is taking a trip to any country in Europe for the day. In and out. On his own.

    “Andy won the whole thing, like he does every year — which he put out on social media — so he gets to choose where Jonny goes. Quite funny that Jonny’s coaching Andy and Andy gets to choose where he goes. He hasn’t decided where he’s going yet.

    “He loves that he has the hold over the rest of us (the other nine people in the group). He’s constant, he’s non-stop. On the final day of the season, he changed his whole team to people who don’t play — reserve players, under-23s — because he was so far ahead. That’s just something Andy would do.

    “There’s talk of him sending Jonny to Bulgaria (a three-hour flight from London) for the day.”

    Aidan McHugh

    Murray’s legendary p**s-taking ability was once explained to me by Scottish 24-year-old McHugh, who Murray mentored before bringing him into his agency, 77 Sports Management Group: “The p**s-taking is absolutely anything he can get his hands on. He tends to hold onto things. He’ll bring up something you did two years ago. He’s very on it. It’s almost worrying.”

    McHugh told a story from his run to the junior Australian Open semifinals in 2018 that demonstrated this. “After losing, I was gutted — like, genuinely not happy with a really tough loss, and all I did was smash a plastic water bottle. I didn’t damage anything. I wasn’t even in the locker room, I was upstairs in the gym, but my coach heard it and it got back to Andy.


    Murray and McHugh in good spirits at Wimbledon in 2017 (Bill Murray / SNS Group via Getty Images)

    “When I came back to the UK, Andy and I were chatting and he completely made up that, because of me, 77 had got a big bill through for damages to the players’ locker room! I felt terrible but was like, ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about’.

    “I was expecting at that point that he would break and laugh it off, but he just kept going and didn’t say, ‘OK, I’ll let them know it wasn’t you’. He’s still not spoken to me about it and gone, ‘It was a joke’. He just leaves things like that to try and mess with you.”

    Joe Salisbury

    Salisbury is another British doubles specialist (four Grand Slam titles in men’s, two in mixed) who has teamed up with Murray in the Davis Cup, and seen his unique brand of comedy up close.

    Salisbury says: “He has a very dry sense of humour, very sarcastic. Very funny. If you didn’t know him, you wouldn’t get it. He says things completely deadpan and you’re not really sure if he’s joking.

    “I’ve always got on really well with Andy. He’s a great guy, easy to get on with. I don’t know any of the other top singles guys well, but feel like he’s the most down-to-earth and open (of them). It doesn’t matter who you are, he’s always happy to chat, always very supportive.

    “And I always enjoyed playing with him — a great competitor who works really hard. Whenever I’ve played doubles with him, he’s always been focused and wanted to improve on his doubles.”

    Leon Smith again

    As well as enjoying a laugh with his team-mates, Murray can also give speeches that inspire them. At the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he was chosen as Team GB’s flagbearer, a hugely prestigious honour that recognised his gold (men’s singles) and silver (mixed doubles) medals at the previous Games in London four years earlier. As part of his role, Murray addressed all the other British Olympians present in Rio.

    Smith says: “He gave an amazing speech. We had this apartment block, and then a big lawn in front, where the British team were staying. And he’s standing up on a raised bank bit, speaking to all the British Olympians, giving this speech and it’s like tugging on your heartstrings. Inspirational stuff about what it means to be a British Olympian, how everyone at home is rooting for you. ‘You’ve done your work, be proud that you’re here and know that you’ve done everything you can, so just go out and give your best effort’.

    “Simple but powerful messaging. And because it’s coming from him, people were like, ‘Wow’. It was really inspirational but understated. He’s not someone who gets overly excited or goes overboard, but he delivered it in such a genuine way.”

    Emma Raducanu

    Murray has set standards for British women in tennis to aspire to as well.

    Raducanu, the only other British winner of a singles Grand Slam title since 1977 and his chosen mixed doubles partner at Wimbledon until her withdrawal, says: “I just see him operate day to day. How professional he is, how he’s in the gym an hour and a half before practice. How he goes about his thing. It’s just nice to have that influence. He sets standards and all of us love to have him around.

    “It’s nice to see him hitting with the other boys and the other players. They all get inspired when they play with him.”

    Dan Evans

    Evans was the man playing alongside Murray in the thrilling final Olympics run, but their closeness goes way beyond that. Murray has been a big support to his Davis Cup team-mate throughout Evans’ career, including staying out late on a freezing Court 8 to watch one of his qualifying matches at the 2016 Australian Open. “It’s unbelievable to come out, it’s freezing, the chance of getting ill — it’s a good effort,” Evans said. 

    Reflecting on all their many years knowing each other, Evans says: “He’s always been behind every British player, he’s never not taken time out to send a text. When he was injured and I won my first-ever match at Roland Garros (in 2019), he messaged me saying, ‘Well done, that’s perseverance’. He knew exactly how many matches I hadn’t won there and I was thinking, ‘You have your own stuff going on, so that was pretty cool’. 

    “He’s been generous, helpful, everything to British tennis. Not just me. He’s given everyone good advice. He won the Davis Cup pretty much on his own — which gave me an accolade, I guess. 

    “Davis Cup, behind the scenes, just generally a class act.”

    The idol: ‘I made a list of who I wanted a picture with. Of course, Andy was first on the list’

    Murray’s longevity means players grew up admiring him and then became part of the tour with him. As the Russian women’s world No 12 Daria Kasatkina, puts it: “It’s been incredible to watch him on TV and then be with him at tournaments. I feel lucky to have experienced that.”

    Mirra Andreeva

    One of Murray’s biggest fans is the Russian 17-year-old Andreeva, who reached the French Open semifinals in May.

    When Murray tweeted his appreciation of Andreeva during one of her matches at the Australian Open in January, she expressed how overwhelmed she was. “Honestly, I didn’t think that he would watch a match, then after he would tweet, he would comment something,” she said. “I will try to print it out somehow. I don’t know, I will put it in a frame. I will bring it everywhere with me. I will maybe put it on the wall, so I can see it every day.”

    At the French Open, she plucked up the courage to ask Murray for a picture together.

    Andreeva says: “It was a nice moment because I had a gift — a retro camera. I was like, ‘Well, I have to do a lot of photos’. I had 25 or 30 pictures that I could do. So I made a list of who I want to take a picture (with). Of course, Andy was first on the list because, I mean, we had a few interactions, but I don’t even have a photo with him. I thought, ‘Well, we need to fix that’.

    “I saw him a few times before, but he was warming up or eating. So I was like, ‘Well, next time, next time’. Then, I saw him talking to his team. I was like, ‘Well, he’s busy. No, no, no’. My coach was like, ‘No, you go, you do it, and after we forget about it’.

    “She pushed me to him and, finally, I had a picture with him.”

    What was better, reaching the French Open semifinal or getting the picture with Murray?

    “Both are good. Both are good.”

    Jordan Thompson

    Thompson was Murray’s final tour singles opponent, beating him at Queen’s just before Wimbledon.

    The 30-year-old Australian brutally exposed his opponent’s impaired movement by frequently playing drop shots — a ploy he said he learned from watching Murray as a youngster. Afterwards, he spoke about how much of an inspiration Murray was back then — especially how hard he pushed himself.

    Thompson says: “His work ethic was unbelievable when I was growing up. I just thought he worked so hard to get where he is, and to be as physically fit as him just on hard work, it was a real inspiration.


    Murray walks out of Queen’s behind Thompson after retiring from their match last week. (Clive Brunskill / Getty Images)

    “I’m sure he’ll be missed. When I was a kid I watched him play U.S. Open finals, Wimbledon finals, that many Australian Open finals (five). It was in my home country. I was going for him every time. He’s one of my favourite players.

    “I got to share the court a few times with him. That was special. I don’t think many kids in the world would be watching these guys on TV and then you go out there and actually play them and share the court with them. Yeah, it’s every kid’s dream.

    “To fulfil those dreams with one of my favourite players, it was a real honour.”

    The fighter for equality: ‘I know all female athletes really appreciate it’

    Something that has set Murray apart has been his willingness to speak on issues that are important to him. One of those is gender equality, and he has frequently called people out for perceived sexism. He fiercely defended Amelie Mauresmo from misogynistic comments when he took the unusual step of appointing her as his coach in 2014.

    “He’ll be remembered as a great champion and an amazing role model; someone who stood up and was vocal about global issues, because not many do that,” Smith says. “He’s prepared to speak about important things and people listen to him. You get the sense when the players talk about him, not one person isn’t unbelievably complimentary. People genuinely appreciate what he’s done for the sport and for them. He should be remembered for many, many things. A great human being, a great champion, a great ambassador for tennis and wider world issues.” 

    Murray’s role as an advocate for women’s tennis has earned him a huge amount of appreciation and admiration from WTA players.

    Coco Gauff

    America’s world No 2 and reigning U.S. Open champion was particularly impressed by Murray calling out a journalist for saying in 2017 that no American player had reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam since 2009. “Male player,” was his response.

    Gauff says: “My favourite video of him is at the press conference in Wimbledon where he says, the first ‘male player.’ Honestly, it happens a lot in tennis where people say a stat, especially with the guys and I’ll be like, ‘Well, I did it (smiling)’. It’s good when they specify.

    “What he’s done with the women’s game… him and his mother as well have done a lot. I would say he’s one of the first male players to speak up about it (gender inequality).

    “On court, I don’t get how you can’t look up to him, with his situation battling with injuries. He’s purely out here for the joy and love of the game.

    “The guy played incredible tennis in such a tough era — even after, with a metal hip, and he’s still giving it 100 per cent, which is rare to see, especially when you’re later in your career. He gives it his all, no matter who’s watching — in the back courts or the centre court.

    “He doesn’t care about courts or where he’s playing. He just wants to play. A lot of players can learn from that.”

    Other players share Gauff’s view about how much Murray has done for women’s tennis.

    Naomi Osaka

    The four-time Grand Slam champion says: “He’s been very vocal (about gender equality). All tennis players and all female athletes really appreciate it.

    “Murray’s such a great guy, such a tough competitor. He loves tennis so much and keeps coming back. He’s had all these injuries. He’s relentless, his ability to keep playing matches at a high level.

    “When I think about him and the legacy that he leaves on tennis, obviously he’s done a lot for British tennis but as a kid, watching him on TV playing these amazing battles, he’s affected every tennis kid worldwide.”


    Andy Murray approaching Roger Federer after his Wimbledon final defeat in 2012. (Julian Finney / Getty Images)

    Madison Keys

    Keys, America’s women’s world No 14, says: “It’s been amazing (what he’s done for women’s tennis). He’s had an incredible career but also to have one of the best male tennis players ever be such an advocate for women’s tennis and women’s sport is amazing.”

    Daria Kasatkina

    Kasatkina says: “It’s very important (Murray advocating for women’s tennis). He’s one of the few players who has done that. He was the first guy to have a female coach, that was a huge step. Andy is such a gentleman, an amazing person. It’s also very fun to watch him on court — his interactions with his box.

    “Andy’s special, he’s a legend. He has done so much on tour, and outside the court in general for women’s tennis. He’s an incredible guy.

    “We’re going to miss him a lot. His British sense of humour was amazing. Also, the guy is such a character on court and he was one of the best players in the world. So I really enjoy him playing and trying to learn something from his game.”


    Murray and Mauresmo at Queen’s in 2014. (Jan Kreuger / Getty Images)

    Caroline Garcia

    Garcia, the women’s world No 25 who reached a career-high ranking of No 4 nearly six years ago, was famously tipped for the top spot by Murray. That was in 2011, when Garcia was 17 and only just ranked in the world’s top 200.

    Asked whether that famous Murray tweet was helpful, Garcia says: “Why not? It is what it is. I haven’t reached that level yet, probably never, but it is great to get that kind of comment from someone who knows tennis. I respect whatever he says.

    “He brought a lot to tennis. As a player on court with his work ethic, his fighting spirit, his willingness to go through a lot to win Slams, and all the expectations — especially at Wimbledon. And the weight on his shoulders.

    “But also a great person and human and supporting tennis in general — women’s tennis, and tweeting about it — which always made a lot of buzz and was very important. A great champion, he brought so much to tennis — we owe him big time. I hope he enjoys the second part of his life and feels like he’s retired on his terms.”

    The legacy: ‘It’ll be weird not having him here’

    Speaking to those in the locker room, there’s a sense there’ll be a huge hole without Murray around — especially for those who have been on tour for a similar length to his 19 years.

    Jamie Murray

    That hole won’t be bigger for anyone than his brother, who has been travelling around with Andy playing junior events since they were small children. They’ve also shared memorable moments on the doubles court, most notably in Britain’s 2015 Davis Cup win.


    The Murray brothers in 2005, at the start of their tour careers. (Julian Finney / Getty Images)

    Jamie says: “It’ll be weird not having him here. It’s a pretty unusual situation to have your brother doing the same job as you — especially in a high-level sport, travelling the world together. That is a nice thing, even if we don’t spend loads of time together on the courts. You know that, in the background, you’ve always got someone from your family — even if you’re not accessing them all the time.

    “It’ll be strange not to have him on the tour. We’ve been doing the same thing for 20 years, so he’ll be a big miss.”

    As for the man himself, Andy Murray says that the thing he’ll be most proud of in his career is showing the same level of dedication day in, day out. “I think the thing that I did a really good job of during my career was that, regardless of the highs and lows, whether it was winning tournaments, having difficult losses, an operation, a setback, that I was able to treat the next day the same. I always came into work with the same dedication, work ethic, and passion, as I had the day before, regardless of the highs and lows that the sport had thrown at me.

    “I certainly didn’t always get it right. Like on the match days, I was not perfect by any stretch, but I did always come into work and put in a good day. I gave my best effort.

    “Yeah, that’s what I’m proud of. So I guess, I don’t know, it’s for other people to decide what my legacy would be. But that’s the thing I’m most proud of.”

    Whatever his legacy ends up being, tennis won’t be the same without him.

    (Top photos: Daniel Kopatsch / Getty Images; Design: Dan Goldfarb for The Athletic)

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  • Things to do in the DC area: Black Books Matter Fest, Mubadala Citi DC Open … and more! – WTOP News

    Things to do in the DC area: Black Books Matter Fest, Mubadala Citi DC Open … and more! – WTOP News

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    Oxon Hill’s MahoganyBooks is celebrating the first-ever Black Books Matter Fest this weekend, plus so many other events are coming up. Check out WTOP’s weekly roundup of area events worth anticipating.

    This year, MahoganyBooks is celebrating with the first-ever Black Books Matter Fest.(Courtesy Kea Taylor of Imagine Photography DC)

    There’s so much to do in the D.C. area in the coming days, and WTOP has you covered with our weekly roundup of area events worth anticipating.

    Check back every Thursday for a roundup of Things to do in the D.C. area.

    Since its establishment in 2021 in Prince George’s County, Maryland, Black Books Matter Day has recognized the diverse authors of the African diaspora, plus the readers who support and are empowered by these literary works.

    For this year’s event, Oxon Hill’s MahoganyBooks is celebrating with the first-ever Black Books Matter Fest.

    In an interview with WTOP, owners and co-founders Ramunda and Derrick Young said that the event on Saturday, Aug. 3, features a vendor market with locally-owned businesses as well as a long list of local, independent authors, which can be found online.

    The inaugural event at 121 American Way in Oxon Hill, Maryland, includes a library card sign-up booth for the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System, a book swap featuring Morgan Menzies’ Pretty Little Bookshelf and a children’s story time with Kenda Bell, author of “Saturday Magic.”

    As part of the event, the community-focused bookstore is also celebrating the 100th birthday of writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin.

    “We really, really upped our inventory to be able to accommodate those who really want to take a little piece of James Baldwin home with them this weekend,” said Ramunda Young.

    Local authors also plan to read passages by Baldwin at the event to share how he’s impacted them.

    Other Baldwin-focused celebrations and commemorations in the D.C. area include the James Baldwin Centennial Series, which runs from Aug. 2 through Oct. 5. This series is hosted by Strathmore, who is partnering with the AFI Silver Theatre and Eaton D.C. to offer a documentary screening, creative writing workshop and a live musical performance, among other events.

    Through April 20 of 2025, the National Portrait Gallery is showcasing “This Morning, This Evening, So Soon: James Baldwin and the Voices of Queer Resistance.” This exhibition, guest curated by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Hilton Als, “explore(s) the interwoven lives of Baldwin.”

    On Thursday, the National Portrait Gallery is also hosting a free to attend poetry slam at the Kogod Courtyard.

    Here’s what else is happening in the D.C. area:

    DC

    Otakon
    The cosplayers are coming! Otakon, the annual, three-day anime convention, returns to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center with a wide selection of special guests who work in the industry, plus an artist alley, gaming hall and a dance. The event spans from Aug. 2 to 4 with single-day tickets that start at $40.

    African Diaspora International Film Festival
    From Aug. 2 through 4, this film festival at George Washington University celebrates the diversity of the human experience of people of color all over the world. Find more details about this event from WTOP.

    Jollof Festival
    Enjoy the delicious flavors of jollof rice at the Dew Drop Inn on Saturday, Aug. 3. General admission tickets start at $20.

    Amapiano Sundays
    Hook Hall on Sunday, Aug. 4, is bringing together food, music and dance from South Africa for Amapiano Sundays. Expect live DJs playing reggae, R&B and amapiano music, plus food vendors with South African and Jamaican fare. Tickets start at $20.

    Mubadala Citi DC Open
    Through Aug. 4, this professional tennis tournament at D.C.’s Rock Creek Park Tennis Center is expected to have an attendance of over 81,000. To be one of those guests, get your ticket while you still can.

    Maryland

    Water Lantern Festival
    In Oxon Hill, Maryland, this event allows the public to come together to release floating water lanterns into National Harbor Southpointe. The event is on Aug. 3 and 4 with tickets that cost approximately $35.

    Hootie & the Blowfish
    Celebrating the 30th anniversary of their album “Cracked Rear View,” Hootie & the Blowfish is performing at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, this Saturday, Aug. 3. Catch Jason Fraley’s full interview with lead guitarist Mark Bryan on WTOP.

    The Howard County Fair
    From Aug. 3-10, the Howard County Fairgrounds is hosting a wide variety of events for summer fun, including square dancing, a “pretty animal contest,” a pie eating contest and equine exhibits, as well as live musical performances. Tickets cost $10 for those age 13 and older and $5 for those ages 62 and older.

    Virginia

    Zine-making workshop
    Independent creatives unite this Friday, Aug. 2, for an art zine workshop hosted by the creator of “Who Cares LOL,” a free zine that dives into Arlington, Virginia’s art scene. The event is at the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington.

    Tax Free Weekend
    Enjoy shopping without any taxes on Aug. 2 through 4 in Alexandria, Virginia. Find the participating retailers and a helpful map here.

    Say hello to the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck
    This Saturday, Aug. 3, the pretty-in-pink Hello Kitty Cafe Truck is making its return to the D.C. area in Westpost at Arlington’s National Landing in the courtyard near DSW. Those who line up can expect new exclusive merchandise and treats. For those who can’t make it, the truck will make an appearance in Bethesda, Maryland, on Saturday, Aug. 10, at Bethesda Row across from the Apple store. At both events, the truck will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. No cash is accepted.

    Have an event you’d like featured in WTOP’s Things to do in the D.C. area weekly guide? Fill out this contact form to have your event considered.

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Michelle Goldchain

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  • Rafael Nadal’s Olympics end in doubles loss with Carlos Alcaraz to Americans Krajicek and Ram

    Rafael Nadal’s Olympics end in doubles loss with Carlos Alcaraz to Americans Krajicek and Ram

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    Rafael Nadal’s Olympics end in doubles loss with Carlos Alcaraz to Americans Krajicek and Ram

    Rafael Nadal’s Paris Games — and, almost certainly, his Olympic career — ended Wednesday night when he and Carlos Alcaraz were eliminated in the men’s doubles quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-4 loss to the fourth-seeded American duo of Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.The match was played at Court Philippe Chatrier, the same stadium where Nadal has won his record 14 French Open titles, part of his haul of 22 Grand Slam trophies. The full house roared and sang to support Nadal and Alcaraz — well, mainly Nadal — especially as they tried to stave off defeat in the final game.The 38-year-old Nadal has not announced anything about his plans or possible retirement, but given his age and recent history of injuries, an appearance at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics seems far-fetched. He might not even compete at all beyond the Paris Games, but that is far less clear.Nadal won gold medals for Spain in singles at Beijing in 2008 and in doubles at Rio de Janeiro in 2016. This time around, he was defeated in singles on Monday by rival Novak Djokovic.The doubles outcome seemed pretty much decided when Ram smacked a return winner off a serve by Alcaraz to break him at love and lead 4-3 in the second set. The Spaniards thought the ball landed out and bent down to get closer to the clay while arguing their case with French chair umpire Morgane Lara. But the call did not change. And soon, Krajicek was serving to close it out.Still, Nadal never has been one to concede a thing, and so it was fitting that he and Alcaraz earned a break point there, a chance to extend the evening. Didn’t happen, though, and soon Alcaraz and Nadal were hugging on one side of the net — and Ram and Krajicek were doing the same on the other.

    Rafael Nadal’s Paris Games — and, almost certainly, his Olympic career — ended Wednesday night when he and Carlos Alcaraz were eliminated in the men’s doubles quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-4 loss to the fourth-seeded American duo of Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.

    The match was played at Court Philippe Chatrier, the same stadium where Nadal has won his record 14 French Open titles, part of his haul of 22 Grand Slam trophies. The full house roared and sang to support Nadal and Alcaraz — well, mainly Nadal — especially as they tried to stave off defeat in the final game.

    The 38-year-old Nadal has not announced anything about his plans or possible retirement, but given his age and recent history of injuries, an appearance at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics seems far-fetched. He might not even compete at all beyond the Paris Games, but that is far less clear.

    Nadal won gold medals for Spain in singles at Beijing in 2008 and in doubles at Rio de Janeiro in 2016. This time around, he was defeated in singles on Monday by rival Novak Djokovic.

    Spain's Rafael Nadal reacts playing with Spain's Carlos Alcaraz against US' Austin Krajicek and US' Rajeev Ram during their men's doubles quarter-final tennis match on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the Roland-Garros Stadium during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in Paris on July 31, 2024. (Photo by CARL DE SOUZA / AFP) (Photo by CARL DE SOUZA/AFP via Getty Images)

    The doubles outcome seemed pretty much decided when Ram smacked a return winner off a serve by Alcaraz to break him at love and lead 4-3 in the second set. The Spaniards thought the ball landed out and bent down to get closer to the clay while arguing their case with French chair umpire Morgane Lara. But the call did not change. And soon, Krajicek was serving to close it out.

    Still, Nadal never has been one to concede a thing, and so it was fitting that he and Alcaraz earned a break point there, a chance to extend the evening. Didn’t happen, though, and soon Alcaraz and Nadal were hugging on one side of the net — and Ram and Krajicek were doing the same on the other.

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  • Coco Gauff is out of women’s doubles at Paris Olympics a day after her singles loss

    Coco Gauff is out of women’s doubles at Paris Olympics a day after her singles loss

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    PARIS — Coco Gauff lost in women’s doubles at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday, a day after her tearful exit in singles.

    Gauff and her U.S. teammate, Jessica Pegula, were the top-seeded women’s pair but were eliminated in the second round by the Czech duo of Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova 2-6, 6-4, 10-5 in a match tiebreaker.

    “We were playing well,” Gauff said. “Both of them just played a better tiebreaker.”

    On Tuesday, Gauff was defeated by Donna Vekic of Croatia in straight sets in the third round of singles, where the American was seeded second. Gauff got into an argument with the chair umpire over an officiating decision close to the finish of that match.

    Even after the two setbacks, Gauff still had something to play for in Paris, where she was one of the U.S. flag bearers during last week’s opening ceremony and had hoped to head home with three medals. She was scheduled to play in mixed doubles with Taylor Fritz later Wednesday.

    “If I play like what I did today (with Pegula),” Gauff said, “we have a good chance.”

    Gauff arrived in France as one of the biggest stars in her, or any, sport.

    The 20-year-old from Florida won her first Grand Slam singles championship at the U.S. Open last September, and she collected her first major doubles title at the French Open in June — although not with Pegula, who was out injured, but with Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic.

    Gauff also has reached a singles final at the French Open, losing the trophy to Iga Swiatek in 2022. That major tournament is played each year at Roland Garros, the same clay-court facility being used to host Paris Games tennis matches.

    Muchova was the runner-up to Swiatek at the French Open last year and also made it to the semifinals at the U.S. Open before losing to Gauff in a match interrupted for 50 minutes by a climate protest.

    Muchova returned to action in June after missing 10 months because of surgery on her right wrist.

    Wednesday’s match was delayed because of rain right before Noskova served for the second set with the Czechs ahead 5-4. When play resumed, they took that set, then dominated the first-to-10, win-by-two match tiebreaker that is used in place of a traditional third set for all doubles matches at the Olympics.

    “Honestly, sometimes 10-point tiebreakers are a little unlucky,” Pegula said. “They played pretty much the perfect tiebreaker.”

    The 19-year-old Noskova closed out the victory with a volley winner.

    Her biggest achievement to date came at the Australian Open in January, when she beat Swiatek in the third round. That made Noskova the first teenager to beat a No. 1-ranked woman at Melbourne Park since 1999.

    “I was just standing there, letting her play,” Muchova said with a laugh about her partner, “and that’s how we won.”

    ___

    AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

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  • Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz win to reach the Paris Olympics doubles quarterfinals

    Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz win to reach the Paris Olympics doubles quarterfinals

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    PARIS — PARIS (AP) — Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz are getting the hang of this doubles thing, improving to 2-0 as a team at the Paris Olympics and moving into the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-7 (2), 10-2 match tiebreaker victory over Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof of the Netherlands on Tuesday night.

    Playing a day after Nadal’s singles loss to rival Novak Djokovic and Alcaraz’s win against Griekspoor, the old-and-young Spanish duo, wearing polo shirts in slightly different shades of red, didn’t look like a pairing that never had played together until this event.

    As has been the case throughout tennis at this Summer Games, the attention was fully on the 38-year-old Nadal, owner of 22 Grand Slam titles and two gold medals, and the 21-year-old Alcaraz, whose major trophy total already is at four, including from the French Open last month and Wimbledon this month.

    Nadal — whose wife and 1 1/2-year-old son, Rafael Jr., were in the stands — and Alcaraz will face the fourth-seeded American team of Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram for a semifinal berth. Krajicek and Ram beat Thiago Monteiro and Thiago Seyboth Wild of Brazil 6-4, 7-6 (3) on Tuesday.

    In the scorching morning, more than six hours before this doubles match began, fans crowded into tiny Court 3 a short walk away for a practice session with Nadal at one baseline and Alcaraz at the other. Some folks waited in lines dozens deep hoping to get in to catch at least a glimpse of the two stars.

    Then, in the muggy evening, spectators filled every seat at 10,000-capacity Court Suzanne Lenglen, the second-largest stadium at Roland Garros, the facility being used for Summer Games tennis and also the site of the annual French Open that Nadal has won a record 14 times.

    Koolhof, a former doubles No. 1 and the 2023 men’s doubles champion at Wimbledon, and Griekspoor were introduced first, to polite applause and yells from their orange-clad Dutch supporters. Then came Nadal and Alcaraz — “Nadalcaraz,” as some have coined them — and the noise was rather substantial. As at Nadal’s previous outings at these Olympics, the chants of “Ra-fa!” or shouts of “Vamos, Rafa!” or “Let’s go, Rafa! Let’s go!” were forceful and frequent.

    And he and Alcaraz delivered.

    Nadal, who’s been dealing with various injuries the past two seasons, including hip surgery in 2023, did not seem nearly as hampered as he did against Djokovic; then again, doubles requires far less running and exertion than singles, of course.

    Alcaraz showed no signs of being bothered by a painful groin muscle that he says has bothered him since Wimbledon and led him to take a medical timeout against Griekspoor on Monday.

    The Spaniards kept earning break points in the opening set, taking advantage of Griekspoor’s trouble volleying — can’t be easy to handle from up close the powerful shots off the rackets of Nadal or Alcaraz — then finally converted one to go up 4-3.

    That lead arrived when Alcaraz smacked a forehand winner.

    Nadal cried out, “Si!” Alcaraz screamed, Vamos!” They slapped palms. There would be more work to do, especially after dropping the second set, but they came through and will play on.

    ___ AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

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  • Coco Gauff loses an argument with the chair umpire and a match to Donna Vekic at the Paris Olympics

    Coco Gauff loses an argument with the chair umpire and a match to Donna Vekic at the Paris Olympics

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    PARIS — The scene felt all too familiar to Coco Gauff. An officiating decision she was sure was wrong. A chair umpire who wouldn’t listen. Tears streaming down her cheeks. And, most disappointing of all, a loss, this time at the Paris Olympics.

    Even the site was the same: Court Philippe Chatrier was where the reigning U.S. Open champion was eliminated in the third round at the Summer Games by Donna Vekic of Croatia 7-6 (7), 6-2 on Tuesday. That’s also the main stadium used annually for the French Open, where Gauff found herself in a nearly identical dispute over a call while being defeated by eventual champion Iga Swiatek in the semifinals last month.

    “There’s been multiple times this year where that’s happened to me — where I felt like I always have to be an advocate for myself on the court,” Gauff said afterward, renewing a call for video review to be used in tennis, as it is in many other professional sports.

    “I felt that he called it before I hit, and I don’t think the ref disagreed,” she said. “I think he just thought it didn’t affect my swing, which I felt like it did.”

    Gauff, a 20-year-old American who was seeded No. 2 at the Olympics in singles, already was trailing by a lot when the episode happened two games from the end of the match.

    She hit a serve and Vekic’s return landed near the baseline. A line judge initially called Vekic’s shot out; Gauff did not keep the ball in play. Chair umpire Jaume Campistol thought Vekic’s shot landed in and awarded her the point, giving her a service break and a 4-2 lead.

    Gauff walked over to talk to the official and play was delayed for several minutes.

    “I never argue these calls. But he called it out before I hit the ball,” Gauff said to Campistol. “It’s not even a perception; it’s the rules.”

    She easily won her first two singles matches, dropping a total of just five games. But her first Olympic singles tournament — she is still in women’s doubles and mixed doubles — ended with a performance that was hardly her best on the hottest day of the Summer Games so far, with the heat rising above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius).

    “These points are big deals. Usually afterward, they apologize. So it’s kind of frustrating. The ‘Sorry’ doesn’t help you once the match is over,” Gauff said. “I can’t say I would have won the match if I would have won that point.”

    Even before the trouble over the umpiring decision, Gauff could not sustain a good start against Vekic, who was a semifinalist at Wimbledon this month.

    The American led 4-1 and was a point from moving ahead 5-1 and serving for the opening set. But she didn’t close the deal, then wasted a couple of set points at 6-4 in the ensuing tiebreaker. Vekic surged to the end of that set, then maintained her level in the second.

    One measure of Vekic’s superiority on this afternoon: She finished with 33 winners to just nine for Gauff.

    “I’m not going to sit here and say one point affected the result today,” Gauff acknowledged, “because I was already on the losing side of things.”

    Still, the most memorable moment in the match was that second-set argument. Gauff even alluded to that Swiatek loss while talking to Campistol and a supervisor who joined the conversation on the court Tuesday.

    “It always happens here at the French Open to me. Every time,” Gauff said, holding a tennis ball in one hand and her racket in the other while pleading her case. “This is like the fourth, fifth time it’s happened this year.”

    Vekic did not get involved, staying at her end of the court and fiddling with her strings.

    When Gauff gave up and headed back on court to resume play, fans booed loudly — anger directed at the official.

    The first point of the next game went Gauff’s way, and spectators cheered wildly for her.

    But about 10 minutes later, the match was over.

    Gauff was scheduled to head back out on court with U.S. teammate Taylor Fritz for a first-round mixed doubles match later Tuesday. She also is competing in women’s doubles with Jessica Pegula at these Olympics.

    Over the weekend, Gauff spoke about aiming to leave with three medals — one from each of her events in Paris. That won’t happen now.

    “I want” Gauff said Tuesday, “to come home with something.”

    ___

    AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

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  • Olympic moment of the day: The love story between Rafael Nadal and Paris

    Olympic moment of the day: The love story between Rafael Nadal and Paris

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    Roland Garros, Paris (CNN) — It’s a love affair that began almost 20 years ago and the passion clearly hasn’t fizzled out at all.

    Paris and Rafael Nadal are a match made in heaven. And for a brief spell in the second set of the Olympic men’s singles tennis tournament’s most anticipated match between the Spaniard and his longtime rival Novak Djokovic, it seemed like it might be enough to spur the 14-time French Open champion to a comeback that seemed impossible just minutes before.

    What started out as the most highly-anticipated match of these Olympics quickly threatened to turn into a snoozer. Djokovic wildly outplayed Nadal in the opening set and the beginning of the second, looking unstoppable with a 6-1 first set and going up 4-0 in the second.

    The roars from Court Philippe-Chatrier in support of Nadal winners and the chants of “Rafa! Rafa!” had gone from a roar to a plea. Sweat poured from the King of Clay’s brow in between games and he looked no match for the Serb’s power and speed.

    But when Nadal took the fifth game of the second set, time seemed to suddenly roll back.

    When Djokovic sent the ball into the net, the crowd cheered. Djokovic double faulted in the next game to give Nadal a break point, the crowd roared. And as Nadal took the next two games, Roland Garros exploded in unison as it tried one more time to carry its favorite champion.

    “I always feel like playing at home when I play here,” Nadal said afterward. “It’s so special for me. I enjoyed the fans, and they gave me the advantage at the moment that things started to change a little bit, so I can’t thank enough all the people here who, you know, made me feel so special.”

    It’s a relationship developed over the years and covered in glory. Nadal’s performances on the red Parisian clay are the stuff of legend and he dominated the French Open like no other man in history.

    Over those 19 years of playing at this famous stadium, a relationship has been built between the Spaniard and the Paris crowds who pack the stands. On Monday, Djokovic was cheered.

    But Nadal? He was loved.

    “This, for me, is amazing to have and to have the feeling that I feel very, very well supported and loved. It’s the most important place of my career,” the 22-time grand slam champion said.

    In the end, it wasn’t enough. Djokovic took the final two games of the second set and continued his quest in search of his first gold medal: the one honor his extraordinary career lacks.

    Nadal will still be playing in the Paris Games, teaming with fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in the doubles competition.

    The Spanish legend is reluctant to say that he’s done playing at Roland Garros or playing against Djokovic. When asked about retirement after the match, he seemed frustrated with the question.

    “Every day? Every day you want me to retire, every day, guys,” Nadal said.

    “You know, I am trying to do my best every single day, you know? … I cannot live every single day with the feeling that it’s going to be or not going to be my last match,” Nadal said.

    “I come here, I try my best, I play my best, and when I decide to stop playing or when I decide to keep going, I will let you know. I don’t know, I just try my best every single day trying to enjoy a thing that I have been enjoying for so much time.

    “I have been suffering a lot of injuries the last two years, so if I feel that I am not competitive enough to keep going or physically I’m not enough ready to keep going, I will stop and I will let you know, you know?”

    A prolonged standing ovation for the Spaniard marked his exit from the court on Monday. It certainly seems that Paris isn’t ready for its romance with Nadal to fade away just yet.

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    CNN

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  • Chinese women beat reigning Olympic champion United States in volleyball

    Chinese women beat reigning Olympic champion United States in volleyball

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    PARIS (AP) — The U.S. women’s volleyball team had a bad enough start in its Olympic title defense. It managed to keep it from turning into a disaster.

    The Americans lost the first two sets to China on Monday in a pool play format where total points and sets won can become playoff tiebreakers. So China’s eventual five-set victory – both teams scored the same number of points – left the reigning champions with a sense of relief.

    “I’m really proud of our fight. You know, it’s not easy to go from being down 0-2 to fight neck-and-neck in the fifth like that,” setter Jordyn Poulter said. “You either win or you learn. So we have a lot of that we can learn from here, a lot that we can improve and get better at, and we don’t want to peak too early.”

    They definitely didn’t have to worry about that.

    “We obviously didn’t have the start that we wanted, but the third, fourth and fifth were really promising,” blocker Haleigh Washington said. “Going five with a team like China is incredible, and squeezing out any point we can get in the pool is going to be really important for us. And so I’m just happy the way that we just fought.”

    The American women will play their second match of the preliminary round on Wednesday against Serbia, and then meet host France on Sunday in the pool play finale. The top two teams in each of the three pools and the top two third-place teams will advance to the knockout round, with wins, total points and set and point ratio used as tiebreakers.

    “It just highlights how thin the margins are and how we have to take care of some of these little plays,” coach Karch Kiraly said. “And I want to give our team a huge amount of credit for fighting back. It is not easy to come back from down 2-0 against a really good China team.”

    The Americans only lost one match in pool play in Tokyo and did not lose a set in the knockout stage en route to their first-ever gold medal. With eight holdovers from the 2021 champions, they arrived in Paris as the fifth-ranked team in the world.

    But sixth-ranked China won the first two sets handily, 25-20 and 25-19, before the Americans came back to win the third 25-17 and rallied from a 13-10 deficit to tie it 13-all on a challenged ball that barely caught the Chinese end line.

    For the first time, the crowd was engaged and chanting “U-S-A!” and at 17-14, China took a timeout to regroup. It was 21-20 for the Americans when they ran off the last four points, getting an ace from Washington to set up set point.

    On the winner, Washington’s dig set up Andrew Drews’ spike.

    But China again took the lead in the tiebreaker. The Americans staved off two match points before Zhu Ting’s spike went off blocker Andrea Drews for the victory.

    ___

    AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

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  • Coco Gauff to be flag bearer for Team USA at Paris Olympics

    Coco Gauff to be flag bearer for Team USA at Paris Olympics

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    Coco Gauff will become the first tennis player in history to act as Team USA flag bearer when she joins LeBron James at the opening ceremony for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

    Gauff, 20, is the world No. 2 and defending U.S. Open champion. She will also become the youngest American flag bearer in Olympic history, overtaking Cindy Nelson, who fulfilled the role at the 1976 Innsbruck Winter Games in Austria.

    GO DEEPER

    How does Coco Gauff solve a problem like Iga Swiatek?

    Gauff is representing Team USA in the women’s singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, joining world No. 6 Jessica Pegula in the women’s doubles and men’s No. 11 Taylor Fritz in the mixed event.

    She had initially been selected to play in the Tokyo Games, but a COVID-19 diagnosis forced her to sit out in 2021.

    The favorite for the singles title is world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, who has won the last three French Open titles at Stade Roland Garros in Paris, the venue for the Olympic tennis events. Swiatek has an 11-1 head-to-head record against Gauff, including a recent victory in the semifinals of this year’s French Open in June.

    Gauff, who won the women’s doubles title at that tournament with partner Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic, will hope to defeat her during the Games, where Siniakova will play with Wimbledon champion and 10-time doubles Grand Slam winner Barbora Krejcikova.

    The draws for the tennis events will take place Thursday at 11 a.m. in Paris/5 a.m. ET.

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  • Nadal comes from 4-1 down in 2nd set to beat Norrie and reach quarterfinals of Nordea Open in Sweden

    Nadal comes from 4-1 down in 2nd set to beat Norrie and reach quarterfinals of Nordea Open in Sweden

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    BASTAD, Sweden (AP) — Rafael Nadal recovered from a tumble and a 4-1 deficit in the second set to beat fifth-seeded Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-4 in the second round of the Nordea Open on Thursday.

    Nadal fell over in the first game of the second set after attempting to slide on the clay, and needed treatment on a couple of bleeding scrapes. He then went a break down before winning the last five games of the match to reach his first quarterfinal since January.

    “Great feelings, it’s been a while without playing on the tour since Roland Garros and I had a chance to compete against a great player like Cameron,” Nadal said. “It’s part of the journey today. I haven’t been competing very often so matches like today help and holding the pressure on the opponent for the whole game is something I need to improve on because I haven’t played enough.”

    Nadal is playing at the tournament in Sweden for the first time since he won the title as a 19-year-old in 2005 as he prepares for the Olympic tournament on clay at Roland Garros in Paris.

    He beat Leo Borg, the son of Swedish tennis legend Bjorn Borg, in the first round on Tuesday. That was his first singles match since he lost in the first round of the French Open to Alexander Zverev. He teamed up with Casper Ruud on Monday to win a first-round doubles match.

    The 38-year-old Nadal skipped Wimbledon as he didn’t want to switch surface to grass and then back to clay and risk injury. He has been dealing with hip and abdominal injuries over the past 1 1/2 years.

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    AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

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  • Kate, the Princess of Wales, hands Carlos Alcaraz his Wimbledon trophy in a rare appearance for her

    Kate, the Princess of Wales, hands Carlos Alcaraz his Wimbledon trophy in a rare appearance for her

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    LONDON (AP) — Kate, the Princess of Wales, handed Carlos Alcaraz the champion’s trophy after the Wimbledon men’s final at the All England Club on Sunday in only her second public appearance since announcing she was diagnosed with cancer.

    Kate, wife of heir to the throne Prince William, was greeted by a standing ovation when she arrived in the Royal Box at Centre Court to watch Alcaraz’s victory over Novak Djokovic. After leaving the court following the trophy ceremony, the princess and Alcaraz had a conversation in a room inside the tournament’s main stadium.

    “You played so well,” Kate told him. “Enjoy the win.”

    Earlier, Kate — wearing a purple dress, one of Wimbledon’s official colors — went from the stands down to the playing surface to present the trophies, part of her duties as patron of the All England Club, which hosts the annual tournament.

    She shook hands with some of the ball kids who worked at the tournament, then exchanged words with both players and applauded for Alcaraz after giving him the winner’s trophy for the second year in a row.

    “It was, of course, a privilege to be in her presence again. I’ve said to her that it is very nice to see her in good health; she seems to be in good health,” Djokovic said at his postmatch news conference. “That’s obviously very positive news for everyone in this country, but also for Wimbledon.”

    Kate and her 9-year-old daughter, Princess Charlotte, got to the site of the grass-court Grand Slam tournament in southwest London in a motorcade about a half-hour before the final was scheduled to begin. They went to a terrace at the club that is connected to the main stadium by a pedestrian walkway and greeted several people, including 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu and other young British tennis players.

    Also in the Royal Box for the final were Kate’s sister, Pippa Matthews, actors Tom Cruise and Benedict Cumberbatch and several past Wimbledon champions, including Rod Laver, Andre Agassi and Stefan Edberg.

    Since 2016, Kate has been the patron of the All England Club. She did not attend Saturday when Barbora Krejcikova defeated Jasmine Paolini for the women’s title.

    Kate revealed in March that she has an unspecified form of cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy. Her lone public appearance since then had been attending last month’s birthday parade for King Charles III. Before that event, she released a statement saying she was “making good progress” but still had “good days and bad days.”

    Prince William has been a regular at Wimbledon finals but was not there Sunday. Instead, he planned to be in Germany to watch England face Spain in the final of the men’s soccer European Championship. He is the president of the English Football Association.

    Queen Camilla, wife of King Charles III, visited Wimbledon on Wednesday.

    ___

    AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

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  • Kate, the Princess of Wales, hands Carlos Alcaraz his Wimbledon trophy in a rare appearance for her

    Kate, the Princess of Wales, hands Carlos Alcaraz his Wimbledon trophy in a rare appearance for her

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    LONDON — Kate, the Princess of Wales, handed Carlos Alcaraz the champion’s trophy after the Wimbledon men’s final at the All England Club on Sunday in only her second public appearance since announcing she was diagnosed with cancer.

    Kate, wife of heir to the throne Prince William, was greeted by a standing ovation when she arrived in the Royal Box at Centre Court to watch Alcaraz’s victory over Novak Djokovic. After leaving the court following the trophy ceremony, the princess and Alcaraz had a conversation in a room inside the tournament’s main stadium.

    “You played so well,” Kate told him. “Enjoy the win.”

    Earlier, Kate — wearing a purple dress, one of Wimbledon’s official colors — went from the stands down to the playing surface to present the trophies, part of her duties as patron of the All England Club, which hosts the annual tournament.

    She shook hands with some of the ball kids who worked at the tournament, then exchanged words with both players and applauded for Alcaraz after giving him the winner’s trophy for the second year in a row.

    Kate and her 9-year-old daughter, Princess Charlotte, got to the site of the grass-court Grand Slam tournament in southwest London in a motorcade about a half-hour before the final was scheduled to begin. They went to a terrace at the club that is connected to the main stadium by a pedestrian walkway and greeted several people, including 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu and other young British tennis players.

    Also in the Royal Box for the final were Kate’s sister, Pippa Matthews, actors Tom Cruise and Benedict Cumberbatch and several past Wimbledon champions, including Rod Laver, Andre Agassi and Stefan Edberg.

    Since 2016, Kate has been the patron of the All England Club. She did not attend Saturday when Barbora Krejcikova defeated Jasmine Paolini for the women’s title.

    Kate revealed in March that she has cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy. Her lone public appearance since then had been attending last month’s birthday parade for King Charles III. Before that event, she released a statement saying she was “making good progress” but still had “good days and bad days.”

    Prince William has been a regular at Wimbledon finals but was not there Sunday. Instead, he planned to be in Germany to watch England face Spain in the final of the men’s soccer European Championship. He is the president of the English Football Association.

    Queen Camilla, wife of King Charles III, visited Wimbledon on Wednesday.

    ___

    AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

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