By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, July 31, 2025 Photo credit: Brad Penner/USTA/US Open
Caroline Garcia plans a Queen City return before her final farewell in Queens.
The 31-year-old Garcia aims to plan next month’s Cincinnati WTA 1000 event in preparation for her final tournament at the 2025 US Open.
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Garcia shared a brief video of her training with coach Bertrand Perret on Instagram Stories today. She captioned the video “Getting ready for Cincy tennis with my fave coach Bertrand Perret.”
It’s been a life-changing month for Garcia, who married long-time boyfriend Borja Durán in a beautiful and joyous ceremony earlier this month.
The happy couple shared exquisite images from their wedding ceremony on social media.
“The most beautiful day of our lives,” Garcia posted on social media.
The July 19th wedding comes nearly 13 months to the day after the couple announced their engagement.
Borja Durán is a Catalan university professor who has lived in Barcelona.
The couple launched their own podcast, The Tennis Insider Club, last year.
They’ve interviewed several stars, including Gael Monfils, Alize Cornet, Andrey Rublev and Victoria Azarenka for the podcast.
Former world No. 4 Garcia announced her intention to retire from the pro tour after the 2025 US Open in May. Garcia won 11 WTA singles titles, including defeating Aryna Sabalenka to capture the 2022 WTA Finals championship. Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic captured the Roland Garros doubles championship twice.
By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, July 31, 2025 Photo credit: Tennis TV
The Toronto net gave way to a squeeze play.
A rare shot through the net escaped the chair umpire’s attention, but not the sharp eyes of Video Assistant Review.
During Gabriel Diallo’s 6-3, 7-6(5) win over Matteo Gigante at the National Bank Open on Wednesday, one of the Canadian’s drives went through the net and undetected by the chair umpire.
Watch Gigante successfully challenge the no-call and win the point when VAR showed the ball had indeed passed through the net right below the tape. Gigante won the call but ultimately lost the match.
Lydia Ko is a golfer who amazed the public many times with her performances, but also with her maturity even when she was a teenager and world number 1.
Her career had an interesting trajectory, as she became extremely popular as an 18-year-old.
Some wonder if Ko will experience saturation and end her career much earlier than expected.
In an interview with the media before the start of one of the tournaments, the 28-year-old golfer shared her visions regarding the future, still not knowing when she will put an end to everything.
Ko has much more freedom in this period of her career than when she was taking her first steps on the golf scene.
“I honestly don't know when my last event is going to be,” she told talkSPORT.
“I do have more of the freedom of what tournaments I want to play versus when I was a rookie 12 years ago."
Lydia Ko: I've always wanted to leave the game while I still love it or still enjoy it
Lydia Ko is a member of the Hall of Fame, but she stresses that regardless of that, she got to know her body and herself better every year.
Having a great career, it is natural that questions arise as to how long you want to be a part of this sport and whether you enjoy it at all.
The New Zealand golfer clearly enjoys golf, admitting that she does not want to leave golf the moment she no longer has passion for the sport.
“But I think even if I wasn't a Hall of Famer, over time, you just realise and understand your body a little bit more. I think it just comes with time outside of just my career as a whole.
I've always wanted to leave the game while I still love it or still enjoy it. Because I don't want to stop playing because I just purely don't like it anymore.
Golf has given me a lot in my life and made me experience so many different things that I probably wouldn't have if I wasn't a golfer. So I don't want to step away because I don't even want to see my golf clubs anymore."- she continued.
The 28-year-old golfer worried some, saying that she is still not sure when she will finish her career, but she feels that it is closer than some think.
Whether Ko feels that it is time for the end or has certain visions regarding the future is still not certain.
She wants to enjoy this phase of her career, planning to be an important figure in the coming period.
The first part of the season was full of ups and downs for Novak Djokovic, who was able to raise his level in Grand Slam tournaments – where he always reached the semifinals – while suffering surprising eliminations in the other tournaments on the calendar.
It is no secret to anyone that the former world number 1 has as his main goal to become the oldest ever to win a Major title, an achievement that would allow him to steal the record from Ken Rosewall and definitively overtake Margaret Court by hoisting himself to 25 Slams.
However, young champions like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have a higher level than Nole nowadays and it is no coincidence that the Italian ace defeated the Serbian at both Roland Garros and the Wimbledon Championships a few weeks ago.
Nole's US Open outfit
Most pundits and former players believe Novak has the next huge chance at the 2026 Australian Open, but the 38-year-old from Belgrade will try to pull off the feat as early as the US Open later this summer. The 24-time Grand Slam champion will only participate in the Cincinnati Masters 1000 before traveling to New York, where he last triumphed in 2023.
Djokovic chose to skip the Toronto Masters 1000 to recharge his batteries and has not resumed practicing yet, as he has been spotted on vacation in Croatia and Greece in recent days.
In the meantime, the total black outfit that the Serbian veteran will wear in the Big Apple has been unveiled. The former world No.1 hopes that this choice will bring him luck, after last year he was eliminated in the first week due to fatigue accumulated at the Paris Olympics.
La tenue que portera Novak Djokovic 🇷🇸 pour l'US Open 🇺🇸. 🔥
On la trouve vraiment stylé de notre côté, ça fait longtemps que le Joker n'a pas joué en noir en Grand Chelem de mémoire. 👀 pic.twitter.com/qVuh7OljYT
While some think that Tiger Woods is giving Charlie, his son, too much freedom, it seems that things are not what they seem. Tiger has emphasized several times so far that he does not want to interfere too much in his son's life, believing that Charlie should build a career on his own, and primarily enjoy golf.
The famous golfer is aware of the amount of pressure his son is under, and that is one of the reasons why the experienced golfer gave Charlie a dose of freedom. However, the 49-year-old has set somewhat different rules in other spheres of life.
According to the US media, Tiger has set strict financial rules for Charlie before he can receive part of his property.
Throughout his long career, Tiger earned a huge amount of money both by winning famous tournaments and through sponsorships.
According to Forbes, Tiger Woods' fortune is about 1.3 billion dollars, and it is clear that his son and daughter will inherit that money.
According to the British media, Charlie and his sister have trusts in their names worth 20 million dollars each, and the 16-year-old even got two luxury properties!
However, Charlie’s access is quite limited, as he will only have the right to the property once he turns 21.
On the other hand, there is no doubt that Charlie will also earn huge money in the future, mostly through sponsorships, but probably also through his golf career.
Will he be equally brilliant on the golf course?
It is difficult to give the right answer as to whether the teenager will make a name for himself in the world of golf, but experts and fans are convinced that Tiger's son can be at least partially as good as his father.
The public is closely following his development and his performances at junior tournaments, where it seems that the 16-year-old has serious potential.
An important thing in his career will be distance from pressure, and we will see if Charlie will manage to distance himself from cameras and public pressure.
Andrey Rublev is trying to turn his season and career around in recent times, having made the decision to hire Marat Safin as his new coach after going through a very negative period.
The Russian ace has a lot of points to defend at the 'Canadian Open' – which is taking place in Toronto right now – having reached the final in Montreal last year. The champion from Moscow can take advantage of the fact that numerous top players have decided not to participate in the prestigious Canadian tournament in this edition, preferring to recharge their batteries in view of the US Open scheduled for the end of the summer.
Without Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Jack Draper – all absent for various reasons – Rublev can really try to achieve an exceptional result in Ontario, which would allow him to regain a lot of confidence in view of the last Grand Slam of the season. Last year's finalist had a strong debut in Toronto, where he defeated French star Hugo Gaston in straight sets.
Rublev opens up on Safin
During his press conference, he explained that the conditions are very different between Toronto and Montreal: "The courts are very fast here, the ball slips and it's not easy to control the shots. The situation is totally different from Montreal, where the surface is slower and the rallies are much longer. The conditions in Toronto are tougher in my opinion."
Rublev seems more confident and confident since Safin became his mentor and it is no coincidence that he put in excellent performances at the Wimbledon Championships, where he reached the round of 16 losing to Carlitos Alcaraz at the end of a hard-fought match (the Russian had won the first set, before suffering the comeback of the Spanish champion).
Andrey explained that Marat's presence in New York is not yet certain: "We hope he can be with me at the US Open, but it is not certain that he will be able to get his visa in time. If he doesn't succeed, we'll have to wait for the tournaments in Asia."
Charlie Woods met with disappointment at the last junior tournament, the US Junior Amateur Championship, not making the cut and thus causing strong reactions from the public. In the first round, one could feel that the 16-year-old had a strong motive, and in some moments he reminded the fans of Tiger Woods.
However, Charlie was not consistent in this tournament, and he was ultimately disappointed with his last performance.
Tiger was also in the stands, supporting his son, but even that didn't help Charlie to take a step further in this tournament.
New challenge
After an infamous adventure at one tournament, Charlie returned to the golf courses, playing at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Lafayette, Indiana.
The young golfer impressed the public with a round of one under par (70), ending the day as 43rd out of 156 competitors.
Charlie shows signs that he is making more and more progress, and that he could be an important name in the world of golf.
Joe Couch reacts
Joe Couch, a man who has followed Tiger Woods' progress and great performances for years, was delighted with young Charlie's game, and he put special emphasis on the teenager's emotions.
Being calm in tense situations is very difficult for such a young golfer, but Tiger's son obviously knows how to deal with intense emotions.
"Tiger was the reason why I played golf and it's a cool experience to see everything and see Charlie play. It's surreal watching Charlie play at a course I play at every day.
There's a couple of shots I think he'd want back but I also feel like he's playing well. He's handling his emotions and there was a lot of commotion but I thought he was playing well."- he said, as quoted by Express.
Couch is not the only one who had positive emotions after Charlie's performance.
Many fans also shared the same emotions, believing that the 16-year-old is a huge talent, having the potential to make a career at least partially as big as Tiger Woods.
After electrifying fans and insiders in the early months of this season – in which he won his first ATP title in Buenos Aires after defeating Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open – Joao Fonseca's level has drastically dropped in recent months and there has also been some criticism of the young Brazilian ace.
Many people expected brighter performances from him especially during the red clay season, but his run at the Wimbledon Championships was considered satisfactory taking into account that he has no experience on this surface.
Most experts were convinced that Joao could achieve a very brilliant result at the Toronto Masters 1000, a tournament that has suffered numerous forfeits among top players and has a draw quite open to potential surprises. However, the South American star's run in Ontario ended already in the first round against Tristan Schoolkate, who took advantage of his opponent's numerous ups and downs to achieve victory in two sets.
Fonseca has exited the Canadian Open
The feeling is that Fonseca is feeling a bit from the pressure on his shoulders and is struggling to express his best tennis as he had managed to do in the first months of 2025.
Speaking on 'Tennis Channel', former WTA star Lindsay Davenport analyzed Joao's weaknesses in detail: “He really struggled with his return in the match. Yes, Schoolkate served well but there was no real problem-solving for Fonseca in that category. He just wasn’t able to get the rally in to start the point when he was receiving.
He now has two weeks until his next match, or about 12 days or so. So, it’ll be interesting to see if he goes and does a training block in south Florida. Maybe he goes back to Brazil for a little bit.
You’ve got to be able to manage an 18, almost 19-year-old’s mental game as well, and this has been a lot this year maybe.”
Fonseca's next tournament will be the Cincinnati Masters 1000, which should be very suitable for his game ahead of the US Open.
Dominating in one sport, no matter what it was, is very challenging nowadays. The competition is fierce, there are more and more athletes and it is getting harder to reach the top.
Scottie Scheffler seems to be the first name after Tiger Woods to show dominance in golf, winning two Majors this year, but being equally dominant last season.
In an interview with the media, the 29-year-old often emphasizes that the biggest credit for his success goes to his family.
However, Scheffler surprised many at the last press conference, where he pointed out that his family is his priority, and that playing golf is not a priority for him.
"That's why I talk about family being my priority because it really is. … Because I'd much rather be a great father than I would be a great golfer. At the end of the day, that's what's more important to me."- Scottie said.
While his statements caused positive emotions among golf fans, there are also those who are not quite delighted with the statements of the 29-year-old golfer.
Tom Brady, the legend of American football, had an interesting reaction to Scheffler's statements, a bit confused why Scottie excludes golf and family, considering that they can go together.
Brady drew a parallel between Scottie's career and his own, stressing that through playing sports he was also an example for children and family.
"Scottie said he'd rather be a better father and husband than a good golfer. And my question is: why are those mutually exclusive?" Brady wrote.
"Sure, they're different blocks on the pyramid, but they're part of the same pyramid. They're connected! For instance, I think part of being a great father is being a great example of doing what it takes to take care of your family. I chose to do it by playing football."
Brady believes that by playing American football and making sacrifices to make his career, he was also making a sacrifice for his family. Tom wanted to show his family by his example how much he fights for them, but also show them what discipline, work and passion for a sport can bring.
Brady does not want sports and family to be mutually exclusive, combining one with the other, and at the same time emphasizing that this combination can be a win-win for one person.
"My dedication to the sport, the hours of practice, the moments when I was laser focused — those were times when I believe I was doing the best possible thing for my family and my kids, by prioritizing my profession and teaching, by example, what it takes to be really good at your job, what it takes to follow through on commitments, what it takes to be a great teammate; and showing them, also by example, that work is a big part of all of our lives."- he concluded.
By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, July 27, 2025 Photo credit: Mubadala Citi DC Open Facebook
Pushed into the doubles alley, Leylah Fernandez fired a forehand strike.
Even when she was operating from defensive positions, Fernandez conjured offensive magic.
In a brilliant performance, Fernandez crushed Anna Kalinskaya 6-1, 6-2 to roll to her fourth career championship at the Mubadala Citi DC Open final today.
The 22-year-old Fernandez made history as the first Canadian to rule Washington, DC. Unleashing a 69-minute thrashing, Fernandez soared to the biggest title of her career—and first since she won 2023 Hong Kong.
“Wow. First of all I want to congratulate Anna and her team,” Fernandez said after winning her first WTA 500 championship. “You’re a tough opponent to play against so congratulations and hope for the best for the future.
“Secondly, I want to thank the DC crowd, give yourself a round of applause. Thank you for being there all week. You guys have been amazing for cheering us on all week through the heat, the humidity the rain so thank you for being here all week.”
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Former world No. 13 Fernandez capped a spectacular week that saw her knock off Aussie talent Maya Joint, top-seeded and 2024 US Open finalist Jessica Pegula, new WTA doubles No. 1 and home hero Taylor Townsend and 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in a grueling triple tiebreaker test in the height of the DC heat yesterday.
Fernandez posted four Top 50 wins this week in a stirring triumph that thrusts her back into the Top 25 at No. 24 in the Live Rankings.
World No. 48 Kalinskaya swept 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu yesterday, denying DC fans the prospect of a 2021 US Open final rematch.
The Russian, who had not surrendered a set en route to the final, looked overwhelmed playing for her maiden title today.
“I want to congratulate Leylah, an amazing fighter this week,” Kalinskaya said. “You truly deserve it. I’ll see you soon, maybe we’ll play each other next week you never know.”
Though Kalinskaya’s second serve is usually a sturdy shot, Fernandez won 10 of 12 points played on the Russian’s second serve and converted four of six break points today.
The left-handed Canadian cracked 16 winners, which is seven more than Kalinskaya hit.
Despite her draining three hour, 12-minute triumph over WTA ace leader Rybakina in sweltering heat yesterday, Fernandez exuded more energy and urgency from the opening point today.
Deadlocked after two games, Fernandez surged through five games in a row for a one-set lead.
Belting a backhand down the line brought Fernandez a third set point. Sprinting to her right, Fernandez flicked a drop shot winner to snatch a one-set lead.
Striking a rousing running forehand strike helped Fernandez stretch her lead to 6-1, 3-1.
Straddling the baseline, Fernandez attacked and blocked a forehand volley winner for two more break points.
Cracking a clean backhand return winner down the line, Fernandez stamped her fourth break of the match for a 4-1 second set lead.
Kalinskaya made a brief push going up love-30 in the next game, but Fernandez fired through four points in a row. Flashing a serve winner down the T, Fernandez threw a clenched fist to her father in the support box extending to 6-1, 5-1 after just 61 minutes of play.
On her third championship point, Fernandez closed on Kalinskaya’s 24th unforced error.
By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, July 27, 2025 Photo credit: Hannah Peters/Getty
Alexander Zverev tuned up for the North American summer hard-court season training with coach Toni Nadal at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca.
Olympic gold-medal champion Zverev said he’d like to work with Toni Nadal on a more regular basis, but a prospective partnership depends on Uncle Toni’s schedule.
Speaking to the media in Toronto where he is top seed at this week’s National Bank Open, Zverev said “I’m trying to convince” Toni Nadal to join his coaching team.
“I mean, he spent quite a lot of time with me actually as well, so I’m very thankful for that,” Zverev told the media in Toronto. “I mean, the time in Mallorca was amazing. I spent about 10 days there, and worked really hard and enjoyed it as well. I think Toni enjoyed it probably as well.
“I’m trying to convince him (smiling) to do more weeks with me, and we’ll see how it goes, but he’s a very busy man. Also he has a lot of dates that he already committed to this year, so I’m not sure how much of him you’ll see this year, because he gave his word to a lot of events and a lot of speeches already. But we’re talking about what a potential partnership could look like, for sure, and, yeah, I can give you an update probably in a few weeks time when we know more. But, yeah, I enjoyed my time there, that’s for sure.”
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In addition to working with Toni Nadal, Zverev said he gained “great insight” from Rafael Nadal on his game. King of Clay Rafa Nadal shared with Zverev what it was like for him to face the German.
“Yeah, they definitely spent a lot of hours talking to me, and they gave me some great insight. Rafa gave me some great insight of what it actually is like to play against me, because he saw me as a player, he saw me now as a spectator as well,” Zverev said. “It was very helpful, and again, we spent hours and hours talking, sometimes until past midnight in some dinners and stuff like that. So it was great to be there.”
Earlier this month, Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech completed a five-set win over Zverev in the Wimbledon first round. Rinderknech won 44 of 55 trips to net and denied all nine break points he faced.
Afterward, Zverev said the prestigious Centre Court lawn felt like a deep hole he couldn’t escape.
Six months after his surge to the Australian Open final, Zverev suffered his second career Wimbledon first-round exit and opened up on the malaise he’s feeling.
“I would say more mental, probably. It’s funny, I feel very alone out there at times,” Zverev said. “I struggle mentally. I’ve been saying that since after the Australian Open. Yeah, just don’t know. I’m trying to find ways, trying to find ways to kind of get out of this hole. I keep kind of finding myself back in it in a way.
“Yeah, I don’t know. I feel, generally speaking, quite alone in life at the moment, which is a feeling that is not very nice.”
In his parting presser at SW19, Zverev said it’s possible he could hire a new coach and conceded he’s out of answers on court.
“Possibly,” Zverev said when asked about a new coach. “As I said, yeah, it’s a different feeling right now for me. I can’t speak for the moment. But I think I’ll have answers by Canada.”
While Zverev has worked with high-profile coaches in the past—including David Ferrer, who helped guide him to the US Open final and former No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, who has been exceptionally successful coaching Carlos Alcaraz—he continues to return to the familiarity of his father, Alexander Zverev, Sr., as coach.
Toni Nadal, known as a savvy and tough taskmaster, spent some time working with Felix Auger-Aliassime after stepping down as Rafa Nadal’s official coach. Zverev said his goal is to maximize his game to try to win Grand Slams.
“I mean, I think at this stage for me it’s about winning, and trying to maximize what I have, and trying to maximize what I can become,” Zverev said. “Again, I think my team, but also Toni are exceptional in that, in maximizing what a player has. Of course, he was with Rafa before, which I’m never going to compare myself to Rafa, but if he can maximize what I have, and he can maximize the potential that I have, I’m sure that I can have a lot more success in my career.”
By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, July 28, 2025 Photo credit: Matthew Calvis
Gael Monfils reached down to touch the Toronto baseline signaling he’d reached the end of the line at the National Bank Open.
The 38-year-old Frenchman failed to convert match points bowing to Chilean qualifier Tomas Barrios Vera 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(3) in Toronto on Sunday.
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Afterward, a disconsolate Monfils said his first-round exit was his final Toronto appearance.
“It was the last time I play in Toronto, for sure, yeah,” Monfils told the media in Toronto.
The National Bank Open alternates between Toronto and Montreal each year. Monfils will be 40 years old when the tournament returns to Toronto in 2027 and he made it clear he won’t be competing.
“There’s no explanation, you know, it’s the last one,” Monfils said. “It will be two years to play in Toronto, so pretty much I won’t be able to play it. Obviously I think the next one is too old for me, so I think it was the last time I play here.
“So, you know, I actually thought at the end, and I was like, Well, I think it’s, unfortunately, but the last time I think I would play here.”
Monfils opened the 2025 season winning his 13th career title in Auckland and went on to reach the round of 16 at the Australian Open. Since then, he’s posted a 9-11 record with opening exits in four of his last five events.
A two-time semifinalist at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Canada, Monfils reached the Toronto quarterfinals two years ago pushing Jannik Sinner to three sets. The end of his opener on Sunday marked the end of an era.
“In Toronto, I think I played a semifinal here, had a great year here, great run,” Monfils said. “I remember a great match against Milos, a few other great matches here. Even two years ago I played quarterfinal with Jannik, it was a quite high level. But then it was too far.
“I remember I think I played Radek Stepanek, it was quite fun. I mean, I had fun matches in Toronto since I played here. So, it’s something, but at the end of the day, you know, it is natural and normal.”
By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, July 28, 2025 Photo credit: Robert Prange/Getty
Naomi Osaka is ready for a reset.
It won’t include Patrick Mouratoglou.
Former No. 1 Osaka announced she split with Mouratoglou, who coached her for nearly 11 months.
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“Merci Patrick. It was such a great experience learning from you,” Osaka posted on Instagram. “Wishing you nothing but the best. You are one of the coolest people I’ve ever met and I’m sure I’ll see you around.”
Four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka, who split with ex-coach Wim Fissette after the 2024 US Open, began working with Mouratoglou in September of 2024.
“Yes [he’s] my [coach] right now. I try not to commit to short-term collaborations,” Osaka said last September. “I try to think that it is a long-term commitment. I like the way he coaches. I think it’s going to be very interesting.”
Working with Mouratoglou, Osaka captured her first clay-court title at the WTA 125 event in Saint Malo in May. She also reached the Auckland final in January retiring after dropping the opening set to Clara Tauson, 6-4.
Though they clicked personally, professional results largest eluded Osaka, who fell in three sets to Paula Badosa in the Roland Garros opening round. Osaka reached the Wimbledon third round losing in three sets to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Coach Mouratoglou was philosophical about the parting.
“Nothing lasts forever. What counts is what a collaboration has brought to each other and what lasts after,” Mouratoglou posted on social media.
The 49th-ranked Osaka lost to Emma Raducanu, 6-4, 6-2 in the Washington, DC round of 16 last week. Since she won her fourth Grand Slam championship at the 2021 Australian Open, Osaka has become a mom and spoken publicly about mental health battles. Osaka has played 12 majors since that 2021 AO victory and has yet to surpass the third round. She reached the third round of both the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year.
By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, July 28, 2025 Photo credit: Julian Finney/Getty
Naomi Osaka didn’t waste time moving on from ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou.
Former world No. 1 Osaka will begin working with Polish coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, Iga Swiatek’s ex-coach, on a trial basis starting in Montreal this week.
It’s a case of trading coaches as Swiatek currently works with Osaka’s ex-coach Wim Fissette.
Under Coach Wiktorowski’s guidance, Swiatek captured four of her six Grand Slam titles. The pair parted in October of 2024 with Swiatek subsequently hiring Osaka’s ex-coach. Though Swiatek did not defend her Roland Garros championship, she made history as the first Polish player to win Wimbledon crushing Amanda Anisimova, 6-0, 6-0, in The Championships final earlier this month.
Swiatek commenced her run with Wiktorowski at the end of the 2021 season. The pair captured four of Swiatek’s Grand Slam titles during their three-year partnership, and logged 19 of Swiatek’s 22 career titles. She was previously coached by Piotr Sierzputowski, and the pair won Roland-Garros together in 2020.
“Coach Wiktorowski joined my team for three seasons, when I strongly needed changes and a fresh approach to my game,” Swiatek said after splitting wtih the Polish coach. “His experience, analytical and strategic attitude and enormous knowledge about tennis helped us to achieve things I’ve never dreamed of only a few months after we started working together.
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“Our main goal was to become No.1 player in the world and coach Wiktorowski was the one who said it first. We aimed very high, we headed to every tournament with a clear goal to win it. Together with coach Wiktorowski we won many tournaments and 4 Grand Slams.”
Naomi Osaka prepares for her opening match later today ✨
— Omnium Banque Nationale (@OBNmontreal) July 28, 2025
Osaka announced her split from Patrick Mouratoglou, who coached her for nearly 11 months, over the weekend.
“Merci Patrick. It was such a great experience learning from you,” Osaka posted on Instagram. “Wishing you nothing but the best. You are one of the coolest people I’ve ever met and I’m sure I’ll see you around.”
By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, July 28, 2025 Photo credit: Robert Prange/Getty
A hometown farewell ignite fire in Genie Bouchard.
Playing the final tournament of her career before her home fans in Montreal, Bouchard turned back time with a rousing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 win over world No. 82 Emiliana Arango.
Attacking relentlessly, the Canadian wild card rode a wave of energy from Montreal fans to score her first main-draw Tour-level win in more than two years.
“I always knew, of course, if I lost, it would be the last one be, but as soon as I got on the court, I really tried to take it like a regular match and really emphasize, like, the focus and just telling myself what I wanted to do each point,” Bouchard said afterward. “I’m blocking out all the kind of consequences, and I’m, like, Okay, I’ll deal with all that stuff after, let me just play tennis and enjoy the toughness of what playing a WTA match is, because it’s tough out there.”
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A physical three-set win required resilience from Bouchard, who handed Arango her first three-set defeat of the season.
Former world No. 5 Bouchard said her performance was a balancing act of savoring the physical pain while drawing on the pleasure and inspiration of Montreal fans exhorting her on nearly every point.
“You know, you have to kind of enjoy that pain, and so I did,” Bouchard said. “Then the crowd really was helpful in terms of motivating me and giving me energy, but at the same time, it’s almost– it can be a point where it’s almost so much that it can help me — it can make me lose my focus or I don’t want to get kind of too kind of excited or too high because you still have the rest of the match to play. So there were definitely moments where I had to kind of almost block out the noise and just pretend it was a normal point that just happened and just keep going because the crowd was very loud out there, and I really, really appreciated it.”
Refusing to surrender, Bouchard extended her career for at least one more match. The former Wimbledon finalist will face 2025 Wimbledon semifinalist and 2015 Canadian Masters champion Belinda Bencic next.
“She’s obviously a great player. It’s funny, I played here in Toronto ten years ago, and then she ended up winning the tournament,” Bouchard said of Bencic. “So, yeah, I know it will be a crazy tough match. I’ll probably do stuff in practice tomorrow, kind of thinking about playing against her. She loves to take it early, change direction. So I’ve had some battles against her, so I’m looking forward to it.”
By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, July 29, 2025 Photo credit: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty
A torn pectoral muscle shattered Grigor Dimitrov’s Wimbledon dream—and ended his 2025 US Open before it began.
The 34-year-old Dimitrov has withdrawn from the US Open as he continues recovery from a partial rupture of his pectoral muscle he suffered while leading world No. 1 Jannik Sinner 6-3, 7-5, 2-2 in the Wimbledon round of 16.
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Dimitrov’s manager, Georgi Stoimenov, confirmed his client’s withdrawal from the Flushing Meadows major to Bulgarian website Tennis Kafe.
The withdrawal ended Dimitrov’s remarkable run of 58 consecutive Grand Slam appearances that dates back to the 2011 Australian Open. Dimitrov held the longest streak of consecutive Slams played among active men and the fifth longest streak in Open Era history. Mutua Madrid Open tournament director and Dimitrov friend Feliciano Lopez owns the longest streak with 79 consecutive Grand Slams in a row. That streak ended in 2022.
The 20th-ranked Dimitrov, who won the 2008 Wimbledon boys and US Open boys’ championships in succession, reached the Flushing Meadows quarterfinals last year bowing to Frances Tiafoe.
A 2019 US Open semifinalist, Dimitrov has contested semifinals at three of the four Grand Slam tournaments, including the 2014 Wimbledon and 2017 Australian Open.
In a classic clash vs. the king of clay Rafael Nadal, Dimitrov pushed Nadal to five sets in a 2017 Australian Open marathon match.
Driven to the brink in a pulsating four hour, 56-minute clash, Nadal fought off a dynamic Dimitrov, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (4), 6-4, to reach his 24th Grand Slam final in Melbourne.
By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, July 29, 2025 Photo credit: Matthew Calvis
Bianca Andreescu won a clash of major champions, but lost a health battle in the process.
The 2019 US Open champion suffered turn ankle ligaments at the very end of her 6-3, 6-4 victory over 2024 Wimbledon winner Barbora Krejcikova in Montreal on Sunday. Despite injuring her ankle, Andreescu, operating on adrenaline, managed to play a couple more points to score her first WTA main-draw win since ‘s-Hertogenbosch on grass last month.
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The injury forced Andreescu to withdraw from the National Bank Open before her scheduled showdown with Mirra Andreeva today.
Beset by a litany of injury in recent years, Andreescu said she has to laugh to keep from going crazy.
“All I could think about is, honestly, like why, again?” Andreescu told the media in Montreal. “I think I even screamed out, “Why does this keep happening to me?” Yeah, just a bunch of emotions. I was super overwhelmed obviously playing in front of home crowd. Winning the match, right?
“It was match point for me, and it was just crazy. It was crazy. I started laughing at one point because, honestly, at this point it’s laughable. For me it’s just crazy. It’s crazy. I’m trying to stay positive, but it’s getting really tough. It’s getting really tough.”
Currently ranked No. 187, Andreescu said she hopes to recover in time to play Cincinnati, but isn’t sure her ankle will heal fast enough to permit her to play in the Queen City.
“Taking it day by day, but obviously the ligaments are a little bit torn, so that takes time,” Andreescu said. “So it’s kind of a day-to-day thing. I’m hoping to be ready for Cincinnati, but yeah, we don’t know. Can’t say.”
The 25-year-old Canadian’s US Open hopes will be in doubt if she doesn’t recover in time for Cincinnati and has to play qualifying in Flushing Meadows. A year ago, Andreescu pushed Wimbledon finalist and seventh-seeded Jasmine Paolini to 6-4 in the third set in a US Open first-round loss.
While Andreescu concedes her injury woes have caused her to contemplate an early retirement, she said she loves the sport and views injury issues as a test she’s determined to pass.
“On my bad days, which yesterday definitely was a very bad day for me, I definitely had different thoughts running through my head, but at the end of the day, I know that I truly love this sport,” Andreescu said. “It’s given me so much, and the emotions that I get from – just an example, last night was incredible being able to play in front of my home crowd and actually win and finish the match off, even though I was still hurt.
“If you are talking about retirement or whatever… I don’t know. Just because obviously I’ve thought about that too, but no, like, this for me, my goals are still set. Yes, I’m going to have bad days, but I know my goals, and I know what I want to accomplish in this sport.
“So yeah, all I have to do is do my best, and I know that we didn’t do anything wrong. Yeah, I guess, I don’t know, it just happened. The universe just keeps testing me, but I know it’s going to make me stronger.”
By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, July 30, 2025 Photo credit: Matthew Calvis
Stefanos Tsitsipas has rehired a familiar face as coach.
Tsitsipas has resumed working with his father and original coach Apostolos Tsitsipas, he announced on his Instagram stories today.
“Some trips tend to go back to where they started,” Tsitsipas posted on Instagram. “After a period of separation, I found the person who believed in me first, my father. I’m grateful to share the short and the road with him again.
“We have gone through each chapter of this journey together and the next one seems to me to be the right one. Sometimes coming home is the boldest step forward.”
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The announcement comes one week after Tstisipas and former Wimbledon champion and ex-Novak Djokovic coach Goran Ivanisevic split ending a brief partnership.
A candid Ivanisevic was critical of Tsitsipas’ work habits at the end of their partnership.
“He has to resolve his back issue. I was shocked. I’ve never seen such an underprepared player in my life,” Ivanisevic, who won a Wimbledon title as a player and coached Novak Djokovic to his last 12 major titles, said.
Former world No. 3 Tsitsipas won his 12th career title in Dubai in February, but the summer has been a season of struggle for the Greek. Tsitsipas has posted a 4-5 record in his last nine matches, fell in the Wimbledon first round and split with former girlfriend and WTA star Paula Badosa. The pair were schedule to play next month’s US Open Mixed Doubles, but withdrew from that event.
Tsitsipas, whose ranking has dropped to No. 30, will try to jump-start his North American summer hard-court season facing Aussie Christopher O’Connell in Toronto today.
Though Tsitsipas has worked with ex ATP standouts Ivanisevic, Mark Philippoussis and Thomas Enqvist in the past, he continues to return to working with father Apostolos. Time will tell whether father and son can remedy some of the issues that have plagued the talented Greek, including adapting his style to faster surfaces, fixing his backhand return, which opponents tend to target, and attempting to impose his all-court skill and athleticism rather than just standing back at the baseline seeking forehands.
By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, July 30, 2025 Photo credit: Tim Clayton/Getty
Fans will feast on Grand Slam tennis and major culinary experience at the 2025 US Open.
The USTA today announced the menu for the US Open which features everything from pastrami to pizza to porterhouse steak to pastaRamen.
In a news release announcing its food and drink menu, the USTA highlighted some of the dining options fans can feast on in the food court and inside the stadiums:
Tennis fans can experience world-class Mexican hospitality through Dobel® Tequila’s exciting new culinary partnership with Oyamel by José Andrés Group, bringing together two masters of their craft to celebrate the rich regional diversity of Mexican cuisine and vibrant cocktail experiences inside the Dobel Tequila Club. Guests will enjoy various Mexican dishes, including Oyamel’s Taco Cochinita, made of Yucatán-style pit barbecued pork, achiote, Mexican sour orange and pickled red onion.
Making its US Open debut, pastaRAMEN will bring its unique Wafu Italian cuisine to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in 2025. Led by James Beard-nominated Rising Star Chef Robbie Felice, pastaRAMEN will present fans with a bold fusion of Italian and Japanese flavors, meticulously prepared using high-quality ingredients and time-honored techniques. Originating as an invite-only omakase pop-up in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles, pastaRAMEN is now based in Montclair, N.J. It holds the distinction of being the first Italian ramen shop in the United States, taking inspiration from Kabenoana, a 1950s Tokyo restaurant whose name translates to “hole in the wall.”
Restaurateur Simon Kim, the Founder and CEO of Gracious Hospitality Management, the group behind the Michelin-starred COTE Korean Steakhouse in New York City’s Flatiron District, will return for his second year with a fresh twist to his beloved restaurant concept COQODAQ. Known for its elevated approach to Korean-inspired Better Fried Chicken, the revamped “CQDQ” will be located in Food Village and feature a curated menu of fan-friendly favorites, including the iconic nuggets. The original COQODAQ, featuring signature dishes such as “The Golden Nugget” — the renowned chicken nugget paired with caviar — will also be available to fans in the club level of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Here’s a complete menu for the 2025 US Open:
Of course, if none of the above suit your taste buds (or your wallet) you can always travel outside of the gates to the hot dog and pretzel stand or ice cream concession located at the base of the boardwalk fans cross to reach the USTA-Billie Jean King National Tennis Center from the No. 7 train.
Leylah Fernandez is revealing what she considers a red flag ahead of her first date and that's seeing a person using "a lot of slang."
10 days ago, the 2021 US Open champion candidly admitted to never being on a date and asked potential suitors to slide into her Instagram DM for a potential date in Montreal. While competing in Washington, the 22-year-old funnily told interested individuals to feel safe to reach out to her because it was not true that her father/coach Jorge was "unwelcoming."
After winning the WTA 500 tournament in Washington, Fernandez arrived in Montreal – the place where she should have her first date. During an appearance on Tennis Channel, the panel touched on the subject and asked the Canadian to reveal what she would consider a red flag in a date.
"I think the No. 1 red flag for me is… There's a lot of slang in the message. For me, it's not very… I don't like to say proper but it's not easy to understand," Fernandez said.
After beating Anna Kalinskaya in the Washington final, the world No. 24 shared that she had found herself a date for Montreal. However, she also added that since she would arrive late to Montreal, she would likely push back the date.
"Honestly, I told my date that we might have to push it back a little bit because I'm still in DC. So, hopefully, maybe at the end of Montreal, I get to have that date finally, but we've been talking and keeping in touch to hopefully schedule it at the end of Montreal before going to Cincy," Fernandez said.
Since the 22-year-old lost in the Montreal first round on Tuesday, her date might come in the next day or so.
A prize pool of $9.5 million (of which $1.425 million will go to the champion), 144 competitors, including all 25 top players in the world. Plus: 11 past winners, 20 season winners on the LPGA Tour and 12 on the LET, and the presence of Alessandra Fanali. The AIG Women's Open, scheduled for July 31st to August 3rd in Porthcawl, Wales, promises to be a spectacular event. The final women's Major of 2025 will be held at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club, where New Zealand's Lydia Ko, gold medalist at the Paris Games, will defend her 2024 title. Past winners include Lilia Vu (2023), Ashleigh Buhai (2022), Anna Nordqvist (2021), Sophia Popov (2020), Hinako Shibuno (2019), Georgia Hall (2018), Ariya Jutanugarn (2016), Stacy Lewis (2013), Jiyai Shin (2012, 2008), and Yani Tseng (2011, 2010).
AIG Women's Open in Wales
Among the stars of the competition is American Nelly Korda, leader of the Rolex Rankings. Lottie Woad is also highly anticipated. The 21-year-old Englishwoman, in her first pro tournament, won the ISPS HANDA Women's Scottish Open. A success that came after her (as an amateur) victory in the KPMG Women’s Irish Open, followed by a third-place finish in The Amundi Evian Championship, her fourth Major appearance. A dream birthday for Fanali, who turns 26 today and is preparing to make her debut in a Major. The Italian, with a score of 69 (-2), finished fourth in the Final Qualifying held in Bridgen, also in Wales, won by Canadian Anna Huang, thus securing her place in the coveted event. The tournament, founded in 1976 (the winner was English amateur Jenny Lee Smith), has been won over the years by great players in the discipline. Among these, Laura Davies (1986), Annika Sorenstam (2003) and Lorena Ochoa (2007).
The first documents attesting to the existence of rules of golf date back to March 1744. The rules were produced for a competition to be held at a Scottish golf club, and contained 13 points in total.[3] Initially, writing the rules was the responsibility of each individual club and so they varied depending on where the game was played.
Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas may not partner up at the US Open, but the Spanish tennis star has found herself a replacement and she will still feature in the mixed doubles event after she and Jack Draper have been confirmed as a pair.
In case you missed it, Badosa and Tsitsipas had been one of the star duos slated to play in the revolutionary US Open mixed doubles tournament. Then, in early July, it was reported that they called time on their love story. To no one's surprise, the two pulled out of the mixed doubles event shortly after.
When the preliminary player field for the mixed doubles event at Flushing Meadows was released, Draper and Zheng Qinwen were there as a team. That was before Zheng had to undergo surgery and withdraw from the last Grand Slam tournament of the year.
Despite the circumstances in which they found themselves, world No. 10 Badosa and fifth-ranked Draper still came up with the idea of how to feature in the star-studded doubles tournament in New York.
14 teams are IN!
Eight teams have received direct entry and six teams have received wild cards to the US Open Mixed Doubles Championship. The final two wild cards will be announced at a later date. pic.twitter.com/mkAteJDQVT
Tsitsipas and Badosa even shot a video together for the upcoming US Open mixed doubles tournament
In late June, the former couple appeared in a video for the last Grand Slam tournament of the year. There, the Greek spoke very excitedly about sharing the same side of the court with the Spaniard.
“I believe it's honestly one of the best feelings to be sharing the court with Paula. So, I've had a few instances where we played some mixed doubles and it worked out very well. We were able to enjoy the company of one another on the tennis court and make something great out of it," Tsitsipas said at the time.
Badosa and Tsitsipas played mixed doubles in New York last year and lost in the first round.
An Italian newspaper is claiming that Jannik Sinner fired Marco Panichi because he was "talking too much" and revealed some details that the world No. 1 didn't want to go public.
Just days before the start of Wimbledon, the Italian tennis star stunned the entire tennis world when he announced that fitness coach Panichi and physio Ulises Badio were no longer a part of his team. It came as a big surprise – not only because of the move itself, but also because of the timing of it.
Now, Corriere della Sera reports that Sinner wasn't happy with one interview given by Panichi after his painful French Open final loss, when he blew a two-set lead and three championship points against Carlos Alcaraz. In the interview, the fitness coach said that the 23-year-old "cried for 15 minutes afterward in the locker room" and also wasn't happy with the fact that the French Open crowd supported more Alcaraz.
According to the report, Sinner didn't like that all. Also, it was mentioned that Badio – who came with Panichi in the same package – was "a collateral damage."
What Sinner said after splitting with Panichi?
During his pre-tournament presser at Wimbledon, the Italian – who ended up winning it all – insisted that "nothing crazy happened" with Panichi that caused the split.
“There’s not one specific thing. Nothing crazy happened. That’s for sure not. As I said, we made some great work. Look, in this sport, things can happen and there is nothing incredible, no?” he said at the time.
Since then, Sinner has made a big move and returned Umberto Ferrara to his team – the same fitness coach that he fired after his doping case came to light.
When it comes to fitness coach, he also didn't wait too long to find a new job as he is now a part of Holger Rune's team.
It's the final tournament of the PGA Tour regular season, and the stakes are high. The Wyndham Championship will take place from July 31st to August 3rd in Greensboro, North Carolina. Among the 156 competitors, there will also be an Italian: Matteo Manassero. On the Sedgefield Country Club course, the competition will be fierce to qualify for the top 70 of the FedEx Cup, who will compete in the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis from August 7th to 10th, the first of three playoff events. The field includes not only 10 of the world's top 40, but also all the players ranked 60th to 109th in the FedEx Cup. While it's true that 70 players will advance to the first postseason event, it's also true that the top 100 of the FedEx Cup, at the conclusion of the Wyndham Championship, will confirm their full roster for the 2025-2026 season.
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Among the competition's most anticipated players is Keegan Bradley. Ranked seventh in the world, the 39-year-old from Woodstock, Vermont, could play the dual role of player-captain for the United States in the 45th Ryder Cup from September 26 to 28 in Farmingdale, New York. This year, Bradley, ranked 10th in the FedEx Cup, has achieved five top-10 finishes in 17 events, including the Travelers Championship. The winner of the tournament will secure not only $1,476,000 (8,200,000 total prize money) and 500 FedEx Cup points, but also an exemption to participate in The Sentry, THE PLAYERS Championship, the Masters Tournament, and the PGA Championship in 2026.
Not since 2007 (when the FedEx Cup was founded) has the Wyndham Championship boasted a field of this caliber, with 21 of the world's top 50 and 22 of the FedEx Cup's top 50. If England's Aaron Rai defends the title he won in 2024, Americans Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler, Ben Griffin, Andrew Novak, Max Greyserman, Akshay Bhatia, and Kurt Kitayama (fresh from his exploits in the 3M Open) will be chasing the feat. With them are Japan's Hideki Matsuyama, England's Matt Fitzpatrick and Harry Hall, Scotland's Robert MacIntyre, South Korea's Sungjae Im, New Zealand's Ryan Fox, Denmark's Nicolai Hojgaard, and Australia's Adam Scott, runner-up in 2021 and 7th in 2023. For Manassero (147th in the FedEx Cup), the 32-year-old from Negrar di Valpolicella (Verona), after two consecutive cuts in Europe in the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open (the last Major of 2025), this is a chance to confirm the good results he showed on the PGA Tour last June in the Canadian Open, where he finished 6th after also leading at the end of the third and penultimate round.
Iga Swiatek reveals her face was "red" for crying for 40 minutes straight after learning about her failed doping test and also admits she couldn't hold her tears for two weeks after her case went public.
In the latest episode of his podcast, Andy Roddick hosted the reigning Wimbledon champion. During one segment, they touched on the Pole's doping case, for which she received a symbolical one-month suspension after it was determined that she didn't intentionally or knowingly take a banned substance but that she was a victim of contaminated melatonin pills.
Speaking with Roddick, Swiatek revealed that she was in the middle of a commercial photoshoot when she received an e-mail from the ITIA.
“I had no idea if I should even continue the shoot, my face was all red, I was crying for about 40 minutes, but then – on the other hand – I knew that I couldn’t really tell them about it. So I just continued for the next few hours," the world No. 3 said on the Served with Andy Roddick.
Swiatek: I was crying for two weeks, I felt like I was losing my integrity
When Swiatek's case came to public light, she had already served 22 days and had only eight days left – that explained why the six-time Grand Slam champion missed the entire 2024 Asian swing after the US Open.
“When everything came out [publicly], I was basically crying for two weeks, couldn’t practice, because I felt that tennis did this to me and that I’m in this place because of tennis. I felt like I was losing my integrity, like no one is going to believe me that I didn’t do anything wrong and that the whole world would turn their backs on me and that every accomplishment that I had would start to disappear," Swiatek admitted.
The WADA accepted the ITIA's explanation and sanction for Swiatek. After the WADA decided against contesting the ITIA's ruling, the 24-year-old Pole's doping case was officially over and she was no longer in danger of receiving another and possibly lengthier suspension.
