Tennis: History-making Djokovic claims record 23rd Grand Slam triumph

PARIS, France -- Novak Djokovic created history on Sunday when he captured a record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam title with a third French Open triumph, reinforcing his case to be crowned the greatest player of all time.

The 36-year-old Serb brushed off an early wobble to defeat Casper Ruud of Norway 7-6 (7/1), 6-3, 7-5 and snap the tie of 22 Slams he shared with career-long rival Rafael Nadal.

Victory for the third time in Paris, after 2016 and 2021, adds to his 10 Australian Open titles, seven at Wimbledon and three at the US Open.

Djokovic is the first man to win all four majors at least three times and is once again halfway to the first calendar Grand Slam since Rod Laver in 1969.

Only Margaret Court and Serena Williams in women's tennis have managed to rack up 23 Grand Slam titles. Court's all-time mark of 24 will now be in his sights at Wimbledon next month.

There is little sign of Djokovic slowing down. He is now the oldest French Open champion but 11 of his Slam trophies have now been won after he turned 30.

On Monday, he will reclaim the world number ranking and start his 388th week in top spot.

The sense of Sunday's occasion certainly attracted sports A-listers.

NFL legend Tom Brady watched from the Djokovic box, football stars Kylian Mbappe and Zlatan Ibrahimovic sat side by side in the VIP area which also accommodated former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson, a regular this weekend.

Djokovic was playing in his seventh French Open final and boasted a 4-0 career record over Ruud, not having lost a single set.

However, the fourth-ranked Norwegian was the more composed of the two at the start, sprinting out of the blocks for a 2-0 lead when Djokovic shanked an overhead.

Ruud, the 2022 runner-up to Nadal, stretched to 3-0 and 4-1 before Djokovic retrieved the break in the seventh game when his opponent buried an easy smash into the net with an open court begging.

It came at the end of a lung-busting 28-shot rally.

Djokovic missed a break point in the ninth game, tumbling to the red clay as he chased down a Ruud drive.

His frustration boiled over when he angrily accused umpire Damien Dumusois of rushing the players between changeovers on a heavy, humid afternoon in the French capital.

Fired up, he then raced through the tiebreak, sealing the opener with a running forehand.

Tellingly, that was Djokovic's sixth tiebreak at this French Open and in none of them had he committed a single unforced error in the 55 points contested.

Despite being Djokovic's junior by 12 years, Ruud, who also lost the 2022 US Open final to Carlos Alcaraz, suddenly looked spent.

Djokovic broke for 2-0 in the second set and despite Ruud saving two set points in the eighth game, the Serb moved closer to his dream.

Ruud saved a break point in the third game of the third set before Djokovic was hit with a warning for taking too long between points.

But he wasn't thrown out of his stride.

Djokovic broke for love at 6-5 and sealed his place in history when Ruud went wide.

Agence France-Presse

Tennis: Djokovic, Alcaraz reach French Open last 16 as Pegula, Rublev exit

PARIS, France -- Novak Djokovic battled into the French Open fourth round for a 14th consecutive year on Friday as Carlos Alcaraz also progressed, after women's third seed Jessica Pegula and men's seventh-ranked Andrey Rublev were dumped out of the tournament.

Djokovic has made headlines for his comments about Kosovo this week but his on-court progress has been relatively serene, reaching the second week without dropping a set.

The Serb star was made to work hard by Spanish 29th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who served for the first set and missed a set point in the second, but won 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 on Court Philippe Chatrier.

"I thought if I lost the second set we would play five hours today, but I'm proud of the performance," said Djokovic.

Two-time champion Djokovic, who has also made the French Open quarter-finals in each of the past 13 years, will take on Peru's Juan Pablo Varillas in the last 16.

The 36-year-old is hoping to break out of his tie with injured rival Rafael Nadal at the top of the men's all-time list of major winners at Roland Garros.

He is just one title behind Serena Williams' mark of 23 Slams and two adrift of Margaret Court's overall record.

Djokovic, slated to meet world number one Alcaraz in the semi-finals, has now won three of his four matches with Davidovich Fokina.

The first two sets lasted two hours and 47 minutes, as Davidovich Fokina provided a stern test of Djokovic's form.

But the world number three broke when he trailed 6-5 in the opening set before overturning a 3-1 deficit to win a tie-break.

Davidovich Fokina missed one set point to level the match before Djokovic won another breaker before being booed by the crowd for taking a medical time-out.

"That's something that I find disrespectful and I frankly don't understand that," said Djokovic, who made short work of the third set.

Alcaraz thrashed Canadian 26th seed Denis Shapovalov for the loss of just seven games in the night-session match.

The Spaniard powered to a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 victory, with the only slight blip when he trailed 4-1 in the second set.

He reeled off seven straight games after that wake-up call, though, to set up a fourth-round meeting with Italian 17th seed Lorenzo Musetti who dismantled British number one Cameron Norrie 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.

"I knew I'd have my chances in the second set to come back a bit and that's what I did," Alcaraz said.

The 20-year-old is bidding for a second straight Grand Slam title after winning the 2022 US Open and then missing this year's Australian Open through injury.

- Sonego stunner -

Italian Lorenzo Sonego battled back from two sets down to knock out Rublev and reach the last 16 for the second time.

The world number 48 was two points from defeat during a fourth-set tie-break but prevailed 5-7, 0-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 after three hours and 42 minutes.

Sonego will face Russian 11th seed Karen Khachanov for a possible quarter-final meeting with Djokovic.

"I played more aggressive than in the first and second sets because when he's aggressive it's tough to compete against him," he said.

Eleventh seed Khachanov ended Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis' run with an entertaining 6-4, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7/5) win.

Stefanos Tsitsipas continued his bid for a maiden Grand Slam title with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 win over former semi-finalist Diego Schwartzman.

The Greek fifth seed, who a blew a two-set lead to Djokovic in the 2021 final, will next play Austrian qualifier Sebastian Ofner after making the second week for a fifth straight year.

American Pegula's hopes were ended in comprehensive fashion by a 6-1, 6-3 loss to Belgian Elise Mertens.

World number three Pegula has still never passed the quarter-final stage of a Grand Slam tournament.

The former Australian Open semi-finalist will next face 2021 runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

- Sabalenka 'not safe' -

Aryna Sabalenka refused to do an official post-match press conference after powering into the last 16 for the first time with a straight-sets win over Kamilla Rakhimova.

The Belarusian claimed she "did not feel safe" when asked to condemn her country's support of Russia's war in Ukraine during a press conference earlier this week.

The second seed is yet to drop a set in the tournament after a comfortable 6-2, 6-2 win against world number 82 Rakhimova.

Sabalenka will face former US Open champion Sloane Stephens in the fourth round.

Russian Daria Kasatkina, a semi-finalist last year, raced past American Peyton Stearns 6-0, 6-1 in under an hour.

The ninth seed will next face Elina Svitolina on Sunday for a place in the quarter-finals.

Ukrainian Svitolina reached the fourth round on her first Grand Slam appearance since the 2022 Australian Open with a 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 win over Anna Blinkova.

Agence France-Presse

Sabalenka powers into French Open second round in win marred by jeers

PARIS – Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka powered into the second round of the French Open with a 6-3 6-2 win over Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in a feisty clash to start the year’s second Grand Slam on Sunday, but was left perplexed by jeering from some parts of the crowd.

Some booing and jeering could be heard after the match as Kostyuk refused to shake hands with her opponent, having said beforehand that she would not do so with Russian and Belarusian players due to Moscow’s invasion of its neighbor.

Sabalenka, who appeared to sarcastically bow to the crowd following the win, said she initially thought the boos were aimed at her.

“It was a very tough match, I mean tough emotionally. I’m sorry guys, I didn’t get it at first, I thought this booing was against me so I was a little surprised,” she said.

“But then I felt your support, so thank you so much.”

The world number two has previously said she has nothing against Ukrainian people and felt bad for them as Moscow’s invasion rages on. Belarus has been a staging ground for Russia’s actions.

Sabalenka appeared in a spot of bother on her serve early on and fell behind 2-3, but the unseeded Kostyuk could not build on her advantage and the Australian Open champion struck back immediately with a powerful crosscourt volley on breakpoint.

Second seed Sabalenka wrapped up the first set in style in front of a sparse Court Philippe Chatrier crowd before pouncing in the next with an early break and another to go up 4-1, as Kostyuk wilted under the Paris sun.

The Belarusian raised her level again late in the match to save two breakpoints and close out the victory in 71 minutes.

-reuters-

Tennis: Djokovic eyes history at French Open as Swiatek launches title defense

Novak Djokovic will bid for a record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam title at a French Open without his old rival Rafael Nadal for the first time since 2004, while Iga Swiatek attempts to become the first woman to defend the title in 16 years.

Serbian veteran Djokovic will not be the favourite for the title, though, after struggling with an elbow injury and failing to get past the quarter-finals in any of his three clay-court events so far this season.

Carlos Alcaraz won the Barcelona and Madrid Opens en route to taking over from Djokovic as world number one, while Daniil Medvedev is seeded second for Roland Garros after his maiden clay triumph in Rome.

But Djokovic will know this is a massive opportunity to break out of his tie with 14-time French Open winner Nadal at the top of the all-time list of most men's Slam singles titles.

The two-time champion has lost eight of his 10 French Open meetings with Nadal who is missing this year's edition due to a hip injury he suffered at the Australian Open.

Djokovic and Alcaraz are seeded to meet in the semi-finals after being placed in the same half of the draw.

"I felt bad when I hear that Rafa was not able to play here in Roland Garros," said Alcaraz on Friday.

"I always want to watch the best players in the world playing the tournaments."

The 36-year-old Djokovic may also have to get past Monte Carlo Masters champion Andrey Rublev in the quarters.

The other side of the draw appears wide open, with in-form Medvedev the highest seed despite never having previously got past the quarter-finals on the Paris clay.

The Russian lost in the first round on each of his first four visits before making the quarters in 2021.

"I also don't want to put too much pressure on myself, in a way," said Medvedev.

"But what happened in Rome was amazing, especially beating a lot of good players."

Danish youngster Holger Rune, who made a surprise run to last year's quarter-finals, could face Casper Ruud in the last eight in a rematch of a bad-tempered meeting 12 months ago.

Ruud went on to be thrashed in the final by Nadal and also lost the US Open showpiece match to Alcaraz.

But the Norwegian world number four has struggled for form this year, only reaching the quarters in two of the 10 tournaments he has played.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, who lost the 2021 final to Djokovic after being two sets up, will be among the likely contenders but has not won a title yet this term -- the longest he has had to wait for a trophy in a season since 2018.

- New 'big three'? -

The winner of the women's singles is expected to be one of the trio of reigning champion Swiatek, Australian Open winner Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina.

They have won the last four Grand Slam titles between them and at least one of them has featured in every WTA 1000 final this season.

Swiatek, who turns 22 during the tournament, will be the favourite as she chases a third Roland Garros triumph and a first successful women's title defence since Justine Henin won her third French Open in a row in 2007.

The Polish star retired from her Italian Open quarter-final against Rybakina with a thigh injury but trained at Roland Garros on Wednesday.

"Luckily nothing serious happened, so I had couple of days off," she said Friday.

"I'm still recovering from the thigh injury, but I'll be good for my first round."

Wimbledon champion Rybakina, ranked fourth, has already won the Rome and Indian Wells titles in 2023 and could face Swiatek in the Roland Garros semis.

"If I play my best, which it's impossible to play every time good and feel great, but I feel for sure no matter the surface, if I play my best, I can beat anyone," she said.

Other title hopefuls include last year's runner-up Coco Gauff, Tunisian Ons Jabeur and world number three Jessica Pegula.

Agence France-Presse

Tennis: Murray awed by Nadal's 'incredible' French Open record

STUTTGART, Germany -- Before continuing his grass court preparations, Andy Murray on Monday did the math on Rafael Nadal's latest feat on clay.

The 36-year-old Spaniard on Sunday routed Norway's Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 in the final at Roland Garros to extend two records. It was not only his 22nd Grand Slam title but also his 14th French Open. 

"Winning 14 Grand Slams at the same place is incredible," said Murray in Stuttgart. 

"There's hardly any players on the Tour who will get the opportunity to play Roland Garros 14 times, much less win it."

Nadal won his first French Open title in 2005. In the 17 seasons since then, he has lost just three matches at Roland Garros and been forced out once by a wrist injury.

Murray used the sport's latest prodigy, Nadal's compatriot Carlos Alcaraz, for comparison. 

"Alcaraz is 19 now, so he would have to win it every single time (until age 33) to achieve that. I just don't see that happening." 

Murray, who reached the Roland Garros final in 2016, was also impressed by Iga Swiatek, who extended her singles winning streak to 35 matches as she won the women's final.

"It was just an incredible achievement for Rafa - and Iga Swiatek," said Murray.

The Scot is making his debut at the ATP event in Stuttgart after moving onto the lawns last week at the Challenger level event in Surbiton, London, where he reached the semi-finals before losing to American Denis Kudla. 

The former world number one, who is ranked 68th, will take to the lawns of the Weissenhof Club on Tuesday when he faces Australian qualifier Christopher O'Connell.

"I beat him in a very close match in Dubai, it's going to be difficult," Murray said.

The 35-year-old, who survived a mass shooting at his primary school in Dunblane, Scotland, when he was nine, again spoke about gun violence. 

"(When) that happened, we changed the gun laws and there have been no more mass shootings in the UK.

"There have been more than 200 mass shootings in the US this year. They should probably do something to change that culture."

Murray said that while he would love to play doubles with Britain's US Open champion Emma Raducanu at Wimbledon, the odds were against it unless he suffered an early singles loss.

"British tennis fans would enjoy that but I don't know if it's going to happen.

"Only if the singles don't work out. It's tough enough for me to play the singles right now," said Murray, who has been beset by injury problems in recent years, especially to his hip. 

Murray will be playing his 45th event on grass but only the second on the surface outside of Britain.

He said the Stuttgart lawns - originally curated by Wimbledon experts prior to the first edition in 2015 - play differently than last week in Surbiton.

"Those were old-school courts, lower bounce, very fast. But it was a good start, hopefully I can continue it here." 

Agence France-Presse

Tennis: Djokovic conquers 'Everest' and eyes 52-year landmark at French Open

Novak Djokovic can become the first man in 52 years to win all four Grand Slam titles twice in the French Open final on Sunday after conquering Rafael Nadal, the 'Mount Everest' of Roland Garros.

World number one Djokovic takes on Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas for the title with tennis history on the line.

Victory for the Serb will take him alongside Roy Emerson and Rod Laver as the only men to capture the four majors more than once.

It's an achievement that has proved even beyond the capabilities of Nadal and Roger Federer.

It is so rare an accomplishment that it hasn't happened since 1969 when Laver completed his second calendar Grand Slam.

Djokovic can pocket a 19th Slam with victory and move just one behind the record of 20 jointly held by Nadal and Federer.

Djokovic insists there will be no letdown physically or emotionally after reaching the final in Paris for a sixth time with an epic triumph over 13-time champion Nadal.

"It's not the first time that I play an epic semi-final in a Grand Slam and then I have to come back in less than 48 hours and play finals," said the 34-year-old.

"My recovery abilities have been pretty good throughout my career."

His four-hour, four-set battle with Nadal is already jostling for a prime spot in the list of "greatest ever matches" at the Slams.

- 'Never believed' -

It featured a lung-busting 92-minute third set and required government intervention to allow the 5,000 fans inside Court Philippe Chatrier to watch the match's conclusion despite it extending beyond the 11pm Covid-19 curfew.

The 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 triumph gave Djokovic the honour of being the only man to have beaten Nadal in Paris more than once, having first achieved it in the 2015 quarter-finals.

Nadal has only lost three times in 108 matches since his title-winning debut in 2005.

Djokovic, the 2016 champion, said it was his best win in Paris and ranked it among his "three greatest" ever performances.

He broke the Spaniard eight times from 22 break points and fired 50 winners.

A weary Nadal committed 55 unforced errors.

"It's hard to find words bigger than all the superlatives you can think of for Rafa's achievements at Roland Garros," said Djokovic who now leads their series 30-28 and had lost three finals in the French capital to Nadal.

"Each time you step on the court with him, you know that you have to kind of climb Mount Everest to win against this guy here."

Nadal, the defending champion and chasing a record-setting 21st Grand Slam title, refused to dwell on the consequences.

"I'm sad to have lost in the most important tournament of the year for me, but life goes on, it's nothing more than a defeat on a tennis court," said the 35-year-old who conducted a hasty press conference while Djokovic was still giving his on-court interview.

Djokovic will be playing in his 29th Slam final on Sunday.

He holds a 5-2 record over Tsitsipas, a run which includes all three meetings on clay.

At last year's Roland Garros, Djokovic won their semi-final over five sets.

"We played an epic five-setter last year in the semis here. I know it's going to be another tough one," added Djokovic who also defeated Tsitsipas in Rome on the eve of the French Open.

"I'm hoping I can recharge my batteries as much as I can because I'm going to need some power and energy for that one."

Tsitsipas, 22, and 12 years younger than the Serb, is in his first Slam final having ended a run of three semi-final losses by defeating Alexander Zverev over five sets on Friday.

Victory on Sunday would allow him to become the first Greek player to win a Slam title.

He would also become the youngest champion in Paris since Nadal in 2008 and overall at the Slams since Juan Martin del Potro at the 2009 US Open.

"I've never believed, have never really thought at what age this achievement might come," said Tsitsipas.

"But I'm really happy with myself. I think I've shown good discipline so far. I've been progressive."

Tsitsipas is the hottest player on tour in 2021 with a season-leading 39 wins.

Twenty-two of those have come on clay and have reaped a Masters title in Monte Carlo as well as Lyon.

Tsitsipas also had a match point in the Barcelona final against eventual champion Nadal.

"There is the final on Sunday, which is exciting. I'm looking forward to leaving my entire body on the court," said the Greek who knocked out second seed Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-finals.

Agence France-Presse

Tennis: Birthday boy Djokovic building up 'to shine' at Roland Garros

BELGRADE, Serbia -- Novak Djokovic celebrated his 34th birthday this weekend at the Belgrade tennis center which carries his name but with one eye on Roland Garros where he intends "to shine."

The world number one is top seed at the pre-French Open event in the Serbian capital before heading to Paris where he seeks a second career triumph.

"We are working so that I reach my maximum, that everything is perfectly adjusted in Paris, where I want to shine," Djokovic said at a news conference on Sunday.

Djokovic, who turned 34 on Saturday, has endured a roller-coaster clay court season.

He lost in the third round at the Monte Carlo Masters before reaching the semi-finals when Belgrade staged its first event of the spring in April.

He then lost the final of the Rome Masters last weekend to Rafael Nadal, the 13-time champion at Roland Garros.

"I'm really satisfied to be able to play at home twice. It brings me mental serenity and the joy of being able to prepare at home for one of the most important tournaments of the year," said Djokovic.

The Serb is an 18-time Grand Slam title winner with his lone Paris triumph coming in 2016.

If he wins another Roland Garros, he will become the first man in more than 50 years to have won all four majors more than once.

Agence France-Presse

Tennis: Tsitsipas recovers from slow start against Rublev to reach semis

PARIS -- Greek fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas reached the second Grand Slam semi-final of his career on Wednesday, raising his game after a slow start to defeat Russian Andrey Rublev 7-5 6-2 6-3 at the French Open.

Before the quarter-final on Court Philippe Chatrier, the 13th-seeded Rublev had won both previous tour-level meetings against fellow 22-year-old Tsitsipas with their last encounter less than two weeks ago in the final in Hamburg.

The Russian looked set to keep his record intact as he served for the first set at 5-4 but Tsitsipas, who also reached the semi-finals at last year's Australian Open, fought back to level the set and then broke Rublev's serve to take the opener.

From 3-5 down in the first set, Tsitsipas won five straight games and a frustrated Rublev seemed to have run out of ideas against his inspired opponent.

Asked during his on-court interview what he changed in his game to suddenly shift gears, Tsitsipas said after a long silence: "If I tell you it won't be a secret anymore.

"I have been feeling really comfortable playing on this court. Despite not having a good start and being a break down, I remembered what a big fighter I am. It's also about fighting and trying to find solutions in big moments.

"I managed to put my brain into work and find solutions to difficult tasks that I had to complete."

The 2019 ATP Finals winner started finding sharp angles while generating more power in his groundstrokes. He started approaching the net more often with success and also began playing sublime passing shots.

Rublev did not find a way back into the match as Tsitsipas broke his serve three more times in the next two sets.

"Playing here in Paris has always been joyful. I am always looking forward to coming here and playing my best tennis," the Greek said.

"Roland Garros has been a tournament I have been watching since a very young age and I always dreamt of playing the sport and especially on (Court) Philippe Chatrier. It is a dream come true."

A forehand volley for his 35th winner completed the win for the Greek on his second match point and set up a meeting against world number one Novak Djokovic of Serbia.

(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; editing by Toby Davis)

-reuters-

'It's my lucky place': Kvitova back in Roland Garros semi-finals after 8 years

Petra Kvitova returned to the French Open semi-finals for the first time in eight years on Wednesday after defeating Germany's Laura Siegemund 6-3, 6-3, describing Roland Garros as her "lucky place".

Czech seventh seed Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion, will face either Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin or Danielle Collins for a place in Saturday's final.

"It means a lot to be back in the semi-finals," said 30-year-old Kvitova who was beaten by eventual champion Maria Sharapova when she made the same stage in 2012.

"After my last match, I was very emotional to be in the quarter-finals. Now I am in the semis. I never imagined this would happen after everything that has happened.

"This is my lucky place."

It was Paris where Kvitova made her comeback in 2017 after spending six months recovering from a terrifying knife attack at her home in December 2016.

The frenzied assault required a four-hour operation and left her with damaged ligaments in her playing hand. Doctors warned her that her career may be finished.

On Wednesday, Kvitova fired 22 winners and six aces past 32-year-old Siegemund, the world number 66 who was playing in the quarter-finals of a Slam for the first time.

One break of serve in the opener was enough for Kvitova while five more breaks followed in the second set.

Kvitova, who has yet to drop a set at the tournament, claimed victory when Siegemund served up a third double fault of the tie.

"I am happy to be here and to be able to compete with the best especially in these conditions -- roof open, roof closed, sunshine, windy."

- Battle of Americans -

Fourth seed Kenin, 21, has developed a knack of working her way out of trouble in Paris, twice recovering from a set down en route to the last eight.

In her last 16 win over Fiona Ferro she overcame a first-set blip and partisan crowd, displaying a steely resilience while raising her game to another level.

The 21-year-old says she needs "step up" again having reached the quarter-finals of a major for just the second time, but she has a fondness for Paris having knocked out Serena Williams on her way to the last 16 in 2019.

Collins, 26, is a late bloomer after taking the college route in the US, twice capturing the national singles title while at Virgina.

"I know what it's like having $50 in my bank account and being worried if I'm going to be able to get to the next place that I need to go. I know what it's like being on a Greyhound bus," said Collins.

"I think those are the experiences that give us the strength to go out on court and play so intensely in high-pressured moments."

She is another battle-hardened player, notably rallying from a double break down in the final set to knock out 2016 champion Garbine Muguruza in the third round.

The 57th-ranked Collins, who has fired an impressive 140 winners in four rounds, beat Kenin in straight sets in Adelaine earlier this year and is aiming to match her run to the 2019 Australian Open semi-finals.

Thursday's other semi-final will see Polish 19-year-old Iga Swiatek tackle Argentina's Nadia Podoroska, the world number 131 who is bidding to become the first qualifier to reach the final of a Grand Slam tournament.

Agence France-Presse

Tennis: Djokovic's event taught French Open organizers to be cautious

MUMBAI - French Open organisers are taking every precaution to ensure the Grand Slam does not meet the same fate as Novak Djokovic's Adria Tour, which was abandoned after several players tested positive for COVID-19, tournament director Guy Forget has told Reuters.

Djokovic has come under fire after the charity event was played in front of packed crowds in Serbia and Croatia and saw players hugging at the net and posing for pictures together.

Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki have all tested positive for the new coronavirus.

The French Open will allow up to 60% of the usual capacity inside the Roland Garros grounds when the rescheduled claycourt tournament starts on Sept. 27 and Forget said there was no chance of them repeating the mistakes of the Adria Tour.

"Maybe some people were overconfident there," Forget said by telephone.

"Luckily no one got hurt really bad but even a few cases is too much and we want to avoid that as much as we can.

"We want to reassure everyone that having people getting ill will be terrible for us. Let's be really careful, really cautious."

France began easing restrictions in May but has been reporting over 500 cases daily in recent days. Protective masks will be mandatory for anyone on the move inside Roland Garros and they will be recommended for those sitting courtside.

The French Tennis Federation (FFT) expect some 20,000 spectators a day during the early stages of the two-week tournament and about 10,000 per day on the final weekend.

Forget said a successful event needed to have some kind of a crowd.

"We all see soccer on television, it's wonderful but something is missing without the crowds," the former world No. 4 said.

"We are working closely with the administration, the government, to make sure we can provide some crowd while still following very strict security measures."

MORE FLEXIBLE

The U.S. Open in New York, which is scheduled to start on Aug. 31, will have no spectators and operate under strict health protocols, including limiting the size of each player's entourage.

Forget said French Open organisers were not planning anything as strict and were even hoping to ease restrictions.

"Luckily things are a bit more flexible in Europe and in France, especially," he said. "Hopefully, what we're going to announce will probably be even more flexible than what we did."

The FFT drew heavy criticism in mid-March when it unilaterally moved the French Open to September from its scheduled May start amid the COVID-19 crisis, placing it in the middle of the hardcourt season.

Forget said he understood why some were unhappy about it but thought saving one of the most prestigious and lucrative tournaments in tennis was worth it.

"We're not going to celebrate or congratulate ourselves for the decision we took," the 55-year-old said.

"We thought it's a risk worth taking. Of course we'll make people unhappy.

"But in mid-October, if we're able to come together and we've been able to provide revenue for 600 people, I think we will be very satisfied as a federation and I as a former player."

Forget was reasonably confident the tournament would be a success but would not relax until after the men's final on Oct. 11.

"I don't want to shout 'victory' before the tournament actually happens," Forget said.

"As the tournament director I'll only be happy once the men's winner shakes the hand of the finalist.

"We will all together be able to say, we did it." (Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly; editing by Nick Mulvenney and Peter Rutherford)

-reuters-

Tennis: Nadal beats Thiem to win record-stretching 12th French Open title

PARIS -- Spain's Rafael Nadal beat Austrian Dominic Thiem, 6-3 5-7 6-1 6-1, to claim a record-extending 12th French Open men's singles title on Sunday.

The second seed, who has now won 18 majors, also becomes the first player to win the same Grand Slam title 12 times. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Tennis: Adrenaline-fuelled Thiem ready for Rafa

PARIS - Austrian fourth seed Dominic Thiem says he will be fuelled by adrenaline when he takes on Rafael Nadal in Sunday's French Open final in what will be his fourth successive day on court.

The 25-year-old battled Novak Djokovic over two weather-ravaged days on Friday and Saturday to set up a repeat of last year's final which he lost in straight sets.

He also played on Thursday while Spaniard Nadal played only on Tuesday and Friday and was able to put his feet up while Thiem slugged his way past Djokovic.

Despite getting the rough side of the schedule, however, Thiem says fatigue will not be a factor as he attempts to claim his first Grand Slam title.

"I feel good. Luckily I didn't have so many long matches before today," Thiem, who trails Nadal 8-4 on head-to-head record but beat him, on clay, in Barcelona this year, told reporters after his 6-2 3-6 7-5 5-7 7-5 win over Djokovic.

"Today and yesterday, of course, was tough. It's probably a little bit more difficult to play these four hours with all the interruption than if you played in one time.

"But still, I'm feeling fine. I'm full of adrenaline, of course, still from today's match, and also I will have that tomorrow. So I'm not going to be tired."

Thiem said he would "leave everything he has out on court" to try and stop 11-times French Open champion Nadal, but added a dose of realism as he looked ahead to probably the toughest task there has even been in tennis.

Asked why he can join Robin Soderling and Djokovic as the only men to get the better of Nadal at Roland Garros since the Spaniard won his first title in 2005, Thiem said: "I don't know yet, because I never beat him here on this court.

"But still, I had some very good matches in the past against him on clay, and I also beat him on clay already.

"It's important that I go into the match with the belief. Of course it's big dream for me to win that match tomorrow, to win this title.

"But I also have in my head that if it's not happening tomorrow, which can happen easy because of the opponent on the other side of the net, I don't put too much pressure on myself."

The Austrian, nicknamed back home the Thieminator, is bidding to become Austria's first Grand Slam champion since Thomas Muster at the French Open in 1995.

Thiem's coach Nicolas Massu said his man will be flying after beating world number one Djokovic.

"It was an amazing match, amazing feeling," Massu said. "I think that tomorrow he's looking forward to showing his best.

"So it's a beautiful challenge for him as a player and for me as a coach. The most important thing is for him to recover physically and to play the way he wants with the cards he has in hands.

(Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Ed Osmond)

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Tennis: Barty party underway, as Aussie woman crowned French Open champ

PARIS—Ashleigh Barty, the Australian who ditched tennis to play professional cricket for a year, smashed Marketa Vondrousova for six on Saturday to lift the French Open crown at Roland Garros.

Boasting a bewildering array of shots and spins, the eighth seed crushed her Czech teenage opponent 6-1, 6-3 to win her first Grand Slam title, and Australia’s first French women’s singles crown in more than four decades.

“It’s unbelievable... I played the perfect match today. I am so proud of myself and my whole team... it has been a crazy two weeks,” said Barty, the ninth different female champion in the last 10 grand slams.

“This is a special place for Australian players... it has been a magical two weeks.”

Not since Margaret Court’s triumph in Paris in 1973 has an Australian won the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen but this victory was in very little doubt from the moment the final began.

In a match-up where guile and artistry always trumped power, Barty was simply smarter throughout.

Producing angles so sharp they might have come with a health warning, the 23-year-old carved apart Vondrousova in the opening set, clinching it in half an hour.

While the match was no classic, those fans who had taken a break after the conclusion of the Dominic Thiem-Novak Djokovic men’s semi-final which had caused the women’s final to run more than an hour late, missed some of the more thoughtful tennis played on the Roland Garros clay this past fortnight.

Vondrousova, who herself has bamboozled a succession of opponents here, repeatedly found herself outfoxed by Barty, whose doubles excellence was always on display with her net-play and cleverly angled serving.

Barty, who returned to tennis in 2016 after a successful stint with the Brisbane Heat in Australian cricket’s Women’s Big Bash League, took nary a backward step, breaking instantly in the second set to deprive her 19-year-old opponent any foothold.

Cracking a stiff-armed, two-handed backhand, in the manner of Jim Courier, Barty was able to counter Vondrousova’s attempts to pull her wide with her loopy left-handed backhand, and the Czech rapidly ran out of ideas.

Vondrousova turned to ever riskier strategies — her drop shots became finer, her drives more firmly struck — and she earned a little breathing space, holding serve three times after that early break.

But the irrevocable damage had been done and when Barty slammed a short smash high into the stands it was all over and she raised her arms in triumph.

The victory lacked drama but lifts Barty to number two in the world — a feat last accomplished by an Australian woman in 1976 by Evonne Goolagong. (Editing by Clare Fallon)

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Tennis: Nadal too strong for Federer, reaches 12th French Open final

Defending champion Rafael Nadal powered past Roger Federer in the French Open semi-finals on Friday, claiming his first win over his old rival in five years to move within one victory of a record-extending 12th Roland Garros title.

The 33-year-old produced a masterful performance to get past Federer 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in the last 4 on Court Philippe Chatrier and set up a final clash with either world No. 1 Novak Djokovic or Austrian 4th seed Dominic Thiem on Sunday.

It will be Nadal's 12th appearance in the championship match, which he has never lost before.

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Tennis: Nadal expects Federer onslaught in semi-final

Rafael Nadal is braced for an all-out assault from Roger Federer when the two great rivals meet at Roland Garros for the first time in eight years in Friday's French Open semi-final.

Although Federer has won the last five meetings in their 38-match rivalry, none of them were on the Spaniard's beloved clay.

In their five previous meetings at Roland Garros, including four finals, Federer has never managed more than one set.

Despite being generally regarded as the greatest player of all time, 20-time Grand Slam champion Federer has never fathomed a way of suppressing the marauding Mallorcan at Roland Garros.

Nadal, bidding for a record-extending 12 titles, believes the Swiss will be coming at him with all guns blazing after a comfortable passage to the last four.

"There are no two matches the same," Real Madrid fan Nadal told reporters as he looked ahead to tennis' El Clasico.

"We always try things. Let's see. Let's see what's going on. I really expect that he's gonna play aggressive, changing rhythms, going to the net. That's my feeling.

"He's playing well and he has the tennis to make that happen. I have to be solid. I have to hit the ball strong enough to [not] allow him to do the things from good positions."

Federer, bidding to win the title for the second time, 10 years after he beat Robin Soderling to claim his sole French Open crown, has only dropped one set on his return to Roland Garros, having missed the last three French Opens.

Nadal has been equally dominant and obliterated Kei Nishikori with an awesome show of force in the quarter-finals.

With only two wins from their previous 15 claycourt meeting Federer knows he must bring something different to the party and says he will adopt a "fearless" approach to try to get the better of his Roland Garros nemesis.

Should he manage it, it would be arguably one of the greatest feats of his sensational career.

"For me to even get to Rafa was not simple," Federer, at nearly 38 the oldest men's Grand Slam semi-finalist for 28 years, said after defeating countryman Stan Wawrinka on Tuesday.

"It took me five matches to get here. That's why I'm very happy to play Rafa, because if you want to do or achieve something on the clay, inevitably, at some stage, you will go through Rafa, because he's that strong.

"I knew that when I signed up for the clay that hopefully that's gonna happen." 

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Tennis: Federer, Nadal to meet in French Open semi-final blockbuster

PARIS -- Roger Federer set up a mouthwatering French Open semi-final clash with Rafael Nadal on Tuesday when he defeated Stan Wawrinka in four sets to become the oldest men's Grand Slam semi-finalist in 28 years.

The 37-year-old Swiss beat his compatriot 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 to reach his 43rd major semi-final and eighth at Roland Garros.

Defending champion Nadal, bidding for a 12th title at the French Open, blitzed a weary Kei Nishikori 6-1, 6-1, 6-3.

Federer trails his head-to-head record with Nadal 23-15 -- despite winning their last five matches -- and 13-2 on clay.

The Spaniard has a 5-0 stranglehold over Federer at Roland Garros with Nadal winning their most recent Paris clash in the 2011 final. 

"The complete dream would be to win the tournament," said Federer. "Other players won't agree. It will be difficult, but I believe it anyway."

The 20-time Grand Slam champion is the oldest man to make the semis at one of the big four tournaments since Jimmy Connors at the 1991 US Open aged 39.

Wawrinka saved 16 of 18 break points in a thrilling encounter, but Federer quickly finished off the match after a rain delay to progress.

It is the third seed's first appearance at the French Open since 2015 after taking time away from clay to focus on Wimbledon, but he has been in fine form in Paris and has only lost one set so far -- as has Nadal.

Nadal, who turned 33 on Monday, is three behind Federer in the all-time list of Grand Slam singles titles heading into their 39th career clash.

It will be Federer's first Roland Garros semi-final since a defeat by Novak Djokovic in 2012.

The 2009 French Open champion struck 53 winners on Tuesday, as Wawrinka's 61 unforced errors proved costly.

In a dramatic opening set on Court Suzanne Lenglen, Federer saved four break points before taking it in a tie-break.

Wawrinka had saved 22 of 27 break points in his epic last-16 victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas, including all eight in the deciding set, and he was at it again on Tuesday, making it seven from seven to move 3-1 in front in the second.

He suffered from a few jitters when serving to level the match, but took his fourth set point.

The topsy-turvy nature of the encounter continued in the third set, as Federer missed two set points before salvaging two break points himself after the players had earlier traded breaks.

Wawrinka held his nerve to force the quarter-final's second tie-break, but Federer moved two sets to one in front on his fifth set point.

After the threat of thunderstorms and dark skies forced the players from the court with the fourth set level at 3-3, Federer returned refreshed 80 minutes later and sealed a 23rd victory over Wawrinka in their 26th meeting, despite needing three match points to get over the line.

- Nadal thrashes Nishikori -

Nadal took his record in Paris to 91 wins and just two defeats in a one-sided contest with Nishikori to reach his 31st Slam semi-final.

"It's a great satisfaction to be in another semi-final, there are lots of emotions," said Nadal.

"My level has been very good throughout the tournament and I am happy to be able to come back and play another day."

Tuesday's win was Nadal's 11th in 13 meetings against Japanese seventh seed Nishikori who had played back-to-back five-setters to reach his third quarter-final at Roland Garros.

The 29-year-old Nishikori managed just nine winners in total in the first two sets.

As the skies darkened over the city, so did Nishikori's mood as he slipped 4-1 down in the third.

Even the weather delay didn't help as Nadal needed just another eight minutes to finish the job.

Johanna Konta became the first British woman in 36 years to reach the semi-finals by sweeping past seventh-seeded Sloane Stephens, last year's runner-up, 6-1, 6-4 to set up a tie against Czech teenager Marketa Vondrousova.

The 28-year-old Konta had not won a match at Roland Garros in any of her previous four visits.

But now she has emulated Jo Durie who was the last British woman to make the French Open semi-finals in 1983.

"I've always said that whenever I step out onto the court, I'm always going to have a chance. I'm always going to have a shot," said Konta.

The 19-year-old Vondrousova battled past Croatian 31st Petra Martic 7-6 (7/1), 7-5.

"She had beaten me four times before but I think Roland Garros must be my lucky place," said the Czech after securing victory on a fourth match point.

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Tennis: Djokovic beats qualifier, ready for 'real deal' in Paris

PARIS - Top seed Novak Djokovic barely broke sweat as he sauntered through the French Open third round with a 6-3 6-3 6-2 victory against Italian qualifier Salvatore Caruso on Saturday.

Djokovic has never lost a Grand Slam match to a player ranked as low as Caruso, and never looked like doing so as he breezed to two match points, needing just one of those to put Caruso, the world number 147, out of his misery.

"I have been playing really well this year, and, you know, reaching a second week of a slam is a success," Djokovic told a post-match news conference. But now the real deal starts. So it's going to get only tougher from here."

The Serbian is yet to drop a set in the tournament and has rarely had such an easy run into the fourth round at Roland Garros. He will face either Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff or 13th seed Borna Coric of Croatia next.

Djokovic is bidding to become the first man in the Open era to win each of the Grand Slams twice. His triumph in this year's Australian Open took him to 15 major singles titles, third only behind Roger Federer (20) and Rafael Nadal (17).

"I am grateful to be part of the era with them, because I think they made me the player I am today," Djokovic said.

"The success that I had, especially in the Grand Slams, was also due to the kind of a need to improve and to get better to win against these guys.

"It seems like it's going to be hard for anyone to kind of do something the same that the three of us did or even better, but you never know what happens." 

(Reporting by Richard Lough; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Ken Ferris)

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Tennis: Federer becomes oldest man to reach French Open 4th round

PARIS—Roger Federer eased past Norway's Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-1, 7-6 (10) on Friday to become the oldest male player to reach the fourth round at the French Open.

Playing in his 400th Grand Slam match, the 37-year-old showed little mercy to his 20-year-old Norwegian opponent, whose father Christian reached the third round when Federer first played on the "terre battue" of Roland Garros as a wild card entrant in 1999.

Federer needed little more than an hour to pick up the first two sets, but a rare lapse in the Federer concentration allowed Ruud, ranked 63 in the world, to pick up an early break in the third set.

The Swiss reeled the youngster back in, forcing the game to a tie-break where he squandered three match points before winning 10-8.

As he signed autographs at the end, a female fan said: "Roger, I've never seen you sweat before, this is crazy." Federer quipped back: "I know, I don't know what's going on, I must be getting old!"

Federer was making his first appearance at Roland Garros since he reached the quarter-finals in 2015. He withdrew from the event in 2016 and missed the entire clay court season in 2017 and 2018 to focus on grass.

Sounding relaxed in a post-match interview, Federer, one of tennis' most elegant playmakers, praised his opponent's tenacity - and his grunt-free ball-hitting.

"He doesn't make any noise. I love that," he said.

Federer is vying for his second French Open title 10 years after his first in 2009 and to set a record for the longest gap between winning a second title at a Grand Slam in the Open era. He will meet either French wild card Nicolas Mahut or Argentina's Leonardo Mayer in the fourth round. (Reporting by Richard Lough; editing by Tony Lawrence)

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Tennis: Dimitrov outlasts Cilic in heavyweight clash

Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov twice came from a set behind to outlast 11th seed Marin Cilic in a heavyweight second-round clash at the French Open on Wednesday.

The former world number three, unseeded this year at Roland Garros after falling to 46th in the rankings, produced a gutsy display laced with pure shot-making to win 6-7 6-4 4-6 7-6 6-3.

Dimitrov moved 5-2 ahead in the decider with two breaks, but Cilic was not going out without a fight and saved a match point with a booming forehand as he repaired some of the damage.

Cilic netted a backhand in the next game, however, to hand Dimitrov a notable victory.

Dimitrov has never been past the third round at Roland Garros and if he is to extend his stay beyond that this year, he will have to do it the hard way.

His next opponent is 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka.

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Tennis: Karlovic becomes oldest man to win match at Roland Garros for 46 years

Croatia's Ivo Karlovic became the oldest man to win a match at the French Open for 46 years on Tuesday as he beat Spain's fellow veteran Feliciano Lopez in a first-round duel.

Karlovic, who turned 40 in February, won 7-6(4) 7-5 6-7(7) 7-5 in a match featuring players with a combined age of 77 -- the oldest in a Grand Slam in the professional era.

Karlovic became the oldest man to win at Roland Garros since Torben Ulrich in 1973 at the age of 44. He is also the oldest male player to win a Grand Slam match since Ken Rosewall, also 44, did so at the 1978 Australian Open.

The last player to contest a Grand Slam singles match having turned 40 was American Jimmy Connors at the US Open in 1992.

Croatian giant Karlovic fired down 35 aces on his way to a second-round clash against Australian youngster Jordan Thompson.

The evergreen Croat made light of his age to outlast left-hander Lopez.

"It means a lot. Even though it's in the record books as the oldest one, at least it's in the record books, so I like it," Karlovic said of playing his fellow long-survivor.

"I was out for almost two months, so I am really happy that I was able to win today."

Karlovic, ranked 94, had decided against playing any clay court tournaments in the build-up to Roland Garros where he has never gone past the third round.

But there was nothing rusty about his serve, not giving Lopez a sniff of a break in the opening two sets.

He took the first set on a tiebreak but did not engineer a break point on the Lopez serve until pouncing with his opponent 5-6 down in the second set.

Almost inevitably the third set went to another tiebreak and when Lopez missed a routine volley at 5-5 it handed Karlovic a match point, only for him to be denied by a lucky backhand return that left him floundering at the net.

A fifth set loomed when Lopez led 5-2 in the fourth set but Karlovic rattled off five straight games to move through.

In a performance of old-school skills he won 65 points at the net.

"Right now I'm just happy with any match that I win," Karlovic said. "Even if it's against older guys or kids, whatever. I just like to win."

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