Archive of posts tagged tennis channel

Stefanos Tsitsipas gets brutally honest on tense relationship with father in past

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Apostolos

Stefanos Tsitsipas is the first to admit that his relationship with his father has never been perfect but also adds that it is only now as transparent as possible.

As you probably know, the Greek tennis star had a very messy split with his father in early 2024 August, when he shouted at Apostolos and made him leave the stands of the Montreal Masters. The very next day, they put an end to their partnership. However, what happened in Montreal wasn't the sole instance as it had been rumored for quite some time that there had been a lot of tension in their relationship.

After spending a full year without his coach and lasting only two tournaments in his most recent partnership with Goran Ivanisevic, Tsitsipas decided to return to the factory settings and bring back his father – who guided him in the past to two Grand Slam finals and a career-high ranking of No. 3 in the world.

Tsitsipas: We've had bad moments but the communication has never been better

"It's great having him back in the team. Well, it's one of those things that nothing else can beat. I feel like we've worked together for so many years. We've built so many amazing memories together. Obviously, a father-son relationship can be also complicated from time to time," the 26-year-old said on Tennis Channel. 

"I won't deny that we've had our good moments, we've had our bad moments, miscommunications, not being able to communicate with ease in certain aspects or ways. But you know, we're not perfect. We're trying to figure it out. I've been very open with him, which I've never, I've never allowed myself to be that open and that transparent with him ever."

On Saturday, Tsitsipas clinched his first win since returning Apostolos to his team after overcoming Fabian Marozsan 7-6 (3) 6-2 in his opening Cincinnati Masters match. In the Cincinnati third round, the 25th-seeded Greek will take on Benjamin Bonzi.

Tsitsipas is currently ranked at No. 30 in the world and he has struggled with his consistency and results for the past two years. It remains to be seen if his father can help him return to where he once was was.

Leylah Fernandez issues latest dating update: Stalked him a bit and had a date

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Broadcasting (NEC)

Leylah Fernandez reveals she has had two dates with "a nice guy" and a love relationship is definitely a realistic option since they are "keeping in contact."

Just before kicking off her triumphant Washington, the 22-year-old said she wanted to have her first-ever date in Montreal and encouraged interested individuals to reach out to her. At the Canadian Open, the local star lost in the first round so she had lots of time to go out on a date.

After arriving at Cincinnati, Tennis Channel caught up with Fernandez. To no one's surprise, the 2021 US Open finalist was asked to issue an update on the dating matter. The world No. 24 proceeded to reveal that a couple of international guys were interested in flying out to Montreal to meet, but she didn't want that. Instead, she waited and hoped that a local would appear.

Fernandez: His first message caught my attention… Stalked him a bit and he's real

"So I was giving it one more day, and then I stumbled upon him, and his message kind of caught my attention," the 22-year-old said on Tennis Channel.

"When I asked him, 'Did you even see my video?' And he's like, 'No, I didn't.' His first message just kind of caught my attention, and then afterwards I stalked him to make sure that he's real. He's a real person, seemed like a nice guy, and then got a couple opinions from family, team members, to make sure that they were okay with it. There's been a second date, and we're keeping in contact, so we'll see."

During Washington, Fernandez jokingly but also seriously told guys not to be afraid of her dad because it wasn't true that he was "unwelcoming." Evidently, the Canadian's date passed the dad test and everything has gone well so far. 

Naomi Shines – In Montreal, Osaka Reaches Biggest Final Since 2022

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By Chris Oddo | Wednesday August 6, 2025

It is Naomi Osaka’s time to shine once again. Back on her beloved hard courts, the four-time major champion has found her mojo and reeled off six consecutive victories to reach her biggest final since she played the Miami Open final in the spring of 2022.

Tennis Express player gear
Tennis Express player gear

Osaka edged past rising Dane Clara Tauson, 6-2 7-6(7) to book a date in the final with 18-year-old Victoria Mboko, who earlier saved a match point to oust Elena Rybakina in three dramatic sets.

Osaka reaches her fifth WTA 1000 final and her first at Montreal.

Osaka saved seven of nine break points, and converted four of five of her own, but her night got tricky in the second set when Tauson, bidding for her second 1000 final of the year, twice rallied from a break down to level the second set.

The Dane held her own from 4-4, forcing a tiebreak, and even had a pair of set points in the breaker. She couldn’t push through and Osaka took the reins to finish off the hard-hitting duel as she converted her second match point to close out her 22nd win of the season in one hour and 48 minutes.

More to follow…

Emotional Tauson Tops Keys, Dedicates Win to Grandfather

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By Chris Oddo | Tuesday August 5, 2025

Clara Tauson was a woman on a mission on Tuesday in Montreal. Two days after notching her second Top-5 win of 2025 over Iga Swiatek, she reeled in her fourth Top-10 triumph of the season by defeating Australian Open champion Madison Keys, 6-1, 6-4.

Tennis Express player gear
Tennis Express player gear

It was an emotional victory for the 22-year-old Dane, who told the crowd that she was dedicating the victory to her grandfather, who recently passed way.

“I’m still in shock,” she said, breaking into tears. “Two days ago my grandfather, unfortunately, passed away. I really wanted to win for him today.

“I was told the day after I beat Iga, yesterday, so I really wanted to come out and show my best tennis for him, and hopefully he’s watching.”

Broadcasting (NEC)

Tauson will face either Naomi Osaka or Elina Svitolina in the semifinals.

She was out of the gates fast against sixth-seeded Keys, converting two breaks of serve to claim the opening set in under 30 minutes. Tauson made a break in the first game of set two hold up, saving a break point while serving at 4-3 before closing the match out in one hour and 13 minutes.

Tauson saved all three break points she faced and won each of her nine service games to improve to 32-15 on the season. She reaches her seventh career WTA semifinal, all of which have come on hard courts.

With the win Tauson is up to a career-high No.15 in the live rankings.

ATP ace Andrey Rublev blasts fast courts in Toronto

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Alejandro Davidovich Fokina

Andrey Rublev has certainly raised his level compared to recent months and his new collaboration with Marat Safin is helping him to find good feelings in view of the US Open scheduled for the end of the summer. The Russian ace had already put in a series of good performances during the Wimbledon Championships, where he had also put world number 2 Carlos Alcaraz in trouble by losing in four sets in the round of 16.

The player from Moscow also reached the round of 16 at the Toronto Masters 1000, after defeating Hugo Gaston in his debut and Italian star Lorenzo Sonego in the third round. Andrey – who reached the final in Montreal last year – made an excellent comeback against Sonego showing that he has recovered mental strength, but further tests will be needed to understand the real consistency of the Russian.

His next opponent will be Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who is playing very well at the moment and has no intention of stopping there. Rublev occupies the 11th position in the ATP ranking at the moment, but he is very close to the tenth position held by Lorenzo Musetti (who has already been eliminated by Alex Michelsen) and will overtake him by passing the next round.

Rublev does not like these courts

Meanwhile, the former Top 10 player gave a long interview to 'Tennis Channel' in which he highlighted how these courts leave little room for tactics and strategy.

As a spectator, I enjoy watching tennis on slower courts a lot more," the Russian champion revealed. "A lot of people think of Wimbledon courts as quite fast, but grass is a surface that allows you to play longer rallies and make the transition from defense to attack. There is more room for strategy and you can change tactics in relation to the score. It takes more intelligence and athletic fitness to prevail on those fields.

The situation is very different on hard courts. I watched the match between Medvedev and Popyrin and there were very few rallies from baseline. Although Daniil was in action, the point ended with the serve and another shot in most cases."

Ex-Slam champ finds it 'unbelievable' how Coco Gauff has been surviving in Montreal

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Broadcasting (NEC)

Former three-time Grand Slam champion Lindsay Davenport says it is "unbelievable" that Coco Gauff has been winning matches in Montreal so far this week with her "C-level tennis."

So far, Gauff is two out of two at this year's Canadian Open. But both of her opening two matches were an absolute slugfest. Against Danielle Collins, the top seed sprayed a shocking 23 double faults and 74 unforced errors but still won 7-5 4-6 7-6 (2). In her following match, the two-time Grand Slam winner was down by a set a break – she fired 14 double faults – but somehow still found a way to beat Veronika Kudermetova 4-6 7-5 6-2.

As you could notice, Gauff's serving has been disastrous this week. But the top-seeded American is still alive and set to fight against Victoria Mboko for a place in the Montreal quarterfinal.

Davenport on Gauff's display in Montreal: Unbelievable she wins with her C-level tennis

“It was interesting she kept looking down at her grip when she was serving. It looked like they were trying to make some changes with the serve. She was not comfortable with it yet. It looks like they know it’s a problem and she didn’t have the confidence with it last night. Her toss was all over the place. But she still wins. It’s unbelievable her ability to figure out ways to win when she is playing, honestly, C-level tennis out there. She did a fantastic job managing her emotions," Davenport said on Tennis Channel.

Gauff's serving issues have been a major topic for the past two years. At times, the 21-year-old serves better consistently and that's when she usually does well. However, there are also periods when she simply can't catch any rhythm on her serve and that usually leads to some shock losses.

In Montreal, Gauff twice avoided picking a surprise defeat. It remains to be seen how she plays against Mboko.

Holger Rune sliding into Veronika Kudermetova DM mentioned during Russian's match

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Alexei Popyrin

Holger Rune was mentioned during the Coco Gauff and Veronika Kudermetova Montreal match after a Tennis Channel commentator brought up the Russian tennis player's recent claim that the Dane slid into her Instagram DM. 

Prior to the start of the Canadian Open, one of the things that made the headlines in the tennis world was an interesting but also fun one – during a recent podcast appearance, 28-year-old Kudermetova shared that Rune tried shooting his shot with her. According to the 42nd-ranked WTA player, she only pointed out to the Dane that she was married. 

"Rune recently texted me. I told him, 'Boy, I'm probably too old for you. If you looked at my Instagram, you’d see I have a husband.' He replied, 'Oh, sorry.' After that, he stopped saying hi to me," the Russian tennis player said.

A commentator brings up Kudermetova's Rune revelation live on air

On Thursday, the world No. 42 took on Gauff in the Montreal third round. And right at the start of the second game, one Tennis Channel commentator brought up the news that recently made all the headlines. 

“I don’t know if you heard about this tea… not tennis related, but there was news that Holger Rune apparently texted Kudermetova, and she said she was too old for him and married," a Tennis Channel commentator told her colleague on air. 

Unfortunately for the Russian, what looked like a big day for her ended in disappointment after she allowed Gauff to come back from a set and a break down and win 4-6 7-5 6-2. 

Meanwhile, the ninth-ranked Dane has been through to the Toronto Masters round-of-16, where he plays Alexei Popyrin.

Lindsay Davenport highlights Joao Fonseca's main weakness

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Andrey Rublev

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.

Leylah Fernandez shares what she considers 'a red flag' ahead of her first date

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Anna Kalinskaya

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.

Fernandez confirmed that she found herself a date

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.

Umag: Luciano Darderi wins title, joins Jannik Sinner on the list

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AlcarazSinner rivalry

Luciano Darderi enjoy two thrilling weeks in Bastad and Umag. The 23-year-old Italian conquered two titles and became the third player with at least three ATP titles in 2025, joining Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Bublik on the list.

Darderi gained a boost in Bastad and carried it to Umag, lifting his fourth clay-court ATP 250 title with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Carlos Taberner in an hour and 26 minutes. 

Thus, Luciano became the fourth Italian champion in Umag and the first since Jannik Sinner in 2022. With 500 ATP points within two weeks, the 23-year-old moved closer to his career-high ranking position.

The Italian struggled a bit with a left ankle injury. He felt the pain after celebrating the title, with Taberner helping him to reach the bench, where he received help. That aside, it was a flawless performance from Darderi.

The 2nd seed took 18 points more than his rival. Luciano dropped seven points in nine service games, facing no break points and mounting the pressure on the other side. 

Taberner dropped 40% of the points in his games and gave serve away three times from five chances presented to his opponent. The favorite tamed his strokes nicely and landed 20 winners and 17 unforced errors. 

He had the upper hand in service winners and from the baseline, building a massive advantage in the shortest range up to four strokes. Luciano lost two points in five service games in the opening set.

Luciano Darderi, Umag 2025

Luciano Darderi, Umag 2025© Stream screenshot

 

He fired a forehand crosscourt winner in the sixth game, providing a break and moving 4-2 in front. They continued after a short rain delay, and Darderi held at 15 in game nine for 6-3 in 40 minutes.

Carlos suffered another break in the fifth game of the second set, sending a backhand wide and moving closer to the exit door. Darderi held at 30 in the next one and moved 4-2 in front.

The Italian held at love in game eight for 5-3 and made a push on the return in the next one. He seized the second match point with a forced error, falling to the ground and celebrating his second title from as many weeks.

Putintseva Fires Back at Sakkari on Social Media

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"And the plot thickens," Yulia Putintseva posted over an image of Maria Sakkari.Broadcasting (NEC)

By Tennis Now | @TennisNow | Monday, June 23, 2025

Yulia Putintseva has fired back at Maria Sakkari in the latest shot in an ongoing feud. 

Tennis Express

Sakkari and Putintseva went at it after the Greek scored a 7-5, 7-6 win yesterday in Bad Homburg.

On-court microphones picked up Sakkari telling Putintseva “Nobody likes you” after the first match of the 2025 Bad Homburg Open was completed.


The pair exchanged more than those words, as Sakkari approached Putintseva to clarify what was being said.

"When you shake hands with someone, look them in the eyes," Sakkari said.

Today, on Instagram Stories, Putintseva posted two images of Sakkari from The Tennis Pulse not making eye contact with either Martina Trevisan or Emma Raducanu in their post-match handshakes. 

Putintseva added the caption: "And the plot thickens…" along with a clown emoji implying Sakkari is a clown for calling her out. 

After yesterday's on-court imbroglio, Sakkari said she respects Putintseva "as a player, but that's it."

"I don't think she's going to invite me for dinner for the rest of our lives, but I don't care, to be honest. I have very good friends and I'll go to dinner with them," Sakkari said. "Let me leave it here, and say that I have respect for her as a player, but that's it."

Well, looks like Putintseva is unwilling to leave it there and it's unlikely the pair will be breaking bread anytime soon.