DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ Murray says focus must be on Ukraine war, not Wimbledon U-turn
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MONTE CARLO, April 13 (Reuters) - The war in Ukraine and the plight of its tennis players must be at the forefront of discussions at Wimbledon, not the Grand Slam's decision to reverse its ban on Russian and Belarusian players, former world number one Andy Murray said. "It's a difficult decision for Wimbledon. Several Ukrainian players have spoken about how difficult it is to continue competing while their country is at war. "You need to understand their perspective as well, and not just the players that weren't allowed to play last year. "There are Ukrainian players whose families (are affected) and they're going through unbelievably difficult times.

☆ Muguruza splits from coach Martinez
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 12 (Reuters) - Two-time Grand Slam champion Garbine Muguruza and coach Conchita Martinez have parted ways after three years together, Martinez confirmed on Wednesday. The announcement comes just over a week since the 29-year-old Muguruza said she was taking an extended break. Martinez began working with her fellow Spaniard in 2019 although she was also with her when she won the Wimbledon crown in 2017 when Muguruza's coach Sam Sumyk was absent. "Garbine and I have mutually agreed to end our employment relationship," Martinez, who also won Wimbledon during her illustrious playing career, said on Twitter. "They have been fantastic years, full of great emotions and wonderful experiences, both on and off the court.

☆ Jabeur targets Grand Slam success after Charleston crown
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"I'm glad that I'm finding my rhythm and I hope my body will allow me to play," Jabeur told Tennis Channel, looking ahead to the European claycourt swing. I'm working on a lot of things and it's going my way, so for me: step by step, and I'm going for the Grand Slam this year." "If you want to do something, believe in it and only you can really manifest it," Jabeur added. "I was imagining myself in the photoshoot after, putting the image that I won that title already, and it happened. "I'll manifest the big trophy sets, the Wimbledon one and other Grand Slams that I want to win."

☆ The lucky breaks that built Nike
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Fittingly as "Air" hits theaters, Nike will release an Air Jordan in "lucky green." "Luck plays a big role," Nike cofounder Phil Knight wrote in the closing of his 2016 memoir, "Shoe Dog." Athletes get lucky, poets get lucky, businesses get lucky." Knight wrote. Next Wednesday, Nike will release the "Black and Lucky Green" Air Jordan 1.

☆ Tennis should have banned Russian, Belarusian players: Swiatek
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The 2022 tournament was the first time players were excluded on grounds of nationality since the immediate post-World War Two era, when German and Japanese players were banned from the championships. "After World War Two, German players were not allowed as well as Japanese and Italian (players), and I feel like this kind of thing would show the Russian government that maybe its not worth it," Poland's Swiatek told the BBC on Wednesday. "Tennis didn't really go that way, but now it would be pretty unfair for Russian and Belarusian players to do that because this decision was supposed to be made a year ago." Russian and Belarusian players have been competing on the tours and at the other Grand Slams as neutral athletes. Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, who won this year's Australian Open, has said she struggled to understand the "hate" in the locker room.

☆ Ukraine's Svitolina criticises 'useless' WTA amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, April 4 (Reuters) - Ukrainian players do not get enough support from women's tennis governing body WTA amid Russia's invasion of their country, Elina Svitolina said on Tuesday. "The WTA should have done more, much more, on many issues. Asked what her reaction would be if they would be allowed to take part in next year's Olympics in Paris, Svitolina said: "I don't think about it. It's up to the Olympic Committee and the Ukrainian Committee to think about it and do their job! (This story has been corrected to fix Svitolina's ranking in paragraph 3)Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ England women switch to blue shorts after period concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 3 (Reuters) - The England women's team will swap their white shorts for blue, the Football Association (FA) said on Monday, after players voiced concerns about playing in white on their period. European champions England will wear blue shorts for both their home and away kits for this month's friendlies against Brazil and Australia and at the Women's World Cup, which will be held in Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to Aug. 20. Women's teams at Manchester City and West Bromwich Albion have since switched to navy and burgundy shorts, respectively, while the Ireland women's rugby team also announced a change to navy blue shorts last month. The issue of women athletes wearing white clothing was also brought up at last year's Wimbledon tennis championships when female players spoke about the anxiety of being forced to wear white on their period. The grasscourt Grand Slam will make an exception to its strict all-white dress code and allow female players to wear dark coloured undershorts from this year's tournament.

☆ Kvitova draws on experience to triumph in Miami
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/7] Apr 1, 2023; Miami, Florida, US; Petra Kvitova (CZE) celebrates with the Butch Buchholz championship trophy after her match against Elena Rybakina (KAZ) (not pictured) in the women's singles final on day thirteen of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY SportsApril 1 (Reuters) - Petra Kvitova said she drew on her deep well of experience to come through an epic first set tie-breaker and upset Elena Rybakina 7-6(14) 6-2 for her first Miami Open title on Saturday. "Experience today played a good role in my mind," Kvitova told reporters after the match. With the win Kvitova became the second-oldest women to triumph at the Miami Open, after Serena Williams in 2015. Kvitova said athletes from those countries should also not be allowed to compete at the Paris Olympics.

☆ Rybakina backs Wimbledon move to allow Russians, Belarusians to play as neutrals
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 2 (Reuters) - Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina said the grasscourt Grand Slam had taken the correct decision to reverse its ban on Russian and Belarusian players and allow them to compete at this year's tournament as "neutral" athletes. The 23-year-old said that she had no problem with Russian and Belarusian players competing without their national flags. "They have been playing like this for all the tournaments, so it (Wimbledon) was only Grand Slam they were not allowed," Rybakina told reporters. Players will be prohibited from expressing support for the invasion and must not receive funding from Russian or Belarusian states, Wimbledon organisers added. Twice Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, who stunned world number seven Rybakina 7-6(14) 6-2 in the Miami Open final on Saturday, had opposed the Grand Slam's decision.

☆ Kvitova upsets Rybakina to win first Miami Open title
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Apr 1, 2023; Miami, Florida, US; Petra Kvitova (CZE) reacts after winning a first set tiebreaker against Elena Rybakina (KAZ) (not pictured) in the women's singles final on day thirteen of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY SportsApril 1 (Reuters) - Petra Kvitova turned back the clock to upset Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina 7-6(14) 6-2 on Saturday to win her first Miami Open crown and ninth WTA 1000 title. The veteran Czech player, seeded 15th, ended an epic, 22-minute first set tiebreak by converting her fifth set point when 10th-seeded Rybakina's forehand landed in the net. The 33-year-old Kvitova, who won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014 and who had recently contemplated retirement, put her hands on her head in astonishment when Rybakina's forehand sailed long to seal the win. Kvitova, who fended off five set points in the see-saw tiebreak, said capturing it was the key to the match.

☆ Ukrainian diver joins boycott of events with Russians as war takes its toll
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Anna Voitenko | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] Stanislav Oliferchyk, the European diving champion from Mariupol, practices in a pool at the training base for divers, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 27, 2023. Oliferchuk had been eagerly awaiting the reopening of Neptun swimming pool in Mariupol, which underwent two years of costly, major restoration. "The swimming pool was just incredible, I really enjoyed training there after it was renovated. It is very sad that the swimming pool as well the rest of the city was destroyed," Oliferchuk told Reuters. No way Russians should be allowed to take part in the competitions - if it happens, we will boycott."

☆ Wimbledon lifts ban on Russian and Belarusian players who will compete as 'neutral athletes'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Amar Mehta | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Wimbledon logo amongst flowers The Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 10, 2019 in London, England. Wimbledon has lifted a ban on Russian and Belarusian players from its tournament this year, with players agreeing to sign neutral declarations. Last year, players from Russia and Belarus were banned from Wimbledon in response to Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. The Lawn Tennis Association was hit with a fine and world ranking points were removed from last year's Championships. Earlier this month, Russian player Daniil Medvedev said ahead of Indian Wells that he would respect any decision taken by organisers.

☆ Wimbledon to accept Russian and Belarusian players as 'neutral' athletes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

March 31 (Reuters) - Wimbledon will allow Russian and Belarusian players to compete at the grasscourt Grand Slam as 'neutrals' this year, having banned players from the two countries last year after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "Our current intention is to accept entries from Russian and Belarusian players subject to them competing as 'neutral' athletes and complying with appropriate conditions," the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) said in a statement. Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru Editing by David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Alcaraz dumps Fritz to reach Miami semis, Medvedev advances
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Mar 30, 2023; Miami, Florida, US; Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) reacts after winning the first set against Taylor Fritz (USA) (not pictured) in a men's singles quarterfinal on day eleven of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. It was a key for me to break the serve at the beginning." "It helped me and I only played better and better, apart from one bad game on my serve, but it happens." Medvedev will next face fellow Russian Karen Khachanov, who advanced with a 6-3 6-2 win over Argentine Francisco Cerundolo. Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Ed Osmond and Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

CNN —Tennis great Boris Becker says he’s grateful just to be alive as he reflected on spending time in prison in an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour. Soon after his release, Becker told German broadcaster Sat 1 that a prison “inmate tried to kill” him during his incarceration. “It feels great [to be out],” Becker told Amanpour. “Prison life is a very dangerous place. In tennis, as in life, thing were “never easy” and “always a bit of a struggle,” Becker recalls.

☆ Alcaraz, Rybakina stay on course for 'Sunshine Double' in Miami
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY SportsMarch 28 (Reuters) - Indian Wells champions Carlos Alcaraz and Elena Rybakina stayed on course to complete the 'Sunshine Double' with straight sets wins at the Miami Open on Tuesday. Paul fell behind an early break again in the second set on a missed forehand for 2-1. Alcaraz is now three wins away from the 'Sunshine Double,' something he needs to retain his world number one ranking from Novak Djokovic. The 10th-seeded Kazakh deployed her clean groundstrokes and feasted on the Italian's soft second serve in the tight first set. "I would say that, of course, maybe I'm moving not as good as I was moving in Indian Wells but overall I think that I'm trying to keep that level from Indian Wells," she told reporters after reaching the semi-finals.

☆ Potapova upsets Gauff in third-round Miami thriller
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Amy Tennery | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 25 (Reuters) - Russian Anastasia Potapova produced some of her best tennis to upset American Coco Gauff 6-7(8) 7-5 6-2 in a third-round thriller at the Miami Open on Saturday. "I had this belief in me that I can do this, that I just wanted to fight through and just to show my best tennis and not focus on the score," she told the Tennis Channel. Up 5-2 in the first set, it looked as though it might be an easy day for Potapova. But world number six Gauff turned the tables when she converted break point chances in the ninth and 11th games and closed the tiebreak with a lethal backhand. She failed to earn a single break point as Potapova dropped only one first-serve point and won the final five games.

☆ Rybakina beats Sabalenka to claim Indian Wells title
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 19 (Reuters) - Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina beat a misfiring Aryna Sabalenka 7-6(11) 6-4 on Sunday to claim the Indian Wells title and avenge her loss to the Belarusian in the Australian Open final. Rybakina, playing in her first WTA 1000 final, came back from a break down to grab a tightly-contested first set during which second seed Sabalenka committed 10 double faults and the Kazakh 10th seed never trailed the rest of the way. Despite her struggles, Sabalenka had her chances in the opener but squandered three set points while also turning aside five set points before finally sending a forehand long to give Rybakina control. Rybakina opened the second set with a break before Sabalenka finally settled into her game but the Kazakh sensed her chance and quickly closed the deal on her first championship point when her opponent sent a service return into the net. Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Pritha SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Alcaraz still trying to have fun despite target on his back
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The 19-year-old Spaniard, ranked second in the world, became the youngest number one ever after his U.S. Open win in September. "I know if I win tomorrow I'm going to be the number one. That's all I'm going to think about tomorrow." Russian Medvedev, a former world number one, earned a 7-5 7-6(4) win over Frances Tiafoe to extend his winning run to 19 matches. Medvedev said his second-round win over Alcaraz at Wimbledon in 2021 - the only prior meeting between the two - was no gauge for their showdown on Sunday.

☆ Rybakina knocks out defending champion Swiatek to reach Indian Wells final
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

March 17 (Reuters) - Elena Rybakina knocked out defending champion Iga Swiatek with a 6-2 6-2 semi-final victory at Indian Wells on Friday to set up a clash against Aryna Sabalenka in the final. Two months after Rybakina knocked Swiatek out of the Australian Open in the fourth round, the Wimbledon champion once again put in an impressive display against the world number one. Rybakina was in control from the start, breaking early to take a 2-0 lead, before going on to clinch the first set when Swiatek produced a double fault on set point. "I really played well today, it was a really nice atmosphere tonight," Rybakina said in her on-court interview. Rybakina will be out for revenge when she faces Sabalenka, who defeated her in the Australian Open final in January.

☆ Credit Suisse was losing the faith of investors long before the SVB debacle. Here's why the situation came to a head this week.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Credit Suisse shares tumbled more than 25% on Wednesday as fears grew of a banking crisis. Here's a closer look at why Credit Suisse is worrying investors. The latest slump in Credit Suisse stock can partly be explained by recent events in the US banking industry. Credit Suisse CEO Ulrich Koerner has also faced questions about his plans to cut costs, staunch losses, and turn around his company. There's no clear reason to believe Credit Suisse is at risk of failure.

☆ Venus Williams joins private equity firm Topspin Consumer Partners
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Abigail Summerville | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, March 1 (Reuters) - Venus Williams has joined private equity firm Topspin Consumer Partners as an operating partner, the latest endeavor in the world of business by a top tennis champion who has emerged as a prolific entrepreneur. Williams will work with companies owned by Topspin on their marketing strategies and investment opportunities, the firm said in a statement on Wednesday. Her sister, Serena, 41, who is also a tennis champion, has withdrawn from the game but has said it's possible she could return. Founded in 2000, Topspin is a U.S. private equity firm that invests in consumer businesses with revenue below $100 million. Venus Williams joins in the footsteps of other sports stars who have entered the world of private equity.

☆ Djokovic says return to top spot more special after tough year
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

It happens," Djokovic told reporters following his win over Tomas Machac in Dubai on Tuesday. Djokovic is now into his 378th week as the world number one, surpassing Steffi Graf's record for the most weeks at the top of the sport. But he said younger players like Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas will eventually catch up with him. I'm not playing as much and don't plan to play as many weeks as they do," Djokovic said. Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Search resuls for: "WImbledon"

25 mentions found