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CNN —Wimbledon will cover accommodation costs for Ukrainian tennis players competing at this year’s tournament, organizers announced on Tuesday. Last month, organizers announced that Russian and Belarusian players would be able to participate at Wimbledon as “neutrals” having been barred from competing last year amid the war in Ukraine. Russian and Belarusian flags will be prohibited, while any symbols or signs of support for the war or for either the Russian or Belarusian regime won’t be allowed. Bolton said that the tournament won’t be shown in Russia or Belarus and that Russian media will not be welcome at this year’s event. Wimbledon, the third grand slam of the calendar year, runs from July 3 to 16.

☆ Pliskova withdraws from Madrid Open with knee injury
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

April 24 (Reuters) - Karolina Pliskova has withdrawn from the Madrid Open due to a knee injury but the former world number one said she hopes to recover in time for next month's event in Rome ahead of the French Open. Pliskova, 15th in the world rankings, said on Twitter she suffered the injury during her quarter-final defeat by Iga Swiatek at the Stuttgart Open last week. loadingThe Italian Open runs from May 9-20 before Roland Garros, the second Grand Slam of the year, begins on May 28. Pliskova's best result at the claycourt major came in 2017 when she reached the semi-finals. Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter RutherfordOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Swiatek feeling settled as world No.1 ahead of French Open defence
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The 21-year-old beat Aryna Sabalenka 6-3 6-4 in Sunday's Stuttgart Open final for her second successful title defence this year, adding to her victory in Doha. Asked how she settled into her status as world number one, Swiatek she had tuned out the noise and was focused on her game. "Last year was really, really tough, and I felt like this season may be tough, because of what people are saying and expectations from the outside," Swiatek said. "I'm happy that I managed to work through it. "I'm just happy that I'm world number one for more than a year, and it's an exciting time."

☆ Swiatek beats Sabalenka in straight sets to win Stuttgart title
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

STUTTGART, Germany, April 23 (Reuters) - World number one Iga Swiatek cruised past Aryna Sabalenka 6-3 6-4 to win the Stuttgart Open on Sunday in a repeat of last year's final to confirm her status as a French Open favourite. The Pole, back from injury and gearing up for her French Open title defence next month, and world number two Sabalenka traded powerful baseline blows before Swiatek earned a second breakpoint at 4-3. She whipped a superb forehand down the line to go 5-3 up before easily holding serve to clinch the first set on her second set point. Belarusian Sabalenka started to pile up unforced errors and struggled with her serve at 2-0 before firing a cross-court forehand to hold. But she could not break Swiatek back and the Pole held serve at 5-4 to seal her second title of the year.

☆ Alcaraz beats Tsitsipas to clinch back-to-back Barcelona titles
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/8] Tennis - ATP 500 - Barcelona Open - Real Club de Tenis, Barcelona, Spain - April 23, 2023 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with the trophy after winning the Barcelona Open in the final match against Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas REUTERS/Nacho DoceBARCELONA, Spain, April 23 (Reuters) - World number two Carlos Alcaraz beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3 6-4 to win the Barcelona Open on Sunday and clinch his third ATP Tour title of the year and the ninth overall for the 19-year-old. The Spanish teenager beat world number five and second seed Tsitsipas with the same ease that he dispatched every other opponent in Barcelona this week. It was the perfect moment to do it and I'm super happy to have delivered it in outstanding fashion," Alcaraz told TVE. Tsitsipas managed to break Alcaraz in the third game, but the Spaniard hit right back and got another break before closing out the first-set in 38 minutes. Alcaraz was even more aggressive in the second set as he attacked relentlessly and broke Tsitsipas's serve in the fifth game.

☆ Djokovic hoping to hit top gear on clay after Banja Luka exit
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The loss is Djokovic's second early exit from a tournament in as many weeks, following his third-round defeat to Lorenzo Musetti at the Monte Carlo Masters last week. On the other hand, I played much worse than I wanted to," Djokovic told reporters after the defeat in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The French Open, the second Grand Slam of the season, begins on May 28. I want to play my best tennis there," said Djokovic, who has also been struggling with an elbow injury. "The conditions are totally different there in comparison with Monte Carlo and Banja Luka.

☆ Djokovic to miss Madrid Open say organisers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 22 (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic has pulled out of next week's Madrid Open, organisers said on Saturday, with the world number one joining Rafa Nadal on the sidelines. Djokovic said, however, that he was still hopeful of finding his groove on clay before next month's French Open. Nadal announced earlier this week that he would miss the Madrid tournament after a setback in his recovery from a hip injury sustained at the Australian Open in January. The two players share the record for most Grand Slam titles, with 22 each. The French Open, the second Grand Slam of the season, begins on May 28.

☆ Rybakina retires with lower back injury in Stuttgart
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 21 (Reuters) - Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina suffered an injury setback ahead of the French Open after she retired with a lower back issue in her last 16 match against Beatriz Haddad Maia at the Stuttgart Open on Thursday. After play resumed, Haddad Maia won another game before Rybakina decided to retire trailing 6-1 3-1. Last week, Rybakina helped Kazakhstan advance to the Billie Jean King Cup finals for the second time after defeating Poland 3-1 in their qualifier. The French Open, the second Grand Slam of the year, will be held from May 28 to June 11. Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter RutherfordOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Rafael Nadal’s French Open participation in doubt as he struggles to recover from injury
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Rafael Nadal admits he doesn’t know if he will recover from injury in time to defend his title at the French Open. “All medical suggestions have been followed, but the progress has not been what they initially told us. The weeks are passing and I had the dream of being able to play in tournaments that are the most important in my career such as Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, Roland Garros. This is how things are now.”The greatest clay court player of all time, Nadal has enjoyed unparalleled success at Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid, holding the record for most titles won at all three events. The French Open, where Nadal has won the title an unprecedented 14 times, begins on May 28.

☆ Iga Świątek returns from injury and wins in Stuttgart
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

1 Iga Świątek enjoyed a winning return from injury as she defeated China’s Zheng Qinwen 6-1 6-4 at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany. Świątek, who is defending her title in Stuttgart in preparation for the French Open next month, broke Zheng’s serve four times over the course of the match. “I’m pretty happy that I’m not rusty and I could perform good tennis, even though I had a break,” Świątek said after the win. Świątek will be looking to win her third French Open title and fourth grand slam overall when the tournament gets underway in Paris on May 28. She was forced to withdraw from the Miami Open and Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers in recent weeks but announced before competing in Stuttgart that she is now injury free.

☆ Sabalenka says win over Krejcikova a confidence boost for French Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Tennis - WTA 500 - Stuttgart Open - Porsche Arena, Stuttgart, Germany - April 19, 2023 Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka in action during her round of 16 match against Czech Republic's Barbora Krejcikova REUTERS/Angelika WarmuthApril 20 (Reuters) - World number two Aryna Sabalenka said beating former French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova in the second round of the tune-up event in Stuttgart will boost her preparation for the Roland Garros Grand Slam. Sabalenka defeated Krejcikova 6-2 6-3 in one hour and 15 minutes on Wednesday, becoming the first player to book her spot in the quarter-finals. The Belarusian said the victory over the 2021 French Open winner handed her a confidence boost ahead of the May 28-June 11 major on the Parisian clay. "It's tough but an interesting challenge to play the first match against a Grand Slam champion," Australian Open winner Sabalenka, who received a bye in the opening round, told reporters. "It is something unique like you're never going to play the first round against a Grand Slam champion in the bigger tournament.

☆ Nadal to miss Madrid Open after recovery setback
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Fernando Kallas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, April 20 (Reuters) - Rafa Nadal will miss next week's Madrid Open after a setback in his recovery from a hip injury sustained at the Australian Open in January, the 22-times major champion said on Thursday. Nadal skipped tournaments at Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo as well as the current Barcelona Open after suffering the injury that effectively ended his Melbourne Park title defence as he fell to a second-round defeat by Mackenzie McDonald. "Initially it had to be a six to eight week recovery period and we are now on fourteen," Nadal said in a video published on his social media accounts. "The weeks are passing and I had the desire of being able to play in tournaments that are the most important in my career such as Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, Roland Garros and for the moment I have missed Monte Carlo and Barcelona. "The injury still hasn't healed and I can't work out what I need to compete," Nadal said.

☆ Bencic to skip Madrid, Rome events due to hip issue
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 20 (Reuters) - Olympic champion Belinda Bencic will skip upcoming claycourt tournaments in Madrid and Rome due to "discomfort" in her hip but said she hopes to be fully fit for the French Open. Bencic said she was hampered by the issue during the WTA Tour's U.S. swing, which included her run to the Charleston Open final where she lost to Ons Jabeur in straight sets. Bencic won the Adelaide International 2 title in January and Abu Dhabi Open the following month. The French Open, the second Grand Slam of the year, will be held from May 28 to June 11, where Iga Swiatek will be the women's singles defending champion. Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter RutherfordOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Rafael Nadal May Miss the French Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Matthew Futterman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Hopes for Rafael Nadal to compete for a 15th French Open singles title this spring took a major hit on Thursday. Nadal, 36, of Spain, announced that the injury to the psoas muscle in his lower abdomen and upper right leg that he sustained at the Australian Open in January had not healed as he and his doctors and trainers had expected. In his statement that he would miss his third clay-court tournament — the Madrid Open, which begins next week — Nadal said he did not have a timetable for when he might be able to play competitive tennis again. “The injury still hasn’t healed, and I can’t work out what I need to do to compete,” Nadal said in video released Thursday on social media. There is a statue of him outside the main stadium.

☆ Emma Raducanu beaten in less than an hour by Jelena Ostapenko in Stuttgart
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Amy Woodyatt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Britain’s Emma Raducanu suffered another agonizing defeat, after being knocked out in the first round of the Stuttgart Open on Tuesday. Jelena Ostapenko took less than an hour to thrash Raducanu 6-2, 6-1 in straight sets at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. “It’s never easy playing Emma,” the Latvian, the 2017 French Open champion, told reporters. Raducanu suffered an ankle injury before the Australian Open earlier this year, while tonsillitis forced her to withdraw from the Austin Open in February. “Emma’s level is there for sure,” Robson told Eurosport.

☆ Rublev gets long-awaited reward with Monte Carlo title
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] Tennis - ATP Masters 1000 - Monte Carlo Masters - Monte-Carlo Country Club, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France - April 16, 2023 Russia's Andrey Rublev celebrates with the trophy after winning the final against Denmark's Holger Rune REUTERS/Eric GaillardApril 16 (Reuters) - Andrey Rublev made the most of Holger Rune's nerves to win a see-saw Monte Carlo final 5-7 6-2 7-5 on Sunday, as the Russian's talent was finally rewarded with a Masters title. Rublev, 25, was 4-1 down in the decider but ground his way back into the contest to prevail on his second match point with an ace at a sun-drenched Monte Carlo Country Club. It was Rublev's third attempt in a Masters final after failing at the final hurdle here in Monte Carlo and in Cincinnati in 2021. "I don't know what to say, I'm just happy, I struggled so much to get this title," said Rublev. The Russian then broke to love and levelled the contest on serve as Rune seemed to lose his composure.

☆ Medvedev happy with run in Monte Carlo despite quarter-final exit
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Third seed Medvedev lost 6-3 6-4 to Danish teenager Holger Rune at the ATP Masters 1000 event, a day after his comeback victory over Alexander Zverev. "He (Rune) played very well. I could have played a bit better, but if we talk about clay again, I'm not as at ease as he is on clay... We'll see what I do there, but I'm very happy with this tournament in Monte Carlo," Medvedev added. If one day I'm able to become a monster on clay, I'm happy."

☆ Kazakhstan through to Billie Jean King Cup finals, France ease past Britain
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Tennis - Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers - Kazakhstan v Poland - National Tennis Centre - Beeline Arena, Astana, Kazakhstan - April 15, 2023 Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina celebrates with teammates after winning her singles match against Poland's Magda Linette REUTERS/Pavel MikheyevApril 15 (Reuters) - Kazakhstan advanced to the Billie Jean King Cup finals for the second time after defeating Poland 3-1 in their qualifier on Saturday while France brushed aside last year's semi-finalists Britain. Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina had helped Kazakhstan build a 2-0 lead on Friday and the world number seven had no trouble dispatching Magda Linette 6-4 6-2 to give her side an unassailable lead in Astana. The best-of-five qualifiers featured two singles matches on Friday and two reverse singles plus a doubles rubber on Saturday. Poland, without injured world number one Iga Swiatek, finally got on the board as Weronika Falkowska and Alicja Rosolska won 6-4 6-4 in what was essentially a dead rubber. Garcia got the double break and the world number five served out the set to secure France's place in the Finals.

☆ Krejcikova to donate Billie Jean King Cup earnings to Turkey earthquake victims
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] Tennis - Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers - Ukraine v Czech Republic - Megasary Club Belek, Antalya, Turkey - April 14, 2023 Czech Republic's Barbora Krejcikova and Ukraine's Katarina Zavatska shake hands after their singles match REUTERS/Umit BektasApril 14 (Reuters) - Czech tennis player Barbora Krejcikova said on Friday she will donate her Billie Jean King Cup earnings to Turkey's earthquake victims. The earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on Feb. 6 killed more than 55,000 people. Former French Open champion Krejcikova, who is currently playing in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers against Ukraine in the Turkish city of Antalya, said the funds would support tennis players in the affected regions. "The money will directly help the Turkish population from regions that have been affected by the earthquake, especially local tennis players that have lost close to everything," the 27-year-old said in a statement. loadingReporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Nadal pulls out of Barcelona Open as he builds fitness
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Tennis - ATP 500 - Barcelona Open - Real Club de Tennis Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain - April 25, 2021 Spain's Rafael Nadal in action during the final against Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas REUTERS/Albert Gea/File PhotoApril 14 (Reuters) - Rafa Nadal will miss next week's Barcelona Open and continue building his match fitness following a hip injury sustained at the Australian Open in January, the 22-times Grand Slam champion said on Friday. "Barcelona is a special tournament for me, because it's my adopted club and playing at home is always a unique sensation," the 36-year-old Nadal said on Instagram. "I'm still not ready and therefore I continue my preparation process for the return to competition." The Spaniard, a 14-times French Open champion, hopes to be fully fit for the clay court Grand Slam starting in May. Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Novak Djokovic suffers shock loss to Lorenzo Musetti at Monte Carlo Masters
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Thomas Schlachter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Novak Djokovic suffered a shock defeat in the Monte Carlo Masters round-of-16 Thurday with the Serb falling to a 4-6 7-5 6-4 loss at the hands of Italian 21-year-old Lorenzo Musetti. The Serb uncharacteristically allowed Musetti to trade breaks with him throughout the opening set, before eventually seizing control. However, Musetti had other ideas and battled his way back into the game to level the tie. The shock defeat will be a cause for concern for two-time Monte Carlo Masters champion Djokovic as this is one of his key events in his preparation for the French Open. Like Musetti, Sinner also had to win from behind to secure his place in the quarterfinal.

☆ Tsitsipas dumped out of Monte Carlo Masters by Fritz
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Tennis - ATP Masters 1000 - Monte Carlo Masters - Monte-Carlo Country Club, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France - April 14, 2023 Taylor Fritz of the U.S. and Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas shake hands after their quarter final match REUTERS/Eric GaillardApril 14 (Reuters) - Champion Stefanos Tsitsipas crashed out of the Monte Carlo Masters when he slumped to a 6-2 6-4 defeat against American Taylor Fritz in the quarter-finals on Friday. Greek second seed Tsitsipas, who triumphed at the Monte Carlo Country Club in the last two editions, was never in the mix against Fritz, who reached the last four of a Masters event for the first time. My serve was not working very well today, and against opponents like Taylor, you have to serve well,” Tsitsipas said. "I tried to fight in the second set. Tsitsipas improved slightly in the second set, only for Fritz to break decisively for 4-3 with a winner.

☆ Sinner digs deep to reach Monte Carlo quarter-finals, Ruud stunned
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Hurkacz raised his game to force a tiebreak and looked in control but the scrappy Sinner saved a matchpoint and dragged the contest into a decider. The Italian then got his nose in front and held firm to complete the win as Hurkacz faded. German qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff earlier stunned fourth seed Casper Ruud 6-1 7-6(6), ending the Estoril champion's nine-match winning streak on clay stretching back to last July. In-form third seed Daniil Medvedev, the winner of four hardcourt tournaments in 2023, will take on Alexander Zverev in the pair's first claycourt meeting. read moreReporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru Editing by Toby DavisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Djokovic needs time to adapt after 'ugly' start on clay
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MONTE CARLO, April 12 (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic returned to the ATP Tour with an "ugly" straight-sets win over Ivan Gakhov at Monte Carlo and while the world number one has had extended preparation on clay this year he said he needs more time to adapt to the surface. "Throughout my career I needed one, two weeks of tournaments to really start to play the way I want to. It's the case again this year, though I trained for three weeks and felt good playing practice points," Djokovic told reporters. "All these things play a factor in the way you feel on the court. I'm really glad I overcome the first step, because I hope things will be better and easier from this point."

☆ Zverev beats Bautista Agut to advance into third round in Monte Carlo
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Tennis - ATP Masters 1000 - Monte Carlo Masters - Monte-Carlo Country Club, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France - April 12, 2023 Germany's Alexander Zverev in action during his round of 32 match against Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut REUTERS/Eric GaillardApril 12 (Reuters) - Alexander Zverev continued to rebuild his confidence on clay with a 6-4 6-4 victory against Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut in the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters on Wednesday. Zverev broke for 3-2 in the opening set and held serve to take the lead in the contest, before breaking again in the fifth game of the second set. Bautista Agut, however, stole the German's serve right back to level for 3-3, only for Zverev to take the decisive break in the following game. Last year's French Open Casper Ruud was also in second-round action against Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands. Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Christian RadnedgeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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