FRENCH OPEN
Nadal to miss French Open, 2024 likely to be last year of career
Holder Rafa Nadal will miss the French Open after failing to regain full fitness from a hip injury suffered at the Australian Open in January, and the 14-times Roland Garros winner added he expects to retire following the 2024 season.
Nadal, who has dominated the claycourt season for close to two decades, has competed at Roland Garros every year since claiming the first of his 22 majors in Paris in 2005.
“I’ll look to be 100% ready for next year, which I believe will be the last year of my professional career,” Nadal told a news conference at his tennis academy in Mallorca, Spain.
“The evolution of the injury I sustained in Australia has not gone as I would have liked. I have lost goals along the way, and Roland Garros becomes impossible.”
Nadal said he needs to stop playing for the foreseeable future to make a full recovery and return for what he anticipates will be his farewell season.
“I’ll not establish a date for my return. I’ll see how my body responds and take it from there,” said the 36-year-old, who is tied with Novak Djokovic with a men’s record 22 slam titles. “If I keep playing at this moment, I don’t think I can be there next year.
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to come back in the highest level and compete for Grand Slams. What I will try to do is to give myself the opportunity to go back to what could be my final year competing at the highest level.”
The French Open runs from May 28 to June 11.
French Open organisers said on Twitter: “We can’t imagine how hard this decision was. We’ll definitely miss you at this year’s Roland Garros. Take care of yourself to come back stronger on court. Hoping to see you next year in Paris.”
Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who is set to reclaim the top ranking before the French Open, and world number three Daniil Medvedev said they hoped for a swift return to court for Nadal.
“Very painful and sad for everyone that you can’t be at Roland Garros or play more this year,” Alcaraz wrote on Twitter. “I hope that 2024 will be a great season for you and that you can say goodbye like the great champion you are.”
Medvedev said the French Open draw would now be wide open.
“Even if he wouldn’t be 100% physically, but decided to play, he’d be a favourite,” Medvedev said in an on-court interview at the Italian Open.
“Hopefully he can come back, play some more Slams… He’s an amazing player, amazing athlete, one of the best in history.”
HIP PROBLEM
Nadal overcame a niggling foot injury to beat Casper Ruud in last year’s French Open final. But he has struggled with his latest issue and has not competed since January after hurting his hip flexor in his second-round match against Mackenzie McDonald that effectively ended his Melbourne Park title defence.
Nadal was initially set to miss up to eight weeks but skipped claycourt tournaments in Madrid and Rome to build his fitness after being ruled out of events at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Barcelona earlier this season.
In March, Nadal fell out of the top 10 in the world rankings for the first time since 2005 and is currently 14th.
Nadal’s 14 French Open titles are the most by any player at a single major. He boasts a stunning 112-3 record in Paris and is widely regarded as the ‘King of Clay’.
“With what that tournament is for me, you can imagine how difficult it is,” Nadal said. “I need to put a stop to my sporting career for a while. I will try to regenerate my body during these months.”
Nadal added one of his goals for next year was to compete at the Paris Olympics, when the tennis tournament will be staged at Roland Garros.
“It’s an extra motivation to focus in my return,” he said. “I went through some very difficult years and I think it’s time to take better care of my body, I have suffered a lot with injuries… What will happen next year I don’t know.
“Roland Garros will always be Roland Garros with or without me … there will be a new champion and I’m sure the tournament will be a big success.”
-Reuters
FRENCH OPEN
Coco Gauff wins her first Grand Slam doubles title at the French Open
![](https://sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/coco.jpg)
Coco Gauff won her first Grand Slam doubles title by teaming with Katerina Siniakova for the French Open trophy on Sunday.
Gauff, a 20-year-old American who won the U.S. Open singles title last year, and Siniakova, who is from the Czech Republic, defeated Italians Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani 7-6 (5), 6-3 on Court Philippe Chatrier.
It was Gauff’s third women’s doubles final after losing championship matches at Roland Garros in 2022 and the U.S. Open in 2021.
Gauff and Siniakova both kissed the Coupe Simonne Mathieu — the winners’ trophy.
“Third time’s a charm. Thank you, Katerina, for playing with me. We decided two days before the tournament to play together,” Gauff said. “Thank you to the fans. I know 11:30 Sunday morning is early for most people. It’s early for me.”
Paolini was also the runner-up in the singles final at Roland Garros to four-time champion Iga Swiatek on Saturday. Swiatek beat Gauff in the singles semifinal.
“The last two weeks were very nice, very emotional,” Paolini said. “I have a lot of memories. I can’t wait to be back.”
Siniakova owns a career Slam in women’s doubles alongside partner Barbora Krejcikova and has won eight majors — including the French Open in 2018 and 2021.
Errani also owns a career Slam in doubles alongside her former partner Roberta Vinci. The Italian pair won the French Open title in 2012 — the year Errani lost the singles final.
“It’s really special to be in this court again. I don’t know how many more years I have to play. But it’s always special to play these kinds of matches,” the 37-year-old Errani said. “It will be special to play the Olympics here in this place. So I’ll see you in one month.”
Paolini was playing in her first final in women’s doubles.
Errani’s serve was broken twice in the first set, and Paolini stayed on the baseline to compensate in the 11th game. The tactic worked as Errani held serve.
Gauff and Siniakova took the first set when Errani’s volley at the net went long and raced to a 4-1 lead in the second set, with Paolini 0-30 down on her serve.
The Italians fought back to 4-3 with a service game to follow, but Errani’s serve was broken again and their momentum was lost.
-AP
FRENCH OPEN
French Open toughest to win, making Paris record more special, Djokovic says
Novak Djokovic said winning a record 23rd men’s singles Grand Slam title at the French Open after beating Norway’s Casper Ruud 7-6(1) 6-3 7-5 on Sunday was special given that it was always his toughest one to win.
The Serbian has now won the most Grand Slams of any male player and is the only one to have won each of the four – Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open – at least three times.
But of the 23 Grand Slams, only three have come at the French Open with rival Rafael Nadal, who has 22 majors, dominating on clay with 14 wins in Paris.
Djokovic has also won ten times in Australia and three times at the U.S. Open while triumphing seven times at Wimbledon.
“It is no coincidence that I won the 23rd Grand Slam here in Paris because this tournament was really in my entire career the toughest to win,” Djokovic, who has played in the Paris final seven times, said to a cheering crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier.
“A lot of emotions here on this court, also off the court,” he said, after lifting the trophy aloft.
“Thanks one more time for a special atmosphere, a marvellous one. I am very happy to share this special moment of my career with you in this special stadium.”
The 36-year-old won the title without Nadal in the tournament, with the Spaniard missing the Grand Slam due to an injury and surgery that will sideline him for the rest of the year.
Djokovic, who also eclipsed Nadal as the oldest champion in Paris after a tough fortnight, has now won 21 consecutive Grand Slam tournament matches.
He won last year’s Wimbledon, missed the U.S. Open and won in Australia in January before Sunday’s triumph in Paris.
“I am being fortunate in my life to win 23 Grand Slams. It is an incredible feeling,” he said.
“Whatever you are pursuing, tennis or anything else, I was a seven-year-old dreaming I would win Wimbledon and become No. 1 one day.
“One thing is for sure I felt I had the power to create my own destiny. I felt it with every cell in my body.”Djokovic can now extend his lead in Grand Slam victories with the season moving over to grass and Wimbledon, where he will bid for an eighth title
-Reuters
FRENCH OPEN
French Open: Doubles pair disqualified after ball girl is hit
Japan’s Miyu Kato and Indonesia’s Aldila Sutjiadi were disqualified from the French Open after Kato struck a ball down the court between points, hitting a ball girl, during their women’s doubles third-round match on Sunday.
Umpire Alexandre Juge gave Kato a warning before Czech Marie Bouzkova and Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo, on the other side of the net, asked for their opponents to be disqualified.
“No, no, let me explain to you. She (Kato) didn’t do it on purpose, she (the ball girl) didn’t get injured,” Juge said.
“She didn’t do it on purpose? She’s crying,” Sorribes Tormo said.
“And she has blood,” Bouzkova added, prompting the umpire to go to see the ball girl, who was sobbing.
After speaking to the girl, the umpire went back up to his chair and announced the end of the match with the disqualification of Kato and Sutjiadi.
Bouzkova and Sorribes Tormo were leading 7-6(1) 1-3 at the time.
-Reuters
-
TRANSFER MARKET3 days ago
Points of Interest as Napoli’s coach apologises to Victor Osimhen
-
Badminton1 week ago
American beats Nigeria’s Segun Obasanjo
-
TRANSFER MARKET1 week ago
Transfer market still bubbling as Chelsea agents lands in Napoli for Osimhen
-
TRANSFER MARKET1 week ago
BREAKING! Osimhen is left stranded! Future remains uncertain
-
TRANSFER MARKET5 days ago
Lukaku pays respect to Osimhen
-
PARALYMPICS6 days ago
How Mikano powered Eniola to Nigeria’s first medal at Paris 2024
-
Nigerian Football1 week ago
As in 1974 , 1995 and 2005 another coach, Labbadia disappears from Nigeria’s national team job
-
AFCON1 week ago
Interim Commander, Eguavoen opens up on his plans for Super Eagles