Tennis

May 11, 2023, 06:21 AM ET The organizers of the Madrid Open have apologized to the women’s doubles finalists of this year’s tournament following criticism for denying players the opportunity to make speeches at the trophy ceremony. Singles world No. 3 Jessica Pegula, who played with Coco Gauff in a 6-1, 6-4 loss to Victoria

Associated Press May 11, 2023, 09:03 AM ET ROME — Fresh off a doubles title in Madrid, Victoria Azarenka stepped up her singles game on the red clay courts at the Italian Open by defeating Sloane Stephens 6-4, 6-3 in her opening match Thursday. Stephens was coming off a singles title at a smaller clay-court

ESPN News Services May 11, 2023, 06:38 AM ET World No. 7 Ons Jabeur says female players should not have to wait to receive the same prize money as their male counterparts at the Italian Open after tournament organizers announced plans to achieve pay parity by 2025. Tennis has sought to be a leader in

Associated Press May 10, 2023, 05:47 PM ET ROME — Fabio Fognini edged fellow 35-year-old Andy Murray in a nearly three-hour battle in the opening round of the Italian Open on Wednesday. Given a wild card entry after a month out with an injured foot, Fognini hit more than twice as many winners as Murray

May 10, 2023, 09:07 AM ET LONDON — Seville will host the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup Finals, the International Tennis Federation announced on Wednesday. The showpiece women’s team event, featuring 12 nations, will take place from Nov. 7-12. It is the first time since 2008 that Spain has hosted the finals of the competition,

Associated Press May 9, 2023, 03:38 PM ET ROME — Barbora Strycova earned her first singles victory since returning from maternity leave, beating Maryna Zanevska 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in the opening round of the Italian Open on Tuesday. The 37-year-old Strycova returned to the tour two weeks ago at the Madrid Open after more than

D’Arcy Maine, ESPN.com May 9, 2023, 09:52 AM ET The Madrid Open concluded over the weekend and, wow, it’s tough to know where to begin with this one. Aryna Sabalenka defeated Iga Swiatek 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, for the trophy in the latest chapter of their burgeoning rivalry, and Carlos Alcaraz won his second straight title

May 8, 2023, 02:51 AM ET Andy Murray bounced back to beat world No. 17 Tommy Paul 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 on Sunday in the Aix-en-Provence Challenger Tour final, earning his first title at any level since 2019. The three-time major winner converted four of nine breakpoints to claim his first clay title since 2016, a

Associated Press May 7, 2023, 04:01 PM ET MADRID — Carlos Alcaraz successfully defended his Madrid Open title with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over lucky loser Jan-Lennard Struff on Sunday, moving closer to recovering his world No. 1 ranking. Alcaraz, 20, of Spain, will be back at the top of the rankings going into

Associated Press May 6, 2023, 03:32 PM ET MADRID — Second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka beat top-ranked Iga Swiatek 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to reclaim the Madrid Open title on Saturday. Sabalenka lost to Swiatek in the Stuttgart final two weeks ago and had never previously taken a set against her Polish rival in three clay-court meetings. But

May 6, 2023, 01:45 PM ET Petra Kvitova has withdrawn from next week’s Italian Open with an injury to her right foot, she said on social media on Saturday. The Czech world No. 10, who won the Miami Open last month, added that she hopes to recover in time for the second Grand Slam of

ESPN News Services May 5, 2023, 12:23 PM ET Carlos Alcaraz celebrated his 20th birthday Friday by returning to the Madrid Open final after beating Borna Coric in straight sets. The defending champion defeated the 17th-seeded Coric 6-4, 6-3 on the outdoor clay in yet another dominant performance by the home favorite. Following the win

D’Arcy Maine, ESPN.com May 5, 2023, 04:08 PM ET Amanda Anisimova, the 21-year-old American who reached the French Open semifinals in 2019, on Friday announced that she’d be taking an indefinite mental health break. “I’ve really been struggling with my mental health and burnout since the summer of 2022,” Anisimova posted on Instagram. “It’s become

Associated Press May 5, 2023, 01:16 PM ET LONDON — French tennis player Baptiste Crepatte was banned for three years because of match-fixing, the International Tennis Integrity Agency said Friday. Crepatte, 28, was “involved in the fixing of three matches,” the ITIA said in a statement, noting the player contested the charges. He was also

May 5, 2023, 12:14 PM ET Rafael Nadal will miss next week’s Italian Open as he has yet to regain full fitness from the hip injury he suffered at January’s Australian Open, casting further doubt over his participation in the French Open. Nadal, a 14-time Roland Garros champion, skipped the ongoing Madrid Open and has

Associated Press May 4, 2023, 12:50 PM ET MADRID — Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the Madrid Open final for the second time in three years by defeating Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-1 on Thursday. The 2021 champion in the Spanish capital will face either top-ranked Iga Swiatek or 12th-seeded Veronika Kudermetova, who will play later Thursday.

ESPN News Services May 4, 2023, 06:15 AM ET Nick Kyrgios says he has not slept much this week and is “battling a little” after police accused a man of threatening the tennis player’s mother with a firearm and stealing a Tesla from her. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that the man pointed a long-barreled

D’Arcy Maine, ESPN.com May 3, 2023, 06:22 PM ET The Professional Tennis Players Association addressed claims it “generates division” in an open letter sent to ATP and WTA players Wednesday that was signed by the eight players who make up the organization’s executive committee, including co-founders Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil. “Some have questioned the