Tag Archives: Wimbledon

Carlos Alcaraz Rallies to Defeat Jannik Sinner for Second Straight French Open Title

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Carlos Alcaraz comes from behind to win French Open title…

The 22-year-old Spanish tennis star rallied from two sets down and saved three match points to beat world No. 1 Jannik Sinner 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (10-2) to win his second straight French Open title on Sunday.

Carlos AlcarazIn a thrilling final, Alcaraz trailed 5-3, 0-40 on serve in the fourth set but recovered to win his fifth Grand Slam title after 5 hours, 29 minutes, the longest men’s final at Roland Garros in the Open era and the second-longest men’s Grand Slam final ever.

“The match is not finished until he wins the last point,” Alcaraz said in his post-match news conference. “A lot of times people came back from match point down in final of a Grand Slam or even in other matches. I just wanted to be one of those players who saved match point in the Grand Slam final and ended up winning.

“I just believed all the time. I never doubted myself, even in those match points down. I thought, just one point at a time. Just one point and then after one point, try to save that game and keep believing. That’s what I thought.”

Alcaraz is the eighth man in the Open era to successfully defend the Roland Garros title and is the first man to save match points and win a Grand Slam final since Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2019.

It’s the first time in nine attempts that Alcaraz has come from two sets down to win a match.

He’s now 5-0 in Slam finals and extended his head-to-head advantage over Sinner to 8-4.

An Alcaraz comeback looked unlikely as Sinner, chasing his first French Open title and fourth Grand Slam title overall, took the first two sets and broke early in the third.

Alcaraz, roared on by a crowd inside Court Philippe Chatrier that included actor Dustin Hoffman, film director Spike Lee and a host of sporting heroes, hit back to take the third, but the match again looked over when Sinner had three match points at 0-40 on the Alcaraz serve in the ninth game of the fourth.

However, the Spaniard dug himself out of a hole to take the set on the tiebreak and then, after letting an early lead slip in the fifth, rebounded for victory, taking his tally in deciding-set tiebreaks to 12-2.

“When the situations are against you, you have to fight, keep fighting,” Alcaraz said. “It is a Grand Slam final. It’s no time to be tired. It’s no time to give up. It’s time to keep fighting, try to find your moment, your good place again, and just go for it.

“I think the real champions are made in [those] situations when you deal with that pressure in the best way possible. That’s what the real champions have done in their whole careers. I’m just trying to feel comfortable in the situations with the pressure, and I’m not being afraid of it.”

Alcaraz is exactly the same age — 22 years, 1 month, 3 days old — as his countryman Rafael Nadal was when he won his fifth Grand Slam title. Nadal was among the first people to congratulate Alcaraz on social media, joined by Billie Jean King and the Real Madrid football team.

“Honestly, the coincidence of winning my fifth Grand Slam in the same age as Rafa Nadal, I’m going to say that’s destiny, I guess,” Alcaraz said, smiling. “It is a stat that I’m going to keep for me forever, winning the fifth Grand Slam at the same time as Rafa, my idol, my inspiration. It’s a huge honor honestly. Hopefully it’s not going to stop like this.”

Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, told a news conference that the comeback was even more remarkable than when Alcaraz saved a match point in his quarterfinal win over Sinner at the 2022 US Open, when he won his first major.

“I’m not going to say that I was believing that he was able to recover from that 5-3, love-40,” he said. “But one more time with Carlos, everything is possible, and he did it again. Amazing achieve[ment].”

Sinner looked shell-shocked at the end of the match. “I don’t think I will sleep very well tonight,” he said at the trophy presentation.

“Happy about the tournament still,” he said later at a news conference. “But obviously this one hurts.

“It’s a very high-level match, that’s for sure. Happy to be part of this. But yeah, the final result hurts.

“Today I had chances. I was break up in the third. Was break up in the fourth. Was three match points. Serving for the match. Came back. 6-5, I had chances also in the fifth. So many chances I couldn’t use. Sometimes you have these days. You can’t really do anything now.”

Marcel Granollers & Horacio Zeballos Claim First Grand Slam Title as a Pairing with French Open Men’s Doubles Win

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Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos have claimed their first Grand Slam title as a team…

And 39-year-old Spanish professional tennis player and the 40-year-old Argentine professional tennis player won the French Open doubles final on Saturday for their first major title together at the combined age of 79.

Marcel Granollers & Horacio ZeballosGranollers and Zeballos played in their fourth Grand Slam final as a pairing, but first at the clay-court major. They defeated British pair Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski 6-0, 6-7 (5), 7-5.

Granollers and Zeballos, who were seeded fifth in Paris, were runners-up at the U.S. Open in 2019 and Wimbledon in 2021 and 2023.

Salisbury and Skupski were the first all-British team to reach a Grand Slam men’s doubles final in the Open era (1968) and the first British men’s doubles finalists at Roland Garros since 1936.

Granollers and Zeballos were dominant early, blanking their eighth-seeded opponents in the opening set before being dragged into a dogfight in the next.

Salisbury and Skupski, who won the only previous tour-level encounter between the two teams in the Rome quarterfinals last month, won the second set tiebreak and were close to building a 4-3 lead in the decider before a moment of magic.

Zeballos hit the shot of the match to level at deuce in the next game, chasing down a dipping ball and squeezing it around the post at ground level to draw loud cheers from a small crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier.

Salisbury and Skupski refused to fade away, fighting on before running out of gas in the 12th game.

Granollers and Zeballos broke to love to secure victory and fell to the ground in celebration.

Carlos Alcaraz Defeats Arthur Fils to Reach Barcelona Open Final

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Carlos Alcaraz is one win away from his third Barcelona Open title…

The 21-year-old Spanish tennis star, the top seed of the tournament, beat No. 14 Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-4 on Saturday to reach the final.

Carlos Alcaraz,Alcaraz will next play Holger Rune for the Barcelona Open title.

No. 2-ranked Alcaraz holds a 2-1 record against the 13th-ranked Rune. The pair have yet to meet on clay. Alcaraz won their last meeting at 2023 Wimbledon.

Alcaraz won his first Monte Carlo Masters title last weekend and will be searching for his third title of the year and 19th of his career.

He won the Barcelona Open in 2022 and 2023.

Rune has four career titles.

“Since I was a little kid, I was here on Sundays watching the final,” Alcaraz said. “I played twice here, so being in a final here in Barcelona again means a lot. It’s been a really fun and great week, and let’s see if we can end tomorrow with a trophy.”

Carlos Alcaraz Defeats Jack Draper at Australian Open to Set Up Quarterfinal Clash Against Novak Djokovic

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Carlos Alcaraz is set to face former world No. 1 Novak Djokovic for the first time at the Australian Open.

In the eighth installment of the riveting, intergenerational rivalry between the 21-year-old Spanish professional tennis player and his 37-year-old Serbian nemesis, the meeting will not only be the first at Melbourne Park, it will also be the first in the quarterfinals of a tournament,

Carlos AlcarazEach of Alcaraz and Djokovic’s other meetings came in either a semifinal or final.

“Well, this is not the right player to play in a quarterfinal, I guess,” a grinning Alcaraz said, looking ahead to Tuesday’s encounter. “But facing Novak, for me, it’s not going to change anything if I’m playing him [in a] quarterfinal or semifinal. Probably change a little bit if it is a final, obviously. Being in a quarterfinal, I’m going to approach the match the same as I did in the previous matches against him, and let’s see.”

Alcaraz reached his 10th career Grand Slam quarterfinal, tied for the most by a man before his 22nd birthday, by advancing when 15th-seeded Jack Draper stopped playing because of a hip injury after dropping the first two sets Sunday afternoon.

Djokovic, who is being coached in Melbourne by old rival Andy Murray, did his part at night in Rod Laver Arena, needing to work a little longer but getting through just the same with a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory over No. 24 Jiri Lehecka.

There is plenty at stake at this tournament for both No. 3 seed Alcaraz and No. 7 seed Djokovic.

Alcaraz seeks to become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam with at least one trophy from all four of the most prestigious events in tennis. His four so far came elsewhere: two at Wimbledon by virtue of wins over Djokovic in the 2023 and 2024 finals, and one apiece at the US Open in 2022 and the French Open last year.

Djokovic, meanwhile, is trying to claim an 11th title in Melbourne to become the first player in tennis history with 25 major singles championships. He leads the overall head-to-head against Alcaraz 4-3, including a victory in the final at the Paris Olympics last August to claim a gold medal for Serbia.

At the majors, though, Alcaraz leads 2-1.

“If I think about everything he has done in tennis, I couldn’t play. I mean, 24 Grand Slams, the most weeks at No. 1 — everything. He almost broke every record in tennis. I’m trying not to think about that when I’m in the match. I’m just trying … to beat him,” Alcaraz said. “I know my weapons. I know that [if] I’m able to play good tennis against him, I’m able to beat him.”

Netflix to Serve Up Rafael Nadal Docuseries

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Rafael Nadal’s career is getting the documentary treatment. 

Netflix is planning to serve up a docuseries about the 38-year-old Spanish former professional tennis player.

Rafael NadalA month after revealing his retirement from the sport, Nadal has signed up for a series with the streamer, produced by Skydance Sports.

The untitled series joins Break Point, which ran for two seasons on Netflix before it was canceled, as well as its upcoming Carlos Alcaraz: My Way series.

It comes nine months after Nadal and Alcaraz went head-to-head for The Netflix Slam, a live event exhibition match.

The series will spotlight Nadal’s career as well as his life off-the-court, showcasing never-before-seen material from Nadal’s personal archive and featuring full access with the star, his family and his close circle of coaches and advisors including during his comeback to competitive play in the 2024 season after sitting out much of 2023 due to injury.

Nadal won 22 Grand Slam men’s singles titles, including a record 14 French Open singles titles and is only one of three men (alongside Andre Agassi and Novak Djokovic) to win a Career Grand Slam – all four majors and an Olympic gold medal.

He also won all of the sport’s major events, including four U.S. Open titles, two Wimbledon championships, two Olympic gold medals, and two Australian Open crowns.

The docuseries will be directed by Zach Heinzerling.

Rafael Nadal said, “I never thought I’d do something like this, but I got a call from David Ellison and with his words together with an amazing project they put in front of my eyes it really convinced me this was the right thing to do. Everyone will be able to see how my life has been during my tennis career and particularly in this vey last year I had. It will also show how my life and my tennis career developed through the years. I am sure the final product, the docuseries, will be amazing and that it will be seen around the world. My thanks to David Ellison and his team at Skydance for creating and believing on this project. To my family and my team for allowing being filmed this past year, I know it was not easy for all of us. To my colleagues and peers who have given time to put themselves in front of a camera for some time. And thanks to the tournaments around the world that facilitated the work, it wasn’t easy.”

“Rafael Nadal stands as one of the most influential and greatest figures in the history of sports. We are excited to present his remarkable story to our members, offering an intimate glimpse into his journey to cement his legacy to become the legend he is today,” added Diego Ávalos, Netflix’s VP of Content for Spain, Portugal, and the Nordics. “Partnering with our friends at Skydance to celebrate Nadal’s unequivocal career is a true honor.”

“Rafael Nadal is truly one of the greatest players and inspirations in the history of tennis,” said David Ellison, Founder and CEO, Skydance.  “Beyond that, he is a friend and working with Rafa, Zach, and Netflix to tell his story is both an honor and a privilege.”

Carlos Alcaraz Defeats Karen Khachanov to Reach China Open Semifinals for Second Straight Year

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Carlos Alcaraz is one step closer to the China Open title…

The 21-year-old Spanish tennis star, the tournament’s No. 3 seed, advanced to the China Open semifinals for the second straight year after an impressive 7-5, 6-2 victory against Karen Khachanov on Monday.

Carlos Alcaraz,Alcaraz was characteristically relentless from the baseline and ground down the No. 27-ranked Khachanov’s service games and converted four of 12 service break opportunities to win in 96 minutes.

“I always try to put some pressure when they’re serving just to in a certain way tell them that I’m going to be there,” Alcaraz said. “If they want to win the service game or to beat me, they have to accept the battle and playing a really good tennis. For me, it’s what I’m trying to show them all the time.”

It was Alcaraz’s 46th win of the season and the victory allowed the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion to climb back above the absent Alexander Zverev into second place in the ATP live rankings.

Alcaraz will face Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals, after the fifth-ranked Russian beat Flavio Cobolli of Italy 6-2, 6-4.

Rafael Nadal Named to Spain’s Davis Cup Finals Roster Alongside Carlos Alcaraz

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Rafael Nadal is preparing to represent Spain once again…

The 38-year-old Spanish tennis star, who represented Spain at the 2024 Paris Games, has been named to Spain’s roster for the Davis Cup finals alongside Carlos Alcaraz.

Rafael NadalThe announcement raises the possibility of a renewal of Nadal and Alcaraz’s “Nadalcaraz” doubles partnership from the Paris Olympics.

Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, hasn’t competed anywhere since the Olympics, where he lost in the second round of singles to longtime rival Novak Djokovic and paired with Alcaraz to get to the quarterfinals of men’s doubles before exiting against Americans Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.

Nadal then withdrew from the US Open and the Laver Cup while still dealing with health issues that’ve limited him to competing only sparingly over the past two seasons.

Alcaraz earned the men’s singles titles at the French Open in June and Wimbledon in July to raise his career Slam total to four at the age of 21.

Spain will take on the Netherlands in the quarterfinal round of the Davis Cup finals, an eight-team event November 19-24 in Malaga, Spain.

The other opening matchups are: defending champion Italy vs. Argentina; the United States vs. Australia; and Germany vs. Canada.

Carlos Alcaraz Wins Twice on Sunday to Lead Team Europe to Laver Cup Title

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Carlos Alcaraz has helped lead Team Europe to victory at the Laver Cup.

The 21-year-old Spanish tennis star, a four-time Grand Slam champion defeated Taylor Fritz 6-2, 7-5 as Team Europe rallied to beat Team World 13-11 on Sunday and claim the Laver Cup title.

Carlos AlcarazAlcaraz broke Fritz, the US Open runner-up, in the 11th game and then closed out the victory on serve, sparking celebrations as the Europe team rejoiced with captain Björn Borg.

Team World was favored to win the Laver Cup for a third straight time after leading 8-4 on points heading into the last of the three days.

Europe began the comeback Sunday when Alcaraz and Casper Ruud won the doubles 6-2, 7-6 (6) against Americans Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe. But Shelton then downed Australian Open finalist Daniil Medvedev 6-7 (6), 7-5, 10-7 to move the World team into pole position.

Tiafoe, who reached the US Open semifinals, could’ve sealed it but he lost to French Open finalist Alexander Zverev 6-7 (5), 7-5, 10-5, setting up the decider between Alcaraz and Fritz.

The Laver Cup is formatted like golf’s Ryder Cup, with the first team to 13 points winning the contest. Each of the four matches Sunday was worth three points.

Europe’s only win in Saturday’s four matches came from Alcaraz, who won the French Open and Wimbledon this year.

On Sunday, Alcaraz showed his big-match temperament once again.

Alejandro Tabilo Helps Team World Take Lead at Laver Cup with Impressive Doubles Win

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Alejandro Tabilo has helped Team World take a decisive lead at this year’s Laver Cup.

The 27-year-old Chilean professional tennis player teamed up with Ben Shelton to defeat Team Europe‘s Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-1, 6-2 on Saturday to give Team World an impressive win.

Alejandro TabiloTeam World just needs two more match wins to claim the Laver Cup a third straight time.

Team World won three of four matches from Team Europe on Saturday to take an 8-4 points lead into the third and final day.

After Friday’s matches were split evenly, Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz beat top-five opponents before Shelton and Tabilo claimed their doubles victory.

Team Europe’s only win came from Carlos Alcaraz, the French Open and Wimbledon champion. He beat Shelton 6-4, 6-4 with one break in each set.

Alcaraz saved all five break points he faced. Shelton conceded his first sets in his fifth career Laver Cup match.

Tiafoe, who reached the US Open semifinals, beat No. 5 Daniil Medvedev 3-6, 6-4 (10-5) for the first time in six attempts.

“Midway in the second [set] and in the tiebreak, I felt like I was Roger Federer, honestly,” Tiafoe joked while smiling at Federer, who was in the stands.

No. 7-ranked Fritz, the US Open finalist, upset No. 2 Alexander Zverev 6-4, 7-5 for his third consecutive win over the German. Fritz hit 27 winners to Zverev’s 11.

The day ended with Shelton’s and Tabilo’s doubles rout.

The Laver Cup is formatted like golf’s Ryder Cup. The first team to 13 points wins. There are four matches on Sunday, each worth three points.

Carlos Alcaraz to Play Against Ben Shelton in Exhibition Event at Madison Square Garden

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Carlos Alcaraz is hitting the Garden…

The 21-year-old Spanish tennis star will play an exhibition event at Madison Square Garden on December 4.

Carlos AlcarazAlcaraz, a four-time Grand Slam champion, will play against USA’s Ben Shelton.

Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro, Americans coming off career-best Grand Slam runs at the US Open, will play each other in an exhibition event.

The lineup for The Garden Cup was announced on Thursday.

It marks the first tennis event since 2018 at MSG, home to the NBA‘s New York Knicks and NHL‘s New York Rangers.

Alcaraz won the French Open and Wimbledon this season but bowed out last month in the second round of the US Open, which he won in 2022 for his first Grand Slam trophy.

Shelton’s best showing at a major was his semifinal appearance in New York last year; he lost to fellow American Frances Tiafoe in the third round this time.