Sinner eases through as Ruud edges out Tsitsipas at Madrid Open – tennis news round-up
The Madrid Open is heading towards the business end of the tournament and while the likes of Jannik Sinner eased through to the next round, Casper Ruud was made to work for his place.
Jannik Sinner eases past Cam Norrie but makes tournament change request
A straight-sets victory is not much to write home about for the dominant World No 1 which is why Sinner’s comments post-match were the most interesting part of his victory on Tuesday.
After dispatching Norrie, Sinner criticised the tournament organisation and suggested matches were being played too late into the evening.
You can read what the Italian had to say here.
Casper Ruud survives Stefanos Tsitsipas test
It may have been straightforward for Sinner but it was anything but for Ruud who had to battle against an improved Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The Greek took the first set before Ruud hit back in an encounter that lasted just under three hours.
You can catch up on that particular match right here.
Carlos Alcaraz warned one of his biggest qualities may hurt his game
Even with him away from the tournament due to an injury, Carlos Alcaraz has often been mentioned during the Madrid Open.
This time, it came via an exclusive interview given to Tennis365 with former Great Britain Davis Cup player Danny Sapsford suggesting Alcaraz’s variety may actually hurt his decision-making.
“Alcaraz is pretty sensational, and I must admit,” said Sapsford.
“The one thing I find without Alcaraz is he’s almost too good for his own good and that means concentration slips a little bit during a match.
“If he wasn’t so talented, he’d probably need to focus more like I had to. I felt like my tennis game wasn’t very good, but I made up for it with my intensity and my concentration and my mental strength.”
You can read the full interview here.
Elena Rybakina suffers surprise exit
In the women’s singles, the main talking point of the day was the surprise defeat of Elena Rybakina.
The world No 2 was upset 7-6(8), 6-4 by 56th-ranked Anastasia Potapova on Monday night in the fourth round in Madrid.
“I got my second chance during this tournament, and I think I’m using it pretty well. I’m just enjoying being here,” Potapova said in her on-court interview.
“She’s number two. She’s one of the best right now. Of course I’m feeling grateful for this win, but I don’t want to stop. I want to keep improving and maybe get closer to these girls in the meantime.”
Arthur Fils reveals motivation behind Barcelona Open win
Arthur Fils has divulged that his run to the Barcelona Open title was motivated by “awful” comments made about him by a journalist.
In a press conference in Madrid, Fils spoke about proving a journalist wrong with his Barcelona Open title.
“In Barcelona, I saw a journalist speak very badly about me. Really very badly,” Fils was quoted as saying by We Love Tennis (translated from French).
“So I was very happy to win the title, to prove him completely wrong.”
You can read more from Fils here.
ATP Tour told to change Grand Slams to three sets for the men
With it seeming like more and more players are picking up injuries, legendary coach Rick Macci has suggested men’s Grand Slam matches should be changed to a best-of-three sets.
Speaking on his X account, Serena Williams’ former coach suggested that the “very different” tour has changed and balls are being hit much harder and causing more injuries.
“Was asked about all the injuries on the tour and the Slams,” he began. “The tour is very different than in the past. The travel and the mandatory play is another level or two.
“But the wildcard is the physicality of both tours especially the men with the athlete the racquets strings and ball.
“Everything is more dynamic more explosive and violent and you go five stay alive and then do it again and maybe again and there is a better chance for injury.”
You can read more on that here.
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