The main draw for this year’s edition of Wimbledon was released on Friday, with the top players receiving relatively balanced paths to the second week. French Open champions Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek should not be troubled in the first week, while the odds-on pre-tournament favorites Matteo Berrettini and Ons Jabeur will also be fancying their chances. Read More
Casper Ruud endured a tough transition from clay to the grass courts, with the top seed losing his opening-round match at the Queen’s Club in straight sets to an opponent ranked No. 180. Nine days after playing — and losing — to Rafael Nadal in the French Open final, Ruud was beaten 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2) by little-known Briton Ryan Peniston, a 26-year-old in his first ATP Tour main draw. Read More
Novak Djokovic was ready to skip Grand Slams rather than take a COVID-19 vaccine following the Australian Open fiasco, but the world number one has been building up steam in a stop-start season to peak in time for his French Open title defense. The 20-times Grand Slam champion was unable to defend his Australian Open title in January after being deported from the country, having initially been admitted to the tournament despite not taking the vaccine. Djokovic began his season late in Dubai and was knocked off the top spot following a shock loss to qualifier Jiri Vesely in the quarter-finals before pulling out of Indian Wells and Miami as he was unable to gain entry into the United States. Read More
PARIS (Reuters) – French Open organizers asked employees to fill empty corporate seats for Saturday’s men’s semi-final and start of the women’s final, demanding they stay ‘discreet’ and take off their accreditation once seated, Reuters learned on Sunday. Seats and boxes set aside for officials and corporate sponsors are often empty on Roland Garros’s main Philippe Chatrier court around lunchtime, as ticket holders enjoy the hospitality on offer rather than the tennis. The stadium was not full, for example, when 11-times French Open champion Rafael Nadal and 20-times Grand Slam winner Roger Federer started their semi-final on Friday. Organizers said on Sunday that they were considering implementing an ‘overbooking’ system similar to airlines and hotels to make sure that seats are occupied. On Saturday, however, the French Tennis Federation (FFT) offered employees the chance to watch the action in unoccupied boxes. “Because of the scheduling changes for tomorrow, June 8, the management of the tournament has the pleasure to authorize the employees of the FFT (black and gray badges) and their privies (white badge with black stripe) to access the boxes from 12pm to attend the end of the men’s semi-final and the start of…