Spanish stars Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz form dream team for Paris Olympics 2024 – India TV

Spanish stars Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz form dream team for Paris Olympics 2024 – India TV

Image Source : GETTY Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal during the BNP Paribas Open game in Indian Wells on March 19, 2022 In a big treat to fans, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz are set to play together in the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024. The Royal Spanish Tennis Federation revealed that the star duo will represent Spain in the men’s doubles in the Summer Olympics on Wednesday, June 12.  Nadal, the recipient of a record 14 French Open titles, will partner the latest Roland-Garros winner Alcaraz in the Olympics. Fans were tipping both players to feature together in the Paris Olympics as the 22-time Grand Slam winner is rapidly approaching his retirement from professional tennis. Alcaraz, 21, bagged his maiden French Open title by beating Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the five-set thriller last Sunday. Alcaraz revealed his desire to win a gold in the Olympics after his selection in the Spain’s star-studded team.  “The Olympic Games are every four years and it’s a special tournament where you’re not only playing for yourself, but for a country, representing every Spaniard,” Alcaraz said. “I think this year I’d choose Olympic gold.” Nadal also set his eyes on the Paris Olympics after a disappointing first-round exit at Roland Garros. Nadal, who famously won the Gold in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, said that playing in Paris is his main goal.  “My main goal now is to play Olympics,” Nadal said on May 27. “That’s going to be here. So I need to prepare myself the proper way to try to arrive here healthy and well prepared, and then let’s see.” Notably, Nadal is only male tennis player after Andre Agassi to win all four Grand Slam medals and Olympics gold in singles, making it a ‘career golden slam’. Alcaraz will also be chasing this historic feat having already won Wimbledon (2023) and US Open (2022).  Spain’s men’s team for the Paris Olympics: Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Pablo Carreno Busta, Alejandro Davidovich and Marcel Granollers. Spain’s women’s team for the Paris Olympics: Anabel Medina, Sara Sorribes Tormo, Cristina Bucsa.

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French Open 2024: Iga Swiatek completes hat-trick of titles after beating Jasmine Paolini

French Open 2024: Iga Swiatek completes hat-trick of titles after beating Jasmine Paolini

World No.1 Iga Swiatek won the French Open 2024 women’s singles title after beating Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in straight sets in the final. On Saturday, June 8, the Pole won 6-2, 6-1 against her Italian opponent in an hour and 8 minutes at Philippe-Chatrier. She also became the third female player in the Open Era after Monica Seles and Justine Henin to win the title in 3 successive years. French Open 2024 Final Updates Seles achieved the landmark from 1990-92 while Henin accomplished the feat from 2005-2007. With her fourth championship at Roland Garros, Swiatek is nearing the legendary Chris Evert’s tally of most French Open women’s singles titles (7). More to follow…. Published By: sabyasachi chowdhury Published On: Jun 8, 2024

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French Open 2024: Novak Djokovic opens up on acing back-to-back 5-setters after Round 4 win

French Open 2024: Novak Djokovic opens up on acing back-to-back 5-setters after Round 4 win

Novak Djokovic opened up after winning yet another 5-setter in the French Open 2024. On Monday, June 3, the veteran defeated Francisco Cerundolo 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 at Philippe-Chatrier. The 37-year-old had to go through lots of ups and downs in the match before having the last laugh after 4 hours and 29 minutes. Prior to that, Djokovic took over 4 hours to get the better of Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti. In both his matches against Musetti and Cerundolo, the defending champion seemed in discomfort before upping his game to come up trumps. Djokovic admitted that he could easily have lost both times, but also credited the crowd for cheering him up. “I had the same question from Alex Corretja after the last match. I have to say thank you to the fans, like in the previous match. Against Musetti, it was 2-2 in the fourth set and my energy level changed completely. You gave me a lot of energy. Today the same thing happened. You gave me a lot of support. Not much more I can say,” Djokovic said in the on-court interview. ‘Cerundolo deserves to be applauded’ Djokovic also lauded Cerundolo for putting in the hard yards and putting him under immense pressure following the opening set. “Perhaps I was 3 or 4 points from losing this match today. I have to congratulate Francisco because he played with excellent quality. He deserves to be applauded. The only explanation I have is thanks to you. So thank you again for all your support,” Djokovic added. Djokovic, in the meantime, went past Roger Federer to record the most wins (370) in Grand Slams. He also broke Federer’s record of most Grand Slam quarterfinal appearances (59). Djokovic will next be up against the winner of the match between Casper Ruud and Taylor Fritz. Published By: sabyasachi chowdhury Published On: Jun 4, 2024

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French Open 2024, Day 7, Order of Play: When will Sabalenka, Djokovic and Zverev play?

French Open 2024, Day 7, Order of Play: When will Sabalenka, Djokovic and Zverev play?

Day 7 of the Roland Garros will witness several big names in action on the clay. In women’s singles, Aryna Sabalenka will face Paula Badosa to continue her 3rd Grand Slam quest. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev will feature in the men’s draw. The day promises to be of high-quality action with a packed schedule as some of the biggest stars will bid to keep their challenge alive in Paris. In the women’s singles, World No. 2 Sabalenka will take on Badosa in the third round on Philippe-Chartier, and fourth seed Elena Rybakina will face Elise Mertens. French Open 2024: Full Coverage Sabalenka has looked impressive on the clay so far, defying all the challenges to power her way to the third round. Sabalenka, the second seed, secured her spot in the French Open third round with a dominant 6-2 , 6-2 victory over Japanese qualifier Uchijima. Rybakina faced a stiff challenge as she moved to the third round by defeating Aranxta Rus 6-3, 6-4. There were doubts over Djokovic ahead of the 2nd Grand Slam of the year but the Serbian has made serene progress so far on the Paris clay. He is yet to drop a set in victories over Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Roberto Caraballes Baena. However, he will not be overlooking Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti as the 30th seed is also yet to lose a set. Medvedev had breezed into the third round of the French Open as his Serbian opponent, Kecmanovic, retired from their match due to injury on Thursday. COURT PHILIPPE CHATRIER – FROM 2:30 pm IST Elise Mertens (25) v Elena Rybakina (4)Paula Badosa v Aryna Sabalenka (2)Alexander Zverev (4) v Tallon Griekspoor (26) From 10:45 pm IST Novak Djokovic (1) v Lorenzo Musetti (30) COURT SUZANNE LENGLEN – FROM 1:30 pm IST Varvara Gracheva v Irina-Camelia BeguBen Shelton (15) v Felix Auger-Aliassime (21)Tomas Machac v Daniil Medvedev (5)Madison Keys (14) v Emma Navarro (22) From 7:30 pm IST Tomas Martin Etcheverry (28) v Casper Ruud (7) COURT SIMONNE MATHIEU – FROM 2:30 pm IST Qinwen Zheng (7) v Elina AvanesyanHubert Hurkacz (8) v Denis ShapovalovBianca Andreescu v Jasmine Paolini (12)Jozef Kovalik v Holger Rune (13)Taylor Fritz (12) v Thanasi Kokkinakis COURT 14 – FROM 2:30 pm Alex de Minaur (11) v Jan-Lennard StruffZizou Bergs v Grigor Dimitrov (10)Elina Svitolina (15) v Ana BogdanFrancisco Cerundolo (23) v Tommy Paul (14) Published By: Diya Kakkar Published On: Jun 1, 2024

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French Open: Stefanos Tsitsipas reaches 4th round to setup Matteo Arnaldi clash

French Open: Stefanos Tsitsipas reaches 4th round to setup Matteo Arnaldi clash

Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas continued his march in the French Open as he aims to secure his first Grand Slam of his career. The Greek sensation dominated his match against China’s Zhang Zhizhen at the French Open, securing a comfortable victory with a scoreline of 6-3, 6-3, 6-1. This win marks Tsitsipas’s sixth consecutive entry into the fourth round at Roland Garros. Tsitsipas, who reached the final in 2021, displayed his prowess on the court by unleashing over 30 winners throughout the match, which lasted a brisk 91 minutes. He now sets his sights on a clash with Matteo Arnaldi of Italy, who caused a stir by defeating the sixth seed, Andrey Rublev, earlier in the day. Zhang Zhizhen, who made history last year as the first Chinese man in 86 years to win a main-draw match at the French Open, couldn’t replicate his previous success. Throughout the match, he struggled to create break-point opportunities, ultimately unable to mount a significant challenge against Tsitsipas’s dominant performance. How did Tsitsipas dominate Zhizhen? From the outset, Tsitsipas asserted his authority by claiming the first three games of the match. He maintained this momentum, breaking Zhang’s serve early in the second set. Tsitsipas showcased flawless tennis, committing only three unforced errors in the second set while consistently pressuring Zhang’s serve. As the match progressed, Zhang’s forehand faltered, leading to crucial errors that allowed Tsitsipas to capitalize and secure breaks, particularly in the third set. With Zhang unable to find his rhythm, Tsitsipas seized control and closed out the match convincingly. Overall, Tsitsipas demonstrated his class and determination, setting himself up for a promising continuation in the tournament as he aims for further success at Roland Garros. The Greek star will face Arnaldi on June 2, Sunday. Published On: May 31, 2024

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French Open 2024: ‘Confident’ Elena Rybakina ready to feed her hunger of winning titles

French Open 2024: ‘Confident’ Elena Rybakina ready to feed her hunger of winning titles

Elena Rybakina did not have the best of times in the French Open last year after he pulled out off her third round match against Sara Sorribes Tormo due to illness. But in 2024, the Kazakh star said that she is in a much better shape physically. On Tuesday, May 28, Rybakina made her way through to the second round at Roland Garros after beating Belgium’s Greet Minnen 6-2, 6-3. Rybakina said that she was going through tough times after being tested positive for Covid-19, but she has managed to pull herself up and is currently in a positive frame of mind. “I feel quite confident. For sure, physically I’m much better than last year since I had to withdraw. I had COVID-19, so of course, now I’m much better. The questions are quite the same, so I don’t know what to say anymore,” Rybakina told the reporters. Elena Rybakina looking very happy in practice today. She signed some autographs for a bunch of fans after. âä️ pic.twitter.com/Aw83TsbUmd — The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 26, 2024 ‘Happy to be back’ Back in 2022, Rybakina won the Wimbledon title after beating Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur in the final. But since then, she hasn’t won a Grand Slam. But having beaten World No.1 Iga Swiatek on her way to winning the Stuttgart Open earlier this year, Rybakina has found her mojo. “(Longer tournaments) are tiring sometimes, but I mean, now I’m happy to be back and just to keep on playing. Then the goal is for me to win the titles. That’s what I want. That’s what I’m aiming for,” Rybakina added. Rybakina will next be up against Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands in the second round match on Thursday at Court Suzanne-Lenglen. Having never gone beyond the quarters at Roland Garros, Rybakina has hit her task cut out. Published By: sabyasachi chowdhury Published On: May 30, 2024

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French Open: Iga Swiatek saves match point to beat Naomi Osaka in 2nd-round thriller

French Open: Iga Swiatek saves match point to beat Naomi Osaka in 2nd-round thriller

Former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka produced one of her finest performances on the red dirt, but it was not enough to beat defending champion Iga Swiatek in the second round of Roland Garros 2024. Osaka was at her fiery best, playing lights-out tennis but she fluffed a match point and allowed Swiatek to recover from a 2-5 deficit in the final round. Swiatek kept her winning run in the French Open going, taking the second-round match 7-6 (1), 1-6, 7-5 in 2 hours and 57 minutes. Noami Osaka was close to producing the biggest upset of the ongoing tournament, but Iga Swiatek was resolute, winning the last 5 games on the trot to wriggle out of trouble and reach the third round of the women’s singles competition. “For sure this match was really intense. Much more intense for a 2nd round than I ever expected. Naomi played amazing tennis with loose hands. Sometimes risking a lot but playing in. She played really great tennis, I am happy she back and playing great tennis again,” Swiatek said, heaping praise on Osaka, who has still not managed to go past the third round at Roland Garros. Naomi Osaka was at her absolute best, falling just short of her second successive win in a Grand Slam match since returning from her maternity break. Osaka lost in the first round of the Australian Open, but she has been on a resurgent run in Paris, beating World No. 67 Lucia Bronzetti in three sets in the first round. Even in the first-round win, Osaka did not look like she had it in her to stop Swiatek’s love affair with the clay courts of Roland Garros. 3-time champion Swiatek did not throw in the towel despite nearly getting bageled in the second set and going down 2-5 in the third set. The World No. 1 and a 3-time champion saved a match point while trailing 3-5 before mounting an incredible comeback and avoid a final set tie-breaker. Osaka showed signs of returning to her vintage self, moving freely across the court and hitting those forehand and backhand winners at will. Osaka’s down-the-line backhand winners had Swiatek in trouble as the World No. 1 had very few answers to the Japanese star’s groundstrokes at the Philippe-Chatrier for most of the last two sets. It was Iga Swiatek’s character and grit that helped her sail through the third set against Osaka, who was firing on all cylinders. Naomi Osaka and Iga Swiatek started the opening set, matching each other’s energy and skill on clay. Osaka served for the first set when she was leading 4-5 on Swiatek’s serve. However, the Polish superstar found a way to wriggle out of trouble and drag the four-time Grand Slam champion to a tie-breaker. Swiatek raised her game in the tie-breaker, winning it 7-1. However, Osaka did wonderfully well to not let the heartbreak of the first-set tie-breaker affect her. Osaka, in fact, increased her level as he backhand-down-the-line winners were coming out, one after the other as she took a 4-0 lead. Swiatek, who is used to bageling her opponents, was in danger of losing the second set 6-0, but she managed to take a game. It required incredible resolve and determination for Swiatek to bounce back from 2-5 down in the second set. However, the Polish superstar extended her winning run in French Open to 16 matches, producing one of her greatest comebacks in a Grand Slam match. Published By: Akshay Ramesh Published On: May 30, 2024

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