PARIS – Leaving the defending champion off the centre court on his return to the tournament is unusual, but Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz played down the decisions made by Roland Garros: he is confident of lifting the trophy again and, in
PARIS – The idea sounds crazy, but on the same day that Rafael Nadal said goodbye to Roland Garros and tennis for good, the Spaniard himself raised the possibility of a new Rafael Nadal on the tour. “If my son
PARIS – His rivals over the past two decades would have been well advised to take note: Rafael Nadal‘s kryptonite on the orange clay of Paris was not to be found in his racket, but in his heart. Dressed in
One life can hold many lives. You can shake hands with Roger Federer on the tennis court and, years later, throw yourself into the arms of Javier Milei. Argentine Diego Hartfield knows this well. He was first a tennis player,
MADRID – Casper Ruud was raised too well. Calm, thoughtful, friendly and humorous, the Norwegian is one of the players most deserving of moving from the ‘finalist’ category to ‘champion’ in a Grand Slam tournament. He deserves it for his
MADRID – It took a while, but it finally happened: Norway’s Casper Ruud reached a new level by winning the Madrid tournament, the first Masters 1000 title of his career. Ruud defeated Britain’s Jack Draper 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 in an
MADRID – Another title for Aryna Sabalenka may sound like old news, but the Belarusian’s 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) victory over American Coco Gauff on Saturday in Madrid revealed two very interesting facts: women’s tennis is changing, and having a short
RIO DE JANEIRO – Joao Lucas Reis, the Brazilian who at the end of 2024 became the first male tennis player on the men’s circuit to come out as gay, is clear about one thing: it is very unlikely that
RÍO DE JANEIRO – Under the tropical heat, with Christ the Redeemer embracing everyone from the top of Corcovado, Rio de Janeiro is further proof of the passion that tennis awakens in Latin America. Does the ATP know or understand
Why in football are penalties kicked from 11 metres away? Why not kick them from five metres from the goal? There would be more goals, more enthusiasm, more children playing football and more business! Why not allow in football, when
RIO DE JANEIRO – Gustavo Kuerten grabs his arm and says: “I’ve got goose bumps”. He is talking about Joao Fonseca. And Kuerten opens his eyes, smiles and says without hesitation: he would have been incapable of winning Roland Garros
RIO DE JANEIRO – Alexander Zverev abandons his serious expression for a moment, flashes a German smile and blurts out three words: ‘Best of five’. His interlocutor bursts out laughing. It is Monday in Rio de Janeiro, the city is
